by R. L. Perez
I crossed my arms, then uncrossed them. Shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “So . . . so someone’s trying to frame me?” But something in my gut told me that wasn’t quite right.
“Isn’t there a way for you to determine where the spell came from?” Benny asked.
“Maybe.” I leaned over the bills again, sniffing deeply. The smell of fresh soil and lilacs. That was familiar. That was my magic.
But then . . . something else. Something like the morning dew mingled with pond water.
I straightened, and my blood ran cold. “This isn’t my magic.”
Benny’s eyes locked onto mine. “What are you saying?” His voice was slow and purposeful, and the hardness in his gaze told me he already knew the answer.
“There’s another Bloodcaster here,” I whispered. Saying the words aloud sent a chill through my body.
Another Bloodcaster.
We were rare enough as it was. A Bloodcaster could only be born of two other Bloodcasters, and we were such a hunted species of casters that we usually didn’t live long enough to find another, let alone mate with them. I’d never known my parents. I assumed they’d died.
Now, I wasn’t so sure.
“Do you . . . know of any other Bloodcasters?” Benny asked, his eyes uncertain.
“No,” I said shortly.
Benny nodded once. “Okay. A new player then. Any ideas?”
Panic and confusion coiled in my stomach. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
Whoever it was, they obviously knew about my blood. They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t, and it wasn’t exactly a secret anymore.
I was already at a disadvantage.
“Cora,” Benny snapped.
“I’m thinking!” I shouted, rubbing my forehead.
Benny looked at me like I’d lost my mind. And I couldn’t blame him. I’d always been the calculated killer. I’d always known how to get a mark.
But this was way beyond my expertise. I’d never hunted my own before. I’d always relied on my unique powers to give me the upper hand.
Not anymore.
I dropped my arms and straightened as an idea popped into my head. “I’ve got it. I’ll cast a locator spell with my blood. It’ll alert me to any Bloodcasters in a ten-mile radius.”
Benny pointed at me, his eyes lighting up. “Good. That’s good.”
I nodded and shuffled through the drawers in my desk, my hands shaking. After knocking a few corked vials over, I finally found the potion I was looking for.
“Cauldron,” I said to Benny, jerking my head toward the filing cabinet.
Benny strode forward, tugging open the bottom and biggest drawer. With a grunt, he hefted my cauldron up and hoisted it onto the desk, which rattled from the impact. “Can’t you just use a bowl?”
I shot him a sharp look. “A cauldron harnesses the power. It provides a stronger conduit to the magical energies.” Muttering under my breath, I added, “Seriously, it’s like you don’t even know what magic is.”
Benny snorted and crossed his arms, watching me as I combined ingredients. A familiar spicy aroma filled my nose, making my eyes water. I cleared my throat and placed my hands over the mouth of the cauldron.
Before I could utter the spell, an explosion knocked me off my feet. I flew backward, slamming into the wall and making the windowpane rattle. Benny yelped as he was thrown as well. Red and white light blazed from the center of the room, warbling so loudly it made my ears throb. Squinting from the glow and clenching my teeth against the pain in my limbs, I staggered to my feet, trying to make out the figure encompassed in the strange light.
Was it the other Bloodcaster? Had they decided to attack me?
Even as I thought it, I knew it was ridiculous. Bloodcasters had purple magic, like me. The only person I’d seen with red magic was—
“Cora!” cried a familiar voice.
My blood ran cold. Urgency pulsed through me. “Vince?” I shouted, rushing toward the glow. But when I got close, a searing heat boiled through my skin. I shrieked and backed away, clutching at my arms as if I’d been burned. As soon as I moved away, the scorching sensation vanished.
“What the hell’s going on?” Benny yelled over the roaring of Vince’s strange magic.
I gaped helplessly at Benny, unsure of what to say—what to do.
“Vince!” I cried again. “What’s happening?”
“I can’t—hold on—” Vince’s voice was strained, and it echoed as if he were in a vast cave.
Unbidden, the memory of Vince being attacked by a shadow appeared in my mind. I had to help him.
Raising my hands, I faced the glow and muttered,
“Magic above and powers that be,
Calm this force in front of me.
Settle the magic and the forces here,
And free the caster that he may appear.”
Purple magic sprang from my fingertips, hovering in the air for a moment as if unsure of what to do. Then, they funneled toward the eerie red glow, mingling so the magic turned the color of blood. Gradually, the warbling faded, and several dark figures appeared. They stumbled into one another before collapsing to the floor in a heap.
The magic vanished. The air suddenly felt emptier even though my office was now packed with people.
My jaw dropped. Vince and more than a dozen other Reapers were lying on the floor, moaning. Some sported bloody wounds. Others were trembling severely.
My eyes locked onto Vince. There were flecks of blood on his face, but he seemed all right. His gaze met mine, and he scrambled to his feet. Once again, I was awestruck by the magnificence of his dark wings, but it was impractical for my tiny office. The small space was now filled with bodies and feathers, and it made it hard to breathe. Everywhere I turned, dark feathers tickled my face. I shoved past wings and limbs, making my way to Vince.
“What’s going on?” I demanded, my legs still throbbing from being thrown across the room.
Vince ran a hand through his hair and offered an apologetic grimace. “Uh, we’ve just been attacked.”
17
Vince
Cora’s eyes were blazing, her jaw rigid. I rarely saw her as the hardened killer that she was, but here and now, she looked fierce and formidable. It took all my courage to look her in the eye.
“You were attacked?” she repeated, her eyes roving over the other Reapers. “I don’t understand. Who attacked you?”
“A powerful caster,” said Gwen, stumbling to her feet. In a flash, her black wings vanished, disappearing into her shoulder blades as she approached us. “Whoever he is, he has the power to travel between realms. And he possesses Reaper abilities as well.”
“He’s a Reaper?” Jocelyn shouted from behind me.
“We don’t know for sure,” Mom said hastily as she rose to her feet.
“Today’s attack confirmed it,” Gwen said in a grim voice. “No one else has the power to crush other Reapers like that. Once we pledge our vow, we are protected by our magic so light and dark forces can’t destroy us. Whoever it is, he must’ve found a way around the vow. A loophole.”
Cora straightened, her eyes glinting. “So you came here? What if this rogue Reaper follows you? Then my coven is at stake.”
“The entire magical universe is at stake, girl,” Gwen snapped. “This is bigger than you, than any of us.”
“Hold on!” I cried, raising my hands before Cora interjected again. Her face was contorted with rage, and she looked like she was ready to gut Gwen herself. “Look, Cora, I’m sorry,” I continued. “I didn’t mean to come here. But my body was drawn here, probably because this is the last place I traveled to. I had no choice. My people were being slaughtered in the one place we were supposed to be safe.”
Cora’s eyes softened as she looked at me. “I just don’t understand how you can stay here. When you were here before, you—”
“When were you here?” Gwen suddenly demanded, her voice icy. Her eyes were on fire w
hen she looked at me.
Alarm raced through me. “I—what?”
“When were you here?” Her tone was lethal as she stepped toward me. “You said you traveled here? When? How?”
“I—I—A few hours ago,” I sputtered. “It was an accident. I was trying to access my Reaper powers, and—”
Gwen turned away from me, her lips tightening as she met Mom’s gaze. I stared at my mom, whose face drained of color.
“What is it?” Cora asked, glancing between them, her shrewd eyes missing nothing.
“Most mortals and casters are unable to travel between realms because of the barrier we put in place,” Mom said in a low voice. “But if Vince got out . . .” She trailed off and met my gaze. Her eyes were full of fear.
“Then you think he let the attacker in,” Cora finished.
“Vince must’ve broken through the barrier somehow,” Mom said, not meeting my gaze.
“What in Lilith’s name were you thinking?” Gwen barked at me.
“Enough!” Mom shouted, slicing her hand through the air. “He said it was an accident. Obviously, he wouldn’t have done it if he’d known. Instead, we need to focus on how to repair the barrier.”
“It makes no difference,” Gwen snarled, still glaring at me. “If that devil is in our realm, he can stay as long as he likes. We might as well find a new home.”
Several Reapers started murmuring nervously, exchanging worried looks. Jocelyn’s mouth became small, her eyes wide as she looked at me imploringly. As if I could do something about it.
But no. I’d clearly done enough damage. My insides felt hollow.
Those Reapers were dead because of me. Because of my stupidity.
“Quiet!” bellowed a powerful voice.
The surrounding voices faded as a bulky figure stepped into view. I immediately recognized his gleaming yellow eyes.
“Benny,” I said in surprise.
But he stared hard at Cora, his gaze intense. “The decision is yours. What do you want to do with them?”
“Did you not hear—” Gwen spat.
“I said, the decision is Cora’s,” Benny growled. White fur sprang on his arms and neck, and his fangs emerged.
Gwen looked startled as she took a hesitant step backward.
Cora sighed and rubbed her forehead. “You all can stay here with my coven. I can offer up some spare rooms in the motel for you. But I will need to share this information with my coven.”
“You can’t—” Gwen started.
“I can,” Cora said with an edge to her voice. “You brought your problems to me, and I won’t leave my people defenseless. They need to know their lives are at stake.” She exhaled and looked at me. “How can you stay here? Won’t you have those weird fits again?”
A few Reapers gasped and muttered in confusion and alarm. But I knew what Cora meant. How could the Reapers stay here when our bodies would pull us back to our realm? The pain in my head had been excruciating. We couldn’t endure that.
“Leave that to me,” Mom said, exchanging a glance with Gwen. “We built the enchantment surrounding our realm. We can tweak it so it doesn’t make our brains deteriorate.”
My blood chilled. Deteriorate? Lilith, what would’ve happened if I’d stayed with Cora? Would my brain have turned to mush?
My thoughts snagged on what Mom had said: We built the enchantment surrounding our realm.
Was it Mom’s fault that we couldn’t travel between realms? Had she lied to me about being unable to stay here?
“We can’t stay with a demon coven,” Gwen said through clenched teeth.
“Why not?” Cora demanded.
Gwen’s steely gaze shot to her. “You perform the vilest form of magic. You break the laws of nature with your thirst for blood. It goes against everything we vowed to do as Reapers.”
Cora’s gaze was lethal. She cocked her head at Gwen, her eyes narrowing like she was a predator sizing up her prey. “I hardly think you’re in a place to judge me and my coven. Do you have somewhere else you can go?”
An uncomfortable silence followed her words.
“I didn’t think so. Benny will show you to your rooms.” Cora gestured toward the door. “But in the meantime, I need to speak with you”—she jabbed a finger at Gwen—“to learn everything you know about this new threat.”
Gwen’s eyes flashed. “I will not share sacred Reaper secrets with some demon witch—”
In a blur of movement, Cora lunged and pinned Gwen against the wall, her hand pressed to the older woman’s throat. Several Reapers rushed forward, gasping in alarm.
“Don’t insult me in my territory,” Cora hissed, baring her teeth at Gwen. “We’ll offer you refuge, but only if you cooperate. This isn’t some soup kitchen where we don’t ask questions. These are my people. Your sacred secrets be damned. Take my offer or leave it.”
Gwen made a choked, gurgling sound as Cora released her. Rubbing her neck, Gwen coughed and glared at Cora. “Fine,” she said hoarsely. “I accept your offer.”
Cora gave a tight smile, and admiration bloomed in my chest. Sure, she’d just attacked one of my superiors, but it had been sexy as hell.
“Take them away, Benny,” Cora said, waving her hand.
“This way.” Benny held open the office door, and the Reapers lined up behind him. “You’ll need to retract your wings,” he added. A few Reapers sighed, but one by one, the black wings vanished, making the room feel a little less cramped.
“Vince, a word?” Cora asked, widening her eyes at me.
I drew closer to her, shuffling past the Reapers as they exited.
“Are you sure about this?” she whispered. “I can’t protect your clan here. If my people feel threatened—”
“I’m sure,” I said. “We literally have nowhere else to go, Cora.”
She nodded. “There’s . . . something else.”
I frowned. “What?”
Benny cleared his throat loudly. We both glanced at him. Only Gwen remained, her arms crossed like a cranky child as the rest of the Reapers’ voices echoed in the hall. Benny watched Cora, his eyes burning with a warning.
I gazed between Benny and Cora, my frown deepening. It seemed like they were wordlessly communicating something. It made me feel oddly irritated.
Cora sighed. “I need to be up front with you if I expect it from your clan. We’ve discovered a new threat here as well. Another Bloodcaster.”
My eyes widened. “A—what?”
Cora’s mouth spread in a thin line. “A Bloodcaster. Someone with magic like mine. We don’t know who it is, but I’ll be casting a locator spell to find them. I just wanted you to be aware. We suspect this caster means to do us harm. They’ve been robbing us over the past several months, and we just discovered it.”
I couldn’t ignore the constant use of the word “we.” I had to assume she meant her and Benny. A strange twist in my stomach made me suck in a breath.
“I’ll handle it,” Cora said, misinterpreting my response.
“I know you will,” I said at once. “I just don’t want you to have to fight one of your own.”
She offered a smile. “I’ve been fighting my whole life. This isn’t anything new.”
I touched her cheek. “Thank you, Cora. We owe you. I owe you. You didn’t have to do this.”
She leaned closer to me. “Of course I did. It’s you. I’d do anything for you, Vince.”
Our faces were only a breath away. All I wanted to do was take her in my arms and kiss her senseless. But Gwen shifted behind us, sniffing loudly, and I felt Benny’s eyes on us.
Maybe later.
“I’ll, uh, be in my room,” I said, my face on fire. Cora nodded, her eyes hot with desire as she watched me leave the office.
18
Cora
I was not looking forward to a one-on-one confrontation with the gray-haired bitch, but it was unavoidable. I needed to assert myself now while she thought she was still in charge.
This was my turf. My people. She couldn’t order me around like everyone else.
When it was just the two of us, I shut the office door and turned to face her. Her arms were crossed, her lips pinched with disapproval.
I waved a hand toward her. “I guess we should introduce ourselves. Cora Covington.”
“Gwen Peters.”
I nodded and pointed to the chair in front of my desk. “You’re welcome to have a seat.”
“I prefer to stand.”
Of course she does, I thought irritably as I made my way to my desk chair and sank into it. Just because she chose to remain standing didn’t mean I had to. I leaned my chair back and clasped my fingers in front of my stomach.
Before I could speak, Gwen said tightly, “What’s going on between you and Vince?”
I went still, my chair creaking. After taking a slow breath, I said, “I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”
“Anything concerning Reapers is my business. We have no personal lives, Ms. Covington. Our entire beings are devoted to our calling.”
“That sounds rather rigid.”
She offered a cold smile. “Only those with the strongest caliber are fit for the job.” She raised her eyebrows pointedly.
“Oh, really? I was under the impression that Reapers were just Nephilim rejects. Leftovers.”
Gwen dropped her arms, her lips quivering with rage. “How dare you—”
“No, how dare you? Keep your nose out of what doesn’t concern you. I’m not one to offer refuge to anyone, let alone beings like you. But I care about Vince. You’re lucky he’s a kinder soul than you are.”
Gwen’s nostrils flared as her gaze drilled into me. I had no doubt her ice-cold glare would make many tremble with fear. But not me. I’d perfected that look myself.
Slowly, she exhaled and sat in the seat opposite me. Something in her expression deflated. Like the fight in her had vanished.
“When Reapers pledge their vow, they pledge their whole lives to the work we do,” she said quietly. “Vince has made his vow. He made his choice.”
“So this choice eliminates all other choices he might want? It turns him into an emotionless robot who exists only to fulfill orders?”
