“No,” Mia said quickly. “Don’t leave, Bryn. You have so much talent. You belong here. With us.”
“The four of us need to stick together,” Cerys added. “We can learn a lot from each other.”
I didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, it felt amazing to be wanted. On the other hand, I was slightly uncomfortable because it wasn’t typical for me. And then there was the issue of my father…I thought of the red healing stone in my room. How much I felt like I needed it. Was it simply because of the connection to my parents, or was there a more sinister reason? If I became like him, I’d end up hurting my friends and would be back to living a life alone. Maybe it was best for me to go.
“Miss Morrow,” Chancellor Tilkin began, and I prepared myself for the worst. “We have no intention of asking you to leave the academy.”
I released the breath I’d been holding. “You don’t?”
“Absolutely not. A power like yours, it must be molded.” She paused. “We leave the choice to you, of course. If you don’t feel the academy is the right place for you…”
“If I don’t stay, I’ll go to prison, though,” I said. “Because of the magic I used in New Hope.”
Chancellor Tilkin wore a blank expression. “What magic in New Hope? I don’t believe I know anything about that.”
The chancellor was giving me an out. If I wanted to leave, I could go without fear of repercussions. I could return to the human world, if that was my desire.
It wasn’t.
“But I can stay, right?” I hesitated. “Do you think that would be best?”
The chancellor folded her hands on the desk. “It’s not my decision, but if you’re asking for my opinion…”
“I am,” I said firmly.
“Then I think your presence here would be mutually beneficial, for many reasons.”
I knew what one of those ‘many reasons’ was. My father had rejected the education offered by Spellslingers, and the magic had eventually destroyed him. I’d be less likely to become like him if I stayed. I didn’t want to be consumed by darkness. The mere possibility frightened me.
“I’d like to stay,” I said.
My friends cheered.
“You had me worried there for a second,” Dani said, breaking into a relieved smile. “I didn’t want to lose you.”
Mia hugged me. “This is the best news, Bryn. It really is.”
“I believe I have something else to appease you,” Chancellor Tilkin said, removing a box from her desk drawer. She set it on top, nearly knocking Hestia’s leg. The ginger cat hissed before jumping down.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Open it,” Dani urged.
I popped off the lid and peered inside. “A wand.”
“I’m sorry it took so long,” the chancellor said. “Sometimes we move slower than we’d like in an effort to get things right the first time.”
I lifted the wand from the box to admire it more closely. “It’s beautiful.” Images of water lilies were carved into the side and it was decorated with pale blue crystals.
“We try to make sure the wand is suitable for the owner,” the chancellor said. “One never forgets her first wand, after all.”
“I won’t,” I said, clutching it to my chest. “Thank you, Chancellor.”
“Use it well, child,” the chancellor said.
Mia’s voice interrupted our warm moment. “In the name of the gods, why is there a giant swan on the lake?” She stood by the window, her face plastered against the glass.
My pulse quickened. “What do you mean by giant?” I asked.
“Comically large,” Mia replied, her focus still on the lake outside. “I think someone’s spell went awry.”
I vaulted from my chair and went to peer out the window. Sure enough, a familiar white swan of epic proportions skimmed across the water.
“This school really needs better security,” I said, unable to suppress a smile.
“We know more than you think, Miss Morrow,” Chancellor Tilkin said. “Why don’t you go and say hello to Mr. Mappleworth before he attracts too much attention?”
“What do you think he wants?” Cerys asked.
“If I were Bryn, I’d go and ask him…with my lips,” Mia said suggestively.
Dani wrinkled her nose. “How else would you expect to ask him?”
Mia reddened. “Good point.”
I hurried to the door. “I’ll see you girls back in the room. Thanks, Chancellor.”
I didn’t wait for a response. Instead, I tucked my new wand into my waistband and ran down the corridor, breezing past a befuddled Hazel. As I approached the front door, I slowed my pace. By the time I reached the gateway, I’d calmed my heartbeat so that Gray didn’t sense my eagerness.
The vampire stood on the dock, framed by the swan behind him. He looked incredible in a simple pair of jeans and a cobalt blue T-shirt. His muscled arms alone could make a girl swoon.
Energy sparked within me and I knew he’d spotted me. Dr. Jonas had mentioned a bond between us, and I definitely felt something when it came to Gray. I just didn’t know what it was. Lust? Gratitude? Awe?
Ultimately, it didn’t matter. Not today. Today, the sun was shining, I had friends and a safe home, and a smoking hot vampire had flown to see me on his ginormous swan.
Life was good.
Bryn’s story continues in Outclassed, Book 2, and Outlast, Book 3. Once you’ve completed Bryn’s trilogy, Dani’s Sentry of the South trilogy kicks off with Outlier, Book 1.
Also, be sure to sign up for my newsletter and receive 2 FREE short stories — http://eepurl.com/dsug5j. You can also like me on Facebook so you can find out about the next book.
Burned
A Magic Bullet Novel
Chapter One
You can't beat the view from the Prestige Suite in the Sails Hotel and Casino. The sparkling Mediterranean framed by the opulence of Monaco. As I scanned the horizon, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the glass door of the balcony. A sophisticated woman in her mid-forties stared back at me, her ash blond hair pulled back in a loose chignon. Even though Evelyn Markham clearly took care of herself, I still preferred my usual human form. If nothing else, it was twenty years younger.
I took a final moment to enjoy the expanse of sunlit, turquoise water before I slipped on my red hot Jimmy Choos and prepared for the meeting with my mark, the aptly named Aladdin.
The pricey shoes were designed with petite feet in mind rather than my size nine clodhoppers, but I didn't care. They looked the part and I happened to love assignments that indulged my love of designer clothes. The Shadow Elite paid me enough to afford them, but why buy when you can summon the clothes for free?
I grabbed my Chanel bag from the sofa and headed to the Penthouse Suite. I'd been working on securing this meeting for weeks and it was finally a go. It took patience, a few public demonstrations of extravagance, and well-placed inquiries around the hotel. As a result of my efforts, word spread that Evelyn Markham was a wealthy woman of rare and refined tastes.
I didn't need to knock. Aladdin's security team was waiting for me in the hallway. Twin mountains of pure hostility. Six feet seven each with six hundred pounds between them. They sported matching orange buzz cuts, freakishly small ears and noses the size of Queens. Okay, Queens is a slight exaggeration. More like the Bronx.
"Gentlemen, what service." I flashed a smile but neither reciprocated. What did I expect? They weren't entirely human. Their auras suggested a hybrid -- maybe the offspring of an Ifrit and a human. Most djinn and human offspring result in mages, otherwise known as magicians. They can perform magic but can't shapeshift or do other neat tricks. They lack the full-blown powers of their djinni parent. The exceptions are Ifrits and Ghuls. If one of those ugly suckers mates with a human...Ugh. Let's just say some poor woman with indiscriminate taste was wearing her beer goggles that night. The mere thought of that coupling made me vomit in my mouth a little.
Thing One opened the d
oor and Thing Two followed me inside.
The Penthouse Suite was even more impressive than mine. Twelve foot high ceilings and soundproof glass windows that covered three sides. The glittering Mediterranean stretched away from me, dotted with sailboats and luxury yachts. I bet the sunset views were incredible here. If I didn't already hate Aladdin for djinn trafficking, I'd hate him for having this spectacular suite all to himself.
The doors to the terrace were wide open and the sea breeze filtered in, tempting me with its idyllic promises. I resisted the call. Aladdin was holding djinn against their will and I was here to free them. A supernatural Moses.
"So where's your master?" I asked, pretending to survey the room. Actually, I'd surveyed the room before I'd stepped a foot inside. I knew he wasn't here.
"We need to check your ID," Thing One said and held out his hand.
"Again?" I exaggerated the word for effect. "Gentlemen, we've been through the preliminaries, haven't we? I mean, we're old friends by now." I batted Evelyn's false eyelashes.
"Again," Thing One confirmed.
As expected, my charm was useless. If these guys were the sons of an Ifrit and a human, then they weren't prone to puerile thoughts, precisely the reason Aladdin hired them.
I dug through my bag and produced a black leather wallet. Also Chanel. I was hoping to hold on to it as a keepsake after the mission, but it depended on who was running inventory back at Shadow Elite HQ. Gemma was a stickler, whereas Alberto didn't have an eye for detail. Or at least you'd never know it from the number of earrings and handbags I'd managed to pilfer over the years. I considered them tokens of the Shadow Elite's appreciation.
I plucked a passport from the oversized wallet and handed it to Thing One. He grunted a thank you and turned it over to Thing Two who removed a phone from his pocket. He held the passport up to the screen and I waited. Guillermo, part of my tech team, was in charge of bona fides and he'd introduced Evelyn Markham to the Internet last week.
"I'm very keen to see your master's collection," I said. "I've heard it's the most extensive in the world." I'd also heard his 'collection' was full of female djinn, trapped in their human forms and permanently attached to objects like pendants and stones they couldn't escape. As a djinni, it's one of my worst fears -- for someone to bind me to an object and bend me to his will. A bound djinni can be forced to perform acts for the 'master' of the object. Of course, to bind me, someone would need to discover my true name and that wasn't going to happen. I'd die first.
I thought of the helpless djinn, subject to Aladdin's control, and my nostrils flared. He was scum and I couldn't wait to take him down.
A glance passed between them and my nerve endings sprang to life. I wasn't a fan of that look.
"I assume everything is in order," I said, adopting my haughtiest tone.
Thing Two stared at me and then looked back at my passport. "There's no Evelyn Markham that fits your description."
I gave a cry of indignation. I'd been Evelyn Markham for weeks and now the description didn't match?
"That's absurd. I haven't had so much as a Botox injection. What are you implying?"
Thing One read the screen. "You're not Evelyn Markham."
Shit. I sensed a Plan B coming on.
I tried one more time to salvage the mission. "There's clearly a mistake."
"Technology doesn't lie," Thing Two said. "People do."
Well, my cover was blown. No point in hiding my true self anymore.
"Good thing I'm not people then."
I focused inwardly on the molecules that formed my shape and shifted them from solid phase to liquid phase.
Thing One lunged for me, but I was already mist. A material girl to incorporeal girl in the blink of an eye. The Marida, my caste, were fast shifters and I was no exception. It was one major advantage I had over the hybrids.
I reformed at the far end of the room, near the balcony, and summoned a double-barreled rocket-propelled grenade. Not every djinni could will a weapon into existence. It was one of my more highly coveted skills.
"Good thing your ears are small," I said. "You won't need these." A pair of earplugs appeared in my ears. I'd stupidly blown out both eardrums the first time I launched one of these babies. Although they didn't take long to heal, they hurt like a sonuvabitch. Lesson learned.
The two mountains advanced and I launched the rockets. The explosive payload burst forth and twin rockets streaked toward my twin targets. Things One and Two were mirror images of shock, their dry, thin lips forming an 'o.' They blew back against the wall in tandem, leaving Thing-shaped cracks in the plaster.
Now was my chance to escape. I hurried to the balcony and looked down. Only six stories. No sweat. I dissolved into water droplets and fell lightly to the ground below before my new friends had time to scrape themselves off the wall.
Once all the pieces of me landed safely, I shifted back to a human body -- not Evelyn's this time, but my usual human form -- so I could call for an emergency extraction. Then it hit me. My damn phone was in that beautiful Chanel bag, back on the floor of the Penthouse Suite.
I glanced up to see Thing One and Thing Two leaning over the balcony, their eyes fixed on me. I was fairly certain they couldn't jump and live to tell about it.
"A little privacy, please," I called up to them. "I'm getting dressed."
I summoned a new outfit that fit this body and willed my phone into my hand, dialing rapidly.
"Pick up," I snarled, glancing up again. The looming figures were gone and I could guess where they were headed.
I began to run, still listening to the ring of the phone. I had to get away from the hotel as quickly as possible. I couldn't do battle here. My powers would draw too much attention. They were too strong and far too messy when the other side put up a fight. Things One and Two didn't seem overly concerned with collateral damage.
I cursed myself the whole way. Not only was the mission unsuccessful but, now that our feud had gone public, there was a chance of innocent bloodshed.
I didn't know how Aladdin handled blunders, but I got called onto the carpet when a mission went sideways. That alone was incentive enough for me to contain the mess. The more times you stand on that carpet with your head dipped in shame, the more likely said carpet will get yanked out from under you one day.
No one answered my call. My mind was racing as fast as my feet, but it wasn't fast enough. Summoning my power, I bent the light and air around me and whipped down the walkway, using the light waves as my own personal superhighway. Why did no one answer the call? What could have gone wrong with Guillermo's tech? Why did Evelyn's identity not materialize? I'd already used it several times without a hitch.
Most of the time, I liked working ad hoc. I traveled the world, met new agents, never had to hear the same lame joke twice, and never had to befriend colleagues on social media. Now was not one of those times. Now I wished for a team of my own, reliable agents that liked me enough to risk themselves to get me out of a jam. Agents whose names I remembered so I didn't need to assign them personal nicknames like Freckles and Pointy Ears.
As I reached the marina, I slowed my pace so that I could be seen. Depending on their precise location, the other agents might spot me before I spotted them. Freckles had mentioned a second team in play at the marina. I had no clue what their role was nor did I care. Right now, survival was my only concern. I hightailed it toward the bobbing boats and hoped to spot a familiar face.
The familiar face in front of me was not one I expected. The mountain had come to -- well, me. Thing One appeared directly in front of me. How did he beat me here? I spun around to see Thing Two behind me. This made no sense. They weren't as fast as full-fledged djinn. Maybe they had more magic than I gave them credit for. Or more help than I anticipated.
The boats were only about thirty feet away. My gaze settled on a sleek sailboat that looked ripe for the picking. The air was calm but that didn't matter to me. If I could make it onto that sailboat, I was h
ome free. I'd worry about finding the team later.
Silently, I summoned the wind. The air around us immediately began to swirl in a counterclockwise direction. I intended to launch a mini tornado across the marina and escape inside it. I'd used this maneuver in Cape Town after a particularly vicious fight with a band of Ghuls in the middle of a waterfront restaurant and it had saved my hide. I figured it was foolproof. My mistake.
I started to shift when I felt the copper currents rock my entire body. They had a damn genie prod. Assholes. If I got a hold of that prod, I knew exactly where I would shove it. Fortunately for them, I didn't get the chance.
I didn't see the net coming, but I sure as hell felt it when it was thrown over me. The net was carefully constructed of copper wires. I'd seen one only once before, in a training session at the Academy. The Marid in the training exercise had died a very painful death, and the net had made no further appearances in training sessions. That lovely stroll down memory lane didn't make me feel better about my current predicament.
Helplessly, I clawed at the net. My heart rate slowed and my body crumpled in pain. Thanks to the influx of copper, I was too weak to shift. Too weak to fight. There was nothing left to do except let the darkness take me. So I did.
I opened my eyes and stared into the finely carved drawer of a Queen Anne mahogany highboy chest. It was a gorgeous piece, easily worth ten grand. I just didn't know why my face was so close to it.
I moved slightly, my body still buzzing from the intense jolt it had received, and saw I was surrounded on all sides by exquisite furniture. Was I in Aladdin's lair? No, the furniture wasn't arranged, it was piled around me. Could be a warehouse, except the floor was vibrating. Ah, now I understood. Not a warehouse but a truck. I was in the back of a furniture truck.
And it was moving.
Since graduating from the Academy, I'd woken up in my share of unfamiliar places, including a tomb in New Orleans and the top of the Eiffel Tower, but this one stumped me. Why did my captors place me in the back of a furniture truck unguarded? Unless the container was airtight, I could shift right out of it. Somebody didn't do their djinn homework.
Spellbinding Starters Page 19
