Chaotic Magic: A Snarky Paranormal Romance (Modern Magic Book 6)

by Nicole Hall

  Luc had to turn away to keep from laughing aloud at Samantha’s polite greeting to an angry lizard. When he was fairly certain he wouldn’t embarrass either of them, he faced the ladies again to see Janet beaming.

  “See, I knew he’d like you. He has a fondness for mages, especially ones who live in the chaos as you do.”

  Samantha’s face froze, and Luc cocked his head. She’d taken everything they’d faced so far in stride, including the iguana, so her reaction to Janet’s strange choice of words felt off. Especially since Samantha and her magic—which Luc was intimately familiar with—were as far from chaos as he could imagine.

  Janet’s smile dimmed a bit as she focused on Luc. “Don’t worry, it always takes him a little longer to warm up to the men.”

  “Thank you for that reassurance, Janet.” Luc made sure none of the sarcasm he felt came through in his tone. “I don’t mean to change the subject, but would you have any information on Aecantha?”

  “Ah, so you did come to seek my advice.”

  He tilted his head. “I suppose. What do you offer us?”

  She waved her hand at three chairs surrounding a small bistro table in the corner. “Have a seat.”

  Samantha cast one last skeptical look at Henry and claimed one of the chairs, so Luc took the seat next to her, and Janet sat across from them next to the window. She pulled a scarf out from under her and blew a lock of hair out of her face before she focused on them.

  “Keris hasn’t been seen in a few days, which is unusual for her as she likes the attention of her adoring people. There’s a rumor circulating that Oren attempted a mutiny…” She stopped and stared up at the ceiling. “Is mutiny the right word? No, I think that’s on a ship.”

  Luc reached under the table to capture Samantha’s hand while Janet worked out her vocabulary. He’d expected her to stiffen, but she sent him a warm smile instead. Definite improvement.

  Janet shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. People have been saying Oren staged a land-mutiny to take power from the elders and challenged Keris specifically. Don’t believe them. It’s not true. Keris is still in Aecantha as far as I can tell—and I can tell a lot. Henry says their elders are up to something and can’t be trusted, but I’ve always liked Atraxa, the leader.” She shrugged. “Of course, I could be wrong, but it hasn’t happened before.”

  Samantha leaned forward. “Has anything significant changed in the last week or so?”

  “Not in the last week, no. A few months back, they closed the doorways to the other realms. They expected to trap Tamra here should she return, and I guess that worked because there have been several sightings of her wandering free among the other clans.”

  Luc started at Tamra’s name, and Samantha raised a brow at him. He shook his head. Even he recognized it was bad form to discuss a former lover with the current one. “That’s very helpful, thank you. Could you also provide directions to Aecantha from here?”

  Janet fidgeted with the fringe of a long, woolen scarf trailing down her chest. “Henry doesn’t think it’s safe to be there, especially not now. Why not stay here for a while? I’ve never had a fire-caller in my home, and I’d love to chat more.”

  Luc offered her his most charming smile and spread his hands. “I’m afraid we’re in somewhat of a rush.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. No word on Lost then, hmm?” She glanced hopefully at Samantha, who shook her head. “Too bad.”

  The entire room dimmed, darker than a cloud covering the sun, more like an eclipse. Janet frowned and leaned over to look out her window at the sky. A sharp feeling of foreboding raised the hair on Luc’s arms.

  “Oh dear, you’d better be on your way.”

  A thump at the door made Samantha jump, so Luc squeezed her hand in reassurance. He doubted anything could enter this house if Janet didn’t allow it, though her questionable judge of character worried him a little. The lever turned, and the door swung open to reveal Koi standing outside, looking quite proud of herself. The shadows on the walkway behind the quinat disappeared as fast as they’d come on. In a blink, the sun shone brightly in the yard the same as it had all morning.

  Janet sighed. “I wish she hadn’t figured that out. There’ll be no living with them after this.”

  Luc stood and brought Samantha up with him. “What was that shadow?”

  “A summons for a hunt. These shifters love a good chase. If you’re certain you want to travel to Aecantha, the quinats know the way. You only need to tell them where you want to go. I’d suggest staying away from any other villages if you want to remain free though. Most of the people here won’t know the target yet, but the closer you get to the source of the summons, the more likely you are to be caught.”

  Luc frowned. “What do you mean?” He suspected he knew the answer, but he wanted confirmation.

  She nodded toward the window. “The hunt is for you, well…” Her gaze shifted to Samantha, standing silently next to him. “For her.”

  SAMANTHA

  Fear would not control her, even if it squeezed her chest. Samantha grabbed her pack from the living room as Koi squawked from the front porch, shooting impatience through their little bond. Luc already had his stuff prepped to go.

  She glanced out the open door to see Sherlock sauntering up the walk to join Koi. “What do I need to know about a hunt?”

  “Not everyone will participate, but enough that you should be on your guard. They sent the message out telepathically. They want you captured, not killed, but there’s quite a bit of grey area between the two that you probably wouldn’t appreciate. Traditionally, whoever brings the quarry to the creator of the summons wins a prize.”

  Samantha really disliked being referred to as ‘the quarry’. “Can you tell us who sent the summons?”

  “No, I’m sorry. All I know is it came from Aecantha. Lucky for you, they didn’t send an image, only a description.” She eyed Samantha’s distinctive blonde hair then pulled a hooded cloak out of the tiny hall closet. “Here. I’d keep the hood up.”

  Samantha donned the cloak and immediately sneezed from the heavy scent of sandalwood.

  Janet giggled. “Oops, let me just…” She flicked a hand at the cloth, and Samantha could breathe normally again. A prismatic sheen of magic lingered over the smooth outer fabric. “There. Clean, warm, waterproof, and you might find that people have trouble focusing on you unless they’re trying really hard.”

  The generosity—not to mention the sheer power it took for that kind of spell—impressed Samantha. If she’d wanted to hurt them, she certainly could have. “Thank you.”

  Janet pulled her into a tight hug. “You’ll be fine.”

  Samantha squeezed the smaller woman. “Is that wishful thinking or something you know?”

  She stepped back with a smile. “The universe provides if you’re savvy enough to see it.”

  “Then we should have no problems. Thank you for your hospitality.” Luc held out a hand, and Janet glided right past it to wrap her arms around him.

  “Don’t be afraid to protect what you love.” She patted his chest then walked to her open door.

  Under any other circumstances, Samantha would have relished Luc’s wide-eyed look of surprise. Considering his feelings about oracles and fate, she guessed he wouldn’t be happy if he knew the potential divination in Janet’s non-sequiturs.

  Janet held the door and frowned down at one of her scarves that had started to slide off. She wrapped it twice more around her neck and patted the end where it lay against her collarbone. Samantha shook her head. Or the woman could just be crazy. They’d find out soon enough.

  The quinats trilled happily when Samantha and Luc came out the door, but the smart birds hadn’t managed to bring their saddles with them. They’d have to head to the stables before leaving town. A steady stream of people passed each other on the streets, but Samantha kept her hood up and maintained a steady pace with Luc and the quinats flanking her.

  Luc reached for her hand and sp
oke quietly. “I wonder what the prize is for your capture.”

  Samantha relaxed her tight grip on Luc as they entered the stable and found it empty. “I’m more concerned about the source. Why would the elders want me?”

  Their saddles sat exactly where they’d left them, and Luc released her to quickly saddle Sherlock, then Koi. “Why are you sure the elders sent the summons?”

  Koi stood still while Samantha mounted her, then turned to face Luc and Sherlock. “Keris knows what I look like. If she’d sent the summons, she’d have included a picture. I’ve never met the elders.”

  Luc nodded and led the way out the large back door, across the road, and into the trees. “Could there be a mystery player in our little game?”

  Samantha made sure she clearly communicated to Koi where they wanted to go, and how, before answering. She didn’t want to confuse the bird and end up on the wrong end of the realm. The quinats picked their way through the sparse underbrush at a slightly faster rate than she’d expected without a trail, but they seemed to know what they were doing.

  Luc rode next to her, and when she turned to answer him, Samantha caught sight of the horde of squirrels following them again. She sighed and shook her head. “There’s always the possibility that someone here wants me dead for a reason I’m unaware of, but it’s a slim possibility, and there’s nothing I can do about that beyond what I’m already doing—trying to find more information. Keris is still our best bet.”

  Luc didn’t respond for a while, and when he did, he steered the conversation to innocuous subjects. As they traveled, the mass of squirrels spread out around them, disappearing into the branches. Samantha thought they’d grown tired and left, but around mid-afternoon, a chittering wave of fluffy tails bounded from the trees and created a line across their path.

  Koi skidded to a stop and huffed in irritation, but Sherlock turned and set off at a forty-five-degree angle from their previous trajectory. Samantha patted Koi’s neck and urged her after Luc and Sherlock. They’d only gone a few minutes when Luc stopped abruptly.

  He stared into the woods to their right, toward where the squirrels had blocked their path. “Can you keep me hidden if I scout the area?”

  Samantha hadn’t mentioned it yet, but their accidental bond gave her a much greater distance when it came to Luc specifically. She was pretty sure she could keep him hidden halfway across the realm if she stayed focused. Her magic naturally drifted inexorably toward him as if caught in a magnetic field, and it made pinpointing him almost instinctive.

  Koi cocked her head around to stare at Samantha, then fluffed her neck feathers. She didn’t like standing still out in the open. A sentiment Samantha shared.

  “Yes, I can keep your magic hidden, but that doesn’t make you invisible or silent.”

  He grinned at her and leaned over to brush his lips across her cheek. “It’s adorable when you worry for me. I’ll be right back.”

  “That’s what everyone says right before they’re murdered,” she muttered.

  Luc had already taken off through the trees. The day had warmed considerably while they’d ridden, so Samantha had dropped the cloak from her shoulders and let it pool around her on the saddle. Sitting alone in the middle of a strange forest, surrounded by a squirrel early-warning system, she thought the sweat might be worth the protection.

  Uneasiness crawled up her spine. She was on the verge of drawing a shield around herself and Koi when she sensed Luc behind her. He’d snuck much closer than she’d anticipated, but Samantha just wanted to get moving again.

  She prodded Koi through their bond, and the quinat jumped into action at a faster pace than before. Luc caught up quickly and tossed a smile at her.

  “Miss me?”

  Samantha raised a brow. “Were you gone? Maybe next time try going a little farther.”

  Luc laughed. “I’ll remember that for the future.”

  His good humor went a long way toward making her feel better. If they were being actively hunted, he’d probably be urging her to ride quietly instead of laughing at her bad jokes. “What did you find out with your snooping?”

  “Two people, a man and a woman, walking through the trees with what I would consider hiking gear for this realm. They spoke quietly, but I couldn’t get close enough to find out what they were saying without revealing myself. It appears your squirrels are finally useful.”

  She frowned. “As long as they don’t decide to eat us in the middle of the night.”

  He tilted his head at her. “Why are you so determined to believe the squirrels have a nefarious ulterior motive?”

  Samantha squirmed in her seat, then sighed. “It’s not these squirrels in particular. They’re just creepy. They look all cuddly and cute, then the second you try to touch them they turn on you with their hideously sharp teeth.” She shuddered.

  Luc stared at her. “Who hurt you?”

  “Ha, ha. Look, I’m glad these guys are protective as well as suspiciously intelligent, but that’s not going to change my perfectly rational response to them.”

  He shrugged. “As you like, but those suspiciously intelligent squirrels can probably hear you.”

  Samantha stared over her shoulder with a furrowed brow, catching glimpses of swiftly-moving rodents. She didn’t really believe they’d attack in the middle of the night, but just in case, she didn’t plan to continue insulting them within earshot.

  Twice more that day the squirrels warned them of danger on their path. Still, the quinats pushed on until well after the sun had set. Somehow Samantha had forgotten that riding all day exhausted her. She had to convince Koi to stop and rest for the night.

  Thank all that was holy for Luc and his apparently unending stamina. Normally that thought would be accompanied by a hard shot of lust, but she was too tired to want sex. He took care of the quinats and the fire while she ate some of their dried food and laid down on her cloak. Luc joined her shortly after, wrapping her in warmth and comfort.

  She slept soundly and woke up in the pre-dawn light with a different attitude about Luc’s stamina. His body leapt to attention with the barest touch, and Samantha thoroughly enjoyed the sunrise.

  The days that followed blurred together with hours of riding broken by the occasional warning to choose a different direction from the ever-vigilant squirrels. Luc entertained her with stories of watching New York City grow, and the closer they got to Aecantha, the more effort he seemed to put into trying to distract her from the danger they were awkwardly trotting toward.

  Samantha had stopped putting even the pretense of a shield between them, and as she let Luc closer and closer, the sensations from the bond became stronger. Unfortunately, her mastery of calling only her own magic floundered. Every time she tried to use a simple spell, his magic rushed forward along with hers. Her frustration amused Luc, but Samantha didn’t deal well with failure.

  On their fourth day of travel, Samantha sighed in disgust at her dirty, sweaty clothes. The cloak still felt fresh, but everything under it needed a good scrubbing. She should have asked Janet to share whatever spell she’d used to clean the cloak in the first place.

  Around mid-day, Koi slowed, and Samantha understood that they were close to Aecantha.

  “We’re almost there, but the quinats need a break. They seem to think there’s a water source around here somewhere.”

  “They’d know, wouldn’t they?”

  Luc and Sherlock led them to a clearing where a small waterfall plunged into a pool before continuing on as a stream downhill. The lack of a squirrel warning indicated there weren’t any other people in the vicinity, so Samantha slid off of Koi and stretched as she walked to the edge of the pool. Dappled sunlight reflected off the water, and above the rocky outcropping, she could see a break in the trees.

  Luc stripped down and dove in, oblivious to the cold water, but Samantha settled for splashing the areas she could reach. She rinsed the travel grime out of her new clothes and traded them for the shirt and leggings she’d b
een wearing when they arrived, securely fastening the dagger sheath around her waist.

  Koi squawked at Sherlock when she got too close to the ‘good’ grass by the waterfall, and Samantha smiled. They’d foraged for most of the trip, but Koi really liked the fruits that the squirrels left every morning.

  While Samantha watched the quinats posture over a snack, Luc emerged dripping from the pond. She turned back—because any excuse to see Luc naked was a good excuse—but he’d already pulled on his pants. Her eyes narrowed.

  “How are you dry already?”

  He chuckled. “I’m a fire-caller, remember. Heat is sort of my thing.”

  “Can you dry off my clothes?”

  Luc crouched and waved a hand over the tunic and leggings she’d laid out in the patchy sun. “Done. Anything else you’d like?”

  Samantha caught her bottom lip between her teeth, torn between the clear invitation in his eyes and the concern that they might be too close to Aecantha to let their guards down. Luc seemed to read her indecision. He stepped close and traced the curve of her cheek with his thumb.

  “A few minutes more and we’ll be on our way. I’ve missed the feel of the sun on my skin while we traversed this accursed forest.”

  She nodded and watched the play of his back muscles as he climbed the slope above the waterfall. Now that she’d seen him naked, she’d never be able to see him in a suit without wanting to peel it off of him.

  Samantha sighed and followed him to the open air. Koi came with her, and they found Luc lying in the tall grass with his hands tucked behind his head. She stopped next to him, staying out of his direct sun.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve done nothing more than watched the sky.”

  Koi nudged her as a reminder that they only had a little farther to go, but the tinge of sadness on Luc’s face made her hesitate. “Did you ever do that?”

  He tilted his head to better see Samantha. “Long ago, when my highest concern involved seducing the pretty ifrit down the road.”