Rage: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Spelldrift: Coven of Fire Book 3)

by Sierra Cross

  Even if Matt took it too far.

  “We’re a coven,” I said, finding my voice at last. “We need you.”

  “That’s great, Miss,” the lead guardian said. “But we have our orders. We’re taking him in.”

  “Well, circumstances have changed.” Larch was striding back into the room, triumph in her step. Her next words shocked me. “We’ve convened an emergency hearing.” So that’s what she was doing, I thought.

  “The time for hearings is long past.” The lead guardian looked annoyed. “He’s condemned. I have the paperwork right here.”

  Larch held up a brown tome and read from a page held open by her pen. “According to magicborn extradition law section 548.6,” she said, “‘cases in 1889, 1954, and 1983 set the precedent for allowing an emergency hearing when there’s new evidence to consider.’ His killing the Caedis that threatened this Council qualifies as new evidence.”

  The guardian’s face turned deadly calm. “We were promised you’d deliver him.”

  “Don’t worry, gentlemen,” Larch stuck her pen behind her ear and snapped the book shut. “You’ll get your chance to plead your case.”

  Thirty minutes later found me fidgeting in my seat in the smaller courtroom, across the hall from the main courtroom that had been destroyed. This chamber was older, equipped with a mere two rows of uncomfortable, straight-backed wooden chairs that dated from the 1950s. Though no battle had raged here, the room was not unscathed. Smoke tarnished the walls, blasts had ripped through furniture, and the air smelled like a campfire. Liv and Asher flanked me on either side, perhaps realizing that I’d need all the support I could get during this hearing.

  As we waited for the bench to be filled, a few mandatory witnesses filed into the gallery. Matt, who looked like he could barely hold his head up from exhaustion, sat next to Larch at the defense table. The guardians packed the prosecution table with their muscular presence.

  The bailiff called for us to stand, and the judges—only three of them—came limping in, their midnight blue robes torn, faces marred with cuts and abrasions. Merwin had been killed and apparently one of the others had been injured too badly to serve. But among the three, to my amazement, was Bonaventura. He was ashen-faced and obviously moving on adrenaline or whatever the vampire equivalent was. His cuts were barely visible. I wondered how many feeders he’d gone through to replace most of his blood volume so he could be standing here.

  He looked at me. Did he know, had he been conscious enough to remember, that he owed me one? I prayed he was about to repay me right now. He banged the gavel and called the court to order.

  Larch testified first, speaking with her usual professionalism that bordered on stodginess

  “Officers, this magicborn has served bravely and made sacrifices,” she said. “This community owes him a debt of gratitude. He not only saved a number of our own, he personally put down the Caedis who staged a coup on this very court.”

  From the stir in the gallery, I could tell that the witnesses, if not the judges, were impressed. Not to mention relieved. At any rate, Alana’s forces had terrified the Spelldrift’s elite. Was it too much to assume that Matt’s clearing her from the realm painted him in a friendlier light? Would some of them be pulling for him now, despite themselves? I took nothing for granted. Prejudices against so-called Deviants ran deep.

  Predictably, the guardians countered with rhetoric about Mals.

  “Need I quote from the countless studies and statistics on the criminal tendencies of the Amalgam nature?” the lead guardian said grimly. “His past deeds are commendable, sure, but a Deviant’s future leads to darkness. That’s just science.”

  I thought Asher might pull a muscle due to his excessive eye-rolling.

  After way too much of this sanctimonious crap, the judges retired.

  Moments later, they returned.

  Bonaventura read the verdict. “We find for the plaintiff.”

  I didn’t know if the enormous sigh in my ears came from the courtroom or from deep within my own heart.

  “He will be given credeto dispensoria,” the vampire went on. “This will allow him to retain his freedoms without giving legal precedent to other Amalgams.” Of course, I thought. That would be too much to ask. To spare Matt’s life they had to treat him as an exception. “Also, the record of his Amalgam nature will be sealed.” Sealed? What good would that do? Everyone knew what Matt was. But hey, if they wanted to play it that way, I was fine with it. I was fine with anything at this moment because Matt wasn’t going to die.

  “Your honor.” The senior member of the guardian task force took the stand. “We have no choice but to obey the binding ruling of this court. However, as is within our guardian purview, I hereby declare the plaintiff, Matthew Montgomery, excommunicated from the Swords of Light Brotherhood.” The senior member’s face reddened with what appeared to be outrage and disgust as he continued. “As a known Amalgam, he can no longer be considered one of us or share in our rights and responsibilities. He’ll be stripped of his pension and regalia. The sacred crest is no longer his to bear. From this day forward, Matthew Montgomery shall no longer be a guardian.”

  The pronouncement chilled me to the core. Kicked out of the guardians, after a decade of service—two if you counted his time in the Void. I looked at Matt’s stoical bearing as he took in this cruel news. He gave an almost imperceptible nod, as if to say, so be it. And that’s when I knew they were wrong. Matt would always be a guardian, the ultimate guardian. He was a product not only of their laborious training but also of Alana’s mentoring. Together, the guardians and a coven witch had helped shape this man into something unique. Not just a fighting machine, but a warrior of the light.

  It didn’t matter if they couldn’t see that in him.

  What mattered was Matt would live. That I could hold him in my arms, not just today but tomorrow and the next day, and the next. I counted that blessing, more like a miracle, and rushed to hug him.

  If the battle hadn’t wiped us out, the emergency hearing knocked us flat. More than once, as we trudged the dozen or so blocks to Talisman Books to regroup, I was tempted to call a Lyft. Hell, it was lucky I didn’t have spellbead on me or I’d have been tempted to waste a grand just to save us all the effort of walking.

  Especially Matt. Using his Mal powers had taken everything out of him. I took his hand, feeling the texture of his new scars, and focused on sending him all the strength I could through the coven bond. He squeezed my hand back lightly as if to say, “Don’t worry about me.” Well, too late. I already knew his secret: he wasn’t invincible. He wasn’t a superhero. Just a hero.

  When we got up the outside back steps, a tall narrow package was leaning against the back door.

  “What’s that?” Liv asked.

  Asher picked it up, then opened the door with a swipe of magic. “It’s addressed to Miss Alexandra Hill.” With a shrug he handed the package to me.

  “Weird,” I said.

  Package in hand, I followed the others down the hallway. Since Asher’s lab and cozy corner had been thoroughly trashed by Callie’s rampage, he led us to a conference room across the hall. It was spare, just a table and chairs. Posters on the wall advertised book club meetings and a bulletin board calendar was packed with quirky community events.

  “Does anyone want tea, by which I mean whiskey with tea in it?” Asher winced as he turned his head, the Caedis wound flaring on his collarbone. It was just a bruise really, not life threatening, but obviously needed attention.

  “Sit,” Matt commanded our warlock. “There’s no need for you to be in pain. I can make it better.”

  “I keep telling you, guardian, you’re not my type,” Asher quipped, but he obediently plopped down into an office chair. Matt tucked in close beside him. It reassured me to see he’d recouped enough strength to heal Asher’s small Caedis bruise. Liv stared in wonder, but Matt showed no self-consciousness about his healing gift.

  The world was changing all right
. Starting with him.

  I tore open the package and stared in confusion. Inside was a painting, an abstract tonal pattern. Beige on beige dots. Why’d it look so familiar? “It’s Masumi’s,” I blurted out. This wasn’t merely art, it was the map from her bedroom. The realization took me from confused to unsettled. “Why on earth would she send me this?”

  Asher glanced at it. “Not your style, I agree. Way too subtle, all those neutral shades—”

  “Not that.” I explained what the painting was. “This is the key to Masumi’s bunker of information on Deviants.”

  “Whoa,” Liv said. Everyone’s eyes shifted to gaze warily at the painting. Whatever it was doing here, it couldn’t be a good thing.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a text from my aunt: Turn on the TV, now.

  “Hey, does that TV work?” I asked Asher, pointing to a flat panel mounted on the wall above the whiteboard.

  He handed me the remote.

  I turned it on and flicked through the channels until I got to a news network.

  “…the entire block was devastated.” The blond anchorwoman pursed her lips in practiced stoicism. On a screen behind her, live footage played of several buildings engulfed in flames. “Police say explosions began in the underground utility tunnels around two o’clock this morning.”

  My stomach clenched as the images flashed before me. “I recognize that building…” I was afraid of what was coming next, but I couldn’t look away. “It’s Vancouver. Masumi’s neighborhood.”

  I’d just visited there with my aunt. Now it was an inferno.

  Please, god, let Masumi be okay…

  “The early morning explosions prompted an evacuation of a three-square-block area.” The video, apparently from a news-copter, panned back to reveal an entire block, crumpled and burning. “Miraculously, Vancouver police are reporting only one person missing, presumed dead.” Dozens of firetrucks, all with lights flashing, were battling back the blaze. “Doctor Masumi Shimizu, 42, resident of the Pinnacle Towers.”

  I got up and smashed the power button with more force than it deserved. Terrible questions lodged themselves in my mind. Did Callie leak the footage and get Masumi killed? Had Masumi paid with her life to get me the videos I needed to save Matt? My traitorous heart was breaking for my aunt, losing her lifelong friend. I didn’t want to feel anything for the dark witch who raised me. Was she sneaking back into my heart?

  I wanted to reject the guilt that was rolling over me at Masumi’s sacrifice, but I couldn’t stop staring at the painting sitting in front of me on Asher’s conference table. How had Masumi gotten the painting out before she was killed? Had she seen her death coming? In a roundabout way—one that had way too much to do with Aunt Jenn’s lie and scheming—had Masumi chosen me as her successor? I guess the painting answered that question.

  It was all on me now, to tell the world the truth about Deviants and Mals. To stop the Fidei torture. Change the system. Help kids like the ones hiding out at that camp.

  No. I looked around at my coven. It was on us.

  Matt insisted we all let him buy us a drink at Sanctum before the night was through. We were all beat to shit and the news about Masumi was like an anvil on my chest. But Matt was free. The Caedis that took Alana’s body was dead. His mother’s soul was free. And we were alive to fight another day. As Matt reminded us, we had to celebrate the victories as they came. So we walked our tired asses to the bar.

  “A toast to Alana.” Liv raised her cocktail glass. I guessed saving Callie was still on her mind, but for tonight she was taking Matt’s advice and concentrating on our wins.

  “May she rest in peace,” Asher said with sincerity and raised his glass.

  We all drank deeply. Then, for the first time, Matt pulled me to him in public. He slipped his hand into the waistband of my jeans and left it there. He leaned in and thanked me for taking the risks I did. His lips moved across my skin, sending waves of fire up from my core. Asher’s eyes were locked on Matt’s every move. His Chimerian tattoos swirled at the edges of his gloves. Was he angry? Jealous? Before I had time to figure it out, he was looking across the room, winking. A glossy lipped, brown-haired cutie was giggling back at him. I’d seen that particular Wont girl in here plenty of times; she looked vacant-eyed and was a bit of a party girl, but harmless enough. He crooked his finger and beckoned the pretty girl toward him. Ugh.

  Liv stared at him. “Really?”

  “What?” He shrugged. “No strings, no drama. You should try it some time.” The young woman flounced her smooth, flat-ironed hair as she got to the table. Asher leaned over and whispered in her ear. She giggled harder and nodded at him with big eyes. I felt embarrassed to share a gender with her.

  “Excuse me,” I said to the Wont girl, and untangled myself from Matt. “I need to borrow him for a quick minute.”

  “Alix—” Asher protested as I took his hand, but I wouldn’t let him out of this one. If our coven was going to stay a coven we had to clear the air.

  I pulled him outside, into the chilly night and dragged him along till we stood around the corner from Sanctum.

  “What do you want, witch?” Asher said impatiently.

  “I want you and me to be okay.”

  He shrugged. “We’re fine, and I have a tasty morsel waiting for me.”

  “Stop it. Take two minutes and talk to me.”

  “Pfft.” He turned to go back inside.

  “Asher, I’m serious. Talk to me.”

  He spun back around, no softness in his eyes. “You know where I stand,” Asher said. “You picked him. I get it. But I have to say this out loud one time. I love you, Alix Hill.” His voice was full of fury and passion.

  Whoah. I didn’t expect him to go there. He looked at me defiantly, daring me to challenge him. But I remembered his face when he was holding Marley, and the look on his face every time he called her a crone. And suddenly I could see through the facade he’d built for himself.

  “No, you don’t,” I said with certainty. “You don’t love me.”

  Asher’s eyes flashed. “Don’t dismiss me—”

  “I’m not. I’m calling you on your bullshit.” I put my hand up when he started to speak. “You picked me because you knew I was unavailable. That I would never say yes. It was a way to protect your broken heart.”

  “You’re delusional, witch.” But there wasn’t much punch behind his words.

  “I saw you when Marley was killed. Your anguish was so powerful; I could feel it in my bones. I know it’s her picture you carry around in your wallet. I’m guessing it’s her face you see when you close your eyes.” I could see my words were ringing true for him. “That is love.”

  “Maybe it was. But she’s dead. As in gone, forever.” His voice was tight and loud, but with pain, not anger.

  “I know,” I said feeling for his loss. “But your heart will learn how to love again.”

  He laughed, wild and full of sadness, as if the notion was utterly crazy. “She will always be my true love. What do you do when everyone else is second best?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “But you have to let yourself feel the pain before you can get beyond it.”

  “I’m afraid there is no ‘beyond’ for that pain.” He shook his head, walls starting to reform. “I’ll think about it tomorrow. I’ve got a hot Wont waiting for me.”

  I tugged on his sleeve. “You know you can’t leave it like this with Liv either,” I said. I never used to be the person to mess with other people’s business. But this was different. This was our coven and something in my core was calling to me, telling me to make sure everything was set right. Was this part of being a coven leader?

  “We’re adults. She knew who I was before she climbed into my bed.”

  “Oh, please.”

  “I never would have gone there with her if I thought she couldn’t handle it.”

  “You’ve seen the way she looks at you.”

  “She said it was
just a romp for her too,” Asher said.

  “And you believed her?”

  He looked away, then reluctantly met my eyes “No. Somewhere in my blackened heart, I knew better.”

  “Asher, your heart isn’t blackened.” I took his hand. “It’s battered maybe. Definitely wounded, but it’s good and loyal and true. You may try to hide that from the world, but I will always know that.”

  “I’ll fix it with Liv. I promise.” Honest to god tears welled up in his eyes, but he took a deep breath and didn’t let them fall. “She’s such a bright light. If I’d met her before Marley…”

  We both let the sentence go unfinished. Some things in life couldn’t be fixed. I prayed Asher’s heart wasn’t one of them.

  Together we walked back to the table, where Asher’s Wont girl was beaming up at him like a puppy.

  “Well, we’ll be going.” He tossed a few bills on the table and nodded to the rest of us. “Good night all.”

  Liv rolled her eyes. “I guess he’s just a bullet dodged.” Her voice was even-keeled, like maybe she really was over him. “I’m calling it a night. I think I’m going to sleep for about forty hours.” She stood with a wince. “And then I’m going to find the perfect spell to release Callie.”

  “Night sister.” I hugged her goodbye. Damn, when did I become a hugger? This coven—this family—had the strangest effects on me. “See you in a bit.”

  “Sure,” she said, hugging me back. Though she wasn’t angry, I got the sense that she needed some space. I wished Matt and I didn’t have to invade her apartment. But no way Asher was going to want us at his place. Not that I even wanted to be around for whatever he had planned this evening.

  Matt nibbled my ear, distracting me from my thoughts, setting my body on fire. He raised a hand and called for the check.

  To my surprise Emma herself came and set the bill on the table. Then she beamed at Matt. “Hey, I heard you’re the Fidei’s hero of the hour. Look out or they’ll make you an honorary agent.”

  Matt chuckled, but my ears perked up. Why not? The Fidei was a Wont organization, but they worked with magicborn associates, and Matt with his military background would be a perfect fit.