“Marsh…Marsh Sheffield. I’m…a friend of Lily’s.” Marsh ran his gaze over Archer’s figure, then he gave a short nod. I could see acceptance in his eyes.
I retrieved my garment bag from the car, along with the new wards. At least Dani wouldn’t have to go to the time and expense to make a set. But I’d better get them up now, while there was still light enough to see.
“I have to install these while it’s still daylight. Want to help?” I turned to Archer, flashing him a weary smile. I held up the bag. “Wynter gave me a set of Katarina’s wards.”
“You’ll be set for sure.” He let out a short laugh. “Let’s get to it, then.”
“Have you put up wards before?” It was a rhetorical question. Everybody in this day and age had installed magical warding against vampires or, if not, they lived in perpetual fear.
“Katarina’s are stronger than the best of them, but they install like the majority. So tell me what the ice queen had to say. At least you came away in one piece.” He was trying to stifle a laugh, that much I could tell.
“I’m glad my discomfort causes you so much amusement.” I took a deep breath, the cold cutting into my lungs. I might be part of Wynter’s court, but I didn’t come with antifreeze in my blood. “Actually, I almost ended up a road popsicle. On the way home, I almost got bowled over by an avalanche.”
“Well, that’s something I don’t hear every day. Your car looks all right, so I assume you managed to make it past safely.” He took the bag from me as I placed the dress and cloak back in the car until we were done. “Let’s get these up now, before we go in for our hot cocoa.”
With Archer and Marsh following, I headed to the outer gate. The old wards were on the inside of my fence, spaced every ten feet. Nobody in their right mind ever affixed them to the outside of their gates. It had become a stupid prank to see how many wards you could deface as you walked along the street—so much so that, after a multitude of complaints, the police had made it a misdemeanor, punishable with a hefty fine.
Parents were doing their best to discourage the activity because it cost them a minor fortune, but kids would be kids, regardless of the punishment. If the ward had been placed on the inside of the fence and the vandal stepped onto the property to get to it, the fines tripled, with community service thrown into the mix. That seemed to be enough to stave off all but the most determined delinquents.
Dani’s sigils had been painstakingly formed in black ink on a clear adhesive material, but I had no clue how they were made. The ink was magical, but even if I had a bottle, I wouldn’t have known what to do with it. Archer tested the corners, then motioned for me to press my fingertips against the center of the ward.
“Now you need to say, ‘Remove.’ These look to be voice activated by the owner of the land. They can be defaced, but their removal depends on you or the witch who made them.”
“That’s right. To activate them I had to do exactly the same, only I said, ‘Seal.’ ” I cautiously placed two fingers against the center of the ward and whispered, “Remove.” A few seconds later, the ward began to peel back and I was able to pull it off. As soon as it came off, Archer rubbed over the area with a handful of snow.
“I don’t think we need to wash the post again, but this should do the trick. Try putting one of the new ones on there. Just peel off the backing, align it against the post, and whisper, ‘Seal.’ ”
I did as he said and the ward seemed to blend in to the wood of the post. Something shifted in the energy and I realized just how strong Wynter’s wards were. We went around the rest of the yard, replacing them all. Then we tackled the house, and I brought out a ladder so we could reach every window. Katarina’s set was a lot stronger than Dani’s—and covered a lot more area. Finally, Archer dared the roof, cautiously inching up the snowy incline to slap the final ward at the top. A cascade of energy rippled down to cover my home, and I found myself breathing easier. I stood back and closed my eyes, seeking the magical flow.
There it was—a soft current, a circle of ice and snow and mist surrounding my home, frozen solid against intruders.
“All right. That’s better. I feel a lot more secure. I wish I had remembered—I would have gotten a set for Dani and Nate.”
“Do you know how much that set of wards would cost if you had to buy it, given they’re made by the Frost?”
I shook my head. “No, do you?”
“Yes, actually. You’d pay fifty thousand dollars. That set will last you for five years, and it’s tamper-resistant.”
I blinked. I had no clue that it was so valuable. I breathed a soft sigh of gratitude to Wynter. “Okay, next…help me with something else before we go in?”
“Sure,” Archer said, “but let’s make it quick. My nose feels like it’s getting frostbite.”
I trudged through the snow on my lawn, over to where my business sign stood, and Archer followed. As I stared at the beautiful signpost that I had commissioned, my stomach lurched. I had owned Lily Bound for years. The business had become my bread and butter, as well as a way to help keep me from losing control. And now it was all coming to an end.
I motioned to Archer. “Give me a hand, please.”
“Sure. What are we doing?” He moved to the other side of the sign. “Do you need to move this somewhere else?”
“Not exactly. We are taking down the sign.” At his look, I added, “I’ll explain after we go inside.”
Together, we managed to pull the posts out from the frozen ground and carry the sign around back, where we placed it in the shed. That done, I gathered my dress, cloak, and purse, and we headed inside.
As I stamped the snow off my boots and slid out of my coat, I realized that I was freezing. I filled the kettle and set it on the stove to make tea. Mr. Whiskers entered the room and began to wind himself around my legs, purring. I leaned over and picked him up, grunting under his weight.
“You feel like you put on a few more ounces, Whisky. Did you eat all your breakfast?” I glanced over at the food dish to see it was licked clean. “All right, all right. I’ll fill it up again.”
As I replenished Whisky’s chow, Archer motioned to the cupboard. “Do you want me to get out cups and saucers for tea?”
Pleased that he felt comfortable enough to ask, I gave him a nod. “Are you hungry? I’m famished, given the day that I’ve had. I was going to order pizza for dinner.”
“Pizza’s good with me. I like just about any topping, so choose what you want. But dinner is my treat.” He set cups and saucers on the table, then opened the refrigerator. “Cream in here?”
“Yes, and honey and sugar are on the table. If you take lemon, I’m sorry, but I’m out.” I started to put Whisky down, but he scrambled to stay in my arms. So I settled in at the table with him on my lap, scratching him under the chin.
“Say, how is it that you had that cat when you were with me? It’s been over seventy-five years. How the hell is he still alive? I know that’s the same cat.” Marsh blinked, cocking his head to stare at Whisky.
I had been wondering when he was going to figure that out, and wondering even more how I was going to explain things. So far, I had managed to pass Whisky off as a regular cat, except to Dani and Nate. Now, it appeared the Bengal was out of the bag.
As I held Whisky with one arm, I pulled out my phone with the other and pressed four on speed dial. “Let me order the pizza first, and then I’ll tell you guys Whisky’s story.”
I placed an order for two large sausage and pepperoni pizzas with extra cheese, then leaned back, cradling the cat in my arms. “Whisky and I have come a long way together. You might even say that our fates are intertwined. It all started about six hundred years ago, in a little Cornish village. I don’t remember the name now, or much about the place except that it was a hole in the road even then. It was so far off the beaten path that nobody but the people who lived there knew about it. I only found it because of a storm…”
The wind had picked up substantially, an
d it was chilling me through. I was dressed for the road, in woolen trousers, heavy tunic, and a thick cape. My pack was fastened to my horse, Luther, and my dagger was within easy reach. I was picking my way along the muddy trail, having just passed into Cornwall from Devon. The trouble was, I wasn’t entirely sure as to my location. I had only a rough idea.
For three days a group of bandits had chased me, intent on robbing me. I had no doubt they had worse ideas in mind, but they knew that I had some money and they wanted it. I finally managed to get away from them by entering a copse thick enough and wide enough for me to hide out in until they gave up.
Luckily, they had no hounds with them, and I had enough food to manage. Unfortunately, by the time I was able to exit the forest, I was starved for chi and the first farmer I came upon ended up being lunch. I regretted killing him as much as I regretted killing any of them, but my hunger drove me forward and though I tried to pull back, there were times I couldn’t seem to gauge when the humans dropped so low in their life force that they couldn’t recover. I tried to find Fae—or Weres—who would trade me chi for sex, and more often than not, I was successful, but there were times when I had to go after humans, and that never seemed to work out well.
As the wind whistled past, great storm clouds began to roll in, dark and heavy and filled with cold rain. In the distance, thunder rumbled and an occasional flash of lightning blazed through the sky. I sucked in a deep breath, urging Luther forward as fast as he could safely trot. There were too many loose stones and too many mud puddles on the trail for me to allow him to open into a full gallop. Even a trot seemed dangerous at this point. So we trudged along, against the driving rain and wind.
As evening threatened to fall with no shelter in sight, a faint light in the distance lifted my spirits. I was coming to a village.
There was no sign giving the name of the town. And really, the word “town” was a misnomer. The ragtag group of houses surrounded what looked like two or three shops and a small tavern that also looked to be an inn. Hitching posts were stationed in front of the inn, and when I peeked around back, I could see a ramshackle stable. I led Luther back to the stable and tethered him to one of the posts. Then, slinging my pack over my back, I headed through the back door into the tavern.
There were two long tables in front of the bar, lined with benches for patrons to sit and eat. A staircase led to an upper floor where I assumed the guestrooms were. I approached the barkeep and motioned for him to pour me a pint of ale.
“I need a bed and food. My horse is out in the stable. Do you have a stable boy who can take care of him?”
The barkeep gave me a long look. “Don’t get many women travelers in here, especially dressed like you. Are you just passing through?”
I nodded, keeping my face shrouded with my hood so he couldn’t see my looks. I had dealt with too many horny men as it was. I didn’t need another one after me. “I just need a place to get away from the storm.”
“I’ve rabbit stew and bread and cheese, will that do?”
I nodded. “Do you have a room?”
“Aye, I’ve a room. Do you want your food here, or in your room? I’ll tell William to take care of your horse.” As he pulled a key off the wall and slid it across the table, I handed him his coins. He gave me my change and filled a wooden trencher with stew, setting a chunk of bread atop it along with a thick slice of cheese. “I’ll have the girl bring up a pitcher of hot water for you. It’s cold as sin out there.”
I picked up my dinner and headed upstairs to find my room. The maid followed me, carrying a candle and a pitcher of hot water. She set the pitcher down on a rickety table next to a large bowl, then lit the logs in the fireplace. After she brought me a thin blanket and a washing cloth, I locked the door and dropped into the chair next to the fire. Holding my hands out to the flames, I shivered as I realized just how cold I was.
But cold or not, I needed a wash. Before the hot water could cool, I stripped off my cloak and clothes, my teeth chattering as I scrubbed my body with the hot water. Humans had something against bathing that the Fae could never understand. We liked our baths and made frequent use of soapwort. Still freezing, I dried myself in front of the fire and gingerly slipped back into my clothing. I wanted to change, but I had no spare garments with me. I had made the mistake of leaving them with a washing woman in another village two weeks ago. When they found out I was a succubus, I had been run out of town before I could gather all of my things. I was lucky they didn’t try to burn me at the stake.
I poured the remainder of the hot water into the bowl and soaked my feet while I sat at the table eating. The heat drew out some of my weariness. By the time I finished my food, I was ready to crawl into bed and sleep for as long as I could manage.
I had been sleeping for about five hours when a racket woke me up. It sounded like someone shouting outside my window. At first I tried to ignore it, thinking it was some drunken idiot. But then I heard something—a swoosh that caught my attention. A shiver raced up my spine as I realized there was something more going on than just some rabble-rouser trying to raise hell.
As I padded over to the window and opened the shutters, I was surprised to see a bright flash in the alley below the inn. Magic. And that told me that there was trouble in the making.
Chapter Eighteen
“So, you lived in Cornwall during the 1400s?” Archer gave me an odd look. “I might have been around there at that time.”
I shrugged. “I lived all over, to be honest. I was born in Ireland, long before that. I lived in the Court of Wynter for a while, with my mother and then with my aunt. When I came of age, I left. I took the name Lily O’Connell and traveled all over Ireland, and eventually all around the UK. Although it wasn’t known as the United Kingdom then. It wasn’t uniting much of anything, to be honest. Anyway, this was around 1560 to 1580. I don’t remember the exact time and it doesn’t really matter. I do know that I had bought Luther off of some farmer when he was a foal, and he was with me for a good twenty years. I still miss that horse.”
Marsh frowned. “I don’t think I ever really asked you how old you were, did I?”
“No. To be honest, I got the feeling that you never really wanted to know. It was rough enough explaining that I was Fae.” I grinned at him, remembering the blank look on his face when I had launched into the explanation of my nature. To his credit, Marsh had handled the revelation a lot easier than I’d thought he would.
“So what was the racket outside your window?” Archer motioned for me to stay in my seat when the tea kettle started whistling. He poured the boiling water into the teapot, then put the lid on and carried the pot over to the table. The front doorbell rang, and he motioned for me to stay seated. When he returned, he was carrying two large pizza boxes.
I was surprised that Nate hadn’t come over and that I hadn’t heard from Dani yet, but we weren’t joined at the hip, and they didn’t owe me a check-in every day. Although, considering we were facing the Souljacker, it would have been nice to hear from them. I had left several text messages for both telling them we needed to talk, but I knew they were busy and tried not to fret when they didn’t answer right away.
After I opened the top box, I crossed to the cupboard where I pulled out two plates. I added silverware. The pizza from Stray Mozz was so thick that half the time you had to eat it with a knife and fork, though I had no compunction in diving in with my hands, even though I did end up with burned fingers at times. Returning to the table, I handed Archer his plate and filled my own, giving Marsh a contrite look.
“I’m sorry, I remember how much you loved pizza.”
“Not a problem. I can’t smell it, and that’s half the battle.”
As we settled in to eat, I continued my story.
When I saw that someone was using magic in the alley below, I knew I had better get down there and see what was going on. For one thing, someone could have discovered that I was a succubus and they might be after me. Or another member o
f the Fae could be in trouble. There were mortals who could use magic—human witches—and most of them were okay, but a few could be extremely dangerous.
I dried my feet and slipped my boots back on, leaving my socks in my room to dry. Making certain that what money I had was firmly tucked away inside my tunic, I threw my cloak on and headed downstairs, trying to be quiet. The barkeeper had apparently gone to sleep, and I could see a night guardsman sitting in the corner, leaning back in a chair with his eyes closed. I softly tiptoed around to the back door.
Easing the door open, I slipped into the back alley, which ran between the stable and the inn. A few yards away, under my window, I could see two figures tussling in the darkness. Sparks flew, sparks that I knew weren’t from any torchlight.
I slipped through the shadows that cloaked the wall until I was a few feet away. Succubi have extremely good nocturnal vision, and I was able to make out both figures. One of them looked to be human, and he was the one wielding magic. The other had a scaly face, reminding me of some snake or reptile. His eyes glowed with a soft yellow light, and I suddenly realized that the mortal was in a fight with a demon. Lovely. I readied my dagger, easing it out from the sheath so that I made no noise. Silver dragon scales were quite effective against most demonic creatures. Hell, silver itself was effective against a lot of demons. Add in the dragon part and you had an extremely useful weapon.
I waited until I had a chance, then darted in and slashed at the demon. He stumbled back, letting out a low growl as he did so. The man fell back, stumbling against the wall.
The demon looked at me, his eyes widening as he saw my dagger. “You want to help the mortal so much? Then you take care of him.” With a bright flash, the demon disappeared.
I turned to the man. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
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