by K. F. Breene
Emery cocked his head at her. “How were you able to keep your pedigree a secret this long?”
“I was kept apart from society at an early age by a woman much better at staying hidden than I ever will be.”
Darius glanced between Reagan and me before shaking his head. “I don’t know. I’d have to research further. I was a young vampire when I came upon this knowledge, in the middle of some tumultuous times. The memories are not clear.”
Reagan tightened her lips as she gave her knowing nod. “So we really have no idea what crazy power Penny stole from the goblin.”
“I didn’t steal it, I just…cut the goblin off from it for a moment. I think.” Something occurred to me. “But it stands to reason that godly—or angelic, I guess—magic would null the magic of the Underworld, right? As its opposite?”
“For every spell, there is a counter-spell,” Emery said as though reciting it.
Darius was staring at me, and his eyes sparkled in a way I did not love. I could tell he was eager to learn more about this new facet of an already prized asset (me).
Thin strands of anxiety crawled up my spine. I wasn’t just in danger from the Mages’ Guild, I was in danger of my world being controlled by an extremely intelligent, strategic vampire who was always way ahead of me. I needed to deal with the Mages’ Guild and get out from under his thumb.
If only it were that easy.
Emery pushed back his chair and took our plates to the sink. “What happened today might not have anything to do with godly power,” he said. “As Reagan said, it seems far-fetched. If the gods stopped giving gifts of power many generations ago—which they must’ve, because I’ve never heard of this—then it is hard to believe the power would be found in a goblin, of all things. Regardless, this changes nothing. We need to focus on what comes next with the Guild.”
Darius cocked his head, and a small smile played across his lips. “I wouldn’t say it changes nothing. For one, if she does possess a magical gift from the gods, she will have an incredible asset with which to take on the Guild. Secondly, the target on her back right now will be nothing compared to the price on her head if this were to get out.” Darius’s eyes glimmered. “Third…” His smile grew. “She would be the key to unraveling the Underworld.”
Emery bustled me out of that room so fast that my head spun. “We need an exit plan,” he said when he got me upstairs to our shared bedroom.
Only the four of us were staying at the modest farmhouse in the middle of Ireland, located about an hour away from the recent bounty hunter gig. Darius had thought it best that we keep a low profile, which meant not including his super-pretty, well-dressed, and fast-moving entourage.
Moss, Marie, and the rest of his usual group awaited us up north in a place called Derry. That was the set location for the high-powered gathering the next day.
“There is no point in leaving now,” I said as Emery shut the door. He didn’t bother locking it, since vampires could magically pick locks. Instead, he slapped a ward across the wood that would alert us if anyone came through. “We’d be hunted down. Besides, we need him to confront the Guild.”
Once the shades were pulled, Emery turned to me, his deep blue eyes lost to the shadows in the room. He moved toward me slowly, deliberately, not bothering to switch on the light.
The fire of expectation sizzled up my skin as I took in his handsome face, with his sharp cheekbones and full lips. His touch whispered across my body.
“I’m not sold on the godly power idea, but one thing is certain… you were able to null Reagan’s magic,” he whispered, running his palms up my arms and stopping at my neck. He ran a thumb along my jaw. “That makes you even more important to Darius. He’s mentioned some wall in the Underworld that keeps non-demonic creatures out. He thought maybe you and I could crack it. That was before this new situation.” His hot breath dusted my face. I saw his smile in the dim light. “How do you get yourself into these messes?”
His teasing tone loosened my shoulders, and the sensation of his hands sliding over my shoulders and onto my chest set my heart to thumping.
“It’s a gift,” I said with an answering smile and a sigh, knowing by now that he didn’t hold my constant weirdness and abnormal…everything against me. Often he relished in my unique way of doing things. I exhaled and dropped my head back. He yielded to my silent demand and skimmed his lips along my neck. “I was just trying to solve the problem of how we could stop that creature from constantly shifting to stone.” My eyes fluttered shut as he lightly sucked in my fevered skin.
His palms slid down my hips before drifting inward, toward my pants buttons. “You had a close call. Hearing about it scared me. Reagan had assured me you were never in any real danger on those bounty hunter gigs.”
I huffed. “I’m always in danger. She thinks it’s hilarious.”
“I saw her expression.” He swallowed hard and his hands stilled. He leaned his forehead against mine. “She didn’t think it was funny this time.”
“When she worries, she works miracles. Honestly, it was fine. I’m sure I could’ve figured it out before the end. She just got there first.”
He shook his head, making quick work of the rest of our clothes before backing me toward the bed. “I’m overbearing, I know that. I just—”
I laughed. “Have you forgotten what I grew up with?”
His kiss curled my toes, deep and intoxicating. “I don’t want to lose you, Turdswallop,” he said softly.
I used a made-up swear word one time, and suddenly it was the joke of the century.
“What if I did accidentally steal the godly gift or whatever?” I asked in a small voice, wrapping my legs around him as he lowered me to the bed. “I mean, I don’t mind gifting it away if it’s going to cause a problem, assuming someone can tell me how to do that, but won’t the gods be pissed?”
He pulled one of my knees higher on his hip before settling low. His next movement pushed away all of my thoughts and worries, stilling me in the moment.
“We’ll figure it out, Penny,” he said, confident and sure. When he wanted to, he could handle anything, I was sure of it. “Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I relished in the feeling of him, winding me higher until I arched and panted his name. But the escape would be short-lived, and I knew it. Tomorrow, we would meet a couple of huge powers in the supernatural world, and soon thereafter, we’d declare war on the Mages’ Guild and their secret vampire allies.
The time for learning my craft was over. Now it was time to use it.
6
“What’s up, Godly One?” Reagan said the next day with a smirk. She had on a new pair of leather pants without one scuff, ending in heavy black boots that had been used to kick in more than one person’s teeth. A fanny pack encircled her waist, filled with empty casings that she pretended contained spells so as to hide her magic. On top of it all, she wore a lovely green silk blouse that looked absolutely ridiculous with everything else, especially since she’d lost her hair and eyebrows to my spell last night. She was an odd specimen, but she couldn’t care less.
“Not appropriate,” I said through mostly closed lips, looking around to make sure no one was within earshot. I adjusted my tailored suit jacket for the hundredth time and smoothed my black slacks down my trembling legs. Marie still bought my clothes for me, and she had such great fashion sense that I didn’t protest.
We’d walked into the beautifully renovated stone building like we belonged there, and now we were leaning against the wall, watching as human office workers in suits or business casual attire strolled by on their way home or elsewhere. We had time to scope it out while we waited for Emery and the vampire crew to park the car.
“You stole from a god.” She snickered. “And I thought I had a dim future.”
“You’ll have no future if you—” I pressed my lips together. Smack talk wasn’t my thing. I couldn’t sell it. Especially not to Reagan, who w
ould take those words as a green light to beat me over the head with her shoe, or whatever else she had handy. “Does Darius own this building?”
Reagan’s brow furrowed as she looked around the leafy plant next to her. On my side there was an entrance to a small cafe, still open to catch those needing a boost before they started their commute home. Beyond it, a large man stood at a larger desk, watching everyone with acute focus.
“No,” she said. “He hasn’t said who does, but I can feel when he owns something, and not just because of his owner’s pride. He knows the person who owns it, though. He was checking everything out with serious interest.”
“He didn’t say who?”
“No. Which means I won’t like whoever it is. I have a few ideas.”
Their relationship was exhausting, but there was no denying they were made for each other. Nobody else would have them.
“Too bad, though,” she said softly, looking around the spacious lobby. “This is a cool building in a freaking awesome city. That old stone face on the outside was fantastic. And the huge wall around here, with the cannons? It’s my kind of city. I’d love to spend more time here.”
I completely agreed. Located in Northern Ireland, which was actually part of the United Kingdom and not the Republic of Ireland, Derry was famously surrounded by a giant wall, two people high and over ten feet across. Cars entering the city had to go through old gates, some of the openings so small that people entering and leaving had to take turns going through. Back in the days when the walls were used to keep attacking enemies at bay, the city had never been breached.
“Roger brought someone,” she said, eyeing the front doors. Roger was the Alpha of the North American shifter pack, which oversaw all the other packs in that territory. I knew that he and Reagan had suffered some…differences of opinion in the past, but I’d never actually met him before. “I didn’t get a name, but Darius accidentally dropped a few hints. I think it’s the Alpha of the European pack. An American who’s as hated as he is feared. He couldn’t rip away Roger’s mantle, but he was able to kill the European Alpha and assume his position with brute force.” Reagan shook her head slowly. “If only it wouldn’t make me enemy number one to kill him…”
“Why wouldn’t Darius just tell you who’s going to be here? And why would shifters stand for someone like that taking power?” I fluffed my hair, wondering how long it actually took to park a car. And how many people needed to be a part of it.
“A real Alpha is a leader. Someone you would trust with your life. Someone you might fear, yes, but someone who holds your loyalty through respect. Don’t tell him I said this, but Roger is a true Alpha. He’s strong, smart, and sure. His people are in good hands. But sometimes a shifter is so strong that he gets to be Alpha because of brute force. He leads through fear alone. He doesn’t garner loyalty—he cages people in by threat of death. Or, sometimes, by threatening loved ones. I have no proof, but this other guy seems like that type. And why doesn’t Darius fill me in? Because he knows what it’ll do to my aggression. I’ll walk in, see the ass in question, and cause a problem. That’s not what we need right now. We need subtlety and manipulation. This is his game. I’m just a player.”
“But why would we want to work with that kind of Alpha?”
“Because we need shifter help, and if there is one thing this guy excels at, it is killing. He’s a blunt instrument, and Darius is a pro at using any instrument, blunt or otherwise.”
I blew out a breath, shifting my weight from side to side. Darius might be a problem down the road, but boy was I happy that he was on our side now.
Reagan glanced up at the organized mass of magic hovering above me, something that always happened when I was in pressurized situations. She couldn’t see it, but she could feel its presence. “Does your magic feel any different today?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Nothing different about the power or anything?”
“Nope. I did some magic with Emery, and he didn’t feel a difference.”
“I heard.” She waggled her bald eyebrows at me.
“Ew. Something is wrong with you.”
“Yes.” She stared down a passerby who’d made the mistake of looking at her fanny pack. The lady started when she realized a crazy person was giving her the stink-eye. “It doesn’t make sense that the goblin turned to stone, yet you don’t seem any different.”
“I null your magic. That’s different.”
“Yeah, but…I would expect something else. That goblin shifted and nulled my magic. We’re missing something.”
“The magic probably reduced in strength when it transferred. Or maybe it didn’t transfer at all and I finally figured out how to null your magic. Actually, that last possibility sounds more plausible. It’s like I can finally feel my way through your magic, and kind of do a counter-spell.”
Reagan nodded slowly, eyeballing someone else. “Take a picture while you’re at it.” The man ripped his gaze away from her bald head. “It could be that you figured it out. I knew you were bound to. Seriously, what is up with these people? Their staring is riling me up.”
“Being around people riles you up.”
“Yes, but staring people rile me up more. They aren’t staring at you.”
“I don’t look…eccentric.”
Reagan turned to me with a hairless frown before looking down at herself. “What? I’m business casual.”
I just shook my head. Clearly she didn’t see the difference between bounty hunter business casual and office business casual. But Darius hadn’t commented one way or another, so what did I know?
“Here we go,” Reagan said, and I followed her gaze.
Darius and Emery strolled through the foyer of the building like two GQ models heading for the runway. Darius moved like a lethal dancer, his over-the-top handsomeness and elegant grace drawing eyes from across the foyer. Those eyes then moved on to Emery, topping Darius’s height by two inches and swinging a broader set of shoulders. His gait was powerfully confident and his bearing screamed rough and tumble. Both were decked out in tailored suits that fit them like gloves, shiny watches, and hair styled and gelled just so. Moss and Marie strutted along behind, dressed to impress and owning their apparel.
“I look as good as they do, right?” I asked, straightening my jacket again and smoothing my pants.
“If you would stop slouching, fidgeting, and looking around like you are about to be attacked, yes, you would look as good as they do.”
“So…no, then.”
“No. Not on your life, no. You look like an out-of-place nerd in an uncomfortable suit.”
“At least I’m not wearing a blouse with leather pants and army boots,” I muttered, trying to straighten up.
“I don’t think it would matter if you did. You’d still blend into the surroundings.”
That was a good thing. That was my thing, actually, and it worked for me. I’d just stick with that.
“Ready, ladies?” Darius said, stopping near us with hard eyes. His gaze cut right through me, predatory and ruthless. He looked like he was going into a battle zone.
“How are you doing?” Emery asked me, his stance exuding confidence and power. Despite the presence of the elder vampire rocking his designer apparel, Emery owned the room. Or lobby, as it were.
“Good. Great.” I threw them a thumbs-up. “Feeling like I should flee the scene, but hanging in there.”
Emery chuckled and rubbed my back, apparently thinking that was a joke. “We have the best in the business on our side.” Emery flicked his gaze at Darius as we headed beyond the burly desk jockey without checking in. “He has done his homework.”
“I’ve been in a situation where he was supposed to have done his homework,” I said as we neared the elevators, “and that didn’t turn out so well.” I’d nearly died back in New Orleans after accidentally setting off Darius’s houseguest Ja.
Darius pushed the up button and stepped back, his hand slipping into his pants p
ocket. At the same time, Emery pulled his hand out of his pocket and checked his watch. They both shifted, their shoulders leaning in opposite directions but the movements still strangely synchronized, followed by Moss half turning and Marie basically striking a pose like a super model. It was like a dance of cool.
Reagan and I stood out. Badly.
“This time…” Emery scratched his cleanly shaven chin, his brow furrowing. No one helped him find the words.
The slim ray of hope I’d held that this team of powerhouses would prevent me (or Reagan) from creating “a situation” dimmed.
No one spoke in the elevator, and when we stepped out onto the shiny wooden floor, a strange feeling rolled over me. Like soft kisses slithering along my skin.
“Do you feel that?” I asked Emery.
“No. What is it?” he said, his eyes darting around and his face hard. He was ready for trouble.
I shook my head, unable to really describe it.
Darius led us to the right, gliding through the hall in a loose way that spoke of attack readiness. He wasn’t going into this meeting with closed eyes. That was good.
Interesting modern paintings hung on the cream walls, and white crown molding ran along the edges of the ceiling. Slowly, little by little, the feeling of my surroundings changed. The air condensed, thickening until I could almost hold it with two hands. A feeling slithered along my skin, curious yet watchful.
He’s guarding his territory.
Confused, I slowed, looking for a security device or someone watching in the corridor. Feeling the intent of magic was a gift I had, but I didn’t feel or see any actual magic, and I had never assigned a sex to intent before.
Perfectly synchronized in a way I didn’t understand, the others slowed with me, each glancing in a different direction, covering all bases.
A single thread of power curled within my awareness, twisting and turning, flirting with my senses and begging to be noticed. And still the presence in the air bore down on me.