by Fran Tullo
Both boys gave her a curious look, but neither responded, instead looking at each other. “We should probably go see Dad after breakfast. He should be up.” Jace pushed himself up, shaking his ass at them playfully as he headed to the dresser for clothes. “I’ll get in the shower, then call him.”
“Don’t use up all the hot water,” Braydon warned in a jokingly disapproving tone. “If I have to take a cold shower, you’ll be sleeping on that chair for a week.”
“Pfft, you always threaten that. I’ve yet to see it happen.” Jace waved over his shoulder and headed into the bathroom.
“One of these days,” Braydon muttered, much to Lexi’s amusement. “He’s gonna end up on the chair and have no idea why.”
“Yeah, sure. It’s way too cold up here to sleep alone.” Lexi grinned at him and he flopped back on the bed to cuddle with her.
“Not to us. We like the chill. At least, our animal sides do. The human parts don’t really mind it, but that’s mostly because we just run hot, ya know?”
Lexi laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. “Is this where I’m supposed to build your male ego with a ‘yeah you do’ comment?”
“Wounded… I’m wounded, Red.”
“Uh huh. Sure ya are.”
Breakfast arrived while Jace was in the shower, and when he came out, they ate in companionable silence. While Braydon took his turn getting cleaned up, Lexi’s delivery arrived. She blinked at the delivery guy, a huge man with Gaelic lettering up and down his shockingly bare arms. His face looked familiar, but she wasn’t sure from where. Until he spoke.
“Aye, y’wee Lexi? Slip o’ girl, Bri says, but yer barely ‘at, ain’tcha?” He grinned down at her and Lexi just shook her head.
“Fucking Bri… what did she do, send you to check up on me?” She smiled back and extended a hand.
“Herself says you’d be needin’ supplies, an’ we’re a supplier, ain’t we? So…” He held out a wooden box that was almost twice her size. “S’all in dere… ‘long wit’ some t’ings herself said ya’d be wantin’. Ya be needin’ help on it?”
Lexi shook her head and took the box with a soft grunt as Jace poked his head out the door. “Nah, I’m good. Tell Bri I said thanks, and that I’m fine. When I get back to town, we’ll hit the pub.”
“I’ll be afta tellin’ her. Gods watch yer path, wee Lexi.” He looked Jace over, shook his head and turned, heading back out into the snow.
Jace whistled a little, grabbing the box from her as they watched the huge man get into an equally huge pick up. Lexi agreed silently, chuckling when the truck obviously dipped under his weight. “Who or what was that?”
“My friend’s brother. I’ve never met him, only heard the stories.” She held the door for him as he carried the box into the apartment, setting it down with a soft thud on the floor. “They’re human, but have giant blood. They’re also both American, but their family is from the old country, so they speak a little of everything. You should hear her when she’s trashed.” She chuckled at the memory before crouching in front of the box and muttering the word that would unlock the magical latch. As the box opened, her smile got wider and colder, like a psychotic child at murder parties. “Perfect… Bri, you’re a life saver.”
Braydon came out of the bedroom as she started pulling things out, eyes going wide at the assortment of ‘toys’ she was fawning over. “Ummm… are we planning on taking out a witch, or storming a castle?”
“’Always be prepared.’ Not just for Boy Scouts. I hate going into a situation without having anything I might need.” She tossed them each an amulet before going back for the weaponry again. “Those’ll give you some magic immunity. Not much… mostly enough that a killing spell will only hurt like a bitch.” She lifted her shirt, showing a series of swirls that looked like the amulets. “I got that years ago, right after a witch nearly took my head off. Like I said, I like to be prepared.” She spun a couple daggers in her fingers before setting them aside and grabbing a crossbow. “I love that woman…”
Jace sat on the floor next to her, running a hand along the tattoos that wound up her arm. “Is that what all of these are? Protections of some sort?”
“Mostly. There are a couple that are just sentimental, or I thought they looked neat.” She shrugged unapologetically. “My earrings are also magically enhanced. That ax…” She grumbled a little under her breath before continuing. “It’s part of a set, and my Grandmother gave it to me after my first kill. When they’re together, I can use some magic with them too. But by themselves, they’re just hella sharp.” She dug around in the box and laughed, breaking the somber mood. “That bitch!”
“What?” Braydon stepped forward to look and coughed, blushing hotly. At the bottom of the box, that Brianna’s brother had packed and delivered, was a set of leather lingerie and a couple of… not battle-ready toys. Lexi slammed the lid shut, still laughing and shaking her head. “Someone squealed. I swear to the gods, giants somehow get the best gossip. I have no idea how, but I’m gonna get her drunk and make her tell me.”
Jace looked at the mess of stuff on the floor and whistled. “Well, I’m pretty sure we’re geared up to take over a small country, so… what’s the plan?”
Lexi stood up and looked it over as well before nodding. Her jovial mood was replaced with a serious glance at the two men. “I get dressed properly, we talk to your dad, and then we take this fight to the witch. I want to bring as many of your people home tonight as I can.” When they nodded, she headed to the bedroom.
Chapter 17
Jace
He wasn’t really expecting the change when Lexi came back out. Dark leather pants, a black tank top and a leather jacket were paired with the thick shit-kicker boots she’d been wearing when she first showed up. She had a belt that carried various smaller knives, and her single hooked ax was strapped to her back. Around her thighs were two holsters belts. One was covered in pockets, and the other had a strange attachment on it, that he figured out was for the crossbow from the box when she grabbed it and holstered it there. He could see a dagger peeking out of the top of each boot as well. She had changed her earrings out, but he had almost no practical magic knowledge, so he couldn’t say why, just that they were different. When she leaned forward to grab the daggers she’d set aside from the box, he spied two more leather straps on her arms under the coat.
She was scary… and he was pretty sure that shouldn’t be turning him on, but that was life.
She pulled a couple extra pouches out and handed one to Braydon and one to him. “These are herbs to mask our scent. We’ll be parking the snowmobiles and walking so the witch can’t hear us coming.” Turning back to the box, she looked it over again and nodded. “All right… I think we’re as good as we’re going to get. Let’s go talk to your old man so we can get this over with.”
“Uh… right. Okay.” He almost walked into the wall when he turned, but managed to correct himself before she noticed. The snicker he heard from Braydon told him he hadn’t gotten out completely unscathed, but his pride would live. “Uh… aren’t you going to be cold?”
Lexi smiled and kissed his cheek before pulling a group of charms out from under her shirt. “Elemental protection charms. No time to deal with a bulky coat or hypothermia today. Let’s go.”
The trip across the compound was short and silent, and Jace led the way back into the Elder’s communal room. “Hey, sorry for intruding, but I texted this morning.”
Eishan nodded and motioned them in. “You did. C’mon in, sit down, and tell me what you’ve found.”
Lexi blinked, then looked at Jace. “Elder Eishan is your father?”
“Heh… yeah. It didn’t really seem relevant before, ya know?” He scuffed his foot against the floor as Braydon chuckled. “So… yeah, meet my dad, I guess.”
“Oh my, Jace… introducing her to your father? That’s rather formal, isn’t it?” Eishan teased his son a little, laughing when he caught a little whine from the young fox. “
Are you ditching poor Braydon then?”
Braydon yelped in denial, but Lexi put a stop to the teasing by holding up a hand. “As much as I enjoy seeing them flailing around, we have serious things to discuss, and time is of the essence. It’s almost dawn and I want to be gone before then.”
Eishan blinked and Jace was a little gratified to see his father put in his place, albeit nicely. “Of course, Red Lexi. My apologies. What have you found out, and what do you need from us?”
“Your people are being taken to sacrifice for a dark ritual. We believe the witch responsible is hiding in an old gold mine near where the first group disappeared. What I need from you is to keep your people in the compound until you hear from me. If you don’t hear from me in 24 hours, call the Council for another Red, as I didn’t survive.”
Jace gaped for a second before snapping his mouth closed. “We’ll be back before that. We’re not letting anyone die except the witch who’s doing this.” He was a little surprised at how firm he sounded, since Lexi’s words had made his blood run colder than any Alaskan blizzard had managed to.
Lexi looked over at him and offered a small smile. “I never go in planning to die. But it’s my responsibility to plan for contingencies, and Reds aren’t immortal.” She looked back at Eishan, who nodded.
“I will do as you say, though I hope this particular plan isn’t necessary. Boys, be careful. I’m not going to try to talk you out of it, because I can see it won’t do any good. But I would hate to lose either of you, so watch each other’s backs.” He looked at Lexi sternly. “And you let them watch yours. I’ve seen Reds before, young lady… independence is fine and well, but use your resources.”
Jace didn’t think people were allowed to talk to Reds like that, so he was surprised when Lexi simply nodded. “We’ll be back, with as many of your people as I can possibly save.”
“The snowmobiles have already been gassed up and packed. They’re waiting for you out back. Go with the Old Gods, Red Lexi, and bring yourself and my children home.”
Chapter 18
Lexi
She considered her plans as they flew over the snow. Jace was leading, because he wouldn’t let Braydon stray ahead. Lexi found herself agreeing, since Braydon was the last snow leopard the witch needed. She was hesitant to even bring him, except that she knew the leopard would have followed by himself, and it was far safer to have him close than wandering by himself. It wasn’t the first time she had to work with locals to get a job done, and the boys had already proven they could fight, so she wasn’t going to let it bother her anymore.
Instead, she started going through her contingency plans. There was a chance it was more than one witch, especially to control all the shifters. If it was only one, they were going to be incredibly powerful before the rituals that gave them extra, unknown abilities. And that wasn’t even mentioning the mutant shifter she was going to have to find to get her ax back. She had been on some dangerous gigs before, but this was the first time she was actually worried.
She wondered if that was more because this was more dangerous, or if it was because she actually cared if she lived or died.
Shaking her head to rid it of the morbid thoughts, she did a quick mental inventory and went over the small list of spells she could actually use. She didn’t use offensive magic… that took a lot more effort than swinging a weapon and would be all but useless against most witches. Her magics were supportive; speed, strength, and protections spells mostly. With Jace and Braydon along, they’d be doubly useful, since she could cast them on the shifters as well to give them an edge. It was definitely a tally in her column, and she needed as many of those as she could get. She hated fighting witches.
As the sun started to crest the horizon, Jace held up a hand and motioned them to a hidden knoll where they could stash the snowmobiles and prepare. They continued to move silently, grabbing the packs and covering the snowmobiles with white and gray camouflage tarps. Braydon produced covers with the same pattern, tossing one to each of them before pulling his own over his pack and covering his head.
Lexi broke the silence by snorting as she covered herself as well. “Good call… I kinda stick out in all this white, huh?”
Jace chuckled softly. “You’d kinda stick out anywhere you go, sweetheart. And you damned well know it.”
She smirked and nodded, waiting until they pointed the way to start trudging through the snow. “I hate snow… it’s impossible to hide your tracks and makes it way too easy for things to sneak up on you.”
Braydon shook his head, swatting at her lightly. “If you’d walk behind us, you’d see how to do it…”
Lexi blinked and watched what they were doing, then huffed. “How the hell am I supposed to do that? You guys are cheating.”
Jace chuckled, wiggling the furry toes he’d shifted his feet into. “It’s not cheating, it’s natural ability.”
“That’s totally cheating. My ‘natural ability’ doesn’t include built-in snow shoes, ya shit.” Lexi huffed a little, pushing at him before looking at Braydon. “Watch you, huh?”
Braydon chuckled and shook his head. “Think about it, Lex; if something is following us, they won’t know we’re with you.”
Lexi continued to pout for a second before waving them off. “Fine, fine. Whatever, let’s just go.” The boys both laughed, and she made sure to shove them as she made her way through the snow again.
Jace took the lead again, taking them through deeper snow and avoiding the regular paths. She knew it was smart, but it was so damned cold… She needed to spell her boots for heat. Because that, of course, would be completely useful once every eight to nine months in PA. She continued to mutter to herself in her head, but her eyes darted around and she stretched her otherworldly senses as far as they’d go to try and give them a warning of anything supernatural creeping up on them.
It was a good hour and a half before she held up her hand, hissing softly to get Jace’s attention. “Hold up, guys,” she muttered, spinning around slowly. “There’s something out here.”
Jace pointed to the dark mass of mountains that broke up the horizon in front of them. “Mine is about a quarter mile that way… think there’s something out here?”
She nodded, motioning them to silence and closing her eyes. She could feel Jace and Braydon’s auras like a warm caress, but she didn’t allow herself to revel in that… there was something other out there. And she had a feeling she knew who, or rather what it was. The circle stopped and she opened her eyes, pointing into the woods toward the east. “There… something’s coming this way and fast.”
It was only another minute before they heard the sound that none of them would ever forget again. Ground-shaking thuds as the giant mutant shifter made its way closer. She motioned silently for Jace and Braydon to circle on either side, pulling out the crossbow and loading it quickly. Once she had the bolt loaded, she started forward.
As soon as the beast came into view, she took aim and fired, grinning as the shot flew true. She was hoping to get in a head shot and have it over with, but the were had enough time to twist away, taking the bolt in the shoulder instead. Her grin dropped as the beast roared at her and started charging. She grabbed her ax from her back and spun away from the flailing claws that came flying at her. As she came around, she swung her ax in arc upward, and her grin bloomed on her face again as the sharp blade connect with its back. The creature roared in anger and pain, but only flailed with one arm. Her lost ax was still stuck in the beast’s shoulder. Gods damned weasel wasn’t getting away with it again.
She ripped the ax in her hand free of its flesh, dancing back to avoid the spray of putrid blood that poured from it and pooled into the snow. As it turned to go after her again, a rather large snow leopard darted out of the underbrush and bit down at the back of the mutant’s knee. It bellowed as Braydon wrenched his furry head sideways, taking a chunk of flesh and muscle with him as he jumped backwards.
Lexi ran forward as the creature turned
and fell, launching herself off its calf and into the air behind it. With a twist, she grabbed her wayward ax, ripping it from its shoulder in a downward arc as she landed in front of it. The ax dragged through the already damaged flesh, leaving one arm dangling by a bit of sinew and bone.
A pure white fox zipped out, jumping on the beast’s head and making it fall onto its good arm. While it was distracted, Lexi slammed the ends of her axes together. Lightning whipped from the joined ends, and she had just enough time to yell for Jace to move before it launched from the axes and blasted the head off the mutant shifter.
As the shifter fell to the ground, Lexi dropped to her knees with a sudden wave of vertigo. The world spun around her and faded to black. When color started returning, it was tinged in red, and she was in a plush, immaculately decorated boudoir, staring at a lovely woman with deep auburn hair that trailed down to just barely cover her breasts. She was dressed in only a diaphanous scarlet robe that hid nothing from view, and Lexi just stared at her for a minute, confused and fuddled. “Where…?”