by Karen Duvall
I kept my eyes on the little group as I strode in front of the stage, making sure they could see me. My swagger displayed a cool confidence I needed them to believe. Being short gave me the advantage of looking younger than my age and I had no trouble passing for a teen among adults. Passing among other teens could be more challenging.
Everyone but the snogging couple had their gazes locked on me, their expressions surprised and annoyed.
“Who the hell are you?” Evan asked.
“Who the hell are you?” I asked back.
“This is our place,” Lilly said, her tone indignant. “You’re trespassing.”
I motioned toward the front of the theater with my blade. “According to the sign outside, you’re the ones trespassing.”
The three looked at each other.
I jabbed my blade in the direction of the lip-locked pair. “Don’t they ever come up for air?”
“Mind your own business.” Lilly pressed closer to Duster and he nuzzled her neck.
I shrugged. “Whatever.”
Lowering one of the seats, I plopped onto it and leaned back with my ankles propped up on the seat in front of me. I began cleaning under my fingernails with my knife.
“Leave,” Evan said, though he didn’t sound convincing.
“Make me.” I looked up at him through my lashes and sneered.
“Bitch,” he said, and smiled. I smiled back. One point for me.
I stood and closed my blade, sticking the knife in my front pocket instead of my sheath so they all could see it. If I needed to use it, none of them would have a chance to finish a breath by the time I snapped it open.
Sauntering down the aisle toward the stage, I swayed my hips and kept my gaze locked on Evan. He stared at me, his mouth slightly open.
“Evan, do something,” Lilly complained. “Get her out of here.”
Duster blinked and said, “Yeah, Ev, get rid of her.”
Evan stood and flashed an angry look at the two. “Shut up.”
I kicked a pillow out of the way so I could get closer to him. “Evan? That’s your name?”
“You can call me master,” he said with a snide smile.
“I don’t call anyone master.” At least not anymore.
“What do you want?” Lilly asked.
“Magic,” I said.
The group went silent. Even the spit-swapping couple stopped long enough to look up at me.
“I have some magic.” I reached out to run my index finger down the front of Evan’s coat. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
Lilly chuckled. “Yeah, right.”
I glared down at her and focused my senses on what I could scope out. An edge of the seduction charm—a bronze brooch in the shape of a rose—peaked out from the collar of her coat. Through her sweater I saw a coin-size birthmark on her stomach. Listening hard, I detected a fluttering little heartbeat in addition to hers. She was pregnant.
My heart gave a jolt, but I couldn’t let my surprise or my pity show. “Is the baby his or someone else’s?”
Lilly gasped. “How did you know?”
I grinned. “Magic.” I cocked a hip and added, “Cute birthmark. Wish I had one shaped like a butterfly wing.”
Lilly scowled and clasped her hands over her belly. “Stop it.”
“Awesome,” Evan said with an approving nod. “What do you know about me?”
Scanning him up and down I let my gaze linger on his face. “What did you do to the guy who stabbed you in the cheek with a pencil?” I saw pieces of lead still embedded in the scar.
His smile wavered. “No one knows about that.”
“I do.” I studied the healed puncture wounds on his neck and sought out the scent for where it came from. “If you’re going to be someone’s blood doll, you better make sure they’re a real vampire first.”
He fingered the scar. Staring vacantly, he whispered, “He promised to make me one of them.”
“You got bit by a dude?” Duster asked.
Evan scowled. “He told me he was vamp, promised to turn me.”
Duster laughed. “That’s so lame, man.”
“As for you,” I said, turning my attention to Duster and staring at his crotch. It took a few seconds to see what I was looking for, but well worth the wait. I smiled. “Your swimmers ain’t swimmin’.”
He frowned and stared down at himself. “What?”
“They’re DOA.” I looked at Lilly, then back at him. “At least now we know for sure whose baby it isn’t.”
Duster snorted. “Lilly and I haven’t been together long enough. Besides, it doesn’t matter. I love her no matter whose baby it is.”
“Oh?” I stared down at the rose brooch Lilly wore and swiftly crouched beside her to snatch it out from under her coat. “How about now?”
Lilly screamed. “Hey! That’s mine! You have no right—”
“Pretty.” I held the charm close to my face as if studying the petals. “I think I’ll keep it.”
Lilly tossed Evan a pleading look. “I paid for that with my own money, Evan. It’s not fair! Make her give it back.”
“You want it back?” he said to her. “Take it yourself.”
She was starting to stand up when Duster abruptly pushed her away from him. “What the hell are you doing so close to me?” A look of disgust distorted his handsome face. “Ugh. Get away.” He scrambled on hands and knees until he was on the other side of the stage. “I need to gargle with bleach now.”
Evan laughed. “Wow, that’s some powerful charm.”
I tucked it inside my coat pocket.
“Babe?” Lilly pleaded. She stepped toward Duster and he held his arms over his face as if to ward her off. “You told me you loved me.”
“I must have been drunk.” Duster stood and stomped his way to the edge of the stage. “I’m outta here.” He hopped down and trotted down the aisle toward the exit.
“Wait!” Lilly ran after him.
The other couple had soundlessly watched the unfolding drama and looked uncomfortable. They stood and walked arm in arm down the stage steps.
“Bye!” I called to them with a wave of my hand.
They said nothing.
“So…” Evan took a step closer to me. “You’re psychic?”
“Something like that.” Not even close.
“Can you tell the future?”
“Mmm-hmm. I think you and me might have one. Together.” I leaned forward so my breasts pressed against his chest. Desire flashed in his eyes and I knew my distraction was working. I slipped my hand beneath his coat as I rose on tiptoe to bring my lips closer to his. My fingers crawled lightly over his chest to his pocket, where I felt the feather.
I pinched it between thumb and forefinger and gently lifted it out.
He grabbed my wrist. “They warned me you’d try something.”
Evan squeezed so hard I had to let the feather go.
“Who told you?” I asked, alarm squeezing the pit of my stomach. I felt sick.
“The people I want to impress.” He put more pressure on my wrist as he crouched down to retrieve the dropped feather. “They came looking for this, said you’d stolen it from them. Told me I could keep it if I caught you and turned you over to them.”
The Vyantara. Just what I was afraid of. My free hand grabbed for the blade I’d tucked in my pocket, but it was gone. Evan dangled it in front of me. “Looking for this? You’re not the only thief here.”
“The last thing you want is to become one of them.” I tried to tug myself free, but it was no use. “They’ll bond you to a gargoyle to ensure your loyalty. You’ll be their slave.”
He laughed in my face. “Gargoyle? Wow. You’ll say anything to try getting away.”
“You don’t believe me?”
He shook his head.
“Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I twisted around and donkey kicked him hard in the stomach. He doubled over, releasing my wrist, but didn’t stay down long. He whipped o
ut a fireball, balanced on his palm.
I turned and jumped off the stage, somersaulting in midair to evade the ball of fire aimed straight for me. It burst in the air behind me, sprinkling sparks that faded into nothing. When I landed on my feet, I spun around to face Evan in time to see another fireball speeding at my head. I reflexively thrust out my hand and the fiery missile stopped in place.
What the hell?
“Hey!” Evan looked angry. “No one told me you could do that.”
That’s because I couldn’t. At least not until now. I made a pushing motion and the fireball rolled back through the air away from me. I swung my hand to the side and it flew off toward the curtain, which immediately burst into flame.
Shit. Did I do that?
Evan cooked up another ball of fire and drew back his arm to throw it. I stared at my own hand and concentrated on the flame that spewed from my fingers. It rolled itself into a neat ball the size of a grapefruit.
I saw the fiery curtain from the corner of my eye. Flames climbed the brittle old fabric like monkeys running up a rope. I had to do something. I hoped Quin saw the smoke and called the fire department, but I didn’t hear any sirens.
Evan released his ball and I volleyed mine toward his. The two collided, exploding in a spray of sparks that danced across the floor and joined their siblings on the curtains.
If I could make fire and move fire, could I stop it as well? I focused my will on the flames and watched them dwindle as if dowsed with water.
It was hard to believe I now had Rusty’s power over fire.
A woman’s throaty laugh reverberated against the walls of the theater. At first I thought it belonged to one of the sewer rat girls, but it sounded too mature for a child. I glanced in the direction from which it came. A woman wearing a cloak with the hood hiding her face stared down at us from the balcony.
I expected my breath to get sucked from my lungs, but when it didn’t happen, I guessed she was toying with me again. Was she waiting for me to beg? I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. A new fireball rolled onto my fingertips.
Evan had the same idea, because he let his fireball fly before mine had a chance to completely form. Instinct to protect a sister knight, albeit a bad one, redirected my aim so that I could protect Maria. The two balls exploded when they collided, raining a spray of fire above the rows of wooden seats.
Evan paused as if to refuel whatever energy he needed to create his blazing ammo. I noticed his hesitation wasn’t on purpose. He’d given up his fireballs to concentrate on catching his breath. He dropped to his knees, eyes bulging and mouth agape. He was dying.
“Stop!” I screamed.
Maria didn’t stop completely, but she did allow Evan to take in enough air not to pass out. He appeared frozen but for his blinking eyes, and I saw the subtle rise and fall of his chest and heard his wheeze of shallow breaths. Judging from the strained cords on his neck, he wouldn’t last much longer.
“Why are you doing this?” I shouted up at the balcony.
“I’m saving you from him.” Maria had a deep voice, but its inflections sounded like a taunting child. There was something familiar about it and I waited for her to say more.
I searched the shadowed cowl covering her face, but not even my extrastrength vision could penetrate the black fabric it was made with. “That’s not what I mean. Why are you killing us, your sisters?”
“I have my reasons.”
“And I’m asking you what they are.”
“You’re not privileged to know,” she said, sounding petulant. “But the squire you lost is perfect for my needs. You could be, too.”
My blood turned cold. “What are you talking about?”
“You call her Xenia.”
Oh, my God. She had Xenia? “You kidnapped her?”
“She came to me willingly.”
My mind spun around this new information. I couldn’t imagine what Maria had planned, but there was no time to ponder. The sewer rat boy was dying and I couldn’t save him. Or could I?
Flickers of flame formed on my fingertips.
Maria laughed again. “I don’t have to read your mind to know what you’re thinking, and you can forget it. Fire? Please. I’m older than dirt. I can’t die.”
I didn’t want to kill her, I only wanted her to stop killing. If I could distract her long enough…
An icy wind whooshed down the aisle toward the stage, followed by a light bright enough to illuminate every dark corner of the theater. Within seconds the source of both the wind and light hovered above me, blocking me from Maria.
Rafael.
The power of his flapping wings blew Maria off her feet and she tumbled sideways to fall from the balcony. The wooden chairs below rattled from the impact of her landing.
Rafe hardly seemed to notice. His focus was on the kid, who’d been released from Maria’s death grip. Evan crumpled onto the pile of blankets on the stage and lay still.
I ran to him. Leaning toward his face, I listened to his shallow breathing and slow heartbeat. He was still alive.
Rafe hovered wordlessly where he was. His expression looked pained, not triumphant. He’d saved a boy but possibly killed a knight. Sirens screamed in the distance and I realized I didn’t have much time. I grabbed the flying charm from underneath Evan, then rushed over to where I’d seen Maria fall. But she was gone. Left in her place was a single black feather.
fifteen
AN HOUR LATER I STARED AT THE SURFACE of my espresso as I absently fanned myself with the feather Maria had left behind.
“That thing gives me the creeps,” Elmo said.
I ran the feather through my fingers. “It could be the key to finding Maria’s lair. And to finding Xenia.”
“If the girl is really with her,” Quin said.
True, since Maria could be lying. Taunting me into a trap, though I had no clue what she’d want with me. Unless, of course, her motives were the same as Evan’s. If she turned me over to the Vyantara, she would get something of equal value in return.
“Could Xenia still be in the city then?” I asked them.
“I’ll check my sources,” Elmo said. “You get back all the missing charms?”
I shook my head. “There’s still one left.”
“Let me guess.” Elmo scratched his temple and scowled, then snapped his fingers. “The wind charm.”
“Elmo, you’re a terrible actor,” Quin said. “You knew which one it was all along.”
“Guilty,” Elmo said, and shrugged. “Just trying to make Chalice smile.”
It didn’t work. “What have you heard?”
“I caught wind of a wind blowing where it shouldn’t blow,” he said. “Inside a building.”
Like that’s not going to raise a few eyebrows? I had to wonder about some people and the logic they used.
The reasons to recover the charm didn’t matter at this point. I had no choice but to either retrieve it or render it useless. Putting the charm out of commission would be a shame, but it would be more damaging to let it fall into the wrong hands.
“Thanks, Quin, for contacting Rafe. He couldn’t have arrived at a better time.”
“You should have called him yourself,” Quin said. “Why didn’t you?”
I bit my bottom lip. “Because I didn’t think of it.” And Rafe had made it a point to give me shit about it, too. He was mad at me for putting myself in a dangerous situation, saying I should have consulted with him first. But I don’t consult, I do. Which had become a problem for me lately. Teamwork was still a foreign concept, though I’d get it eventually. I had to. It was supposed to be my job.
I yawned. “I’ll need the address for that building, Elmo.” I blinked and my eyelids struggled to open again. “After I get a few hours’ sleep.”
“Make them count,” Quin said as he dipped his chin and gave me an intense look. “Rest up quick before the DPD intervenes and the press joins them. It wouldn’t take much for Denver to become a hot spot for ghost ch
asers and witch hunters.”
“No worries,” Elmo said. “We have people watching the place. They’ll misdirect anyone who comes too close.”
Now that I felt reassured, I needed sleep, but what I really wanted was to dream. That was my only chance to see Aydin.
This time there was no tossing and turning in bed. My head hit the pillow and it seemed like only seconds passed before I was awake again. I felt rested and alert, but also alarmed. This wasn’t the same bed I’d fallen asleep in.
Two thoughts hit me at once: I’d missed my time with Aydin, and someone had traded beds with me while I was sleeping. But I turned out to be wrong on both counts.
Aydin lay right beside me. He turned to me and said, “Welcome home.”
Now I was really confused. “I’m dreaming?”
“Mmm-hmm.” He reached out a very human hand, thick-fingered and strong, to smooth a wisp of bangs from my forehead. “It’s my own design. Do you like it?”
I liked it too much. It was easy to see how some people could get so caught up in a fantasy they confused it with reality, or preferred it to real life. Dreams were becoming my virtual reality and I doubted that was healthy.
“Don’t worry.” Aydin lifted himself on one elbow to look down at me. “I’m in control. I’ve had centuries of experience with dreamscaping. You couldn’t be in safer hands.”
“Dreamscaping? Never heard of it.”
He smiled. “It’s like landscaping, only with dreams instead of land. I’ve become quite good at it, though this is the first time I’ve ever brought someone along.” He leaned down to kiss me, letting his lips linger on mine. “I’m happy to share it with you.”
If only I could relax and enjoy the experience. I wasn’t sure I could.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, you can wake up.” He lifted his hand as if to snap his fingers and I stopped him.
“No.” I curled my fingers around his. He felt so warm, his callused flesh so real. There were no blurred edges this time, no sense of the surreal like before. The sheets were silk, the pillow beneath my head filled with down, and the air freshened by rain. I even heard the twitter of birds outside the window.
