The Wanted

by Rory Miles

  “I’ll have to talk to her. I’m not sure how King Marchand would feel knowing a teenager was running the business.”

  They all frowned. Me going with them was impractical. We all knew that, but no one wanted to say it out loud. Not even Kace.

  “Well, we will figure something out. We have three weeks.” Erik nudged me. “Let’s not worry too much today.”

  I nodded despite knowing not worrying was impossible. More than the cottage itself, the men had become my home. I’d made the mistake of growing complacent with the situation. Over the last few weeks all the walls I’d built to protect myself from hurting when those I loved abandoned me had come down and I wasn’t sure I could put them back up in time to avoid feeling the anguish when they left. The best I could do was try and pretend like it didn’t bother me.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The yawning hole in Mrs. Draper’s roof looked rather suspicious. Almost a perfectly shaped circle: I doubted it just caved in like she said. She might’ve been old but I knew she still had magic. Magic that, given the right instructions, could destroy a roof. She’d come to our door for help rather than finding Flynn, only furthering my suspicions that she created this problem just to get Noah and Bron over. The two of them were up on top of the house, inspecting the damage.

  “How did this happen again?” I asked, hands on my hips as I gazed up at the almost perfect ring in the living room ceiling.

  Mrs. Draper’s head tipped back, her debris-ridden curlers dangling in her hair.

  “Craziest thing, it just caved in!” She looked at me with wide eyes.

  “Why didn’t you get hurt?” I asked, picking a piece of ceiling tile from her hair and showing it to her. She glared at the debris like it made her angry. “You were obviously very close when it happened.”

  “You can’t hog all those men to yourself,” she scolded, surprising me with the flash of anger in her eyes.

  “I’m not hogging—”

  “Don’t you lie to me. What kind of things do you eight get up to in that little cottage? Indecent things, that’s what.” Her hand rested over her heart, scandalized by whatever she imagined. Then, as if a switch flipped, she glared at me. “You don’t get to judge me.”

  A full-bodied breath escaped me. Though it irritated me to no end, the cougar was right. With absolutely no reason to be jealous, who was I to deny her this voyeuristic opportunity before she died? She nodded, as though she could read my thoughts and agreed with me.

  “That’s what I thought.” Her chin jutted out and she smirked.

  I shook my head at her. “Enjoy it while you can. There are only so many accidents that can happen before even they get suspicious.”

  She harrumphed and crossed her arms. “Do you always have to suck the fun out of things?”

  I scoffed, lightly slapping her shoulder. “I’m helping you not look desperate. You should be thanking me.”

  She raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Goodbye, Winter.”

  With a chuckle and a wave, I left Mrs. Draper’s house. A hole that size it would take the men a few days to fix. At least they’d be busy during their imposed break.

  Ten minutes after Red left on a new job I didn’t think her brother would kill me over, Flynn knocked on my door. I knew it was him by the way he rapped three times, paused, then knocked two more times. Had it been seven days already? Between helping the men with Mrs. Draper’s house, which happened to have an accidental fire in the middle of her roof repairs, and managing the business, I hadn’t kept track of the ticking clock I’d given Ezme.

  I opened the door, smiling at Flynn who looked resigned. Ezme wore a wary look and her friend, a blond woman with ice-blue eyes, donned a scowl.

  “Flynn.” I frowned at the stranger behind Ezme. “Who’s this?”

  “I’m Mia,” the woman said, ignoring Ezme’s concerned look and thrust out her hand.

  I stared at it a moment before shaking it. Flynn should have known enough by now not to bring strangers by without a fair warning, meaning this was Ezme’s doing. She tried not to wince when I gave her a hard look but she didn’t quite manage it. When she offered a weak smile, I moved on to Mia, raising my eyebrow when the woman didn’t balk. She narrowed her eyes, looking like she wanted nothing more than to throttle me but Ezme and Flynn’s presence kept her from acting on her baser urges. I decided then that I liked Mia. She didn’t seem as soft and high-strung as Ezme.

  I guided them to the couches in the living room and went to retrieve the pot of tea I’d been making for myself. Being a good hostess, I poured them each a cup before sitting and looking at them expectantly.

  “So? What do you want to know?” Flynn asked.

  I lifted my shoulders in a casual shrug. “Everything.”

  After ensuring I’d drop the bounty if she told me the truth, Ezme asked if she could trust me. Kind of an odd question. If I told her she could, would she actually believe me?

  “You don’t. But my offer is the best you’ll get. Orval is probably already sniffing around. Trust me, you don’t want him to find you.”

  She shuddered and whispered something that sounded a lot like too late.

  “How are you still here?”

  Flynn cleared his throat, smiling at me. “I gave him some advice.”

  Oh. He’d traded bounties.

  “You told him about Dawn?” I tried not to get angry, taking this as my payback for keeping Ezme’s bounty from him. Whistling as if impressed by his valiant gesture, I wiggled my eyebrows at him. “You must really like this one.”

  Ezme stammered, embarrassed by my assumptions, further reddening when Flynn said, “Maybe.”

  Mia and I shared a look before smirking at Ezme.

  “From the beginning then?” she asked in deflection, hoping I’d seize on that instead of her relationship with Flynn. I nodded when she looked at me, content to listen as she and Mia told a complicated story.

  “I’m the Blue Water Princess . . .” Ezme paused, waiting for some sort of reaction from me.

  I quirked a brow. While surprising, I still didn’t understand the reason the queen wanted her. Letting out a put-upon sigh, Mia quickly summarized the important parts.

  Ezme, the newly revealed princess, had been a part of an arranged marriage to a man who happened to be her best friend. Flynn bristled at the mention of the man. Ezme and Mia had fled Blue Waters after the queen had used memory magic to make Ezme forget all about the arranged marriage. On top of that, the queen had also placed a perimeter spell on her—magic like that was vicious and quite frankly, I was surprised that she managed to break it. Basically, mommy dearest was overbearing and slightly deranged.

  I didn’t blame Ezme for fleeing. If my mother—provided she ever cared—had tried to make me forget about an arranged marriage and used magic to keep me contained, I’d run away too. When the door banged open, I realized I’d been sitting in silence.

  Bron, looking absolutely exhausted, walked toward the back bedroom without even casting a glance my way. My lips twitched up when he nearly missed the doorknob. Noah, Sloan, and Shawn clambered to the bedroom as well. Mrs. Draper certainly had them working hard.

  “How many men live here?” Ezme’s voice rose an octave, as though scandalized.

  “Seven,” I said, gazing at her.

  She choked on air. “Seven?”

  I nodded, grinning at the princess. Mia and I shared a look. So sheltered. “Yup.”

  “Do you all share the same room?”

  My smile fell and I narrowed my eyes. “So that’s why the Blue Queen wants you returned?”

  Ezme swallowed, face flaming red as if she knew she’d crossed some unseen line with her questioning. “Yes.” Her voice came out soft, almost apologetic.

  “I’ll admit, I’m surprised. I never thought I’d meet someone with a family past more fucked up than mine.”

  Erik and Kace strolled in, looking just as tired as the others had. Corban had yet to make an appearance. Ezme’s atte
ntion was riveted on the bedroom door, no doubt all kinds of fantasies racing through her mind.

  Flynn frowned when he noticed her straying attention.

  “You’ll take care of the bounty?” Flynn’s voice was hard.

  I met his gaze, rankling at the misdirected anger. It wasn’t my fault the men intrigued her.

  “I said I would. What crawled up your ass?”

  Ezme glanced between us, concern furrowing her brow. “Thank you,” she said to me, trying to distract Flynn and me from our stare-off.

  “Don’t thank me yet. I can’t promise my message will reach everyone in time. There might be a few bounty hunters after you that I can’t stop.”

  The princess shrugged, like she didn’t care, but there was no mistaking the hint of fear shining in her eyes. At least she wasn’t a complete fool. When they left, I started on dinner for the men, glancing down the hall and hoping they’d wake up in time to eat.

  Corban came in without a speck of dirt and smelling fresh.

  “I guess I know who helped keep Mrs. Draper company.”

  His azure eyes raked over me, pausing on my rear before continuing. Turning back to the stove and ignoring him, I finished adding spices to the stew I’d made. Thanks to Sloan’s tips and guidance, my cooking had vastly improved. Using a spoon, I tasted the broth, smirking when I felt Corban press against me and lower his chin to my shoulder. His arms wrapped around my waist. I battled butterflies, trying hard not to swoon.

  “Are you making us dinner after a hard day’s work?” His breath tickled my neck just before he laid a kiss there. Losing my fruitless battle with myself, I leaned into his hold, sighing when he kissed me again.

  “How’s business?” His fingers drummed against my waist as he watched me add a bit more salt.

  “Not bad.” I lifted the shoulder he wasn’t leaning on. “We haven’t had another screw-up since the first mark, but it’s only a matter of time before something goes wrong. I’m hoping the king will be forgiving since we’ve done so well.”

  “Is Red working out?” he asked, moving with me as I worked on putting the finishing touches on the stew.

  Some fresh ground pepper, a little dried oregano, and a pinch more salt. For some reason, adding the salt in smaller intervals made me feel better about how much I used rather than dumping it all in at one time. Seriously though, salt had the power to make or break a dish.

  His question surprised me. With everything going on, I hadn’t expected them to notice what was happening with the business.

  “Red’s actually been a big help. Flynn has been . . . distracted as of late,” I said, wondering how much harder he’d fall for the pretty princess.

  “She seems eager.”

  I snorted; that was an understatement. Red wanted to make a name for herself, and with a brother like Orval, that would be hard to do. She would always be the after-thought in her family. She could make her own way as a bounty hunter, but many would likely assume her brother had helped her gain success. Red definitely surprised me with her tenacity and she rarely had problems with the jobs I gave her. Since Flynn decided to take a break to deal with Ezme, it was probably time I gave Red some of the harder jobs.

  “This stew smells delicious.” Corban nuzzled my neck as he spoke.

  “Thanks. I thought the others would be awake by now.” I gave the bedroom door an annoyed look.

  “Their loss.” Corban said, turning and lifting me to sit on the counter next to the stove. My legs parted when he pressed forward, his hands roving over my back. I locked my fingers behind his neck, smiling up at him. His gaze flicked to my lips. “Whatever shall we do to pass the time?”

  Using my hands to pull him toward me, I brushed my lips with his.

  The bedroom door opened and several pairs of feet shuffled down the hall. Corban groaned, resting his forehead against mine.

  “We’re never alone.”

  I kissed his cheek, trying not to chuckle at his petulant tone.

  “You’ve never asked.”

  “Whatever is in the pot smells amazing,” Erik said, staring down at the stew and not seeming to care that Corban and I were right next to him. Brown eyes, full of humor, met mine. “Can we eat or would you two like to give us a show first?”

  Sloan laughed, opening a cabinet and grabbing bowls. “Can the show wait? I’m starving.”

  Corban stepped back, leaving me feeling bereft. My feet hit the floor and I moved Erik out of the way with my hip, ladling generous helpings into each bowl and handing them to the men. A triumphant smile took over my face when Sloan took his first bite, swallowed and stared down at the stew in surprise. His eyes met mine and he beamed at me like my progress pleased him more than the food did. Within ten minutes their bowls were emptied, refilled, and emptied once again, none of them caring about how hot the broth was.

  Kace patted me on the shoulder when he passed, praising me and going back for a third helping. I preened under their collective approval, embarrassing myself with how much I desperately wanted them to like my cooking.

  Erik slapped the table. “That’s it. We’re keeping her.”

  We all laughed, sharing eyerolls and smiles. For the first time in weeks everything felt right. I hated that everything would change soon, but I was determined to enjoy myself while they were still here.

  “Winter!” someone screamed from somewhere outside the cabin, the voice panicked.

  Bron furrowed his eyebrows and looked at me, confirming the voice was real and I hadn’t conjured a way to ruin the moment in my head.

  “HELP!”

  My eyes fluttered closed for a brief second. What now?

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  I recognized the voice this time. Red screamed for me again before I heard a strangled cry. Whatever spell had frozen us in place seemed to break with her keening. Chairs flew back and toppled over as everyone surged toward the door. I squeezed through the men, throwing elbows harder than necessary, but she had been calling for me. Not them.

  Red crouched over a body, crying while she tried to do chest compressions. I had almost reached her when I saw a familiar head of gray hair. Stumbling to a stop, I sucked in a breath. Mrs. Draper’s lifeless body sprawled across the ground, arms flung open.

  Red sniffled. “Help me!”

  Bron’s shoulder brushed mine and he dropped to his knees, hands raising over Mrs. Draper’s chest. His magic shot from his palm and into her body. My heart thundered in my ears as minutes ticked by. Noah pulled me to his side, wrapping his arms around me as we watched Bron try and fail to heal her.

  Kace went to Red, pulling her away from the older woman. She turned, burying her head in his chest, body shaking with tears. I swiped away the water leaking from my eyes. No matter how many times I witnessed death, it never got easier.

  Bron sat back on his heals, cursing in frustration. “I can’t figure out what’s wrong, something must be blocking my healing magic.”

  Sloan gingerly picked up Mrs. Draper, his face void of emotion. “I’ll carry her home. Erik, go find the undertaker.”

  Disentangling myself from Noah, I hurried after him. “I’ll come with you.”

  He glanced over at me and nodded before focusing on the darkness descending upon the forest.

  “What happened?” I heard Noah ask Red.

  “I found her wandering around the forest. I talked her into going home but she collapsed on the way. Your cottage was the closest place I could think of. I’m sorry—” She broke off, stifling the sob trying to escape her.

  Their voices became murmurs I couldn’t understand the further we walked. Mrs. Draper’s head hung off of Sloan’s arm. I frowned, trying to figure out why someone as old as her would be wandering around the forest alone.

  When we arrived at her home, I opened the door for Sloan, then closed it while he laid her down on her outdated floral couch. He stepped back slowly like he was afraid of disturbing her. Thanks to the men, her roof no longer had a hole in it. Mrs. Draper
had kept her house fairly clean. The floors needed a thorough scrubbing, but overall, she’d maintained the home well. As it were, the living room and kitchen floors were spotless. Suspicion pricked up my spine. She wouldn’t get down on her knees to scrub the floor, not at her age.

  The hairs on the back of my neck raised when I glanced around again. The little figurines on the shelf above the fireplace were all in place, but they looked different. They had been blue, hadn’t they? The ones I saw on the shelf were green. I walked over to the wall, lifting a hand to pick up one of the ducks and frowning when my hand met resistance.

  “Winter?”

  My palm pressed against the invisible barrier again. Something stopped me from reaching the shelf. Sloan’s hand rested against mine. I glanced over at him, not realizing he’d come over when I hadn’t answered him.

  “I need you to hit me with some magic. Preferably a stronger spell.”

  His forehead wrinkled. “I’m not doing that.”

  “I won’t ask you to use your magic on whatever this is,” I said, tilting my head at where our hands rested. “Lumi will protect me.”

  His eyes flicked to the blue stone before meeting my gaze once again. His throat bobbed when he swallowed, but he nodded in agreement. Stepping back and facing him with determination, I used two fingers to signal I was ready. The look of relief on his face was unmistakable when Lumi flared to life, absorbing his power.

  “You should wait outside.”

  “It isn’t safe for you.”

  I smiled at his worry. “If anyone is more equipped for the unexpected, it’s me.”

  Frowning but realizing I was right, he said, “Be careful.”

  Once I heard the door click, I channeled the power thrumming against my skin. Using Sloan’s power, I crafted a ruination sword, the strongest spell-crafted weapon to break through the magic in front of me. Violet magic flared angrily when I thrust the sword into the illusion, the hit reverberating up my arms as though steel had struck steel in a real sword fight. My fingers gripped the hilt crafted with borrowed power. Gritting my teeth against the force of the volatile magic, I pulled the weapon out and stabbed at the heart of the illusion. A shock wave of purple and brown power blasted into the air. Lumi flared to life absorbing the shock, but the impact still knocked me off my feet and made me cry out in surprise.