The Garrison (The Circle Series Book 3)

by Naomi L Scudder

  Jane stepped back. “No, don’t...” But it was too late. Olivia had already seen, it was written all over her face.

  “What did you do!” she whispered.

  Shit.

  “Bryan, I’m taking a break, I’ll be back in a few.” Jane didn’t look back, but could almost see the unhappy expression on his face. Jane didn’t blame him. She wouldn’t be happy about being left alone in the middle of the morning rush.

  Jane would make it up to him later and pad the tip jar with a few twenties from her own pocket.

  But first, she had to deal with this witch.

  “Come outside with me?” Jane asked in a way that made it clear she was not asking. When they were in the alley, away from the foot traffic of the front of the store, she explained. “I didn’t do anything. This was done to me by a psychopathic vamp. I didn’t choose it, so don’t judge me, got it?”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed. How long has it been in you?”

  “Six years, give or take.”

  “My goddess, child! I’m surprised you’ve made it so long!” The look of horror on the witch’s face made Jane exceptionally uncomfortable.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Demons” she whispered the word, “are parasitic beings.”

  “I’m aware. She can’t live outside my body.”

  “No, well yes, but more than that. You had to notice she’s slowly draining your own life force. She’ll drain you until you age faster, Jane. She taking years off your life every day.”

  “But, I feel strong. Really strong.”

  “Of course you do. She’s not going to take so much you notice, not at first. But trust me, you’ll never be able to give her enough energy. She’ll always siphon yours. Until there’s nothing left to siphon.”

  Jane braced herself against the brick wall of the building. She felt woozy with the information. How could she not have known?

  “Demons make it their business to keep all their tricks secret. Goddess, you’ve got to get down to the hell realm and plead your case. They might be able to extract her.”

  As much as sharing her body with another creature annoyed Jane, she had a hard time justifying pulling her out and killing her.

  It wasn’t like she asked to be stuffed into a witch.

  “I don’t think I can kill her,” Jane admitted.

  “Don’t be silly. She can’t survive without you here, on the earth plane because she belongs in the hell realm. She’ll be fine if you get her extracted there.”

  Jane’s head swam with disbelief. “We were linked. We had the same brain for a time. How did I not sense this?”

  “I told you. Demons make it their business to keep their tricks from common knowledge.”

  Jane shook her head, an attempt to get her thoughts in order and come up with a plan. “OK. Well, how do I get to the hell realm.”

  Olivia sighed, scrunching her nose, and folding her arms over her blue gingham dress. “You’ve got to summon a demon. You really have been slacking in your studies, haven’t you.”

  Jane ignored the witch’s comment. Mostly because it was better for her mental health. But also because her middle was being tugged at.

  A strange sensation, like being pulled by her bellybutton.

  “Oh, fuck.”

  6

  Jane

  Jane left Olivia in the alley and ran across the traffic circle the city was named for, to the center where she was being summoned by her bellybutton. As she hopped over the low brush and foliage surrounding the easement, she was surprised to see Zora screeching to a halt next to her, and Xan shimmer out of nowhere right in front of her.

  “Guess we all got the page, huh,” Jane said.

  “Guess so,” said Xan.

  “Hey! I didn’t know you could teleport!” Zora said as she got out of her car. “Why don’t you just teleport your baked goods over instead of making me wait?”

  “It doesn’t work like that.”

  Zora sighed. “I’ve been hearing that a lot today.”

  The air in the easement grew thin, choking off whatever the gypsy was about to say.

  Jane rolled her eyes.

  She could have at least gotten here before, and not suffocated us in the process.

  As the air left the center of the traffic circle to make more room for the raw magic The Morrigan poured into the space. She blinked into existence before all three women’s eyes.

  They took a full breath as her corporeal vessel soaked up most of the magic and allowed oxygen back into the ether.

  “Christ,” Xan panting. “How about next time you get here and then summon us?”

  Jane smiled at Xan’s remark. That’s why she liked her so much.

  The Morrigan stared directly into Xandrie’s eyes. “Do not speak to me with such disrespect, fae child,” she said unfurling her huge, black crow wings.

  Because her creepy, blind eyes weren’t enough.

  “I’m sorry,” Xan whispered, kneeling before The Morrigan.

  “You three know why you’re here. You disobeyed a direct order from The Garrison by interfering with the vampire known as Droshin. Have you anything to say for yourselves before sentencing?”

  Jane stepped forward, stifling the shiver that wanted to run down her spine at the mention of the vampire responsible for shoving a demon in her. She looked directly into the woman’s over-sized, blind eyes and said, “Just that we freed thirteen women from sexual slavery and killed the monster responsible for it.”

  “The Garrison knows why you committed the act, and they care not.

  “Well, shouldn’t they?” Jane countered.

  The crow woman looked down her long crooked nose, directly into Jane’s eyes.

  Jane looked away. She couldn’t get lost in The Morrigan’s death mojo. That shit was no fun.

  “Look, I don’t care what reason The Garrison had for sending you out here and telling us not to defeat the worst vampire on this side of the US. All I know is I sleep better at night knowing he’s gone. So whatever you have to do, go ahead and do it.”

  The crow woman smiled at Jane, a beautiful, twisted smile that scared the fuck out of her.

  “You’ll come to regret those words, Jane Moretti.”

  “I doubt it,” Jane said and felt herself being pulled by the middle back to where the others stood. Apparently, The Morrigan was done hearing what Jane had to say.

  “The wolves in this sector are out of control since Amari Fa’s death.”

  Jane felt Zora tighten next to her as the name of her beloved left the crow-woman’s lips.

  “You three are now tasked with maintaining order among them.”

  The women looked at each other.

  Jane was about to say something but it was Xan that spoke first. “How exactly do you figure we can manage that. A witch, fae, and a gypsy have no power over wolves. None. What could we ever hope to accomplish?”

  “That is not my concern, Xandrine. It’s yours. Furthermore, if you fail to do so in a timely manner, your magic will be stripped from you. Just like I took Gunnar’s from him.” The Morrigan smiled once more, sucked the air from the ether, and disappeared.

  “What the fuck was that?” Jane said when she could breathe again.

  “Our punishment, apparently,” said Zora. “Like we don’t have enough to worry about.”

  “What do they expect? Are we supposed to drop everything and figure out this wolf shit? Am I supposed to close my bakery?” Xan was seething. She was so angry the tips of her pointy ears were red. “If that crazy crow-woman had pulled me out just a few seconds earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the renunciation ceremony. I would have been forced to take the crown!”

  Jane and Zora both soothed the blue-haired fae with gentle strokes and soft words.

  “That didn’t happen, Xan, so don’t even worry about it,” said Zora.

  “Right, don’t worry. We’ll figure out what’s going on and straighten those wolves out in
no time.”

  Jane could tell Xan wasn’t convinced. Neither was she.

  “How about this. Let’s all go home, get a few hours rest and come at this with fresh eyes. Then we ask anyone we think might have info about the wolves and get back with each other tomorrow? Does that sound doable?”

  Xan nodded. So did Zora, but Jane was still worried about Xan’s mental state. She’d never seen Xandrie so out of control.

  “OK. See ya tomorrow, everyone sleep tight.”

  7

  Zora

  A few hours later, Zora woke sweaty and shivering from the dream. The same dream she had every time she closed her eyes. The one that replayed Amari’s death with photorealism through her head all night long.

  She’d only managed to get five hours of sleep, but Jade said she’d be fine at the bar for as long as Zora needed. She rolled over, bunching the pillows and covers into the vague shape of another person, and tried going back to sleep, but couldn’t shake the feeling the dream left on her.

  Zora looked at the clock. Noon, only a few hours before she’d be getting up normally. She and Jade worked opposite shifts, Jade took the lunch crowd, and Zora closed every night. So she got up despite being groggy, got showered and was on her way to see someone who might have info on both her problems.

  Her mother.

  The drive to the “bad” side of The Circle was a blur to Zora, the dream still clung to her skin like a wet cloak, clouding her focus. She opened the door to the ill-kept bookshop that was the facade for her mother’s ... what did she call it?

  Brothel, it was a brothel, regardless of the name Soraya used.

  Zora made her way to the back of the bookshop, pushing passed the curtain that looked like a wall at a casual glance, and found herself in the middle of a forest.

  Warren Forest to be exact.

  But it wasn’t really the forest. Zora’s mother was very talented.

  “Hello, Zora. I thought you might pay me a visit.” Soraya stood in front of a huge birch tree. Talented as she was, Soraya always confused the native beech trees of the forest for birch trees, whose only similarity was a few letters.

  Zora only knew the trees were wrong because it was where she’d spread Amari’s ashes.

  “Have a seat,” Soraya said, gesturing to a flat-ish rock in front of her. The iridescent dress she wore billowed in the gentle breeze, reflecting a rainbow of colors in the leaf-filtered sunlight.

  Soraya was stunning woman. But dark curls was the only feature she and her daughter shared. Where Zora’s skin was pale because of her Nordic father, Soraya’s skin was a lovely coppery shade, and her eyes a deep, dark brown. She was petite in frame and height, Zora got her height from her father as well, with sculpted brows, a thin nose,d and almond shaped eyes.

  Zora always felt less appealing around her mother.

  She sat down and got as comfortable as she could considering she was sitting on a rock. Soraya seated herself on the rock in front of her daughter, adjusting her skirt to fall in perfect pleats around her legs and asked, “How many times?”

  Zora stared at her mother blankly. “How many times, what?”

  “How many times have you exploded something you didn’t mean to?”

  “A fair few.”

  “Zora, I need a number so I know how to help you.”

  “Mother, I haven’t been keeping track.”

  “Why are you so oppositional with me? I’m trying to help. That’s what you came here for.”

  “Because I don’t like your kind of help. And I don’t want to end up in the ‘family business’.”

  “But you’ve got to get these dark manifestations under control, or they will escalate, and it won’t be pretty.”

  “There has to be another way. I just can’t hop into bed with some...”

  But Zora’s words were disrupted by a strange voice in her head. It was soft, almost gentle. Like a whispering in her mind.

  “What was that?” Zora asked her mother.

  “What?” Soraya looked innocent enough, but Zora wasn’t convinced.

  “There was a voice in my head.”

  “Was it your own, dear?”

  “No mother, it was not my own voice.”

  “I’m sorry,” said the voice from Zora’s head, this time on the outside of it. A man stepped from behind the tree and introduced himself. “My name’s Eric and I think I can help you.”

  “No, thank you,” Zora said. “I’m actually here about wolves. What do you know about the ones in The Circle, mother? Anything you could tell me would help.”

  Zora ignored the man standing next to her mother, forcing herself not to even look in his direction.

  “Zorastria, you’re being rude. Besides, wolves don’t need my services. I know very little about them.”

  “Fine.” If she couldn’t distract her mother into a different conversation, she’d just leave. “Thanks for your time. I’ll see myself out.”

  Don’t go.

  “Get out of my head, please,” Zora stood from her rock and headed back the way she came.

  Please, just hear me out. What harm could listening do?

  Plenty, Zora thought.

  I know you’re hurting, and I understand why. Losing a partner the way you did is traumatizing. But I’m an empath, as you may have guessed, and I can get around all those morality blocks you keeping you from releasing your energy the way you should.

  “They aren’t morality blocks, Eric.” Zora spat his name. “What kind of shitty empath are you? I’m not abstaining because of some twisted sense of morals. My beloved died in my arms. I’m still hurting. The thought of being that close with anyone else... I just. I can’t.”

  And I can get around that. If you let me.

  “How?”

  Eric, who had just been a voice in Zora’s head along with his external physical presence, now seemed to take up physical space in Zora’s mind. Once you let down your guard a bit, I can rearrange some pathways and turn off the guilt.

  “No! Absolutely not! I feel guilty for a reason. I got him killed. I did this. And now I’m suffering for it. That’s how it should be.”

  But it’s not, Zora. You don’t have to keep paying for your mistakes. And you need an outlet, that part isn’t your fault at all. Please, just let me try.

  Zora chewed her lip. The man had a point. It wasn’t her fault she needed to bleed sexual energy from her chi. And she really was tired of buying new bar glasses every other week.

  The gypsy didn’t notice her mother quietly exiting her forest tulpa.

  “OK,” she said. “I agree to let you get in my head and rearrange some things. But that does NOT mean I’m giving you permission for anything else. Clear?”

  “Crystal,” said Eric. He rolled his neck, closed his eyes, and asked Zora to do the same.

  “Alright, but no funny business,” she said, closing her icy eyes.

  The moment her lashes brushed her cheek it was over. She hadn’t felt anything aside from a weight being lifted from her shoulders. She didn’t even feel Eric in her head like she had before.

  “That’s it. You’re done,” he said.

  “Really? That’s it?”

  Eric nodded.

  Zora looked at Eric, one eye squinted slightly. “I don’t feel much different.”

  “Nope.” The smugness in his tone rubbed Zora exactly the wrong way.

  She hated arrogant guys.

  “Well, thanks, I guess. I should get going.” Zora inched toward the tulpa exit.

  “You still need to release, Zora. And I’m right here.”

  “I’m aware. Unfortunately, I don’t happen to like you very much.”

  “Even better.”

  What did that mean? Was he into something kinky and angry?

  Eric laughed at the picture Zora made in her head. “Nothing like that, Ms. Joutsen. But the way I see it, if you don’t like me, then we’ve no chance of falling for each other, and no chance of you ever feeling guilty about it, e
ven after your neurons go back to normal. In fact, it seems to me, the less you like me the better.”

  Zora didn’t waste time arguing.

  She rushed the arrogant little shit and pushed him on his ass.

  Eric looked confused as he toppled to the ground.

  “I see,” he said as he coiled in and out of her thoughts.

  He got up and threw Zora to the ground.

  She landed on her hands and knees, and Eric was on her, grabbing her flesh, ripping away her clothes.

  More, she thought.

  Eric obeyed, raking his hands down her curves as he yanked her pants down to the knees. He smacked her ass hard enough to echo and pulled her underwear down.

  More!

  Again, Eric obeyed, this time biting the meat of her ass, leaving a mark, and making Zora cry out.

  Months of pent up sex magic rolled off Zora in waves, distorting the surroundings like heat of an engine. It danced from her skin, bleeding into the ether where it belonged.

  You better do this quick before I change my mind.

  And Eric obeyed, yanking his own pants down and crashing into Zora so hard they both cried out.

  Zora had never been fucked like that before. She’d never needed it before. Each crash of hips on ass sent searing pleasure through her body, leeching away the months of built up magic she’d been unable to release.

  They came in seconds, both screaming into the forest so loud the illusory birds squawked in protest.

  When they’d recovered and redressed, Zora assessed her magical and mental states.

  She felt good.

  She felt really good.

  8

  Xandrie

  In the sidhe, Xan didn’t need any sleep. In the earth realm, however, she needed at least a few hours to function at her best. She cat-napped in the back of her bakery for a couple hours, then got started on the orders for the day.

  Working in an earth realm bakery was hard, sweaty work. But working in an earth realm bakery that happened to be run by a fae princess, that was a whole other thing.