SPELL TO UNBIND, A

by Laurie, Victoria

  There was a slight change in the atmosphere, as if the energy in the room began to gather and vibrate around Kincaid. I knew what was about to happen, but I didn’t know how to stop it. “Dex,” I said softly. “Please. I wasn’t in any position to reach out to you last night. I was about done in, and my protégé here,” I paused to indicate Kincaid, “risked his life to get me safely out of Petra’s lair. We can grant him quarter for a few minutes this morning without starting a third World War, can’t we?”

  “Can we?” Dex asked, his expression betraying how hurt and angry he truly was. “I know he’s your protégé, Ezzy, but we can’t have him walking about, knowing where we live.”

  I gulped. The energy in the room gathered a few degrees more around Kincaid. My heart was beginning to pound, and I didn’t know how to save Dex. I probably had maybe only ten seconds to figure that out.

  And then, like a miracle, Ember trotted into the room and went right up to Kincaid. Putting her muzzle against his leg, she looked up at him and wagged her tail. And just like that all the tension evaporated.

  Dex and I exchanged looks of utter disbelief, while Kincaid bent down and gently rubbed her ears. “She’s sweet,” he said.

  Ember’s tail wagged even more enthusiastically, and she doubled down by curling her body into Kincaid and leaning hard against him while he continued to stroke her.

  Recovering myself, I stepped forward and grabbed Dex by the arm.

  “This way,” I said, forcibly escorting him through the kitchen to the rear exit.

  “Ez,” Dex said firmly, beginning to tug on his arm. “Stop, okay? We need to talk about this.”

  I let go and turned to him. “I’m sorry, Dex. I really am. I wouldn’t have led him here if I hadn’t been in really, really bad shape.”

  Dex frowned. Thumbing over his shoulder, he said, “Your detective said Petra’s lieutenant picked you two up and then he threw you to riese spinne.”

  My brow furrowed. “It was a giant blue spider.”

  Dex smirked. “Riese spinne literally means giant spider.”

  “Ah,” I said. “Well then, you know. Anyway, I got my bell rung, and I was barely conscious when he found me. It was all I could do to tell him where I lived before I blacked out.”

  Dex crossed his arms and continued to frown at me.

  I rolled my eyes. “In the middle of fighting off Petra’s pet spider, I couldn’t very well whip out my cellphone and call you. What could I have said anyway? ‘Hey, Dex, I’m somewhere in Petra’s stronghold, but I don’t know where and, oh yeah, there’s a giant fucking spider currently attacking me!’”

  Dex pouted down at me. “No need to shout,” he said.

  “Oh, I think there just might be.”

  “Fine,” he relented. “If you had no choice, you had no choice.”

  I softened too. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t give away our location to anyone,” I said, already formulating a plan.

  “Tell him he’d better not,” Dex said. “Or I’ll have to step in.” For emphasis Dex flexed both biceps.

  I grimaced. I had to get him out of here before he pissed off our houseguest again and things escalated. “I gotta get back in there,” I said, motioning toward where Kincaid and Ember were.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Dex said heading to the door with me close behind. “I’m leaving, but I need to tell you something.”

  “What?”

  “I stopped off at Gert’s last night for my usual nightcap, and she told me all about you being there yesterday morning and she wanted to know if you’d been the one that’d been seen leaving Bree’s apartment after it blew.”

  “What’d you tell her?” I asked as we stepped out into the garage.

  Dex flattened his expression as if I’d insulted him. “What do you think I told her?”

  “I’m assuming nothing?”

  “Correct,” he said. “But she did tell me a few things.”

  “Like what?” I was growing impatient with him, anxious for him to be on his way.

  “Like the fact that Bree had been in Gert’s place last week, talking to another mystic, a blonde who put on airs every time Gert swung by the table.”

  I winced. Gert didn’t usually tolerate that kind of attitude.

  “Right?” Dex said, reading my expression. “Anyway, Gert says that the woman wasn’t anyone she knew, but toward the end of the conversation the mystic bursts into tears and Bree had to comfort her.”

  I blinked at him. “Bree gave comfort to someone?”

  Dex nodded. “That’s exactly what I said to Gert and she was as surprised as I was to see it.”

  “Huh,” I said, not knowing yet what to make of the story. “Could be something or it could be nothing.”

  “Exactly, but I thought I’d pass it on in case it connects to your quest for the egg.”

  “Thanks, Dex,” I said, moving in to hug him fiercely.

  He hugged me back and said, “I’ll be in D.C. for the rest of the day. You gonna be okay here on your own?”

  “I’ll be fine,” I said, far more firmly than I felt.

  Dex kissed me on the forehead, backed away, got in his Mustang and glared at the door leading to inside one last time. I could tell that he was still a little miffed about Kincaid being in our warehouse.

  Thank God he didn’t know the truth, and thank God things hadn’t escalated between him and our house guest because my second would never have survived the battle.

  Walking back into the dining area of the kitchen I saw that neither Kincaid nor Ember were there. Moving deeper into the warehouse, I finally spotted them on the couch; Ember was cuddled up against Kincaid while he pointed the remote at the TV.

  My breath caught slightly when I realized that the bruises to his lip and his eye were fading dramatically, given the fact that Ember was healing him. Walking toward the pair, I picked up a yellow crystal that Dex had acquired somewhere in his travels. Stepping in front of Kincaid, I handed it to him.

  “Here,” I said.

  He took it and inspected it. “What’s this?”

  “It has healing properties. Roll it around your face, and it’ll take down the swelling.”

  Kincaid eyed me skeptically, but he reluctantly put the crystal to his face and rubbed it along his skin.

  I began to head back to the kitchen and whistled to Ember. “Come on, girl. Let’s get you some breakfast.”

  To my relief, I heard the pitter-patter of her feet behind me and I got her breakfast together, waiting until she’d gobbled it down to then let her out into the grassy, tree-lined courtyard.

  Once I was sure she was out of harm’s way, I slid a hunting knife I always kept near the back door into my waistband.

  My guest was at the mirror hanging on the wall, admiring his face. I walked over to peek at him over his shoulder.

  He grinned and held up the crystal. “This thing works great. Can I buy it off you?”

  I smiled in return. “Sure.”

  “How much?”

  “Ten grand.”

  His eyes bugged. “That’s a little steep, don’t you think?”

  I shrugged casually. “Judging by how quickly it healed that ugly mug of yours, I’d say you’re the one getting the bargain.”

  He grinned anew and rubbed his thumb over the surface of the crystal. “Eight grand.”

  “Nine.”

  “Eighty-five hundred and we have a deal,” he said, turning to me and holding out his free hand.

  I took his outstretched palm in my right hand, stepped forward, and thrust the tip of my knife up toward his ribcage, stopping just short of plunging it into him.

  He looked down at the knife, and his brow rose in surprise. “Okay, okay. Nine grand it is.”

  I continued to glare at him. “What’re you doing here, Finn.”

  The bastard actually chuckled. “What gave me away?”

  I nodded toward his left hand, still holding the crystal, thankful that I had something other than the truth to p
oint to. “No wedding ring. And no tan line to indicate you ever wear one.”

  Finn nodded, his eyes twinkling like he was quite amused. “So, what do we do now, Esmé?”

  “Let’s start by you telling me what you’re doing here?” I repeated.

  “I brought you home and wanted to make sure you lived through the night.”

  “You didn’t seem so concerned with that when you fed me to the itsy-bitsy spider.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Like I told you: I heard that Jaquelin tested you against her ruby-throated dragon, and you obviously survived. I figured that, after winning against her dragon, the rise spinne would be child’s play, and, to be honest, I was surprised you had as rough a time as you did.”

  Anger simmered like hot coals deep in my chest. “Maybe that’s ’cause somebody forgot to unshackle me.”

  “Oh, I didn’t forget,” he said smugly.

  The man was infuriating. Poking him a little more with my blade, I asked, “What game are you playing, Lieutenant?”

  Finn shrugged, but that amused expression never wavered. “I’m just a boy, standing in front of a girl, asking her not to kill me.”

  My eyes narrowed, Finn chuckled, and my temper got the better of me. Up went my knee, right into his groin.

  Finn let out a bark of pain and doubled over. “Dammit!” he moaned before coughing until his face turned red. “That’s dirty pool, Esmé.”

  “No dirtier than pretending to be your brother so that you could find out where I live, asshole.”

  Finn waddled over to the couch and collapsed into it. “Seemed only fair,” he said with a groan. “You’ve been to my place, after all.”

  I pressed my lips together. He sorta had me there. “That wasn’t my idea.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said, pressing the crystal against his crotch. “I’m sure it was all Gideon. Still, you’re lucky I didn’t kill you outright for that alone.”

  The sound of Ember whimpering echoed from the back door. I kept the knife firmly gripped in my hand and said to Finn, “Do not move.”

  He eyed his crotch meaningfully and continued to wince while holding the crystal against his manhood.

  I trotted to the kitchen and let Ember in. She rubbed against me happily and then headed straight for the couch, cuddling up to Finn, no doubt because she sensed his distress.

  A wave of jealousy hit me hard. Ember had never, ever helped heal anyone but me and Dex. She was beyond loyal to us alone, and yet here she was, giving her powers away to my mortal enemy. I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t sense how dangerous Finn was to me, and for that matter, to her as well.

  Finn, of course, didn’t have a clue about her powers. Even as she cuddled against him, I saw his pained expression lessen, and he lifted the crystal away to admire it again. “Man, this thing works quick.”

  I nodded, thinking that maybe I needed to cement the idea that the crystal was responsible and not my pup. “Yeah, that thing can work wonders. On second thought, I don’t believe I want to part with it.” I then held out my hand as if I expected him to give it back to me.

  Instead, Finn closed his fist around it. “A deal’s a deal, Esmé.”

  I sighed, as if I was only just realizing the lousy bargain I’d made. “Fine,” I said. “But I want the funds today.”

  “No problem. I’ll Venmo you.”

  Finn took out his phone and I took out mine. The money exchange was fast and efficient, and I worked to hide a smirk at the fact that I’d just sold a worthless paperweight to Petra’s lieutenant for nine grand.

  Setting aside the phone, I regarded Finn sternly. “Where’s your brother?”

  He shook his head and shrugged. “Probably out looking for me.”

  “You let him go?”

  “Of course I let him go. He’s my twin and I’m not a monster.”

  “What really happened to your face?” I asked next.

  “I needed Gideon’s clothes to make you think it was him. He didn’t want me to have them.”

  I crossed my arms. “You’re telling me that Gideon did all that damage while he was shackled?”

  “No. I unshackled him and then he sucker-punched me.”

  I cocked an eyebrow.

  “Twice.”

  “So you two are close.”

  Finn pocketed the crystal and began rubbing Ember’s ears. She sighed with pleasure. “He’s ticked off that I wouldn’t bring him into the mystic fold and that I also actively worked to keep him out. An arrangement you’ve now ruined.”

  “Why?” I asked, genuinely curious. “I mean, why wouldn’t you allow him to be mentored?”

  “Do you really have to ask?”

  “Yes.”

  Finn sighed. “You know what it’s like, Esmé. This world is rough, and there’s no place for Boy Scouts. My brother’s a solid guy. He always does the morally right thing, and in our world, that will get you killed quick. Plus he’s a liability for me. If he enters the realm, powerfully evil people—”

  “You mean Elric’s crew,” I interrupted, crossing my arms.

  Finn continued as if I hadn’t spoken: “—are going see an opportunity, and they’ll either kidnap Gideon to use him against me, or they’ll mistake him for me, challenge him to a duel, which my hot-headed brother will definitely accept, and he’ll be nothing but ash and cinder before he can even pull out a trinket.”

  I felt my breath catch. I hadn’t thought of that.

  Finn eyed me knowingly. “Didn’t think that through before you went along with the mentoring ceremony, did ya?”

  “Not fully.”

  He nodded. “And now you’re responsible for him. He’s a newbie and your protégé, and you’ll have to spend some time working out a plan to keep him safe. Which is the real reason I fed you to the riese spinne. I wanted to make sure you were up for the challenge.”

  “My second, Dex, and I will look out for him, Finn,” I said, irritated that this guy kept gloating over being one chess move ahead of me.

  Finn nodded toward the back door. “I like Dex,” he said. “It’d be a shame to have to kill him.”

  My back went rigid. “Is that a threat?”

  Finn gave Ember one final rub and stood up. He walked right up to me, getting deep into my personal space while he stared down at me, and to my endless irritation, my pulse quickened, and I felt a renewed lust for him well up inside of me just as the charm burned like a hot coal against my skin.

  “It’s absolutely a threat, Ms. Bellerose,” he whispered softly. “If my brother dies, so does your second.”

  The look in Finn’s eyes was deadly serious, but there was also something else there too, something smoldering and sexual.

  The charm around my neck began to pulse, and as it pulsed, it burned against my chest, but I dared not call any attention to the charm.

  Still, as if Finn could sense my pain, his gaze dropped to right where the charm lay hidden from view, just under my T-shirt, and he lifted two fingers to gently caress and trace the outline of the charm.

  His touch sent a small shockwave through me, and I had to clench my jaw and press my lips tightly together so as not to give myself away.

  “Mentor’s gift from my brother?” he asked, his voice throaty and lustful as he simply continued to trace the outline of the charm.

  I had no idea how he knew the charm was from his brother, but I nodded all the same. I could feel myself on the verge of trembling, so I pressed my arms tightly against my sides and glared hard at him. It was taking every ounce of willpower I possessed not to reach up, take hold of his face, and kiss him with all of the desire welling up inside of me.

  The air between us seemed to crackle with intensity, and for one, brief moment I didn’t know if our next move would be murderous or ravenously passionate. I inhaled a shaky breath, I wanted to say something to ruin the moment, but I couldn’t seem to think of a single thing to say.

  Just as I was beginning to give in to the temptation to wrap my arms around h
is neck and pull him to me, Finn backed up turned and began to walk away. “Take care of my brother, Esmé,” he called over his shoulder. A moment later, I heard the back door open and close.

  Collapsing onto the carpet as my knees gave out on me, I realized that, even if I found Grigori’s egg and began my career working for Elric, as long as Finn the Flayer was in the world, I was still completely, royally, and oh-so-utterly screwed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Day 3

  Within fifteen minutes I had recovered myself, and the first thing I did was call Kincaid.

  “Holy shit, you’re alive?” he said by way of hello.

  “I am,” I assured him. “At least for now.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I found my way back to my place. Where’re you?”

  “I’m in front of my brother’s building, looking for him. After he threw you to the spider, he hauled me further down that tunnel to an exit near the 395 underpass. Once we got there he tried to swap clothes with me, which I didn’t appreciate. I got in a few solid punches before he did his magic-spell shit, and the next thing I knew I was in my driveway, dressed like Finn, with no idea how I got there.”

  I smirked. Finn had been right about what his brother might be up to. “We need to meet,” I said.

  “Okay, where?”

  I glanced around the warehouse. Since Finn the Flayer now knew where I lived, and Dex believed that Gideon Kincaid was the guy who’d been here, I probably needed to sync up that pesky loose end before it became a problem. I couldn’t risk that, at some later date, Dex discovered that Gideon had no clue where our warehouse was. So, with a reluctant sigh, I gave him our address.

  Kincaid showed up within ten minutes, which was telling, because, although Finn was right that I’d been to his condo, I still didn’t know its exact location. Gideon’s prompt arrival told me that Finn lived closer than I would’ve guessed.

  “Hey,” I said when he arrived. “Come on in.”

  He entered, and immediately Ember got off her spot on the couch to come and sniff him over. She must not have liked what she smelled because she immediately turned tail and headed back to the couch, where, after getting comfortable again, she made a point of staring at Kincaid like she resented his presence.