by K. F. Breene
My mother had been intensely relieved to see me home, going so far as to hug Cahal for seeing me back safely. After hearing that our core group was okay, and that I had no other information because I’d been extracted too quickly, she trudged off to bed in exhaustion. Veronica, equally relieved, stayed up with me for a while, but exhaustion finally took her to bed.
I hadn’t even tried to sleep. I’d been sitting in the same chair, in utter silence, waiting for the others to come back so I could get some news.
“What happened?” I asked, heading to the door. I stopped when I saw Emery stagger in, his shirt torn and splattered with blood, his face weary.
When he saw me, a smile lit up his face. “Hi, love.” He spread his arms to put around me.
I half wanted to deck him for not stepping in when Cahal had ferreted me out of the battle zone, but he looked so happy and relieved. Instead, I fell into his arms and moved with him to the chair. He sank into it with a sigh before taking my hips and directing me onto his lap.
Darius walked in next, in his T-shirt and jeans, his hair styled just so, and only a small scratch on his neck to show that he’d been in a hairy battle near hours before.
“Do you always look perfect?” I demanded, because this was a little ridiculous.
“You should’ve seen Vlad leave.” Reagan shook her head, watching as Darius picked up a remote and started pushing buttons.
Marie and Moss came in next, both stopping in the mouth of the living room and surveying me.
“Penelope, you look a mess,” Marie said, and for once I could say, “Look who’s talking. Is that a man’s shirt?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You fought well,” Moss said, sounding like the sentiment had been dragged from his mouth word by word. He nodded, glanced at Darius, and then headed off to the safety of his room, Marie behind him.
Blackout curtains electronically slid across the windows as black shades fitting into the window frames rolled down behind them. Darius glanced at all of us, his eyes lingering on Reagan for a moment, before nodding and moving off toward the kitchen. I noticed his less-than-graceful walk, and his ever-so-slight limp. Even though his arm, which had been useless, was healed, he’d clearly taken a lot of damage if he still wasn’t completely restored.
I started when Roger walked in, preceding Callie and Dizzy, who looked as tired as I felt. They nodded at me before sinking into the couch with dual groans.
I’d left the fight before people who were more than twice my age. I doubted I would ever live that down.
“Penny,” Roger said, his sweatshirt tight against his muscled chest, his pants hugging too many things much too tightly. Veronica would have had a seizure. “How are you?”
Surprised, I touched my fingers to my chest. “Me?”
He shifted, uncomfortable, probably because he was in Darius’s territory, and could feel it. Or, more probably, smell it.
“You were carried out so quickly…” Roger looked me over.
“Oh.” I pointed at Cahal. “He was pissed. I didn’t need to go. But…well, he’s huge.”
Roger’s eyes swung around the room, belatedly picking Cahal out from the corner where he stood. A crease formed between his brows. “Of course.”
“How are you guys?” I forced myself to ask, fear riding my words. Emery squeezed me.
“At last count, we lost forty-three,” Roger said. “Their wounds wouldn’t heal…those that had them.” He clasped his hands behind his back, pulling at the seams of his borrowed sweats. A troubled expression crossed his face. “Some of them didn’t have wounds at all. I couldn’t find any damage.”
My heart sank. That was probably part of the reason my godly spell hadn’t worked as well as I’d hoped. The great scales had taken out a lot of their people…but they’d also taken out some of ours. Sometimes the guys on the good team weren’t always good guys.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Thank you, for helping us. Thank you, and their families, for sacrificing them.”
His nod was slight. “I wanted to tell you that I have faith in you. I have faith that you”—he glanced at Emery—“and Emery can help build a better Mages’ Guild. A fair organization that adheres to the magical rules we must all live by. Should you need my help, or someone to discuss…anything with, don’t be afraid to contact me, at any time. I have declared you a pack friend. You are always welcome. And any of us will help you, should you need it.”
Warmth infused my chest and tears came to my eyes. “Thank you,” I said, touched he would offer me his friendship after losing so many people to the battle.
Roger offered me another curt nod, glanced down the way toward the kitchen, and turned toward the door.
“Roger,” Reagan called out. He stopped near the corner, half his body out of sight, and looked at her, waiting. “Thanks,” she said. “This wouldn’t have been possible without you.”
He walked on without a word.
“Did you do something to piss him off?” I asked, confused by his reaction.
“Just the usual.” She shrugged. “I’m a pack friend too. He just pretends not to like me.”
After Darius came back with drinks—Cahal drank brandy?—he settled down next to Reagan on the love seat, looping an arm around her shoulders. On the couch, Callie’s chin slowly fell toward her chest, and Dizzy’s head bobbed, his eyes half closed. They were beat.
“So what was the deal with the vampire?” I asked when no one volunteered the information.
Darius sipped his drink. “Marcus. An elder that has been around nearly as long as me. Not as many interests, though. Not as ambitious. For years, we thought he was headed toward a stupor. A sort of vacation from the world and our politics—like Ja before you re-energized her, Penny.”
“Your fault, not mine,” I said automatically.
“Indeed,” Darius said as though something smelled. “It appears he has had his hands in the Mages’ Guild for…decades. Now that we know the truth, it is all so clear. He formed an illegal connection with the High Chancellor, manipulated him, and set up a cash cow. Then he sat back with his hand out, watching the money roll in. He didn’t have to be ambitious; he merely had to whisper a few suggestions into the ears of his ambitious puppets, goading them toward power, and he could stay idle.”
“Oohhh.” The reason the High Chancellor had escaped the giant scales clicked. He wasn’t in control—his deeds weren’t his own. He hadn’t been a match for an elder vampire. It also appeared the godly magic didn’t affect vampires, because Marcus should’ve surely been thrown out with the bathwater.
“I am amazed you and Vlad missed Marcus’s involvement,” Reagan said, and I caught a glimmer in her eyes. She was going to rub that in. If Darius hadn’t sort of deserved it, I might’ve felt bad.
“So why did he suddenly start taking a more active interest?” I asked.
“Because suddenly…there was a threat, and a vampire behind that threat,” Darius said. “He, through the Guild, has been suffocating my territory, stunting my children’s opportunities for growth. No one could stand up to the Guild’s power, until you and Emery joined together. Being that you were connected to me…”
“He knew Darius would use you to tear down the Guild, which would allow Darius to expand his business in this area,” Reagan finished for him.
I sank bank onto Emery, my mood turning dark.
Emery rubbed my back. “You have to always assume a vampire is using you for something, even if the deal is mutually beneficial.”
“Don’t feel bad, Penny,” Reagan said. “They can’t help it anymore. Darius tries to use me on a continual basis. That’s why I have to keep him guessing by stealing his money and buying islands for no other purpose than to have them.”
Darius froze in place. “What is this, now?”
She grinned mischievously.
“So Marcus launched back into action when he saw his empire being threatened,” Reagan continued. “Which means, Penny, you basically
woke up two vampires. You kicked them back into the vampires’ political arena.”
“I didn’t. Darius started all of this,” I said, sticking with blaming him.
“I knew that strategy couldn’t have been the Guild’s doing,” Emery murmured, circling the bottom of his glass with the brown liquid. “It was too…”
“Good,” Reagan said.
“Strategic.” Darius curled a strand of Reagan’s hair around a finger. “The Guild wasn’t used to working at a higher level of strategy. Their timing was suspect.”
“They didn’t know their enemy,” Reagan said.
“Now they do. We did a pretty good sweep, but there is always someone who escapes. Always someone who lives to tell the tale. You ousted yourself tonight, mon ange.” Darius’s voice turned hard. “Tomorrow we’re leaving. I’m taking you to a remote location where you can hunt and fish and stay out of the public eye. You can work on your power.”
“He means you’ll need to lie low.” Emery chuckled. “Again. Good luck with that, Darius.”
“I can help you train.”
I started at Cahal’s voice. He was always so still and unimposing that I kept forgetting he was there.
Darius’s eyes gleamed. He slowly sipped his cognac, not commenting.
Reagan’s mouth curved downward as she surveyed the large, incredibly gifted druid. “That is just enough of a challenge to make me go for it.”
“I have seen an Heir train with Lucifer,” he said. “Briefly. In glimpses only. I was intrigued—am intrigued, I should say, with your power. More so now that I have seen how it complements Penelope’s in such a natural way. I did not expect that.”
“Penny’s…or yours?” Darius asked smoothly, his eyes calculating. He was probably wondering how to tether another asset.
“The Godly Touch, vampire,” Cahal said, his voice just as smooth, his eyes fierce. “Or the Angelic Touch, if that is your pleasure. It is one and the same.” He paused, his eyes on Darius. “I know what you are thinking. You best be careful. If I hear you’ve tried to strip this dual-mage pair of their Touch, I will personally kill you, and sprinkle your ashes on the barren waste of an island you do not yet know you own.”
“Wow, you’re good.” Reagan’s eyes widened. “How did you know that’s the kind of place I bought?”
“I had no desire of the kind,” Darius said, completely at ease. Somehow. “But I am as intrigued as you.”
“Let it stay that way.” Cahal downed what was in his glass. He set it gently to the side. His gaze beat into Reagan next, and she was just as immune to its terror-raising effects as her bond-mate. “Let the vampire take you to a safe location. I will find you there.”
With that, he walked out of the room and left the house.
“Okay…goodbye,” I called after him. The door latched. “Thanks for helping… That was kind of rude.”
“That is how they are,” Darius said, unperturbed. “He has the same godly power you do, Penny, that was clear.” He stared at nothing for a moment. “In all my many years, I have never seen as many myths and legends come to life as in the last few years. Something is building. Something big. And somehow, you are all a part of it.”
Silence hung heavy in the room. Tingles walked across my skin.
“Nah,” Reagan said. “I don’t buy it. Darius is just trying to start drama. Like arms dealers who try to start wars so they can make a profit.” She looked at me. “Marcus greatly spread the Guild reach in anticipation of this fight. He’ll be punished or killed for bonding without asking, but his network will help you. You’ll have to turn everyone to a better, less power-hungry way of thinking, but at least you already have a network.”
It was true. “Wait…what about Emery? And you? I can’t build up a new Mages’ Guild on my own. Or at all. I don’t know the first thing about leadership.”
Emery rubbed his thumb against my thigh. “Roger, Vlad, Darius, Reagan, and I all put it to a vote. This is your project. It will be in your control. Obviously, you’ll need help. And you’ll need to delegate. But you’ll be in charge of bringing it about. You are the only person we would all agree upon, and Vlad just barely went with it.”
“As if we would let him be in charge.” Reagan rolled her eyes.
Adrenaline dumped into my body and all my limbs started trembling. I was unable to handle any more surprises. “Me? No! What do you mean you all voted and now I’m stuck with it? That’s not how this is supposed to work!”
“When I first met you,” Emery said quietly, “I was only out to claim vengeance. A piece of me wanted the Guild to be better, but I was blind to the importance of changing it. It was you who calmed me. You who showed me the way. All this time, it has been you who has wanted to do the right thing, above all. To tear it down and build it up again. Your moral compass does not waver. Say what you want about your mom, but she kept you on a path of pure motives. Of inner peace and outward compassion. There is no one else any of us trusts implicitly to see this come about. It has to be you.”
I couldn’t breathe. My fingers curled into fists. “But…I…”
“Relax. Obviously you’ll be guided. We’re all going to help…and we’re all going to keep an eye on one another. Especially Vlad.”
“Nothing has to be decided right now.” Darius finished his glass and stood, putting his hand out for Reagan. “Come.”
She didn’t balk at the command, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her farther into the house. In the back, a bedroom door shut softly.
I couldn’t process what they’d just said. I couldn’t think that far ahead. So I did what any self-respecting woman would do—I bundled it all up and dumped it into the ignore pile. It wasn’t a list anymore, it was a whole pile.
“Shall we head to bed?” Emery asked, holding me tightly.
As I nodded, a soft knock sounded at the door. Looking through the peephole with Emery at my back, I felt nervous flutters fill my belly. Mary Bell and John stood on the stoop, tired and bedraggled, but still standing.
Letting out a deep breath, I opened the door. I’d be lying if I claimed not to be worried about an attack.
“Penny,” Mary Bell said, that sparkle in her eye. “I won’t ask to penetrate your ward. We’ll be but a minute.”
John looked at her in confusion before scanning the house.
“Um…okay…” I said.
“We’re on our way to a hotel. One of Darius’s children’s,” she said. “But we owe you an explanation before we lose sight of each other. I owe you my story.”
I leaned against the doorframe, listening.
“We were both approached by the Guild, along with many others. Those not powerful enough— Well, you know what happened to them…”
I swallowed. They were sent to battle Emery, Reagan, and I, and they never made it home.
“John, I, and one other were invited back to Seattle. We were asked to join their fold, as it were. Both John and the other mage had reservations, but only John decided to take them up on it. Despite what he knew of their involvement with you, he was Bambi-eyed and feather-headed.”
John shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted away, looking out at nothing. He didn’t comment.
“I have been in John’s place twice along my life’s journey,” she continued, leaning forward onto her cane. “I have been seduced by power, only to be left destitute in the fallout. I knew his fate would be the same. So I followed, knowing all along that I wouldn’t be able to drag him back out when he realized what he’d gotten himself into—organizations feeding on power and the misfortune of others never let you come and go as you please. Death is often the only way to get out. I followed, knowing we were headed to battle, knowing they were collecting fighters for their side, against you.” She held up a hand and smiled. “And knowing I had the experience to manipulate my way anywhere I needed to be. I may have come out disillusioned in the past, but I did learn a thing or two.” Her smile faded. “My path was clear. The way to vindica
tion for so many horrible decisions in my past.” Her eyes misted. “I still hoped that I could help you, give you a fighting chance at freedom. So I followed John and stayed close, waited for him to suffer at the hands of power in the cold new world he had chosen. When he became disillusioned and wanted out, recruiting him to my cause was child’s play. For all his age, he knows nothing of the world.”
John let out a disgusted breath, but still he didn’t say anything. How he couldn’t be embarrassed, I didn’t know. I was embarrassed for him.
“So you see, Penny Bristol, I never switched sides. I never doubted you, not even for a minute. I see great things for you. Big things. With the Rogue Natural by your side, helping protect you from the storms life throws at you, you will blaze like the sun.” She wiped away a tear with a gnarled finger. “My time for fighting is done, sadly. I am too old. I very nearly didn’t make it to the end of this battle. I had to sit down for half of it. But I will be watching you, and rooting for you. And should you need to hear of mistakes, so that you don’t have to make them yourself, my door will always be open.”
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand before stepping out and giving her a hug. “Thank you,” I said. “You saved our lives.”
Her smile was serene. “It feels better to be the hero than the villain.”
I gave John a shove. “You’re still on my poop list.”
He frowned at me and rolled his eyes.
Mary Bell patted John’s arm as she turned. “I think he has learned his lesson. I also think he’ll sleep with one eye open for a very long time.”
With that, she moved off to a black sedan Darius had clearly supplied, John slouching in her wake.
“Okay, bye…” I waved. They didn’t notice. “Is saying goodbye after a battle strangely forbidden or something?”
After I closed the door, Emery took me by the hand and led me to our room, leaving the exhausted dual-mages on the couch. “I wanted to ask you something,” he said softly, closing the door and wrapping his arms around me.
“Anything.” I closed my eyes against his hard chest, breathing in his smell, comfort and cotton.