Wreathed in Flame (Faith of the Fallen Book 3)

by Cassandra Sky West

  “Yeah, they do seem a little excited about knowing magic.”

  That reminded Alexi of something, and her smile faltered. Should she bring it up? She didn’t want to pressure her friend into telling her something she wasn’t ready for, but… the odds they were going up against were pretty steep. If she had something Alexi could use to help them, she had to ask.

  “Savanna, you did a spell while we were there. How did you do it? You don’t even carry your dagger anymore.”

  The witch shifted her grip to hold on tight as Alexi leaned the bike to the right, passing a slow-moving van. Once on the other side she throttled up, rocketing pass a semi and a group of road bikes. They flashed their hands in the low wave Alexi had come to mimic without even realizing she was doing it.

  “I don’t really know. After we got back from the Fae… I wish I could remember what happened to us there so I could figure this out. It’s like—I’m not drawing on me to cast spells anymore. I have another source of power and I have no idea where it’s coming from.”

  Alexi waited for her to work through her thoughts. She wished she could remember as well. The fae were powerful, and they didn’t want the girls to remember for a reason. Of course, if she could remember she would know why they didn’t want her too. It nagged at her. Hadn’t she suffered enough memory loss?

  “I can still do blood magic if I want to, but… I don’t. Not ever again. If I can wield this with no cost, then I am going to.”

  Something tickled in the back of Alexi’s mind. Savanna always said that magic had a price. However, this was her area of expertise. Who was Alexi to argue?

  They rode the rest of the way, only a few minutes in silence. Alexi went over her plan in her mind. If they could find a jewelry store, things would go a lot smoother.

  Alexi flipped the blinker on as she leaned over and dragged the bike across two lanes of traffic. She darted in front of a Mercedes that honked at her as she floored it down the off-ramp.

  “Alexi, try to remember I can’t regenerate,” Savanna said.

  “Ha! Like I’m going to crash.”

  “Not you—but someone else might.”

  She came to a full stop at the bottom of the ramp. To the right was the residential area, she wanted the city itself. She flipped her left blinker on before burning the back tire.

  She smiled at Savanna’s yelp of surprise.

  “Alexi!”

  “Sorry, sorry.”

  She wasn’t sure why, but when she was on the bike it was like her soul was suddenly free.

  “What’s the plan?” Savanna asked as they came to a stop a block away from the address John had sent them.

  “A little recon I think, and maybe some shopping.”

  Grennick smiled as he dropped another bag of gold coins into his tall safe. The thick metal protected his small fortune, as well as his prized contracts. Between his business dealings and his personal enterprise, he was rolling in it. He slammed the safe shut with a wave of his hand.

  “Would you boys like a cigar? They’re not Cuban, but who cares—they’re still expensive.” He pulled one of the stogies out of the jar he kept on his massive oak desk. He lit it, puffed for a few minutes, then propped his short stubby legs up on the desk.

  “No?” He smiled, “Suit yourself.” Grennick relished the thick taste in his mouth. The finer things in life made it worth living, but all of it came at a price. While he could certainly trick people into giving him what he wanted, part of his job satisfaction was talking them into doing it, as opposed to magically forcing them.

  “Listen, Grennick,” said the enormous black man towering over him. “Rayburn sent us here because he thinks there’s trouble. He wants you to leave town for a few days while he sorts it out. No more jobs until then. Some blonde bimbo was looking around at the last place. He says she’s too strong to be human. Until he knows more, this is the last shipment.”

  Grennick couldn’t identify the man’s accent—which was pretty unusual, since Grennick had been around for a few thousand years.

  “Where you from, son? Turkey?” Grennick guessed.

  The man shook his head.

  “Give me a second I’ll get it. Serbia? No? The Caucuses?”

  The man looked to his partner. The other fellow that worked for Rayburn—another no-neck, over-muscled, walking tree trunk—stared back blankly. They probably didn’t even know where the Caucuses were. Damn fine waste of a good joke. Grennick couldn’t take either of them seriously. They were werewolves, after all. Useful when someone needed a beating, and worthless for everything else. They thought that was the most important part, but that’s only because of how tiny their brains were.

  “What does it matter where I’m from?” The big man roared. “Do you hear what I’m saying? Rayburn says leave, so you leave!” He stepped forward to loom over Grennick, trying to intimidate him. Had the goblin been human, it would have worked, he was sure. Instead, Grennick inhaled deeply and blew the smoke out in rings at the werewolf. The big man coughed as the cigar smoke hit his nose.

  “Rayburn might be afraid of some bimbo who knows how to fight, but I’m not. No, I think I’ll stay right here.”

  “He thinks she might be a vampire,” the other fellow said.

  “Oh,” Grennick waved his free hand in the air with a feigned quiver of fear. “I’m terrified. Really. I’m shaking in my custom leather shoes. I don’t care if she’s a gorgon. I have ways of dealing with all of you freaks. Whoever this chick is that has Rayburn’s panties in a twist, she’s not going to be a problem for me. How on Earth would she even find me?”

  Alexi grinned from the shadows, listening to Grennick’s words. How would she find him, indeed? She was stealthy enough to get into the building quietly, but she’d needed Savanna’s help to mask her scent from the wolves. Even with the stench rolling out of the office, they’d have sniffed her out.

  She took a quiet breath, held it, and then slowly exhaled to steady her nerves. Savanna’s vivid description of her failure ran through her mind. She reminded herself that they had the element of surprise. That had to count for something.

  Alexi quietly moved a few feet back from the door. She focused on the spot where the hinges connected the door to the wall. She charged forward. Her foot caught the door and blasted it, and part of the frame, into the room. The door hurtled through the air, slamming into the wolf on the left. Frosted glass shards and prefab wood flew outward, bouncing off the walls.

  The other wolf—a huge black man who nearly had to duck to fit in the office—snarled at the interruption.

  He lunged at her, his lips pulled back in a growl. Alexi ducked his outstretched hands, slammed her fist into his stomach, sending him tumbling. He crashed face first into the cheap carpet. She was on his back in a heartbeat.

  She grabbed his head by sliding her hand down his bald head until her fingers found his eyes. She pushed her nails into his socket. He screamed as her fingers went a place they were never supposed to be. With her free hand, she whipped a long, silver chain around his neck, caught the end in the same hand, and twisted them together.

  The room spun sideways. Alexi exhaled as she flew bodily into the far wall. The building shook with the impact, mortar and drywall rained down on her. The other one had recovered.

  His head grotesquely morphed into a wolf as she watched him stalk toward her. His fingers elongated into a clawed hand.

  Victor’s transformations had always been beautiful, even when he had been hunting her. These guys certainly weren’t.

  She regained her feet, ducked a swipe and slip-kicked his knee. The joint cracked, and her opponent let out a howl of pain.

  She rolled to the side. Leaping up onto his back, she wrapped her legs around his torso. He reached back with his clawed hands, and she bit back a scream as he shredded clothes and flesh.

  With one arm under his jaw, she pulled his head back and repeated her move with the second chain she carried.

  As soon as she locked it i
n place he screamed and collapsed to his knees. His body reverted to fully human before her eyes.

  Both wolves clawed helplessly at the chains with burned fingers. Alexi stood over the downed wolves—who out-massed her by hundreds of pounds—her breath coming in ragged gulps. After several long seconds, they stopped struggling.

  The fat man swore from behind his desk, his eyes as large as dish-plates, “Who are you?”

  “Someone you should probably take really seriously,” she grated at him.

  She could feel his sudden terror, the same way she could feel the fear in the wolves. The kind of terror most humans never felt… the sort of deep-seeded fear only an immortal could feel.

  Alexi hated the way fear made her feel—humans, wolves, fae… all of it. She wanted to drink it in, but that desire fed only the monster.

  Savanna’s stepped carefully through the ruins of the door. Just the scent of her calmed Alexi, and she was able to get her bloodlust under control.

  Why was it so strong, this time? She dragged her arm across her face. Her jacket was completely ruined. Again.

  The goblin swore as Savanna’s violet eyes came to rest on him. “Fantastic, a vampire and a witch.”

  Alexi tilted her head at him curiously, wondering how he’d figured them out so quickly.

  “What?” he snapped at her. “Think you’re the only one who’s special, cupcake?”

  “He’s a goblin, Alexi.” Savanna didn’t take her eyes off him. “I think so, anyway. I’ve never seen one before, but I’ve read about them.”

  Alexi nudged the wolves with her toe. “Can you put these two under so I can take the chains off, Savanna? I don’t want them dead, just out of the way.”

  Savanna knelt beside the werewolves, and Alexi glared at the fat man behind the desk. Her anger, bubbling just beneath the surface, must have showed on her face. The goblin shrunk back even farther.

  Both wolves seemed to sag in relief as Savanna unclasped the chains. Their unconscious fear subsided, giving Alexi back a measure of control.

  Savanna turned to the goblin. “Now that your employees are out of the way, we have some business to discuss.”

  “Business?” The goblin swore again. “Well, why didn’t you say so? You could have just come in, like a couple of normal bi—”

  The spark of rage Alexi was holding back flamed to life. She flashed forward, hardly giving Grennick’s eyes time to widen before she jammed her boot into his throat, pinning him to the wall.

  His words cut out in a gurgle, and his cigar dropped to the floor. This little petty, greedy, nasty little creature. How dare he sit here and puff on a cigar, all belligerence and spite, while the Po family was crying over their little girl.

  A terrified little girl, somewhere out in the world, alone and wondering why her mother hadn’t come for her yet. She leaned into Grennick, hissing as her fangs grew. The goblin pawed uselessly at her leg, face turning purple.

  “Alexi,” Savanna said quietly.

  Reason returned. Alexi let out a big breath, pulling her foot away. “That was a warning. Piss me off again, and you’re dead—got it?”

  He wheezed and coughed, falling to his knees. “Yeah, yeah,” he croaked, hand to throat. “Vampires. Well, your mind powers aren’t going to work on me.”

  Alexi glared at him. “Where’s the Pos little girl?”

  He reached in a drawer on his desk, and Alexi leaned forward menacingly.

  “Easy, crazy lady! It’s just my book.” He pulled out a leather-bound book with intricate lettering stamped into the cover.

  “Look, right here—” He flipped to a seemingly random page, covered with strange symbols Alexi couldn’t understand. “I have a signed contract from the Pos, giving me rights to their offspring in return for their financial success. It’s all legit.”

  “You can’t buy children,” Savanna said. “It’s illegal.”

  “I follow different laws, sweet cheeks.”

  “Savanna?” Alexi raised an eyebrow at her friend. Magic books were a little outside her purview—and honestly, her threat was mostly just that. She didn’t know if she could kill a goblin, or even what the hell a goblin was. Alexi was worried about Wei, but… that couldn’t be the only thing making her so angry. She took a deep breath, trying to rein it in.

  Savanna almost casually slipped the book out from under the goblin’s fingers. “You misunderstand, Grennick. We really don’t care about your contract. You’re going to tell us where Wei is.”

  The goblin rubbed his throat. Picking up his still-smoldering cigar, he took a few puffs. “Listen, I get it—it’s real noble of the two of you to save a helpless little human… blah, blah, blah. But I made a deal here. The spell I placed on the Pos can’t be undone as long as the contract exists. And, before you get any bright ideas, no, you can’t just destroy it. You know how magic works.”

  So much for reining in her anger. It roared back, full force, and she snatched the goblin up by the throat, squeezing. “Listen, you little creep. I’m going to rip your arm off and beat you to death with it if you don’t tell me what I want to know.”

  The goblin’s eyes bulged. The air around him shimmered, and his human image seemed to melt away, revealing a leathery, pot-bellied creature with long, spindly limbs.

  “It… i-isn’t… m-me,” he managed to gasp out. “Please—”

  “Alexi, stop! You’re killing him!”

  Distantly, Alexi felt Savanna’s hand on her arm. She dropped the goblin, taking a deep breath. She felt as though she could burn down the world with her rage, and she couldn’t understand why she was so out of control.

  “I just brokered the agreement,” the goblin rasped.

  “Who was the agreement with?” Savanna asked.

  “I got no skin in the game, okay? You understand that, right? I broker deals. That’s it. I don’t force nothing on anyone.”

  “You made a couple give up their little girl for money.” Alexi clenched her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. “You’re telling me they were completely aware of what they were doing?”

  Grennick shrank back from the fury in her voice. “Well, no—but it’s what the father wanted in his heart, and that’s almost the same thing.”

  “So, the mother gets no say?” Savanna asked.

  “I don’t make the rules, sweetheart.”

  Alexi turned away, taking another deep breath. She rolled her head, trying to loosen the tightness in her shoulders.

  “Listen, Grennick,” she said, turning back to him. “I—”

  Before she could finish, the goblin hurled something small at her. She caught it, but the bottle shattered on impact. Alexi expected it to hurt, or burn, but… it was water.

  Grennick’s smile faltered.

  “Holy water?” Alexi asked him.

  “B-but—”

  She slapped him across the face with enough force that he flew up into the air and slammed against the wall. He slid to the floor. She kicked him in the ribs, the wooden wall he rested against cracked.

  He reached for something she couldn’t see, and she brought her heel down on his fingers. He screamed.

  “Alexi!” Savanna tugged on her arm.

  She seized him by the neck, lifted, and slammed him against the wall. “You have one last chance,” she snarled. Her fangs were fully extended, and she could feel his blood rushing through his veins. Her willpower was like a thread slipping through her fingers. “Where. Is. She?” Alexi roared.

  “I don’t know! I swear! Please—”

  “Wrong answer!” She pressed her fangs against his neck.

  “Wait, wait, I know where she will be. Please, please! It’s all I know, I swear,” he whimpered.

  She didn’t know she had the control necessary to not drain him on the spot… but she pulled back. “Then talk.”

  “Friday. They’re meeting the buyer on Friday, down in the train yards.”

  Surprise rolled through her. She assumed that the wolves worked for Gren
nick, not the other way around. “Who’s the buyer?”

  “I don’t know. This psycho werewolf came to me a few weeks ago with payment for my skills. I make the deals, he collects the children. He said he had a buyer lined up and that the payday would be in gold, I swear that’s all I know.”

  “What werewolf? Give me a name.”

  “Rayburn! That’s all he said. Honest. Please.”

  Alexi wanted to snap this little creature’s neck. How dare he do this? Selling children? Her blood seemed to almost boil in her veins. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Savanna shake her head slightly. The message was clear. Don’t kill him.

  “Grennick,” Savanna said softly, “My friend here is very upset. The last little girl stolen is important to us. As you can imagine, vampires aren’t known for their forgiving natures.”

  Alexi hissed at the little goblin.

  “I can keep her from draining you dry. What is that worth to you?”

  “Anything. Please, don’t kill me.” Grennick trembled under Alexi’s fingers, big tears rolling down his fat, leathery cheeks.

  Savanna crouched down. “Here’s our deal, goblin. You tell these werewolves this visit had to do with some other contract that has nothing to do with them. Do not tell them anything we’ve said, discussed, implied, inferred, or in any way communicated with you, them, or each other tonight. You do nothing, by action or inaction, that might in any way interfere with our plans to rescue the children, or lead any other being, or group of beings, to interfere.

  “In exchange, we let you live.”

  He nodded.

  “Say it. Say you agree to the deal I just proposed.”

  “I agree!” he yelped as Alexi’s hand tightened. And then, after a moment: “Damn, sweet cheeks. You ever want a job doing deals, you come to Grennick, okay?”

  Alexi slammed the little goblin’s head against the wall, and then dropped him, coughing, to the ground.

  “If I ever hear of another child going missing like this, I’m coming for you,” she said with two fingers pointed right at him. She glared at him for a moment before vanishing into the darkness.