Two Witches and a Whiskey (The Guild Codex: Spellbound Book 3)

by Annette Marie

  And then they sent me home.

  Back under house arrest, just like that. Ezra’s and Aaron’s reassurances that this was all temporary seemed even flimsier, and dread gathered in my chest like a blob of cold slush lodged in my lungs.

  I spent two more days moping around my house and skimming job postings with zero interest. I needed to find paying work, especially now that summer was ending. It was the last Friday of August, and next Tuesday was my first day of the fall semester. With college classes to fund and bills to pay, I couldn’t lounge around much longer.

  Yet here I was, sprawled on my bed in my PJs with a Disney movie playing on my laptop. At nine o’clock on a Friday night. Oh yeah, living it up. Look at me, total party girl.

  Grumbling, I pillowed my head on my arm and watched Mulan’s musical training montage. I empathized with her misfit status so hard, but her transformation from wimp to soldier left me depressed. I wished a shirtless captain with a topknot could sing a catchy song and magically turn me into a badass mythic.

  I tried to imagine Darius singing. Nope. Maybe Girard? Yeah, that was more likely.

  The movie continued, but I wasn’t paying much attention. Ezra’s brief explanation about magery had confirmed what I already knew: there was no way I could be a mage. I hadn’t honestly believed it was possible, but a desperate part of me had still hoped.

  Being not-special sucked.

  Rolling onto my back, I stared at the ceiling. I wasn’t secretly an Elementaria mythic, but could I belong to another class? Something had drawn me into the mythic world … right? Little human me had been surprising mythics since day one. If I could discover what was special about me, then I would cement my place in their world.

  Someone knocked on my bedroom door.

  I bolted upright on my bed. It couldn’t be Twiggy. He never knocked; he lurked outside my door and ambushed me when I came out. Besides, he was still avoiding my wrath after the slap bet.

  The handle turned, then the door creaked open. I grabbed my pillow, ready to defend myself.

  Tousled copper hair appeared in the gap. “Surprise!”

  “Aaron!” I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest. My heart hammered against my ribs. “I thought you were an axe murderer.”

  “Axe murderers don’t typically knock.” He pushed the door all the way open. “Figured I was due for a little revenge after your unannounced visit.”

  Shutting my laptop on Mushu’s face, I swung my legs off the bed. “What are you doing here? Do I have my job back or is the MPD about to raid my house?”

  “Neither.” He waltzed over to my bed. “I snuck over to see you. Or, more specifically, to spring you from prison and take you out on the town.”

  “Huh?”

  He gave my sloppy ponytail a playful tug. “A beautiful woman shouldn’t be stuck at home on a Friday night.”

  What a cheesy line. I couldn’t help smiling anyway. “You’re a dork.”

  “That’s a terrible thing to say—but if we’re stereotyping, no dork is this ripped.” He flexed his biceps in emphasis. “Ready for a night out?”

  “Do I look ready?”

  “You look gorgeous.” He appraised my baggy t-shirt and yoga shorts before his gaze settled a good bit lower than my face. “If you want to go like that, I have zero complaints.”

  I gasped in mock affront and covered my chest. Grinning, Aaron leaned down and captured my mouth. His hot lips sent a steamy swoop through my middle, and desire threaded through his kiss as he slid a hand into my hair.

  “Or we could stay in,” he murmured against my mouth. “Watch the rest of your movie together.”

  With one hand pressed to his warm side, his soft cotton shirt all that separated my palm from his hard, muscular body, I seriously considered it. But I also knew my ability to resist his smoldering allure was next to none. If he joined me in bed for a movie, our clothes wouldn’t stay on for long.

  Aaron and I had been casually dating for weeks now, but we hadn’t yet made it into his bed or mine. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him—oh hell yes, I did—or that I had a reason to hold back. We were just so casual, and I liked it that way. Sleeping with him would take our … whatever we had going on … to the next level. I wasn’t ready for that.

  “I’ve been stuck in the house all week,” I said. “Please, get me out of here.”

  Unfazed by the rejection, he straightened with a smile. “Late dinner, or a movie, or both?”

  “Both!” I hopped up and opened my closet doors. “Start the countdown. Ten minutes to get ready.”

  “No woman can be ready in ten minutes. I bet fifteen.”

  “Eight,” I countered. “And I get to pick the movie.”

  “Deal.” He pulled out his phone to set a timer. “If I win, I get to pick the movie and order your dinner.”

  “What? That’s not fair.” I pulled out a sleeveless purple top, then flipped a pair of skinny jeans over my shoulder. “I get to order your meal if I win.”

  “Fine.” He grinned. “You’re having steak.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Not rare.”

  “My choice.” He watched me select a lacy black bra, heat sparking in his gaze.

  Heading toward the bathroom with my outfit, I called over my shoulder, “You’re getting a salad.”

  He gagged as he followed me. “I’ll starve to death before the movie is over.”

  “I’ll order extra croutons. You’ll be fine.” I closed the door on him, then stripped off my lounge clothes, shimmied into my jeans, put on my bra, and pulled on the top, adjusting the plunging cowl neck over the tight black underlayer. Swinging the door open again, I dug a handful of bobby pins out of the vanity drawer. “How’s the investigation into the coven going?”

  Aaron leaned in the doorway. “The witch sisters are legit members. Olivia and Odette O’Conner. They’ve—”

  “Wait. O’Conner? Seriously? Their parents have a terrible sense of humor.”

  He chuckled. “They’ve been with the coven for two years. Kai confirmed the fae disappearances, but we’re still unclear on why the other guilds are snubbing the bounty. He also talked to the matron, who swears up and down that our guild agreed to take on the job.”

  Grinding my teeth at the last part, I twisted my hair into a messy bun and started pinning it in place. “What next?”

  “Kai arranged a meeting with the matron for tomorrow afternoon. We’ll see how bold she is once we’re all in the same room. Philip is coming along too. He’s the unofficial leader of our five witches.”

  My hands paused. “Dudes can be witches?”

  “Yeah. Some covens are all women, though. Discriminatory, if you ask me.”

  “Do they have something against male witches?”

  “Nah, just an old tradition. Because Spiritalis magic is so ritualistic, witches are more superstitious than most classes.”

  I reached into the drawer for a final bobby pin. “Time che—huh?”

  Instead of bobby pins, I pulled a handful of small pine cones from the back of the drawer. “That faery!” I chucked the cones in the garbage and located a bobby pin. “Time check?”

  “One minute left,” he informed me triumphantly. “You haven’t even started your makeup.”

  Smiling smugly, I gave my frizzy bun a spritz of hairspray, then grabbed a tube of lip gloss and applied it in two swift strokes. After tossing it in the drawer, I turned to face him, hands on my hips. “Done.”

  “What? No mascara? No blush or that skin-colored goop … uh … foundation?”

  “Meh.” I arched an eyebrow. “Unless you think I need to wear makeup?”

  His blue eyes skimmed my face, then followed my tight jeans from the curves of my hips down to my ankles. His smile was slow and sultry.

  “No,” he rumbled. “Definitely not.”

  He stepped into the bathroom and my heart skipped a beat. I subconsciously licked my lips, tasting the cherry gloss. His hands curled over my hips, drawing me closer, then he k
issed me.

  As his mouth leisurely moved across mine, I wound my arms around his neck, fingers sliding into his hair. Pressing against the hard planes of his torso, I let a soft moan slip from my throat.

  He wrapped his arms around my waist and pushed me into the bathroom wall. His kiss deepened, laziness kindling into hunger. I parted my lips and his tongue flirted with mine. As heat spiraled through me, my hand crept from his neck to the top button of his shirt.

  I popped it apart and slid my fingers under his shirt collar. His skin was hot. His mouth was even hotter. Arching off the wall, I pulled my mouth away to gasp in a breath. His lips slid along my jaw to my ear.

  My blood was rushing and I tried to remember my reasons for keeping our clothes on. Couldn’t have been that important if I’d already forgotten them. Biting my lower lip as he kissed down the side of my neck, I undid the next button of his shirt.

  The blare of a ringing phone shattered the quiet.

  Jerking upright, Aaron swore. “I meant to turn it off. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I said breathlessly. “This isn’t a good time for you to be unreachable. Go ahead.”

  With a black scowl, he dragged his phone out and lifted it to his ear.

  “What?” he barked. A muffled voice replied, and his eyes widened. “No way. Right now? Well, shit.”

  Disappointment sank through me in a cold wave. Glumly, I looked down at my pretty top and sexy jeans.

  “Yeah,” Aaron muttered. “Okay. I’m on my way.”

  Heaving a silent sigh, I tugged an uncomfortable bobby pin out of my hair, and a curly lock sagged free from my bun. It would be a night in after all—and not the fun, naughty kind. Mushu, Mulan, and I would have to make do without a scrumptious redhead for company. Without anyone for company.

  “That was Kai,” Aaron told me, his brow creased as he shoved his phone in his pocket. “The O’Conner sisters just called. There’s activity in Stanley Park and they think it’s the black witches—or whoever the culprits behind the disappearances are.”

  My eyes widened. “Are you going to check it out?”

  “Yeah. Kai just ditched his date. He’s heading for the park, and I need to pick up Ezra.” He backed out of the bathroom and hastened across the main room. “We need to grab our gear and let the on-duty officer know—who’s on duty tonight? Tabitha, I think? Let her know where—”

  He stopped abruptly and turned, distress creasing his forehead. “Tori …”

  I forced a smile as I joined him. “It’s cool. I’m the reason you’re going, right? Go catch some bad guys.”

  His brow furrowed even more, then he grinned. “Come with me.”

  “Huh?”

  “Come with us!” He caught me around the waist and pulled me close. “Those O’Conner sisters are shifty, and we could use an extra pair of eyes on them.”

  I bit my lip uncertainly. “Darius was clear. Jobs are for guild members only.”

  “Rule number two.” He winked. “Besides, the witches involved you first.”

  I considered that, debating whether he really wanted me along or if it was a pity invite. Probably both, but how much did I care? This might be my last chance to do mythic work with the guys—and maybe, if I got out there one more time, I’d figure out how I fit into their world.

  “I’m in. Gimme one sec.”

  I darted into my bedroom and opened my nightstand drawer. In it were three sorcery artifacts: my Queen of Spades card, stolen from a rogue sorcerer in my first violent mythic encounter; a fat ruby-red crystal on a leather tie, also stolen; and a very illegal spell set in a green crystal that I probably shouldn’t be hanging on to.

  Weighing my options, I took the card and the ruby crystal and stuffed them in my pocket, leaving the extra taboo spell behind. I grabbed my black leather bomber jacket, then trotted back to Aaron.

  “Okay, I’m ready.”

  He caught the loose lock of my hair and twisted it around my bun, then brushed his fingers across my cheek. “I missed that.”

  “Missed what?”

  “Your smile. The real, happy one, not that fake one you put on.” My heart tumbled over itself, but his gaze was already sharpening with mischief. “Let’s kick some mythic ass.”

  Chapter Seven

  “We’re all set,” Ezra announced as he ended the call on his cell. “Tabitha gave the okay, and she’s putting Philip on standby as our Spiritalis backup.”

  We were jammed in Aaron’s old sports car—Aaron driving, me in the passenger seat, and Ezra getting leg cramps in the back. Streetlights flashed by as we sped through the last Coal Harbor skyscrapers. We’d just passed the corner to Justin’s apartment building, and straight ahead was Stanley Park—a huge chunk of land connected to the northwestern tip of downtown and surrounded by ocean.

  “Tabitha also mentioned that MagiPol came knocking again this evening,” Ezra added. “Another surprise search.”

  “Assholes,” Aaron growled. “They know something is up and they aren’t letting it go.”

  “Yeah,” Ezra agreed. “I wonder if their persistence has anything to do with their grudge against Darius.”

  “What grudge?” I asked.

  Ezra leaned over the center console. “Darius is always weaseling guildeds out of trouble. He knows the rule book front to back and he’s found all the loopholes.”

  “Like last year,” Aaron mused, “when I burned that building down and Darius got me off on a technicality.”

  This wasn’t the first time Aaron had mentioned burning a building to the ground. The pyromage was a walking insurance claim.

  I had to ask. “What technicality?”

  Aaron flashed me a grin. “Technically, I was destroying evidence of werewolf activity.”

  “And we didn’t mention that, technically, the fire had been an accident,” Ezra added.

  “I started the fire, but you blew burning debris all over the place.”

  “I was blowing it at the werewolves. It was very effective. They hate fire.”

  “That’s what I told Darius, but he still enrolled us in a fire safety course as punishment.” Aaron cast me a look of traumatic suffering. “It was full of middle-aged, corporate paper pushers. We had to do pretend evacuations.”

  “We did a real evacuation too,” Ezra pointed out. “After you set off the smoke detector.”

  Aaron shrugged. “I wanted to see how they would react.”

  I choked on my laughter and ended up in a coughing fit. Wiping tears from my eyes, I asked, “Do you think Darius can get MagiPol off my back?”

  “He’ll make it happen. The guy is a genius.”

  “And a legend,” Ezra added with obvious admiration. “Him and Alistair.”

  “Darius is a luminamage, right?” I asked, recalling our miraculous escape from the MPD agents. “How does that work exactly?”

  “Luminamages can control light,” Aaron explained, checking his mirrors before changing lanes. The car zoomed across a short bridge, and towering trees closed around the road as we entered the forested park. “He can bend light around objects to hide them, suppress all the light in a room, or even stop light from reaching someone’s eyes, effectively blinding them. Lumina magic is difficult to master—it requires more finesse and control than the other elements.”

  I resisted the urge to glance at Ezra. He, too, had an eerie ability to make rooms go dark—and cold.

  “It’s an insanely effective defense,” Aaron continued. “When he and Alistair work together, they’re unstoppable.”

  “What kind of mage is Alistair?”

  “Volcanomage,” Aaron answered reverently. “Fire and earth. Probably the most destructive Elementaria combination.”

  “Think lava,” Ezra suggested helpfully.

  I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Ezra. I wouldn’t have guessed that from the ‘volcano’ part.”

  Dark trees leaned over the road. It was ten o’clock and the last of the dusk light had vanished while we were driving.
The forested corridor went on forever, but finally, Aaron turned onto a single-lane road. No other cars exited the main thoroughfare with us, and we drove alone around another winding bend. The woods opened into a parking lot, empty except for two vehicles: a blue sedan and a black motorcycle a few spots over.

  Aaron parked beside the bike and we piled out. As he opened the trunk so he and Ezra could gear up, I pulled on my leather jacket and checked that my runners were double knotted. Trip on my shoelaces? No thanks.

  The guys joined me—Aaron with his big-ass sword, Sharpie, strapped to his back, the hilt jutting over one shoulder, and Ezra with his fingerless gloves running past his elbows, the knuckles shining with steel. A strap crossed his chest, holding his weapon against his back—a transformative pole-arm that could be used as a baton, twin short-swords, or a double-bladed staff.

  Mages wielding weapons had taken me by surprise, but I’d learned they worked best with special tools—called switches—to channel their magic. And being combat mages, their switches were always weapons.

  Aaron also carried a black bundle under one arm—Kai’s gear, I figured. He set out first, and Ezra and I fell into step behind him. Across the parking lot, a sidewalk led to a cluster of buildings—a steakhouse, a small café, and a souvenir shop, all dark.

  “Where are we?” I whispered.

  “Prospect Point,” Aaron answered over his shoulder. “Kai texted me that he’s waiting with the witches at the lookout spot.”

  I didn’t have to wonder what that meant. Ahead, the trees ended, and the sidewalk widened into several tiers perched upon a cliff edge, offering a stunning view of what lay beyond.

  Dark water, moonlight reflecting off its rippling waves, stretched across a wide inlet. Orange city lights blazed along the coast at the other end, and beyond them, a backdrop of low mountains was silhouetted against the midnight blue sky. A brilliantly lit suspension bridge arched over the water, each thick cable topped by a star-like sparkle.

  On the lowest tier of the lookout point, three shadowed figures waited. Kai, his arms crossed, stood a few feet away from two familiar blondes. Olivia and Odette smiled shyly at me, but I stared back coldly. Kai’s expression was painfully neutral—meaning he was pissed off. But who was he irritated with?