by Linsey Hall
Okay, that had been bad. I looked over in time to see Cade tear the throat out of the big man and leap off of him. Blood and gore dripped down his muzzle. He was as tall as me in this form, and a good two or three hundred pounds heavier.
I swallowed hard. “Hey, Cade.”
Please don’t eat me.
I’d used up all my magic—unintentionally—and did not want to get eaten as a result.
Silver light swirled around him, and he transformed back to human, dressed and with no blood coating his face. His gaze traveled over the half destroyed house.
“It’s hard to search a house when it’s rubble,” he said.
“I know.” But I really didn’t want to explain how I lost control. “You’re half Shifter?”
“No. Wolves were important to the Celts. Warrior dogs. It’s part of my god power. I don’t qualify as a Shifter and wouldn’t be welcome at Glencarrough.”
Glencarrough was the Alpha Council’s secretive headquarters. If they knew what an ally Cade could be, I’d bet they’d invite him in.
He looked like he was about to ask me about the catastrophe that I’d caused, so I jumped in. “Cool. Let’s go check the house.”
I hurried toward the front door. It’d once been a double door, but only one was left. The whole right side of the house was now rubble.
Please let their rooms be on the left.
I yanked open the remaining door and hurried into a massive living room that was half destroyed.
Cade followed. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Not if I can help it. “Can’t wait.”
All the couches were gone, but an urn sat on the coffee table. “There’s the mage.”
“Aye. Brother must have brought him back.”
I winced, guilt streaking through me over the death of two brothers. They’d been evil assholes out to kill me, but still…
Ignoring the urn, I hurried toward the door on the left. A quick survey showed a closet full of three-piece suits. “It’s the brother’s room.”
Cade looked up from where he’d been looking into the small garbage bin. “Trash is full of receipts from Venice. Dated last month.”
“Hmmm. That’s in Europe.” I left the room, going to the next. The closet in this one revealed a collection of giant track suits. “Strike out.”
“Let’s look anyway.”
We found more receipts from Venice from six weeks ago.
“Looks like more than a coincidence,” I said.
“Here’s hoping for three.”
We left the room and found the final bedroom on the upper floor. The closet contained colorful leather jackets. Red, orange, blue. Bingo. Thank fates I hadn’t destroyed this room. “This is his room.”
I hurried to the desk, while Cade grabbed the little garbage bin. I riffled through papers for a few moments while he searched.
“Nothing in here,” he said.
“That’s because he hasn’t thrown them out yet.” I held up a handful of receipts. “Also Venice. Dated last week.”
“Then none of them were traveling together.”
“Not a vacation. They were going to get their orders. And it seems that Ricketts runs an organized operation. They saved their receipts so they could submit them for reimbursement.”
Cade nodded. “Good work.”
“Stupid trail, though.” But I grinned, grateful for the slip up. We needed all the help we could get. “This place was protected, but not well enough.”
“Not from us.” Cade smiled warmly at me, the corners of his beautiful eyes crinkling. Wind swept his dark hair off his face and pressed his sweater to his muscular chest. Butterflies started dancing in my stomach. “We make a good team.”
Warmth glowed in my chest, joining the butterflies down below.
A connection. We definitely had one. And we’d done this together.
Oooohkay, whoa, Nelly.
Feeling warm fuzzies about a dude was the first step toward a…relationship. Yikes.
Relationships were a bad idea. They required trust. I was not good at that, and I couldn’t afford it anyway—not with the way my magic was going haywire lately.
If they knew what I really was? Ana and I would be out on our asses—no more help from the Undercover Protectorate. And I wanted to be damned sure I’d get my hands on that cure before we parted ways.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said. “I bet more than three people lived in a house this big. The others might be back soon.”
“Good plan.”
We hurried out of the house, headed back toward Nix’s car. Exhaustion pulled at me as I climbed into the passenger seat. Cade had the keys, and I was on shaky legs already. He could drive. I’d used up all my magic and hadn’t actually slept in what felt like days. We’d gone straight from Death Valley to this.
Cade turned the car on and pulled away from the house. “I have an underworld contact in Venice. If Ricketts is there, she’ll probably know about them.”
“Good. Another lead.”
“It’ll be evening in Scotland. We’ll sleep tonight and start in the morning.”
As much as I wanted to start hunting the cure immediately, I desperately needed a bit of sleep. And my magic was totally out. It’d take a while to recoup all that I’d blown. “All right.”
After a few moments, Cade broke the silence. “Did you mean to destroy the house?”
I wanted to say yes—not to admit to my wonky magic—but there was literally no way I could. No one would destroy the house they wanted to search. “Sometimes I put a little too much juice on my magic.”
“Hmmm.” His gaze turned to my face, thoughtful. “And your friend said that your magic is stronger.”
Shit. He had been listening. But I couldn’t let him realize that’s what was happening to me. That I was maybe changing from an Unknown into….what? “I wore a magic repressing charm when I saw her last.”
Please buy that.
Those things did technically exist, though I’d never gotten my hands on one.
“Really?” He sounded skeptical.
“Yep.”
“Either way, your lack of control could be a problem in Venice.”
No kidding. My magic was all about blowing stuff up, and everywhere I looked, there were either people or valuable historic buildings.
Not the place for me.
“I’ll just stick to my weapons. I can handle anything with those.”
The corner of his mouth tugged up. “I believe that. You’re damned skilled.” He drove down Factory Row and parked the truck in the alley. “I think I can probably get you a charm that will help you control your magic. It’s a temporary fix because the charm’s magic fades. You’ll have to train hard to get your magic under control, but this could help in the meantime.”
“Really?” That’d be handy.
“Aye. There’s an armory at the Protectorate. They can make one. It’ll take the night, but they’ll do it.”
“For the god of war.”
“Aye. But for any member who needs it.”
“Is that me?”
“If you complete your training.” He turned off the car and met my gaze. “Which I hope you will.”
“Caro said it can be a real bitch.”
He grinned. “Of course. That’s how you join the most elite secret organization in the world.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
Chapter Five
We arrived at the portal in the enchanted forest right as dusk was falling. We hadn’t spoken much on the cab ride back to the portal in Magic’s Bend, but I’d felt Cade’s presence intensely.
I was definitely interested. And he might’ve even returned the sentiment.
Which just made me more nervous.
And more curious.
We set off toward the castle in silence. The path back through the woods was lit by the fairy lights, giving the place a romantic feel, which I did my damnedest to ignore.
At the edg
e of the forest, Cade spoke. “I’ll submit a request to the armory for your charm. If they start immediately, it should be done by morning. Once we have it, we’ll head to Venice.”
“How will we get there?” I hoped he had a transport charm. I didn’t want to spend hours on a plane. Not with this deadline.
He dug into the pocket of his battered leather jacket and withdrew a black stone.
Jackpot.
“How are you getting so many of those?” They were super rare because they were so hard to make.
“I have a wizard contact that I pay well.”
“Handy.”
“Very.”
We walked up the path toward the castle. I called upon the connection charm that I had with my sister, feeling a tug toward the low buildings on the other side of the castle, near the wall.
I pointed to them. “What are those?”
“The stables. They’re now used as garages and storage. If your sister recovered your vehicle, it’ll be in there.”
“She’s in there, too, if the buggy is.” Probably working on it. “I’m going to go check it out.”
“All right. If she’s there, Caro will have shown her around a bit. If you need anything, there’s a small office immediately to the right of the main foyer. They can help you.”
“You’re just going to let me wander around unsupervised?”
“Aye. That’s part of the trust thing I mentioned.”
This was their home, technically. And probably full of all kinds of magic that I could nick.
We weren’t thieves. We earned our livings honestly. But the fact that they would trust us?
Kinda cool, even though I hated to admit it.
Also maybe a little stupid. But that didn’t detract from the cool factor.
“How do you know you can trust us, though?”
“Our potential members are selected very carefully. It’s not easy to get an invitation. It’s an honor really. But once you’ve been chosen, it’s up to you to earn your place with your skill in training.”
“How are we chosen? You didn’t even interview us.”
“That is a secret.” He grinned. He was a devastatingly handsome man who looked like he fit right into the Scottish Highlands. “And if I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
“All right, then.” I couldn’t help my smile even as I swore I’d figure out how we’d been chosen.
“I’m off to the armory. I’ll see you in the morning at six, in the entry hall. We’ll get started early.”
“Thanks.”
He nodded. “Thank you. We’ve wanted to catch Ricketts for a long time.”
As he walked away, I watched his very attractive backside stride off into the night.
Nope! I spun around
Eyes on the prize, Bree. And my prize wasn’t going to have anything to do with Cade’s butt. My prize was going to be the cure for the Lithica poison and getting Ricketts off my back. As an added bonus, we’d get the buggy back.
This would all work out.
Somehow.
I turned down the path toward the stables. The path and grounds were empty at this hour, probably because everyone was eating dinner. It was a beautiful evening, with the sun low near the mountains and the breeze light. Wildflowers rustled, and the castle rose tall in the distance. It was surreal to be walking around such a beautiful place.
I liked it. The whole place felt magical. Not the everyday kind of magic that I lived with, but the kind that I’d always associated with castles and history. Fairytale magic.
And I was here.
Agony exploded in my chest. I gasped and stumbled, barely keeping to my feet. My head swam as I sucked in shallow breathes, trying to get control of it.
Oh, fates.
This was getting bad.
Just the idea of the Lithica poisoning turning my insides to stone made me cringe. I hoped Ana wasn’t feeling the same thing.
By the time I neared the stables, I could hear Ana cursing within. I pulled open the heavy door and stepped into the warmth, breathing in deeply the scent of engine oil. It overlaid the smell of hay and horses that still lingered. Nice.
“Hey!” Ana stepped out from behind the buggy, which looked like a burned-out mess.
“Oh hell! What happened to the buggy?” I frowned and inspected it.
“Just like you thought. Ricketts sent more men, who lit it up with fireballs. Caro, Ali, and Haris helped me drive them off before they could destroy the whole thing. Then a seriously powerful transport mage helped us get it back.” She patted the hood and scrubbed a cloth over her face, getting rid of some of the grease on her cheek. “But I think it’s mostly cosmetic. I can get it fixed up pretty soon.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. This ol’ boy isn’t doing so bad.” She patted the bumper, as if to prove it, but the thing fell off and crashed to the ground.
I winced. “Going to take some work.”
“No kidding.” She nudged the bumper with her foot. It broke in two.
Ouch.
But at least we had it back. “Caro, Ali, and Haris helped you fight them off?”
“Yep. Pretty cool of them.”
Yeah. It’d been part of the deal for us staying here, true, but I was glad they’d done it. Any time someone stuck their neck out for me was cool.
“How’d it go with you?” Ana asked.
I explained the lead.
“That sounds promising.” She rubbed her chest. “Because I’m really starting to feel it. I took the potion a few hours ago. It helped a bit.”
“I think I’ll take mine soon.” I fingered the pain potion in my pocket, not yet ready to take it. “But I feel good about this lead. And now that you have the buggy and can fix it up, things are looking hopeful for when we leave here.”
“Yeah. Leave.” Her expression was torn.
“You don’t want to?”
“No, I do. Totally. We’re best on our own. But today didn’t suck, Bree. Caro showed me around, and it’s beautiful. And some people—okay, a lot—shot me suspicious looks. But Caro is really cool. And so are Ali and Haris. This place has potential.”
“Let’s just get the cure and get Ricketts off our backs first.”
“Solid plan.” Ana walked toward a wide table set up against the wall and picked up a plate of sandwiches. She turned and offered it to me. “Hungry?”
My stomach growled. “Heck yeah. But where did these come from?”
“Ali brought them down.”
I took one and bit in, sighing happily at the taste. This was high quality ham and cheese—not that crap we used to buy. I swallowed, then asked, “Ali, the same Djinn who helped with the car?”
“Yeah. He came to introduce himself better. You just missed him.”
“And he brought food.” I frowned. “So what did he want in return?”
Ana’s brow scrunched. “Nothing, I don’t think.”
“Weird. He didn’t hit on you?”
“No. Which is also weird.”
“Huh.” Someone had done something nice for nothing. Does not compute. “So he just came down to say hi?”
I couldn’t wrap my freaking mind around it.
“Yeah. And he figured that since the lights were still on, I’d missed dinner.”
I chomped on the sandwich, mulling the whole thing over. Then I shrugged. Some people were weird.
The door creaked open and I turned.
Caro poked her head in. “Hey! Want to come to the pub?”
“The pub?” I asked.
“Yeah. You know, place you drink.” She made a drinking motion. “Everyone’s going. It’s Friday night. You should come.”
“Us?” Ana asked.
“Yeah, dummy. You’re part of the group now. Come on.”
“We haven’t even done training yet. Or officially accepted.”
“You will. Training will kick your ass, but you’ll be official soon enough. So come on.”
I looked at Ana. Her sli
ghtly confused expression mirrored my own feelings. We were like freaking feral cats, not trusting that anyone would just want to…be nice.
It made me uncomfortable. But I was also weird. I’d seen TV—I knew that not everyone was like us. And Caro was so genuine.
“I’m pretty beat,” I said. Oddly, regret winged in my chest. “And I have a big day tomorrow.”
“Yeah, same,” Ana said.
“It’s only six fifteen,” Caro said. “Come for an hour. Meet some people. If you’re going to stick around, you’ll want to know the others.”
But we weren’t going to stick around.
Except that the offer did sound really nice. Hanging out with other people. Friendly people.
I looked at Ana, noticing how torn she looked. She wanted to go, too, even though it was so weird for us.
“An hour,” I said. “But then I need to rest up for tomorrow.”
“Great!” Caro turned and left, shouting behind her. “Come on!”
“Okay, this is nuts.” Ana scrubbed the rest of the grease off her face and grabbed half a sandwich. “But I’m kinda psyched. Is that weird?”
“We can just be normal for a little while,” I said. We didn’t party much, and it was tempting to just go have fun. Especially when I was worried about the poison.
We followed Caro outside. The two Djinn waited, kicking a hacky sack around.
“Are those two always playing?” I asked.
“Pretty much.”
At the sound of our voices, the guys looked up and grinned.
“Hey!” Ali stepped forward. “Good to see you.”
Haris grinned and waved.
Something about the guys made them feel familiar. Warm, almost.
It was weird.
I didn’t want to like this place so much, or these people. But I did.
“Come on, this way.” Caro led us down the path toward the enchanted forest.
“Where’s the pub?” Ana asked.
“In Edinburgh. We’ll take a portal,” Ali said.
“Cool.” I glanced at Caro. “So, you really like it here?”
“Love it.” She gazed around the grounds, her eyes shining. “I was skeptical at first, too. I had a good thing going, working as a mercenary in Magic’s Bend. But this is way better. And I hear they’re really excited to have you on board. You must be important.”
