by K. F. Breene
We needed him on our side.
“What just happened?” he asked.
“Why, we proved a point, did we not?” Vlad put out his hand, inviting Roger back to his seat. “Do not be alarmed. Rex will not be hurt. He will be thrown outside, that is all. He will then be free to go about his day.”
“What just happened?” Roger asked again, the warm edge of anger riding his words.
“We proved that Penny and Emery are every bit as powerful as we said,” Reagan said, also breathing quickly. She sat down slowly, and without knowing why, I was thankful she included Emery in what had just happened. “And they made sure Rex will not shift again. I’ve heard stories, and now I’ve seen him in action. There’s no way he was equipped to be an Alpha. You should’ve stepped in, but since you didn’t, the naturals did it for you. You’re welcome.”
Roger’s jaw clenched.
“We have a lot of power at our disposal,” Darius said, his eyes on me. “We will not lose. We can’t. But we need the shifters.”
He was reading my mind. Or else I was muttering out loud again. Anything was possible at that point. The haze still covered me like a thick fog and my body felt strung out. Magic pinged through me, but I couldn’t handle it anymore. I was shutting down—I could feel it.
“I will commit to this venture,” Vlad said, his words coming slowly. “We can discuss the resources we will need, and we will also discuss my level of involvement in the restructuring of the Guild, but I will mark this as—”
“No.” I pointed at him, battling through the haze to make this very important point. “No. You will help us take down the Guild, and you will have input in its resurrection. But that is where your influence will end. Abruptly end. That goes for all of us.” I swung my finger at each of us in turn, ending with Emery and me. “The Guild will be rebuilt as a democracy, with rules. With morals. Mages will decide its fate, not other creatures.”
Silence descended again, and the remaining vampires in the room clenched their jaws.
“Are you a woman who sticks to her guns, Penny Bristol?” Roger asked, and I realized he hadn’t said too much for the whole meeting. He’d been listening.
“I don’t usually have any guns. I’ve always gotten pushed around.” I wiped my clammy forehead and leaned against Emery’s arm. “But in this, yes. I will not bend. And if the rest of the people in this room won’t agree, then I’ll tear down the Guild some other way. I will not go through all this trouble just to end up in the same situation again later, with only the players changed. And if you let a vampire in to run anything, you can bet they’ll end up owning you in one way or another.”
Vlad put his elegant hand to his chest. “That’s hurtful.”
Laughter bubbled up through me, because I doubted even a stake through the heart would hurt that vampire. He wasn’t like Darius—he had no emotion to speak of. It made him unpredictable and ten times more dangerous. I had one thing going for me. Judging by his sparkling eyes and dazzling smile, he was teasing. We were on the same page.
“I’m in,” Roger said flatly, but I could see the tightness in his eyes. The tension in his shoulders. What had just happened with Rex had deeply shaken him. That didn’t prevent him from thinking rationally, though. “We’ll need to talk more specifics, but as long as Penny has a major hand in rebuilding, I’ll join this endeavor. But let it be known…” He leaned forward and his intensity kicked up a notch. “This does not mean I trust vampires any more than I ever have. When this is over, things go back to the way they were. Is that clear?”
“I already miss our newfound connection.” Vlad’s tone was light, still teasing, but it felt like a blade resting on billowing silk. They were also on the same page.
“This alliance, however temporary, will be one for the record books.” Reagan shook her head. Her magic pumped into the room. “Then it’ll get thrown out, because no one will believe it.”
“The enemy of my enemy, as they say.” I gripped the table ledge as another wave of vertigo hit me. I tried to wave the magic off, but my hand felt like lead. My heart rushed through my ears and my stomach churned. Blackness rushed in, clouding my vision.
10
“This will need to be solidly planned,” Roger said with reservations. “Rex had a point. We’re up against incredible odds.” His jaw clenched as he said the other Alpha’s name, and Emery could tell he wanted to ask more about what had happened to Rex. In truth, Emery wondered the same thing, but delving into the Rex situation might mean upsetting the fragile alliance they’d just formed.
“Ugh.” Penny put the heel of her hand against her head.
“You okay?” Emery leaned forward to try and glimpse her face. This was another situation he badly wanted to get more information about. She’d been periodically acting strangely throughout the whole meeting. With tension running high, some outbursts were expected, but even so…
“I don’t feel the best…” She pitched forward suddenly, her head thunking on the table.
He shot up and leaned over her, resting his hand on her back. Heat blazed into his palm; her body was on fire. Her forehead felt the same.
“What’s wrong?” Reagan said, standing. Her chair sailed back and hit the wall.
Roger stood too, pushing the chairs away so he could lean in and see Penny’s face. He felt her forehead. “That’d be a bad fever by shifter standards…”
Shifters ran hotter than normal or magical humans. Penny was burning up.
Without another word, Emery scooped her up into his arms and swung her away from the table. Reagan was by his side a moment later, looking anxious.
She put two fingers to Penny’s neck. “Is she breathing?”
Emery felt the shallow rise and fall of her chest as he hurried for the double doors. “Yes.”
Penny was probably fine. It was probably just a fever, inflamed by the intensity of the meeting. She’d likely just fainted.
But as he headed for the door, a warning blared at the back of his head. Penny hadn’t been acting normal, even for her. She’d had a scare yesterday. She could suddenly null Reagan’s powerful and complex magic. She’d done something to Rex to prevent him from changing, a feat Emery had never imagined possible before yesterday.
Only fools believe in coincidences.
If she had ingested some form of magic from that goblin, which also hadn’t acted as normal goblins should, she might have a magical parasite in her body. Judging from what Reagan had said, that parasite had tried to shut her down yesterday, and it could easily be trying the same thing today.
So many ifs. Too many. He was flying blind when it came to the most important person in his life.
“Hurry up,” he yelled at Reagan, wanting to get out of that room. Hoping that as soon as they got some fresh air, away from all the powerful magic, Penny might revive.
“Get her out of here,” Darius barked, and it was the first time Emery remembered seeing the vampire visibly lose his cool.
Vlad’s gaze turned keen as Reagan ripped one door out of the way, and Roger broke down the other. The Alpha had enormous strength, so it wasn’t much of a surprise.
“Go, go!” Reagan urged, not that Emery needed the encouragement—he was already on his way out of the door with Penny in his arms. Reagan came jogging after them a moment later, sparing a backward glance at the shifters trapped in the air walls. “Come on. I’ll let them out when we get farther away.”
At the elevator, Reagan jabbed the down button, then hit it two more times. “All we need is for freaking Vlad to figure out what’s up.”
“And what is that?” Emery rocked from side to side, his cheek resting on Penny’s terrifyingly hot head.
“What do you think? Something is up with Penny, and Vlad’s old enough to take a guess at what it is.”
The elevator chimed and they rushed forward. Reagan stepped in front and center and turned toward the doors, the first line of defense if someone followed them in.
“If that godly
stuff was legit, I would’ve heard about it,” Emery said, his hands shaking as he pressed the button for the lobby. “I’ve traveled all over the Brink and the Realm. I’ve talked to all sorts of creatures. I’ve heard secrets beyond secrets. Stories about dragons, unicorns, you name it, I’ve heard of it—”
Reagan’s head whipped around. “If I were you, I would never, ever say that last creature again. Not ever. Not even to me. And don’t speak to the person or creature who was talking tall tales. They’ll end up dead, and so will you.”
“Right. So now I believe those stories. Regardless, I’ve never heard of godly magic. Never heard of anything Darius told us last night. If godly magic existed on our plane, it’s long since disappeared.”
“Then what is going on?”
“I don’t know, but whatever it is, it isn’t good.”
“Can you sense any difference in her…bubble, or whatever? Her energy?” Reagan asked.
The elevator bumped down. A chime announced the doors opening.
Emery pulled his head back to look down at Penny’s face as he hurried her out of the elevator. A blast of fresh, chilled air hit them. Her eyes didn’t even flutter.
Four vampires waited in the hall, stock-still.
“What are you clowns doing down here?” Reagan gracefully put herself between him and them.
“Helping keep the peace,” Sabrine said in a bored voice.
“With the bigger shifter gone, it will be more comfortable for Roger if we weren’t in the room,” Moss said. “It will help our cause.”
“Right. Fine,” Reagan said. “Moss, I need to take the car. Get— Stop shaking your head. It’ll be fine. I won’t crash it.”
“I’ll take you,” Moss said, his face closed down. “Marie, tell Mr. Durant that I will send another car around to him.”
“I’ve figured out how to drive on the wrong side of the road,” Reagan said as Moss stalked ahead. She waved Emery forward. “It’ll be fine— Well, he’s not listening. How annoying.”
“What happened to the witch?” Sabrine’s gaze tracked Penny.
“She passed out. Too many charming personalities in one place.” Reagan winked. Sabrine gave her a blank stare. “You should go into theater. So expressive.”
“Come on,” Emery said.
“As I was saying,” Reagan said quietly, out near the security desk now. Another large man had taken the place of the first. “Do you feel anything different with her magic?”
“Nothing. Not all night. Her energy rolled and surged, but it was always timed with someone getting pissed. That’s to be expected. With all the power in that room, and with her special gift to sense and use other people’s magic, she must’ve felt their hostility.”
“And that was a lot of hostility.” Reagan hurried to reach the door first and pull it open. “What about her emotions? Anything odd there? Do you feel any new traits?”
Emery stepped out into the cold night. “I forgot our jackets.”
“It’s fine. Here’s Moss. Crap, he’s speeding. He knows something’s wrong. It must be obvious.” Reagan rushed forward and opened the door.
“I’m carrying a limp woman. Of course something’s wrong.” Emery delicately put Penny into the car before running around to the other side and getting in with her. “Darius is great at damage control.”
“Sure, for Roger. But Vlad is the most cunning creature you’ll ever meet. Ever. He already knows a ton. Darius is going to need all his wits to keep Vlad in the dark.”
“Luckily”—Moss’s dark eyes flashed in the rearview mirror—“he has brought all his wits today.”
“Yes, thank you, peanut gallery.” Reagan sat in the front passenger seat. “So?” she asked Emery. The car pulled away from the curb quickly. “Can you feel anything?”
“I don’t have a bond to her other than our energy. When she works magic, everything feels exactly the same. I have no idea what’s going on right now.”
“The natural pairing doesn’t let you feel her emotions?”
“No. We’d have to be a dual-mage pair for that, and then it is only a magical connection. It isn’t like a vampire bond.”
“Well, a magical connection is at least something. Why haven’t you gone down that road yet?”
“Because he is a coward.” Moss flashed accusatory eyes into the rearview mirror.
Reagan pointed at Moss. “There it is.”
Emery gritted his teeth.
“She was not acting herself tonight,” Moss said.
“She did get weird there toward the end,” Reagan said. “And for her, that’s saying something.”
“Could just be the flu…” Emery pulled her head down onto his lap and smoothed her hair away from her burning forehead. “We need to get a temperature gauge.”
“Thermometer, genius.” Reagan tapped the window. “Can’t you go faster, Moss?”
“You are usually unbearable, but when you worry, you are even more so,” Moss said in his deadpan monotone.
Despite the situation, Emery couldn’t help but laugh.
After a quick stop at a corner store, Moss brought them to a swanky hotel. Emery barely noticed the furnishings as they vaulted up the stairs to the third floor. Moss unlocked the door to their suite with the wave of his hand, pushed it open, then stepped aside so Emery could enter. Cradling Penny in his arms, he ran through the sitting area to the room at the back, the blackout curtains open, revealing the cloudy night.
Once he got Penny on the bed, Emery sat beside her, laying his hand on her forehead. Still burning. “Grab the thermometer.”
Moss ripped open the package, not sparing any time.
“Here’s the thing…” Reagan paced in the space between the bedroom area and the sitting room. She put her hands to her hips. “You’re worried for Penny. If you guys bond, and then you die, you think she’d go nuts, right?”
“Do we have to have this conversation now?” Emery took the device from Moss, a wand of sorts with a bead of glass at one end, a screen in the middle, and a button below the screen. “What is this?”
“A thermometer.” Moss tapped it.
“How…” Emery pushed the button. It clicked electronically then beeped, and the screen glowed to life. A number flashed within the green light. “I just hold it to her head? What happened to the kind that you put under the tongue?”
“Technology has advanced.” Moss unfolded the instructions.
“She could be dying,” Reagan continued, “and you have no idea, because you won’t bond her. Or whatever the dual-mage spell thing is called. She could have some seriously crazy magic fighting her right now, and you’re forcing her to fight it alone. All because you’re scared she might…one day get hurt…down the road…maybe.”
“Put that end on her head”—Moss tapped the curved end—“and move it back and forth across her forehead while pushing the button.”
Emery shoved Reagan’s voice out of his head and did as Moss said, hearing the little electronic clicks as he did so.
“Don’t you think, in hindsight, your reasoning is stupid?” Reagan stalked closer, leaning over to peer at the thermometer gliding across Penny’s forehead. “I mean, I would really like to know what the fuck is going on right now. I do not like the thought of crazy goblin magic running rampant in my friend. But I can’t fight what I can’t see, do you see what I mean? Maybe my magic could help, like before, but I can’t possibly know, because we don’t have a guy on the inside. That guy is too much of a coward to do what he needs to do.”
Emery gritted his teeth again, just barely stopping himself from throwing a spell. The only reason he didn’t was because Penny would object. Reagan was worried, and she was acting out because of it. Still, the woman was fraying his last nerve.
He released the button and pulled the thermometer away. The light flashed orange and the number came up. One-oh-two.
“That’s high, but it’s not hospital high,” Emery said softly, putting his fingers to her cheek. He shook
his head, Reagan’s words replaying over and over in his head. “I’ve never heard of magic causing a fever.”
Reagan dug out her phone and tapped the screen. “I’ve never heard of half the crazy things she gets in to. Doesn’t mean they aren’t legit.” The light from the screen was reflected in her eyes. “You’re right. At one-oh-three we need to call the doctor.” She let out a breath, but her brow was still furrowed. “But she’s unconscious. Or is she sleeping? Shake her to see if she is sleeping.”
Moss strolled into the room with a white towel. Emery hadn’t even noticed him leaving.
“Here”—Moss handed the cool towel over—“put this on her forehead.”
“She’s been in a lot of high-pressure situations, and she’s never fainted before. That woman isn’t a fainter.” Reagan bit her lip, worry still in her eyes. She started to pace again. “Damn it, Emery, I don’t mean to give you a hard time, but had you bonded her, we’d know what was going on. At the very least, we’d be able to rule out magic as the cause. A fever is fine. We can work with a fever. Shitty little goblin residue, however…”
“Or maybe Emery would be unconscious as well.” Moss moved to the corner of the room and stilled. “Maybe it is a blessing they have not formed the dual-mage connection.”
“Thanks, Moss, but I have more experience,” Emery said softly, looking down at Penny’s angelic face. “I’d have a better idea of what to do.” Emery leaned over her, propping himself on one hand. “I can’t seem to make the right decision when it comes to her.”
“Or maybe,” Reagan said, pacing closer, “you’re thinking about it too much. Maybe you’re using your head and not your heart. Or intuition, if saying heart makes you freeze up in man-fear.”
“Man-fear?”
“Yeah. You know. The fear of being too touchy-feely. I get it.” She waved it away. “Did you shake her? She hates waking up. She might be sleeping.”