Magaestra: Found: An urban fantasy series

by Katherine Kim

  Faith sighed. "We have Jake and Kaylee safe at the Clan House. Tamika and Marc are going a little security crazy. We have Jesse Honeyford and his best goons, but several of them got away in the confusion, and at least one wants to join the Frostwalkers instead. And Leo is burning up the internet trying to track the vampires that took her. He managed to follow them digitally as far as an access road halfway up the mountain, but then he thinks they changed vehicles or something, because the cars are all sitting there, doors open and stripped clean. An 'anonymous tip' to Detective Lincoln got him onto the cars, though, so there's an official investigation into them as well."

  Aldric took a moment to turn all that over. "Did I hear that vampire taunting you? As if he knew your secret and had been sent for you and your family?"

  Faith's fingers tensed in his and he brushed his thumb over the back of her hand, trying to reassure her that she was, indeed, safe here. Injured or not he would make sure of that.

  "Yeah," she answered, her voice thready and frightened. "It sounded exactly like that. He called me Magaestra.” Her trembles shivered into his hand and he gave it a slight tug.

  "Come here."

  "What?" She blinked up at him.

  "Come here. I have been threatened with torture and possible death if I leave this bed, but you require comfort and I wish to provide it. So come here.“

  She blinked at him again and the corner of her mouth twitched. "Do you mean that you want to give me a hug?"

  Aldric just grumbled and tugged on her hand again.

  "I don't want to hurt you, you're all over stitches and bandages and stuff," she protested, but still set her half-drunk coffee cup on the small table beside his bed. and climbed onto the side. Aldric tugged again, gently, and she settled her head on his shoulder, carefully avoiding the bandages on his bicep and around his torso.

  That would never do. Aldric wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her in snugly, and just as he expected, he soon felt his shoulder grow damp with tears as Faith sank into the comfort he offered.

  A perfunctory knock and the door opened without any sort of acknowledgement, revealing Madeline with a steaming mug in her hand. She raised her eyebrows in amusement for a half second before she realized what Faith's shaking shoulders meant, and his cousin's expression fell.

  She pinched her lips together in sympathy, drove the straw into the blood bag and handed the whole thing to him silently. Then she hustled over to a cupboard and pulled out a few towels, put the small stack and the box of tissues and a cup of water on the table near him and left the room, pulling the door closed again behind her.

  Aldric reflected on his extreme good fortune of his family. He made certain to drink some of the blood while it was still warm enough to be palatable, but his attention was on Faith, who slowly wound down until she was no longer sobbing. It was probably horrible of him to enjoy the way she felt in his arms, as upset as she was, but he couldn't lie to himself about this.

  "I'm sorry. God, this is getting to be a habit," she said. She tried to sit up, but he held her close and simply traded his half-empty drink for the box of tissues and settled it in his lap. Pulling one out he gently wiped away the tears smearing over her face.

  "You have no reason to apologize for anything. You have survived some incredibly difficult things over the past few days," he said. "Leaving aside the paranormal aspects, you have been attacked in your own home, had you sister kidnapped, bandaged up a damned fool who got caught daydreaming, had your niece and her friend kidnapped, then during the rescue you were attacked again and your sister kidnapped, again. You have ample reason to be unhappy, and I will not begrudge you your need to mourn your old life or your fear for your sister."

  Faith pulled a tissue out of the box and blew her nose before answering. The next tissue she pulled out, she started swiping at Aldric's shoulder, and he loosened his grip for her to sit up a bit as she worked. She didn't object to his hand resting on her back while she worked, though, and he was glad. He didn't want to break their connection.

  "I keep having breakdowns all over your shoulder," she sniffled, pink creeping up her cheeks. "You don't even have a shirt on this time to protect you from me."

  Aldric couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. "You are always welcome to my shoulder, should you need it, regardless of its state of dress." He had a suspicion that it was his turn for the color of his face to deepen. "And I must confess that I enjoy having you close, though I wish the circumstances were less upsetting."

  Faith's fingers stopped moving the tissue over his skin and she stared at her own hand for a long moment before speaking. "I feel kind of guilty," she whispered. "I like you. A lot, actually, and it feels like I should be completely focused on comforting Kaylee and on finding Crissy, so just being here and not back at the clan house doing something feels wrong, but..." she sniffled again and bit her lips before continuing. "I couldn't let you stay here bleeding and unconscious and all alone. That felt wrong too."

  Aldric had to swallow down the tightness in his throat. "Faith," he said softly, but couldn't think of what other words to use. Instead he decided to take a lesson from one of Faith's own actions, and pulled her down into a kiss.

  23

  Faith's brain went blissfully blank the moment her lips touched Aldric's. It was like after swimming across an entire pool underwater she was finally being allowed to surface and take a breath. They hadn't discussed her impulsive kiss the other night, events sweeping them up and distracting them, and she had been strangely disappointed. This though?

  This almost seemed like the universe was trying to balance out all the shitty things that had happened this week, and Faith almost felt like it was enough, just this kiss. She tasted copper and somewhere in the back of her mind she connected it to the mug she'd seen on the bedside table. A small part of her brain recoiled and started to panic, but the rest of her leaned into it.

  So what if he had to drink blood to live? Lots of people had weird dietary or medical needs, and who was Faith to judge him for it? This was Aldric. This was the man who had repeatedly put himself between her and danger. He'd held her while she let go and cried over the terror of the attacks and the pain of losing her sister not just once, but twice. He had done nothing but lend her his strength from the moment he came slamming through the cabin door to kill the rogue wolves that were threatening her and Kaylee, and he had asked for nothing in return until now, and even the kiss felt like a shy request for permission rather than a demand for repayment.

  Faith pulled back only when she had to, as her crying jag had left her hiccuppy, and just then an ill-timed spasm interrupted them. Aldric's eyes were still closed when she opened hers to apologize. God he was a beautiful man, and when he eyes opened, dark pupils with a ring of the most mesmerizing green she'd ever seen.

  "You have the most amazing eyes," she said before her brain could catch up. Aldric blinked, then grinned, and when that didn't seem to express his feelings well enough, he actually chuckled.

  "I don't believe I have ever had anyone compliment my eyes before, though several of the wolves I have fought have told me they were terrifying and strange," Aldric's grin turned a little toothier and his eyes darkened overall.

  Faith nudged an unbandaged patch of his chest and rolled her own eyes. "Yes, yes. You're a very scary vampire. Now drink your cup of blood before it gets cold and congeals."

  Aldric reached over and picked up the mug, peering at the bag sitting in the now tepid water. He made a face and sighed. "I'm afraid I may be too late."

  "You should have to write an apology note to whoever donated that for wasting their time and generosity," she said.

  Aldric put the cup back on the table– next to her own coffee cup she noticed– and shook his head. "Madeline gives us bags that are unusable for one reason or another. I believe this bag is too old to be used medically."

  Faith couldn't have stopped the grin if she had tried. "You're telling me your milk is about to g
o bad so you have to drink it all now?"

  Aldric chuckled again and shook his head.

  "How have you accepted all this so easily?" he asked her, his eyes still full of humor.

  She shrugged and shifted her legs up onto the bed now so she could snuggle her head back onto his shoulder and carefully laid her hand on his chest where there were no bandages in the way.

  "I guess it's because I've always had magic of my own, so finding out that the world is even bigger than I knew it was is weirdly reassuring in a way. I mean, now I know what happened, why Grampa was suddenly sent away from his home, why we don't have much training and why Mom was so strict about keeping it a secret."

  She felt Aldric nod. "I can understand that. I'm certain that you have been able to fill in some gaps in your family history now."

  "Exactly," she agreed. She ran her fingers along the edge of the tape holding down a bandage over the gouge that Faith clearly remembered being opened by that jackass in the common room of the lodge. She knew he felt the shudder that ran through her body, but he thankfully didn't comment on it.

  "I don't know. I guess that knowing about my own magic for so long, and then first meeting you in such a stressful situation when I had to protect Kaylee..." she shrugged again. "I think that if it had been almost anyone else that had showed up that day I wouldn't have been so comfortable about it."

  "I–" Whatever Aldric had been about to say was interrupted by a loud electronic ringing which made them both jump. "My phone?"

  "Oh! I have it. Madeline took what was left of your shirt and emptied your pockets. I have your phone and wallet, hang on." Faith reached for her purse which was on the chair where she'd been sitting since Aldric was carried in here by Marc himself for Madeline to clean up a few hours ago until the doctor shooed her out to take a few minutes and get some coffee or something.

  She handed it over to Aldric who thumbed the accept call button and a video image popped up on the screen, showing Marc with Jake in his lap and Kaylee leaning into his side. Faith crowded next to Aldric to see, and was pretty sure she blushed when he wrapped his arm around her back and started smoothing his thumb up and down her spine. Marc definitely noticed but aside from a raised eyebrow said nothing.

  "Aldric, I am so glad to see you awake! How're you feeling?" Marc asked.

  "Like I have been in a battle and gotten badly wounded," Aldric answered drily.

  Marc chuckled. and Kaylee leaned in. "Are you going to be okay, Uncle Aldric?"

  Faith sensed him still for a moment, then he smiled and his thumb started moving again. Who knew that would be so soothing?

  "I will be perfectly fine, I promise. In a few days it will be like I was never injured," he assured her. Jake nodded solemnly in agreement.

  "I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing, and the kids were worried. Tamika's organized more frequent regular patrols of the borders, and a standing guard on both the house here and the clinic while you guys are there. We're not taking any more risks. Faith, you're getting a bodyguard, and so are the kids, and this time we're not being so relaxed about it."

  Faith nodded and Aldric made a sound of approval.

  "And I have called a clan meeting for this Saturday. You should be back here by then. Our people deserve to know what's happening, even if we don't tell them everything." He glanced at Faith when he said that last part and she appreciated it.

  "Thank you. We shall be there," Aldric nodded.

  "Great. Anything to add, kids?" Both kids yelled to Aldric that he needed to get better and heal and come home and other such things, and he took the time to reassure them that he would be back soon, and by the time he thumbed the end call button on the screen, they were grinning at the way both kids had perked up at the reassurance.

  "Well, that was amusing. And loud,” Faith laughed.

  Aldric just smiled as he put the phone down on the table by their cups and wrapped his arm around her waist.

  She looked over at him and noticed the paler than usual skin and tired lines around his eyes. "Go on to sleep, handsome. Even badass vampires need their rest, it seems."

  She grinned when he tightened his hold on her for a moment.

  "Yes, I know I should rest..."

  "Marc wasn't reassuring just the kids with that call, you know. But now that we’ve both seen that Kaylee and Jake are okay, and I'm not going anywhere for a while. Sleep. I'll be here," she said, and she felt him relax beside her.

  Unsurprisingly, Aldric wasn't the only one who slept.

  Faith had not quite realized how many people were in the Frostwalker Clan. Aldric had been hovering near her the entire time she was outside in the large backyard, and now she understood why it was so big in the first place. It needed to be to fit this many people in one place!

  There were folding tables set up along one side of the house and people were dropping off dishes and coolers, and Kenya and Ori were standing there ostensibly to help organize, but Faith noticed that neither of them kept anything in their hands for more than a moment or two.

  Ori was mostly back to his punk rock self, his mohawk now a turquoise blue, and his fashionably shredded jeans and scruffy boots seemed to be permanently replaced by his enforcer gear, but the spiked jacket and attitude made up for it. Kenya was similarly outfitted, though her shirt was a bright blue with something scrawled across it in swooping letters that Faith couldn't make out.

  There were a dozen kids playing on the equipment from preschoolers to too-cool-for-everything teens, and Faith understood that, now, too. It had seemed a bit overindulgent for just one kid to have what amounted to his own private playground, but now it made sense.

  There were enforcers there, as well. Tamika kept a close eye on the kids, and she had two others with her that Faith hadn't met yet, all of them like Ori and Kenya were in a variation of what seemed to be the enforcers' uniform. Kaylee still stayed closer to Tamika than not, but she and Jake were laughing and swinging and playing tag with the rest of the kids.

  There were still more enforcers dotted around the tree line, and Aldric kept glancing at them, checking in and assessing even though Marc kept yelling at him to sit down and rest or take a nap or just get out of the damn office because he’s supposed to be recovering dammit. Aldric was not being the most patient of patients.

  Marc had sat down with her that morning while the kids were having breakfast in front of the TV– Saturday morning cartoons were still a tradition in this house it seemed, even though they were streamed now rather than broadcast– and apologized for not being able to save Crissy.

  "As soon as the attack started I tried to get to you, but..." he shook his head and grimaced, staring into his coffee cup as if it held an alternate reality that he could remember in place of what happened. "I'm fast, but I'm not as fast as a vampire that's fed recently, and there were so many blighthounds between me and her. I am so sorry, Faith. I failed you and I failed Kaylee. It's my fault your sister is still out there somewhere."

  "Stop that," Faith had smacked his shoulder, and Marc jumped, startled. "You didn't kidnap her, and you were injured trying to fight off the assholes that did. I saw the blood and I know Madeline pulled you in for some stitches when you thought nobody was watching. And you managed to keep the situation from getting any worse. Kaylee could have been grabbed. Don't take on responsibility that's not yours to carry. I swear, you and Aldric both work from the same manual or something.“

  Marc had blinked at her for a long moment, then smiled and reached out to squeeze her hand.

  Now, Faith watched as he strode across the lawn to the deck, where he climbed the steps and glanced over at them. Aldric put a hand on her back and they both made their way over to stand near the steps up. Tamika met them there with Jake and Kaylee just as Marc started speaking. Kaylee slipped up to her side and hung onto Faith's hand, and, Faith noted, also leaned back against Aldric's leg. Interesting.

  "Good afternoon folks!" he called, and waited as everyone settled down
and turned to him. Faith saw Leo and Madeline standing next to a handsome older gentleman who must be their father. Leo caught her eye and grinned, and she felt herself smiling back.

  "It's nice to see Leo outside of a computer screen. I was starting to think he was just a head in a box,“ she whispered to Aldric and he and Tamika both covered chuckles.

  "Good afternoon," Marc said again, now that he had everyone's attention. "I'm pretty sure that you've heard the rumors, and that you've noticed our enforcers being out more, well, in force."

  There was a general rumble of confirmation in the crowd, and Marc nodded. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that some of the rumors are true."

  There was a louder reaction this time and someone called out "What happened, exactly? Were we really attacked by the Goldfangs?"

  "A small group of them were here, yes. One of them has elected to stay and has petitioned for membership, and the rest are in custody and are waiting for the Goldfang Alpha and I to come to an agreement. Frostwalkers do not take kidnapping lightly, and we will not allow these wolves to simply walk away from this."

  There was a rumble of agreement.

  "Is it going to be pack war? Is that what all the security is about?" Another voice called.

  "I can't answer that question, quite yet, but yes, it’s possible. That is one reason for the increased security," Marc grimaced before continuing. "Unfortunately, while we were retrieving the kids, a group of unknown vampires attacked, with blighthounds, and while we did drive them off, they took one of our people, and killed another.” Marc paused and the crowd’s mood turned solemn.

  “Mia Carlyle was killed defending our territory from an attack by an unknown coven while rescuing several of our pack members from the Goldfang Stalkers. While Crissy Latham is not formally a member of this Clan, since she has been held captive by first the Goldfangs and now by this unknown group, her daughter Kaylee and her sister Faith are here with us today. And that is the third reason we are gathered here today, and the cause for our celebration! Today we celebrate the life of Mia and the addition of our new members.“