by K. F. Breene
My spell tore through the sky, zipping, pausing, spinning, and then rushing forward again, never in a straight line. It burst into flame as it met a group of mages who were speaking to life a spell. Turning solid, it knocked them back and kept going, sliding over the fallen mages and scraping half of their bodies away in the process.
“Oh yuck. I didn’t mean for it to be so gruesome…” On it went to another group, slinking around a tree as it did so. That must’ve been the druid’s influence. Fire flared again, mages were slapped through the air, and then the gross finale got an encore.
“That is…not at all the same spell as before,” Reagan said. “That is…”
“Unique,” Cahal said. “And rare, the ability to—”
“Shoplift,” Reagan supplied.
“—use the magic of others,” Cahal finished.
“Good ol’ Fast Fingers.” Emery shot off another spell. Like a blowtorch, magical fire surged through the side of the house before branching off in shoots, blowing through the trees. “She shared it with me. It’s a much easier way to create fire.”
“Ever think of asking first?” Reagan said, pulling the fire from the trees before the whole place went up. She dodged to the right and slashed with her sword. Someone screamed. Someone else went flying. When she rejoined us, she said, “It’s kind of nice when everyone knows who I am. I don’t have to hide as much.”
“You should not hide at all,” Cahal said, having done absolutely nothing to help us, beyond letting me crib some of his power. “Lucifer will find you regardless. You are hindering yourself by not reaching for your true potential.”
“Easy for you to say,” Reagan said. “You don’t run the risk of being trapped in a job you don’t want.”
“I am already trapped,” he said.
“Well, that blew up in my face,” she muttered, before darting into the trees again.
“Trigger the surprises before the shifters get on scene,” I said to Emery, meaning the little land mines we’d installed on our first night here.
On the outskirts of the house, I felt the magical detonators spark before magic bloomed out. I triggered mine, feeling the rush of energy as they struck out at whoever was around them.
That done, I started the weave for the giant rolling ball Emery had made up earlier. He noticed and helped me construct it, adding in a magical seeking property. Hopefully it would hunt the mages down before it ran out of steam.
“This will be a good one for the Mages’ Guild compound,” he said, shoving it off.
Someone ran out from the bushes, a spell ballooning up in front of them. The construction was straightforward, weave loose, and intent unoriginal.
Kill.
I countered it easily, washing it away before zapping the mage with my rodent zapper. It hit him dead center. He cried out as he fell backward.
Our magical ball rolled away before curving, the addition of the tracker doing its work. It took out two mages hiding in the thick trees before rolling away to the next group. Reagan crossed behind it before running down a mage trying to escape.
“They’re running already,” she said, jumping and kicking the mage in the back. She landed on her feet and put on a burst of speed, dodging a tree trunk and running through the reaching branches.
“How does Darius possibly keep that woman a secret?” Emery said as we reached the corner of the house and curved around.
Growls and hollers permeated the scene as shifters lunged or chased mages, having ambushed them out of nowhere. Regardless of Cahal not helping us with the actual attack, he’d done us a big favor by getting rid of all the Guild’s lookouts. They hadn’t seen us coming.
“Let’s check on Callie and Dizzy,” Emery said as Reagan caught up with us again.
“It’s like the zoo opened its doors and said ‘good riddance,’” Reagan said with a grin.
“Why you constantly torment them, I will never know.” I shook my head.
“The Heir was born to rule,” Cahal said, out for a leisurely jog by our side. “She will assert her dominance in many ways. This is but one.”
“I don’t think I like having him around,” Reagan said.
Callie and Dizzy were walking along the side of the house, creating spells and firing them off with quick economy and obvious experience. Three trees were flattened, one was on fire, and a sort of magical dog had set upon a mage and was licking it with what looked like an electric tongue. It didn’t seem pleasant.
“How’s it going?” Emery said as Reagan darted into the trees again, probably to make sure everyone was gone. Or maybe to get away from Cahal.
“They tried to stand and fight for a little bit, but as soon as they saw the shifters, they took off,” Dizzy said.
“It was a buzzkill.” Callie put her unused ingredients back into her satchel.
“We’ll have plenty to do later, hon. It’s better this wasn’t as intense as it could’ve been.” Dizzy wiped his forehead.
Reagan sauntered back out of the trees. A wild boar and a panther followed her before moving off to the side. They stopped, looking at Emery for orders, since their Alpha was still down below.
“Make sure the grounds are clear,” Emery commanded in a hard, clear voice. “Then hang tight. We need to get the vampires out. I don’t want any surprises.”
The shifters loped off in different directions.
“In your element, huh, Emery?” Reagan asked when she returned.
“He’s a natural.” Callie motioned at him. “He was born to lead.”
“Well I guess that makes two of us, huh, Cahal?” Reagan stalked off to the house. “Let’s see if Darius is in there fretting like a mortal.”
He wasn’t. Not even remotely. In fact, no one was even awake. The vampires were snug in their beds with the sunproof shades drawn or tucked into the basement in their bunks, getting a final burst of sleep before they had to head to battle.
Once they were all awake, they crowded into the safe places in the house, two dozen hard-eyed vamps in sweats, knowing their fancy clothes wouldn’t shift with them at the Guild.
Reagan stood at the edge of the living room with her hands on her hips and a grin on her face. She watched Darius stride toward her in slacks and a button-up shirt (he apparently wouldn’t be caught dead in sweats, pun not intended) before shaking her head.
“Not a care in the world for your safety, huh?” she asked. “Or did you guys all run down to your beds as soon as you knew we were coming in?”
Darius slipped his hand around her waist, more open about his affection than usual around his vampire underlings. He looked down at her face. “This house is protected by the best mages in the world. It would take the Guild a month to break in, if they ever did.”
“What about explosives?” she countered. “What if they blew the house up and exposed you to the light?”
“On the ground floor, I’d likely be covered in enough rubble to protect me, but if I’d thought they had physical explosives at their disposal, and not the incompetent magical explosion they tried, I would’ve simply headed down to the basement, which was turned into a bomb shelter years ago.”
She stared at him for a moment. “This house has a bomb shelter?”
“Of course.” He looked at her like she was mad. “We’re in hostile territory. It is important to be prepared. That’s why I had us stay here even though the possibility of my informant leaking this house’s location was strong.”
Her eyebrows lowered. “It is a wonder that I am finding all this out for the first time, what with our pact to openly share information. Remember that pact? The one we’ve made several times?”
He ran his thumb across her lips, and her eyes softened. “I didn’t think you’d be so dense as to miss the obvious, mon coeur. But please, let’s soak in our last few moments of peace before we move on to the next thing. Vlad is mobilizing and the rest of my people are on their way to the meetup location. We have but a scant few minutes.” He pulled her a little clos
er.
“I’ll be careful,” Reagan said quietly, and I knew he must’ve communicated with her through silent means. “But I can’t stay home. You know that. This is my fight as much as it’s Penny’s, and even if it weren’t, I protect those in my inner circle. She’s my bra.”
“Nope.” I shook my head, kicked out of that nice little moment by her choice in words. Emery barked out laughter. “Not your bra. That’s not the right term.”
“No, I mean like, my bro, but a girl.”
“Some people excel at creativity,” Dizzy said somberly. “Sadly, you are not one of them. You should just stick with what you know.”
Emery laughed harder as Reagan rolled her eyes. “Fine. My girl-bro.”
“No. Friend,” I said. “Friend works. Everyone will know you mean me.”
“Penny is right,” Dizzy said. “You have so few, we’ll all get the relevance.”
Emery was laughing in deep body chuckles.
“Let’s all take a moment,” Darius said as Emery calmed down. “Let’s take a moment to appreciate the bonds we have formed. Soon we will draw heavily on those bonds, and rely heavily on our trust for one another.”
Heavy raps sounded at the door. “Why is this locked?” my mother shouted through the wood. “Come on. We have to get a move on.”
I heaved a sigh. “We really should’ve known that was coming. We really should’ve.”
“At least your mother’s strange antics are expected,” Emery said quietly, pulling me tightly against his chest. “From now on, I have a bad feeling that nothing else will go as expected. They’ve had months to prepare for intruders. Months to watch us and make adjustments. We’re going into the snake pit blind.”
30
As the night stole the light from the sky, Reagan, Emery, Roger, and I stood in a thick grouping of trees, waiting for Darius and Vlad to leave their vehicle safe haven and join us. Darius had been prepared, only needing to call in the big work vans that would transport his people to the meeting site. His other people were already en route. The rest of us had climbed back into our stolen cars, adding to our fleet with the cars stationed at Darius’s house.
I took a deep breath and tried to slow my racing heart. A dangerous presence poked at my awareness, and I remembered, for the umpteenth time, that Cahal stood with us as well. It was just hard to see him, given that he stood at a slight distance, swathed in shadow and perfectly still. He could teach the vampires a thing or two.
“They’re coming,” Reagan said, her voice subdued.
I rubbed my sweaty palms on my leather pants (Reagan had made me change at the house) before patting the compartments in my utility belt that held the power stones. Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky was strangely quiet, since we were not more than two miles from the Guild compound. This was as close as Darius and Vlad’s people had been able to go without running into magical traps and tattletales.
“How is it you talk to Darius without words?” I asked to fill the silence.
Reagan grazed her finger along her temple. “Telepathically. Compliments of the bond.”
“Huh.” I glanced at Emery, his blue eyes hard and his stare vague. He was probably thinking through what was to come. We’d been to the compound before, and unless they’d change things just to mess with us, we knew the general layout. He had a better idea than most which areas were sure to be booby-trapped.
A soft vibration had Roger reaching into the pocket of his borrowed and very stylish cargo pants. Veronica had insisted the shifters should cover up, somewhat, to keep warm. I had the impression her primary motivation had been to cure her constantly red face and wandering eye. And while the vampires hadn’t been pleased to share their clothes, in the end, they’d simply turned up their noses and pretended it wasn’t happening.
They did not want the garments back.
“I hope Veronica and my mother are going to be okay,” I said softly, shifting from one foot to the other. “The ward at the house is strong, but who knows how long we’ll take. Or if we’ll even get out of here. The ward can be taken down eventually.”
Cahal shifted his weight, drawing my notice to his presence again. He was extremely easy to forget, which was saying something for someone who was also so clearly lethal.
“You’re going to make it out of here,” Emery said, his voice fierce.
My chest tightened at the you’re. “Don’t you mean—”
“My people are all accounted for.” Roger slipped his phone back into his stylish cargo pants.
“Everyone who’s coming has been brought in?” Reagan asked.
“Yes. One hundred and seventeen shifters, including me. Most are in their animal forms, awaiting instruction. The rest will change as we move out.”
“That’s a good showing.” Reagan nodded, giving him a steady gaze. “We’re grateful you chose to join us.”
His eyes sparkled just a little, even though his expression remained as hard as stone. “You’re thanking me instead of ridiculing me? Hell must be freezing over.”
Rather than tease him, which would be her normal reaction to such a statement, she looked away, troubled. “That would be the least of my worries.”
“You cannot hide forever,” Cahal said, his tone low and soothing.
“Yes, thank you, Mr. Broken Record.” A flash of fire lit Reagan’s eyes.
“Hide from what?” Roger asked.
“My reign as the ice queen. Cahal thinks I have the personality for it.”
“He wouldn’t be wrong,” Emery said, a smile cracking through his stoic expression.
The vampires glided up out of the darkness, smooth and graceful. Mr. Crazy Handsome, Vlad, was dressed in a suit, of all things, with gleaming cufflinks somehow reflecting the dim moonlight. Darius wore his jeans and button-up, trying (and failing) to fit in with the shifter dress code.
“Mr. Nevin, how nice of you to come,” Vlad said with his too-perfect smile.
“Vlad. Darius.” Roger nodded, and magic seeped out and filled the air.
“Where are the vampires?” Reagan asked.
“Near the vehicles, for now.” Vlad’s eyes darted, picking up Cahal waiting amidst the trees. It had only taken him a matter of seconds to spot him, but for Vlad, it was probably a new record for obliviousness. “Well now…that is a surprise. Darius, you pulled out all the stops. But how, pray tell, did you get one of such magnitude? I am impressed.”
“It is not my contract.” Darius’s jaw tightened. “It seems the Eliminator”—Vlad’s eyes widened—“was given the option of two contracts, each of which invited him to name his price. One to terminate Penny, and one to protect her. Surprisingly…he chose the latter.”
Vlad’s eyes drifted to me, then back to Cahal. “That is surprising from the first to the last, yes. And who is bankrolling this happy turn of events?”
“Undisclosed. It is a mystery.”
Vlad smiled, and I had to look away so as not to be awe-struck. “I doubt that you will leave it a mystery for long.”
“No.”
“Eliminator,” Vlad said, a ruthless edge creeping into his tone. The varnish was pulled back, revealing the predator beneath. “Is this true, that you are here to protect Penny from harm?”
“I am to protect her from mortal wounding by any means necessary,” Cahal said, his eyes not sliding toward the vampire.
“Any means necessary,” Darius said quietly.
Vlad’s eyes took on a vicious gleam. “And when does this contract expire?”
“Until the altercation with the Mages’ Guild is finished, or after forty-eight hours, whichever comes first,” Cahal replied.
“I see.” Vlad turned and met Darius’s eyes, something passing between them, before turning back to our circle of people. “Well, let’s plan our entrance strategy—”
My phone vibrated in my utility belt. I flicked up the flap and pulled it out, conscious of everyone’s eyes on me.
A text from my mother. I read it out loud. “‘The window is cl
osing. Beware the jungle.’” I read it a second time. “Yeah. Beware the jungle. What—”
“Textable fortunes. How convenient.” Vlad glanced at Darius. “Look at all the fabulous talent you’re collecting. I must take notes, lest you outstrip me.”
“Ever heard of a sense of urgency?” Reagan said, shooting Vlad a scowl. “Ask her which jungle, Penny.”
I hit send. “I was already doing that.”
“What do you think is the best approach, given the changing circumstances?” Vlad asked Darius.
Darius looked out beyond me as though trying to pierce through the trees and see the compound in the valley below. “We need to play it by ear. Let the mages walk ahead of us and cut through any spells. It’ll take the older dual-mages longer. Send shifters and vampires in with them. Reagan will lead a group, and Emery and Penny can take another.”
“Three points around the compound?” Vlad asked.
“No.” Roger’s voice was gravelly compared to the vampires’ velvety tones, but no less effective. Shivers crawled up my back and I found myself hanging on his every word. “We go down this side. It’s a big compound. I’ve had a few people run it—”
“I’m sorry, people or…” Vlad’s smile held a knife blade.
Roger’s return stare held a grenade. Neither showed any fear of the other, only open and unbridled hostility. I took a step away.
“We can spread out once we get in, but if we divide ourselves into three groups around the entirety of the compound, we’ll be at a severe disadvantage. We need to guard the prize.” Roger’s gaze swept over Emery and me, landing on Reagan. “We need to collect around the three of them, which means all of us going down this side. Let them be our guide. That’s what my beta took from Penny’s mom, and it makes sense. I saw what they could do at my forest estate. They know how best to fight the kind of magical attack we can expect down there. I know it’s hard for a vampire to grasp, but we’re their backup in this, not yours.”
“Oh, burn,” Reagan said, grinning.
Vlad and Darius stared at the shifter in silence, and thankfully my phone buzzed again.