by Deanna Chase
I raised an eyebrow at Phoebe. The director had never given us that kind of consideration before. Usually we were summoned, barely acknowledged, and then dispassionately dismissed with nonnegotiable orders. This was new.
“Have a seat.” Her wings flexed as she bustled to the front of her desk and leaned back, casually crossing her legs at the ankles.
I sat in the middle, with Phoebe and Tal flanking me, Link in his Shih Tzu form at Tal’s feet.
“It’s good to see you again, Director. Though I wasn’t expecting to be back so soon,” Tal said courteously.
“You too, Mr. Kavanagh. It’s a shame you no longer work for the Void, but I appreciate your cooperation in this matter.”
He glanced at me and then nodded. “I appreciate your willingness to share your resources.”
“Well, unfortunately we’re forced to work with Allcot on this one.” Her tone changed to one of irritation. “After the incident at the burlesque club, I’m tempted to cut all ties. No one puts my agents in danger without consequences. But it appears humans’ lives are on the line. So we will do what we have to until this situation is resolved.”
I didn’t disagree with her there. I was ready for some distance from Allcot and his crew, too… after Asher was neutralized.
“Anyway…” She stood up straight and met Tal’s gaze. “We have a situation. The female vamp Kilsen brought in last night cut a deal with the higher ups. In exchange for her freedom, she’s given us a solid lead on Asher’s second in command. It seems he followed Ms. Rhoswen to town.”
“What? Are they insane? Grace’s way too dangerous to be walking the streets,” I said, furious.
“A lot of vampires are dangerous, Rhoswen. In this case, the powers that be decided she isn’t a direct threat to society and let her go.” She picked up a pen and marked something off on her paperwork.
Phoebe shook her head in exasperation. No doubt she’d seen more than her fair share of vamps freed in exchange for intel.
The director cleared her throat and focused on me. “Word is Asher’s pissed as hell about the vamps you’ve turned into daywalkers, and he’s put the order out to have you and your nephew eliminated immediately. If his people fail, it’s likely he’ll find you himself.”
“He’s welcome to try,” I said, my tone full of anger. No one was going to hurt Beau. Not Grace. Not Asher. And certainly none of his lackeys. I’d kill them myself.
“I like that fire, Rhoswen,” she said with an appreciative smile. Then she made eye contact with Tal again. “If we can get to Asher’s second, we’ll find Asher. He’s never far behind. Hunter’s meeting you here in”—she twisted to look at her clock on the wall—“twenty minutes. You’ll join him and his team to track down and eliminate all of Asher’s minions. The goal is to weaken his circle enough that when he shows his hand, we’ll be right there to take him down.”
Tal sat back and eyed her with curiosity. “Of course I’ll do whatever I can, but my cover’s been blown. Are you sure you want me to serve in that capacity?”
She waved an impatient hand. “We’re way past that. In light of the fires earlier this morning, we’re in all-out war.” Casting her intense gaze on Phoebe, she said, “You’ve got your orders?”
“Yes. You already know I want Willow and Link on my team. If I’m going to hunt daywalkers, I’m going to need a little help.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but the director cut me off.
“Yes. That’s why they were summoned. Here are the files.” She handed Phoebe a manila folder. “Rhoswen?”
“Yes?”
“Did you get a chance to investigate the fae we have in custody?”
I stifled a groan. After yesterday’s events, I’d forgotten all about him. “No, not yet. I was pretty battered after the run-in last night.”
“I want you or Kilsen to make that a priority. He isn’t talking, and I’m certain he has useful intel. After the fires this morning, Allcot decided to share what he knows. I’ve been informed the fae was loyal to Victoria, and she’s been recently cast out by Asher. Seems she liked biting humans too much to remain under his roof. Apparently she thought bringing you to him would put her back in his good graces.” She scanned my body with a long, lingering look. Then she turned to Tal. “She looks to be healthy enough. Your work?”
“Yes, ma’am, but before we do anything, I need the ingredient list for the poison that was found last night.” He leaned in closer to me and pointed at my swollen leg. “I need it to treat Willow’s ankle and a few of Allcot’s guards.”
Her nostrils flared as she glanced at me and frowned. “Is it serious?”
“It’s just my leg,” I said, not wanting to appear as vulnerable as I was. Everyone preyed on the weak in this town. “As soon as Tal makes the antidote, I’ll be fine.”
A contemplative look came over her face and she unconsciously smoothed her suit jacket. I recognized the movement. It was her tell that she was calculating her next move. And it could be anything.
“Is there a problem, Director?” Tal asked, and I noticed a small twitch in his right eye. He was seconds from losing his cool. All he wanted to do was get in the lab to take care of business.
I was used to her, so her seemingly unreasonable behavior didn’t faze me. We’d do whatever we needed to do regardless of what she said. We always did. For better or for worse.
“No.” She shook her head, frowning. “Nothing’s wrong. Take Rhoswen to the lab and see what you can do. We can’t have her injured while she tracks daywalkers. When you’re done, come see me to get the whereabouts of Hunter.”
“Sure thing.” Tal stood and held out his hand to me.
I picked up Link and joined him, waiting for Phoebe.
“I’ll be in my office.” Phoebe tucked the file under her arm.
“You have an office?” I stared openmouthed at her and the director.
“You both do.” The director handed me a key. “You’re sharing. Kilsen has been pushing for it for a while now. Since she’s our highest-ranked tracker, it seemed she was due.”
I almost laughed at the turn of events. It was no secret I was the redheaded stepchild of the Void branch. And I’d gotten a coveted office out of association. That was fine. I’d take it. Not that I ever spent that much time at the Arcane building. But having a dedicated place to work wasn’t too shabby.
“This way,” Phoebe said. “It’s on the way to the lab.”
A few minutes later, we were in our joint office. I couldn’t stop staring. It was huge and luxurious. I’d never imagined the Void would consider us worthy of such grandeur.
“Phoebs?” I said with no small amount of suspicion. “What’s going on? The director doesn’t even like me.”
“It’s come to her attention that we’re both very valuable to her cause. Especially you.”
“Huh?”
Tal slipped his arm around me and whispered, “You’re at the center of everything because of Asher. And even if it wasn’t Asher, it’d be some other warlord vamp looking to exploit you. You’re important in the Void’s war on rogue vampires.”
“So?”
“You’re an asset… and a liability,” Tal explained. “She’s trying to keep you close so she always knows what you two are up to. Why else would she put your office on her same floor? No one else’s is here.”
Phoebe nodded. “Tal’s right. This is about her keeping you and me happy and where she can watch us. But since nothing ever really happens in the office, I don’t give a crap about that. All we’ll be doing here is analyzing and planning. Nothing too earth shattering. But the best part is we’ll no longer need to go through the magic neutralizer. If we’re trusted enough to have offices, we’re trusted enough to keep our abilities.” A triumphant grin lit up her face.
“Score!” I said and gave her a high five as we laughed.
“Okay, time to work.” Phoebe handed Tal a list. “Take Willow and start on the antidote. She knows where the labs are.”
“Willow?” Phoebe asked, concern radiating from her.
I waved a hand. “I’m fine. Let’s go, Tal. We’ll meet Phoebe back up here and then deal with David.” The mention of David reminded me he was waiting for us. “Phoebs? Before we take off on our mission, I need to go to Allcot’s to see Mom and Beau Jr.”
“I figured.” She sent me a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure they’re fine.”
“They are, but I need to see for myself.”
“Of course.”
Tal slipped his hand into mine and I instantly felt calmer. “Let’s do this.”
“This way.” I took a deep breath and led him into the stark white hall that had become my personal hell.
By the time we got to a decently stocked lab, I was panting from the panic trying to claim me. Tal had sent ripples of his healing energy into me, but it was about as good as an aspirin for a migraine.
The fluorescent lighting didn’t help, either. My vision had white spots of panic blinding me.
“You need a Calming cookie.” Tal pulled me closer and tucked my body against his.
“You can say that again.” I breathed into him, instantly feeling better.
Link prowled around the lab three times, his nose to the ground, before he stopped at my feet. He clamped his muzzle shut, showing the most awesome underbite ever, and then growled.
“What is it?” I asked him. But he only got up and sniffed at my leg. My bad one. “I know, little buddy. Tal’s going to fix it.”
Link sat and stared up at Tal, his tongue hanging out in undisguised adoration. Get in line, dude.
“Hey,” Tal said, looking up from the file the director had given him.
“Yeah?”
“You doing okay now?”
“As good as I can be, I guess.” There was an ache radiating from my ankle that I’d been trying to ignore for the past hour.
He pulled out a stool for me. “Take a seat while I work.”
I did as he said and watched as his brow furrowed in concentration. He made a bunch of notes, scratched some out, and made a few more. Then he sat back and rubbed at his jawline.
“What is it?” Absently I massaged my calf, wincing when the pain intensified.
Tal jumped up from his place at the table and crouched down in front of me. His gentle fingers stroked the red area around my wound. “It hurts again?”
I gritted my teeth and nodded.
He cupped his hands over the swollen area. The soothing tingle started at once, but then intense fire erupted, burning me from the inside out.
“Ouch!” I cried and yanked my leg back, tears stinging my eyes. The force of my withdrawal knocked me sideways, and I slipped right off the stool, landing with a thud on the concrete floor. “Ow!”
“Wil!” Talisen dropped to his knees and scooped me into his arms. “I’m so sorry.”
“What happened?” I all but whimpered, still shaken from falling so spectacularly.
“The wound is too advanced for me to even numb it. We need the antidote now.” He gazed down at me, lost in thought. “If you’re up to it, I think your magic might help.”
“How?” I inspected my leg, noting the heat radiating from it. It reminded me of a giant spider bite—red, swollen, and hot to the touch. Thank goodness it didn’t itch.
“I…” He touched his chest just above his heart. “When our magic mingles, it’s soothing. There’s a peace that fills me up that isn’t present when I work my magic on my own.” Moving his hand to rest over my heart, his lips turned up in a wry smile. “And I think that might be true for you as well.”
My mind immediately recalled the scene of Tal and me together and the feelings of complete joy. I could feel the emotion bursting to spring forth. I nodded, afraid to speak.
His fingers were a whisper of a touch as he stroked them along my collarbone. I closed my eyes and took in the sensation, never wanting it to end.
All too soon he whispered into my ear, “Give me a few minutes.”
I pulled my good leg up and wrapped my arms around my knee while Tal stood at the lab table, measuring and mixing unfamiliar ingredients. Finally he glanced down at me and wiped his brow. “It’s done.”
I stood and hobbled the few steps to his side. The liquid was putrid green and slightly chunky. “Oh yuck… you’ve got to be kidding!” I stepped back, covering my mouth.
“Sorry, Wil.” He gave me an apologetic look. “You don’t want to know what I had to use to counteract the poison.”
“Battery acid?”
“That might have been preferable.”
“Ugh.” I stared at it and almost hurled. “You want me to drink this?”
He hesitated and then nodded.
“Can I dress it up? Add something to make it less… awful?” I was grasping at straws and we both knew it.
“If we had more time, I’d be happy for you to experiment with it, but I can’t imagine anything you add to this version is going to make it taste better.”
“An injection maybe?” I was desperate now. My gag reflex was already kicking in at just the thought of choking that crap down.
He frowned. “That’s possible, but it would take a lot more precision and some careful testing to put it in the bloodstream. If we want quick, the best thing to do is swallow it.”
“Cripes.” I squeezed my eyes shut, praying for strength.
His warm hand closed over mine. “First we need to infuse it with our magic.”
My eyes popped open. “Our magic? You sure about that?”
“Positive.” He tugged me forward until we were inches apart. I leaned into him, needing to feel him against me.
Taking my hand, he pulled out his healing stone and placed it between our palms. “All I need you to do is pull a bit of my magic from the stone, let it mix with yours, and send it back in. Can you do that?”
“I’ll try. Stones aren’t my specialty. You know that.” I could take in life magic, but stones? It wasn’t like they were living, breathing things.
“Good enough. I’ll let you know when I’m ready. Just hold tight.”
I wasn’t going anywhere. Leaning against Tal was calming me in a way I couldn’t explain. It wasn’t magic. Not that I could tell, anyway. It was something else. A sense that I was where I was supposed to be. Tal was my go-to person and the reason I’d been so miserable the past few months. Not having him in my life had left a crater-sized hole in my heart. Now the hole was gone.
Under Tal’s ministration, the stone warmed and started to vibrate. His body went stiff with his effort as the power that radiated from him glowed brilliant white between our palms. The crystal heated to almost unbearable levels, and I flinched.
But Tal’s grip tightened around my hand. “Now, Wil.”
My heart raced from the residual magic in the air, and I was fully aware of every inch of Tal. Focusing was near impossible. “I don’t…” I let out a whoosh of breath and stared at our joined hands.
“You’ve got this.” Tal’s soothing voice penetrated the chaos trying to overwhelm me.
My pulse slowed to normal levels while I focused on the heat of the stone. It turned hot, singeing my skin. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve abandoned the transfer, but after watching Tal and the amount of effort he put into the spell, I couldn’t give up. I focused as much for him as I did for myself.
The magic pulsed right at my palm, resistant in a way my plants never were. It was more like when I changed a vampire into a daywalker, though a little more elusive, like the magic was slipping out of my grasp. I tightened my hand over the crystal and squeezed Tal’s fingers, trying to keep the magic from sliding away.
“Relax,” Tal said softly. “The more you try to control it, the harder it will be. Just let it flow into you as if I
were directing it.”
“Oh,” I breathed and stopped trying altogether. I just focused on connecting with Tal’s magic and let it come to me. He’d healed me so many times it was second nature. His tingling magic concentrated at my fingers, and with a will of its own, it filtered into me. My world morphed. I was standing in my bedroom next to my bed, Tal staring down at me with love in his eyes, my fingers poised to undo the top button of his shirt. There was excitement sparking between us along with a heightened anticipation of something more happening. Something intense and wonderful and long overdue.
I blinked and the world shifted again. The stark walls of the lab came into view, anchoring me in reality as the stream of Tal’s power flowed into me until I was almost bursting.
I wanted to live in that moment forever, with Tal’s magic swirling inside me. It made my head swim and my heart pound. It was like being one with him in a profound way.
“Now, Willow.”
Only when I heard his voice urging me did I harness the magic and send it back.
It bent at my will, and within moments, the crystal was filled again, leaving me with an empty ache in my chest. I slumped forward, trying to catch my breath.
“Willow?” Tal placed his hand on my back.
“I’m okay,” I gasped out. “I sent a little more than I meant to, I think. I’ll be fine in a moment.”
“You sure?”
I nodded. I hadn’t expected the magic to be so easy to manipulate. When I worked with plants, it took more effort, and a whole lot more effort when changing vampires to daywalkers. What had just happened was totally unexpected.
Tal’s warm hand moved down my spine, sending shocks of his magic into me.
I sent him a grateful smile then stepped away, frowning slightly. “Thanks, but you didn’t need to do that.”
His eyebrows arched in surprise. “Why not?”
“I would’ve been fine,” I said, struggling to not fidget. I didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but I couldn’t always rely on him to fix me. “It takes a moment for my magic to restabilize, but it does. I just don’t want you depleting yourself too much. You’re going to need your strength when you work on the guards.”