Enforcer

by Patti Larsen

  Maybe if Andre wasn't such an ass. The first male coven leader in, well, ever, had never endeared himself to me. Sure, he'd done me a solid and admitted I hadn't interfered with the Dumont succession when the freed family magic went to him instead of Mia. But that was about where our nicey-nice play time ended. I hated his arrogant guts and he despised me and wished me dead.

  All good, in other words.

  But when he pointed a finger at my old friend, his magic—her magic—crackling in threat, I had to act.

  “Why don't we ask our Council Leader,” I said, putting myself between Andre and Mia. “Since she's, you know, in charge and everything.” I leaned closer. “The boss of you.”

  Burn.

  Andre's blue eyes glared his hatred. Hurt my feelings, sure did.

  Asshat.

  And, right on schedule, Mom appeared, face calm, power thrumming so loudly most of the onlookers found somewhere else they had to be.

  Oh, Syd, Mom sent. “Coven Leader Dumont,” she spoke out loud as though she hadn't just sighed in my head. Turned and faced Mia. “Coven Leader Tinder.”

  So Mia had taken her father's name like Quaid. Interesting.

  Mia pulled her robe around her as the Enforcers standing guard focused on Mom. I knew whatever Mom decided, they would follow through, end of story.

  And, frankly, now that I'd spoken up, I really just wanted her to make this go away.

  “I wish to attend conclave.” Mia's voice shook a little, but she faced Mom with her head high.

  “And I wish to have this piece of worthless garbage expelled from my sight.” Andre's power loomed.

  Funny, Mom's was bigger. Crushed his like a bug even as she ignored him.

  “You are a coven leader,” Mom said to Mia. “Thus, you have the right to attend. But you failed to express your desire to join us, and so a place was not prepared.”

  Technicality?

  No, Mom sent. Each and every person must be invited and accepted before conclave begins. It's law.

  Phew. Saved by witch rules. For once.

  Mia shook her head as Andre and his nasty offspring gloated.

  “Not so,” Mia said, pointing at me. “I was invited.”

  Um, what?

  Mom turned slowly to fix her eyes on me. No one else could probably tell I was about to get a butt reaming.

  They didn't know my mother as well as I did.

  “Do you mind explaining that, Coven Leader Hayle?” Her voice had a definite chill.

  I was in so much trouble.

  “Coven Leader Hayle,” Shenka jabbed me a fast one in the ribs, a sign to keep quiet, “did no such thing, Council Leader.”

  Mom's tension eased a bit as she turned back to Mia. “A misunderstanding perhaps, Coven Leader Tinder?”

  Andre snorted. “Calling the likes of this thing a coven leader is an insult to—”

  The council power roared like a lion before slamming down on top of Andre, driving him, breathless, to his knees. Mom ignored him even as he struggled, his not-so-cocky sons staring between their pinned father and my very irritated mother.

  “Coven Leader Hayle has invited me to join her coven,” Mia said. “And that invitation, by witch law, whether accepted or not, includes me on her available roster for attendance of conclave.”

  That was the most ridiculous law I'd ever—

  Mom sighed. A tiny little sigh.

  Tell me you didn't, Mom said.

  That's a real law? I choked out a mental laugh. Who the hell came up with that stupidity?

  Syd. Mom's power crackled in my head.

  I did, I sent, angry myself now. Back when she first lost the Dumont power. I offered her a place and she screamed at me and accused me of interference. It shouldn't count.

  And yet, Mom sent, you never once rescinded the offer. And she can now take you up on it at any point. And use it as leverage to gain entrance to this conclave. Mom's annoyance eased. Please, tell me you won't make it formal?

  Hell, no. If only because Mia had just officially pissed me off.

  “If you accept,” Mom said out loud, “it will mean you are giving up your right to lead your own coven. The Tinder coven you've built.”

  Mia sagged. “What coven,” she whispered. “I want to be a Hayle.”

  I'm going to kick your ass, Shenka sent in a tight, furious thread.

  Great. Just. Great.

  Mom turned to me, lips in a grim line. “You are to accept, as with all your people, full responsibility for Mia Tinder. While she may not yet be part of your coven, you are now her guardian during these proceedings.”

  Oh no, she did not.

  Mom—

  My mother then spun on Andre, magic spinning in a vortex around her, sending what few gawkers remained scrambling for cover. “Andre Dumont,” she said in a voice that would have given Odhran of the Unseelie a run for his money, “the next time you challenge your Council Leader will be your last as master of the Coven Dumont. Do I make myself clear?”

  He struggled one more moment, as though to show her he could before bowing his head.

  “Of course, Council Leader,” he said in an oily tone. “Whatever you say, Council Leader.”

  Barfaroni.

  Mom let him go, sending him and his two scowling boys, Kristophe no longer posing, Jean Marc with his head down, scurrying for cover. I pictured three rats as I fought off a smirk.

  Good thing. Mom was not in the mood.

  You watch her, Mom sent, turning her back on me and striding away. If anything happens, I don't care if you're maji, coven leader, queen of the known universe—I'm going to ground you for the rest of your life.

  I didn't comment, let her go. Because I had bigger things to worry about.

  Namely, one very pissed-off second who glared back and forth between me and the girl who approached with a smile on her pale face.

  And Mia herself. The two Enforcers bowed to me before rising into the air in a rush of blue fire. I didn't have time for them. Not with Mia hugging me.

  “Thanks, Syd,” she said. “I knew you wouldn't let me down.”

  She grabbed my hand, pulled me between two pavilions, trembling, grinning, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. “This is perfect,” she said as Shenka kept her distance, still radiating her fury at me. “It has to be you.”

  Had to be me what?

  Mia glanced to our right and left, all covert all of a sudden. Before jerking me toward her, lips pressed to my ear.

  “It's time,” she said. “And conclave is the perfect venue. Time to take back what's mine.”

  Ruh-ro.

  She leaned away as my heart stopped, skipped. Pounded a painful beat. “With your help, I'll be Dumont Coven leader again before tomorrow night.”

  ***

  Chapter Eighteen

  “We use your crystal.” Mia gulped down a spoon full of soup, not even noticing the sad look on Estelle's face as she set bread beside the fallen coven leader's bone-thin hand. Once inside the pavilion, safely tucked into our area and behind wards, Mia shed the heavy cloak hiding her from me. She looked even more emaciated than before, the light showing the thin veins running under her near-transparent skin, the way her eyes sank into dark pits, two shining blue lights the only sign she was in there.

  I'd seen pictures of drought victims who looked healthier than Mia. Was she this thin when I saw her only yesterday? And, if so, how did I miss it?

  I sat back and shook my head as Sassafras crouched on the edge of the table and stared at Mia with his glowing amber eyes, tail beating a soft rhythm against the wooden top.

  “Mia,” I said, “I can't interfere.”

  “You can.” She reached for me, faster than lightning, squeezing the bones of my hand until they ground together. Her thin power crawled over my skin even as Sassafras growled low in his throat, Shenka pacing out her irritation behind me. “The Council has given you carte blanche, remember?” To protect witches. Replacing one coven leader with another didn't r
eally fall into the description. As much as I hated Andre Dumont.

  I was about to say so when Mia gulped two big swallows of milk before filling her mouth with a giant bite of bread. “But you won't have to,” she said around the bits, reminding me of Demetrius. How damaged was she?

  “Why is that, exactly?” Shenka's grating words made me wince, but Mia ignored her.

  “You can use your sorcery,” she said. “Put the Dumont magic in the crystal. But I'll be holding it.” She sat back suddenly, hugging herself and giggling. “They'll think I did it. Don't you see? Perfect.” Her eyes sparked with blue fire. “And when you have it in your possession, you simply transfer it back to me.”

  There were so many holes in her plan I didn't even know where to begin.

  The Enforcers would stop her. Us. Mom would. Any other Council Leader, I was sure. And Mia didn't have sorcery.

  Besides, she was gone around the final bend if she thought I’d ever let her touch my crystal.

  Just to name a few bumps on her road to Crazyville.

  We. Need. To. Talk. Shenka spun and left the room, Sassafras hissing at me before following her. I rose as Mia's face crumpled.

  “You'll help me, won't you, Syd?” She reached for my hand again, pressed it to her cheek.

  Okay, so Shenka said she still harbored hate for me. But Mia had been my friend once.

  How could I just let her suffer?

  It took a lot to pull my hand free, Estelle waving a plate of chicken pasta under the girl's nose before Mia released me, diving into the food like she hadn't eaten ever. I nodded to the twins as they hugged themselves in matching movements, twin set fronts folding over their thin chests as they watched me go.

  What a mess.

  Shenka spun on me the moment I entered our little living room, speaking almost before my power could seal us from prying ears and eyes.

  “You will go to your mother right now,” Shenka said in a voice vibrating with fury, “and you will turn Mia in for conspiring to interfere with another coven.”

  It was the smart thing to do. Shenka was right.

  “Syd.” She shook from her anxiety and pent-up rage, waves of it rolling over me through our connection. “You don't owe her anything.”

  “You must think of the family.” Sassafras's words cracked like whips, cutting through my half-daze of what the hell. “This damaged child has no place with us, Syd. And her need for revenge will only bring trouble to the coven.”

  I nodded. Spoke before I could hold my tongue. “Do you both really want Andre Dumont in the leadership of that family?” Was risking everything worth kicking his ass out of power?

  “You are totally deluding yourself about her,” Shenka spit, sparks flying from her finger tips as she waved her arms around her, temper shattering into motion. “Andre Dumont is a scumbag and a heartless ass, but he is a hundred times better than Mia.” Shenka stopped moving, focused on me. “A thousand.”

  “Agreed,” Sassafras said.

  Agreed, my demon snarled.

  Agreed, Shaylee sighed.

  Sydlynn, my vampire sent. You already know what you must do. And while your loyalty is one of the things well all love about you, as commendable as it is, there comes a time when you must think of the good of the whole, not of the individual.

  Especially an individual as screwed up as Mia, my demon sent.

  It was the cringing unhappiness of the family magic that finally sealed the deal. I nodded to Shenka, heart heavy. Left her there as she watched me go, Sassafras following me to the exit of the main pavilion before his power touched mine.

  We've taught you to protect those you care about, he sent. No matter how they feel for you. Time to let go of young Mia, Syd. And let her fate unfold.

  He didn't follow. Let me walk away, my power reaching out, searching for one who needed to know, to hear from my mouth, what I was about to do.

  I found Quaid with two full Enforcers. They bowed to me though he glared. But he must have felt the sadness in me, because his anger faded to concern.

  “Might I have a moment with Trainee Tinder?” I held out my hand to Quaid while the two Enforcers grinned.

  “Of course, Coven Leader,” the tall woman said. Her companion, an older man with a thick blonde beard, winked.

  Let them speculate. I only wished I was here to steal him away for a tryst.

  Quaid and I walked the edge of the perimeter while I gathered my thoughts.

  “Is this about earlier?” He kept his head down. “That Steam Union sorcerer. Is he good for you?”

  I so wasn't having this conversation with him. “Mia's here,” I said, surprised by the crack in my voice.

  Quaid paused in mid step before squeezing my hand. “I heard,” he said.

  I pulled him to a stop, staring out over the dark trees, flares of Enforcer power trailing across the night sky as they patrolled the area. A quick weaving of magic gave us privacy as I ran my thumb over the back of his hand.

  And told him everything.

  Quaid didn't speak, move, even seem to breathe until I finished telling him about Mia and Shenka and the plan his damaged sister brought to me. When I stumbled to a halt, my words breaking at the end, he exhaled softly before turning to me, pulling me to his chest, his warm robe draping around me as he slipped me inside, next to his hard body. I felt his heart beating against me, the heat of his skin through his t-shirt, taste the chocolatey deliciousness of his magic in the back of my throat.

  This was his sister we were talking about. His last family. The Moromonds killed his parents, under orders from his own grandmother. Mia was all he had left.

  And family, while important to me, meant everything to Quaid.

  “You have to turn her in,” he said, shocking me to the core.

  I looked up into his dark eyes, saw the pain in him, felt it through our twining magic as my demon embraced him, begged him to stay with us.

  “Quaid,” I whispered. “If I do, Mom will be forced to arrest her.”

  He nodded. “I know,” he said. Stepped back from me while my demon whimpered her loss. “But why am I doing this,” he held out his robe, shook the front of it, “why am I working so hard, giving up so much,” choke, “if I'm not willing to uphold the law?”

  “I'll keep an eye on her,” I said, words rushing over themselves as I realized I'd hoped he would feel as I did, that he would convince me to keep his sister safe.

  “No,” he said. “We have to bring this to Miriam. Now.” He reached for me, face grim, magic crawling with anger. “Tonight.”

  It was so hard to take his hand, to follow him, my reluctant feet dragging as though I were headed to my own doom, not sending an old friend to hers.

  ***

  Chapter Nineteen

  I could tell from the look on Mom's face she wasn't so happy to see me. But when she realized Quaid was with me, her tension rose to a whole new level. So high, she practically shoved her aides out of the room before slamming up a shield around us and drawing a deep breath.

  “I'm ready,” she said through gritted teeth. “Hit me.”

  Quaid did most of the talking. I was grateful, considering my traitor throat closed over, misery eating at my insides to the point I doubted I could fit two coherent words together. Sass said he and Gram instilled this sense of loyalty in me when I was a baby.

  Now I wished they'd just minded their own damned business.

  Mom sank into a chair, her anger gone as she passed a hand before her eyes while Quaid wrapped up. Far more succinctly than I could have. Her blue gaze traveled from him to me and back again while she nodded.

  “I've been watching young Mia,” Mom said. “And I suspected she might try something like this.”

  Nice of her to tell me.

  You're really surprised? My vampire sighed. Oh, Syd.

  Grunt.

  Mom swept to her feet again, hands reaching for us. “I don't want this incident to flavor the conclave,” she said. “Quaid, you are now assigned
to Sydlynn. The pair of you will keep an eye on Mia and make sure she's contained until this weekend is over.”

  “Do you think that's a good idea, Council Leader?” Quaid shook his head. “I don't mean to question you but... maybe she should be taken into custody.” He glanced at me. “Quietly.”

  What? I could do quietly.

  My alter egos all snorted in chorus.

  Jerks.

  Maybe it would have worked out after all. Perhaps containing Mia would have solved the problem.

  We didn't get the chance to find out.

  As Mom opened her mouth to respond to Quaid's suggestion, the flap to her office lifted and Andre stepped through. Accompanied by his sons.

  And Mom's nasty little secretary, Maurice.

  The turncoat little creep.

  The worst part? The same two Enforcers from earlier dragged Mia through behind them, pushing her to her knees on the hard ground.

  Mom's shields solidified, no longer just blocking sound, but trapping all of us in the room with her.

  “Council Leader,” Andre said in his icky voice. Not even a very cool French accent could make him sound good. “I've uncovered a plot against my family.” His blue eyes settled on me. “By the Hayle coven.”

  He just had to try to push his limits, didn't he? Andre Dumont was about to see what his insides looked like splattered on the pretty white walls of Mom's tent.

  “Your proof, Coven Leader?” Icicles dripped from my mother’s words.

  Andre had the sense to back off a pace, but he had no trouble pointing the finger at Mia.

  “Mia Tinder,” he sounded like speaking her name gave him pain, “plots to steal the Dumont family magic from its rightful place.” He then jabbed his little digit at me. “And use the Hayle leader to do it.”

  “I can assure you right here, right now,” I snarled, pushing back with a spike of power to his stomach, hitting him so hard he grunted, “if I wanted your ass dead, you'd be dead, Dumont.”