Mystic Caravan 11 - Freaky Mage

by Amanda M. Lee

  He laughed at the memory. Our first introduction had been less than auspicious. “If I remember correctly, you were surly that day too.”

  “I wasn’t exactly beauty and light.”

  “Oh, you were beauty.” His lips brushed the ridge of my ear. “You were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. You were also grumpy, and your nose was out of joint because you assumed that I was trying to usurp your authority.”

  “I don’t believe I’ve ever used the word usurp, or even thought it for that matter.”

  “That doesn’t mean it’s not the right word.”

  I let loose a heavy sigh and rolled so my chin rested on his chest. “I bet you didn’t think that first day that we would end up here.”

  “No. I figured we would end up in bed, but I didn’t believe you would tolerate me long enough to end up here.”

  “Oh, don’t put that on me. You had ego issues that first day.”

  “Only because my ego was trying to keep pace with yours.”

  “That’s such a load of crap.”

  His hands moved to my waist and he started tickling. I was gasping within seconds, which made me vulnerable enough for him to flip me over and roll on top of me. “I knew I was attracted to you from the second I saw you.” His expression was earnest. “I didn’t come here to fall in love and find my forever, but I’m really glad I did.”

  My heart ached at the words. “I’m really glad you did too. It’s worked out well for me. I didn’t even have to fill out the information sheet for a dating app to find the hottest guy in this hemisphere.”

  He laughed so hard his cheeks turned pink. “Sami doesn’t think I’m that hot.”

  “Sami is still titillated by the memory of Cole with his shirt off. If you’d been the one to strip down the other night, she’d be all over you.”

  “I’m happy letting her drool over Cole.”

  “That’s because it would become awkward, what with you drooling over her mother and everything.”

  Kade’s eyes narrowed. “I’m getting annoyed with that joke.”

  “Who says it’s a joke? I ... oh, geez.” I started laughing like a loon when he began tickling me in earnest. He had a weight advantage, and he wasn’t afraid to use it.

  “Take it back.”

  “No. The truth hurts.”

  He grazed his teeth against my jaw line and caused me to shiver. “Take it back.”

  “No way, José.” I could not stop laughing. “You’re upset because I’m right.”

  “If you don’t take it back I’ll make you stay in this bed the entire day.”

  I snorted. “Oh, like that’s a hardship.”

  “We open this afternoon for a half-day session. You’ll be in big trouble with Max if you don’t show up for work. I’ll be able to skate because I’m his son and there’s that whole childhood abandonment thing in my favor.”

  “You can’t use that against him.” I couldn’t catch my breath I was laughing so hard. “Only a jerk would do that.”

  “I’ll do what I have to do.” He sucked on my earlobe. “Take it back.” His voice was low and seductive.

  “Fine. I ... .” Before I could finish the sentence, the door flew open to allow Luke entrance. “What the hell?” I demanded as Kade gripped me tight against his chest.

  “Oh, geez!” Luke slapped his hand over his eyes. “I’m blind!”

  “Are they up?” Cole asked as he raced into the bedroom on Luke’s heels, pulling up short when he saw the position Kade and I were in. “Didn’t you knock?”

  “No, he did not,” Kade seethed. “What are you doing in here?”

  “Going blind,” Luke wailed.

  “Then knock next time,” Kade roared back.

  “Why are you guys in here?” I demanded of Cole. He wasn’t likely to drag things out when answering, unlike my best friend who had never met an unnecessary diatribe that he didn’t willingly engage in. “We’ll be at breakfast in ten minutes.”

  “Excuse me?” Kade’s eyebrows migrated toward his hairline. “Ten minutes? I’m pretty sure my manhood has just been called into question.”

  “Fine. Twenty minutes.”

  He continued glaring.

  “Forty-five minutes minimum,” I snapped.

  Cole laughed. “Have you ever considered that we should be filmed for a reality show? I mean ... we could all be millionaires in three months.”

  “I’ve always thought I would make a fantastic Real Housewife,” Luke said, his eyes still squeezed shut. “Are they still at third base?”

  “What?” Kade looked down and realized where his hand was. “Oh, man, I’m sorry.”

  “I’m over it,” I replied. “What I’m not over is you two barging in here. There are rules.”

  “I’m all for rules,” Cole said, “but we have a problem. I thought Luke knocked. I really do apologize. The problem is bigger than ... whatever this is.”

  I was instantly alert, pushing against Kade’s chest as I struggled to a sitting position. “What sort of problem?”

  “I guess this means my morning delight is off the table,” Kade grumbled.

  I absently patted the spot above his heart. “I’ll pencil you in for forty-five minutes of fun later. What is it?”

  “The beach,” Cole replied. “There are blood runes everywhere.”

  “Blood runes?”

  “Runes in the sand. Naida went for a swim this morning and walked along the riverbank on her way back. She says they’re written in blood.”

  If Naida said it, she meant it. She wasn’t the type to be fooled. “We can’t leave them there.”

  “No,” Cole agreed. “It’s only a matter of time before the cops come calling. We have to get rid of them.”

  I rolled out of bed. “We’ll need help.”

  “Zoe and her family just arrived. They thought we could come up with a new plan to take on the cult during breakfast. This needs to be addressed first.”

  He wasn’t wrong. “Head down. I’ll throw on some clothes and be right behind you.”

  “Sure.” Cole grabbed Luke’s arm. “Let’s go.”

  “I’m still blind,” Luke complained.

  “You’re fine.”

  “I might never get over the horror.”

  “Just ... come on.” Cole shot Kade an apologetic look. “I owe you one.”

  “You owe me more than one,” Kade groused, reaching for a shirt. “We’ll be right there. Start on it. Make sure you take photos first.”

  I drew my eyebrows together. “Photos?”

  “Just in case we need them for research.”

  “You’re handsome and smart. That must be why you got past my surly defenses.”

  He managed a grin. “That’s only one of the reasons.”

  WE WERE ON the bank within five minutes.

  “How did they do this?” I was dumbfounded. “That’s like ... five-hundred feet of bank containing bloody runes. How did they even manage that?”

  “I’m not sure I want to know.” Kade ran his hand over his close-cropped hair. “We have got to get rid of this.”

  “And we have to do it fast,” I said.

  “I have an idea,” Raven called out. She was still in her pajamas, her long silver hair standing up in a million different directions.

  “I guess you were having a lazy morning too,” I noted as she joined me. “Did Luke at least knock before barging into your bedroom?”

  “Nellie woke me by throwing water balloons at my trailer.”

  I didn’t want to laugh — this situation wasn’t funny — but I couldn’t help myself. “Did he say why?”

  “He was afraid to knock. Something about British accents and chaps giving him an ulcer.”

  This was a conversation for another time. “What’s your idea?”

  “Naida. She can control the water.”

  I grasped what she was suggesting. “We can’t let her get overzealous.”

  “We’ll have the mage here to make sure that
doesn’t happen,” Raven said, inclining her head toward Zoe. “We’ll clear everyone else off the beach and let them handle it.”

  “Okay.” I reached out and snagged Sami by the shoulders as the teenager wandered by. “Where is your father? He needs to take you away from here.”

  Sami’s glare was withering. “I can get myself off the beach.”

  “Where is he?” I asked a second time.

  “He had somewhere to be this morning so it’s just Mom and me.”

  “Take her up,” Zoe instructed, grim as she regarded the mess. “If your pixie can fix this and I can help, it’s best to leave just the two of us here. We’re less likely to attract attention.”

  “I think the huge waves she’s going to create will attract attention no matter what.”

  “Yes, but I don’t want Sami around them.”

  I nodded in understanding as Cole appeared. He grabbed the teenager around the waist and dumped her over his shoulder. “Come with me, little firecracker. We’ll get some breakfast into you.”

  “No way.” Sami struggled against him. “I want to watch.”

  “You can watch from the fairgrounds.”

  “That sounds like zero fun.”

  “It will be fun. I promise.”

  Sami was silent for a beat, but I didn’t miss the mischievous smile on her face as I started to follow. “Will you take your shirt off again?”

  “No, because I don’t want your father to rip my head off.”

  “I think you could take him.”

  “I don’t want to find out.”

  “I’ll take my shirt off again,” Luke offered. “But you have to revamp your list.”

  “You manipulating the list isn’t fair,” Sami countered.

  “I don’t care about fair. I only want to win.”

  She cocked her head, considering, and then nodded. “Okay, but I want a good breakfast.”

  “Your wish is my command.”

  I WANTED TO WATCH THE WORK ON THE riverbank, but Zoe was right. The fewer people out in the open, the better it was for everybody. Instead, I set about making breakfast with Nixie, Pemberley and Raven. I considered asking Sami to help as a way to distract her, but the assembled beefcake was doing that well enough without me ruining her fun.

  “See this?” Luke leaned over and flexed. “I’m ripped without being all veiny. That makes me twice as hot as almost anybody else with the same build.”

  Sami tapped her bottom lip. “I might be able to better make a decision if you take off your pants too.”

  One look at Luke told me he was considering it and I immediately started shaking my head. “Don’t even think about it,” I warned. “Her father will kill you if he hears even a whisper about this.”

  “I’m gay,” Luke pointed out. “He can’t be upset if I’m gay. It’s against the rules.”

  That was a load of hogwash. “She’s fourteen. I don’t think he cares.”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Sami insisted. “I know my dad better than anyone. He’ll be fine with it.”

  “Sami.” I fixed her with a pointed look. “Will you be able to live with yourself if your father kills Luke?”

  “He won’t kill him. At worst he’ll maim him, maybe rip off an arm or something.” She held up her fingers and wiggled them. “I can heal him.”

  “Can you restore his arm?”

  Sami looked taken aback by the question. “Huh. I have no idea. It’s worth a shot.”

  Her uncertainty was enough to have Luke thinking twice. “The pants are probably too much,” he said. “I’ll just flex some more.”

  “Okay.” Sami rolled her eyes and darted toward the table. “I need a better vantage point.”

  Dolph, who was wandering by, grabbed her before she could climb all the way up and planted her next to me. “No broken bones today,” he chided.

  “I can heal myself if I break something,” she argued.

  He seemed surprised. He hadn’t witnessed her other miraculous demonstrations. “Well, that’s neither here nor there. Behave.” He wagged a finger.

  “That stern thing is really working for me,” Sami shot back. “How would you like to climb to the top of the list?”

  “I can’t be bribed.” He ruffled her hair, which had Sami glaring at his retreating back.

  “He’s not on the top of the list,” she muttered.

  I cast her a sidelong look as I whisked the eggs. She was full of bravado, and yet she seemed off her game. “How are you feeling today?” I asked, thinking about her reaction to the cult member’s suicide the previous evening.

  “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine?”

  “You saw something horrible last night.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ve seen a lot of horrible things.”

  I had no doubt that was true. “Have you ever seen something like that before?”

  She shrugged, noncommittal. “Two years ago I watched a woman shoot my mother.”

  I swallowed hard. “I heard. That must’ve been difficult for you.”

  “I couldn’t breathe.”

  “I’m sorry. My understanding is that you healed your mother that day.”

  “Yeah, but what if I hadn’t figured it out in time? What would’ve happened then?”

  “I don’t know. You can’t blame yourself for that.”

  “But I can. I could always do it. I was afraid to try. I couldn’t ... tap into it. That’s not really the important part of the story. I knew the woman who shot my mom. They hated each other. My mom said it went back to when they were in college.”

  I had no idea where she was going with her story. “Life isn’t always easy,” I acknowledged. “Your family came out of that situation whole. Sometimes, that’s the best you can hope for.”

  “Yeah. But right after my mom was shot, my vampire went after the woman who did the shooting. Nobody talks about what happened ... he ripped her apart with his bare hands.”

  My heart skipped at the stark expression on her face. “And how did that make you feel?”

  “Glad.”

  “Did you feel glad when the man killed himself last night?”

  “No. Why is that important?”

  “I think you’ve been carrying around the fact that you felt glad about this other woman’s death for a long time.” I leaned over and stared directly into her eyes. “That woman tried to take your mother from you. It sounds as if she was awful. It’s okay to be glad she’s dead. That doesn’t make you a sociopath or anything.

  “What happened last night was different,” I continued. “That man took his own life. That doesn’t make it any less brutal. If you’re confused, it’s okay. I don’t understand what he did either. You got no joy out of his death. That’s good.”

  “I guess.” She rubbed her cheek and then shook her head. “I still think you should let them all strip out of their shirts and hold a parade.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing ... and failed. “I’ll give it some thought.”

  She flashed a smile as she reached for the bread. “How do we toast it without a toaster?”

  “There’s a contraption by the fire. Luke will show you how to use it.”

  “Can he be shirtless when he does it?”

  Man, the kid was relentless. “Sure. Why not?”

  16

  Sixteen

  We spent the morning working. Zoe was drenched when she returned with Naida, so I sent her into my trailer to change into some of my clothes. She returned clad in a pair of capri pants and one of my oversized white shirts, the ones I wore when reading fortunes.

  “You look good,” I said, grinning as I watched her tuck her hair under a black scarf.

  “I don’t know how you wear this,” Zoe groused as she held out the front of her shirt and looked inside. Her blond hair was completely hidden. “It’s too loose.”

  “I’m sure Raven has a dominatrix outfit if you prefer.” I managed to deliver the line with a straight face. “That’s much more
binding.”

  “Your wit astounds me,” she drawled. “I ... .” I registered the look on her face before I realized it was Kade, not Aric, who had wandered up beside her. His arm went around her back and, if I wasn’t mistaken, his hand landed firmly on her rear end.

  “I’m going to put more men at the back side to watch for the freaks in the robes, baby,” he said, his eyes on the sheet of paper in his hand. “I know we usually track the parking lots more, but I have a feeling that if we’re going to be infiltrated it will be from the back.”

  I was more amused than angry. He assumed Zoe was me because of the outfit. “That sounds smart,” I said.

  He made a face, as if registering the situation for the first time thanks to the distance my voice had to carry to him. When he slid his eyes to Zoe, I swear they almost bulged out of his head. “Oh, my ... .” He jerked his hand back as if he’d been scalded. “I am so sorry.”

  Zoe’s expression was unreadable but the mirth bubbling through her would’ve been easy to pick up even if I wasn’t magical. Still, her expression was dark when she fixed Kade with a serious look. “We need to talk.”

  “No, there’s no reason to talk.” Kade was so flustered he was tripping over his own tongue. “I mean ... absolutely no reason.”

  “I don’t know. It seems as if there’s a legitimate reason.” Zoe flicked her eyes to me. “What do you think?”

  I could’ve taken pity on my boyfriend. He had a good heart and this was clearly an accident. The opportunity was too good to pass up. “A conversation should probably be had,” I acknowledged, clucking my tongue. “I’ve had a feeling about you guys right from the start. It’s difficult for me – heartbreaking really – but ... he clearly prefers you.”

  Zoe’s lips twitched but she held it together. “I’ve tried fighting it. I just wonder how Aric is going to take it. We’ve been married for fifteen years. We lived together another six years before that. We dated two more years on top of that. This is going to be a terrible blow for him.”

  “What blow?” Kade sounded borderline hysterical. “There’s no reason there has to be a blow. What are you even saying?”

  “You just put your hands on my butt,” Zoe pointed out it. “In some cultures, we would be married now.”