“This is different,” I interrupted, and saw Nate frowning, wondering exactly what I had told my dad in the past. We hadn’t told my dad everything, just hinted about vague monsters after me. Nothing about a Demon. “This is my city. If I don’t stand up for myself now, the monsters will attack me the second Nate leaves. They’re after me. I need to make a stand. Even if it terrifies me. I’m not trying to be stubborn. You and Nate are thinking short term. I’m thinking long term.”
“She’s right,” Claire said softly, looking at her feet. “She needs to do this, now, while everyone is watching. She’s already a target. That’s not going to change.” She looked at me sadly, scared for me, but proud. “She needs to stand on her own.”
Nate sighed, but finally nodded. “She does have a point,” he admitted. “These assholes feed on fear and weakness.” I smiled at him, but the gaze that met mine was anything but agreeable. “That doesn’t mean you need to do anything stupid. You still need a good plan. Having friends is helpful. Hell, my friends have saved my ass so many times that it’s amazing they don’t give me more shit about it.”
I met his glare, nodding. “Have you, in turn, not saved their lives countless times as well?”
He gave me a grudging nod. “Yes.”
“I rest my case. You stood your ground. Made a name for yourself. This is my turn to do the same, whether it terrifies me or not. I’ll gladly take help, but I won’t — can’t — hide behind you. We can stand together as equals. With me slightly ahead of you, of course.”
He shook his head, chuckling. “Just don’t shun help to prove a point. It’s never good to stand alone. You should always have brothers to watch your back.” He grew distant again, seeming satisfied at our compromise.
“Okay, Callie. I’ll try it your way. I’ll stay here,” my dad said.
“Thanks, dad. Once those wards go up, you’ll be the safest person in Kansas City.”
Nate nodded absently. “It’s getting late, and I need to do a few things before we meet at my hotel. Seven?” he asked me. I nodded. “Let me re-hash your plan. I’ll Shadow Walk Claire to Roland so she can check up on him while I upgrade his ward. She’ll stay there for a while, then go home. I’ve attuned one of the spheres to send her to the creek behind her house. Then she can walk inside. I’ll make sure she has the same wards as Roland and your dad. The ones I showed you,” he added with a stern look. I mocked a bow to give him credit for his ward.
It all sounded good. I wanted to talk to Nate about those spheres. Able to teleport at whim… that was an incredible tool. I was sure that even Roland didn’t know how to make something like that. In fact, I had never even considered making items that held magic. I had assumed that was just a stereotype from movies and novels. Well, Roland did have the tattoo thing, I guess.
The fact that Nate could simply change the destination of his marbles was fascinating. Of course, he couldn’t make it work to send her straight home, because the wards would incinerate anything with even a hint of magic, and she would be traveling by magic. He had set them up to send her just outside the wards. All she had to do was run a dozen feet or less to cross the line.
“We’ll hit the bears tonight, see if they have a piece, because if not, we’re fresh out of suspects. We really need to come up with something about this Demon, too. I can have Othello check the security feed from the auction, maybe find out what this girl looks like in human form, see if we recognize her.” He threw this in casually, giving me the opportunity to shoot it down, which I appreciated.
“That would be very helpful, but don’t put her in danger.”
Nate chuckled. “She’ll be fine. People are scared of her boyfriend.”
I frowned at that, but that only made him laugh harder, as if at an inside joke.
“I’ll see you in a few hours. Does anyone have any questions?”
No one did. Nate clasped hands with Claire — who was holding the spear piece — and they both disappeared without the cracking sound, this time. I blinked at that. He must have used a spell to silence the sound. Interesting…
I gave my dad a hug, and then walked out of the porch.
“What about his car?” my dad asked.
I smiled. “He’ll be back for it. But after all this is done, we’ll take it for a spin.”
My dad shook his head with a tortured frown. “Figures. Fancy sports car in my driveway and I can’t leave. Fuck the world,” he muttered. I burst out laughing, and knelt over one of the wards. I glanced behind me, scanning the street to make sure no one was near, not that they would notice anything if they did see me, but it would be odd to see me squatting on the lawn for a minute or two, staring down at the grass. Seeing no one, I closed my eyes and focused. Nate and I had spoken at length, debating back and forth until we had come up with a ward he said he had some experience with.
I placed the small stone griffin he had given me on the ground, not quite understanding why I had agreed to that part, or if it was necessary. He had told me that the piece had been made with protection in mind, but it had sounded like a ridiculously elaborate lie. But he had similar carvings for the other two sites, so I believed him.
I closed my eyes and focused, resting my hand on the small carving as I wove the spell Nate had shared with me. Moments later, I felt power building deep in the grass beneath my knees. I said the last words, and cracked open my eyelids. A bar of light erupted from the griffin figurine, shooting high up into the sky, and then, like a chain of dominos, more beams of power erupted from the earth, surrounding my father’s house in a ring of bars of light, like a prison cell.
Then they faded away, but I could still feel the ground humming with energy, like I was standing beside a power-line. The griffin was cool under my fingers, cooler than it had been. But I couldn’t help smiling as I slowly extended my hand closer to where the bars of light had been.
I felt warning crackles of power tingling against my fingertips as the ward sensed my magic, but I pressed with greater force, and my hand finally crossed the line. Although uncomfortable, it didn’t hurt me.
But I could tell that Nate had been right. This thing would obliterate any Freak trying to force their way through. It felt like the ones Roland had shown me, but on steroids.
Nate had shown me how to deactivate it, just in case, but I wasn’t going to do that anytime soon. The griffin sat within the ring, small enough to be overlooked under the taller grass. I reached for it and felt the same pressure, confirming my belief that someone couldn’t simply walk up to it and take it, destroying the ward. My father was watching me from the porch. I gave him a thumbs-up, and his frown stretched wider. The faint scent of sulfur had disappeared the second the ward went up, making me feel much better, as if it had proven the skill of the ward.
“That’s it? No peals of thunder or anything?”
I shook my head. “Afraid not, daddy.”
He sighed. “Lame.” Then he turned to head back inside, taking his shotgun with him.
I was going to go take a nap, because tonight was going to be a long night.
Chapter 40
I had gotten home around three to find a cop car loitering by the parking lot, likely because of the attack last night. I had waved at him and headed inside, trying to look as innocent as possible. I had immediately placed a ward around my apartment that would wake me up at the drop of a hat, ready to Shadow Walk in an instant.
But nothing had happened, giving me a chance to catch a two-hour nap, which was much needed, and woke up raring to go. We had originally planned to attend a gala tomorrow night that Nate had heard the bears would attend, but we had decided to bump up our timetables after the recent attacks against my dad and Roland. And the note from the Demon.
A part of me felt smug satisfaction at that. Nate wouldn’t get to see me in the fancy dress.
But a part of me wished he could. Even if it was to show him something he couldn’t have.
Because it was nice to be admired.
I had checked the apartment for Nate’s book, the one I had stolen from the auction, but had just chuckled to myself at not finding it. The thieving bastard must have taken it back from me without me knowing. I wasn’t even angry. It didn’t matter anyway. I had stolen it to try and blackmail him into helping me, and that wasn’t necessary anymore.
I tugged on a pair of black, faux leather leggings and a dark grey t-shirt with Ganesh on the front that said Namaste in bed in black letters. I tugged on my black leather jacket, because it was the only light jacket I had that wasn’t a light or colorful hue. Nate said we needed stealth against shifters, especially bears. Because we didn’t want to go toe-to-toe with them. Not that we couldn’t, but it would put the spear at risk.
If they even had it.
Which was another reason for stealth. We needed to check the house to make sure they had it in the first place.
Standing in front of the mirror, though, I quickly realized the futility of my outfit. My white hair stood out like a candle flame against my dark clothes, only seeming to emphasize me. I sighed. Nothing to be done for it.
With a last look around, I ran over my precautions. Claire would still be with Roland in the storage unit, keeping guard over both pieces of the spear, and keeping the Shepherd alive. Even if she couldn’t necessarily do anything to physically or magically protect him. Because if the ward somehow failed, he had the sphere that would send him to the church. Claire had texted me to confirm that Roland had grudgingly agreed to use the sphere if the ward went down.
Nate had also thought to modify the sphere to not reject metal, because of the spear Roland would be carrying. But I wasn’t concerned about the ward failing. The same one was up around my dad, and that was as solid of a ward as I had ever seen.
My dad was also safe in his prison of light, and Nate and I were ready to move. Nate had called to tell me that the footage from the auction was destroyed, so Othello had no way to get a visual on the Demon. It had been a long shot anyway.
We would just have to worry about her later. The bears were enough for one night.
With that thought, I Shadow Walked into Nate’s hotel room. Still learning the spell, I managed to land where the piano was, and apparently, they weren’t designed to be in close proximity to wizards Shadow Walking.
Two of the legs splintered, and the piano came crashing down in an explosion of sound like I was standing in the orchestra pit at a symphony. I darted back just in time, and tripped over a rug, falling on my ass. The keys echoed, so strong that I could feel it in my chest and teeth. Any second now, Nate was going to come running into the room, and laugh his ass off at me.
I climbed to my feet, brushing off my legs, waiting for the inevitable.
But no one came.
“Nate?” I called.
Silence.
I frowned, suddenly uneasy. Had they caught him? Surely, no one could have snuck up on Nate, let alone overwhelm him. He was a wrecking ball. A force of nature.
No, he was probably just up on the roof.
That made sense. He might have even told me that. Or expected me to just go there. Instead of Shadow Walking, I saw one of his two keycards on the table, and scooped it up. He had told me he always asked for two, even when traveling alone. There had been a suggestive glint in his eye as he said it, hinting at why a bachelor would need a spare key.
Likely to give to some overzealous reporter like Alyssa for a late night… interview.
Slimy bastard.
I took the elevator up, and came to the door to the roof. I pushed it open slightly, listening. I knew the manager had access to the roof, and thinking about the spare key, I didn’t want to find Nate actually entertaining that reporter chick for a romantic rooftop drink. An alibi, he would say defensively.
Still, I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t ask myself exactly why I didn’t want to see it. I had enough on my mind already.
But I did hear voices.
Two men.
I frowned at that, but with the wind, I couldn’t make out anything. I peeked my head around the corner to find Nate near the table with his back to the door, talking to someone. That someone noticed me, and instantly cut off. Nate whirled, and I stepped out of the door onto the roof with confidence, trying to make it look like I hadn’t been spying.
He was an older man, handsome, and looked used to wielding authority. The setting sun reflected off his eyes, and they looked surprised. Then he was simply gone.
I froze.
He hadn’t Shadow Walked. There had been no sound. He simply wasn’t there anymore. Nate glanced over his shoulder and I saw him sag in disappointment, it seemed.
I strode up to him. “Who was that?”
“Hemingway.”
“The old man you sent to my dad?” He nodded. “Why were you meeting with him?” I asked, growing angry. “I told you not to ask your friends for more help, Nate.”
He nodded. “He was here for me. Updating me on stuff from St. Louis.”
I studied him skeptically, but I couldn’t sense any anxiety from him — any sign that he had done something wrong. “Why did he disappear so quickly, then?”
Nate grinned. “I may have mentioned that you wouldn’t be happy to see any of my friends.” He waited for me to say something, or to laugh at his comment. My dad had spoken pleasantly about the old man, but I still didn’t like him here after telling Nate to keep his friends away. I remembered his friend Othello saying something about Hemingway as well. Which kind of backed up his claim.
Nate sighed dramatically. “If you don’t trust me, I can leave. I know you’re trying to be strong. Stand up for yourself. But being hard is not the same thing as being strong. And it would be a shame for something so pretty to die out of arrogance.” He leaned forward. “Trust me. I would know.”
I sneered at him, tempted to tell him to leave. “I would believe you,” I said slowly, “but you’re not that pretty.” That earned me a genuine burst of laughter. I tried not to look smug. Then I remembered the book. “You didn’t have to steal the book. I was going to give it to you tonight, but imagine my surprise to find it missing.”
He just looked at me, not answering for a few moments. “We can talk about the book later. You losing my book doesn’t change anything about tonight.” He didn’t sound harsh, or accusing, or concerned. Which could mean any number of things. Either he had stolen it and was surprised that I had caught him, or that he hadn’t stolen it, but finding the thief didn’t matter at the moment. Either one sent a light chill through me.
I turned away. “You’re right. We should go.”
I heard him grunt his agreement before speaking. “Quick comment. The decision is yours, but I want you to know something.” I turned, curious. “I have a friend who can make any shifter sit on their ass and obey whatever she says.” I turned slowly, eyes widening in disbelief. He nodded satisfactorily. “One call, and we could have her here. We could walk right into the bears’ house, take our sweet ass time, maybe even have some porridge. Hell, even get them to hand over the spear if they have it.” He took a few steps closer. “We could save our energy for the Demon.”
I watched him, considering. As great as that sounded, it would only tie a string to me, marking me as using Nate to get what I wanted, which would mean that as soon as he left, everyone with a grudge would come after me.
There was no guarantee they wouldn’t do that anyway, but there was definitely a guarantee they would if they thought the only reason I had succeeded was due to Nate’s friends.
Nate frowned at me. “Well?”
“What?”
“Want me to make the call?”
“Oh, no. I was just waiting for you to stop stalling. If you’re scared, you can wait here.”
He rolled his eyes. “Let’s do this, Snow White,” he muttered.
“Snow White had black hair.”
He smiled. “I was talking about your pasty, almost albino skin,” he said. I scowled back for good measure as we locked
hands, and I let him Shadow Walk us to bear country.
Chapter 41
We knelt in the shadow of a big tree, scanning our surroundings. No one moved. Bears didn’t need guards, apparently. Two windows glowed in the large house just ahead. We were in a large estate, surrounded by towering trees and woodlands. Bear country, indeed.
Nate waited for me to meet his gaze, and then nodded, holding out a hand for me to lead. He smiled wryly as he did it, not completely condescending, but as close as he could get to it.
I sniffed disdainfully and calmed myself. This was important. I needed this. For myself.
I needed to know I wasn’t a coward, that I could at least overcome fear and approach danger with a level head. I knew I could fight. But fighting when I knew safety lay at the end was one thing, like training. Sure, I could get injured, but there was never any real danger. This… was different. A wrong move could be the end of everything.
And that was when my nightmare usually tried to get me. But it hadn’t with the vampires. Claire’s unspoken philosophy had seemed to work better than anything Roland had ever tried. Coupled with my dad encouraging me to find my I, maybe I had finally overcome it. If not, Nate was here.
Knowing that I didn’t want to be a Shepherd like Roland, it was doubly important that I learn how to take care of myself. I didn’t know what my future entailed, but I could at least walk away with a small measure of self-confidence.
Like in my training, I took a deep breath, forming the feather of focus in my mind.
Then, I moved.
I masked my footsteps with a whisper of magic, so no one could hear. Without thinking, I cast another spell that I had never been taught, my mind abruptly clouding over, as if I was watching someone else do the magic from a distance.
Feathers and Fire Series Box Set 1 Page 21