by KC Kingmaker
I sat on a red couch, eyes scanning, unable to make sense of my surroundings.
A door creaked open to my right and my head swiveled.
A man walked in, and boy what a man he was: tall, muscular, with shaggy black hair spilling to his shoulders. How the hell did he get his hair so soft looking? And how did that tank top fit so perfectly against his bulging abs?
I wanted to rip the tank top off.
His eyes swerved over to me and I noted the intense emerald green that cut through the shadows like a laser. He also had a small scar on his cheek, running diagonally.
He gave me a smoldering look—or maybe that was just his natural, resting-hot face. He came in bringing an aroma of rich cologne and summer fields in his wake, and when the delicious smells reached my nose I squirmed where I sat.
“You’re not supposed to be here.” His voice was crystal clear and deep despite the insubstantial surroundings. He was so there, while everything else . . . wasn’t.
“Huh?” I said dumbly. “Not supposed to be where? Where am I?”
He took a step toward me. I reflexively inched back on the couch until I couldn’t move any further. At least he doesn’t smell like Christmas trees, I thought.
The man cradled his chin and studied me. I felt incredibly vulnerable against his gaze, as if I wasn’t allowed to be there.
“No, you’re definitely not supposed to be here,” he repeated, nodding along. “Why do you look familiar though?”
“Hell if I know, buddy. Look, can you tell me—”
“Time to send you on your way,” he said, and then he reached out.
I tried to scream, but no sounds came out. The black shadows enveloped me and sent me reeling.
Chapter 5
Venn
I STEPPED THROUGH THE shadow portal and shuddered, nearly dropping the gorgeous woman in my arms.
That wouldn’t be an auspicious start to her stay.
My mind whirled as the excess energy of my travel searched for somewhere to go inside me. It had been a far trek.
Once I found firm footing on the smooth tiles, I let out a big sigh of relief and stared down at the woman in my arms. Her face was stuck somewhere between rigor mortis and pissed-offness. The way her pale cheeks stayed smooth and effortless despite our arduous journey made me think she was something of a badass. Then again, she was still paralyzed, so there wasn’t much her face could have done.
My, but you are a pretty one, I thought, licking my lips.
I noticed the tiniest twitch of her brow. I realized I was out of the dark and she could see me staring at her like a hot meal. Plus, she was likely alarmed now that she could see my face, because I doubted she’d ever seen anyone like me before.
“Sorry,” I said, pressing my lips firmly together. “I swear I’m not gonna eat you.” I wanted to add “you’re not my type,” but resisted. We didn’t have that sort of relationship or understanding yet, so I couldn’t be my regular sarcastic self around her.
Yet.
“Please don’t let my gorgeous skin or my pointy ears scare you. I’m not a freak of nature, I’m just not a human.” I glanced down at my lilac-colored forearms. “If this is your first introduction to any supernatural being, well . . . my bad. I’m probably a bit more alarming than most. But, uh, surprise? We’re real.”
I didn’t know what else to say so I smiled at her. For some reason I felt nervous talking to this currently-inanimate woman. I had a feeling she was going to try and kick my ass the moment she could move her limbs. I really didn’t want to be in the room when that happened.
The door to my room burst open, saving me from further embarrassment.
Dax and Sunny funneled in, and suddenly the small space was quite crowded.
Dax folded his arms over his lean chest and took a spot in the corner, his typical aloof self. He crossed his ankles and tried to look casual as he fixed me with a scowl. Or it could have been his normal face. Even after a year of calling Dax Kilmeade my brother, it was hard to tell with him.
Sunny put his hands on his hips and canted his head, staring down at the girl in my arms with his amber eyes practically sparkling. He had the look of a man who knew he had a new toy to play with. If I was going to try this whole “good” thing out, I needed to be watchful when I left Coralia Hargrave and Sunder Conway in the same room together.
I gently set the captive woman on my bed and faced my comrades, crossing my arms to match Dax. “Well?”
Sunny flipped his long blond locks over a shoulder and gave me an expectant look, like he had no idea what I was talking about. Somehow he pulled off entitled and innocent at the same time, but it didn’t fool me. I knew his tricks. “Well what?” he said.
“Pay up, bitches.”
Dax huffed.
Sunny scoffed and averted his gaze to the floor. “Goddammit.”
I stepped toward Sunny and thrust a finger into his broad chest. “You know the wager, sunshine. You thought I couldn’t do it, so now you have to eat your words.”
Sunny frowned, the expression cutting through his perfectly smooth, pale skin.
“I’ll tell you what,” I said, spinning around and strutting away, enjoying the moment of my victory. When I faced Sunny, I wore a broad smile. “You don’t have to pay me if”—I raised a finger into the air—“if you simply admit I was right.”
Sunny flared his nostrils. I thought he was going to show me his fangs for a moment, and that I’d made a mistake. Brother or not, I didn’t want to get in a tussle with the big guy. Not when he was angry and unpredictable.
He reached into the pocket of his velvety pants and pulled out a wad of cash. He shoved the money toward me. “Over my dead body.”
I chuckled and scratched my cheek. “I don’t think that phrase works for you, bro.”
“Fuck you, Venn.”
I smiled and looked past him to Dax in the corner of the room. The guy always kept his distance in the shadows. Even after all this time, I didn’t know what went on in his head. “And what about you?” I asked, reaching out with an open palm.
“I didn’t take part in your silly bet. You know that.” His voice was brooding and raspy. “And if you push again—”
He cut himself off, muscles tensing, lilac eyes scanning behind me as he jolted out of his relaxed stance. A chill ran up my spine as I spun, my instincts on high alert.
A tiny meow broke the abrupt tension. The white cat that had climbed aboard Coralia before our portaling appeared on the side of the bed, standing over the woman and arching his back menacingly. Well, it would have been menacing if he weren’t so cute.
I put a hand over my heart and laughed. “Spirits save me, Dax, I thought we were being attacked.”
Dax snarled, sniffed, keeping his distance from the cat. “Aren’t we?”
I scratched my scalp and ran a hand through my short silver hair. “Ha! All this over a little cat?”
“Piss off, Venn. Never underestimate a feline.”
I shrugged and pointed at the kitty. “This one seems harmless.” My eyes veered to Dax. “The one who won’t pay me my due, however? Yeah, he’s sketchy.”
It gave me great delight to see his face pinch with annoyance. “That was a wager between you and Sunder. Wrist Hudson gave us the mission and I declined. So, no reward for you.”
“Do you think declining a mandatory mission was wise on your part, Dax?” Sunny tried to take back some of the attention he craved.
“Don’t care. What’s done is done. I knew you two had it handled.”
I clapped my hands together and gave him a faux dreamy look. “Aw, he really does care. See, Sunny, he knows we’re badasses. That’s good enough for me.”
“Yeah,” Dax said, “you only had to fuck it up once.”
“I didn’t fuck anything up!” I retaliated.
Sunny scratched his neck, which was as close to embarrassed as he was going to get. “She showed, uh . . . surprising strength.”
I threw my hea
d back and laughed. Even stoic Dax let out a small chuckle.
“She pushed you back into your own fucking portal, man!”
“Yeah, and she’ll pay for that.” Sunny’s look darkened. It stole all the laughter out of the room, because when Sunny got a vendetta in his head, it was usually pretty terrible.
Definitely not someone to fuck with, and definitely a man with a chip on his shoulder.
“Can’t we drop her off to Wrist Hudson and be done with it?” Dax asked. “She doesn’t belong in here, listening to us bicker and squabble. She could be building schemes even as we speak.”
Sunny said, “Does Jace even know you’re back?”
I nodded. “He was linked with me for the mission. He’ll have gotten the memo and should be here any minute.” I swept a hand toward the woman on the bed while keeping my eyes on my brothers. “I know you hate to see it, Sunny, but you have to admit . . . she does look a whole lot like her.”
“So? That doesn’t mean a thing. Of course they look similar, they’re—”
“Excuse me!”
The shrill voice had our heads swinging toward the bed. The woman was sitting up, hands bunched into fists. Her face twisted with unbelievable anger, pale cheeks flaming bright red. Even with her righteous fury, she looked adorable.
She punched the bed with both fists then snagged her cat and hugged him close to her chest. “Could somebody please tell me what the actual fuck is going on here?!”
I backpedaled, caught off-guard by her sudden rage. I hadn’t expected the poison to wear off so quickly. “Uh . . . shit.”
Even my partners were rendered momentarily speechless. We all shared a look, not sure what to say.
At that moment, the door swung open. In strode Jace Hudson, with a scowl of his own and his chin ticking beneath his salt-and-pepper beard. “Was anyone going to fucking tell me you had returned, Venn—”
He stopped himself short as his eyes landed on the woman. Unlike us three, he didn’t wait to see what would happen. He took charge, as Wrists were supposed to do.
Jace put his fist forward and motioned Dax and Sunny with his pinky and index finger. “You two, bring the girl with me. Venn, the headmaster is expecting you.”
I gulped and nodded, looking one more time at Coralia Hargrave and her aura of rage.
For once, I felt like I’d rather talk to the headmaster than stay another minute in that room.
HEADMASTER CANE STARED at me across from his ancient oaken desk, which probably wasn’t half his age.
I was antsy, my knee bobbing underneath the edge of the desk where he couldn’t see. Alaric Cane instilled that sort of fear into a person with a simple look from his beady eyes. I’d always wondered if he knew what a stereotype he portrayed, with his long white beard and wizened old face that made him look like Gandalf or Dumbledore.
Similar to those fictional wizards, I knew not to underestimate the old man. He was probably the most dangerous person in a thousand-mile radius, even if he looked frail. He had more power in his pinky than us mere Phantoms.
His lips finally parted. “I heard you were the one who retrieved her, Donovenn Gable.”
I gulped and nodded. “Yes sir.” Retrieved? Kidnapped? What’s the difference? I had poisoned and stolen the poor girl from her home and everything she knew. Now she was stuck here with us, for the time being. Who knows how long she’ll last?
“I had hoped for a more civil approach to bringing her here,” Headmaster Cane said.
“Erm, apologies, Headmaster. Sunny tried the cordial approach—”
“Sunder Conway?”
I nodded. “Indeed. Sunder tried but had a hiccup. So we went with plan B.”
A small smile cracked the headmaster’s weathered lips. “A good Glove always has to have a strong plan B.”
I smiled back at him, but it was a nervous, sickly smile. I could never be myself around the headmaster. “Quite right, sir. Wrist Hudson said you wanted to see me?”
He leaned back in his seat. “I’m glad you were the one to bring her in, truthfully. It will help you build a rapport with her.”
“Um, sir?” I cocked my head. “I poisoned her in her sleep and took her through a shadow, out of her home. That’s not very friendly.”
His head bobbed on his thin neck. “Yes, well, you’ve established a connection with her. A first point of contact.”
“I’m the last person I think she’ll want to talk to when she comes to.” Alaric doesn’t need to know I lightened the dose; that she’s already awake . . . and pissed.
“You’ll make it work. You’re a talkative, jolly fellow, Donovenn. Especially considering where you’re from.”
A tinge of anger flared inside me. “As you say, Headmaster.”
“You know what comes next?”
I took in a deep breath. “Remind me if you will, please, sir.”
Leaning forward, the headmaster’s long beard brushed the surface of his desk, and I knew we’d come to the crux of the meeting. “Engage with Coralia Hargrave, Donovenn. Befriend her. Show her around. She will be lost here.”
“Of course, sir.” It’s not like Sunny or Dax are going to become her best friends. I hesitated, glancing away from Headmaster Cane’s steely eyes. When I faced him, his harsh gaze made me wilt. “And the ulterior motive for this mission, sir?”
“For now, just keep tabs on the girl, Donovenn. I’m sure you understand we couldn’t allow such a powerful signature—a human power, no less—to traipse through life unhindered and ignorant of her abilities. We cannot afford to let her be gobbled up and used by dark forces.”
I bit my tongue. I just hope we aren’t the dark forces, Headmaster. Spirits know I’ve seen enough of them in my life.
Alaric Cane studied me a moment longer, as if trying to read my mind and see how willing I was to go along with his plan. I emptied my brain of everything, just in case he could read it and notice my hesitance and skepticism.
Finally, he seemed satisfied, nodding and steepling his hands.
“When the time comes, Donovenn, and we learn more about Miss Hargrave, I need to know you’ll be able to act swiftly and follow orders. Can you do that, my boy?”
I clamped my jaw, giving him the sternest expression I could muster. “I can and I will, sir. I’ll do what I’m trained to do.”
“Good.”
“I won’t let the Academy down, Headmaster Cane.”
Chapter 6
Coralia
AT FIRST I TRIED TO fight off the men putting their hands on me. I felt so weak as the poison wore off. My struggles were futile. When the guy Sunny pressed me against his chest to get me off the bed, and I flailed, I caught a whiff of piney fir trees.
My throat hitched as I realized he was the man who had tried to manhandle me behind Jose’s Ranchero. No wonder his friends gave him shit: He had severely underestimated my willingness to fight against kidnappers.
But all the fight had fled my bones. Eventually, I stumbled off the bed and walked between Sunny and the other guy, Dax, as they followed their apparent leader out of the room and down a hall.
My eyes darted around, trying to take in my surroundings. Now that I was free from the clutches of the poison, all my senses came rushing back and it nearly overwhelmed me.
Where the hell am I? How did I get here? Is this a dream? And who are these unbelievably attractive but sadistic guys who get off on kidnapping a woman in the middle of the night, and then bickering over her inanimate body like they’re out discussing the weather over lunch?
I felt confused and vulnerable around these three.
I didn’t know Dax from Steve, yet he scared me perhaps even more than the others with his solemn quietness and heavy energy. His dark eyes seemed to take in everything around him. Those black pits honed in on me, watching my every move as we walked wherever this Jace character was leading us.
For some strange reason, even though Venn was the one who had actually poisoned and captured me, I would have actuall
y preferred him than these creepers. At least he seemed somewhat friendly, if not a little off-kilter.
How fucked up is that? The man who abducted me is the one I’d rather be around. What does that say for these two assholes?
The corridor we walked down was elegant and dark, with mahogany walls and old-timey sconces lighting our passage. Windows we passed looked out to a gray morning sky, which made me believe we were high up on the third story or something, or else I would have been looking at ground level.
Sure enough, the trio led me down a set of stairs, then another hall and another winding staircase. Once I was thoroughly lost and dizzy and achy, we went down one more flight and came to an area that was decidedly less appealing than all the others before it.
Rather than rich mahogany walls and lush red curtains, the walls were made of gray stone bricks. Cold air leaked in through cracks in the walls. It felt like we’d ventured into some basement or dungeon. The old aristocracy of the upper levels changed into a medieval vibe. Goosebumps bristled along my skin.
My scared expression turned into one of resolute anger and defiance. I didn’t know where I was or why I was here, and I was going to get some damn answers. How dare these fuckers steal me away from Marlow and my home. Even if our “cottage” in the Crust was rundown and dilapidated, it was still ours.
Out the corner of my eye I saw Sunny had moved to my right and a little behind me. He gave me a small smirk, no doubt thinking I was drooling over his chiseled body and elegant gait. Really, I was looking past him, to where Bruce Kittenson prowled in the shadows, following us.
I turned away from Sunny’s infuriating smirk and curled my lips into a wicked smile. At least I still have Brucey with me. Everyone seems to have forgotten about him. Good boy. Not that I thought Bruce could rescue me from my predicament, but at least I had a buddy here—a familiar face I could turn to.
If these bastards did anything to my cat, I would murder all of them in their sleep.
