As Aaron and I talked, one topic failed to come up. I didn’t expect it to, but the fact neither he nor Kai had mentioned it hung over me like a little cloud, its shadow catching my attention every now and then.
Neither of them had mentioned Ezra’s terrifying crimson magic that had laid out a monstrous darkfae.
Whatever Ezra had done, it was part of his secrets—his power, his temper, his scars. I understood I wasn’t supposed to ask. I wasn’t supposed to bring it up. So, I buried the questions down deep, vowing not to think about it. I would willfully forget until the day came for me to learn the truth.
My steps picked up a happy bounce as we neared the guild, and Aaron chuckled. “This excited to work?”
“Hell yes. I don’t do well with idleness.”
“Idleness? Is that how you describe getting bound to a fae lord, battling a rogue guild, and giving MagiPol their worst migraine of the month?”
“Not that. The whole bed-rest-recovery thing. Also, I did a lot of sitting around before the exciting stuff.”
“Well, you won’t be doing much sitting around after this.” His grin stretched his lips as we stopped at an intersection, waiting for the light to change. “You’ll be busy learning how to be a mythic.”
Remembering Zak’s words of wisdom, my chest swelled with happiness. “I’m okay with that.”
“We’ll start with defense training,” Aaron mused, starting across the street. “And I’ll talk to Ramsey about artifacts we can set you up with.”
“Uh.” I stood rock-still for a moment, then jogged to catch up. “Wait, wait. Defense training? I thought you meant, like, learning the rules and stuff.”
“That too, but you need training. You can’t rely on a couple of artifacts and Hoshi for protection. She’s not a powerful fae.” He tapped his chin. “You should resume martial arts as well. You used to take taekwondo, right?”
“Why do I need protection?” I yelped, grabbing his arm to slow his pace like that might slow his ideas about my “training.”
“Mythics tend to ignore humans, but you’re in the system now. You aren’t invisible anymore.”
“What, are other mythics going to attack me?”
“No, but you should be able to hold your own.” He smiled eagerly. “That means we finally get to train you!”
My eyes narrowed. “Finally? What do you mean, finally?”
“Well … Kai and I may have already discussed routines to start you on.”
“When was that?”
“Uh … a couple months ago.”
I might’ve berated him, but the guild’s cube-shaped, three-story building had come into view down the street. Eagerness swept through me and I felt as bubbly as a little kid on her first day of kindergarten. I tried to extend my stride, but Aaron pulled me back.
“Tori, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”
My inner child tripped and fell on her face. I attempted to look curious instead of panicked by his reluctant tone. “What?”
He stopped, and I nervously faced him. His gaze traveled across my features, lingering on my eyes. “We’ve been sort of dating the last couple of months and, well …”
My heart skidded across my ribs. No, no, no. He was going to ask me to be his girlfriend. Or to be serious about our relationship. Or ask what my problem was. I wasn’t ready for any of those questions.
“I know how you feel”—he flicked his hand back and forth between our chests—“about us. It’s okay, I get it.”
“You … you know?”
“This isn’t going anywhere, is it?” He studied my face. “I’ve been thinking it’s time to call it quits. What do you think?”
“Me?” I struggled to pull my thoughts together. “I—I mean, I don’t … I didn’t …”
Amusement touched his eyes. “Wow, you’re terrible at this.”
I really was, and I needed to do better. He deserved a proper explanation. “Aaron, it isn’t anything you did. You’ve been nothing but amazing and—”
He stepped close and cupped my chin with one warm hand. Tilting my face up, he placed a soft kiss on my lips. “Don’t freak, Tori. It’s fine. Having great chemistry doesn’t make us a perfect couple, and if it isn’t working, then it isn’t working. Let’s not destroy our friendship trying to force it.”
“Our friendship,” I repeated softly.
His intense blue eyes met mine. “We’re good, right, Tori?”
“Yeah.” A relieved smile pulled at my lips. “We’re good.”
His mischievous grin flashed. “Glad that’s over with. I was worried I’d take too long and you’d dump me first. I’d never live that down.”
“I wouldn’t have—wait.” I squinted indignantly. “Are you suggesting you dumped me?”
“Um, by the way, Kai totally betrayed your confidence and told me everything you said.”
“What?” I growled, knowing he’d derailed me on purpose but unable to ignore it. “He didn’t! And why are you telling me? Now you’ve betrayed his confidence.”
“It seemed fitting.” Aaron linked our arms. “We need to get in there before you’re late.”
“I’m not late. It isn’t even three thirty.”
“Actually”—Aaron stopped in front of the Crow and Hammer’s door, painted with a fierce crow perched on a war mallet—“you are late. I told them I’d have you here by twenty after.”
“Told who?” I asked blankly.
Grinning, he grasped the handle. “Welcome home, Tori.”
Then he swung the door open.
“Surprise!”
The blast of sound hit me like an ocean wave and I stumbled back. Aaron pushed me inside.
The familiar dim interior, with its dark wood finishes and beamed ceiling, was filled with mythics. Over half the guild was assembled, every person cheering at my appearance. Hands reached out and dragged me into the crowd.
Faces spun as I was passed around for congratulatory hugs. Girard, the first officer, his thick beard almost hiding his broad grin; Zora and Felix, the mismatched married duo; Ramsey, the cook and artifact expert; Kaveri and her witch boyfriend; Andrew, the team leader; Lyndon, the counter-magic sorcerer; Sabrina and Rose, the two diviners; Liam, the telekinetic, his round sunglasses crooked on his nose.
Even more faces blurred together until a pair of hands caught my waist and pulled me from the chaos. Strong arms—and a heavenly scent—engulfed me. I looked up into Ezra’s grin. Kai stood beside him, his smile equally as broad.
“What—what—” I babbled coherently.
“New member party,” Ezra informed me. “It’s a tradition.”
“It is?”
“No,” Kai corrected. “We’ve never had one before.”
My brow furrowed. “Then why now?”
“Because it’s you.”
Oh jeez. Was someone cutting onions in here? I blinked rapidly.
Aaron fought his way through the boisterous crowd and half collapsed against the bar. “Gah. The gang is rowdy today. Hey Cooper!”
Cooper, our lazy cook and part-time bartender, popped through the saloon doors. “Huh? What?”
“Are you serving drinks or what? Why do you think we called you in for this?”
“Of course I’m serving drinks.” He waved vaguely at the gathered mythics. “Where d’ya think they all got their glasses?”
“Well, get us some—”
“Cooper!” Gwen hollered from the other end of the bar. “Sylvia is buying me a Manhattan. Hurry up and make the gob-spitting thing before she changes her mind!”
Stumbling in his haste, Cooper rushed away. Aaron heaved a sigh.
Ezra pulled a stool out for me, and I’d scarcely sunk onto the seat when a streak of blue hair announced Sin’s approach. She popped out from between Taye and Delta to swoop down on me for a hug.
“You’re back!” She squeezed the air out of me. “How are you feeling? Are the potions working?”
They were working, b
ut at the cost of my taste buds. Thank goodness I had Zak’s sugary ones tucked away in my purse.
“Yep. I feel almost back to normal.” I flexed my measly biceps. “Aaron is already planning my new workout routine so I can handle the next fae lord better.”
She snickered. “You have a familiar now, right? Where is it? And where’d you get it? No one seems to know.”
The three mages ignored her squinty-eyed look.
“My familiar is shy,” I replied quickly. “I’ll introduce her another time.”
“Tori!” Clara rushed over, her brown hair spilling out of its bun. “Welcome back! We missed you so much!”
“Thanks Clara,” I wheezed as she hugged me. I wasn’t sure how many more hugs I could handle. Someone called for Sin and she moved away from the bar.
The assistant guild master beamed like it was my high school graduation. “Before I forget, I have something for you. After you, ah, left the park on Tuesday night, our team tracked down several Red Rum rogues who couldn’t get away fast enough. They all had outstanding bounties, so I divvied up the payout.”
“But I didn’t …”
“You earned your share!” She stuffed a plain white envelope into my hand. “Also, Darius decided your time off was paid personal leave, so your paycheck hasn’t changed—oh, except I deducted your guild membership fee. I figured that would be easier for you.”
“Y-yeah.”
She smiled distractedly. “Darius is waiting for me upstairs. We’re still figuring out paperwork for … stuff. I’ll see you later.” Three steps away, she called back, “And Cooper is taking your shift tonight, so enjoy the party!”
Holding the envelope like it was a live bomb, I looked at the guys. “Um, speaking of Red Rum, how scared should we be?”
“Not very.” Aaron shrugged. “It’s gonna take them a while to recover.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you tell her?” Kai smiled evilly. “The Red Rum yacht set sail after the ritual fell apart, but later that night, the ship capsized. The Coast Guard is still searching for survivors.”
My eyes went huge.
“It’s a big, deeply rooted rogue guild,” Aaron added. “The bastards will bounce back, but here’s hoping they’ll be more worried about the sea god they royally pissed off than our little guild.”
Wow. Go Llyrlethiad! I hoped he was angry enough to sink every Red Rum boat he found for the next, oh, ten years ought to do it.
Still absorbing the news, I opened the envelope Clara had given me and peered at the stack of crisp bills. Ah. Look at that. Hundred-dollar bills. Lots of them.
“You can get your apartment fixed,” Aaron said.
“Or you can get a tattoo,” Ezra suggested, tapping the fae mark on my upper arm. “How about a full sleeve? A skull would look great.”
“A skull?”
“With a rose in its teeth. And a crown of thorns.” He nodded to himself. “You should get something fresh and original like that.”
I snorted so hard I almost choked, and his grin came to life.
“Tori,” he began.
A burst of cheering drowned him out.
“Whoa!” Aaron pointed across the room. “What is Bryce chugging?”
The guild’s telepath was pouring an entire bottle of something down his throat while half a dozen people chanted his name. Aaron hurried over to catch the action, and Kai followed with a smirk.
I turned back to Ezra. “What were you saying?”
As the noise level increased, he stepped close to my stool and put his mouth to my ear.
“I promised everything would go back to normal. I was wrong. It didn’t.” He leaned back to meet my questioning gaze, his mismatched eyes warm. “But I think this is better.”
Another roar from the drinking group drowned out my attempt to respond. Laughing, I caught his hand, conveying my thanks with a touch instead.
Aaron and Kai reappeared, shaking their heads.
“Crazy bastard,” Aaron remarked. “Anyway, we were planning to do a round of celebratory shots, but it might be a while before Cooper makes it back over here.”
I glanced down the bar. The man in question was flailing through a set of cocktails. Sylvia had her arms folded, her mouth twisted in a familiar disapproving scowl as he botched her precious Manhattan.
Throwing my shoulders back, I leaped off my stool. “I’ll do it!”
“No way,” Aaron protested. “You’re—”
“It’s my party. I can do whatever I want.” Sticking my tongue out at him, I grabbed the bar top and vaulted over it like I’d seen him do a dozen times—except whatever muscles or coordination he used, I didn’t possess. I belly-flopped on the wooden top, slid awkwardly across it, and half fell off the other side.
Popping upright, I tugged my shirt down and pretended I’d totally meant to do that. Aaron coughed violently, and I applied my powers of delusion to also pretend he wasn’t laughing.
“Okay, Tori.” Kai’s dark eyes sparkled with mirth as he scanned the room. “Thirty glasses ought to do it.”
I twitched. “Uh, thirty? Not … four?”
Aaron cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Oy, noisy dipshits! It’s time for shots!”
The rambunctious conversations paused for about two seconds, then everyone surged toward the bar. Cooper grabbed the bottle of special-occasion whiskey and raced over. Eyes wide, I whipped out shot glasses, and together we poured one for every mythic in the bar.
Girard, Felix, and Tabitha squeezed through the mass to take the last three shots. Everyone quieted expectantly, all eyes on the three guild officers. Grinning mischievously, Girard nudged Tabitha with his elbow. Her regal mouth thinned, then she faced the crowd and raised her glass.
“It isn’t often we welcome a new member into our ranks,” she said into the rapt silence. “She has a lot to learn, but she’s already demonstrated our most prized qualities: courage, determination, and loyalty.”
Tabitha turned to me, a subtle but sincere smile on her lips. “To Victoria—”
“Tori,” Felix corrected in a loud whisper.
“To Tori, the Crow and Hammer’s newest member!”
“To Tori!” thirty voices shouted.
As they lifted their glasses, my heart swelled to bursting. Sorcerers and alchemists. Mages and witches. Psychics and healers. Mythics with power I didn’t have and couldn’t match, but that didn’t matter—not to them, and not to me.
Magic was a tool, and I was learning to wield it. I was a mythic by choice instead of birthright, and this was my guild. This was my life—the one I’d chosen for myself.
Aaron, Kai, and Ezra held their shots, waiting for me. My three best friends. My guardians, companions, allies, family. They had so many secrets, and trouble followed them everywhere they went, but that was okay. I didn’t mind a little trouble. Or a lot of trouble.
Everything was changing and though I could scarcely grasp the consequences, I’d known for months what I was getting myself into—and I had no intention of backing out now. I was the Crow and Hammer’s mythically human bartender, and this was exactly where I belonged.
I raised my shot, and the guys raised theirs. Together, we tossed the whiskey back and slammed our glasses triumphantly on the bar top. Then I threw my hands in the air and cheered, my voice joining all the rest.
Tori’s adventures continue in
DEMON MAGIC AND A MARTINI
The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Four
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Want more Guild Codex? Discover Aaron’s first encounter with a mysterious aeromage in
FOUR SHIFTERS AND A STRANGER
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DEMON MAGIC AND A MARTINI
The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Four
When I first landed a bartending job at the local guild, I didn’t know a thing about magic. These days, I’m practically an expert on the different magical classes, but there’s one nobody ever talks about: Demonica.
Turns out they have a good reason for that.
My guild is strictly hellion-free, but some people will risk life and soul to control the biggest bullies on the mythic playground. And now a demon has been loosed in the city.
My three best friends are determined to slay it, but even badass combat mages are critically out-magicked. And that’s not all. The monster they’re tracking—it’s not hiding. It’s not fleeing. It’s not leaving a trail of corpses everywhere it goes.
The demon is hunting too. And in a city full of mythics, it’s searching for deadlier prey.
If we can’t unravel the demon’s sinister motivations, more innocent people will die, but finding the answers means digging into dark secrets … and learning truths I never wanted to know.
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FOUR SHIFTERS AND A STRANGER
A Story from The Guild Codex: Spellbound
Two Witches and a Whiskey (The Guild Codex: Spellbound Book 3) Page 24