Enemy of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector Book 4)

by Linsey Hall

“We’re looking for something, and we can’t do it on foot. You’re the only people we know with machines fast and rugged enough to give us a shot.”

  “How far away is it?” Bree asked. “We’ve got a job in two days. Can’t miss it.”

  “It’s in France. But I’ve got a guy who can transport your buggy there and then get them back out.”

  Ana’s brows rose. “Must be a strong guy.”

  “Yeah, he is. Your buggy will be safe. And I’ll pay you seventy-five thousand dollars.”

  Ana’s eyes popped, then she coughed, trying to hide her reaction. Ares looked at me, interest clearly in his eyes. Damn. He was probably wondering how I had that much money lying around when I lived in such a dump. No one realized how well we did with our shop since we ferreted away all our money into our troves. Though Ares knew I was a FireSoul, I hadn’t shared that with him yet.

  Maybe it was time. Just the idea made me shiver. It was so personal… almost like sex, in a way.

  I shoved the thought away, looking from Bree to Ana. “What do you say?”

  The two girls looked at each other, indecision clear on their faces. They obviously liked their familiar stomping grounds. And Death Valley Junction was a hideout, no question. You didn’t live here unless you had no choice. Sure, these girls clearly liked the adventure. But so did Del, Nix, and I. But as soon as we’d gotten enough money and the protection of some powerful concealment charms, we’d moved straight to a nice town and a nice apartment.

  Would my offer be enough to overcome their wariness?

  “Eighty-five and you’ve got a deal,” Bree said.

  Ana nodded resolutely, jaw set. “Not a penny less.”

  I winced. Seventy-five was the last of my stash from our most recent big sale. I’d have to get the rest off of Nix and Del, but they wouldn’t mind.

  “It’s fine,” Ares said. “You’ll have your money right away. And we’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

  I glanced at him and smiled. His gaze flicked to me, and he nodded so slightly I almost didn’t notice.

  “Fine,” Ana said. “We’ll do it. The money should be in our account tonight, and we’ll be ready to go in the morning.”

  Bree saluted. “Limo drivers at your service.”

  I cracked a smile and stood. “Thanks.”

  “Just pay us. We don’t need thanks.”

  I nodded and turned to leave, Ares at my side. At the door, I turned back. “That guy who was watching you. If you need help, you can come to us.”

  The girls scowled, distrust clear on their faces.

  “Just pay us,” Bree said.

  “And be on time,” Ana added.

  I nodded and we left, stepping out onto the bright street.

  “They’re like feral cats,” Ares murmured.

  “Hiding from something,” I said. “Those girls aren’t FireSouls, but what they really are, or what they’re hiding from, I have no idea.”

  “You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.” Ares stopped and reached for my hand, ready to transport.

  “That doesn’t stop me from wanting to.”

  He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “One of the things I like about you.”

  Later that evening, after finalizing plans for the next day and transferring the money to Ana and Bree, I let Ares into my apartment. We’d grabbed dinner at P & P—more cheese quiche and pasties because we were tired and lazy—and Ares had asked if he could spend the night here rather than heading back to the Vampire Realm.

  It’d taken me only half a second to decide. Though I was worn out, I wanted him with me.

  Ares followed me into the kitchen, where I headed to the cupboard and took down two glasses. “Bourbon do for you?”

  “Anytime.”

  I poured us two glasses and handed one over. He sipped, clearly liking my Four Roses.

  “I’m going to shower, then I’ve got something to show you.”

  His brows raised. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” I turned and walked toward the bathroom, my heart thundering at the idea. I was going to show him my trove—and no, that wasn’t a dirty joke. It felt scary, but right. Maybe it was seeing Bree and Ana and how scared they were. How untrusting.

  I’d been like them for so long. But I wanted to be different now. Embrace life without running and hiding.

  From now on, if I was going to run, it was going to be at something, not away.

  I didn’t take long in the shower, just doing the bare minimum to get clean. When I left the little room, Ares stood from the couch.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll shower, too.”

  “Sure.” I headed toward the bedroom to get dressed, but turned at the entrance. “There’s a door in my bedroom. I’ll leave it open, so when you’re done, come up.”

  Interest glinted in his eyes. “All right.”

  The water turned on, a dull roar that was easy to hear through the thin walls of the apartment. Immediately, I thought of Ares naked. I’d never seen him that way, but it wasn’t hard to paint a picture. It was every hot guy I’d ever seen in underwear ads, though I had a feeling that even that wouldn’t do Ares justice.

  Head out of the gutter.

  I focused on selecting some PJs, then left the light on in the bedroom and ascended the stairs to my trove. As soon as I entered, I heard the fluttering of wings.

  “Jeff?”

  He popped his head up from between some ferns, onyx eyes staring at me.

  “How you doing, buddy?” I held out a hand, and he came forward to give me a sniff of greeting. “You have a good day?”

  His head moved a bit, which I took to be a nod. “Thanks for the help in Norway.”

  He nodded again.

  Footsteps sounded on the steps leading to my trove. I stiffened, heart suddenly going wild.

  Why had I decided to do this?

  The door creaked open behind me, and I turned. Ares stood there, hair wet from his shower and impossibly handsome. Jeff, who fluttered at my side, disappeared immediately, as if he sensed the tension in the room. As if he sensed what might happen here.

  He was my wingman. With wings. Giving me space.

  “Hey,” I said.

  Ares’s gaze traveled over the greenhouse, stopping briefly on the cars, then continued on. Awe shined in his eyes. “What is this place?

  “My trove.” I petted the leaf of a fern, drawing comfort from the plant. “Some FireSouls have them. We fill them with what is valuable to us. Our treasure.”

  “This is amazing. How did you get the cars up here?”

  “I have a friend. Kelly. She’s the strongest transporter there is. She’s the one I called to help us with the buggies tomorrow.”

  “Ah, smart.” He touched the stalk of a palm tree. “You’ve always liked plants.”

  “I have, though I didn’t know why for a long time.”

  Ares came to join me, standing close and studying the shining green ferns on the table near my waist. “It’s amazing.”

  “Thank you. I’ve worked a long time on it. For most of my life, I wasn’t able to have a garden. We were running too much. Hiding.”

  “They were hard years.”

  I nodded, my heart suddenly aching at the tenderness in his expression. I swallowed hard.

  “Thank you for showing me,” he said.

  “Yeah.” The words stuck in my throat. This was too much attention, all focused on me and my secrets and my past. So I turned it on him. Cruelly, almost. But I was desperate. I needed the attention elsewhere. “Aethelred the Seer said you would lose what you love most. What is that?”

  His face shuttered.

  “I’m sorry.” I touched his shoulder, suddenly—and rightfully—feeling like shit for putting him under scrutiny. “I was feeling… Um. I’m just not used to this. Feeling like this for someone and being the center of attention.”

  His gaze softened, and he reached up to cup my cheek. “You’re going to have to get used to it. Because y
ou are the center of my attention. You have been since the moment I met you.”

  I swallowed and nodded, touched.

  Ares took my hand and tugged me away from the table. “Show me your amazing trove.”

  I smiled. “All right.”

  We walked amongst the rows, and I pointed out all of the plants, every one of them a favorite. The trees, the flowers, the ferns, the succulents.

  “You’ve done incredible work here.”

  I squeezed his hand. “A labor of love.”

  Ares stopped at the Firebird, inspecting its sleek lines and bright red paint. He ran his fingertips over the side, toward the trunk, and I shivered. It was like he was touching me.

  “This is beautiful.” His gaze was hot, but it wasn’t on the car.

  I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry. My brain might not have known what to do, but my body did. I approached, standing in front of the trunk.

  “Any reason you chose these cars?” he asked.

  I shrugged, struggling for words. “I liked them. They each have their reason. But really, at the end of the day, I just liked them.”

  “I like you.”

  “Yeah?”

  He crowded close. I held my ground. Which was a good thing, because the car at my back kept me from backing up anyway.

  Ares propped both hands on the trunk, caging me in. My breath caught at his closeness, his heat.

  “This is a sexy car.” His big hands wrapped around my waist, and he lifted me, setting me on the trunk. “And you are one sexy woman.”

  He crushed his lips to mine. I gasped, then returned the kiss, reveling in his taste and touch. My heart thundered in my ears as he stepped closer, and I parted my legs to let him near.

  He groaned, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me tight to him, his lips avid on mine. My breath grew short, and heat streaked through my veins. I stroked the hard muscles at his shoulders and arms.

  “You feel amazing,” I murmured against his lips.

  “Not half as good as you do.” He loosened his grip, running his hands down my back towards my hips. He gripped me there, tugging me toward him, and I gasped at the contact, sinking my hands into his hair and devouring his kiss.

  His grip was tight on my hips, his hands firm, yet trembling with want.

  I’d never been wanted so much that I made another person shake.

  It made me feel powerful. And I liked it.

  My head spun as he trailed his lips down my neck. His tongue burned me, but he was careful to keep his fangs away.

  I ached for them, tilting my head to press my neck toward him.

  He groaned. “What are you doing?”

  “I want you to,” I moaned.

  “Want me to what?”

  He was going to make me say it. I swallowed hard. “Bite me.”

  He shuddered against me, breath harsh. “Next time.”

  “Now.”

  He shook his head, then tilted my head up. His gaze was hot on mine, desperate. “I don’t have the control now.”

  “I trust you.” I pulled him toward me, pressing my body full against his.

  His jaw clenched. “I don’t trust myself.”

  “I want it.”

  He grinned, a wicked smile. “I can make you want something else.”

  I was about to ask, but then he dropped to his knees and I didn’t have breath for any more words.

  All around me, the forest died. Slowly, quickly—it depended on the plant. But death was all around as the life leeched from my beautiful grove. The violets withered, and the leaves fell from the tress. Sunlight sparkled through the gaps in the canopy, a normally lovely sight turned dark by knowledge of what had caused it.

  My heart raced and my skin chilled as I dunked my bucket into the stream, scooping up water. I lugged the bucket toward the base of a nearby oak, my arms burning from the strain. I poured the water onto the dirt.

  “Go!” my mind cried. “Feed my beloved trees.”

  I didn’t wait for the water to absorb. Instead, I spun back toward the stream and raced for it, refilling my bucket. The water glittered clear and bright, a horrible reminder that it was not drought that killed my forest. And that my actions were probably pointless. The ground was not parched, yet my forest had died.

  And I didn’t know how to save it. This wasn’t a place that required fertilization or pruning. It was wild, natural. Able to live on its own.

  Until now.

  Now, it was dying, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  I sobbed as I raced toward another tree, dumping my burden onto the ground and continuing on my way, back toward the stream. Sweat and tears poured down my face, burning my eyes. My muscles screamed.

  My forest died.

  In the distance, the familiar blue glow of the forest spirit watched me. She’d appeared when the trees began dying, haunting this place like a specter from a Gothic novel.

  I turned toward her to get a better look, but she disappeared. The memory of her expression, the sadness etched into the lines at the sides of her mouth and her furrowed brow, burned into my mind’s eye.

  Chapter Twelve

  I woke with a gasp, tears streaming down my cheeks.

  Next to me, Ares bolted upright, turning. “Nix!”

  He pulled me close, and I buried my face against his shoulder, tears blinding me. Comfort surged through me, warm and bright.

  “What is it?” Ares stroked my hair.

  “Just a nightmare.” I drew in a shuddery breath. Why the hell did I have to have one after the best night of my life?

  “Do you have them often?”

  I shook my head. “Not anymore. But this one… It was new.”

  “What was it?”

  “I was killing the forest at Elesius. Whatever I did to try to save it…didn’t work. Because I was the one killing it.”

  “You aren’t.”

  “But I am, Ares. Even though fate decreed it and I didn’t choose it, I still am.” Which was one reason I wasn’t super keen on fate right now. My life being on the line sucked, but killing my whole town? That really sucked. “The only way for me to save it is to return there to live for good. And I don’t want to do that. I’d have to leave Cass and Del and Ancient Magic.”

  “They’re your family now.” He rubbed my arm.

  I burrowed into his shoulder. “Yeah. We’ve been together since we were only fourteen. Every hard time and good time was with them. I don’t want to leave them.”

  “There may be another way.”

  “Not according to my family in Elesius.”

  He squeezed me to him. “I’ll help you. We’ll find a way.”

  It was a pretty fantasy, but I grabbed onto it anyway. Freaking out about my future wouldn’t help my present. And my present needed all the help it could get.

  I kissed him on the cheek, then climbed out of bed. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime.” Ares looked handsome as sin in the rumpled sheets.

  Last night had been amazing. Rounding all the bases amazing, even without the biting that I’d demanded.

  I whirled away to hide my blush. “We’d better get dressed. We have to meet Kelly soon.”

  Ares climbed out of bed. “All right. I’ll meet you in front of P & P in twenty minutes. I need to go back to my place to change.”

  I nodded, then turned around. He stood just a couple of feet away. I leaned toward him, standing up on my toes to press a kiss to his lips.

  I pulled away and smiled up at him. “Thank you for last night. It was pretty much the best one ever.”

  He pressed another kiss to my lips, then to my cheeks, and finally my forehead. “I’m fairly certain I should be thanking you.”

  “Hmm, I think I owe you more thanks. You should start a tab.”

  “A tab?”

  “I don’t mind paying it off.”

  A devastatingly sexy smile tugged at his lips. My body responded, heating up. I shook my head and stepped back. “You, sir, ar
e dangerous. I need to go get dressed before I do something that I definitely don’t have time for.”

  “We’ll make time later.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  Thirty minutes later, I waited outside of P & P with a cup of coffee warming my hands. I’d scarfed down a cheese scone while Connor had brewed my latte. He’d asked if I needed backup on this expedition, and while I probably did, there just wasn’t room in Bree and Ana’s buggy.

  “Nix!” Cass’s voice sounded from down the street.

  I turned. She and Del were hurrying toward me, their usual battle gear on. Leather jackets for both of them—brown for Cass and black for Del—while Cass wore jeans and Del wore leather pants.

  I eyed their outfits. “Guys. You can’t come. There’s no room for you in the buggy.”

  They both scowled. Though none of us were blood related, they sure looked like sisters in that moment.

  “One of us can fit,” Cass said. “You said it was a Hummer. Those things are freaking land yachts.”

  I hesitated. She was right. “One person.”

  “Dibs.” Cass grinned at Del.

  “Hey!”

  “You went last time,” Cass said.

  Del sighed. “Fine. But if you need backup, you can transport and come get me. Deal?”

  “Deal.” Cass shook on it.

  “Thanks for being willing to throw yourselves into danger, guys.” I smiled at them, my heart warmed.

  “Always.” They spoke simultaneously.

  Sometimes it was clear that we spent a hell of a lot of time in each other’s company. Maybe too long. It was probably a good thing we all had boyfriends now. We’d been on our way to being a trio of cat ladies. Which wouldn’t bother me too much, as I liked cats. But I liked Ares better. And I was certain they liked Aidan and Roarke better as well.

  Magic crackled on the air. I turned to face it, not surprised when Kelly popped out of thin air. I hadn’t seen her since she’d transported the Firebird, my most recent car, into my trove, but her hair was blue this time. Pink streaks gleamed throughout. She wore a cool leather jacket studded with silver spikes. Very punk.

  I grinned and held out my hand to shake. “Thanks for coming, Kelly.”

  She shot me a wide grin, her brilliant white teeth flashing. “Anything for you, darlin’.”