by Kat Simons
Cary had crawled out of bed long enough to wish her parents goodbye, pretending she wasn’t hungover—though she suspected her father realized she was hurting—and wish them a safe drive back to their home on the coast. The three hour drive ensured her parents were close enough for occasional visits, but far enough away Cary mostly had privacy. It was a good arrangement.
She’d gone back to bed and slept another hour before she woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep because she’d started to worry again. At that stage, she gave in to the inevitable and made coffee.
Swirling her hands in the warm water, the last of her hangover fading, she mulled over a plan to alleviate some of those worries. Later, she intended to do a little research, try to figure out who was after her. Angie had promised to look into it since the attacker was a wizard. Jaxer might know something, too, especially if this did, by freak chance, have to do with Sheldon. Provided she ever managed to talk to her ass of a mentor again.
She picked herself up out of the tub and dried off. But first, before anything else, she had to pay the bills.
And then that night, she had a date. Her tummy danced at the thought. A date with Deacon. She was both looking forward to it and a little nervous. More than a little now that she didn’t have a hangover to dampen the jitters. After spending weeks with him hanging around, she wasn’t sure why her nerves were jumping. It wasn’t like a real first date when you had to figure out what to talk about. Anticipating his goodnight kiss might inhibit her ability to hold a conversation, though. That would be…interesting.
She’d just finished paying her phone bill online when the front doorbell rang. She glanced at the computer clock. Twelve. Too early for Deacon. He was supposed to pick her up at five—early for a dinner date, but he’d said he wouldn’t be able to wait longer than that after a week and a half without seeing her. She wasn’t expecting anyone else.
With a frown, she went to the door. She never got Jehovah’s Witnesses, missionaries, or salesmen coming to her house thanks to the glamour. She wasn’t expecting a delivery and the mailman left packages by the front door anyway. Angie, Lucy, and Marianne were all probably still unconscious. Chris, Cary’s computer guru, was out of town. She hadn’t heard from Jon and Sally since just before Thanksgiving.
She was almost to the door when the bell started buzzing nonstop, as if someone held a finger to the button. She only knew one person who was that rude.
“Jaxer,” she snarled as she threw open the door. “Where the hell have you been?”
The gorgeous blond faery lounged against her doorframe, grinning. “Good to see you again too, sweetie.”
He leaned in and kissed her on the mouth before she could blink, ran a finger down her cheek, then walked past her into the house without waiting for permission.
“Jaxer?” She followed him. “What’s going on? Where have you been? Do you have any idea what I’ve had to go through in the last few weeks?”
“That’s why I’m here,” he said. “We have some things to talk about.”
She studied his serious expression, the slight creases on his forehead from his frown. Jaxer never let himself look anything but flawless, yet she could see the strain in his jaw, the lines bracketing his eyes.
“Yeah,” she said, “I think we do.”
“I’ve done this many times in the past,” he said after a quite minute. “I was actually looking forward to it this time.” He shrugged. “Until Deacon showed up.”
“What does Deacon have to do with anything?” she asked.
“Side issue. Will we sit?”
Still frowning, she dropped onto the couch, turning to face him when he sat next to her. “This is pretty serious news?”
“Serious enough,” he said. “How are thing between you and Deacon, anyway?”
“You’re stalling.”
“A bit. So?”
“So,” she said. “I don’t know. We have a date tonight, our first. That’ll be interesting since his control is so…iffy.”
“Haven’t slept with him yet, then?” Jaxer grinned.
“None of your business. And don’t look so pleased about that.”
His smile grew. “He’s suffering. I’m amused.”
“I thought you two were friends.”
“We are. To a point.”
“What point?”
He shook his head. “We’ll get to that later.”
“You’re the one who wanted to discuss this,” she said. “What gives?”
Jaxer gave one of his elegant shrugs. “Let’s just say, knowing you aren’t falling into Deacon’s arms makes my day.”
“I think you two have some issues to work out.”
“Just one.”
He held her gaze for a long moment. When she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer, she said, “What?”
“You know, Cary, mates…don’t always…work out.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Meaning?”
What the hell didn’t she know? She was sure Deacon hadn’t told her everything about the mate business. Maybe Jaxer would.
“I’ve known couples bound by the mate bond who ended up miserable and hating each other,” Jaxer said. “Being mates is no guarantee of a happy future.”
“So what are you telling me?”
“Just be careful. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“You think Deacon will hurt me?” she asked quietly.
He shook his head. “That’s not what I came here to talk about. I’ve stalled long enough. There’s something we need to discuss.”
“Okay.” Though she fully intended to get back to the previous topic soon.
“You’re a week away from entering your seventh year as a Protector.”
She nodded. “Something special about this particular anniversary?”
“Very.” He reached out and ran a finger along her jaw then rested his hand on the side of her neck. “All Protectors have to spend their seventh year on their own. No more help from their mentors. No more help period. You have to prove you can survive on your own. And if you do… You get the full use of your powers.”
Her eyes widened with each word. When he fell silent, she had so many questions pummeling to get out she didn’t know where to start. “What…? How…?”
He leaned in and kissed her again, on the mouth, a lingering touch that made her frown deepen. That was a pretty serious kiss for a friendly, calming gesture. She pulled back to glare at him.
“All Protectors have to go through this,” he said, his voice low. He tunneled his fingers into her hair and tugged gently. “And we aren’t allowed to tell you about it ahead of time. But I’ve trained you well. You won’t have any trouble.”
“Alone? You… You won’t be around at all? For a year?”
“I’ll be around.” He cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone. “I always intended to stay near. I could never leave you completely alone.”
“But if you’re not supposed to help…” Her head spun so badly she actually missed her hangover.
“No, you’re right,” he said. “I won’t be able to help. Not really. Not obviously. But do you really think I could stay away from you for a year?”
She shook her head, to dislodge his touch more than to answer his question. “Jaxer, I don’t understand. What happens this year? Can the Nags still send me out on assignments, or do I just protect whoever I come across? Will my house still be safe, or do I lose the glamour? Are they going to keep paying me? If you’re not supposed to help me, how can you still be around? Is this why you’ve been acting so weird lately?”
“Weird?” His eyebrows rose.
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. You disappeared and left me to handle Oliver Holland all on my own.”
“You were never alone. I’ve been around the entire time. But you had to know you could be a Protector without my constant supervision.”
She leaned back in the couch. “You guys could have warned me?”
“I wanted to,” he said. “Believe me. But it’s against the rules. You’re a damned good Protector, Cary. Amazing really. The others, they have years to adjust, to learn, to develop before they enter their apprenticeships, the six years you’ve just gone through. You started so late, with nothing but the powers the Nags gave you. And you’ve been brilliant. One of the best Protectors I’ve ever trained.” He leaned closer, cupping her face with his hand again.
“Jaxer?” She frowned.
“Cary, there’s more… I—”
The doorbell rang, cutting off whatever he’d intended to say. She jumped off the couch. Now what?
Whoever was ringing her bell started pounding on the door. Then she heard Sally’s voice through the knocking. “Cary? Are you there? Cary, please. I need your help.”
She opened the door to a frantic-looking Sally.
“He’s gone,” she said. “Jon’s gone.”
29
Cary ushered the panicked mother inside. “Slow down, Sally. Tell me everything.”
“He’s gone,” Sally said, rapid and breathless. “He left a note. He’s gone. He took the job. I can’t find him anywhere.”
“He’s gone off with Holland?” Cary asked slowly.
“Yes! He said he’d call me tonight. I don’t think he expected me to find the note until later, but I took a few hours off work and came home early.”
“What did his note say?”
Sally took a deep breath, letting her gaze travel the room. When she noticed Jaxer, still sitting on the couch, she gasped. “Who are you?”
“A friend of Cary’s,” Jaxer said, his voice calm and assuring—a tone Cary rarely heard from him. “I help her in her job,” he finished.
Cary blinked at her mentor. He looked less…stunning than usual. More like an ordinarily handsome man. The impression made him a lot less intimidating and much more approachable. He must have adjusted his glamour so as not to frighten Sally more. A bit of kindness Cary wouldn’t have expected from him.
“It’s okay,” Cary said to Sally. “You can speak freely in front of him. He knows everything. He can help.”
Sally took another deep breath. “Okay. Okay. I got home early from work. I’ve been worried about Jon since we got back from my parents’. He’s been quiet. And last night…I could barely get two words from him. I thought maybe he was having trouble adjusting to…to living normally again. You know, without all the attention.” Sally swayed on her feet.
Cary jumped forward and caught her by the shoulders to keep her upright. “You’d better sit down.” She led the woman to a chair, plopped her into it then dropped onto the couch next to Jaxer again.
“I got home from work,” Sally continued, “and I found this note. Before I even read it, I noticed something beneath it. Two letters. A bill… A final notice. For my car. I… I haven’t been able to make the last few payments so they were going to repossess it. The second was from a lawyer. But that was just… I’m having an argument with my landlord. He can’t really evict us. I do pay rent. But I haven’t told Jon about any of this. I didn’t want him to worry.”
She ran a hand through her short curls, mussing her already tangled style. “I think…” She paused and swallowed visibly. “I think Jon found the letters and… I don’t know. Panicked. If he’d talked to me, I could have explained. I could have told him I have a backup plan. I can get to work on the bus. It wasn’t a big deal. I was willing to do without a car if it meant I could send him to college without needing huge loans. And the threatened eviction was a scare tactic, nothing more. I could have explained everything. But he didn’t give me a chance.”
“What did his note say?” Cary asked.
“That he’d called Holland and taken the job. He said not to worry, and that it was enough money to pay for the car, for the apartment, for everything.” Sally’s bottom lip shook as she sucked back emotion. “Cary, he’s working for a man who tried to kidnap him. You have to go after him. You have to bring him back.”
“Did he say where he’d gone? What sort of work Holland wanted him to do?”
Sally shook her head. “He said he’d call. So I know he has his cellphone with him. I tried calling before I came here, but it goes right to voicemail.”
“Did you leave him one?”
“Yes! I told him to call me, and I’ll come pick him up, wherever he is. His note said he’d be out of town. Out of town! Cary, what am I going to do? Holland could have taken him anywhere.”
Cary jerked when she felt Jaxer’s hand on her arm.
“I might have an idea where they’ve gone. Holland’s…” He glanced at Sally, then turned back to Cary. “Holland’s research center. In the woods to the east of the city, a few miles from the river. Angie told you about it?”
“Research center?” Sally’s voice rose to a near scream. “He’s going to study my son?”
“No, no, Sally. Calm down.” Cary raised her hands, palms out. “Just breathe. That’s it. Breathe. Holland isn’t studying people. He’s looking for something in the woods. We think he wanted Jon’s skill to help him find this whatever it is he’s looking for.”
“You have to go after him, Cary. You have to bring my baby back.”
“I will.” Cary turned to Jaxer. “My car’s at Angie’s.”
“I’ll drive you,” Sally said.
“No,” Cary said. “You have to stay near home in case Jon calls or comes back. I’ll have my cell so you can contact me if he gets in touch.”
“Deacon?” Jaxer said.
“He should be back in town by now.” Cary nodded. “Do you know where this facility of Holland’s is?”
“Tell Deacon to take I84 east.” He gave directions to the exit and the following turns. “After about ten miles, you’ll see a small logging road to the right. Take that. Twenty miles after that, you’ll come to the main body of Holland’s workers. His search is focused four miles to the north of that, but you’ll have to go over ground to reach the site without being seen. I’ll meet you there.”
Jaxer had his own way of getting around. She didn’t bother questioning it anymore. “Thanks.”
He grinned, a charming expression that lacked any hint of glamour. He was out the door even as she picked up the phone to call Deacon.
Cary stared through the trees at the small army of preternatural beings. They were easy enough to see, despite the dark, moonless night, thanks to a series of storm lights surrounding the clearing.
“Great,” she whispered. “Just great.”
“You knew there’d be a few of them,” Deacon said.
He spoke into her ear to keep from being overheard, but the hot brush of his breath made her tummy clench. She shook her head against a wash of desire, annoyed by the reaction she didn’t seem to have any control over. No time for that now. She had a kid to save.
“Jon is smack in the middle of them all, though,” she said.
She scanned the crowd and noticed the three witches she’d confronted at the beginning of the month weren’t there. Neither was Tom the leprechaun. For some reason, that made the situation seem a little better. But not much.
She looked back to Jon. “What’s he doing?”
Deacon was silent a moment. Then said, “I think he’s calling.”
“What?”
“He’s using his power. He’s calling something.”
“How can you tell?”
“Because he’s calling so strongly it’s pulling at my own animal. Anyone with less control in the area will be shifting and heading this way.”
“Oh good,” she said. “That’s what we need. More shapeshifters. What about the shifters already here?”
“Watch.” Deacon nodded to the group. “They’re having trouble not changing. That one…the dragon, he’s young and less controlled. He’s not going to hold out much longer.”
Cary’s eyes widened. The dragon shifter was the same one who’d tried to kidnap Jonathon off the street all those weeks ago. For some reason, she’d as
sumed Holland had killed him for his failure. Maybe the demon still had a use for him. Or maybe Holland wasn’t strong enough to kill him.
As they watched, she saw the man start to change. A flash of fire shot from his mouth, singeing the ground near a woman who screeched and jumped out of the way. Then his body started to spasm, and he roared, a sound that echoed through the trees like death.
“Holy shit,” Cary murmured. “That kid’s got some skill.”
“But can he control a dragon shifter and still continue to call whatever he’s calling?”
She flicked a quick, horrified glance at Deacon as she realized the possible threat, then she turned back to Jon. She had to get to him, distract him. There had to be some way to stop him before all hell broke loose.
Again.
She was getting really tired of hell breaking loose all over her warm summer nights. The fact that it was summertime warm in late November was a little disturbing, but not the most disturbing thing she had to deal with at the moment. As the dragon struggled to regain control of his shape, Cary felt sweat trickle down her back. She could have left her jacket at home. Deacon, in his long black coat, must be sweltering.
“What’s with this heat?” she asked.
He shook his head, a movement that brushed his hair against her cheek. “Something to do with the thing Holland is looking for?”
“Can you tell what Jon’s trying to call?”
The dragon had settled back down into human shape, but his body continued to jerk at intervals and another stream of fire burst from his mouth.
“No,” Deacon said. “Whatever it is, it’s resisting. And has been for some time. Jon is wearing out.”
Deacon was right. The kid swayed on his feet even as she watched. Holland stood just beside him, staring intently into the trees ahead. The demon reached out a hand to steady Jon, but he didn’t take his gaze from the forest.
