Bonds of the Mazza

by Blake Blessing

  “Sage, seriously?” I so wanted to peek around him to get another look, but I restrained myself.

  Hands on my arms propelled me around Sage and through the room.

  “We aren’t stopping here anyway. At least not right now. I want to get you all settled in first before we start with any festivities.”

  Conversations stopped and heads swiveled my way. The men draped over the plush lounges stood up and locked gazes on me. Caught off guard, I stopped walking, and Cab—maybe—ran right into me.

  “Doll face. You have to keep walking for us to make it to your room.” Cab gave me a nudge in the back. My feet refused to move as the working men stalked toward me as their tiny little squares rose in greeting, devious smirks on display.

  Sage and Rand stood on either side of me, ready to ward off the effects of the intense draw of the Mazza.

  “Doll? Sage, Rand? What the hell’s going on?”

  “We need to get out of here and to our room, fast.” Rand grabbed my hand, as if having a direct link to me would have kept everyone else at bay.

  I thought the little spell Yunez used to cover my marks would have tamped down this weird attraction. From their tense shrugs, the guys were just as surprised as me. No way would they have brought me to this place if they thought this would have been an issue.

  One deliciously handsome man stepped right up to me, flexing and posing his body so his muscles were more defined.

  Do not look, Iss. Do not look.

  I managed to keep my attention on his face, because I would have clawed eyes out if the situation were reversed. I loved that I could be so honest with myself.

  “Hey lover.” Loincloth man purred. “I would love to be your companion for the night. I can make you feel so good. I don’t even mind sharing. Bring your friends with you.” He lifted a hand but it never got within two feet of my face.

  “Okay!” Sage bellowed and dragged me behind him. “No one is having any fun with our friend here. She’s off limits.” He spun around so he was pushing me backward out of the room. He pulled my arms so tight around him, I practically molded into his back.

  Another worker laughed. “No one is off limits here, or why even bother coming?” He winked lasciviously and stepped forward.

  “Time to go.” Rand stole me from Sage and tossed me over his shoulder. I didn’t put up a fight as he ran out of the room. I witnessed the wild lust in the workers’ eyes, and when it was strangers staring at you that way, it wasn’t going to end well. Sage and Cab followed behind us, glancing periodically behind them to make sure we weren’t being pursued. When Cabbie reached the parlor door, he slammed it shut and locked it. The knob jiggled furiously and it sounded like angry birds hitting the wood. Rand kept going and when we reached a set of stairs, he climbed at what had to have been Cullen speed. Not really, but it was hella fast.

  “Third floor. Go right, all the way to the end.” Cabbie exhaled.

  I picked my head up to see how close they were behind us. Sage was right on our heels, but Cabbie wheezed like an eighty-year-old, veteran smoker, at the bottom of the staircase.

  “Seriously, Cab? We’ve gone all of five feet.” My voice shook from bouncing on Rand’s shoulder.

  Wait, I didn’t know this guy. He seemed cool and laid back, but then he also gave off the impression he could be high strung. It was really easy to fall into a sense of old friendship, but I didn’t want to offend him.

  He took another deep breath and fell a little further behind. When he looked up, a whisper of a smile traveled across his face.

  “Doll, I run a pleasure house. There’s no running, only lazy strutting. Maybe the occasional hop for joy.”

  A small giggle passed through my lips, breaking up some of the tension that had hardened in my stomach. Since the attack on Rainer’s property, darkness crowded my thoughts, weighing on my conscience. I had no idea how my LL and I were going to figure out who was behind the attacks when we kept running up against brick walls like this. Or rather naked man walls.

  Sage ran ahead of us and when he reached the end of the hall, he held a door open for us as we passed. From my vantage point we were in a large living room with plush, crème furniture.

  Rand stopped in the middle of the room, sliding me down his body and keeping me pressed close against him. Little zings of electricity zinged between us. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling cuddly. He’d been here a month ago, so I shoved him away.

  For a brief second, hurt flashed across his face but he turned away. And didn’t that make me feel like a complete bitch.

  Rand recovered quickly, glancing at Cabbie before leaning into Sage’s side.

  “Why didn’t Yunez’s spell mute the effects of an unmarked Mazza?” Rand whispered like he was afraid someone would hear us.

  Now that I thought about it, if any Caen members were so inclined they could have absolutely been spying on us.

  I shuffled closer to hear the answer, trying not to draw attention to myself. I knew it was Cabbie they wanted to keep out of the conversation, but it was instinct to fade into the background.

  Cabbie wasn’t paying us any attention as he slumped against the door with his eyes closed. Little drops of sweat were rolling down his temples. It was going to ruin his makeup if he didn’t cool down. That thought made me snicker.

  “I don’t know. Ruk didn’t seem affected. We need to stay in the suite until we can figure it out.” Sage faced Cabbie with his signature RDF. “Cab, can you have Ilya bring dinner and have Dask bring our trunks up? We’re exhausted and we need to rest before we begin to tackle what the hell that was down there.” He paused, then studied Cabbie through narrowed eyes. “Have you ever seen anything like that?”

  To Cabbie, Sage probably came across as confused and curious about what happened, even if a little frustrated. I knew different though, he was trying to gauge how much Cabbie knew, or suspected.

  Rand sidled up and slid his hand in mine, offering a gentle squeeze. I kept my focus on the scene in front of me. Whether his gesture was an apology or comfort, it was nice.

  Across the room, Cabbie strutted over to an oversized chaise lounge and flopped down unceremoniously.

  “Shew! I have no idea what that was. My men are professionals, always cool eggplants.”

  “You mean cucumbers?” I piped in. What the hell was wrong with me? I needed to keep my mouth shut and just listen to him. Who cared what vegetable he referenced.

  “No, Doll. Eggplants because my men are H-U-N-G. Like the large purple engorged plant.” He air swatted my way.

  Of course, the madam was a regular man with sex and body parts on the brain all the time. One who shared his skewed sense of humor with us.

  “No one cares about how well your men are hung, Cab.” Sage prowled closer to Cabbie, and I could have sworn steam rolled out of his ears.

  “Calm down, man. I was only saying that they’re the definition of distant lovers. They excel at keeping their clients at arms-length, never giving any hint their partner arouses them for anything more than a good time.” Cabbie flicked his eyes to my feet, perusing my body all the way to my face. “I don’t get it. You’re gorg, for sure. But I’ve had women visit who are damn near ethereal in their beauty and they didn’t have a reaction at all.”

  “What the hell, Cab?” Rand crushed my hand. “Issy is as beautiful as they come, both inside and out.”

  I threw an elbow into Rand’s ribs to get his attention. He immediately loosened his grip and my fingers throbbed as his eyes met mine in apology. I rubbed my thumb over his knuckles, letting him know it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t like I used my left hand for anything anyway.

  “Aww… So sweet!” Cabbie covered his heart with a large, but delicate hand and fluttered his lashes. “I didn’t mean you weren’t a catch. Clearly you have Rand under your spell and that would take a miracle… The reaction of my men was out of character though.” He sighed as he stood up. “I’ll see if I can make sense of what happened. Don’t open t
he door unless it’s for four slow knocks. That way you know it’s your food and belongings.”

  Cabbie smacked kisses on our cheeks before exiting, then we were left with the uncomfortable silence we rode in with.

  I cleared my throat. “So, uh… let’s check out the set of rooms.”

  The décor was interesting and not at all what I expected. For a pleasure house, it was actually very tasteful—all cream silk and abstract watercolor paintings on the wall—and such a contradiction to the lobby. What were these rooms used for? They definitely didn’t scream sin and sex.

  No one joined me on my short tour of the suite. Why would they? They were probably familiar with the layout since they’ve been here before. On that thought, my steps faltered.

  I spun around to face the guys. “This wasn’t the room that either of you used before on your… business here, is it?”

  Sage plopped on a chaise lounge with a look of innocence suspiciously on his face. Rand, though, he stood there and stared at me with a blank expression.

  “Guys, I know it was long before you knew me. So I’m not mad. The only thing that would make me uncomfortable would be if you used this room for your monkeying around.”

  Rand swiped his hands down his face. “No, this isn’t the place that Cab rents out to patrons. This is the wing he reserves for close friends who come to visit. I’ve stayed in these rooms, but I’ve never brought one of his Cherries here.” He looked to Sage.

  “Same. And it’s been ages since I came here anyway.” He cleared his throat, pointedly looking at Rand.

  I knew he was trying to bait Rand, or maybe he was trying to make him appear less attractive to me. Either way, my ears grew hot with my frustration. Sage burrowed his way into my heart, attitude be damned, but I could have done without some of his childish ways.

  Sage continued to glare at Rand, not hiding his feelings at all. Rand at least had the grace to ignore him. There was something that caught my ear anyway.

  “Cherries?”

  “Cabbie’s term for the ladies he employs. He refers to his men as Stags. I guess it’s just his own little idea of branding.” Sage shrugged.

  I nodded and sat on the couch. It wasn’t like Cabbie’s branding was important anyway. There were so many things we needed to be discussing and unfortunately, why Cabbie names his different lines of business didn’t even rank in the top twenty.

  “All right. First item on the docket, what are our theories on why those men were affected?”

  Rand settled next to me, but kept his distance. Tension radiated from their bodies. Talk about possibly complicating the mission. How were we supposed to investigate the attacks if I couldn’t step foot outside of the suite?

  Threading his fingers together, Sage braced his elbows on his knees. “Who knows with Yunez? It could be a million different reasons. What he placed on you could be wearing off. Although,” he hummed, abandoning his position to study my mark. “It’s still violet. That much is holding. Let me see your wrist.”

  I extended my hand. There was no visible mark on my wrist. Both Rand and Sage reached out a hand to hold my arm lightly in their grip. My skin was so pale against the darker complexions of both men. Seeing the contrast reminds me of how little I knew either of them.

  It was crazy how my life had irrevocably changed, leading me into this weird alternate universe. I needed to investigate seemingly random attacks, and discover who the real villain was. Not to mention, accomplish all this with limited real world experience. I was supposed to do great things? Yeah right, I had a better chance of birthing a unicorn. I hoped they had a solid plan, because I had nothing.

  “What do we do, guys? This just seems hopeless. How are we to find any useful information from the confines of this love room?” I pulled away as I threw my hands up.

  “This isn’t one of the rooms used for services, remember?” Rand rubbed my back.

  As if that little nugget would cheer my spirits up. I gave him a flat look and shook my head in exasperation. After, Rand patted my back awkwardly, then stopped touching me altogether.

  “Whatever. Let’s try this again. What ideas do you two have on either, why those men felt the effects of the Mazza, or how we’re supposed to get any information when I can’t leave the room? Both are important.”

  Sage locked gazes with me and the rest of the room fell away. Damn his sea foam green eyes constantly pulling me in. He appeared so serious and grim, it was a little unsettling.

  “There’s still hope. There might be a required buildup period before all of your Mazza qualities are fully dampened. We can try again tomorrow to see if we get the same result. Although, we won’t be going through the Stag room anytime soon. If ever.” He scowled at me as if the undivided attention of those men was my fault. Like I knew what was in the room.

  “And what about the eighty-four years it took to get here? If that’s your theory, wouldn’t that already be in effect?” I used a haughty voice to show him exactly what I thought of his scowling.

  “Not necessarily. Magic works differently in this realm. This really could just be a fluke.” Rand agreed.

  The two men exchanged a look and it could all be in my head, but it seemed like they were hoping it was a fluke. This was their realm. If anything, wouldn’t their magic work best in their realm?

  “What do you all know about this portal? Or the town? Give me all the details. If the portal for Earth is close to here, I don’t know why we didn’t go through that one.” I stood and paced the length of the living area, turning this over in my mind.

  “This is the city that Aamori runs and while this brothel is technically in her territory, Cab runs this place, both as a business and as the justice system for this neighborhood. It’s been in his family for so long, I can’t ever remember a time where Aamori actually enforced any of her laws in this area. It’s almost as if she pretends it’s not even here.” Sage went to the kitchenette, pouring a glass of water from a sparkling crystal pitcher.

  “The Wasaeris, it’s close to here?”

  “Yes, and because it’s so close, Cab is the unofficial keeper of the portal. I think it makes life easier for Aamori. Let’s start with him and see if he has any information that might be useful. I highly doubt it though. Cab has never been a stranger to any of us, and any information he has would have come out a long time ago.”

  Sage poured two more glasses and then delivered them to Rand and me.

  “Are the portals always outside of the city?” I took one tiny sip of the cool water, and my thirst slammed into me. I guessed I didn’t drink any water on the long trip. And this stuff was fresh and cool with a slight sweetness that slid over my tongue.

  “No, that’s not the case most of the time. There are actually only two portals in existence not within city limits. Getting Aamori’s permission to investigate here was Yunez playing nice in the sandbox. We could have come here on our own, but I have a feeling that we need something from Aamori. I’m not sure what, call it a hunch.” Sage leaned back against the counter with his glass.

  Rand remained on the love seat, seemingly content to let Sage guide the conversation and answer my questions.

  “Let’s get Cabbie back in here and see if we can get some answers. At least maybe a starting point.”

  Sage chuckled. “We won’t talk to Cab anymore tonight. It’s after ten and he has a business to run. This is his peak time for business. We all need to sleep anyway,” He stared out the window and observed the glowing night sky. “By my calculations, we’ve been awake for almost twenty-four hours. I don’t know about you all, but I’d like to have a clear mind from a full night’s sleep when we corner Cab.”

  I opened my mouth at the exact same time four soft knocks rapped on the door.

  I was closest, so I went straight to the door.

  On the other side was a petite black-haired woman with upturned almond eyes and a demure demeanor. She held up a stack of folded items and her lips slid into a shy smile.

&nbs
p; “Mistress, Master Cab orders these brought up to you, can I bring them in?”

  She wore nothing but those damned strings, and I was ashamed to acknowledge my first thought was to boob punch this girl and give her the biggest wedgie floss could accomplish.

  “Iss, is that our stuff?” Rand said from behind me.

  “Yup.”

  A hand lightly touched the small of my back and the woman glanced up from her stack of items.

  “Master Randy!” she exclaimed, a bright light entering her eyes. “I didn’t know you were back.” Her voice turned husky and she took a step forward.

  I snatched the stuff from her hands, shoving Rand out of the way as I slammed the door shut. The jealousy was strong tonight in all of us.

  “Thanks,” I shouted. My breath came in short pants as if I had just run a full marathon. I pivoted on my heel and stormed toward the bathroom. “I’m going to shower. Sage has the right idea. We’ll go over our game plan once we get a good night’s sleep.”

  Once the bathroom door closed behind me, I inspected exactly what Cabbie sent to us. There were three bundles of clothing, two black and one electric blue. I made an educated guess that the blue bundle was mine. The material was so soft and stretchy, I couldn’t wait to feel it on my skin. I shook out the blue bundle, and it unfolded into a sexy, luxurious shift. I guessed that was to be expected for a pleasure house. No moo-moos for this place.

  When I stacked the other two bundles in the corner, a paper-wrapped package fell out. I untied the string and pulled the paper back to reveal what I thought was a large loaf of bread. It looked like bread, but it didn’t smell like bread. If anything, it smelled like sugar cookies. Exactly the kind of carbs I could get behind.

  My stomach grumbled and a small twinge of guilt pinched my chest. I couldn’t take a long bath, snacking on cookie bread while the two guys were hungry. That wouldn’t be very fair or kind of me. It wasn’t their fault I was pouting, not sure how to handle my jealousy of all the beautiful women within the reach… of either man.