Steam Union

by Patti Larsen

  Not a peep from Shenka, though I didn’t expect there to be. I missed her like I’d lost something precious and couldn’t put my finger on what, a gaping hole in my life. The coven felt her loss as powerfully as I did, coming to me with petty complaints, fears and worries I didn’t know how to handle. Thank goodness Sassafras stepped in, though I knew—and he continually told me—I’d have to pick a new second sooner rather than later.

  I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

  Piers worried about Zoe, I could tell every time we talked. But I kept reassuring him anyway, though I’d been unable to locate her myself. I was sure she was fine and hoped the vision she’d seen when Gabriel opened the gateway was giving her the guidance she needed.

  He grew grim quickly and I hoped Zoe would return to help temper him. The weight on his shoulders was a visible thing, at times, though Gram and Demetrius were fabulous at supporting him. He invited me to a few of his meetings, as a show of good faith and to stress our alliance, even including Femke from time to time so his people would grow used to the fact the Steam Union had been dragged into the present, now members of the World Paranormal Council.

  Growing pains accompanied the inclusion of a large number of new members, but I knew Piers’s plan to recruit more sorcerers, young and untainted by the Brotherhood, was an excellent one. And he was a strong enough leader to hold them all together.

  Danilo had been forced, at last, to stand down, though from what Charlotte was willing to tell me—herself suddenly secretive and slinking about without Sage—I assumed her brother was planning something that the World Leader wouldn’t like even a little bit. I asked Sage behind Charlotte’s back to keep an eye on things, and he assured me he already was.

  I’d just leave it at that, then. Sage loved Charlotte too much to let her get into something she couldn’t handle without alerting me first.

  I hoped.

  My few attempts to talk to Quaid about our misunderstanding fell on quietness and sullen rejection. I had no idea what his real problem was, but honestly I was getting a little tired of the hurt boy act. He spent so much time away working with Femke these days it was like I was single all over again. The kids missed him, and I did, too. It felt like no matter what I did we were growing further apart and the girl who’d had her heart broken so many times desperately wanted to cling to him and pull him back. To return to the way things used to be, to seven years of bliss and love and happily ever after. But I was a big girl and understood Quaid needed to spread his own wings, no matter what that might mean for our relationship. He’d come home to me once he was comfortable with his new role. I had to believe it. And he deserved to find his own way, as much as I found mine. I just wished we could do it together instead of being so far apart.

  I really had to find a way to get through to him before I was forced to pounce on him and wrangle him with magic.

  That would go over well, I was sure.

  Max had been quiet lately, too, something that worried me even more. I gave him his space, though. And when I needed him to discuss our plans, he was always there, if withdrawn and sad. He would just have to work through his guilt on his own time. We had a Universe to save.

  Simon was settled in nicely with the Zornov boys, had even opened channels of communication with his parents again. I was surprised to find they’d stayed in Wilding Springs and was happy to hear my old friend had given up on a lot of the hurt and anger he carried after the disaster at Harvard that shattered him so badly.

  Even better, he was hard at work restoring the fortunes of the various families targeted by the Brotherhood. I was a little miffed to find out he was doing so for free, that he’d only charged me an outrageous fee for his services. Not to mention racking up a massive bill on my credit card to replace his computers.

  I guess I’d let him have his fun. I just hoped it helped him to feel like part of the family. I knew they adored and welcomed him for saving them as he did. In fact, he and the Zornov brothers were smothered in adoration on a regular basis by the young witches in the family, something Nona watched with iron fisted amusement. She was a hell of a chaperone.

  Piers kindly agreed to allow his Steam Union members to train witch families in sorcery while accepting reciprocate help in tracking his mother. Eva Southway and her budding Sorcerer Guild had vanished after her appearance with Piotr Wilhelm and I could only imagine what she was up to now. I worried for Piers and his people, but knew I had to stay out of it. If anything happened to Eva, it had to be Piers who followed through. He’d never forgive me otherwise.

  I attended Queen Yana’s funeral, one of the saddest moments of my life. Danilo was despondent and refused to talk to me afterward, Charlotte protecting him from me. Oleksander swore to me he was watching them both along with Sage, but seeing the siblings plotting, cutting the rest of the world out, made me immensely anxious.

  Sunny and I pressured the Empress to allow her to retake her throne after Piotr’s arrest. I have no idea if Max’s stern and unhappy presence was the deal sealer on that particular decision of hers, but the way he glared at her and how she shifted under the pinpoint gaze of his diamond eyes told me inviting him along as encouragement was the right decision.

  The only problem with our victory showed its worrisome face when Sunny and I, Max in tow, returned to Castle Wilhelm and found it empty. Cold and dark as Sebastian’s base of operations, the vampires gone, their power missing.

  Sunny’s grief at the loss of her family hit her hard and I sent her home with Uncle Frank when I returned to see the Empress and confronted her. Upon receiving the news, she turned away from us and refused to speak further, scary little Jiao firmly escorting us out.

  Which told me things were far worse for her race than she’d led us to believe. I wondered how many others had vanished up to this point, but had no way of knowing.

  The worst part was Piotr was also gone, vanished from his cell, never having faced justice. Danilo threw a fit, naturally, Femke’s hands full dealing with the uproar. My hope Piotr’s trial and execution would soften Danilo’s hate backfired. When he found out about the loss of his primary target to some unknown force, I watched his hate transfer from Pitor to all vampires in a clear and aching shift in his magic.

  Not good.

  As for Femke, things were still tense between us, though I did my best to walk softly and not antagonize her. Our talk in the palace helped, but she was still touchy and so was I, especially over Quaid. Still, her willingness to try gave me more hope than anything else lately, that we’d be friends again.

  I kept Mom religiously up to date on the shadow council’s meetings, though, it turned out, they were mostly talk to reassure each other everything was okay. Which was fine by me.

  Except, of course, for the fact Tallah wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  I guess I didn’t blame her.

  ###

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  ***

  Now for a look at the first chapter of book three in the

  Hayle Coven Destinies

  The Brotherhood

  Chapter One

  Normally the cushion of my favorite chair in my sunny living room felt soft, inviting me to curl up in it, flop to one side with my legs hooked over the arm while one or both of my children piled into my lap with a fluffy silver Persian perched on top for good measure.

  As I sipped my coffee that tasted vaguely of ashes thanks to the burning in my veins, for the first time ever the seat felt more like a plank of concrete. Probably because my muscles were so tensed they vibrated.

  The reason for my tension—both of them—sat delicately on the edge of the sofa across from me. Sonja O’Dane’s smile screamed falsehood, as fake as the dyed-blonde of her hair and puff of her overly-plumped lips. My darling Liam’s mother disappeared from my life shortly after Gabriel was born
. And honestly, I hadn’t thought anything of her since. She’d done enough to betray her son and husband in my books, pairing with the exiled Sidhe Lord Venner to use the Gate Liam guarded to gain access to the Sidhe realm. Almost dooming me and all of Wilding Springs in the process. I would never forgive her for the bullet that laid Liam’s grandfather, Fergus, low, forcing him to retreat to the realm to save his life. Or for thrusting Liam into the position of Gatekeeper way before his time. I still wondered if perhaps things would have been different if Liam hadn’t died at Ameline’s hand.

  I simply couldn’t allow myself to think that way.

  Considering the fact my son’s first reaction to his grandmother had been uncharacteristic unhappiness, I had been more than willing to watch her walk away and never come back. So much for that dose of wishful thinking.

  “Warm September we’ve been having.” Sonja’s voice shook ever so slightly as she glanced with wide eyes sideways toward her companion. I ignored the statement, not interested in small talk. At least the woman next to Sonja had the good grace not to try to pretend she was happy to see me. Hortense Spaft hadn’t changed a bit since I first met her all those years ago. I had no idea my former vice-principal was part Sidhe and an Unseelie servant, or that she had it in for me, not until the night Fergus almost died and Liam was forced to take over as Gatekeeper. Since then, she’d been an occasional pain in my backside, though not much since Venner got what he wanted and was allowed to return to the realm.

  “The boy is well, I take it?” Spaft’s black eyes held mine behind her horn rim glasses, beady and vaguely rodent-like.

  The boy.

  I wondered how much effort it would take to throttle her. Normally, Sashenka Hensley, my second, would be here to relieve the pressure, to give me the space I needed to rein in my temper. I’d gotten good at it over the years, but mostly, I was now realizing, thanks to her steady presence. But Shenka had left me, gone back to her sister, Tallah, only a few days ago, leaving me alone and unsure what to do.

  Well, not entirely. Before I could decide on rude or ruder for my return comment, a busty redhead hurried into the room. Her entire being glowed with charisma, shining curls bouncing around her shoulders. Green eyes sparkling, Tippy Meeks flounced to the coffee table with a beaming smile and an almost physical wave of enthusiasm and set a plate of warm cookies on the surface.

  “I hope you’re hungry, ladies.” She smiled all around, though when her gaze settled on mine, I caught the spark of emotion in her that had nothing to do with good nature. She perched next to me on the arm rest of my seat and I instantly relaxed.

  Was I really that incapable of handling people on a normal level? Clearly. As Sonja helped herself to the chocolate chip wonders, I breathed an inward sigh of relief. About two days after Shenka left me in a panic over what to do, my old college buddies showed up at my door and hugged me into submission. All former Hensley witches, Tippy, Nicci Mortimer, Josie Ambrose and Donalda Pierce all expressed their distinct unhappiness with Shenka’s decision to abandon me and bailed en masse from the vastly shrunken numbers of the Hensley coven.

  To come help me.

  So many tears that day. More than I was willing to admit to. Shenka’s loss hit me hard, though I understood—or told myself I did—why she left. Since the Brotherhood attacks decimated over one third of the North American witch compliment, many covens were struggling. Tallah’s had been hit especially hard. I thought I was doing the right thing, sending Shenka home to help her sister temporarily. I didn’t intend for her to poach my second and best friend in the process.

  But family was family, right? Except Shenka was supposed to be my family now.

  I cleared my throat, surreptitiously squeezing Tippy’s hand in thanks. She and the girls saved me from the daily tedium of the coven and I would be forever grateful to them. And guilty I had failed to check and see originally if they survived the attacks.

  Bad friend, Syd.

  Sonja helped herself to her third cookie until Spaft stared at her like doing so meant a death sentence. Not that I wasn’t aware of the power dynamic, but it appeared the chilly stick woman hadn’t lost her commanding presence.

  “You didn’t answer my question.” Her thin lips pinched into a line, lipstick oozing into the cracks around her mouth. Her prim, black wool suit made me itch just looking at it, tight bun pulling her pale skin taut, collar tied tight around her neck in a precise bow of fabric that bobbed when she swallowed. As usual, she reminded me of a spider, all spindly and spooky, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

  My temper rose at her tone, but I held it in, even managed a smile that might have passed for polite. Maybe. “Gabriel is doing very well,” I said. No need to tell either of them about his power as a Gateway. I had no idea how much they knew about his early childhood, his capture by Ameline Benoit, his forced aging, the fact he almost destroyed our Universe by allowing through Creator’s Dark Brother. Or his ties to the pieces of Creator herself. All because there had to be a reason for their appearance. No way Sonja showed up out of the blue after eight years looking to reconnect with her grandson.

  I was just too cynical to believe it.

  Say the word, boss lady, Tippy sent while continuing to radiate cheer and good nature. And these two are out on their asses.

  As much as I would have enjoyed their exodus, my demon growling her agreement with Tippy’s suggestion, my curiosity won out. Neither woman was a threat to me, and both had kept themselves out of trouble and under the radar for a long time now. At least, I hadn’t heard of them stirring up anything. I’d be checking as soon as they left, mind you. But, for now, I was more interested in finding out what they really wanted.

  Especially if Gabriel’s safety and wellbeing were involved.

  “Good to hear it.” Spaft turned her head slowly toward Sonja. I could almost hear the creak of rusting metal as she did, picturing a hideous robot frame beneath the icy shell of her exterior. “Isn’t it, Sonja.” Not a question.

  Sonja nodded quickly, nervously, swallowing her last bite of cookie. “That is, of course, why we’re here, Sydlynn.”

  Of course. “You remember the last time you saw Gabriel,” I said as coldly as I could. Maybe it was wrong of me to jab her as hard as I did with the memory, but my son’s protection was all that mattered. No way I was letting her anywhere near him if she had an agenda.

  Sonja actually flinched, triggering my empathy at last. Maybe she hadn’t earned it with her past actions, but she was his grandmother. And family meant everything to me. It was possible she really was here just to see him.

  Scratch that. She’d have come alone if she just wanted to see him. Spaft’s presence changed everything.

  The flush on Sonja’s cheeks spread to a large blotch on her neck as she cleared her throat.

  “I realize we didn’t part under the best of circumstances,” she said, fluttering her hands in her lap, white napkin rustling in her grip. “That cruel things were said on both sides.” Um, yeah, whatever, lady. She smiled briefly before barging on. “I know I’m not welcome here. But Gabriel is Liam’s son. And I deserve the right to get to know him.”

  Spaft didn’t move or speak, simply watching me. I hated her silence and stillness. It made her hard to read, as did the shell she held over herself, the thick layer of Sidhe shielding. I could penetrate it and find her secrets no problem, but without provocation? Not a great idea.

  Speak for yourself, my demon snarled.

  I’m happy to do it for you, Shaylee sent, my Sidhe princess ego sniffing in royal arrogance in Spaft’s direction.

  Now, now, ladies, my vampire sent. If Syd can keep her temper, you two should have no problem.

  Thanks for that. I shut them all down. Maybe there was a time we could have bent the rules. But with the creation of the new World Paranormal Council, I had to tread lightly. The last thing I wanted was to add to the pressure on Femke Svennson’s shoulders. Bad enough she and I had almost lost our friendship over my sugges
tion she take the job as leader. She had a whole pile of stress to deal with thanks to the vampires and werewolves. Me purposely incurring Sidhe issues wasn’t something I wanted to lay at her feet just now.

  Though hasty, your alter egos have a point. A soft but heavy bundle landed in my lap, silver fur ruffling as Sassafras, my demon cat, finally made an appearance. He smelled of fresh air and grass, so I could only assume he’d been outside doing the elements knew what cat things he did to keep himself occupied. Relief he was here with me took me by surprise, though it shouldn’t have. He’d been my rock my entire life, even when I didn’t want to admit it. I take it you’re allowing these two to remain out of a need to understand their ultimate motives?

  Smartass. I almost hugged him.

  “Perhaps,” Sassafras said out loud, amber eyes narrowed as he curled his thick, fluffy tail around his paws, “it would be best to allow Gabriel to decide if he would like to see you, Sonja.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. He’ll say yes, I sent, knowing my son. His heart was Liam’s heart, huge and kind.

  He may, Sass sent. But it will give us time to prepare him, rather than thrusting him into a meeting he might not be emotionally ready for.

  Sonja’s lower lip trembled. “How do I know you’ll ask him?” She seemed truly distraught. Compassion bloomed beside empathy, held hands and sang kumbaya. A large tear trickled from the corner of her eye and down her heavily made up cheek. She dabbed at it with her wrinkled napkin, a second drop landing on the curve of her chest, spreading a dark spot of moisture on the pocket of her green silk blouse.