by Linsey Hall
“Yeah, yeah.” But he was right.
I sucked in a deep breath and climbed out of the car, trying to keep the tension from showing on my face. I just had to play it cool, that was all. Easy peasy.
Right.
I could feel the magic in the air here. Taste it and smell it. No one here was as powerful as Aidan, but so many Shifters in one area gave the place a buzzing feeling. The scents of animals, some good and some bad, hit me, even though I saw none in their shifted form.
Mathias approached and bowed low to Aidan. When he straightened, he looked at me. “Thank you for coming. The council is waiting for you.”
I nodded, grateful I didn’t have to speak when he turned and led the way up the expansive stone stairs rising to the building behind us. I might be able to run fearlessly into booby-trap laden tombs and fight off demons, but this was scary.
This was a freaking death wish.
On the bright side, at least my sense of self-preservation wasn’t totally broken. Some of the crap I’d gotten myself into lately suggested otherwise, so it was a comfort that my danger sensors still worked.
Aidan stuck close by my side as we passed through the large double doors. The interior was more formal than I’d expected, with marble floors and silk wallpaper adorning the large foyer. On one wall, a collection of rare weapons was displayed. Treasure. My fingers itched to pocket one. Or ten. They’d look so nice in my trove.
I dragged my gaze away. Stealing from the Alpha Council was not on my to-do list.
My brows rose at the sight of the priceless paintings gracing the other walls. I wasn’t much for art, but even I recognized some of these. I didn’t know the names, but I didn’t need to.
“Are these real?” I asked, stupefied.
Mathias glanced back. “Yes. The Alphas have a taste for the finer things. They’ve been collecting for years.”
“But how are they here? I thought they were in museums.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to curse. Why did I have to get curious and basically ask if they’d stolen them?
Idiot.
“You’re good at taking things,” Mathias said. “So are we.”
I swallowed hard. Fears confirmed. The Alpha Council was ruthless and cocky enough to steal the humans’ greatest works of art. Supernaturals tried to stay under the radar of humans, but it appeared the Alpha Council was willing to chuck that if they wanted something bad enough. I’d have to keep that in mind.
Mathias led us into a wide hallway. The golden glow from elegant light fixtures gleamed on the wooden floor. Silk wallpaper in a royal purple coated the walls to the wainscoting.
The luxurious surroundings only served to highlight the strangeness of seeing a man being led down the hall, his arms bound in heavy chains, bulky Shifter guards surrounding him, herding him along. His face was downcast, but his magic seethed in the air. I eyed him as he was led past us.
When I thought he was out of earshot, I whispered, “Who the hell was that?”
“A filthy FireSoul the Alpha Council discovered living two villages over. He’s being taken to the Prison for Magical Miscreants.”
Filthy FireSoul? My stomach dropped and I stutter-stepped. Aidan’s hand cupped my arm and pulled me along.
Holy shit. I knew the Alpha Council was vigilant about FireSouls—they didn’t want anyone killing off Shifters to steal their shifting power, obviously—but seeing it firsthand was freaking terrifying.
And I’d agreed to come here.
There are lives at stake.
Mathias’s words echoed in my head, but they didn’t make my heart calm or the sweat dry on my skin.
Mathias led us into a great room that screamed wealth even more loudly than the foyer had. When twelve figures rose from their seats around a massive, gleaming wooden table, I was suddenly immensely grateful for Aidan’s presence at my back.
When each Alpha bowed low and murmured their respects, I was even more grateful. Why didn’t Aidan sit at this table? Clearly they would accept him here. Besides the two chairs that were clearly meant for us, there was an empty chair, right in the middle on the other side of the table.
Though each Shifter bowed low, their powers still rolled off them in waves that I could smell, taste, and feel. All were different—the scent of warm rain, the taste of meat (gross), the feel of sand beneath my feet, and a dozen others—but all were powerful. They weren’t hiding their power, not here in their own stronghold. They wanted anyone who walked into this room to know how powerful they were.
It was easy to see why these were the Alphas. Probably all different species.
When they rose, I got a better look at them. There was a guy who was clearly a lion. He actually looked a lot like Mathias, but with darker hair. A woman with a narrow frame and a graceful sway reminded me of a snake. An enormous man with a dark beard was definitely a bear. I’d bet a hundred dollars—money I didn’t have—that he was fond of salmon, especially if he caught it himself. In his mouth while standing in a river.
Upon further examination, I noticed that some people wouldn’t look our way. That was odd.
“Thank you for coming.” A woman in a simple, medieval-inspired dress stepped forward. Her voice held the sharp crack of authority, and her gaze was cunning. “I am Elenora.”
A wolf. No question.
Aidan stepped partially in front of me as if blocking her from getting too close and said, “Good to see you, Elenora. Why don’t we sit? It’s been a long journey.”
Wolf lady nodded, and everyone took their seats. I followed Aidan to the two empty chairs and sat. Thankfully, I was close to a woman who had to be a herbivore. Her large front teeth gave her away.
Not all Shifters looked like the animals they turned into, but it seemed their Alphas all bore a resemblance, probably because they were the strongest of their species and had the most animal magic in them.
I didn’t know why Aidan didn’t look like a griffin in his human form, but I was grateful. If his nose mimicked his beak, he’d probably fall over from the weight.
“We requested your assistance because we have a problem,” Elenora said.
A big one, if they were willing to pay two million dollars to have it fixed. I nodded, hoping she’d continue. Normally, I had no problem speaking up in front of a crowd, but being surrounded by the top members of the Shifters’ government made me want to keep as low a profile as possible. If I could sink through this chair and listen from under the table, I would.
I resisted the urge.
Elenora drew in a ragged breath. “Someone has stolen the Heartstone and the Heart of Glencarrough.”
Beside me, Aidan flinched.
Uh oh.
“The Heartstone is the protective charm that keeps our stronghold safe,” Elenora said. She picked up a small picture that I hadn’t noticed lying on the table and passed it down. “That shows the Heartstone.”
I squinted at it. It looked like a large sapphire with some kind of carving on it.
“Not only does it conceal the location of Glencarrough, it prevents black magic from being used against the residents,” Elenora said. “Without it, this place is no longer hidden from humans. More importantly, if anyone were to attack us, we must fight tooth and claw. While we are partially immune to some magic and can defeat much of what comes for us, we cannot defend against the most grievous magic. There is black magic that could harm us easily.”
She stopped, drawing in another shuddering breath, as if to compose herself.
“And the Heart of Glencarrough?” I asked. “What is that?”
“She is a child.” Elenora’s eyes shined with tears.
My stomach pitched, and a cold sweat broke out on my skin. A child. Stolen from her home.
Like me.
I could remember almost nothing of my past. Only one dark dream of being locked away in a cell with Nix and Del. No parents, no family. Just the three of us. Prisoners, waiting for the Monster to come for us.
“Why di
d they take her?” I asked.
I held my breath as Elenora composed herself. Everyone at the table looked shaken up, but she was the worst. She was also the leader, from what I could see, and no one stepped in to speak for her. How had she known the girl? Would the child have sat in the empty chair?
“The Heartstone is alive. It looks like a jewel, but it isn’t so simple. It is a living force, created from sacrifices made by hundreds of Shifters. It must be tended by the pure of heart. A child is chosen for this task, usually every ten years. Amara is currently the Heart of Glencarrough. Whoever stole the Heartstone knows what it can do, and they know that Amara, or a child like her, is required to keep the Heartstone’s magic alive.”
Bastards.
“Why do you think they took it?” Aidan asked.
I had my own ideas, and I got the feeling that he did too, but he wanted to hear her say it. So did I.
“To protect something of great value that they own, or to lower our defenses to attack us,” Elenora said. “We don’t think it was an inside job because all here are loyal, but we have no idea how they got in. It’s impossible.”
“If it’s impossible, it had to be someone from within,” I said. “Otherwise the Heartstone would keep them out, right?”
“Theoretically. But no one has gone missing recently. Just Amara.”
“What about not recently?”
“Well, there are some, of course. Not everyone wants to live at the stronghold forever, and there are reasons to leave.” Her gaze darted to Aidan, then away.
Strange.
But I could easily see why people would leave here. Despite its beauty, it was an intimidating place. Cold and formal. And it didn’t matter if it’d been a Shifter who’d stolen Amara. I wasn’t looking for clues the old-fashioned way. I’d follow my dragon sense and face whatever was on the other side.
“Will you take the job?” Elenora asked.
The immediate self-preservation part of me wanted to say no, of course. But this was a child. An innocent stolen away from her home.
Like I had been.
“Yes. I’ll start right—”
The door crashed open behind me, the sound cracking through the room. The rabbit Shifter next to me flinched. Annoyance and concern flashed over the faces of the others.
“You convened a meeting without me?” A deep voice bellowed from behind. Rage and pain echoed in the sound. “My daughter is missing, and I don’t even get my seat at the table?”
Elenora rose, reaching a hand out. “You’re distraught, Angus.”
I turned to see a huge man charging toward me. His eyes were sharp and his muscles bulging. He was some kind of predator Shifter. A powerful one. If I had to bet, his was the empty seat across from me, not Amara’s.
His strides ate up the ground, and he crowded in front of me, looking like he wanted to wrap his hands around my throat. I reached for my knife.
“So, you think you can find my daughter? A Magica scum?” Insane grief glinted in his eyes and echoed in his voice. His breath, which smelled like he hadn’t brushed his teeth in a week, wafted over my face. His gaze darted to Aidan. “A Magica who allies with the Origin?”
I almost flinched at the disgust in his voice. Instinct made me want to slip my dagger between his ribs, but no way in hell could I do that in front of the Alpha Council. And I wasn’t a big enough bitch to stab someone’s dad, even if they didn’t like my kind.
Aidan surged between us, pushing the man back. They were the same height and weight, but the threat and power radiating from Aidan made him appear bigger.
“Watch it, Angus.” Aidan’s voice was low with warning. Even I shivered. “I can ignore your problem with me, but I won’t let you treat Cass that way.”
Problem with Aidan? There was a history here.
Angus’s gaze darted to mine. “Your magic smells strange, girl. Something off there.”
Fear pitched my stomach. I wasn’t using my magic! He shouldn’t be able to smell me. Could he smell the FireSoul in me now that I’d started to use my power more? Did it linger?
“You sure you don’t use black magic?” Angus demanded. “How can we trust you’ll find Amara? That you aren’t on the side of whoever took her? You’re on the side of the Origin, after all.”
Aidan grabbed Angus’s arm and spun him toward the door. “That’s enough. Cass is here to help. I don’t care if Amara’s your daughter, you’ll respect Cass.”
Elenora hurried to Angus’s side and grabbed his other arm. Together, Elenora and Aidan dragged him to the door. Elenora was stronger than she looked, but Angus wasn’t going quietly. He kept turning around to glare at me, spitting insults.
My heart pounded in my throat as I watched. Were these other Shifters sniffing the air now, trying to catch a whiff of my strange magic?
I’d known I was going from the frying pan into the fire when I’d come here, but this was worse than I’d expected. I wanted to turn around and blurt that I was a Mirror Mage. That I’d just borrowed another’s powers and that was why I smelled strange. It wasn’t me!
But that’d make me look desperate and even more suspicious, which I really didn’t need.
I couldn’t help but take a quick glance over my shoulder. The gazes of the eleven people standing around the table were split between me, Aidan, and Elenora. The gazes that landed on me glinted with suspicion.
I swallowed hard and turned back around, my skin chilled. It was unlikely they suspected what I actually was—at least I prayed so—but Shifters were notoriously suspicious of Magica. If one of their kind pointed the finger at me, they’d be sure to look twice.
Aidan and Elenora thrust Angus out of the room. Elenora leaned out and told Angus to get some rest, her voice sharp, then shut the door. She turned and followed Aidan back toward me. I tried to keep my face impassive as they approached.
“Thank you for agreeing to do this,” Elenora said. Her nose twitched as if she were sniffing the air.
My heart threatened to break my ribs. “I could hardly say no once you told me it was a little girl.”
“I assume you need something of hers?” Elenora asked as she reached into a pocket of her flowing skirt. “To track her, I mean.”
She pulled a ragged plush rabbit out of her pocket. My heart almost snapped in two when I saw the thin little bunny, its cotton fur worn off in places and its plastic eyes dull.
I tried to keep my hand from trembling as I reached out to take it, but I didn’t actually need it to track Amara in the way Elenora thought I did. I just couldn’t help but touch it.
My dragon sense was based on covetousness. Dragons coveted and could find treasure. Treasure could be anything or anyone of value. The people in this room valued Amara so much that I could just latch my magic onto that. But knowing a few key facts about what I was hunting didn’t hurt, and just knowing that the little girl loved a rabbit like this was enough.
The connection came to me naturally, a vague pull toward her location. Not far. Only a couple hours perhaps. We could be there by nightfall.
“I’ll take this with me, if that’s okay,” I said. I wanted to give it to her if—when—I found her.
Elenora nodded. “All right. Do you need anything else? Can we send people with you to help?”
“Not now. If I need help, I’ll ask.” I couldn’t afford to be near any more Shifters. If I needed help, I’d ask my deirfiúr. And that was unlikely. “Nine times out of ten, these jobs require stealth rather than force. And if I need force, I have the Origin.”
Elenora’s eyes flared with appreciation. “That you do. Mathias will be your contact. He’ll get you anything you need.”
“Okay. We’ll go now. I want to get started.” And I wanted to get the heck out of this room.
I glanced at Aidan and he nodded, his dark gaze solemn.
“We’ll be in touch if we need anything else,” he said.
I could feel a dozen sets of eyes on my back as I followed him out of the room. My
neck burned, a sick twist of fear in my stomach. I’d gotten complacent in my life back in Magic’s Bend, only surrounding myself with a few people I could trust. Coming here reminded me that there was a whole world of supernaturals out there who might figure out what I was.
And if that happened, I’d probably wish I were dead.
CHAPTER FOUR
We stepped out into the hall to find Mathias waiting for us. I was grateful to see that Angus wasn’t with him, though I wished Mathias hadn’t been there at all. From his filthy FireSoul comment, he was clearly as biased as the rest of them against my kind.
When Mathias’s nose twitched as if he was smelling the air, I tensed. Confusion creased his brow.
Damn it. Angus must have said something to him, and now he thought my magic smelled odd as well.
I wanted both to distract him and get away from him. “The girl isn’t very far away. Perhaps a couple of hours. It’s remote out here. Will you get us some food to take? Maybe a blanket for her when we find her and any other things she might want? Like her jacket. It’ll comfort her, and she’ll know her family sent us.”
He nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll meet you at the car.”
“Thank you.” My tension didn’t decrease as he turned and walked away. I couldn’t get out of here fast enough.
Aidan and I hurried down the hall.
“That was smart,” he said.
“Thanks.”
My skin pricked as we walked through the Alpha Council’s stronghold. Where was that FireSoul now? Was he still chained up? In a dungeon somewhere? A cold sweat broke out on my skin.
That could be me. My deirfiúr.
When we pushed out through the great front doors, I sucked in a breath of fresh air. It didn’t do much to make me feel better. Getting far beyond Glencarrough’s gates was the only thing that would shake this fear from me.
We walked down the stairs and leaned against the car to wait. It seemed that Aidan and I had come to an unspoken agreement that now was not the time to chat. I tried to focus on the sound of the birds, the cool breeze, anything other than my location and the fact that Shifters kept looking my way.
Screw this.
