"Please," I said and stepped forward with my arm out.
"Tell the mage this is ours. He needs to stay away," the mouth said and a blast of dead, rotten, sulfuric grossness came at me. Leslie didn't have much longer. My heart thumped as I cocked my head to the side. I was this. I was like this creature. This part of me that my mother had attempted to hide from me was also me. I touched its arm almost out of curiosity as much as terror. I wanted to rip it away from her neck but instead I clutched at its arm as my own skin turned to a silvery scaly texture. I hadn't even called my magic but it came out of me and snapped his arm. It didn't hurt him but it told him I meant business. His one eye opened wide.
"I know who you are," the mouth yawned at me again. "You're one of us." Leslie started to gasp and I gathered her into my arms. When I looked up the water Fae was gone.
"Are you okay?" I asked. Her eyes were bulging out and I could see small, red dots in them. She hadn't had much time left. I didn't even think of touching that thing but my body knew what to do. I hadn’t even thought of it.
"Thank you," she got out. I let her down onto the grass and we sat there for several moments as she caught her breath.
"I don't think he's going to come back," I said although I was looking over my shoulder and over hers the entire time. I don't know why I knew he would not come back. I don't even know why I knew it was a he but I did. That darkness inside of me that I had been so afraid of new exactly what he was. I also knew for a fact that I was a more powerful creature than he was and even though that should have scared me, it didn’t.
"He knew you," Leslie managed to get out when she had finally calmed herself.
"He was going to kill you," I said.
"I know. But you stopped him. And you didn't even have to use your magic," she said. I shook my head.
"I did use my magic. It wasn't the magic that I’ve used before to turn my adversaries into water. He knew me. The water Fae know who I am." The thought confused the hell out of me. I didn't even know how to feel about that. For the last year I had been trying to shove it down, not think about it. And of course, it came at the most horrifying times. I had always managed not to hurt anybody up until the vampires that started this whole business. I had been diligent and had kept away from everyone that I could hurt. But now, as I looked down on my scaly arms, I wanted to know what this was about. I wanted to know what I could do, what I was capable of doing. And I didn't mean just making people into water. Although, it did come in handy when somebody was trying to kill me. The vampires were trying to kill you, the small voice in my head retorted back at me. I squashed it for now. In life-and-death circumstances as it was.
"You want me to drive to the bar?" I asked Leslie. She nodded.
"I'm feeling quite lightheaded and I don't think it would be good for me to get behind the wheel right now. That thing could have easily killed Marcus, couldn't he have?"
"Yes. It would make sense that he drowned to a point. Did you see that mouth? He really wanted to take a bite out of you and I think that if he had killed Marcus he would have taken a bite out of him."
"Let's go talk to Callie and see what she says about this thing. You think you’ll be able to describe him?" I gave out a short bark of a laugh. "That thing is going to be in my nightmares for some time to come. Don't worry, I will be able to describe him no problem." We got back into the car and as I was pulling out I remembered the first thing he said. In my worry and adrenaline that Leslie was going to die, I had totally forgotten the first sentence he had said.
"Leslie, he told me to tell the mage to stay away from here. If he's not working for the mage, which he shouldn't be because Fae are not beholden to anyone, then maybe the mages aren't behind this at all." I looked over to Leslie when she didn't answer me and her eyes were closed, her head back on the headrest. I put my hand on her chest to make sure she was still breathing.
"I'm still alive," she said.
"Good."
"The mages are definitely involved in this somehow. Marcus had no access to Fae. What he did have access to was to the political machine and the LAPD who served it. Whatever he was working on had to do with the mages." The tone of her voice shut down that area of questioning. It was curious though. I would make sure to ask Callie what involvement the Fae had with the current government. From my understanding, the Fae were given the right to exist, which hadn't been the case under the humans. But I could not believe that the Fae would subject themselves to mere mortals like the mage was. However powerful and connected he might be. I felt the excitement growing in me as we headed towards the bar. I wanted to know more about the Fae. I wanted to go to the Seelie court. I hoped that Callie would be there and would be able to answer questions.
11
This part of Third Street was already loud and in full swing by the time we pulled up to the curb. Leslie hadn't spoken much on the drive over and I didn't blame her. At one point, I thought she was taking a nap, and when I called her name gently, she stirred. Her face held onto that peace for several moments more before she shivered and woke with a start.
"Marcus," she breathed and then her face fell as reality hit her like a brick in the face.
"We'll find them and we will destroy them." It was the only thing of comfort I could tell her. Saying I was sorry just didn't seem enough for the loss she had suffered.
"We can change seats. I'll keep the engine running in case something goes wrong in there." She turned to me, a serious look on her face. "I know how badly you want to go to the Seelie court. Please, don't go there tonight. I know it's the first time you've had access to that part of your heritage. Please, don't leave me behind on my own. I don't think I can do this on my own." She had registered my curiosity. I had always downplayed my Fae heritage because of the many stories in circulation regarding the hideous nature of the creatures. But that was my nature as well. And she had understood my thirst for more knowledge.
"I promise. I'm gonna talk to Callie and see what she says about our swamp creature. We need to know who he's working with because I don't get the sense he was acting alone."
"I agree. I'll be here waiting," she said and opened the car door. I watched her as she made a loop around the car and opened the driver side for me to get out. She touched me on the shoulder."Be safe in there."
I nodded and took a deep breath. It would be better if she could join me inside but I agreed with her, it would be a distraction.
"I won't take long, I promise." I sounded more certain than I felt. I opened the door without looking back at her and stepped into the familiar gloom of the Fae bar. It wasn't as busy as it had been yesterday but there were at least 30 to 40 patrons sitting around the bar and dancing. The different smells of the creatures were overwhelming and I refocused on my mission. I needed to find Callie but I wasn't sure if she worked the bar. The last time we were here she had appeared on the stairs as we tried to escape. The brownie would know where she was. I leaned over to the bartender, a 6 foot seven blonde man who smelled of forest and yelled at him over the raucous noise of the Irish band that was playing.
"I need to talk to Callie or the brownie that works for her," I yelled at him. He ignored me.
I tried another tactic. "I need a drink." He still ignored me. A grizzled old man sitting on the barstool next to me leaned over.
"He doesn't speak to Halfies. He's an asshole like that." I opened my mouth to ask him how he knew that I was only half when he frowned at me.
"You smell partially human. I know that that's what you were going to ask me," he said and took another swig of the beer in front of him.
"You know where I can find Callie or the brownie?" I asked him.
"She needed to get back to the Seelie court. I think she took that brownie with her and left Mr. Forrest over there in charge. You're not going to get very far with him. What do you need from Callie?" he asked.
The hairs on my arms stood up on edge as he asked me that question. I hadn't felt the fear but my body reacted to it
. The scales popped out all over my arm and I could see his eyes widen.
"Well, it was nice talking to you," he said and abruptly stood up. "I just realized I needed to get home."
That was a strange reaction to seeing my scales.
"Why are you afraid of me? Remember, I'm only a halfie."
"I'm not interested in tangling with the likes of you. I don't even want to know why you're here," he said and ran for the front door. The scales shimmered in the red lantern light and I had an idea. I could use them to my advantage. If the old man had such a reaction to whatever I was, than perhaps I could get the bartender's attention with them. I shoved my sleeve up and waved at him. My skin shimmered in the light. It was a beautiful sight. I'd never thought that before.
The bartender wasn't going to even give me a chance and refused to look at me. Damn him. I leaned over the bar and grabbed him by the belt. He glared at my arm but the scales kept his attention.
"You know, I'm a friend of Callie's, and I don't think you'll be in a good way when she finds out how you treated me."
"Is that so," he drawled.
"Well at least I caught your attention," I said. "You know anything about a swamp type creature that smells like raw sewage that was here yesterday?"
"I'm not answering any of your questions, girly," he said and turned back to the young man who had just entered in a suit.
"Do you know who I'm talking about?" I asked the middle-aged woman sitting on my left. She'd eavesdropped on my conversation with the grizzled man and seemed to know something. I had nothing to lose.
"He comes in here sometimes," she answered without looking at me.
"You know who he works for?" She rolled her eyes at me and took a sip of her drink. "You don't know too many Fae, do you?"
"No, I don't." My back stiffened and the scales went away leaving just my human skin.
"He's part of the Unseelie court. Do you know what that is?" she asked.
"Is that like the Seelie court?"
She grunted out a laugh at my question. "Did you get left in a basket or something? How can you know so little about the Fae when you have Fae running through you?" she asked with a look of disappointment on her face.
"Can you just answer my question? What is the Unseelie court?"
"It's the court that rules over fall and winter. There are some nasties that belong to that court," she said. "You should know seeing as you belong to that court as well." By the look on my face, she knew that I had no idea.
"How'd you know that I belong to the Unseelie court?"
"You really have no idea, do you?" she asked.
I was about to question her more when a loud bang came from the front door. Everyone's eyes were on the front door as the SWAT team poured in, guns blazing. I jumped out of my seat, and searched for all the exits. I had to get out of here. I had to get to Leslie was my next thought.
We hadn't discussed contingency plans if we got separated. Damn it, how could I not have thought of that. It was the exhaustion. My brain wasn't working at full capacity. I looked around frantically for any openings towards the front of the bar. There was no way I was getting through that crowd of SWAT.
Maybe she parked up the street and all I needed to do was to get out. Come on, Mabry. Is that what you would do if you saw a SWAT team unloading from trucks into the bar that your colleague was in?
Driving off would be what I'd do in the same situation with the intention of reconnecting later. Leslie was smart enough to do the same.
Separated it was, I thought, shaking my head in disgust . We should have planned this better. I didn't have much time before the SWAT team got to where I was sitting at the bar. I had better get a move-on.
I turned back to the middle-aged woman but she'd run already. The Irish band had stopped playing and the chaotic sound of a group of people running from armed soldiers filled the air. The bartender was no longer behind the bar and the place was emptying out quickly. If I didn't start running for the back, then I would be the only one left and in custody. I had no idea what the raid was about, but I did not want to get caught up in it. I joined the stream of people heading towards the back door and managed to push myself into the middle of the pack. Behind me, the stragglers, the drunk ones that didn't move fast enough, gasped and yelled as the SWAT team slammed them to the ground.
Shouts of 'Get on the floor' and 'Don't move' rang out behind me. I slammed out the back door into the dirty alleyway and ran towards the main road, just like we had done the night before. I had to assume that my assumption about Leslie driving off was the correct one.
Searching around in my coat pocket for my cellphone, my heart beat faster and faster from the stress of finding it empty. I didn't have my cell phone on me. Christ, where was my cellphone? I went back through the last hour. It must have fallen out of my pocket as I had been driving.
What a fuck up. Leslie and the only way I had to reach her were somewhere in the vicinity but where who knew.
Would she be circling the neighborhood?
I took a right instead of left and went into the small neighborhood that we had been followed into yesterday. I was hoping that she would be trawling there for me but after going from one street to the next several times I decided that that's not what she had apparently done.
I gripped my side and knew I couldn't run much longer. My overwhelming fatigue was preventing me from taking in oxygen. I needed rest. The only good thing about my current situation was that my office was only a 20 minute walk away from this neighborhood.
I headed in that direction, limping and holding my side. My thoughts ran away from me as I focused on the events that transpired. It was better to shift my mind away from the screaming aches and pains of my body. I was almost certain that I had twisted my ankle taking that last corner too fast and hard. At least, the sharp pain was keeping me awake. Leslie would be smart enough to go to my office, I thought.
My mind drifted back to the bartender and what the old grizzled man had said. I would never fit in. Not with the way that I was. Half Fae, half human witch.
The disgust on his face when he looked at me hurt. That little small part of me that wanted to belong to the community burrowed deeper inside. My shoulders stiffened and I jutted my chin up in protest.
I was proud of what I was. I could use both halves to make me even better than the communities that were only one. I had gotten the same kind of looks from the witches coven that my mother had belonged to. They didn't want anything to do with me after they found out that I was Fae.
The coven had been my home, especially after my mother passed, but the witches rejected me after the unveiling showed my true nature.
I was a lone wolf now.
Leslie and I would get to the bottom of this and I would go back to just being me. I didn't need anybody else, I thought.
The resolution made me feel better already. I smiled as I crossed La Brea. My hope was Leslie would show up at my office after driving around making sure SWAT hadn't noticed her and I'd be able to grab a bit of sleep. Glorious, wonderful sleep. I limped to the next corner and caught sight of my building. There was nobody outside. I smiled. My old ratty couch was just waiting for me.
12
I got to the landing, out of breath, and dreaming of that couch when I saw the light on in my office and groaned. Leslie had beat me here, I thought, and I doubted I'd be getting any sleep. I dragged myself the last remaining steps to my door and opened it to find Damian sitting behind my desk. He got up quickly when he saw me come in.
"By all means, make yourself comfortable," I said with a crooked smile. He flashed me a grin and his green eyes blazed directly into mine. My heart fluttered and I stepped back, shocked at the impact his gaze had on me. What the hell was that feeling? There was no way I was going to be attracted to the son of the mage of Los Angeles. That was suicide decision in the making, I thought.
"What did I do to deserve this honor," I said and sank deep into my uncomfortable couch. I shift
ed around until the springs weren't grinding into my butt. He came over to me and, much to my chagrin, sat next to me.
"I have something for you," he said and I smelled the excitement and fear pouring off of him.
"For me? What could you possibly have that I want," I said, remembering how he ordered the two vamps on me.
"I overheard my dad talking tonight. You have a friend named Chance?" he asked. I could tell by the nonchalant way he was holding his body that he knew exactly who Chance was and that he was part of the resistance.
"Is this a trap?" I asked, too tired to play any games with him.
He settled back into the couch. "You haven't slept yet, have you?"
"However did you notice," I said, fighting hard to keep my eyes open.
"I thought I'd get more of a reaction from you than this," he said. I clawed my way back to consciousness. My eyes were refusing to stay open much longer. Sleep was inevitable at this point. I couldn't even muster up the excitement over Chance being alive and well.
"I just got chased by SWAT out of a bar, ran all the way here hoping to be able to catch some sleep on this very uncomfortable couch, while waiting for my colleague to find me." It was the last thing I remembered saying before I closed my eyes.
I shook awake to find my head in Damian's lap, his hand stroking the hair off my forehead. Ashamed over how nice his hand felt, I jumped out of his lap and landed unceremoniously on the floor in front of him.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself," he said, throwing his arms up.
"How long was I out for?" I asked, standing up on unsteady feet. Who was I kidding, there was no way I was gonna be able to move. I sat back down on the sofa but made sure to keep my back straight and away from the back of the couch. If I was in anywhere close to a reclining position, I would pass out again.
A Case of Magic: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Wildes Chronicles Book 1) Page 8
