I set the receiver back down in its cradle, then stared at it, wondering if I should call the Palace to warn the Chief Mage, or tell him in person. There was no way I could leave Iannis in the dark about something like this. On the one hand, Rylan’s warning had been vague – he could have simply meant that if I came along and interfered in whatever the Resistance had planned that they would kill me. But now that I knew what the Resistance was capable of, the Chief Mage’s life might be in some kind of danger.
It’s probably better not to call, I thought. I didn’t know if the Resistance had a way of monitoring my phone calls, but considering their resources were growing, I couldn’t discount the possibility. No, it was better for me to go in person.
But just as I was reaching for my jacket, someone started pounding at my door.
“Sunaya!” A familiar voice shrieked, and I froze – it was my cousin Melantha, Mafiela’s oldest and most favored child. “Sunaya Baine, open this door right now!”
Annoyed and alarmed all at once, I strode over to the door and glared through the peephole. Sure enough, Melantha stood there, dressed in a dark blouse and a pair of jeans, her blonde hair perfectly curled around the diamond-shaped face that was so very much like her mother’s. And like her mother, we hated each other passionately, something that distance and time clearly hadn’t lessened, as her yellow eyes were burning with rage.
“What the fuck do you want?” I snarled as I yanked the door open.
“You bitch!” Melantha shrieked, launching herself at me with her claws outstretched. I was so surprised that I didn’t move out of the way fast enough, and she knocked me to the ground. I yowled as her claws raked across my face, leaving a burning trail of fire and blood. “You’re going to pay for this!”
“What are you talking about?” I shouted, raising my arms to block the blows. Blood streamed down my forearms as she shredded my skin with her claws, and I hissed at the pain from the deep gashes. Pissed, I bucked my hips hard and twisted my body, flipping us over and pinning her to the ground. “Pay for what?”
“My daughter is gone!” Melantha howled, tears streaming from her blazing eyes. “They’ve taken Mika, and it’s all your fault!”
“What?” I recoiled, completely dumbstruck. That couldn’t be right. The mysterious man, whoever he was, had only called yesterday. They couldn’t have followed through on their threat so soon!
“She’s been gone since this afternoon, and I know it’s your fault!” Melantha snarled, and then she kicked me in the chest, sending me flying back several feet. One of my ribs crunched, and I cried out in pain.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I growled, struggling to my feet. Normally Melantha wouldn’t have been able to wipe the floor with me like this, but her announcement about Mika had shocked the shit out of me, giving her the upper hand. “She hasn’t been gone for twenty-four hours yet and you’re already calling her missing? How do you know she didn’t just go out with some friends?”
“Because she told me she was going out to the backyard to work on her homework, and the next thing I knew she was gone!” Melantha jumped to her feet, claws extended as she bared her fangs at me. “Mother told me that you came to our house with a warning this morning. I should have known you were too selfish to do as the man asked and stop meddling in whatever mess you’ve gotten yourself into!” She rushed me again.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” I shouted, flinging an arm out. Blue-green flames ignited around my fist, and Melantha skidded to a halt, fear flashing in her yellow eyes. She hissed at the sight of the flame in my hand, but shrank back – like all shifters, she was afraid of magic, and unlike me she didn’t have mage blood running through her veins to help counteract the instinct to run away.
“You’re an abomination,” she spat at me. “Your life should have been terminated while you were still in the womb!”
“Shut the fuck up before I burn you to a crisp,” I snapped, my body trembling with rage and pain. “I’m sorry about your daughter, Melantha, and I’ll do my best to find her. But if you don’t get out of my apartment right now, I’m going to kill you.”
“May Magorah curse you and all your progeny!” she snarled, and then slammed the door behind her as she left.
I shook my head as I slumped to the ground. With the way my life was going right now, I wasn’t going to have any progeny to curse.
I shifted into beast form to heal my wounds, then tried to get some shuteye, but I was too distressed to sleep. So instead, I left my apartment, still in panther form, and trotted down to Lakin’s house in Shiftertown. I was too hungry and tired to shift back, but I needed to know what he was doing to find my cousin’s daughter.
By the time I reached Lakin’s house, my tail was dragging from exhaustion, but I managed to reach up on my hind legs and press the doorbell with my paw. I dropped back down onto all fours, then sat on his front step as I wearily waited for him to answer.
“Who is it?” he called through the door, sounding tired. “This isn’t exactly the best time.”
“It’s me,” I said, using mindspeech to communicate. “Please, Boon, let me in.”
“Naya?” There was a click, and then Lakin opened the door, shock on his lean face that quickly melted into sympathy. “Are you here about Mika?”
“Yes,” I said, and he stepped aside so I could come in. “Melantha just came by my house for a visit.”
“Shit,” Lakin muttered as he shut the door behind me. “I hope she didn’t trash your apartment. I know all about how crazy mothers can get when their young are in danger.”
“The apartment’s fine, thanks.” I hopped up onto the stuffed green couch – a new addition – and curled up, resting my chin on top of my paws.
Lakin paused at the annoyance in my words. “I didn’t mean to imply I wasn't concerned for your own well-being,” he said gently, coming to sit next to me on the couch. He stroked a hand hesitantly over my fur, reminding me of how Iannis had done the same back on the bridge. “You seem exhausted. I’m guessing you had to heal yourself?”
“Yeah,” I admitted with a little sigh. “And I already hadn’t eaten. Guess it’s going to take me awhile to recharge.”
“Let me get you some food,” Lakin said, standing up. “You need the fuel.”
My stomach twisted at the idea of eating, but I knew I wasn’t in any position to turn down food. My fridge was empty, and I wasn’t going to make it to the Palace tonight to raid their kitchens. Eating while I was already there was one thing, but I’d never live it down if Iannis discovered I was making trips to the Palace just for a meal.
Lakin came back with a huge stainless steel bowl filled with steaks, and my stomach growled at the scent of raw meat. My beast half took over, pouncing on the bowl as Lakin set it down on the ground, and I ripped into the meat with savage intensity. Lakin said nothing, simply sat on the couch and watched as I devoured the steaks, and I kept my own gaze focused on my food, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes.
“Feeling better?” he asked after I’d finished and laid myself down on the floor.
“Yes.” Not completely of course – my heart was still a roiling mass of emotion – but the weight of food in my belly helped calm me a little. I raised my eyes to Lakin’s. “Thank you. I’m sorry for intruding like this.”
“It’s not a problem,” Lakin said gently. “You’ve had a rough day.”
He didn’t know how rough. And I wasn’t going to tell him – the phone call from Rylan wasn’t really Lakin’s business, and there was nothing Lakin could do about it anyway. I was just going to have to tell Iannis when I saw him next, and as Rylan said, watch my back.
“So have you found anything?” I asked. “Any clue as to who might’ve taken Mika?”
“The only clue is that phone call you received yesterday,” Lakin said, his lips thinning. “I canvassed the neighborhood, but nobody saw who took Mika. The only lead we have right now is that fighting ring you’ve dug up.”
“Got it. You�
��re coming with us to the Shifter Royale tomorrow, right?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss out on the chance to investigate such an important lead.”
I got to my feet, then turned my mind inward and reached for the human half of me so I could shift back. I had enough food in my belly, but mentally I was so exhausted that by the time I finished I collapsed onto the couch next to Lakin.
“Do you need a place to crash?” Lakin asked, studying me with concern. “Sometimes it can be tough to be alone in situations like this.”
“Thanks, but it’s not necessary.” I shook my head, smiling a little. “I’ve been alone long enough that I’ve figured out how to deal.”
“Just because you’ve figured out how to be alone doesn’t mean you have to be,” Lakin said softly. He cupped my cheek with his hand, and my heart started beating faster at the tender look in his eyes.
“Lakin –”
“My name is Boon,” he murmured, and then he closed the distance between us. I drew a sharp breath in through my nostrils as he kissed me, softly, slowly, his lips a gentle caress against mine. Warmth stole through me, softening me up, and I closed my eyes, leaning into him. Cupping my face with both hands, he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue in my mouth. He tasted dark and smoky, like a hot fire on a cold night, and he warmed me from the inside out.
“I can smell your need,” he murmured against my mouth, hot gaze boring deeply into mine. “I know you’re going to need a male soon.”
“Yes.” I licked my lips, tasting the desire on my own tongue. It slowly built with each passing day as my heat approached, and though I still had a few weeks until that day came, that didn’t necessarily mean my body wanted to be celibate in the meantime. But as I stared into Lakin’s reddish-yellow eyes, a pair of iridescent violet irises flashed in my mind’s eye, and heat for a different individual rushed through me.
“Boon,” I said as Lakin leaned into me. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this.” I was being stupid, I knew – Lakin was an obvious choice, both as a lover and a potential mate, and I already knew I could never have Iannis. But I was conflicted all the same, and I wasn’t going to get involved with someone I worked with while my heart was still tangled up.
“Alright.” Lakin drew back, disappointment in his gaze, but he gave me a small smile all the same. “I won’t push you. Just know that I’m here.”
“I do know.” I squeezed his hand, then stood up. “I'd better get back home.”
“Are you sure?” Lakin asked, rising to his feet as well. “I’ve got a couch now, you know.” He gave me a crooked grin, and I knew he was also telling me without words that his bed was available too.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” I gave him a grin of my own. “But my bed gets lonely when I’m not in it. You’ll be at the Enforcer’s Guild at six o’clock tomorrow afternoon?”
“That’s the plan.” His gaze darkened. “It’s going to be tough to just stand there at the Royale and observe.”
“Tell me about it.” I bit my lip as I left, turning the idea over in my mind. Reconnaissance was not my strong suit, not when innocent people were being hurt, but if I was going to get to the mastermind behind this I was going to have to hold back. I just hoped I could keep my mouth shut long enough to get through the Royale, or we were all going to be in deep trouble.
11
By the time I made it back to my apartment, exhaustion had caught up with me, and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Dreams came to me that night, or rather faces – my mother, sad but smiling, Roanas, stern but encouraging, and Melantha, furious and despondent all at once. There were other faces too – their features in shadow but for their colorful shifter eyes, luminous with pain and desperation. I knew instinctively that these were the faces of the missing, and that all of them were trying to tell me the same thing – I needed to find out where they were and bring them home.
When I woke up, the grief and fury in my heart was gone, replaced with a single-minded determination. I was going to find out who did this, and when I did I would bring them in, dead or alive. True, my relationship with the Jaguar Clan was strained, but they were still my mother’s people, and they didn’t deserve this. No one did.
I was just coming out of the shower, a towel wrapped around my body, when my phone rang once again. Resigned to the fact that my apartment was no longer a place of solitude, I walked into the kitchen and answered it, fully expecting another threatening phone call.
“What is it now?”
“Good morning, Miss Baine.” I blinked at the sound of Dira’s cool voice – the same secretary who’d called when I was at Comenius’s shop. “I’m calling on behalf of the Chief Mage. He requests your presence in his study at nine o’clock this morning.”
“What?” A quick glance at the clock on my wall had me scowling – it was already eight-thirty! “But I had the morning off!”
“I’m afraid I’m just the messenger, Miss Baine,” Dira said lightly, not at all bothered by the fact that she was throwing off my plans for the morning. “I suggest you leave soon if you want to make it on time.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, hanging up the phone. Oh well, I thought as I rushed back into my bedroom to pull on some clothing. I needed to warn Iannis about the threat from the Resistance sooner rather than later anyway. I might as well fit that in around whatever else he wanted to see me about this morning.
The weather was hotter than usual today, so I chose a bright red clingy tank top to wear with my leather pants and jacket. Even the breeze rushing past me as I rode my steambike up to the Mage’s Quarter wasn’t enough to cool me, and by the time I arrived at Solantha Palace I was hot enough that I slipped off my jacket and carried it over one shoulder. The usual stares followed me as I strode through the halls toward the Chief Mage’s study, but I noticed they lingered less than usual. Maybe the Palace residents were actually getting used to my presence.
As I approached the door, the sound of several voices talking made me pause. Was I not the only one being summoned today? Maybe Dira had been wrong about the time, and Iannis wasn’t actually ready to see me yet.
“Hello?” I called, knocking on the door. “It’s Sunaya.”
The voices on the other side quieted. “Come in, Miss Baine,” the Chief Mage called back.
I opened the door, then froze as I took in the number of people in the room. No, it was clear that I wasn’t the only one who’d been summoned. Fenris stood at Iannis’s side, as usual, and Director Chen was there too… but to my surprise Inspector Lakin was also there, and next to him a gangly teenager with pale brown hair dressed in a set of red mage’s robes.
“Morning, Naya,” Inspector Lakin said with a grin.
“Morning,” I said, my eyebrows raised. “Didn’t realize I was being invited to a party.”
“I believe the term ‘meeting’ would be more accurate,” the Chief Mage said mildly, drawing the attention of the room back toward him. “We all know each other, correct?”
“I think so,” I said slowly, turning toward the young mage. “You’re Elnos Ragga, right? Noria’s boyfriend?”
“At your service.” He gave me a crooked grin as he bowed, and I grinned a little as his gangly body tried to execute the motion. He was a strange combination of charming and awkward, and I could already see why Noria liked him.
“Same to you.” I bowed back, then turned back toward the Chief Mage. “So what’s this all about?”
“These three are here to make a report, and I wanted you to be here for it,” Iannis said, gesturing toward Director Chen, Elnos and Lakin. “I’d prefer you come stand on this side of the desk, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Oh. Right.” Slightly flustered, I moved around the desk to come stand next to Iannis, on the opposite side of where Fenris stood. Fenris gave me a quick wink as I did, relaxing me a little – it made sense that I would stand next to the Chief Mage as his apprentice, but I was far more used to being on the other side of the desk.
&
nbsp; “Very well,” the Chief Mage said, settling his violet gaze on Director Chen. “Deliver your report.”
“Yes, sir.” Director Chen’s silk robes rustled lightly around her as she stepped forward – she’d chosen to wear robin’s egg blue today, with silver leaves embroidered across the fabric with fine thread. “As some of you may you already know, Inspector Lakin came to the Mages Guild two weeks ago with evidence that shifter-specific drugs are still being sold on the market.”
“He did?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
Annoyance at the interruption briefly disturbed Director Chen’s placid expression, but she nodded. “Yes. He confiscated a bag of incidium from a wolf shifter. Apparently the shifter bought the supply from a human downtown, and was planning on reselling it to friends and family.” Her lip curled ever so slightly.
“By Magorah,” I muttered, disgust curling in my own gut. It was bad enough that humans were peddling the stuff around, but for shifters to be selling it to their own kind now? Incidium was a fine white powder that created an intense euphoria when ingested, and like all other drugs, shifters were normally impervious to it. But thanks to Elnos, we found out that the drugs were being mixed with silver, which was being masked by kalois, the same plant used in the silver poisonings. Since shifters are highly allergic to silver, the substance counteracts our high metabolisms, allowing the drugs to take effect. Once we’d discovered this, the Enforcer’s Guild had started taking a hard stance against drug dealers, and we’d managed to get most of it off the market… or so we’d thought.
“Unless we eradicate the source of these drugs they will continue to be a problem,” Elnos, who seemed to be reading my mind, commented. “And according to Inspector Lakin, there have been more episodes of psychotic breaks in Shiftertown.”
Bound by Magic: a New Adult Fantasy Novel (The Baine Chronicles Book 2) Page 10
