Misery Happens

by Tracey Martin

  Raj noticed my furrowed brow and glanced in Lucen’s direction. “Anything that can be made can be unmade. Don’t fret. But until I have you safely tucked away, our connection is too useful to remove. What if you ran again? How could I draw you to me?”

  He gestured behind me, and two ugly furies approached Lucen. One of them held a salamander fire-forged knife with a wicked, curved blade. Lucen saw it too. He inched away from the gate, but the second fury was unlocking it. He was trapped.

  Fear froze my mind, but not for long. The ice in my veins warmed to anger, and that awoke my courage. Fed by the rage Raj induced, my resolve strengthened with every breath. As for my own magic, whether my power was fueled by the bond with Raj or whether it was simply adrenaline, I had no clue. But my senses felt like they were expanding. My entire being, body and soul, swelled. I yanked on the bond and sucked in every fiery drop of power I could pull from Raj. Although my head began to throb, the energy didn’t bowl me over. I absorbed it, my skin tingling from head to toes to fingers.

  The effect reminded me of stretching a muscle. The deeper you forced yourself to stretch, over time the deeper you could stretch with ease. And the last time I’d done this, Raj had blown me apart. Over the ensuing days, my magical muscle had contracted, but apparently it had been ready and waiting to be stretched again under the right conditions.

  There were no conditions more right than this. Losing my Dragon’sWing was a shame but not a tragedy. Losing Olef was a tragedy, but it couldn’t be undone. Losing Lucen? That was a giant fucking hell, no that could be prevented. In order to protect him, I would let forth a torrent of blind rage so strong it would make the rest of these so-called creatures of anger jealous.

  On that thought, I pulled harder on the bond. Nerves shrieked, and my head pounded with a warning to stop, but the smirk on Raj’s face slipped ever so slightly. It was working, and that was all the encouragement I needed.

  I strained with the effort of hoarding more power, and a red veil settled over my vision. At the same time, my eyesight sharpened. The magic powered every sense. I could hear the footsteps high above on the third floor. I could smell mildew lurking in the rubble, the dragon droppings decaying in the corners, and the hint of heated metal in the lamps that lined the room. And I was ready to taste blood.

  Raj staggered back. His smirk vanished entirely, and his eyes filled with an emotion I’d never seen before on a fury. Fear was too strong a word for it, but it was definitely concern. I had to act quickly. If he could break the bond, he might decide it was worth it after all.

  “Get. Away. From him.” Even my voice sounded deeper.

  Raj cocked his head to the side, examining me. “That’s enough, Jessica.”

  I jerked forward, feet sliding on the dust. Raj was reclaiming his power, reversing the pull of the bond. I could feel the energy draining from me. My world was becoming duller again, my vision clearing.

  His minions had paused to gape at us, but now that the universe seemed in order once more, they returned to unlocking the gate. Lucen had crept farther into the room, and at his side, his fingers had curled into a loose fist. He met my eye and winked, moving one finger minutely to show me the curse grenade he held.

  Thank dragons. I should have known he had something, and that reminded me of the ones I’d stuffed in my pockets and the knife at my hip. The furies hadn’t bothered to disarm me yet, probably because I was supposed to have been reeling from the disorientation curse. It was a mistake I intended to make them pay for. Just as Raj’s unwillingness to break our bond was too.

  I grasped at the connection, but Raj was ready. Instead of an influx of power, all I managed to ensnare were dregs. Raj held tight. I attempted it again and stumbled, and Raj crossed his arms smugly. Shit. Even if I could take the power from him, he was still far stronger than most preds.

  The iron gate swung open with a great creak, and the fury with the knife barged in. Lucen raised his hand, and in the second before the grenade exploded, I darted out of the way. The area filled with the green smoke of anti-magic. There was no way Lucen hadn’t been hit himself given the tight quarters.

  I could tell Raj hadn’t been expecting it because the bond jerked as surprise caused him to loosen his grasp. I didn’t bother to pull on it though. Not yet. In the split second I had before Raj recovered, I retrieved the large grenade Gi had given me, spun around and hurled it at the two additional furies in the room.

  I had no idea what was in the curse, but it blasted open the front wall, leaving a fabulous seven-pointed curse scar behind on the bits that remained. The two furies were thrown back and piled in a heap by the teller counter.

  Raj’s eyes opened wide as he took in the carnage, and I seized my opening. Grabbing my knife, I charged. But Raj must have been able to read me via the bond better than I could read him. He was still a pred, after all. My negative emotions couldn’t be hidden from him, and anger was the force driving me.

  He snatched my upraised arm with a painfully strong grip and wrestled me toward the floor. With my arm twisted behind my back, I had no choice but to release the knife. It clattered to the hardwood beams, taking my hopes with it.

  At least two hundred pounds of solid, fury muscle pressed down on me as I screamed in frustration. Every attempt I made to break Raj’s hold was easily countered. He was far bigger and stronger, and while those things could normally be overcome by training, he was in my damn head, anticipating my moves.

  He pressed my arms into my torso, wrapping one of his own arms around me. With the other, he picked up Misery. Then he hauled me to my feet. “I did tell you I’d enjoy this far more if you struggled, didn’t I? And you struggle so well. It makes it so much more fun than a normal human would.” His face pressed against the side of my head, and he inhaled audibly.

  I started to swear at him then I remembered that amused him more. He likes the struggle. Don’t struggle, you idiot. It only makes him stronger, and it turns him on. I shuddered mentally at the memory.

  It only took Raj one arm to drag me toward the blown-open section of wall. “Thanks for this, soul swapper. It’s a lot easier than climbing out the rock pile in the back.”

  Fuck you, I thought and sucked in a long draw on the bond. Power radiated throughout me. Raj didn’t respond, but I didn’t get the sense it was because he hadn’t noticed. He was lifting me over the bodies of his fallen minions, and his grip around me slackened.

  To get us both out of here, he’d have to carry me over the loose debris and through the wall. It would require concentration, and it was not a time he could engage in a literal power struggle with me.

  So I tugged on the bond again as Raj put the first foot on the rubble pile. The chunks of plaster were strewn precariously, and the pile shifted beneath us. Raj tensed, collecting his balance, and he had to adjust his grip. I gained a little more wiggle room.

  Up another step, and another. Raj was clearly aware of the battle of the bond, but he wasn’t taking it seriously. I was sure it was partially because he had to pay attention to his footing, but mostly because he didn’t take me seriously as a threat. That had been all too evident since our meeting in France.

  It was his mistake. I didn’t need to be as powerful as he was to be a threat. From the corner of my eye, I could see Misery’s hilt. Raj had taken my sheath when he’d pinned me to the floor, and he held the whole contraption in a loose grip in his left hand.

  Don’t think about Olef, I told myself as dust dribbled onto my head. Don’t think about the prison being open. Don’t worry about the Vessels. Just focus on Lucen and Steph and Devon. Concentrate on the things that make you happy. The reasons you’re fighting, those that aren’t about revenge.

  It was hard, so hard, while touching Raj to ignore the fear and rage he induced. His shirt was mildly sweaty, and I swore I could smell the effect of his pheromones when I breathed. But rather than picture the bond in my mind
when I pulled on it, I pictured Lucen, and I didn’t pull with a heart full of vengeance but of love.

  Raj couldn’t anticipate those emotions because they didn’t register with him. When I snatched at the bond, he wasn’t ready. The pure, uncontested hit of power burst through me like a shock wave. I gasped with pain, magical nerves ablaze, and Raj faltered.

  This was it. Fueled by all the magic, my hand shot out faster than should have been possible. The speed charms drawn on me be damned—I didn’t need them in this instant. My fingers closed around Misery’s hilt, and I cried out just to release some of the power.

  Raj dropped me, but he was an instant too slow. As I collapsed to the heap, I drew my blade down Raj’s torso. Now was he was the one yelling.

  It was odd. I’d carried the knife around with me for months, but I’d never used it. The ease with which the blade sliced through Raj’s shirt and carved a red line down his stomach shocked me—it had to be part of the magic of the salamander fire. I stared up in relief and horror as Raj clutched his upper body, his eyes wide with shock. Blood poured from between his fingers.

  I felt ill all over again, and the knife slipped from my grip as Raj stumbled out of my line of sight. My lips were dry, and I was still lying motionless when I heard a crash. Then the extra burst of power running through my blood, the anger and fear Raj’s presence riled up, was gone. Poofed out of existence.

  I clasped a hand over my mouth, emotions numb. It could only mean that Raj was dead at last.

  Chapter Seven

  I kicked a partially melted stapler across the floor in frustration. Using the magic-detecting charm Lucen had brought, I’d been over every reachable inch of this husk of a building. The only thing I’d found besides more dragon droppings was Raj’s decoy. It appeared to be some sort of curse grenade that was giving off shit-tons of magic, but it definitely wasn’t the Vessel. I was going to have to call the Gryphons’ equivalent of the bomb squad to dispose of it safely.

  As for Lucen, once I’d freed him from the vault, he’d returned to the upper floors to assist in the fighting, but there hadn’t been much left. The remaining furies had either fled or were injured or dead. Alas, they weren’t the only ones. Gi was mostly unscathed, but a couple other satyrs were badly hurt. Lucen had gotten Azria on the phone, and she was on her way to help with the healing.

  Miraculously, my phone hadn’t been damaged, and I got it out, debating whether to first call Tom about the Vessel problem or the emergency line about the curse grenade. Lucen stepped through the busted front wall before I decided, and I lowered my phone. “How’s it going up there?”

  He pushed his sweaty hair out of his face and sighed. “I think everyone will survive. How are you doing?”

  “Me?” I waved my arms in circles. “All healed up from earlier. Fine.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  I turned my back to him, careful to avoid glancing at where Raj lay in a bloody heap. There was so much blood that if I concentrated, I swore I could detect its coppery tang in the air.

  “Little siren?”

  My phone burst to life, and “Highway to Hell” seemed more appropriate than ever. I held up a finger in Lucen’s direction as I answered. Tom had made my decision for me.

  “We have it.”

  I tripped over a loose floorboard in surprise. “You’re talking about what I think you’re talking about?”

  “Yes. I’ll fill you in when you get here, but it’s safe for the moment.” Tom paused, and I could hear voices in the background. “We have to deal with that other issue now. You’ve claimed you’re more accurate than a lie detector. If that’s true, it might be helpful.”

  Tom had to be referring to the leak. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Oh, and Raj is dead.”

  A brief pause on the other end suggested I’d caught Tom by surprise with the information. “Good. This evening’s been salvageable after all.” He hung up.

  Good. The word summed up exactly what I was feeling. I should have been ecstatic that we had the final Vessel, but I couldn’t summon the emotion. All I could do was good. It had to be exhaustion. The only thing I felt with any intensity was tired.

  “What was that about?” Lucen asked as I tucked my phone away.

  “The Gryphons have the Vessel.” I forced a smile because damn it—it was the least I could do when I should have been dancing with joy.

  Lucen’s eyes widened then his whole body sagged with relief. “Best news I’ve heard in a while.”

  “Yeah. Are you okay dealing with the mess here? Tom needs me at headquarters to deal with something else.”

  Shadows darkened his face as he scanned the room. “I can handle this, but does he need you this instant?”

  Headlights appeared down the street behind Lucen, and a car parked along the rubble. Azria and Raf—another satyr who acted as a medic for the domus—got out.

  “It’s the leak thing, so yes.” I waved to Azria. “The Vessel isn’t safe yet.”

  Lucen scowled. “Neither are you. Be careful.”

  “I will.” I stretched to kiss his cheek, and he brought me into a deeper embrace. Wrapping my arms around him, I tried to relax and failed. Much as I wished I could sink into him and claim the comfort he was offering, my mind raced. I needed to keep moving in spite of my exhaustion.

  Lucen must have been able to tell what I was thinking. “Go, but we need to talk later.”

  I wondered about what, but didn’t hang around to ask. My blood compelled me forward as though I would lose momentum if I paused, and I couldn’t afford that. The night’s checklist was two-thirds completed. Raj was dead. The Vessel was obtained. All I had left to do was find the leak.

  Well, that and then figure out how to use the Vessels to close the Pit, but that was on the checklist for tomorrow. As intent on accomplishing tasks as I was, even I realized there was only so much that could be done before I collapsed.

  * * * * *

  When I’d left Gryphon headquarters two hours ago, it was mostly dead. When I returned, it was bustling. Many of the Gryphons who’d been sent out to search for the Vessel or assist with the blockades were returning. Somehow, amidst the chaos, Tom found me immediately.

  “Where is it? Is it safe?” I accosted him with questions before he could get a word in. “Have you started the investigation yet?”

  Tom yawned and motioned for me to follow him into his office. “It’s locked up and under heavy protection. And no, I was waiting for the Brotherhood’s members to all return before I started asking questions. I don’t want to give away our hand yet.”

  “Give away what hand?” I moved aside a couple books and sat on Tom’s desk. It took less effort than clearing a chair.

  Tom ripped open an unmarked manila envelope that was sitting by his computer. “There are ways to get around lie detectors. But if no one knows we’re going to question them, then no one has a chance to try to counteract this.” From the package, he took out a vial filled with blue liquid.

  “Is that some kind of lie-detecting charm?” Polygraphs were useless on preds and magi, so the Gryphons had developed magical means of encouraging truth telling.

  “Basically.” Tom handed it to me to inspect. “It’s no more foolproof than a standard polygraph, but it helps. I had someone in the Boston lab make it while we were searching for the Vessel. Then I remembered your claim. Between this and you, I figure catching the leak should be simple.”

  “You should know better than to believe anything around here is ever simple.”

  Tom’s smile was grim but not without humor. “It’s all relative. Compared to closing the Pit, this had better be.”

  “Stop it. Your optimism is giving me a rash.”

  “Is it feeding off others’ misery that makes you so negative?” Tom took the vial from me and stuck it in a pocket. “We just scored an important victo
ry. Step one in closing the Pit. It’s not time to throw a party, but perhaps we can afford a bit of optimism.”

  I crossed my arms and slid off the desk. “Last I knew, you were accusing me of not taking the situation seriously enough. Also, last I knew, the Pit is still open and we don’t know how to close it or if we have all the pieces. I don’t see what there is to be cheery about if I’m being serious.”

  “That’s true, but one thing I’ve learned since joining the Gryphons is that it’s important to celebrate the little victories, otherwise you become overwhelmed.” Tom pressed a couple buttons on his phone, and mine vibrated with the arrival of his text. “Let’s go accomplish another one.”

  He headed past me, and I followed him out of the office. I could taste the anger simmering under his calm, optimistic surface. Tom was furious that his precious fraternity could have a leak, and I understood that. He felt betrayed by someone in it, much like I felt betrayed by everyone in it. I hoped victory in this would be more satisfying for him than killing Raj had been for me.

  I shivered, uncomfortably aware of what I’d just thought. Not liking the implications, I pushed the memory of Raj from my head and focused on the task ahead.

  “So how are we going to—?” An icy lime fear shot through me. The jolt of energy that came with it was such an intense emotion that it made the sensation a bit like sucking on a frozen margarita. But frozen margaritas sounded good. This, I could tell from experience, was not.

  I grasped the conference room door, attempting to locate the general direction of the emotion’s source. Le Confrérie de l’Aile members were decked out in charms that dampened their emotions, making it harder for preds to prey on them. But from dealing with Tom, I knew the charms were only so successful with strong feelings. “We don’t need this meeting. I’ve found your leak.”

  Tom had seen me in action enough that he didn’t question how I knew. Well, not much. “You can’t be positive what you’re sensing is from a fraternity member, can you?”