Magic Sight

by Leia Stone

  “Yeah, busy not taking my call is what you were. Listen, we’ve got a major problem. The humans are up in arms. The sirens—”

  Please don’t say it, please...

  “—they’ve escaped again. Both of them this time.”

  I let Mack go on while I processed that shit for news. Sirens loose. Tsunami approaching … my head was reeling.

  “I don’t know what kind of clusterfuck the human authorities are running,” Mack fumed, “but this next time I’m keeping them myself until the humans can prove they actually have a way to contain the bitches.”

  “You’re sure they’re out?” I asked when I finally found my voice.

  “A hundred percent. And I need you to bring them back to me right away. I’ll pay you big time, Evie. You and Cass are the only ones that can handle them. Are you up for it? The bounty is at a hundred large this time. The humans are willing to pay big bucks to get these bitches under lock and key. Again.”

  I barely registered the money. All I could think was that the bitch who’d killed Gran was on the loose again, and this time she had her sister with her.

  “Yeah, I’m on it,” I said. My voice could cut glass.

  “Good. Call me when you have something.” And the satyr hung up.

  “What’d he want?” Cass asked right away.

  “Calista and her sister … have broken out.”

  “What?” Molly squealed.

  “Both of them?” Tianna asked, her shock evident across her face.

  I nodded numbly. “They’re on the loose, and it’s Cass’ and my job to bring them back in.”

  Brock let loose a wicked snarl. I didn’t dare meet the fury I was certain I’d find in his gaze. Because I knew exactly what this meant.

  My bestie squeezed my hand. “You know what this means, right?” he asked.

  “Yeah, they’re the ones causing the tsunami. Which means we can’t go anywhere.”

  I’d never heard of sirens powerful enough to move tectonic plates, but these were no ordinary sirens. I shivered just thinking about what would happen if all three of them got together, when two of them were this powerful.

  “Mother. Fucker!” Brock roared.

  “If they’re heading toward the gate, that means the tsunami is only a distraction to get us out of the area,” I said. Now it was clear as day.

  “So that you’d leave the gate exposed,” Molly added.

  “Yep.” I nodded, sure that’s what the conniving bitches were planning.

  “Do the sirens have the power to create a tsunami?” Brock asked, probably deliberating whether or not he was going to try to fling me over his shoulder and force me to safety.

  Cass scowled. “I think they do. These sirens are legendary. Calista let us take her into custody so she could break her sister out.”

  “I agree,” I said. “Together they could probably pull it off, because Calista’s had her magic enhanced by nasty witches.”

  “The nastiest,” Tianna said, nodding. “With the assistance of witches, Calista could probably pull that shit off.”

  “Let’s go,” I told Brock. “I’ve got a gate to protect.”

  The alpha just settled his beautiful mouth into grim lines and helped me ashore. From the distracted look on his face I could tell he was already communicating with Ray. We’d need all hands on deck to survive this one.

  20 Preparing for Doom

  Brock and Tianna drove us back to the property like they were Formula One drivers courting a death wish. Engines whirred and gunned, tires squealed, as we raced, unimpeded, in the opposite direction of the thousands of people fleeing the tsunami. A few kind-hearted drivers flashed their lights and honked to warn us we were headed into danger. Several drivers of less kindly dispositions shouted obscenities at us, suggesting we were idiots. Of course, none of them had any way of knowing that heading straight into danger was how we rolled.

  We were their best bet at stopping the tsunami. Congestion along the highways prevented traffic from moving rapidly enough, and chances were slim that these families would manage to put enough distance between them and the giant wall of destruction barreling our way, building momentum beneath the ocean’s waters.

  The sirens were all about saving themselves, and maybe also about saving the third sister locked inside the underworld—for now. They were most likely hell bent on destroying Earth. Who knew what their true motivation was for siccing a tsunami on the northwest? I just wanted them dead. I had no intention of returning them to Mack. They were too dangerous. No, I’d have to kill them and tell him it was an accident, life or death. Screw the hundred grand bounty. I needed to be able to sleep at night. I couldn’t risk them breaking free yet again.

  Our only hope of saving all these people from the tsunami was to find and stop the sisters. If my hunch was right, and their magic was encouraging the tsunami to build in force and head this way, interrupting their magic was the only way to stop it.

  And the only chance of sparing the fleeing families from the vicious creatures from the underworld was to seal that fucking gate. If the gate tore all the way open and those underworlders crawled out of it, there’d be no escaping them. There’d be no place far enough that anyone could flee to secure their safety. Humanity would be well and truly fucked.

  Save the world. No pressure.

  I rolled my neck to either side to alleviate some of the tension. Brock noticed and placed a hand on my thigh as he turned his fancy truck onto the long drive toward home in a squeal of tires.

  “Damn, that woman can drive,” Molly said from the back seat, where she was sandwiched once more by my warrior protectors and looking out the windshield at Tianna ahead of us.

  “It’s not her, it’s the car,” Haru said.

  “That’s one fine car.” Reo nodded his agreement beside him, his sexy man bun bouncing along with his head.

  I stared ahead at the sleek lines of Tianna’s ‘67 Mustang Fastback. She’d pulled ahead of Brock at the end, and I could tell Brock was pissed he didn’t have the chance to pass her before we arrived at the property. The cherry red finish of the Mustang gleamed in the afternoon sunlight. No doubt, that was one fine car, all sexy curves. But still, Tianna kicked ass and took names.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s the woman,” I said.

  My bestie was definitely going to have his hands full with that wild woman. And he was going to love it.

  Brock ignored our chatter about Tianna’s ride. “Ray’s gathered all the wolves.” His words were curt and strong—he was in alpha mode. “I’m going to have to tell them about you, Ev. The gate you protect—everything. They’ve seen your fox form and been good about not asking a lot of questions, but they need to better understand what’s going on since we’re going to need their help protecting you.”

  I squirmed in my seat. “Okay. So you’re going to tell them I’m a kitsune?”

  “I think I should. The stakes have gotten too high to keep them in the dark. I’m asking them to risk their lives and remain in place while a tsunami comes for them. I’d like to be able to explain so they understand. They’ll follow my orders no matter what I command, but everything will go smoother if they know why they’re doing things.”

  I suspected this was as close as the alpha was going to get to asking for my permission. His responsibility was to me and our baby, but also to his pack. And there were a lot of wolves in his pack—in our pack. I was a part of them too. They were my family as much as the people in this car.

  I turned to the back seat. “Haru? Reo? Will that be a problem?”

  The brothers exchanged a look. “Not anymore,” Reo answered. “The greatest danger was having the Akuma find out what you are.”

  “That cat’s well and truly out of the bag, meowing like a bitch in heat,” Molly grumbled. She rubbed absently at the puckered scar on her belly. I imagined it’d be a long time before she could forget what the Akuma did to her.

  Haru squeezed her hand. “I’d still recommend asking y
our wolves not to share the information, Brock. The fewer people that know, the safer Evie will be.”

  “You don’t need to tell me that twice,” Brock said, throwing the truck in park amidst a plume of dirt. A second later he was out of the truck, racing around the hood to open my door. I hopped out and we turned to face his advancing wolves.

  They were walking out of the woods in large groups. There had to be nearly a hundred of them, all strong and fierce as they took in their alpha and my motley crew.

  My stomach quivered at the thought of how many lives I was endangering with my mission. It didn’t matter one bit that I’d done nothing to choose the situation, nor that I couldn’t control a fucking tsunami or the underworld. Meeting the waiting gazes of so many wolves felt like crap. How many would die before this shit-fest was over?

  “Wolves,” Brock called out to them. “I’m sure you’re all wondering what the hell is going on. Time isn’t on our side, so I’ll make it brief. The siren, Calista, has escaped. This time she has one of her triplet sisters with her.”

  Disgruntled sounds of objection circled the standing wolves.

  “The sirens escaped around the same time as the tsunami warning was issued. I doubt that’s a coincidence. Calista’s power has been enhanced by some nasty witches, and with the addition of her sister, we think she’s capable of directing such massive amounts of water here.”

  A few of the wolves nodded. They’d all have a basic understanding of how siren magic worked.

  “We assume the sirens want to evacuate the area so they can come onto our property without our interference and access the gate to the underworld.”

  I scanned the wolves, spotting Ray, Sabine, Chad, and Goose. They hung on every one of their alpha’s words.

  Brock took my hand and pulled me closer to him, his way of showing his support of me, and I knew the big announcement was coming. I tilted my chin upward and pretended I didn’t give a fuck what any of them thought of me.

  “What I haven’t told you yet is that”—Brock looked over at me—“Evie is a kitsune.”

  A few gasps interrupted the silence that followed Brock’s pronouncement.

  Cass sidled to my other side and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He cut a black-stared glare across the field of wolves. It said, you mess with Evie, you mess with me. My good ol’ bestie...

  “A fox shifter?” someone asked from the far right.

  Brock nodded. “Not just any fox shifter. She’s the true protector of the gate to the underworld. Her kitsune power is the one thing that can close the gate. Combined with her witch magic, she’s the only chance we have at sealing the gate for good. I’m sure I don’t need to tell any of you how important it is that we prevent the underworld from pouring out onto Earth. Evie’s the only person alive who can prevent that. We protect her with everything we’ve got. If we have to, we give our lives.”

  Brock took a couple of steps toward his wolves, pulling me along with him. Cass moved with us, puffing out his chest to make himself appear bigger.

  “From here on out, the pack’s number one priority is protecting Evie,” Brock stated.

  A few of the wolves bristled.

  “And no, it’s not because she’s the woman I love, and it’s not because she’s carrying my child. Keeping them safe is just a sweet bonus. You’re my family as much as she is. It’s because she was born to guard the gate and keep our land, and all of humanity, safe from the creatures of the underworld.”

  He paused, allowing his message to settle across his audience, while my heart thumped in my chest. He’d announced that he loved me to all his wolves.

  Murmurs spread across the wolves, though I wasn’t yet able to gauge their general response.

  “As a pack, we’ve always protected humanity from evil. Safeguarding this land which holds the gate has been my family’s priority for years. Now there’s no one left to do it but us. The pack will scour the property for the sirens. If you find them, you kill them. I’m no longer interested in trapping them, and I think the werewolf council would agree.”

  I suspected not even Mack would object too highly if we delivered the sirens to him dead, as long as we delivered them. Sure, we’d be out a bounty of a hundred grand, but at this point the relief would be well worth the monetary loss.

  Wolves growled their agreement. It was good the pack was on the same page.

  “Catch or kill the sirens and let me know immediately. We’ll need to incapacitate their magic to end this tsunami threat.”

  I bit my lip. I hoped Tianna knew how to do that. This was going to be a team effort all around.

  “Stay alert. Stay safe. And stay alive.” Brock took a few precious moments to meet the eyes of his wolves, and I could understand why he was their alpha. They trusted and respected him.

  Brock met Ray’s gaze last. Whatever else Brock was saying, he spoke only for his second to hear. Finally, Ray nodded and spun to face the wolves. He started rattling off names while pointing to quadrants of the property, and wolves scurried to do his bidding—Brock’s bidding.

  “All right,” I said. “Let’s go find this gate and close ‘er up.” Yeah, I wasn’t believing it was going to be that easy either. I patted my katana in its sheath across my back to reassure myself that I sort of had my shit together. “Molly, you protect the cabin.”

  She was already shaking her purple head. “No way. Who cares what happens to the cabin if the world goes to shit?”

  “You need rest. You almost just died. We got really lucky you didn’t. Go to the cabin, kick your feet up, watch some old flicks. I think there’s still beer in the fridge.”

  And I cared if my beloved Gran’s cabin was damaged.

  Molly brought her shotgun to rest on her shoulder. “You’ve never rested when you almost died, and you’ve almost died plenty.”

  Brock growled next to me.

  Thanks for reminding him, Molly.

  I steeled my face to my apprentice. Whether she liked it or not, she was my responsibility, which meant I needed to look after her even when she didn’t like how I went about it. “Just take a time out for now.”

  Molly’s eyes blazed before she breathed deeply and got herself under control. “This is all because I’m the only human here, isn’t it? I’ll bet if I was a wolf no one would treat me like I was made of glass.”

  “You had an Akuma talon in you just a few hours ago!” I barked, but Molly was right. If she were a supernatural, I wouldn’t worry about her as much.

  Molly cocked a hip and an eyebrow. “So? You healed me.”

  Cass moved over to our apprentice. “Come on, Molly. I’ll help you get settled in and then join them.” Oh, Molly wasn’t happy about that, but she followed my BFF off to the cabin anyway.

  I unclasped the band of my sword’s sheath from across my chest and handed my katana to Haru. “Take it. I need to shift to check out the gate,” I said. That green phosphorescent gate was only visible in my fox form. I needed to fully assess how open it was. Had things changed?

  The warriors nodded. “Good plan,” Reo agreed.

  “Lucky me.” I forced a tight smile. Shifting hurt like a motherfucker. The pain was supposed to diminish with each time, but so far it hadn’t diminished enough. Maybe the fifth time would be the charm.

  “Hold up, Evie,” Haru said. “Before you shift, we need to talk to you about something.” He and Reo walked away from the others, just far enough that they wouldn’t overhear. Curious, I followed them, Brock on my tail.

  “What is it?” Brock asked sharply. He was on edge. Tension rolled off his taut muscles and through our bond.

  Haru and Reo exchange a wary look. “Closing the gate isn’t a science,” Reo said. “There’s no one single confirmed way to do it. It’s more of a guess, really—”

  “Out with it,” Brock said, and I slipped my hand into his and squeezed in an effort to calm him down.

  Haru sighed and ran a hand through his short hair, a rare nervous gesture. “Her f
ather didn’t give us much direction, but one thing was clear. Evie needs all nine tails before she’ll be able to harness enough power to close the gate.”

  And just like that, they dropped the bomb. Five more shifts. Five. I would have to complete five more shifts before I was ready. Even if I did one a day that might be too much for the baby, and we had hours to close this gate before the tsunami arrived, not days.

  “No fucking way…” Brock’s voice was deadly.

  “It could hurt the baby,” I explained to the warriors.

  They nodded in unison. “We thought we had more time to let you ease into the shifts and acquire your powers, but talk to your doctor and see what she thinks you can do. Shift once now and we can take it slowly. The siren doesn’t know the exact placement of the gate yet, right?”

  I was hoping not, but Calista was a wild card. I just shrugged.

  “If we can find them today, stop the tsunami and kill them, it could buy us a few weeks until you can acquire all of your tails and close the gate.”

  They both bowed to me, looking regretful that they’d had to be the bearers of bad news, and walked to the side to give Brock and me privacy.

  Brock turned on me right away, his face animated with anger. “Didn’t that witch tell you not to shift too often? That it might jack up your powers?” The veins in his neck bulged; I stroked his bicep in soft, soothing motions.

  “Yes, she did. And I’ve been cautious, as I’ll continue to be cautious. Let’s stop the sirens from bringing that tsunami to shore and then we’ll worry about the gate. I’ll shift at a rate that Sabine thinks is safe. If we kill the sirens, we can buy time before closing the gate.”

  His agitation receded a bit while he seemed to come to terms with what the warriors had said. “Okay,” he said, but his nostrils still flared.

  Tianna stepped forward, flicking a sheet of glorious coppery hair across her shoulder. How her hair still looked like she’d just stepped out of a salon after all we’d been through, I had no idea. It must be magic.

  “Sorry to eavesdrop, dearies, but I’d also like to try to see how we can bring your witch magic through into your fox form,” she said. “There’s got to be some way we can combine the two to blow up this damn gate.”