Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Margo Bond Collins

  Plamen considered it. “If he is, he’s a stupid mother-fucker for showing up here.” The flames returned in his eyes.

  I placed my hand on his arm. “Calm down. We’ll figure it out.”

  He pulled me in his arms. As always, he was the strong one who held everything together. I leaned back. “All that matters is Kem healing.”

  “He’ll be fine.”

  I wanted nothing more than to believe him. But, I wasn’t so sure.

  A moan came from down the hall. I bolted out of Plamen’s arms and rushed into Kem’s room. His body was trying to shift. He tried to roll to his side and hollered. His face contorted into shear agony. His eyes rolled up. Only the whites were visible. “Kem, stop moving, you’re making it worse.”

  Plamen was at my side. “Kem, don’t move, you’ll undo your bandages.”

  He wasn’t listening, or maybe he couldn’t hear us. I didn’t know what was wrong or what to do. I yelled for Cole. Kem’s body crumbled into a ball as it shifted. It was too late, there would be no way to stop the transition. Cole ran into the room with a syringe. I moved out of his way as he stabbed the needle into the shoulder of the wolf. Kem’s body relaxed. Slowly, and with less control, Kem’s man body took back its form.

  “Holy shit,” a voice said from behind me.

  I turned to see Traer in the doorway. His mouth gaped open as he stared at Kem’s shifting body.

  “Get out!” I screamed.

  He made no effort to move. Plamen glanced at me and I nodded. He went to Traer and escorted him back to the den. My chilled skin heated with anger. Looking down at Kem, my heart tore into shreds of anger and guilt.

  “Why don’t you get some rest? Plamen and I will watch over Kem... and our new arrival.”

  “Okay.” I started for my room, then turned back around. “Will you please get me a shot of your secret poison?”

  “You got it.”

  He looked at Kem with concern before he left the room. I went to my room and changed into a clean shirt and leggings. A few minutes later, there was a light rap on my door. I opened it to Cole holding a glass. He held it out to me.

  “Thanks.” I took the glass and closed the door. The alcohol smelled as vile as it had the morning before. I knew to expect the path of fire it would leave down my throat, but I swallowed anyway.

  My days and nights had been so convoluted with bad shit, I was deserving of the next few hours of unconsciousness. I closed the blinds to the gray morning. The lightning and thunder had started up again. The storm wasn’t even close to being over. Which meant, Traer wasn’t any closer to leaving. I lay on the bed. The last thing I remember was being cold, and thunder cracking in the sky.

  I woke around noon. The storm bucked and roared like a stampede through the forest. My first thought was Kem. I got up and went to check on him. He was still. His breathing more labored than earlier. Cole had changed his bandages. I kissed his cheek and whispered another prayer.

  Cole, Plamen and Traer were in the kitchen. “What’s going on in here?”

  “Hungry?” asked Plamen.

  “I think so.” I wasn’t sure if I was or not, but I knew my body needed fuel.

  As the day went on, Kem’s condition worsened. He had lost too much blood. The energy he needed to heal was being wasted on the constant fight his body was in with itself. His fists clenched and his teeth ground together as he fought to stay human.

  My kind and sympathetic, nature-friendly Kem was slipping away from me. As I held his hand, the life force that was once so strong and willing to do anything for anyone was ebbing away. Tears broke free as my heart squeezed around the unfamiliar feeling of desperation. The sensation wracking through my very core was achingly frustrating, because there was nothing I could do to help him.

  I would never forgive myself for not understanding what was happening to me, and the possibility I may have been able to save his life. “You have to get better, so I can tell you I’m sorry.”

  A heavy hand landed on my shoulder. “You can’t do this to yourself,” Plamen whispered.

  “Why not?” I seethed, without looking at him. “There might have been something I could have done.”

  “Jeta, look at me.” Reluctantly, I turned to face him. He was kneeling next to me. His expression was one I hadn’t seen often. It was remorseful and soft. “This thing... whatever is going on inside you, we’ll figure it out. But, right now, you need to stop beating yourself up over something you had no control over—”

  “That’s the thing! What if I did?” I looked away, trying to hide the shame I felt that I hadn’t told him before now. “That wasn’t the first time.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “That wasn’t the first vision I’ve seen, there’ve been others. They’re like small flashes or clips of places or people. But, I can’t determine if they’re past, present, or future.”

  “For how long, and why haven’t you told me?”

  I shied away, tearing my glance from him back to Kem.

  “Don’t cower away from me, Jeta.”

  Resolving to keep my cool, because again, he was right, I took a deep breath and faced my comrade. “For months now. And, I didn’t tell you because I was... embarrassed. You know I’m the only Protector who wasn’t gifted any magic by the Irizat Luna—”

  “How’s he doing?”

  Both Plamen and my breath caught at the onslaught of hearing Traer’s voice. I was the first to find my voice. “Kem’s strong. He’ll pull through.” It was a lie I desperately wanted to believe. I looked away from him, disgusted I needed to even give the ass an answer. I wondered how long he had been standing outside the door, listening to our conversation, before he came in.

  “Please excuse us,” Plamen said, and eased the door closed.

  I wanted to scream. Needing to feel an escape, in haste, I got up, wrenched the door open, and ran through the house to the front door, yanked it open and screamed into the storm night. My throat burned with raw fury. The pent up anger and frustration fell silent to the thrashing storm. I curled my arms around myself and sat on the porch swing, and cried. Plamen knew me well enough not to follow, nor would he let the others. I had, what felt like, forever to be alone. My tears fell faster and hotter than the rain. White streaks of light flashed around me as the sounds of what felt like the earth shattering into a million pieces echoed throughout the forest.

  I didn’t know how long I had given the storm company when Plamen came to check on me. His somber face told me something wasn’t right. I bolted up and ran to Kem’s bedside. His beautiful human face was drawn, and paler than it had been earlier. His body shifted once again, and I feared for the last time, into the gray wolf. I stroked his fur, coaxing him to find the will to fight. His eyes fluttered as if trying to focus. Slowly they opened and closed, until they didn’t. His light crystal blue eyes remained opened.

  I shook the creature.

  Nothing.

  The wolf’s chest no longer rose or fell.

  Crumbling to the floor, I screamed. Out-running or cheating death was never an option.

  Liar

  Sleep was hard, so I took first watch. None of us trusted Traer Sharp. And, I had a job to do. The call I had to make would not be easy. It felt more like a failure than necessity. There were never less than three Protectors for the Irizat Luna, so the Elders would send another Protector when they heard of Kem’s death. The fact I hated to admit about his death—it had been easier to deal with because he died in his wolf form—made me feel like shit. I saw the predator and hunter more than the kind person he had been.

  My emotions were on a trampoline, bouncing in a million directions. I had to get in control of them or I would forever be a basket case. Plamen and I hadn’t exchanged anything but a long hug and a few words. We still had a ton of things to discuss, but now was not the time. This was the time for mourning and figuring out our next move. We couldn’t hinder our ultimate plan.

  My hand shook as I pressed th
e call button on my phone. It rang only once before the Elder answered.

  “Jeta, I didn’t expect to hear from you until after the Black Moon.” Her deep voice purred through the receiver. I imagined her laying on her chaise lounge in her reading room, holding a glass of rich honey-colored brandy.

  “Good evening, Ruza.

  “So, tell me, how is the Irizat Luna?”

  “Safe.” The few times I had spoken with Ruza, I knew her only concern was the safety of the relic; the well-being of the Protectors was a runner up.

  “Excellent news, love, excellent news.”

  I cleared my throat. “I also have some very unpleasant news.” I wiped away the stray tear rolling down my face. Without emotion in my words, I said, “Kem is dead.” The other end of the line was silent and I made no attempt to fill the void.

  “I’m deeply sorry to hear that. Kem was a good man and Protector.”

  “Yes, he was.” My grip on the phone had tightened at the finality of those words. I didn’t know what I was hoping for, a spell to resurrect my friend, a charm to dissolve the hurt that coursed through me. Gypsy magic was powerful, but it couldn’t bring back the dead, it could only cause it.

  Ruza didn’t ask me how he had died. I knew she wouldn’t. Knowing would bring her closer to the death. I masked a sick sounding laugh bubbling up in my chest as I thought I would love to have that option.

  I heard her swallow the liquor before saying, “I will send you another Protector.”

  “Thank you.” She wouldn’t ask me where I was over the phone, it was too dangerous. That information would travel through the ears and mouths of the dead; Inerique would tell whoever was contact from the other side. Sometimes, the exchange happened quickly, other times it took days.

  “Protect the Irizat Luna.”

  “We will.”

  The line went dead.

  I set the phone on the bed and leaned back against the headboard. Glasses clinked in the den. Muttered voices seeped from down the hall. Getting up, I ventured into the den to keep an eye on Traer. Cole and Traer sat on the floor near the fireplace. The storm had died down to only a constant light rain. Cole would never send Traer out in this weather, but I was ready to watch him pack his shit and get the hell out of there. Each of them held a glass with clear liquid. It sloshed as they talked and laughed about something I couldn’t hear. How could they laugh at such a depressing time?

  Cole looked at me as I came into the room. His smile fell and was replaced with pursed lips and a heartfelt expression. “Everything okay?” Cole asked me.

  “It will be.”

  I glanced at Traer; he tilted his glass to me. “I’m really sorry about your friend.”

  If I didn’t have the suspicion he was the one who shot Kem, or had the hunch he had an agenda for being here, I might have thought his condolences were sincere. “Thanks.”

  “Jeta, you want a drink?”

  The thought of relaxing and easing some of the pain was a luxury I couldn’t afford. I had to stay alert. “Not tonight.”

  “Tonight would be the perfect night to drink away your sadness, wouldn’t it?” Traer asked.

  I looked at him sharply. Hints of his cologne and the alcohol collided in the air between us. “They’ll only return tomorrow.”

  He nodded. “True enough.”

  The fact Traer saw Kem shift needed to be brought into the open. I needed more than his word to keep what he saw to himself. Although, killing him would be the only absolute guarantee to keep him silent. I knelt across from him. Our eyes, his colorless, and mine a deep green, locked onto one another.

  Before I could spew a threat, his eyes softened and he said in a velvety voice, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.”

  He reached out to touch my hand, but I snatched it away. “How can I know for sure you won’t?”

  He smiled lazily and shrugged. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

  That was the last thing I would ever do. I stood. “I usually tend to do the opposite when someone tells me that.” I looked at Cole, I could tell he was getting uncomfortable, so, out of respect for our host, I tore myself away and went into the kitchen to make some tea.

  For the next hour, they talked and laughed, and replenished the liquid poison in their glasses more times than I could count. Whenever I glanced down the hall to Kem’s room, my heart constricted with so much hurt and loss. I couldn’t take it, I went to sit outside on the porch. It seemed to be my go-to place whenever I needed a break. We would be here for several more weeks. I either needed to find a new hobby, learn a new skill—the thought was so simple I felt stupid. Learn a new skill. I needed to use this time in seclusion to figure out how to control my visions and where they fit into my life as a Protector. I went back into the house and asked Cole for a notebook. Writing down what I saw and when would be a place to start trying to understand them.

  Cole and Traer were passed out on the floor. The empty mason jar sat on the coffee table. I walked over them to an antique roll-top desk in the corner. I pulled open a draw. Pens, envelopes and a stack of stationary were neatly placed in it. No notebook. The last drawer on the bottom I checked had a composition book. I thumbed through it. On the first page was a list. I tore it out and put it back into the drawer. I opened the first drawer again and took out a pen.

  As I looked up, I saw Plamen.

  “What happened to them? Oh God, Jeta—”

  My glare cut off his words like a sword slicing through the air. “I did nothing of the sort. Don’t get me wrong, the thought did cross my mind.” I looked at Traer and then the mason jar. “Hell, maybe he did his own self in with that shit.”

  Plamen ignored my comment. “What do you have there?”

  “Let’s go into the kitchen and talk.”

  We sat next to each other with our backs to the passed out men. I told him I spoke to Ruza. “She’s sending another Protector.”

  “That could take days.”

  “Especially since they have to make the hike here.”

  He nodded. “Once they get here, we’ll go over the plan we developed for getting the Irizat Luna to Rapture.”

  I silently agreed. “I’ll need to do the ritual when they first arrive.” I glanced over my shoulder. “And, I really hope he’s gone by then.” I bounced the pen against the notebook. Anxiety grew inside me. “He told me he wouldn’t tell anyone about what he saw Kem do.”

  Plamen sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Who cares if he does? No one would believe him.”

  He did have a point. My other thought led to Cole. I didn’t want any more trouble for him. He’d been kind enough to allow us in his home, played doctor to a shifter, and stashed our irreplaceable relic. “Before we leave for Rapture, we need to make sure Cole is safe.”

  His eyes met mine. The sadness in them was almost more than I could stand before I’d start crying again. “We won’t lose anyone else.” It was an empty promise I liked the sound of very much. “After we replenish the Irizat Luna on the Black Moon, we can go home.”

  “Was that even English?”

  I turned around so fast, my hair whipped Plamen’s face.

  “Irizat Luna?” Traer repeated.

  “It’s nothing,” I said.

  “Listen, you guys don’t know me, I get it, but maybe I can help—”

  “We don’t need your help,” I spat.

  Traer put his hands up in a defensive gesture. Plamen patted my leg for me to calm down. “Why don’t you go get some rest, Jeta?”

  There’s no way I could fall asleep right now. I didn’t take my eyes away from Traer as I stood and went to stand in front of him. “Why don’t you tell us why you’re really here?” This stranger had brought nothing except bad luck and suspicion. He didn’t answer right away, only grinned. Then, as if bottling molasses, the words oozed off his tongue.

  “I’m just a hunter who was fortunate to find you all during the storm.”

  Liar! I screamed i
n my head.

  Vampire

  I picked up the notebook and pen and went to my room. It took more effort than I had not to slam the door like a pouty teenager who didn’t get their way. Traer was lying. I hoped Plamen saw through him like I had. There were very few things I wanted, but one was to slap the permanent smug smile Traer wore, off his face. Whatever his intentions were, they couldn’t be good.

  I needed Inerique more than I ever had before. Setting the notebook and pen aside, I concentrated on the darkness. Through the quiet, I begged for her guidance as I shut down everything around me. Stretching my arms out into the darkness of the room, I opened myself up and groped for the intuition, and direction she provided that had never faltered. Tonight though, she was nowhere to be found. Inerique had the luxury of hiding. I envied and despised her for being able to duck and run whenever she wanted.

  I switched on the bedside lamp. Its yellow light cast an eerie glow around the room. I picked up the pen and turned to the first blank page in the notebook. Writing what I had seen, thought I’d seen, was not easy. I saved my latest vision, of Kem, for last. If I were brave enough, I would have started with it first. As I wrote, my heart skipped and pounced in an irregular rhythm. When I was finished, I was proud of myself that I hadn’t curled into a ball and cried myself to sleep. I re-read the entries of the several visions I’d had since being sworn in as a Protector. There was no pattern. All of them were random glimpses of different people, time periods, and events. I had no idea how I would learn anything from what I had written in the notebook. What did I think would happen when I wrote them down? Instant clarity and answers.

  Frustrated, I set the notebook aside. Closing my eyes, I resisted the urge to fall asleep. Unexpectedly, I felt another’s energy. It swooped and surged around the room like an unmoving, but powerful wind.

  “Inerique? Is that you?”

  “Hello, my dear girl.”