by Emma Dean
She gathered the book in her arms and stood. “And if Kenzie is my cousin, I guess that makes you family too. I may not need you to train me anymore, but I’ll never not need the support of my real family.”
They stared at each other for a moment and she saw the truth of her statement flash through Hunter’s eyes – he even looked…relieved.
“If I find any books I think you could use I’ll continue to pass them along,” Hunter said, turning to join the other two foxes and Audrey.
Mika went inside and went down the stairs into the basement to Kenzie’s office.
She’d known her training with Hunter was coming to an end, but it was still bittersweet and abrupt. But she hadn’t really expected anything more from Hunter. She’d known he didn’t do long goodbyes. That he’d said anything at all meant more than just his simple words.
“How many have you found?” Jessica’s voice reached Mika first.
She knocked on the door to announce her presence before walking into the office.
Jessica looked up from the computer screens and gave Mika a nod before peering back at them over Kenzie’s shoulder.
The void witch grinned at Mika and leaned back in her fancy office/gaming chair. “What can I do for you, cuz?”
“I need to know everything you can find in the Council files about Jack Pine and blood witches. Then the time period around 1886.” Mika leaned against the doorjamb and hoped Kenzie would help her out.
At least it would give her a direction when she got to the library.
“Eisheth told me about the infernal copy,” Jessica said, pointing. “It’s right there.”
Mika saw a book bound in thick leather that was nearly identical to the one she’d stolen from the library except the pages were gilded in red foil – some kind of gold? She couldn’t be sure.
“Lucifer and I are handling the Hellfire Society,” Jessica told her. “They shouldn’t bother you anymore.”
“How can you be sure?” Mika asked as she reached for the heavy tome on the circular table.
This office was massive with floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with books. It was a library in its own right, but not like one Mika had ever seen before. There was an area that looked perfect for video games, and then this little reading and research nook.
On Kenzie’s side it was nothing but computers across multiple desks.
It was all rather impressive.
“It’s why Lucifer hired me in the first place,” Jessica muttered. “‘Make sure the seven seals stay closed and find out who’s trying to open them.’ Kenzie got me a few alumni keys, so I’ve got access to Morgana now.”
Knowing the older, more experienced hunter was on the case was a huge relief. Mika couldn’t take on an entire secret society with just her and a few others. But Lucifer and the most powerful demon witch on earth?
Eisheth had said she had the power to rival Lucifer after all.
“The Council has all the paranormals listed here,” Kenzie said as she typed furiously. “They put them in different classes, and each has a tag on them for their various abilities. There’s even a list here of the different witch specialties, or ‘classes.’”
“Is blood witch on there?” Mika asked, stacking the infernal tome on top of the book Hunter had given her.
“It’s in alphabetical order and I don’t see blood witch – there’s atomic witch, cosmic, demon, elemental, empath, enchantress, green witch, hedge witch, kitchen witch, necromancer, night witch, sea witch, seer, shadow witch, storm witch, wild witch, void, voodoo…there are a few others, but nothing about blood witches.”
Mika couldn’t believe out of all those options, there was nothing about her. “Try searching for Sanguimancy.”
“Oh, fancy,” Jess smirked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word before,” Kenzie mused. “Can you spell it?”
Mika did and mentally crossed her fingers there would be something.
“There’s an entry here, scanned in from the original, but the page is just blank.” Kenzie frowned and peered closer. “That’s weird. The Council’s resources are really well tended usually. I’ve never run into this before.”
“There has to have been a spell,” Mika murmured, running her hand over her family crest on the infernal edition in that same red gold. “Something that wiped it from memory and record. Hunter said the fox libraries are protected by their fox god which is why they’re safe.”
Jess flipped a chair around and straddled it as she stared at nothing in particular. “Eisheth told Lucifer it was one of his who locked up the Morrigan. That didn’t go over well.”
Kenzie leaned so far back in her office chair, Mika thought she was going to fall over. “What do you think, cuz?”
It was strange watching them interact – two of the strongest witches of her generation in the same place and working together, not only that, they were helping Mika and somehow…this was now Mika’s family.
She may have lost everything, but she’d also gained everything in return. It had just taken time.
“I’m still learning the hierarchies of hell,” Jess admitted. “But it’s possible. There are a lot of powerful beings in that realm.”
Mika was glad she’d decided not to ‘pop in’ with Eisheth. “Can you look into it without pissing Lucifer off?” Mika asked.
Jess spun around in her chair, making her black duster whirl around her like some mysterious hero. “I could. He doesn’t need to know everything. It’s not really a subject he can be objective about either.”
Instantly Mika felt a small shred of relief. Someone was going to investigate, and she wouldn’t have to go snooping around in hell to find out the truth.
“Well, Jack Pine is a Council member and has been for the last five years – apparently one of the youngest,” Kenzie said, focusing on another screen. “He’s high society, but from St. Louis and not the West Coast. Then there’s a pending application for Jack Pine to join the Bay Coven.”
“Makes sense,” Mika said, sitting in the closest empty chair. “If he agreed to Claire’s proposal the male witch joins the female’s clan.”
“I suppose,” Kenzie muttered, jiggling her mouse as she clicked her way through the back door she’d built into the Council’s files and servers almost a year ago. “And we’re a bit short on males in San Francisco, but it still feels like a power grab.”
“Isn’t it always?” Mika asked.
“I’m so glad I’m not high society.” Jess chuckled and adjusted the bracelets on her wrist. “And I thought demon prejudice was bad.”
Mika wasn’t sure she wanted to know what the hell demon prejudice was, but she had to agree with Jess. “High society witches are ridiculous.”
“Just ran a background check and pulled up his human files,” Kenzie said. “He’s clean, boring, but clean. Jack Pine makes his own money through stock trading on top of the family banking business. He has his own power as a Council member and Claire isn’t slated to become High Priestess. I think he’s safe.”
Mika felt a little better knowing that at least Claire hadn’t run out and gotten engaged to another guy just like the last one. They didn’t need a repeat of what had happened last fall.
“There’s nothing special mentioned about 1886 either,” Kenzie told her. “Other than a massive increase in monogamous marriages between witches.” She frowned and leaned closer to one of the screens. “Weird that there doesn’t seem to be a reason why.”
Jessica’s forehead creased in worry. She leaned over Kenzie so she could see better. “There’s definitely something strange going on here.”
“You think it has something to do with Bradley Davis?” Kenzie asked, twirling her chair around to face Mika.
Mika tapped her fingers on top of her clan’s infernal book. “I think a lot of things are more connected than we realize. The Hellfire Society was supposedly just a small problem to Victoria Marshall in 1886. She said they liked to stir up trouble, but that was about it.
And yet…my father and brother were a part of that society on top of being involved with Bradley’s scheme?”
There were too many coincidences. Mika shook her head. “I am curious about one thing though.” She pulled out the necklace from under her shirt. “Somehow whatever wiped out blood witches from this plane didn’t touch these crystals or my blood stones.”
“Interesting,” Kenzie murmured, eyeing the crystals apprehensively. “What do those do?”
“It contains the memories of every blood witch in my clan, but there are two hundred years missing. After Victoria in 1886 there’s nothing new.”
Jessica held out her hand, silently asking to see them. Mika only hesitated for a second before handing them over. They were supposed to be family after all – but it was the only thing she had tying her to the other blood witches in her family.
“Only someone with Marshall blood can access these I assume?” Jess asked.
Mika nodded, surprised the demon witch knew that.
Jess handed the necklace back with a shrug and pulled out her own necklace. A single blood crystal hung from it, among a few other stones with power radiating from them. “Demon witches and blood witches are more alike than anyone wants to admit.”
“All the books say demon magic is parallel to blood magic,” Mika admitted. “Doesn’t really surprise me.”
What did Jess have on her own crystal?
“Be careful when you open the blood stones,” Jess warned, tucking the necklaces back under her black tank top. “Make a circle first. You never know what’s going to come out of one.”
The infernal book weighed heavily in her arms. “Thanks for the advice, and the help Kenzie.”
“We missed you at Samuel’s Fourth of July barbecue,” Kenzie teased. “Afraid you’d end up mated?”
Mika rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help her smile. “I don’t need any more boyfriends.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Jess smirked. “When you get bored or annoyed with one it’s nice to have options.”
“Or, you know, all of those options at once,” Kenzie snickered.
Mika felt her cheeks heat and she cleared her throat. “I’m going now. But please, keep me updated on anything you think I should know.”
“Aw, come on!” Jess called after her with a shit-eating grin on her face. “Tell us how good they are at sharing! We want to know!”
Mika slammed the door closed behind her, face on fire. She was so not ready for that conversation, and she had work to do.
18
Pulling the infernal book onto her lap, Mika looked over those pages carefully. Despite everything it said, she felt like there was more to the story.
This book had the same weird change in tradition, with no explanation, that hers did. Elizabeth was the first of their line to wed as a human with absolutely no reason as to why or why all females continued to wed after her.
There was something missing and Mika didn’t know how to find it, not even with all the information now at her disposal. There had to be someone alive who might still remember. But a two-hundred-year-old witch was rare. Maybe she’d find what she was looking for at Lucien’s library.
Tracing the line of their ancestry, Mika wondered if she could contact Elizabeth herself and ask. But she was no necromancer and it was doubtful her soul could still even be contacted.
Blood though…could she somehow use something to see a precise memory?
If she could, she didn’t know how or where to get some of Elizabeth’s blood.
There was just too much information between her books and the crystals. She’d have to start cataloging it soon.
Mika’s gaze trailed down the line of Marshall witches and stopped on her mother’s name.
Why hadn’t her mother been told anything? Did she not have the specialty? Her mother was the only witch of her generation to survive. Helen hadn’t had any born siblings at all. Did that have something to do with being blood witches?
So quickly they’d dwindled since Elizabeth.
“What are you reading?” Corbin asked, suddenly sitting beside her on her bed.
Mika jumped, cursing as she grabbed her chest. “Must you do that?”
The raven chuckled. “You know, if you wanted to you could see me when I’m in the shadow realm.”
“Is that how you just…disappear?”
Corbin nodded and eyed the book in her lap. He wrinkled his nose and leaned back. “Smells like sulphur.”
“It’s the infernal edition.” There was a ruby in this copy too. “Are you ready for the trip?” Mika asked, flipping a page.
“Didn’t realize I was invited.”
“Lucien already cleared it with his pack. But if you don’t want to go…” Mika smirked at him, a challenge.
Corbin playfully nudged her with his shoulder. “Putting me on the spot, hm. I accept, although I’m sure his pack is very nice. Most fox dens are.”
Mika looked up and studied Corbin’s face. Had he been inside a fox den before? What did she really even know about foxes and ravens anyway? They were so secretive. But she’d heard from them more than once how the scavengers liked to band together.
It would be interesting to see just how close they were in a place no witch had been in centuries.
A door slammed and Mika jumped again. Geez she was on edge.
“Little witch, guess who’s home!” Lucien called out, knocking on her door as he strolled into her room. He saw the raven but didn’t seem bothered or jealous as he walked right by him to hug Mika. “Manage to stay out of trouble while we were gone?”
“Barely,” Ethan murmured as he came in next, eyes only for her. “And planning more, as usual.”
Ethan was across the room before she could even respond. He wrapped her up in his arms and held her close. Mika felt him breathe her in, felt the way his entire body seemed to relax when they made contact again.
It was exactly the way she felt when he was with her – like coming home.
“My turn.” Lucien shoved Ethan and swung Mika around like they were in some ridiculous romantic fantasy. “Has the raven been training you and keeping you on your toes, my little hunter?”
He set her down and stole a kiss, grinning as he stepped back.
Mika cleared her throat, looked from the grinning raven to Ethan’s slight, knowing smile that reminded her of all his questions while she’d been on her knees, and then back to Lucien’s sparkling eyes.
“I’ve been training her,” Corbin admitted, his grin widening. Mika searched the raven’s face for any hint of jealousy or possession but found none. “I was actually hoping you would be interested in helping, fox. It would allow me to see where she’s weak.”
Narrowing her eyes, she watched the way the fox and the raven both turned to study her from head to toe.
Scavengers.
Despite Corbin being a brand-new addition, the fox accepted it as if it were expected. It was fascinating to watch.
Mika looked up at Ethan then, trying to decipher what it was that he felt about the whole matter.
He raised one eyebrow and Mika felt her cheeks heat at the implied question. She shoved Ethan, but he didn’t even budge. “Do you have a new story to tell me the next time we play?” he whispered, leaning down to tickle her ear with his words.
Ethan took her hand and tugged her forward. At first she resisted, annoyed he was so…nonchalant about the matter – annoyed his question turned her on as much as it did. She shook her head, giving in to the pull. Mika ended up pressed against Ethan’s chest as his large hands caressed her spine.
“I don’t,” she insisted.
Ethan leaned down slowly, making her heart race, and then he kissed the corner of her mouth. “I’m not surprised, but it’s a shame. I was looking forward to it.”
The way her heart beat in her chest, Mika thought for a moment she might actually faint, but she took a breath and licked her lips, glancing back at the two shifters.
Despite everyth
ing—despite how amazing and accepting Ethan was, Mika had honestly thought he’d be annoyed about Corbin, but he really seemed to be fine with the whole sharing thing and even though Mika didn’t really get it, she could accept it.
But Lucien? Lucien barely even cared. She’d thought he’d be pissed for at least a minute or two, but…nothing.
Mika slipped her hand into Lucien’s and leaned into him.
It was good to have her boys back.
Corbin gave her a look that made her want to melt into the floor. It was full of heat and promise. Then he winked. “I’m going to grab a few things for the trip. I’ll be back soon.”
Right, because he wanted her to talk to Ethan and Lucien about everything.
“Don’t be late, bird,” Lucien called after him. “The demon won’t wait for you just because you’re pretty.”
As if she wasn’t already flustered, Mika felt her cheeks heat when Corbin gave the fox a wink before simply…disappearing.
“I want to know how he does that,” Lucien muttered.
Mika would have told him, but Ethan looked down at her expectantly. “Well?”
She cleared her throat and stepped out of his warmth to double check that she had everything she needed. One suitcase should be enough, right?
“Spit it out already,” Lucien drawled, sprawling out across her bed.
“Corbin told me that ravens used to spend a trial year with a blood witch before they became blood bonded.” Mika glanced over her shoulder at Ethan who had a carefully neutral face. “He wants to do that, but also mentioned being in a romantic relationship isn’t required.”
Lucien smirked and rolled over onto his stomach, propping his chin in his hands. “You liiiiiike him.”
Fates help her she was going to wring his neck. Mika slammed her suitcase closed. “So what if I do?”
Ethan chuckled. “Do you want to date him?”
After everything, she couldn’t deny the way Corbin made her feel. Mika couldn’t pretend like she didn’t want him, that he didn’t make her feel like a part that was missing had finally found its way home.
“I do,” she admitted. “I just don’t know if I want a blood bond.”
