by B N Miles
Every time he slept with his girls, the Need was wiped clean, flushed from his body in one burst of magical pleasure.
“Are you a little jealous?” he asked. “If you are, we can have some private time.”
Lumi cracked a tiny smile. “You wish,” she said. “As if any of those girls out there are about to share.”
“Oh, come on,” Jared said. “If you want private time, you know they’ll give it to you.”
“I know.” She let out a breath then stood on her toes and kissed him. “It’s okay, really. The Need’s just bugging me. I haven’t had a release all day.”
“I know what you mean,” Jared said. “Come on, let’s unpack this and get eating, then we can get to the fun stuff.”
She nodded and her smile dissipated. Together they unpacked the large brown bags, pulling out black plastic containers with clear lids. When the food was set out on the counters, which included an absurd amount and variety that was probably enough to feed an entire dorm of hungry college kids for a week, they got plates and silverware and went to set the table.
Nikki sat on the couch with Jessalene on one side and Cassie on the other. Nikki kissed them both, Jessa first then Cassie, beaming like she just won some kind of prize.
Jared couldn’t blame her. Jessalene and Cassie were both beautiful girls, and he knew it could take a lot to win them over.
Cassie caught Jared’s eye then jumped off the couch and bounded over, her hair bouncing with every step. She wore tight yoga pants and a revealing white tank top. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him hard, and he felt her body tight against his, her warmth radiating through him.
If Jared was the center of the group, then Cassie was the largest planet in his orbit. She pulled in all the others with her smile, her charm, and her endless optimism. He knew that without her, none of this would have happened, none of it would have been possible.
Without her, Jared would still be working day in and day out for the Marshal Service, never using his magic, never living beyond his little tiny sphere.
“Feeling better?” she asked.
He shrugged. “A little.”
“I know you need to decompress after the office.” She nuzzled his chest. “But I get so excited when you come home.”
“You know I miss you guys when I’m working,” Jared said and kissed her. He spanked her ass and she laughed and hit his chest.
Nikki and Jessalene joined them, and together they got the table set then brought out the food.
“New Thai place opened up near one of my businesses,” Nikki said. “I thought we’d try it.”
It smelled amazing, and Jared realized he was starving as they set up the feast. There was a spicy shrimp soup, fried catfish with green mango salad, an incredible Pad Thai, fried rice, a few curry dishes, minced pork, fried chicken with Thai basil and chilies, and a bunch of other food Jared never got a chance to try.
He piled his plate high as the girls talked.
“I love that dress, Nikki,” Cassie said. “What’s the occasion?”
“Out of town Vampires,” Nikki said. “I have to show them a good time, you know?”
Jared snorted. “Good time?”
Nikki shot him a look but her lips curled into a smile.
“I showed them around the city, took them to some exclusive clubs, and made sure they understood that their Underlord was not to be underestimated.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Lumi said with a straight face.
Jared sighed. “That’s not what I meant.”
Nikki laughed and put a hand on his arm. Her eyes glittered again and he could have sworn she was doing that on purpose.
“Do you do that a lot?” Cassie asked. “Show new Vampires around?”
“Only the old ones,” Nikki said. “And only if they’re important. Otherwise, Vampires come and go and I normally don’t even hear about it. I have people to handle them.”
“I didn’t realize Vampires kept track of each other so closely,” Jessalene said.
“We have to.” Nikki sighed and speared some shrimp that was drenched in spicy coconut sauce. “If there’s an outbreak of feeding, if some Humans start turning up drained of their blood, we need to know if there are new Vampires in town.”
“Must be hard, keeping them under control,” Jared said.
She made a dismissive gesture. “So long as our blood supply flows, it’s not so difficult. Besides, we all know the rules, and we follow them the best we can.”
“And what happens when you can’t follow them?” Cassie asked.
Nikki raised her eyebrows. “Well, that just never happens.”
Everyone laughed and Jared let the girls move on to other topics. Jared knew Cassie got excited when Nikki came over. He wished Nikki could stay with them more, although he knew that could get complicated, considering her position in the city.
And her desire to drink his blood.
That had taken some getting used to. The first time he let her feed from him was in exchange for medical aid. Jessalene was hurt, and Jared would’ve done anything to help her.
Now though, he let her feed on him, just a little bit, because she loved it so much. He’d been uncomfortable with it at first, but soon he began to look forward to it. He would let her drink just enough of his priori-tinged blood to get her high on the stuff.
Those were always the nights when she let loose.
As Jared pushed his food around his plate, he felt something tug at the back of his mind. He frowned a little, head tilted to the side. It felt like when Nikki made contact with the wards earlier, knocking in a specific pattern to grab their attention, but different. There was no pattern to it, just an odd, staccato probing, like maybe a bird had gotten stuck at the top or something.
Then he felt a sharp stab and he took a deep breath.
Lumi sat up straight and he met her eyes. They stared at each other for a long second as Cassie said something that made Nikki and Jessalene laugh.
“Where?” Jared asked Lumi.
“Out front,” she said. “Just one person.”
“Shit,” he said and winced again as the flash from the wards hit him. “He’s strong.”
“What’s going on?” Cassie asked.
The table was silent, and everyone stared at Jared.
“Someone’s outside,” Lumi said and pushed back from the table. “There’s a Magi trying to break through.”
The silence thickened and Jared could taste the tension. He stood and rolled his neck, his eyes hard, his body ready.
He’d been planning for this moment ever since they learned that the Medlar Family was coming for Cassie.
“Stay here,” he said.
Nikki rose. “You can use my help,” she said. “It’s after sundown.”
Jared shook his head. “Stay here,” he said again. “Watch Cassie and Jessa.”
“We don’t need to be watched,” Jessalene said, but Jared was already walking to the door.
Lumi followed him.
“Do you recognize that magic?” he asked, his voice pitched low.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “It’s not Medlar, at least.”
Jared grunted, suddenly unsure of himself, and put a hand against the door. If it wasn’t a Medlar trying to break through, he could imagine who would be dumb enough to try against wards like those. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the magic pummeling against his own. It was brutish and inelegant and noisy, a sledgehammer against steel. Most Magi he knew would’ve tried something much subtler to break through the wards he’d set with Lumi, especially considering how strong they were.
And yet, whoever was outside kept throwing himself harder and harder, dumping more and more magic.
He took a breath and dropped his hand.
“Shit,” he said.
“What?” Lumi tilted her head and Jared could sense the power flowing into her as she drew on the priori.
“I know who’s out there,” he said,
reaching for his own strength.
Together, they opened a hole in the wards, and Jared opened the door.
3
Jared stepped out through his front door with Lumi at his back. She glowed with priori, the energy crackling down her arms and hands. The street looked gray, like the color was sucked from the world around them, except for a small person-sized door at the end of the stoop, a few feet away.
Standing framed in the threshold, his face red, sweat pouring from his brow, a wicked smile on his lips, was Jared’s uncle Rolf.
He was a heavy-set man, his torso and arms half-covered in fat and the rest laced through with muscle. Rolf wore a ragged hoodie that was stained and torn in several places. His sleeves were rolled up to reveal thick, hairy forearms. His cargo shorts had tears in them, and his sneakers were falling apart. His hair was a shock of shaggy white and black, and a shaggy gray beard covered his grinning face. His almost-black eyes twinkled with mad delight, and Jared felt himself reach for an aggressive battle memgram, just in case.
“There’s my nephew,” Rolf said and gave a deep laugh. Jared sensed magic tingling along his uncle’s body.
“What do you want, Rolf?” Jared asked.
“I come to pay my nephew a visit. I think to myself, Rolf, he is family, you must go and speak to him.” Rolf laughed again and shook his messy head. “And when I show up, what do I find? This Medlar trash.” He flicked a hand at the wards and sent lightning arcing up along its length.
“Not Medlar trash,” Jared said. “That was my design.”
Rolf grunted. “Looks like Medlar to me. And is that little Lumi hiding behind you? Hello, little Lumi, I know you well, although I don’t think you know me.”
Lumi shifted to stand next to Jared and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I have no reason to know someone like you,” she said.
Rolf chuckled. “I must say, Nephew, you have interesting friends,” Rolf said. “And if you truly did make these wards, it seems as though your strength is returning.”
“What do you want?” Jared asked. “We’re in the middle of dinner.”
“I’d be happy to come join your meal, if that’s an invitation,” Rolf said.
“Rolf,” Jared said, his tone sharp.
His uncle laughed again and spread his arms out, palms up. Jared always hated Rolf, even when he was a child, especially when he was a child. Rolf was unpredictable: kind and jovial one day, violent and dangerous the next. All Bechtels were like that to some degree, especially the older ones. Jared’s family had the unique ability to use two memgrams at the same time, but drawing on enough power to create and maintain two spells caused them to go insane faster than the average Magi.
That was why his family remained a minor branch, doomed to madness at a young age, drowning in their own power.
“Very well,” Rolf said. “We can dispense with the niceties. I suspect little Lumi isn’t going to let me speak for much longer, considering the amount of power she’s drawing.”
Jared glanced at Lumi. He hadn’t noticed, but Rolf was right. Lumi had drawn a great deal of energy into herself, sucking in a vast amount of raw priori. Without a memgram to shape it, the stuff would stick inside her body and linger there, causing a whole lot of Need. Based on the amount she’d harnessed, Jared guessed she would be suffering pretty badly at the end of this.
He turned his attention back to Rolf.
“Then you’d better start talking,” he said.
“You owe your family a favor,” Rolf said. “And I’m here to collect.”
Jared’s eyebrows raised. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
Two months ago, he’d gone to his family for help, and they provided it. But in exchange, his sister made him promise to do them a favor down the line. He never really expected them to come collect it, since he had left the Bechtels behind and disgraced himself in their eyes.
But here was Rolf, standing on the sidewalk just outside of his house.
“You don’t have to give them anything,” Lumi said through a clenched jaw.
He held out a hand and took a breath.
“What’s the favor?” he asked.
Rolf grinned and reached into the pouch of his sweatshirt. He took out a rolled manila envelope and held it out. Jared took a step closer and took it from his uncle.
“We want you to find him,” Rolf said. “That little bastard did a job for us then got himself caught, and now he’s on the run. We want you to track him down and to tell us where he’s hiding.”
Jared frowned and opened the envelope. Inside were papers, official looking documents. The top one was a profile with a photograph attached. It was the headshot of a handsome man, dark eyes, dark hair, long bird-like nose, gaunt cheeks.
“Who is this?” Jared asked.
“That is Taavi Plains,” Rolf said. “Better known as Three-Finger Taavi.”
Jared frowned as he skimmed the profile. Age unknown, height and weight estimated to be around five foot ten and one hundred and forty pounds. Brown hair, brown eyes, light brown skin, no known tattoos, no known piercings.
And he was a Plethoak.
Jared shook his head.
“No way,” he said.
Rolf held up his hands. “This is our favor,” he said. “Are you refusing a simple request?”
“I’m not getting involved with a Plethoak,” Jared said.
Lumi frowned and cocked her head. “And what are you doing hiring a Plethoak thief?” she asked.
“None of your business, little Lumi,” Rolf said with a vicious grin. “Three-Fingers is a well known and reliable contractor.”
“But it seems like something went wrong if I have to find him,” Jared said. “What do you mean he got caught?”
Rolf sighed and looked up at the sky as though he was losing his patience. “It’s in the file,” he said.
“Give me the fast version before I close these wards and tell you to go fuck yourself.” Jared felt a surge of annoyance. He didn’t have time for this. The Need was already starting to bite at him, he had a nice meal inside, and his girls were waiting.
“Three-Fingers stole an object for us,” Rolf said. “In the process of stealing it, he got found out, but he managed to elude capture. Now, your Marshal Service is hunting him down, and we want to find him before they do.”
Jared took a deep breath and let it out.
“So you want to use me as your inside man,” Jared said.
Rolf shrugged and tilted his head. “I don’t want to be involved in your hunt, Nephew. I only care that you find Three-Fingers and tell us where he’s hiding. The Marshals can have him when we’re finished, we only want what he owes.”
Jared looked back down at the envelope. He slipped through the documents inside then passed them off to Lumi. He felt her drop her guard, her power evaporating off her skin in blue waves.
“You’re asking a lot,” Jared said. “If I get caught interfering with this, I could lose my job.”
Rolf snorted. “Big loss.”
“It would be a big loss,” Jared said. “We need that job right now.”
Rolf waved his hand like he was swatting gnats. “Then think about it,” he said. “I’ll return for your answer tomorrow night. Remember, you owe us this, and Magi pay their debts, whether they want to or not.”
Jared opened his mouth to answer then shut it again. He clenched his jaw and took a shaky breath. He hadn’t entered into a pact with his uncle or his sister, but breaking a deal like this was no small thing. He’d draw the attention of his entire family, and he couldn’t afford that, not right now.
Not with the Medlar hanging over his head.
“We’ll think about it,” Jared said.
“It was nice seeing you again, Nephew,” Rolf said. “Next time, I won’t bother knocking.”
He turned and walked down the street. Jared closed his eyes and reached out with his power. He knit the wards closed again then turned and stepped back inside.
Lumi lingered on the stoop. Jared turned and leaned against the doorframe.
“What?” he asked.
“I know this man,” she said, her voice soft. “I worked with him once.”
Jared hesitated, eyes narrowed. “He worked for the Medlar?”
She nodded. “He acquired some things for my family,” she said. “I don’t remember what, but I do remember it had to do with property deeds.”
“Do you think he might know what your family’s plans are?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “But if he’s on the run, I bet everyone’s looking for him.”
Jared chewed on that for a moment. His eyes scanned the street, gray and black and lifeless. A woman walked a small white dog on the sidewalk opposite, and she looked like a baby fish swimming through a huge fish tank leeched of all its color.
“Come on,” Jared said. “Let’s go see what the others think.” He put a hand on her shoulder as she tucked the papers back into the envelope.
“Yeah.” She took a breath and leaned against him. “I took too much.”
“I know.” He pulled her closer and kissed her. “We’ll take care of you.”
She smiled at him, just the smallest upturn of her full lips, and allowed him to lead her back inside.
Jared shut the door behind them, and they rejoined Cassie, Jessalene, and Nikki at the table.
4
Lumi dropped the manila envelope on the kitchen table and the girls went silent as Jared walked into the kitchen. He got himself a beer and when he came back, Cassie removed some of the food and Nikki spread the documents out.
“Who was that?” Cassie asked. “It didn’t sound good.”
“My uncle,” Jared said.
“Really?” Cassie frowned and tilted her head. “I thought you weren’t on good terms with your family.”
“I’m not,” Jared said.
“His uncle is an asshole,” Lumi said.
