by Kat Bostick
“Guilds are for any born with magic.” His beard moved as a charming smile lit up his face. “A witch is welcome in a guild once she finds a suitable wizard to take as a husband.”
Mari’s stomach sank as she gathered what he was getting at. “And you said my marriage proposal was bad.” She muttered to Jasper, who was as bristled as a porcupine. Before Alexey could ruffle any more feathers, she quickly asked, “What are these problems you seem to think I have?”
“Your lack of good guidance in the form of wizard counsel is the most glaring.”
“You said both. What’s the other?”
“Your shadow. I could take care of it for you.”
By the growl that began behind her, Jasper assumed Alexey meant him. Mari knew better, but didn’t dare say so with bile coating her throat. How did he know? Could he see it? Was her aura like a storm cloud of black hatred?
The darkness she stuffed into her mental box was trying to tear its way out with charcoal claws. A hiss of her own voice came with it, making demands of the vilest kind. Whatever shadow it was that followed her, it did not like Alexey.
Trapped in that same box was her panic, also desperate to be free. The longer she pushed it back, the more claustrophobic she became. Alexey’s magic made the air thick and hot. Each breath struggled to draw into her lungs. Her obvious discomfort was provoking Jasper even more. He was a powder keg and every stupid word Alexey uttered was another match.
Just finish this. Get what you came for and get out of here.
Coughing, Mari said, “Charlie sent us for information about a rogue wolf.”
In her studies with Clem, Mari learned that there were several categories a werewolf could fall into. There were pack wolves, lone wolves, and rogue wolves. The sole difference between lone and rogue wolves was an act of violence. Both were usually bitten wolves that either didn’t know there were packs out there to take them in or hadn’t found one that would accept them.
Technically, Jasper was considered a rogue wolf by Nikolai’s pack after he killed Jacob and Kevin. In some cases a rogue was a wolf gone mad with bloodlust that needed to be put down. In other cases, a rogue was a wolf with nothing to lose and little care for the consequences of his actions. According to Clem, being bitten was a death sentence for some humans, making them reckless and vengeful. It was only diligence by organized packs that kept rogue wolves from exposing themselves to the mundane world and thus exposing all of werewolf kind.
So, when a rogue went off the radar—meaning Cash couldn’t track him on foot and Deak couldn’t track him by news reports of slain livestock, hunting dogs, or in rare cases, humans—it was imperative that he was found. Charlie’s territory expanded far beyond the town of Humble Springs, meeting with the borders between Minnesota, North Dakota, Illinois, and Canada. It was a lot of ground to cover for such a small pack, even with modern technology to aid them. Not that knowing how to google stuff made them experts on modern technology.
That was where Alexey came in. Charlie described him as a private detective. That title excluded some notable details Mari would have liked to know.
“As I have told Charlie many times, finding a creature that roams on four legs as often as two is not so simple. Wolves are not known to use credit cards and sleep in motels. This one has done neither for almost two months.” Alexey scowled. “If he wishes me to use alternative means, he must pay more. I will have to procure ingredients.”
She was tempted to throw his own words back at him because he could have easily picked up the phone and told Charlie that. Instead she asked, “How much more are we talking? Write us an invoice for these alternative means.” Mari made air quotes, realizing too late that her sarcasm was rude and not very liaison-y. “Unless it’s something I could do. I tracked a wolf with magic once.”
Tracking Jasper had been easy, though. By the time she used that spell, they already had a bond between them. Seeking him out was second nature, even if she hadn’t realized it at the time. Mari knew she couldn’t track a werewolf she’d never met with the spell from her family legacy, but she wasn’t going to let Alexey in on that.
His brow pinched in annoyance. “Has Charlie sent you here to offend me? To mock me for not calling him promptly?”
“Why would he do that?”
“This I cannot say. Why would you do this?”
“Do what?” Now Mari was the one scowling.
Exasperation left his mouth in a sigh. “You’re the one who comes from Ina’s blood, are you not?”
“How is it that everyone and their Russian P.I. knows my family history?” She muttered bitterly. “Yup, that’s me. Spawn of Ina’s spawn.”
“Then why are you doing the bidding of a werewolf?” A spark of hostility came back to life in his eyes. Mari recognized the venom injected into that word. Gran’s reaction to Jasper was the same. “Ina ruled over wolves and now you let wolves rule over you?”
She sputtered, desperately searching for something to say that wasn’t the letter F followed by three more offensive ones. “Charlie doesn’t rule over me.”
“Aha!” He was suddenly smiling again. “So you do hold a pack. An entire pack of wolves by yourself?”
“What the hell?” She mouthed.
If her patience was thin, Jasper’s was paper. Rice paper maybe, or something that ripped if you blew on it too hard. This was not going according to plan—not that she was clear on what the plan was to begin with—and Mari just wanted it to be over. “Charlie is...” It felt weird saying it but she swallowed back her discomfort. “Charlie is my alpha. I don’t hold the pack and they don’t hold me.” She shot a sweet smile at Jasper, hoping to calm the heat she could feel bubbling under his skin. “Well, except for this one. He holds me.”
“It’s you who holds me, honeysuckle. I’m at your mercy.” Jasper purred back.
Alexey gaped at them. “I never believed the shameful things they said about Ina. You shouldn’t either, and you shouldn’t let that corrupt your mind.”
“Excuse me?”
“Werewolves were crafted to serve witches. You’re all that is left of one of the greatest powers this world has ever known and you risk soiling future generations with wolf blood?” As he spoke, Alexey backed up. A wise choice given the thunderous growl that was now filling the room.
Distantly, her own voice whispered along the back of her skull. “Kill him. You should kill him for those words.”
Mari squeezed her eyes shut, trying to drown out that malevolent murmur. Bone cracked behind her, Jasper’s spine arching forward, his limbs curling inward. Crap, Mari knew what that meant and it wasn’t good. Ha! Understatement of the century. Jasper was changing. Into a freaking wolf, in a public building in the middle of a city. Mari was upset too, but not turn-into-a-wolf-and-eat-someone upset.
No, her inner demon was just telling her to stab Alexey instead.
“This space is warded. You can’t harm me here.” Alexey’s chin jutted out stubbornly, even as his eyes widened in horror. “Neither of you can utilize your full power behind these walls.”
Jasper lunged forward anyway, not waiting for the change to take hold. Hair rippled up through his skin and his shoulders hunched. Grotesque cracking sounds echoed in the open space of the store.
“Jasper, stop!” Just as the command left her mouth, there was a crack of sparks across the desk.
Jasper was momentarily airborne before hitting the wall with a grunt. Chunks of plaster and splintered wood scattered across the floor. Jasper didn’t. One breath after connecting with the wall he was on his feet again, charging for the wizard. Mari could see the rage roiling behind his eyes, could feel it nearly choking her as it rolled in waves across their bond. That same rage had been sitting below the surface for weeks, ready to come out at all the wrong moments.
“Control your dog!” Alexey shouted over Jasper’s roar of anger. “He can’t break through the charm. It’s crafted specifically to defend against werewolves.”
Mari
barely heard what he said. She was too focused on Jasper, who had finally stopped and fallen to his knees, the bones in his face rearranging at a painful pace. He was changing and attacking Alexey like a wild animal and she’d just been sitting there watching as if she was helpless. She wasn’t helpless. She could stop this and she knew how.
You have the power here. Command him, the darkness urged.
The high pitch of her spell snapped through Jasper’s noises of pain. Each note was piercing, the melody perfect, even after weeks without practice. Her song echoed hauntingly and beautifully through the store but the magic infused in it was muted. Whatever Alexey had done to protect his space was strong, different than any magic Mari had felt before. It took three repetitions but Jasper’s change finally began to recede, leaving him a panting mess on the beige carpet.
She put a hand on his back and exhaled as much calm as she could exude, though she wasn’t feeling particularly calm herself. “Easy, Red. Settle yourself.”
Alexey made a choking noise. “You shouldn’t be able to do that.”
“I’ve heard that before.” She glared up at him. “What’s wrong with you? I’m so done with this purist bullshit.” Mari had never been so livid in her life and she had a feeling it had more to do with Jasper’s emotions than her own. She wanted to break something. Or someone.
She curled her lip to match Jasper’s snarl. It didn’t come as naturally to her, but she felt good doing it. “Call Charlie when you have what he wants. Otherwise we’ll find someone else.”
“You’ll find no one else who can trace magic like I can.”
“Who knows, maybe I can do it.” Mari said, gripping Jasper’s wrist to drag him out the door. “And for the record, my bloodline is already tainted. There’s a lot to Ina’s story that most magic folk have forgotten.”
Alexey shouted after them, “Don’t waste your power on animals.”
Mari tried to slam the door but it had one of those slow release hinges so she kicked it instead. Jasper opened his mouth, but she pointed violently at the SUV and hissed, “Get in the car,” before he could speak. She cut him off as he made his way to the driver’s side, snatched the keys, and climbed behind the seat. It took two minutes to readjust the stupid thing after being occupied by Jasper’s long legs. That only made her angrier.
“I’m never doing that again.” She swore as she whipped the SUV onto the road a little too quickly, skidding in the fresh snow that had yet to be plowed. “Screw being a liaison.”
“What kind of magic was that?” Jasper asked quietly.
“Probably more enchanted crap that no one should have.”
“Mari—”
“Don’t. No excuse in the world is good enough for what just happened.” She cut him off. “You almost changed. In the middle of the city!” Mari wasn’t sure if she was most unhappy with Jasper, herself, Charlie, or just about everyone. She wanted to scream until her throat was raw.
Jasper almost revealed himself to any number of people that could have walked through that door. And worse, he made her reveal herself to protect him. The last thing Mari wanted was more magic folk knowing what she was capable of. After Lyse, she wanted to hide away from other witches and wizards for as long as possible. The life she used to long for was dangerous—much more dangerous than living with werewolves—and she was terrified someone else would try to use her.
Why was everything going so wrong? Were the goddesses punishing her? Was this what happened to those with hearts as dark and wretched as hers?
Chapter 6
Jasper
“Charlie!” Mari’s voice bounced around the foyer, seeming slightly more lethal with each rebound.
Jasper hoped the hour long trip back to Humble Springs would give her time to cool her temper. His had certainly softened during that quiet drive through the snow. That was the problem with his frequent outbursts; they stopped as quickly as they started. It was like the anger evaporated through his skin as soon as he walked away from whatever was antagonizing him.
Mari’s anger wasn’t so easily tamed. Oh no, she wasn’t finished until at least one object had been hurled at someone’s head. She was very wolfish in her emotions.
“Show your face Charles Dunne or I’ll wrap this house in vines!” She shouted into the empty office, flinging the door open hard enough to make it bang against the wall. From somewhere down the hall Deak yelled a threat to anyone that left a dent in the drywall. Mari must have been feeling particularly petty because she swung the door again. This time the handle rattled, along with every painting on the wall. “If he doesn’t get his alpha ass in here I swear to gods above and below—”
Mari’s sentence was cut short when the patio door opened and conversation flooded the kitchen as Charlie, Cash, and Teal entered, each in different stages of undress. Thankfully the alpha was wearing the most clothing of the three—only his shirt was missing—because Jasper suspected he wasn’t going to be given an opportunity to dress. Cash and Charlie’s pale cheeks were rosy from the cold. Teal’s dark complexion was unmarred but for a coating of goosebumps.
He grinned wildly at Jasper—the type of grin only a man that spent the last few hours running on four legs could wear—and sauntered toward the staircase. When he caught the stormy expression on Mari’s face, his grin shifted to a sympathetic grimace.
“Always with the dramatic entrances.” Cash shook his head, a taunting smirk on his broad face.
An irritated rumble rose in Jasper’s throat as he realized that Cash was stark naked, a pair of soggy jeans clasped in his meaty hand. Whatever threatened feeling had been unfurling in his chest quickly dissipated at the sting of Mari’s slap. Jasper turned to her with a wounded look on his face, rubbing his arm gingerly.
“As if that actually hurt.” Then before either man could say another word she pointed to the stairs and snapped, “No one wants to see that shit, Cash!”
“The lady doth protest—”
“Go put some pants on, you lout.” Charlie interrupted with a chuckle. “Didn’t I raise ye to be more polite?”
“Ye raised me to be exactly what I am.” Cash did a surprisingly good imitation of Charlie’s brogue as he stomped up the stairs.
“You knew!” Mari accused, not waiting for Charlie to grant her his full attention.
“I knew?”
“Don’t start with that parroting my words crap. You knew who you were sending us to see! Why did you send Jasper with me? Wait, scratch that. Why did you send either of us? Why did you send anyone?”
Charlie strolled into the office, unfazed by Mari’s spitting fury and the way the air around her seemed to crackle. Jasper could almost taste the acrid hint of magic on his tongue. Witches, Jasper was finding, were like wolves when they were upset. If pushed too far, their control could snap and there was no telling what kind of monstrous spell would sweep through the room.
“Private investigators that know of our kind and how to find them are not easy to come by. I can’t simply replace Alexey because he has a bad attitude.”
“A bad attitude? The dude told us we were soiling future generations!” Mari stormed after him.
A dark look flashed across Charlie’s face, but he quickly softened it. “I take it your meeting didn’t go well.”
“You’re going to need to find yourself a new wizard.”
He had the sense to look alarmed. “Because one of you killed him?”
A rigid shiver took her body and her hands became tight fists. This wasn’t the first time Jasper had seen her disappear. Mari was standing right in front of him, yet she felt a thousand miles away, lost somewhere deep inside herself. Feeling helpless, he rested his hand on the back of her neck. She shrugged it off, closing the distance until she was eye level with Charlie. Mari barely had to raise her chin to meet his gaze in challenge.