Pure Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

  “Jess is right,” Nick said. “I was awake and I didn’t hear anything. The van just stopped working.”

  That meant trouble.

  Ray had opted to fly an hour in, muttering about smells and gator vans, so he was somewhere out there.

  The boys piled out of the van.

  “Marcy, do you have your cell phone on you still?” I asked as I went to sit closer to her.

  “Yep. I’ve been checking it religiously, but all’s been quiet in Juanita-Land. I’ve been secretly hoping she would send me little flashes to help us, but there’s no dire message blinking on the screen.” She pulled it out to double-check. “Nope, nothing there.”

  “Are you sure you don’t sense a spell?”

  “I don’t,” Marcy said. “But that’s not saying much. If it’s anything like what killed the plane, I likely won’t detect it.”

  “If the van really stopped because of a mechanical failure, do you think you could fix it?”

  “I can try,” she said. “I have no idea how to spell a motor, but it can’t be that hard. But, honestly, who are we kidding? I highly doubt it’s mechanical. It happened too abruptly.”

  “Yeah, that would be too easy—”

  There was a loud crash in the trees just outside the van. Marcy and I both sprang out of our seats, and right as we opened the doors, both our mates yelled in unison, “Stay in the car!”

  “Yeah, right,” Marcy called, answering for us, “like that’s happening!”

  We jumped out and headed over to where the guys stood just outside the tree line. “What do think that was?” I asked Rourke. “And why in the world would you tell me to stay in the car? I shouldn’t have to remind you that Marcy and I just took out the big bad ourselves.”

  He growled. “It was just a gut reaction. I’m sick of seeing you in danger. The van is the only cover we’ve got at the moment.”

  “That gator van is hardly going to protect us against anything—”

  Twenty feet in front of us there was another loud explosion and we were all knocked backward from the force.

  Each of us was up in a moment, glancing around but finding nothing.

  Tyler called, “I don’t sense any magic, but there’s no question something’s coming.”

  “We need to move out of here now!” Rourke tugged me back. “Everyone back in the vehicle.” He glanced at Marcy and nodded to James. “Open the hood and see if she can fix it with a spell.”

  “Agreed.” James moved forward with Marcy tucked to his side.

  I reached the side of the van first and wrenched the door open. I took one step inside and the door snapped shut behind me on its own, locking everyone else out. I turned, rattling the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge.

  “Jessica!” Rourke shouted on the other side. “What’s going on?” He pounded his fists against the window, but it held when it should’ve shattered.

  “I have no idea,” I called through the glass. “The door won’t open—”

  The van’s motor turned over.

  It revved once and snapped into gear. Before I could do anything else, I was tossed in between the seats as it sped off down the road, faster than it should’ve been able to go. “What do you want?” I shouted into the air as I maneuvered myself up from between the seats and made my way to the driver’s side. I climbed in and sat down, grabbing the wheel, but it wouldn’t budge. I jammed my foot onto the brake, taking it down to the floor, over and over again, but it was useless.

  I glanced into the rearview mirror, and to my surprise my mate, along with the others who had run after the van, pulled up short, stopping, looking around confused as I sped away.

  “You’re cloaking the van?” I shouted. “Is that really necessary? Come on!” The vehicle veered wildly as we barreled along the country roads, but it seemed to have a destination in mind.

  I knew Rourke would follow no matter what, and once Ray landed and was told what happened, he would scout the air. It would help if I could break a window. Then they could catch my scent. I began to pound on the driver’s side glass as my wolf flooded me with adrenaline. I morphed into my Lycan form, but no matter how hard I pounded on it, it wouldn’t break. Jeez. This was heavy-duty magic. And even though all this was happening, I still didn’t detect any magic.

  I was about to turn and use my feet on the windshield when the van careened over an embankment and shot straight into the woods. There was barely enough room between the trees for it to maneuver, but it zigged and zagged fairly effortlessly. I righted myself in my seat, grabbing the wheel to steady myself. The van appeared to be heading down a small logging road, but it was hard to know for sure in the dark. The moon was occluded by clouds at that moment and the van’s headlights were dim.

  A few more yards and the vehicle sputtered and died.

  But the momentum caused it to bounce over a few more dips in the ground, and then with a final snap it jolted to a stop, just short of crashing into a large tree.

  I sat for a few minutes catching my breath and peeling my fingers off the steering wheel. It was a miracle I hadn’t pulled the damn thing off. I was in my human form already and I tried the door, but it was still locked. “What do you want?” I yelled, rattling the door handle in anger. “You have me. I’m here! Now show yourself or let me out!”

  There was no response for a few beats, and then the doors all popped as they unlocked. I tentatively pushed the driver’s door all the way open.

  As I set my foot on the grass, I asked my wolf, Can you sense anything? She had forced all our magic outward as a shield once we’d been kidnapped, now she growled and huffed. She couldn’t detect anything either. It was unsettling for both of us. I don’t know if this is the other Hag or not, I said. But whoever it is, they didn’t take us very far. Our backup will be here soon. Keep our magic ready to go. Whatever we’re dealing with here is incredibly strong.

  I moved around the front of the van cautiously, my senses alert, my power jumping out in front of me. I was relieved the headlights were still on. It was the only illumination for miles.

  The thought hadn’t even had time to take seed when the lights snapped off.

  The darkness was complete. “Dammit. Figures.” It took my eyes less than four seconds to adjust. Everything snapped into focus and I heard a rustling coming from a group of trees to my right. I stilled.

  Then a single male voice called into the air, “I am the ambassador. Come closer. I will not harm you if you do as I say.”

  21

  “Ambassador of what?” I cautiously moved toward the voice. The supe was cloaked in the trees beyond the van, so I couldn’t see him. “Why should I blindly trust that you won’t hurt me? You just kidnapped me—which was totally unnecessary, by the way. All you had to do was ask for a meet. If you’re really not going to hurt me, my answer would’ve been yes.” I wasn’t sensing a heavy threat from him, but I knew he was powerful if he had just been behind the carjacking, so I had to be cautious.

  “My way was necessary,” he said. “You are never alone.” That sounded like a tsk-tsk. “I had to ensure our privacy for this meeting, so I did what I had to do. Getting you here, in this way, was highly inconvenient for me, if you must know. I haven’t traveled this far away from home in centuries. I’d almost forgotten how to get around. Too many human changes in this era for my liking.”

  This era?

  As I moved closer, I felt more confident that he wasn’t out to kill me. His responses were normal enough and seemed to be nonthreatening, but my magic was coiled tightly around me just in case. “Why do you need me alone? I trust my team with my life.”

  “The business I must discuss with you is of a delicate nature, of course.” He sniffed. “Secrecy has always been our way.” He said it like I should’ve known.

  There was more rustling and he finally stepped from behind a tree in front of me.

  My mouth opened, and then closed. I had no earthly idea what kind of a supe he was. He was short—under five fe
et—and his dark brown hair was spiked up around his head like a porcupine. He was dressed casually in khaki pants and a white long-sleeved button-up, paired with a navy blazer. The nicely pressed outfit conflicted with his full beard, bushy eyebrows, spiked hair, and overall unkempt look. “What are you?” I asked before I could help it.

  He appeared to be offended at my question, dusting off his shirtsleeves before answering. “My name is Jebediah Amel and I’m a warlock.” He ended with another sniff. “Most of the time when I encounter another supernatural, they introduce themselves first and then ask my name, not what I am, which is quite personal to most supes.”

  “I’m sorry,” I replied, feeling a little flustered. He was so proper, and he obviously thought I should know the supernatural etiquette of things, which I didn’t. “You took me by surprise. I’ve never seen a warlock before and, as excuses go, I’m a young supe, which you probably already know. But you did take me hostage,” I pointed out, “so niceties at this point are not exactly high on my list. I’m not in the habit of asking someone’s name after they kidnap me.”

  “You are very young,” he agreed, nodding quickly, the spikes on his head not swaying an inch. “I will give you that. The youngest I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with.” He’d uttered the word “pleasure” like it was a dirty word. “But some advice for the future? In order for you to succeed in this business, you must be professional at all times. You must address powerful supernaturals in a way that they justly deserve. Anything else is an insult.”

  “Business?” I was too stymied by the first part to worry about the second. “Succeed in what business?” I asked.

  “The Coalition, of course,” Jeb said as he folded his hands in front of him.

  “You consider the Coalition a business?” The thought was preposterous.

  He nodded like I was daft. “Of course it’s a business. Keeping the peace and dealing with the supernatural race is nothing but a business. Think of it like a kingdom—or a queendom, as it stands—and the supernaturals who inhabit the world are your serfs. Running it smoothly takes hard work, but in the end it boils down to efficiency and paperwork.”

  “Paperwork?” I gaped. This night couldn’t get any stranger. There was no way I was having a conversation in the middle of the woods with a warlock who looked like Zach Galifianakis. What do you think? Is this guy a raving lunatic? I asked my wolf. Did we just get kidnapped by some sort of supernatural deviant? She growled, flashing me a picture of Jeb long ago. Wow, he really hasn’t changed that much. Still had the beard and the hair. My wolf seemed to be familiar with him, even though she didn’t give me any more information.

  “Well, paperwork completed by myself and my underling. For you, since your work will mostly be out in the field, there will be less paperwork and more combat. But once you are done with a specific assignment, there will, of course, be papers and such to fill out.” He waved his hand in dismissal like the busywork I’d have to complete would be a minor inconvenience.

  “So you’re telling me you give me assignments, and my job as Enforcer is considered ‘fieldwork’?” I’d never imagined the Coalition would run like my PI firm. Marcy took the calls, scheduled the appointments, and Nick and I went out on the jobs.

  Jeb made this giant life change sound simple.

  “Yes, of course that’s how it works.” His expression was comical, his eyes scrunching up and his thick eyebrows going in low to form a V over his nose. “How did you think you were going to be alerted when things needed to be set right in the supernatural world? Did you assume there would be some kind of supernatural gong that would go off every time there was an emergency? Or a light shone into the sky like humans like to portray in the movies?” he asked.

  “Are you talking about the bat signal?” I asked.

  He waved me off. “It is of no consequence. The assignments come from me”—he gave his chest a clap and then had to stifle a cough—“as my special talent is scrying for such things, which is why I attained this position in the first place, like my father before me.”

  “I see.” I didn’t see at all.

  “Then once your assignments are completed, you must fill out the appropriate forms in triplicate.” From my confused expression, he ended with “Well, how did you think we keep records of all the things? We must have reports, and they must be filed in several places. Things are known to get lost over time.”

  I moved forward, my wolf warning me to be wary. His signature was very faint and weird. “To tell you the truth, Jeb, I haven’t had time to give any real thought to the Coalition and how it might work. If pressed hard enough, I would’ve answered that all the job assignments and record keeping happens ‘by magic.’ ”

  “Yes”—he nodded quickly—“by scrying magic, and that belongs to me.” He shuffled his feet and kicked away some leaves. He was agitated. I was certain I wasn’t measuring up to his vision of hierarchy in the supernatural world. I was young and clueless. It must suck to have to deal with such incompetence. “The Coalition is naturally made up of powerful supernaturals, but nothing would be complete without firsthand reports. They are essential.”

  I crossed my arms. “Okay, Jeb. You’re going to have to come clean and tell me why you brought me here. I just found out a very, very short time ago that I have a position on the Coalition, and frankly, my main goal these days is staying alive, not worrying about the future job of the Enforcer. It’s been kind of a rocky road since I left the Underworld, to tell you the truth, and what would be helpful now are answers. You’re wasting my time by giving me anything less, so feel free to lay them on me.”

  He nodded along, his hair still ramrod straight, no bounce at all. “This is very true!”

  “What’s true?” I asked, settling my hands on my hips. “You’re wasting my time?”

  “No, that you’re in a very precarious place. You’ve volleyed between life and death a number of times in the last month, like a Wimbledon master, and it’s been quite amazing to witness, if I must say so myself. Precarious, indeed!”

  I dropped my arms and took a step forward. “Jeb, how do you know that?” I sized him up. He didn’t look like he should be an all-powerful supernatural who knew everything. He looked like he should be working a stage in Vegas.

  He barely kept the indignant gasp out of his voice. “Because I am the High Ambassador, that’s why! It’s my job to know. Who did you think you are dealing with? I’m not some young supernatural trying to prove myself. I’m Jebediah Amel, first warlock of the great Amelentia Line. I take my position very seriously and I’ve come to talk to you about business.”

  “Hmm,” I said. “I hear what you’re telling me, Jeb, and it sounds very impressive, but your signature is strange. You’re cloaking yourself, aren’t you?” I ran my power over him, pressing it firmly against his body, trying to figure out the warlock puzzle that was Jebediah Amel.

  “Stop doing that,” he ordered, his hands fisting at his sides. He was just short of stamping his foot like a child. “Yes, of course I am cloaking myself! Do you honestly think a warlock of my stature can just walk freely around this realm? I’m a target—just as you are—and once the supernatural world figures out I am away from the protection of my home, it could be chaos!”

  “I’m sorry to inform you, but none of that means anything to me,” I said, hands back on my hips. “It can’t be chaos if the most powerful supes on the planet don’t know who you are.” If Jeb was really a bigwig supe, there would be some record of him. My father would’ve mentioned him. I would bet my eyeteeth Rourke had never heard of him—and he was the oldest supe I knew.

  He seemed a bit stunned by my words. “You… you really don’t know who I am?”

  “I have no earthly idea who you are. I’ve never even heard a whisper of your name. But you will be happy to know that my wolf remembers you, which is why I’m not currently trying to put you in a headlock, even though your hairstyle would make it tough to do.” My humor was lost on him.
/>   He looked dejected. “I see.”

  “But I do know you’re strong… strangely so.” I took a few steps closer. “And I’m not sure even Tally could do what you did with the van. Your spell casting is amazing, and your ability to cloak yourself is impressive. Did you take the plane down too?”

  “I had no part in the plane crash,” he huffed. “That is not how I do business.”

  “No, carjacking is a much better way to achieve your goal.”

  “I was left with no choice. You are always accompanied by many and I had to make contact with you before you arrived home, and that was the only way I could see to get you here safely.”

  “ ‘Safely’ is going a bit too far. That was a crazy. If I’d gotten on a plane with my father, would you have been left with no choice but to take that particular plane down?” I asked curiously. Then I pointed out, “You just said you had to get to me before I got home.”

  “No,” he said, more to the ground than to me, “I would’ve found a way to get to you before you boarded.”

  “I already said you could’ve asked to meet me alone. I’m usually fairly accommodating when someone isn’t trying to kill me.” I rubbed my neck. I knew Rourke was still searching for me, so I had to wrap this up. “But, Jeb, we’re done debating this. I need you to explain to me the real reason why you brought me here. And if you want my trust and cooperation, I suggest you stop cloaking your true nature. I don’t suffer fools or pretenders, and I’m warning you, I don’t trust easily.” I crossed my arms and waited for him to make up his mind.

  “Fine,” he said. “I will do as you ask.” He flung his arms wide, in what was becoming a decidedly Jeb-like flare, and chanted something into the air. Powerful magic gathered around him, swirling, causing the air to change until there was one final surge. His clothes transformed with a loud whoosh, leaving him in flowing white robes.

  I hadn’t been expecting that.

  The robes were a touch comical because he was so short. The effect wasn’t as dramatic as I think he’d intended. His arms were now extra hairy and thick with muscle, and his hair was even longer on top but still stuck straight out. No amount of gel in the world could have given it that effect, so it had to be either natural, or magically secured into place.