One Thousand Kisses

by One Thousand Kisses

  “Hold your horses, Red. We might yet get your fill of fighting.” Horace slapped the Primary’s shoulder. “Too bad Em let the Torvals steal the control globes.”

  The skin around Embor’s eyes and mouth tightened. “We ought not need them with Jake on the retrieval team.”

  “Ought not need them if we use guns.” Gret patted her injured shoulder. “It’s personal now. I have a score to settle.”

  “No guns,” Embor said with a frown. “We’re not savages.”

  Gret and her father exchanged a glance behind the Primary’s back, and Burly dropped the box of drinks onto the table with a thud.

  “I can only cast a spell from scratch if we find the Torvals close to a ring or repository,” Jake reminded everyone. “Otherwise it’s dangerous. We need more globes.”

  “Globing takes forever,” Tali complained. The only thing she was ever patient with was her children, which was something, Ani supposed. “I know. Let’s transport them to the green ring and Jake can be waiting there to spank ’em good.”

  “We have to find them first,” Jake said. “There could be glitches.”

  “Piece of pie,” Tali said. “Or is it cake? Doesn’t matter. It’s going to work.”

  “Can you tell us about the people helping the Torvals?” Ani asked the Drakhmores.

  “They’re fairies. They used globes, and some SOB transported the bar from downtown Key West to the island. They were young, male and female, and trained in magical combat.” Gret opened another file on her computer. “I’ve highlighted likely suspects on my clan spreadsheet.”

  “What about leprechauns?” Embor asked.

  “Too tall, no red hair, no shamrock irises,” Gret said. “We don’t even know if leprechauns can use globes in humanspace.”

  “Probably more cat-damned Torvals.” Horace tossed back the last of his coffee and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “Now there’s a clan that needs to be cleansed.”

  “Can they use the control globes?” Ani asked.

  “The globes are keyed so only Jake and Embor can use them,” Horace told her. “We had a little to-do with Red.”

  Tali shrugged. “Our neighbor was lying about his dog pooping in our yard. I just needed him to admit it.”

  “I’ve got a finger in the, uh, let’s call it the underground.” Horace slapped Embor’s back again, and the Primary edged away, toward Ani. “If the Torvals show their faces or try to fence those globes, somebody will let us know.”

  Embor, without speaking, offered Ani his thermos, steaming with hot liquid.

  “No, thank you.” Even from here Ani could smell the bitterness of the coffee. “How long do control globes take to create?”

  “Thirty hours, give or take.” Embor stared at the building with Milshadred in it. “I’d like to handle the situation sooner than that.”

  “Still got that headache?” Burly asked. “I told you, Hando. Caffeine’s better than those poppers you’ve been using. Drink your coffee.”

  Embor frowned. “I’m fine.” But he did sip the beverage.

  He wasn’t fine, Ani knew. From the look on Burly’s face, he knew it too. Burly was a foursie, which meant he wouldn’t have enough power to heal Embor’s withdrawals anywhere.

  He did, however, have the power to create energy globes.

  “You’re his supplier,” Ani accused. “Energy globes can be dangerous. Healers take an oath to do no harm.”

  “I ain’t a healer. And the flip side of healing is harm, sweet cheeks.” Burly grinned at her. “Why do you think agony’s an earth magic?”

  Why indeed.

  Embor turned his attention to her, his eyes as icy as the wind. She shivered. “Did you inform Milshadred we planned to question her?”

  Ani nodded. “She said to bring it on.”

  Milshadred had been more amused than frightened. The agent was separated from her sibs, in captivity and bound for trial. She’d cracked jokes the whole time Ani had examined her.

  “Game on, Mildred.” Jake swung his arms, loosening up. “This shouldn’t take long. I’ll cast so she doesn’t realize she’s been pushed. Less residue that way.”

  “Make her quit cussing, too,” Tali said. “I’m picking up her damn bad habits.”

  “Yeah, that’s all Mildred.” Jake waved and disappeared into the building.

  The Drakhmores returned to the maps as they discussed the best places to search for the Torvals. They’d confirmed the missing agents were nowhere they could scan with traditional spells, which left deadspace. Now that they had sibling DNA to boost the locator, everyone was confident the Torvals had nowhere to hide.

  “Talista,” Embor said, “how many DNA globes have you prepared so far?”

  “Six.” She pointed at a red and white cooler. “I’m not a machine, you know. Globes are hard to grow.”

  “Sorry, Tali. According to my calculations, we need ten to cover the planet.” Gret used a drafting compass to draw circles on a map. “We’ll synch the network in these locations, including Alaska. Wouldn’t it be funny if they were in Nome?”

  “It would be convenient.” Embor indicated the trucks in the gravel lot. “The need for transportation spells could be partially mitigated.”

  “Who’s running the pool?” Burly asked. “My money’s on Kenya.”

  “We’ll get the hit in Hawaii.” A man named Vincenzo loaded pouches and belts with spell globes. “They won’t leave the U.S. This is where the best underground is, and the other continents have less deadspace.”

  “I’d pick Hawaii too.” Gret drew a star near the island. “It’s a great honeymoon spot.”

  “Are you married?” Ani asked politely. Gret hadn’t spoken of a bondmate, but most fairies married at some point.

  Gret laughed. “Hardly.”

  “Gret’s not the one who eloped with the Primary.” Horace opened Tali’s cooler and began holding each globe to the sunlight. “Tali, how do you feel about your sister getting hitched?”

  “Hello, Gossip Girl. My sister’s not hitched.” Tali smacked the lid of the cooler shut, nearly smashing Horace’s fingers. “There’s nothing wrong with my spells.”

  “Then get your butt in gear and make more,” Horace retorted.

  Embor cleared his throat and addressed the Drakhmores, his profile to Ani. “Anisette informed me I may have given everyone the impression last night she and I are involved.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Burly said. Several others snickered. “If anybody’s running a pool on that, dibs on two weeks.”

  Ani stared at Embor, surprised. He hadn’t claimed the Drakhmores’ impression was mistaken. Nor had he denied the affair to Tali this morning. Did he consider them to be involved?

  This was news to her. People who were involved tended to have sex, not avoid it.

  “There’s no formal agreement,” Embor continued, “between the princess and myself.”

  “Imagine that.” Tali dropped a globe in the cooler.

  Though he spoke only the truth, Ani’s stomach hollowed with disappointment. What had she expected, that he’d fall to one knee and propose, human-style, in front of Tali and the Drakhmores? Fairies were not so imbalanced. Marriages and relationships were negotiated by both parties.

  “Formal agreement?” Horace chuckled. “If what you said about the Seers is true—”

  Embor coughed. Gret snatched her father’s shoulder and rattled him. “Dad, shut up.”

  “Seers?” Ani asked.

  No one said anything. Whatever the truth was, Embor was clenching and unclenching his hands behind his back like he wished he could silence the world.

  He couldn’t remember what he’d done last night. How he’d behaved. He didn’t even remember propositioning her. What did he fear he’d revealed?

  She touched his arm. “That was one of the things Milshadred tried to bribe me with. Something you learned from the Seers about me?”

  Embor gazed down at her, his expression softening. “Anisette, trust me
. This needs to wait.”

  “I’m tired of waiting.” What could be so horrible it was never the right time to share it with her? What could be so ominous it kept him from making love to her? Was she destined to run afoul of the Torvals? To be banished?

  To die?

  “I told you already,” Tali interjected, her voice shrill. “It wasn’t about Ani. It was about me—me and Jake.”

  Horace shook his head. “Not everything’s about you, Red.”

  They were close enough to the repository Ani could sense Tali’s denial through their sibling bond before she slammed Ani out. Why was she angry? She had humanspace, a bondmate, a fulfilling job, three wonderful children and as many adventures as she wanted. A family had never been part of Tali’s plan, but she’d confessed to Ani that Jake and the kids made her happier than she ever thought she could be.

  So why was Tali furious, and what was she denying?

  “It seems you all know something I don’t.” Ani tried to laugh. “Am I to die before I reach a hundred?”

  “Fate worse than death, maybe.” Tali stomped up to Embor and glared at the Primary. Ani tamped down the impulse to insert herself between her sister and the man she—well, the man she wanted to kiss a thousand times. “I figured it out five years ago, and I think it’s gross.”

  Embor raised an eyebrow. “Gross?”

  “My sister,” she said fiercely, “is not a pawn. She’s not a government broodmare. I’ll see you gelded before you treat her like one.”

  “By the spirits, Tali, what are you going on about?” A few days ago, Ani had wondered if she were a prize in a tug-of-war between Embor and Warran, but no more. Embor wouldn’t have rejected her if winning had been his goal. “Embor wasn’t the one who thought he could force a bond on me. That was Warran.”

  “Why do you think Embor chased me around Vegas five years ago instead of sending flunkies?” Tali jabbed her finger at Embor, whose expression was pained. “Seriously. The Primary hunting down a trainee? Breaking laws and getting his ass handed to him by four deadhead agents?”

  “I don’t know,” Ani said doubtfully. She’d assumed it was because of the sensitive information at risk, with the lost ones and the prophecy involving Jake. “Embor?”

  Embor sighed. “Anisette, I understand how your sister has drawn her conclusion. It’s erroneous.”

  “No, it’s not,” Tali yelled at Embor. “Female twins, Ani. Even when we don’t bond, we’re money in the bank for whoever marries us. The Torvals are single, the Fiertags are single, and they all need bank to win this election. He’s been trying to bag one of us for years. I told you he was an evil mastermind.”

  “Bag one of…” Ani’s mouth temporarily ceased to function. The thought of Embor, chilly and disapproving of everything Serendipity, planning to marry either of them had to be Tali’s most wrongheaded notion ever.

  The problem was, Tali’s notions were often flavored with accuracy.

  “Talista,” Embor said tightly, “you’re speaking without full knowledge.”

  While that was nothing new for Tali, Embor hadn’t denied the allegation. The Drakhmores had fallen silent.

  Ani nipped her fingernail before she spoke. “If he intended to court either of us, I hardly think he’d…” She stopped before she blurted out what a cold fish he’d been.

  “He’s been sniffing around you all year, you just didn’t notice.” Talista kicked at the gravel. “I mean, I don’t hate him—I don’t, Em, don’t look at me like that. But if you think he’s a saint, you’re more naive than I thought.”

  “That’s enough, Tali.” If the Drakhmores hadn’t been listening, Ani would have said more to her hot-tempered sister. Whatever simmered between Tali and Embor—between Tali and Ani—would have to wait. Like Ani was, apparently, going to have to wait to find out about the Seers. “Embor isn’t perfect. He told me so himself. But I can and will make up my own mind.”

  “Is it your mind?” Tali reached for her, and Ani dodged. “I’ve tried to be understanding, spirits know I’ve tried, but what you said yesterday really hit me. You don’t have to be at Court just because you can’t come up with anything better.”

  Frustrations old and new threatened to burst out of Ani. Tali never considered how her choices affected others until it was too late. Before Tali had left, Ani had been content. The two of them were going to do great things. They’d been up-and-comers to be reckoned with.

  Then Tali had ruined it all. Tali had never cared about power or influence or helping the Realm, only about secrets. She got her secrets, what she’d wanted all along.

  What did Ani want?

  For starters, she didn’t want this conversation. “This discussion is over.”

  “It’s not over until you—”

  Ani tapped the reservoir stone and yanked their bond open. Her attack was so sudden Tali didn’t struggle. A forced connection caused pain, and Ani did it anyway.

  Stop it at once, she ordered at full mental volume.

  Tali shrieked. Ani closed her eyes and leaned against Embor’s shoulder, the faint spice and smoke scent that permeated his clothing more soothing than she cared to admit. When she felt his hand on her back, supporting her quietly, it was as open a declaration as he seemed capable of making.

  There was something between them that went beyond politics. There had to be.

  A deep silence, broken only by the calls of birds and the scuff of Tali’s boots in the gravel, dropped over the group. Tali’s footsteps faded as she stalked away.

  Jake exited the building with a clang of metal that jerked them out of their trance. “I’m done. Everybody ready?”

  When no one responded, Jake raised his brows. Then he noticed his wife near the trucks, kicking rocks. “What happened?”

  “Nothing a boot in Tali’s butt won’t fix,” Gret said. “How did it go with Mildred?”

  Jake stared at his wife before responding. “She’s as cooperative as I can make her without changing her personality.”

  “Can you do that?” Gret asked. “Because you need to give my Dad and your wife a clue.”

  “It’s a figure of speech.” Jake held the door open. “Don’t think I haven’t tried to give my wife a clue.”

  “Don’t go without me.” Tali jogged back to the group. “I’ve got tons of questions for that old bat.”

  “As long as you don’t have any more for Embor,” Gret said.

  “Shut up, you. I get it eventually.” Tali, with a wink at Ani, sailed into the protected building.

  Ani sighed, her emotions in turmoil. No feud was too intense Tali couldn’t whisk herself out of it at a moment’s notice, all harsh words forgotten.

  If only Ani could forget as easily.

  The building was a single area with a cramped restroom and a storage closet. The Drakhmores arranged themselves on the various chairs and ratty couches. The repository, a smaller stone than the one from Skythia’s house, was enshrined atop a pot-bellied stove.

  Embor didn’t sit. He stared at Ani significantly before he paced to the stove with his hands clasped behind him.

  Milshadred lounged near an open window, blowing cigarette smoke out of the building. She greeted them with a scowl. “I’ve been waiting for you half the day, Primary. You’d think somebody you’ve been trying to catch for five years decides to go Deep Throat, you’d be all over it like dentures on corn. Where’s your bitch of a sister?”

  “Skythia has other matters to attend, Agent Torval.” Embor studied her from the stove, his posture stiff. Next to him, Master Fey echoed his stance.

  Jake didn’t seem surprised by Milshadred’s tone, so he must feel his cooperation spell had worked. He slung his arm around Tali and led her to a couch. “We’re here now, Mil.”

  “If we’re all ready, let’s get started.” Gret punched a button on a recording device and set it on the repository. “Try to speak in the direction of the mike.”

  Ani perched on the chair nearest Milshadred and reached for he
r hand to begin a follow-up health check.

  “If it’s all right,” she told Milshadred, unsure what the old woman remembered, “I’d like to give you a physical examination. I’m a healer. My name is Anisette.”

  “Good Christ, girlie, I know who you are. You were in here ten minutes ago, poking and prodding me.”

  The ashy smell of cigarettes clung to the old fairy. Ani wrinkled her nose. “Sorry. May I anyway?”

  “Fine.” Milshadred stuck out her age-spotted hand, and Ani withdrew a healing globe from her pocket.

  Jake opened the floor for discussion. “Mildred, tell them about your change of heart. She’s going to help us take down the AOC.”

  Milshadred grunted. “You’re a bunch of morons. That’s been my goddamned goal all along. Are you ready to listen this time, Embor?”

  Embor didn’t leave his position near the repository. “I feel more secure listening to you in this environment than in our previous ones.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that.” Milshadred scratched her nose. “Didn’t work anyway, did it?”

  “No.” Embor’s face tightened before the emotion smoothed out of it.

  “You can be proud of your man, Princess,” Milshadred told her. “We couldn’t break him. Sure as hell tried. I thought after the waterboarding he’d be a blubbering mess, but everything we did, he just gave us that glare. You know the one.”

  “What?” Ani lost her grip on the healing globe, and it bounced across the floor.

  “He’s tough,” Milshadred continued. “Ulster kept burning him, Mick has this thing about spiders, and I’m sure you all know what Euri did, but I got tired of spending our healing globes on small stuff when it wasn’t working. I decided we’d—”

  “This is a waste of time.” Air whistled through Embor’s nose, and the skin around his lips whitened. “Skip the nostalgia and tell us everything.”

  Milshadred regarded him with an unholy glee Ani didn’t trust. Tapping the repository, she read a flux in Milshadred’s hormones that corresponded to positive excitement. The woman was surrounded by hostiles and enjoying herself? “Everything? There’s a lot of shit stuffed in this bone box, Primary. Should I start with the names of the seven dwarves or the periodic table?”