by T J Nichols
Mack glanced at his hands and then the sleeping aufhocker. He could kill Mom now.
Jude put his hand over Mack’s. “Don’t even think about it. I dragged you into this. I can’t ask you to kill again.”
“It would be safer.” Did the shadow just move? It definitely moved. “Get that circle up.”
The tranquilizer had barely lasted fifteen minutes.
Jude bent and put his hand on the line of pepper. A faint crackle raced around the edge and something dark shimmered up. The hairs on Mack’s arms lifted. The scent of that magic was like dirt that hadn’t seen daylight in centuries.
“Oof.” Jude was knocked off his feet by a cub. He tried to fend them off as they went for his throat.
Mack plucked one up. It had no scruff on the back of its neck, just thick hide. “Stop it.” Then he had an idea. Jude had packed food because Mack needed energy to shift. There was a pile of ham and cheese sandwiches and a flask of coffee and Mack’s camping water container. “If you behave, I’ll give you some ham.”
Jude got hold of the other pup. It snapped and wriggled as though it still thought it could take on Jude.
Mack held out his other hand and helped Jude up.
“I think I should seal us all in so the cubs don’t wander off.” The salt line was a yard from the tray. He handed Mack the other cub which was a snappy sack full of hate.
Mack nodded, but he could feel the tiredness creeping around the edges. Jude was injured and pouring his own energy into the magic. There was nothing Mack could do to help.
Jude touched the salt line, and the circle came into being.
Mack released the hell puppies and helped Jude onto the bed of the truck. He took off Jude’s boot. It was no longer shiny-new but scuffed and battered and bitten. He tried to push up the leg of Jude’s jeans, but it was too tight. The partial shift of his nails to claws was more useful than he’d ever thought, and he tore the fabric to inspect the wound. Jude groaned.
“You okay?”
Jude looked worse than he had a few minutes ago, but he forced a smile. “They were my favorite jeans.”
Mack shook his head. As much as he liked them on Jude and the way they cupped his ass, this was not the time to be wearing favorite clothes. “Buy a new pair.”
The wounds were deep and still bleeding, but they didn’t seem too bad. Though what the risk of infection was, Mack had no idea. His ability to shift meant that infection wasn’t usually an issue. It took a lot to make a shifter sick. For all that Jude had magic, he was still human. More so than Mack. “I’m going round the front to grab my shirt. I’ll use it to wrap that up.” It was all he could do for the moment. “Do you need to do anything to the circles?”
“No, as long as I don’t pass out, it’ll be fine.”
“Good to know.” He took two steps. “But at my house you slept, and it didn’t fall.”
“That’s different.” Jude drew his leg up to get a better look.
The cubs had crept closer, as though this was their first time out of the mine and they didn’t want to be alone. Had they also slept for two hundred years? He picked up his shirt and risked a glance at Mom. She’d pulled herself to her feet and was still wobbly. Mack wasn’t sure how much faith he had in Jude’s magic when she glared at him. He went back to Jude. Blood dripped from Jude’s leg, and the cubs jostled for a place beneath.
Mack’s stomach turned. He used his foot to nudge them aside, and they snarled and attacked his foot in return. “Little shit. Where are those sandwiches?”
“Cooler.” Jude pointed to the cab.
Mack picked up the whole thing, then slammed it down on the bed.
The cubs licked the dripping blood. It was gross, even though he knew that was what they ate. Hopefully they liked ham sandwiches. Jude took the sandwich off him and held it so the blood dripped on it. “Might as well make it appear like dinner.”
“You were almost their dinner.” Mack took back the sandwich, now stained red, tore it in two, and tossed it away for the cubs to chase. Which they did.
Now he could concentrate on Jude.
“This’ll sting.” Before Jude could agree, he doused Jude’s leg in water, which drew a hiss of pain. Then he tore up his shirt and wrapped his calf up, hoping that it was tight enough to slow the bleeding but not tight enough to cut off circulation. He’d be much happier leaving North and taking Jude to the next town to get this dog bite looked at.
“Why don’t you tell me about this other stuff you set up.”
Jude explained the different ways to bind, but also how he’d have to put his own energy into it. Mack wished he had gotten a dog crate to put the cubs in when they ran back for more food. What Jude had planned didn’t seem like a great idea.
“So when you get exhausted, that’s it. The magic fails.”
“Yeah. So I don’t want to activate the net until close to dawn.”
“That’s a whole lot of puppy playtime.”
“Hungry puppy playtime.”
Mack watched as a cub dragged his socks away from the pile of clothes. The other cub joined in. The fabric tore before Mack could even yell stop. He ran over and snatched up his clothing, what was left of it, and his shoes, and dumped them on the bed of the truck. The cubs followed him, nipping at his heels.
He turned and growled at them, very aware that Mom was watching and acting as though she’d like to tear his throat out. Her lips drew back into a silent snarl. If she got free, it would be a fight to the death. She pressed up against the barrier but couldn’t cross it. It was only then Mack breathed a small sigh of relief.
Jude put a hand on his arm. “I’ve got this. Sit and eat.”
Mack sat on the edge of the bed eating the sandwiches and throwing bits to the cubs. “They are kind of cute in a fugly way.”
“Yeah, they won’t win any prizes for their looks.”
But they played like any puppy and squabbled over food. Darkness was the slightly bigger cub and the more aggressive one. Evil was more friendly, trying to lick his toes, not bite them.
“What’ll happen to them when the Coven shows up?”
“I don’t know. You aren’t worried about them, are you?”
“They haven’t killed anyone, they’re just babies.”
Jude grinned. “Aww. I didn’t think you were a dog person.”
Mack glared at him but didn’t answer. Generally, animals didn’t like him. They could smell that he wasn’t human. He swung his legs to stop Darkness from biting him then tossed another piece of ham into the night. The cubs chased after it. He was still hungry; he’d done more shifting in the past few days than he usually did. “Did you want a coffee? It’s going to be a long night.”
Jude nodded. “And a longer day.”
They sat with their cups and watched the cubs until they got bored and lay down near their mom, unable to cross the barrier to be with her.
When dawn came, they’d have to be ready to take on Mom if the magic failed, unless she retreated into the mine. When the Coven came, they might have to take them on. Mack wouldn’t let them steal Jude’s magic. Or Jude.
“I’m not going to petition the Coven for my freedom.” If he did, Jude would lose his magic, that and Mack had kind of grown used to the bond and what it meant. He trusted Jude not to misuse that magic.
“You have to.”
“Do I?” Did Jude want rid of him? “Do you want me to, really?”
Jude studied the cup in his hand. “No. I have never been more alive or more…anything than here. I came here resenting that I’d been sent. Expecting to hate every moment. But I don’t know if I want to leave.”
“Then don’t.” Mack put his hand on Jude’s leg. “I might even let you get a puppy. A real puppy, not a hellhound puppy.”
Jude leaned in and kissed him. “You really want a semi-competent electro-mage living in your house?”
“You’re the only witch I want.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jude sipped coff
ee that was barely lukewarm. His leg throbbed on the outside and burned on the inside. Blood had seeped through the make-do bandage, and there was still another hour until dawn. His leg needed medical attention, that much was clear. Though he had no idea how he’d explain the injury, and there was no way for him to leave to get it seen to.
Not getting killed by the aufhockers was not the same as success. Success was capturing the creatures and handing them over, and there was no way he was failing this close to the finish line. He wanted his magic, and he wanted Mack, and he wouldn’t let the Coven take that. That was all that kept him awake. That and the fear that if he slept the pepper circle would fall and Mom would eat him and Mack.
“Hey.” Mack nudged him.
“I’m awake. Just thinking about what might happen.” If he succeeded…what then? He’d come here expecting to fail. He wasn’t sure he wanted to travel if that meant leaving Mack. But he couldn’t sit around and keep house either.
“When the Coven sees how good you are at catching aufhockers, they’ll beg you to be a full-time investigator.”
“I don’t even know what that involves. I might have to travel all over the country.”
“Isn’t that what you wanted? To travel?”
“It was… It still is, but it’s not just me anymore, is it? What do you want?”
Mack glanced at the horizon. “Maybe you need to do this. I’m not going anywhere and I’ll always be able to find you.”
Jude buried his disappointment in a sip of the coffee. He’d been hoping Mack would tell him to stay.
Mack put his hand on Jude’s thigh. “If you don’t come back, I will hunt you down and drag you home,” he said with a grin.
“You want me to stay and go?”
“Something like that. I’m not used to living with someone…neither of us are used to this, and I think if the Coven wants you on their side, you should take that opportunity. It might keep you out of trouble.”
“Yeah.” That would be a good thing.
“When do you think the Coven will get here?”
“I don’t know. They won’t be far away; they probably just want to see what I’d do.” One big test. Had he protected the paranormal community from exposure? Mostly. Without Mack he’d have failed. “Thank you for helping.”
“I would’ve had to do something when the creature came into town to hunt. Call Coven, track it myself…get eaten.”
“Maybe it wouldn’t have come to town if we hadn’t led it.” That death was on his conscience even though he hadn’t even witnessed it.
“You can’t blame yourself.”
“Neither can you.” Jude drew in a breath then slowly exhaled. “This net, when the sun comes up it’ll take more effort to keep it up.” He was dreading the next part and asking Mack for help, but it was why witches liked to have familiars. “Can I draw on your strength?”
Mack was silent for a moment, then he nodded. “We’re stuck here together.”
That was also true. “Okay. I’m going to use the remaining nails to make a chain if you want to catch the cubs.”
“I’ll just dangle my leg off the side and wait for one to bite.”
Jude smiled, but it was strained at the edges. He wasn’t sure how much magic he’d be able to work. Throwing around lightning, that was easy, but doing this other stuff was draining. And every move he made was guesswork. The Coven hadn’t taught him anything but the basics because they didn’t want to make him more dangerous, or maybe because his kind of witch was so rare they weren’t sure what to do. Maybe that had been their mistake, and if he’d had more training, he’d have been fine. Back then, though, he hadn’t wanted to learn. He’d been horrified with his new ability and the trouble it caused.
Vegas had changed that. This test had made him think about what he wanted his life to be like. He wanted family and to be able to be himself, something he’d never had. The Coven was offering him that chance. Mack had offered him a home.
Mack braved the cubs and retrieved the box of nails. Together they made a length of chain. Mack bent each nail, and Jude linked them up, welding each one closed. Then Mack grabbed a cub, and Jude put the chain around its neck like a collar and with a small zap welded it closed. With a cub on each end of the chain, Mack looped the chain around the tow ball so the cubs couldn’t go anywhere.
Jude lowered himself off the bed and carefully put weight on his bad leg. He was sure something tore and more blood oozed out. He pressed his teeth together and sucked in a breath. Mack put his arm around him and helped him over to where Mom stood. She was still pissed.
The sky was now gray not black. Dawn was coming, and the magic binding her was already weakening. He needed to act now, not wait until there was nothing holding her, even though Mack had the tranquilizer. “I don’t know if this will work.”
“Then I’ll put her back to sleep and we’ll run.” He cocked the gun.
The aufhocker tilted her head, like she knew what it was and wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.
“If she steps back a few paces, she’ll be in the net.”
“You should’ve made them the same size.” Mack lifted the gun as though he intended to shoot her.
“Too much energy required.” Even this one might be too big. He threw out a few sparks, hoping to scare her back, but she could feel the magic fading and prowled closer. Sweat beaded on his back. He’d zap her. He’d have to.
He gathered up energy ready for when the circle fell. As the sun crested the hill, the circle melted. She jumped, and he threw. The electrical energy hit her in the chest and knocked her down. Mack didn’t hesitate. He shot her with the tranquilizer and half carried Jude away from the groggy aufhocker. Maybe the sunlight affected her, because she didn’t fight off the second dose the way she had the first. When it was clear she was asleep, Mack dragged her into the net then helped Jude over.
This was it.
He had to do this. He didn’t want the Coven to turn up and see another one of his messes or hear them condemning his use of magic. He pulled the last pentagram out of his pocket. Mack’s arm around his waist was solid and stable, even though the tension was evident in the tightness of his jaw and the way he watched the aufhocker for any sign of waking.
Jude ignored the burn in his calf and the grit in his eyes. He was going to sleep for a week after this. He let himself imagine waking up in Mack’s bed and curling up next to him. That was what he wanted. No one could take that from him, even if they stripped his magic.
He moved electrons and sent a spark leaping between the pentagrams on the ground, then threw the last one up and over the aufhocker. It didn’t sail over but stopped as the electricity arched up and caught it, forming the cage.
Mack whistled. “That’s a handy trick.”
Jude basked in the glow for a moment, but he could feel the energy draining out of him. Trickling free like his blood.
Jude sat on the ground. Coolness seeped from the dirt and into his bones. Mack leaned against him. They didn’t need to be touching for Jude to draw strength along the bond, but he liked it anyway.
In daylight the aufhockers didn’t change size, they slept mostly. But Jude wasn’t brave enough to drop the net. Nocturnal animals could still kill in daylight. And even if the magic aufhockers used to change size didn’t work during the day, in much the same way the simple protection circle didn’t, Mom would still be able to deliver a nasty bite.
His calf was hot to touch and throbbed with every beat of his heart. Every time he moved it sent a new stab of pain through his body. Mack could feel it, too, from the way he grunted as though he were the one in pain.
They’d been sitting there for about three hours, waiting for the Coven to show up.
“Maybe they won’t show?” Mack said with a sigh. “We’re tired and exhausted. We need an exit plan.”
“I know.” Jude only had a few hours left in him, even drawing on Mack’s strength. He wasn’t a high-level witch who’d been practicing for years
. He was nothing, clutching at straws and hoping to hold on to as many as possible. They were sliding through his fingers. They’d stopped the aufhocker problem, but it was only temporary. The Coven needed to finish the job. “I’ll call them again. Where’s my cell?”
“In the car.” Mack got up.
Jude wasn’t walking anywhere. He peeled the leg of his jeans back while Mack wasn’t paying attention. The ground where his leg had been resting was dark, and the bandage was soaked. He was still bleeding. Maybe aufhockers had something in their saliva that stopped blood from clotting. It made a sick kind of sense.
But Mack wasn’t bleeding where the cubs had bitten him. Jude glanced over. Mack was checking on the cubs. He’d given them some water earlier and more sandwich. But Evil and Darkness were pretty much comatose in daylight. That was probably for the best.
Mack returned with the cell phone and the last of the coffee. He took a sip then handed it over to Jude. Mack’s nose wrinkled, and he stared at Jude’s leg.
Shit. He’d forgotten to cover the wound up.
“I thought you said it wasn’t bad.” Mack squatted and took a closer look. “And it smells odd.”
“It’s just a little seepage. Smells infected?”
“Not infected. It’s been bleeding all night, and that’s not a little blood. You should’ve said something.”
“We can’t do anything about it right now.” And whatever was making it smell odd—though it smelled fine to him—would also have to wait. He dialed the Coven, so he didn’t have to answer any more questions about his leg. Thinking about the bite made it hurt more.
Landstrom answered the phone with a curt hello.
Jude didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. “It’s Jude. Just wondering when you’re going to show up and collect the aufhocker and cubs that I’ve caught.”
There was a choking sound. Finally, Landstrom spoke. “Where are you?”
“Mercy North, the ghost town. It’s about ten miles from Mercy South, so I guess you’ll be here inside of half an hour.” He hung up. Talking was taxing, and the net was wavering without his full attention.
