The Alchemy of Desire

by Crista McHugh

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “If it was healed, we could be back on the trail of the White Buffalo.”

  Perhaps it was a good thing they weren’t hunting the White Buffalo. “You’re a Wielder—heal yourself.”

  He leaned on the table and gripped the gun-shaped wand. “You know it doesn’t work like that.”

  “Then why are you griping to me?”

  “Because you’re a Wielder too.”

  She banged the skillet against the stovetop. “Cager, I tried it already and I failed. I’ve never been good at healing.”

  “How many times have you tried to heal someone?”

  “Counting you?”

  He nodded.

  “Three times.”

  He laughed and twirled his gun around his finger. “You’re still a pup.”

  She cringed at the word pup and wondered if he knew about her ability to shift. She wouldn’t be surprised if he did. Cager seemed much worldlier than his brother. “I hope that thing isn’t loaded.”

  “It’s a wand, Oni, not a real gun.” But he placed it on the table and watched her mix batter for cornbread. “I’d be willing to let you have another crack at it if it meant I could get out of this sling faster.”

  She poured the batter into the cast-iron skillet and shoved it in the oven. “You think I can do it?”

  “Maybe, if I walk you through it.” He kicked back the chair next to him and waited for her to sit. “What kind of training have you received in magic?”

  “Very little,” she admitted. “The Lakota use a different type of magic. I was taught a few basics that they considered useful, but that was it. The rest I learned from watching others after I left the tribe.”

  “May I take a look at your wand?” He held out his hand and she gave him her dagger. He held it up to the sunlight. “This looks to be nearly a century old.”

  “Older. It was originally designed for my great-great-grandfather back in the Old World. I inherited it when my father died.”

  He returned the dagger to her. “He was a Wielder too?”

  “So I’m told. I don’t remember him.”

  Cager rubbed his chin. Even though the sun had been out for hours, he looked like he was still trying to wake up. “Well, I’m not much of a teacher, but let’s get this lesson underway so I can move my arm without pain. Maybe I can actually get a good night’s sleep for once.”

  He started to unbutton his shirt. “The trick to healing is that you have to picture each layer of the wound closing in your mind. I think what happened with my shoulder is that you just wanted to stop the bleeding, which you did. You just never got to the next step.”

  “Part of it was Diah’s fault.”

  “Yeah, I already lectured him about that.”

  “So I just have to imagine the skin closing, and your wound will heal?”

  “Don’t forget the bones and muscles.”

  She stared at her wand and then at the bandages around his shoulder. “You really want me to try again?”

  “I don’t have many other options.”

  She stood and moved closer to him. “Promise you won’t scream like a little girl this time?”

  “I can’t make any guarantees there. Force-healing is almost more painful than the injury, but it’s over quickly.”

  “I suppose I’ll give it another shot if it means you’ll quit whining so much.”

  “That’s a good girl.”

  She removed the bandages. The wound was an ugly, red, puckered eyesore. The skin around it felt warm and swollen under her fingers. When she pressed on it, pus oozed between the stitches. “It’s infected.”

  He nodded and she realized his eyes were glazed from fever, not sleepiness. “Now you know why I want you to heal it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

  “It didn’t really get this bad until this morning.”

  Oni sighed and pressed the blade of her dagger against the wound.

  “Start with the bone and work your way up to the skin. And take your time—it’s going to be a bit more difficult with the infection.”

  “Now you tell me.”

  Cager grabbed her wrist. His eyes pleaded with her. “I’m trusting you to do this, Oni.”

  “Never thought you’d be at the mercy of a half-breed, huh?”

  He gave a sharp, short laugh and released her. His hands gripped the table until his knuckles turned white. “Get it over with, will you?”

  Oni took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She imagined the shattered bone and called on the magic inside her. She pictured it flowing from her to his wound. The bone fragments glued back together and Cager hissed. She focused on the layers of white pus smeared between the muscle fibers. The magic wiped them away and began to darn the muscle together like repairing a hole in a sock. With each inch of healing, she moved closer and closer to the surface, pushing the infection out. By the time she got to the skin, the scream he’d been holding back finally broke free. But she was done.

  Exhaustion hit her like tidal wave and she fell forward.

  Cager caught her in his arms. His eyes danced in merriment, no longer dull with pain and fever. “I knew you could do it,” he said just before he kissed her mouth.

  Her skin crawled from his touch. She pressed her palms into his chest to push him away, but the healing had left her too weak to put up much of a fight.

  “Now it’s my turn to be interrupting something,” Diah said behind them.

  Terror locked her bones when she heard the cold voice. Diah stood in the doorway wearing an expression so dark, it chilled her very soul.

  “It’s not what it looks like.” Cager shoved her from his lap. She fell to the floor with a thud.

  Diah clenched his fists and took a step forward. His cheeks turned from florid to splotchy as he stared at his brother and Oni. “Funny, I think it’s exactly what it looks like.” Then, without another word, he spun on his heels and left.

  A sharp pain stabbed her chest. She needed to explain to him that she wanted nothing to do with his brother, that the kiss was against her will.

  She started after him, but Cager grabbed her by the waist. “Let him cool down first, Oni. You don’t know what he’s like when he’s angry.” A crash came from the barn as if to prove his point.

  Please don’t let me have to heal any more broken bones today. She tried to break free, but Cager held on.

  “You don’t know what I’m like when I’m angry.” She pointed her wand at him.

  He lifted his palms in the air and backed away. “I was only trying to thank you for healing me.”

  “Perhaps I should give you a fresh wound to replace the one I just healed.”

  “That won’t be necessary. My mistake.”

  She wanted him to hurt as much as she was hurting right now. She lowered the dagger and slapped his face as hard as she could with her other hand.

  Cager’s wide-eyed shock made it look like this was the first time a woman had ever struck him before, although she was sure it wasn’t. His fingers brushed the handprint forming on his cheek. Then his features twisted into a scowl. “Why, you little—”

  She lifted the dagger again. Stars above, she was eager to fight with him. She had borne enough of his insults.

  He relaxed and laughed as he backed away. “You must really like him to get this riled up.”

  “Or I must really hate you.”

  “Point made.” Another bang came from the barn. “I suppose I should go apologize to Diah and explain to him what really happened.”

  “That would be a good idea.”

  “Good afternoon, my lady.” He bowed to her. A mocking gesture, if ever she saw one. “And thank you for healing my shoulder. I feel like a new man.”

  As he walked away, she resisted the urge to plant the dagger in his back.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Diah marched into the barn with his arms glued to his sides. He couldn’t believe what he’d just seen
. He’d gone to the house because he heard Cager scream. And what did he find? Oni, in the arms of his brother, kissing him.

  Damn whore!

  His fist splintered the wooden stall. His knuckles burned and he wiggled his fingers to make sure he hadn’t broken anything. But his anger still raged.

  Cager wasn’t much better, either. It didn’t matter that he could have any woman he wanted. Why did he have to go after the woman Diah wanted? The woman he swore he was falling in love with until he saw this. It was Becky Morris all over again. He kicked the lantern on the floor. It hit the other stall and rolled away with a fresh dent in the metal frame.

  “Are you going to destroy everything in my barn, son?”

  Diah whirled around to see Jim standing behind him. Shame overwhelmed his fury. His eyes burned and he sank onto a bale of hay. “Sorry, Jim. It’s just…”

  The sound of a slap came from the dugout, and the older man chuckled. “Sounds like Oni’s lost her temper too. What did your brother do this time?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  Cager appeared in the doorway. “Diah, hear me out before you do anything.”

  The rage surged through him again. Diah jumped to his feet and smashed his fist against Cager’s face, sending his brother sprawling in the dusty ground. He lunged, eager to land another punch and beat him to a bloody pulp, but Jim restrained him.

  “Calm down, Big Red.”

  Cager spat blood and rubbed his jaw. “Don’t call him that, Jim. It’ll only piss him off even more.”

  “Fair enough.” He released Diah’s arms. “Now, what in tarnation is going on between you two boys?”

  “I caught him and Oni together.”

  “Together? As in the same room? Or together in the Biblical sense?”

  “Close enough.”

  “It wasn’t like that at all.” Cager climbed up on knees. A hand-shaped welt on his right cheek complemented the one forming on his left jaw. “Oni healed my shoulder and I was just thanking her.”

  Diah’s ire rose again, pounding through his veins like a blacksmith’s hammer. He took a step toward his brother and felt a slight twinge of satisfaction when Cager cringed.

  “Diah, I told you to calm down and I meant it.” Jim’s glare was more intimidating than his father’s ever had been, making him lower his fist. “Let me take a look at her handiwork.”

  For the first time, he noticed Cager was no longer wearing the sling.

  Jim pulled back the shirt and revealed a neat white scar. “Not bad at all.”

  “Yeah, she did a good job. She was also quick to let me know she didn’t like the way I showed my appreciation.”

  “See, boys, it was a simple misunderstanding. You’re both too big for me to make you kiss and make up, but I don’t want to hear any more about this. Is that understood?” Jim waited until both of them nodded before he left the barn. “I’ll go check on Oni.”

  Diah wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. “Why did you do it?”

  “Are you going to deck me if I tell you the truth?”

  “Depends on what the answer is.”

  “At least you warned me.” Cager skirted him and sat on the bale of hay. “Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to have a woman throw herself at you and not me?”

  An odd feeling prickled down Diah’s spine. “Oni isn’t throwing herself at me.”

  “No, I guess that’s exaggerating things. But she’s a hell of a lot more interested in you than me. I’m not used to that.”

  “So you decided to try and change her mind?”

  Cager wrinkled his forehead and rested his nose on his interwoven hands. “Yes and no.”

  “What kind of crap answer is that?”

  “I felt so good after she healed my shoulder, like I was back to my old self, that I just assumed she was like most women and would swoon when I kissed her.” He rubbed his cheek. “Obviously, I was wrong.”

  “I’m glad she slapped you.”

  “Yeah, she’s got an arm on her. I wouldn’t want to piss her off if I were you, Diah.” He tried to grin and winced. “I suppose I was also jealous. I see what’s going on between you two and I wanted to know for myself what her lips tasted like. Maybe then I could understand why you’re so head over heels for her.”

  Diah leaned against the earthen wall of the barn. He was scared to admit that he cared for her, especially if he was going to catch her in the arms another man. “What do you mean, head over heels?”

  “If you need me to explain it to you, then you’re even dumber than I thought.” He stood and brushed the dirt off his pants. “Just one question—if I hadn’t interrupted you last night, would you have fucked her?”

  He remembered how much he’d wanted her as she sat there naked in the tub in front of him, and his skin grew warm. “Don’t talk about her that way.”

  Cager laughed. “There’s you answer.”

  Oni waited until she heard all three men in the barn before she slipped out, but she thought she saw Jim give her a slight nod from the doorway. On the other side of the buildings, she shifted and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

  She paused by a creek to catch her breath. She wasn’t sure if it was the running or just being a coyote that helped clear her mind. Her reflection stared back her and she tried to push away that nagging voice in her head. Maybe you’re just running away from your problems instead of facing them.

  The reflection disappeared as she dipped her muzzle into the water and drank. Hopefully, that would get the taste of Cager’s tongue out of her mouth. What possessed him to kiss her? As far as she knew, she hadn’t given him any indication she was interested in him.

  The grass rustled on the other side of the river and she crouched to hide in the brush. A white-tipped tail similar to hers appeared. Several yips were followed by the flutter of feathers. A vulture flew into the tree above as the other members of the pack joined the coyote. The bird glared down at them and hissed.

  Oni watched the pack claim the vulture’s meal and begin tugging meat from the dead animal. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she had missed lunch. She hopped across the stones to see what they feasted on.

  A pair of blank brown eyes stared at her from a bruised face.

  A wave of nausea hit her and she took a step back. She shouldn’t feel such human emotions in this form, but when she saw the Lakota girl from last night, her heart ached.

  She growled and worked her way to the front of the pack. A large bloodstain covered the front of her dress. She couldn’t tell if the girl had been shot or stabbed, but it didn’t matter. She was dead now. And Oni knew who was responsible.

  A howl exploded from her throat. She was sure that if she were in human form, she would have cried. The girl didn’t deserve that kind of death, and she certainly didn’t deserve to be devoured by a vulture or a pack of coyotes.

  She snapped at the other members of the pack whenever they tried to bite into the dead girl, but she knew she couldn’t stay here all night and protect the body. With a sigh, she shifted back into a human and dug a shallow grave. After she placed the Lakota girl in it, she covered the body with stones.

  The sun was setting by the time she finished and she offered a quick prayer to the Wakan Tanka to care for the girl. Then she shifted back to a coyote and ran back to the dugout. She needed to warn Diah and Cager that Hinkle and his gang were in the area.

  Diah stood in the doorway of Jim’s home as the orange sun slipped below the horizon. Still no sign of her.

  Jim stomped his feet behind him. “Close the door, son. You’re letting all the cold air in.”

  “Oni should be back by now.”

  “Haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘a watched pot never boils’? She’ll show up when she wants to. Now shut the door and get your ass in a chair so we can eat.”

  Diah took the bowl of rabbit stew and pulled his chair up to the table. Something wasn’t right here. Jim knew more about where she was than he was will
ing to tell. His mind conjured up images of her reporting their location to Hinkle, but he quickly dismissed them. She wanted to avoid him as much as they did.

  The latch rattled and Oni burst into the room. “Smells good, Jim.”

  “Too bad there’s none left for you,” he replied with a grin.

  She gave him a mock scowl and a nudge on the chin. “I help you catch those rabbits and this is the thanks I get?”

  “You hands are cold, Little Trickster. Why don’t you dish up what’s left in the pot and put some hot food in your belly?”

  Diah frowned. He had been staring at the plains for almost an hour. If she had been this close by, he should have seen her.

  She met his gaze as she sat at the table and then looked away.

  “Where have you been, Oni?” he asked.

  “Scouting the area. Hinkle’s been near here.”

  Cager stiffened in his chair. “How close?”

  She finished chewing before she responded. “Came within a mile or two of here. He’s looking for us.”

  Diah’s frown deepened. It was a bit harder this time to push his suspicions away. “How do you know that?”

  “You know that case I brought back with me? I stole it from him.”

  “And when did that happen?”

  Oni looked at Jim before she answered. Dear God, were they both conspiring against them? “Four days ago. I saw some kind of airship flying out there, and when I got closer, I saw Hinkle meet up with some fat Irishman.”

  “Shamus O’Kerry?” Cager said.

  “Yes, that’s what Hinkle called him. They’re working together to catch you and get the White Buffalo pelt. They even found a Lakota guide, thinking she’d be able to lead them there.”

  “Shit, I knew Lamont was an underhanded son of a bitch, but I never thought Shamus would be looking for it too.” Cager ran his hand through his hair. “Sounds like there’s trouble brewing between Lamont and O’Kerry.”

  Oni rested her spoon in her bowl. “Maybe you had better tell me kind of trouble you’re in.”

  Diah interrupted before his brother could answer. A war between the two biggest crime bosses in the country was bad enough to imagine, but that still didn’t explain why Oni was there. “We will, but first I want to know what you saw. You said Hinkle had a guide.”