"I'm hoping that's the escort Nash mentioned." I grabbed my clothes and started to pull them on. "Otherwise someone else has found us out here."
"Maybe the neighbours heard you screaming?" Matt suggested. He gave me a lopsided smile so I knew he was teasing.
I stuck my tongue out and pulled down my shirt. "Maybe they heard you moaning."
He laughed softly and handed me my panties.
I leaned against Kane to pull them on and started with my jeans. I had just done up the fly when a car drove up to the house. I just made it out through the trees before I dropped to a crouch.
"They might be friendly." Kane crouched beside me, Matt on the other side.
"The car is black," I whispered.
"Sometimes Zeta drives blue cars," Matt reminded me. "And my mother's car is black."
I glanced at him. That was the first time I had heard him mention his mother.
"Is she evil?" Kane asked.
Matt gave him a dry look. "Of course not. Not that I know of anyway."
I searched his face but he gave nothing away. Since he was a hybrid, his mother might well have taken part in Zeta's breeding program. Whether that was voluntary or not, I wasn't sure even he knew. He might now be wondering how deeply she was involved with Zeta.
I had the same questions about my own mother. I only had a couple of doctor's words that she sat on the board. Unfortunately the not knowing was a good way to let my imagination run wild.
The driver's side door swung open and a figure stepped out. She was dressed from head to toe in black and sported a long golden blonde ponytail.
I breathed a sigh of relief and rose to my feet. Before I could take a step, Matt grabbed my hand.
"She's a Zeta agent."
"She's on our side. Corinne helped me escape from Zeta," I replied, unsure now. "Blake, too." I nodded toward him. His mess of curls shone in the morning sun as he moved to stand beside Corinne.
"Just because someone helped you, doesn't mean they're above suspicion." Matt let my wrist go and rose to stand in front of me. "Are you sure they can be trusted?" He eyed Blake as though he was familiar in some way.
"Are you saying that because you care?" I kept my tone light, but my heart went into overdrive. We had all been through so much, I didn't want to waste another moment on guessing.
He gave me a soft look which melted me a little more. "Yeah, but don't think I'll stop telling you when you're being a pest."
I grinned. "As long as I can keep telling you when you're a dick."
He stuck out his hand. "Deal."
When I shook his hand, he didn't let mine go. Instead, he pulled me around behind him. "Stay vigilant."
I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or Kane, but I nodded and waited for the owl shifter to step beside me. I knew he was trying to protect me, but the truth was he was more vulnerable than I was. I'm not saying owls aren't badass, but he had no magic and wasn't going to rip off anyone's head. He might peck their eyes out though, so there's that.
We moved toward the house as the door swung open. Nash stepped out, followed by Ariana. Her sleeve was rolled up and I knew she would conjure her attack unicorn if necessary. Nash might be susceptible to the gas which put shifters to sleep, so I suspected Hamish would be close by as well.
"Mr Nash," Blake called out warmly.
"Just Nash," Nash replied. "I'll leave the formality to my students." His voice caught slightly and I suspected he was thinking about me.
"Yeah, about that." Blake gestured toward the house. "Maybe we should talk inside."
Nash hesitated, then nodded. He turned toward me, the first indication he knew the three of us were approaching.
Blake looked surprised, but Corinne just inclined her head and grimaced.
"Evidently my cousin needs to work on his secret agent skills," she said, an eyebrow arched at him.
Blake shrugged and grinned. "That's what I wanted to talk to Mr… I mean Nash, about. Amongst other things." He gave me a wink that made my heart flutter. He was too damned cute for his own good.
I smiled and self-consciously brushed grass off my jeans. I probably had grass stains on the knees, but I wasn't about to look. That would be embarrassing. Nope, no looking for me. Okay, maybe a tiny peek. Bingo, grass stains.
I blushed.
"So, I need some tea. Anyone else?" I kissed Nash's cheek as I slid past him and through the doorway. Not having to hide our relationship anymore was one of the major perks of not being at UA anymore. One of many if I was honest.
I hurried into the kitchen and flicked the electric kettle on.
"I could use something hot and steamy," Dyson remarked. He stepped into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me but kept his hands on my middle. No higher and no lower. He told me back at the Zeta building that he loved me. I said it back. Ever since then, nothing changed. He was still the same cheerful guy who was content to take things slowly. Some day, I'd find the time to talk to him about it. Okay, and the guts. In the meantime, there was no need to rush.
"Coffee?" I offered.
"I'll get it." He stepped back from me to pull mugs out of the cupboards. In spite of all the people who were currently living in the house, everything was always clean and neat. Nash made sure of that. He ran the place like it was a military operation.
We stepped out into the living room with trays of hot drinks, just as Matt spoke.
"I still don't like the idea of splitting up." He nodded his thanks and glared at Nash over his steaming mug. "It makes us all vulnerable."
I looked from Nash to Blake and Corinne, who sat on the opposite side of the room, in chairs they must have pulled over from the dining table.
"Noted," Nash replied simply. "We're sticking to the plan."
Matt scowled, but didn't argue further. Smart move, considering the look on Nash's face. Stony and calm, he was the picture of an immovable mountain. When he looked like that, the only thing we could do was go with the flow.
"What is the plan?" Blake asked eagerly.
Did Matt's scowl deepen slightly? It was hard to tell with him sometimes.
"Do you three know each other?" I gestured toward him, then to Corinne and Blake. I suspected Corinne was a few years older, but Blake was around the same age as the rest of us. If they all worked for the council, then it wasn't much of a stretch.
Matt and Blake shared a glance.
"We've met," Matt replied
"Mathew and I went to school together for a while," Blake said cheerfully. "Before his family moved away."
"Oh really?" I grinned. "I bet you have some great stories."
"As a matter of fact—"
Nash made a slicing gesture with his hand and cut Blake off. "Have your reunion later. We don't have time for it right now. The sooner we're gone from here, the better."
"We weren't followed," Corinne said, her voice tight.
"I'd rather not take the chance." Nash stood and started to pace. "Ariana and Hamish, you know what you have to do?"
"Yes, sir!" Hamish replied. "We're packed and ready to go."
I frowned. "Where are you going?"
Ariana gave Nash a nervous glance. "He asked us to keep it to ourselves."
"The less anyone else knows, the better," Nash said firmly. There was that immovable mountain again, but I was going to argue.
"You're going to keep secrets from me?" I asked in disbelief.
"Not the kind you think," he replied.
"Oh, what kind do I think?" I crossed my arms, which might have had more impact if not for the mug in my hand.
Nash sighed. "It's nothing bad. Will you just trust me, please?"
I hesitated. I did trust him, implicitly, but I didn't like secrets, especially amongst my friends and boyfriends. "Fine, but if it's anything bad, I get to tie you down and spank you."
Nash looked surprised, but then a smile crept to the corners of his mouth. "Deal."
"You can spank me anytime," Kane remarked. He didn't bother to
hide his grin.
"I'll remember that for next time," I told him. "So, what's the rest of the plan then?"
"Dyson, Corinne, Blake, and Peyton will travel in the car out there." Nash nodded toward the front door. "Your Zeta uniforms should convince any agents you meet that you've recaptured these two."
"They think we have a score to settle," Corinne said. "After you escaped from the facility we went back and told them we lost you. They think we're deeply regretful." She cocked her head so her ponytail fell to the side.
"And are you?" Matt asked. His whole body looked tense, ready to react depending on her reply.
"Not even a little bit," Blake replied.
Matt nodded slowly but his posture only relaxed slightly.
"Right then. You four will go together." Nash said. "Matt, Kane, and I will be a few hours behind, but we'll take the inland route."
"I'd rather travel with Peyton," Matt said, his eyes on me.
Nash fixed him with a frown. "You usually complain when I pair you up."
Matt shrugged. "Someone has to keep her out of trouble."
"I can do that," Dyson said.
"Me too," Blake agreed. "She's in good hands."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Matt muttered.
"Jealous?" I asked.
Matt snorted. "Of course not." His mouth moved for a moment longer, but he eventually closed it, his teeth clicking.
I let the silence hang for a moment before I broke it. "Is there such a thing as demons?"
Every eye turned to stare at me.
"Demons?" Ariana echoed.
"Yeah. At the Zeta facility I saw a guy with red skin, like something out of a movie." I hadn't been sure I had really seen him, or if I had dreamed it. Maybe I'd hit my head and he was a hallucination.
"Red skin," Nash echoed. At least he wasn't laughing. Yet. "What did he do?"
"He took the stone Zeta was using to dampen witches' ability to do magic. He had two people with him, but they both looked human."
Nash rubbed his chin. "Yes, there are such things as demons," he said slowly. "They are…a shifter mutation, if you like. Instead of shifting into an animal, they can change into a form most of us would find repugnant. A mutant ant, for example. Others are almost entirely human except for some minor quirk, like glowing eyes."
"Demons are real," Corinne agreed. "What Nash said is accurate. They tend to live in inner cities and only interact with their own kind. Some are resentful of the fact." She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "Some of them would like to step out of the shadows, but their elders hold them back."
"Yeah, but mostly they're just normal paranormals like us," Blake said. "I went to school with some."
I exhaled loudly. "Thank the gods. For a moment there I thought we'd have to tackle Zeta on one side and demons on the other."
"We still might," Corinne said. "The stone they took is powerful. The gods only know what they might want it for."
I cocked my head at her. "You told me where to find it."
"Yes, I did." She regarded me for a moment. "I was hoping to get to it first."
"So you knew they were after it?" I asked.
She looked toward Blake, then back at me. "I suspected they might be. Demons, like shifters, can hide in plain sight. They could have been waiting there for months, hoping someone would do what you did and disconnect the stone from the dampening field."
"They could also have been days away," Blake said. "We couldn't be sure."
"So there's an ancient and potentially dangerous artefact loose in the world," I said. "One that does weird things to witches."
Nash frowned. "It stopped witches from drawing magic. Are you suggesting it does something else?"
I swallowed. "I've been able to draw more quickly and with stronger spells ever since I came into contact with it. I thought maybe it was to do with unlocking my phoenix side."
Nash shook his head slowly. "That's not how that works."
"It was the stone," Corinne said softly. "It siphons off power, but it also releases it. It's taken the power from one witch and given it to you."
3
I gaped.
"So I'm walking around with someone else's magic while they have none?" I wanted Corinne to deny it, but she wouldn't meet my eyes.
"Is it yours?" Kane asked. His blunt question surprised me. Ever the science geek, he looked fascinated, if a little sickened by all of this.
Relatable. I felt the same way myself.
"No," Corinne replied firmly. "Blake and I are fine, fortunately. We were both far enough away not to be impacted. More likely the stone siphoned a Zeta agent's magic, so don't feel too bad. They would have done the same to you, given the chance."
Even knowing she was right didn't make me feel much better. Having someone else's magic inside me felt dirty somehow, although at least it hadn't done me any harm.
Yet.
"So what would a demon do with the stone?" I asked. "Take magic and keep it themselves?"
"Only someone with the innate ability to use magic can absorb it and use it." Corinne chewed on her thumbnail. "They could certainly make a witch more powerful if they wanted, but that doesn't usually end well."
"Oh good," I said dryly. "Now we get to the part where I'm doomed." I should have known. I narrowed my eyes and her and Blake. Surely they understood the risks before they asked me to shut down the dampening field?
Corinne snorted. "Not doomed, no. Not unless you got your hands on the stone and absorbed a bunch of magic. Then you'd probably go insane."
Matt made a choking sound, as if he was struggling to hold back a snarky remark.
I shot him a look and he made a zipping gesture with his fingers in front of his mouth.
Good call.
"They may want the stone for the same reason Zeta does," Nash said slowly. "To stop witches and wizards from being able to use magic for as long as they live."
"There's another explanation," Ariana said, her voice soft as though she barely dared to speak.
I turned toward her and gestured for her to continue.
"They might just want to keep it out of Zeta's hands," she suggested.
Nash looked thoughtful, then nodded slowly. "It's possible." He didn't seem convinced.
"So they're either a bigger threat than Zeta, or they're potential allies," I reasoned. "I'm glad it's all so clear." I slumped into a chair.
"It would have been handy if they'd stopped to tell you which one it was," Blake said lightly.
I gave him an ironic smile. "Yeah, definitely. It would have been courteous."
"Maybe they did," Dyson said. He rubbed his chin. "They could have stopped to siphon Peyton's magic while she lay unconscious on the floor, but they didn't."
"Right. They stepped around me." That begged a question though. "Can the stone siphon from hybrids?"
Corinne frowned. "It must, since it dampened your magic, but if they took it, you'd still be a shifter."
"Cool. I couldn't do magic but I could still rip their heads off," I said bitterly. Killing Fitz gave me no satisfaction. At least, not as much as it had then, when I was in phoenix form.
"Being a shifter isn't so bad," Dyson said. He sounded slightly hurt at my words.
I rose and moved to put my arms around him. "Of course it's not. Shifters are awesome. I just… I didn't like my phoenix self. I wanted to tear the world apart and set the ruins on fire. If it wasn't for you, I might have." I gave him a squeeze, which he returned.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I keep forgetting that was the first time you knew you could shift. It must have been strange."
"It was. I'm sure it was for you when you were little."
He shrugged with one shoulder. "A bit, but I knew it was coming. The only question was what we'd shift into." He nodded toward Kane, whose face was characteristically red.
Dyson went on. "I was hoping I'd be a tiger."
"Same here," Kane mumbled.
"Me too," Matt said.
<
br /> Every eye in the room swung around to look at him.
"What? I wanted to be a normal shifter, not a mythical creature."
"Gargoyles are cool," I assured him. "Dragons too," I told Nash.
Nash sighed softly. "It could have been worse. I had a childhood friend who was a sphinx. He kept his normal face even when he shifted. It was…weird."
"But you would have preferred an actual animal too?" I asked.
"I would have liked to be something soft and cute like a possum," he admitted.
I grinned. "At least your human form is cuddly."
He grinned back. "You think so?"
"Absolutely." I nodded. I moved over and gave him a hug. He wound his arms around me and drew me closer still. At least with him I had no doubt of his feelings for me. It went way beyond lust and sex.
"So anyway," Kane interrupted. "Can magic be taken from Peyton and given back to the witch it was siphoned from?"
"In theory, yes, if we could find him or her," Corinne replied. "If they're a Zeta agent, would we want to?"
"Hells no," I said firmly. "It feels strange, but I'd rather have extra magic than give it to the enemy."
"And if it's not the enemy?" Matt asked. "Would you take the risk?"
I hesitated. "Yes, I would," I said finally. "Without it, they're vulnerable."
Matt nodded. "I'll keep an ear out for any witches or wizards turning up without their magic."
"We should all be watchful in case the demon isn't on our side," Nash said. "That makes this travel north even riskier." He was firmly back in his teacher cum bossman hat. There was no questioning him with that look on his face. He was hot as hells, but more than that, he made me feel safe and loved. I would have preferred to travel with him, but I trusted his judgment. Well, more or less. The last time he had a plan, I ended up in a Zeta laboratory.
Okay, maybe I should have questioned his decisions a bit more.
"Maybe we should fly instead of drive," I suggested. "On a plane, I mean. Unless one of you guys has a helicopter up your sleeve?" I looked around hopefully.
"I have second cousins who have one," Blake replied. "They mostly keep to themselves these days."
Corinne nodded. "They do. By the time any of them checked their phones, we'd almost be in Illusion Bay anyway."
Logical Magic (Academy of Modern Magic Book 3) Page 2
