Illumination

by M. V. Freeman

  “Xander?” Marika Fjordson’s voice still had a bit of the Scandinavian accent. She’d grown up in Stockholm, and no matter how little she spoke her native tongue, a trace of it still lingered. “What are you doing here?” She spotted Mina, and her voice grew colder. “With her? Do you realize tonight is my garden party?”

  “You realize there’s been a major catastrophe?” Xander couldn’t help the incredulousness. “Half a town was destroyed, killing Mages, Humans, and Darks. We’re the cause of an unnatural disaster, but you’re still going to have the damn party?” He’d never understand his mother. He loved her because she’d always believed he’d do great things, gave him the best opportunities and education—nothing was spared. But status was important to her. Too important.

  “It’s the perfect time,” she told him as her bright blue eyes snapped. “The damage was in Monthaven; this is Atlanta. I have obligations to fulfill.” She murmured a spell, and energy filled the room like a balloon. The outside noises became muffled. She’d uttered a privacy spell, making it difficult for anyone to hear—either physically or by magical means—what was said. “You said you weren’t going to be here, and bringing Mina makes it very awkward. No. Treasonous, my son. What has gotten into you?”

  “I realize this,” Xander bit out. “At the moment, things are a bit complicated, and I needed a place to regroup.” So she hadn’t heard about his aborted attempt to help Voda. Thank God for small favors. She’d probably hand him over herself. His fall from grace had affected his family. She’d been one of the pinnacles of Mage society, and now she was at the fringes, desperate to get back in.

  “Oh, Xander,” she said, her voice softening. “Don’t think for one moment that I don’t want you here or that I’m not worried about you. But…” She looked at Mina, who’d been standing unnaturally still. “I can’t allow her here. It’s too dangerous.”

  “You knew about the experiments on us, didn’t you?” Mina burst out, staring at Xander’s mother with a singular intensity.

  Marika blinked, her lips tightened, and her hand clutched at the doorframe next to her. The room was sliding into darkness, illuminated only by the lights outside in the garden and the hall behind her. She focused on Xander, not looking at the Darkling. “You need to go. Everyone felt the energy of your arrival. I can only hold them off for…”

  “You can’t hide from me,” Mina interrupted as she tried to jerk out of Xander’s grasp. He wasn’t a fool; he didn’t relax his grip. She was a tricky thing. “We were experimented on, and you knew about it.”

  “You don’t know what you are talking about,” Marika burst out, her eyes flashing. “Be silent, foolish girl!”

  “I will—”

  “Shut up, Mina,” Xander warned her, but she turned on him.

  “No, I won’t. You refuse to see what’s there before your eyes. Your mother allowed them to do terrible things to you as a baby. To me as a baby. It’s outlawed for a reason. She has to tell us why, why were we experimented on. Why I am a Dark and not a Mage?” The last was asked in a half-sob. “Who were my parents?”

  He didn’t have the ability to see her emotion, but he could feel it. Mina’s anguish was tangible by the trembling of her body where his hand gripped her. His body reacted before the thought entered his mind. He enfolded her in his arms, holding her shaking body to him, warming her when it wasn’t the cold, causing her to shiver. He looked up at his mother, who watched them with widened eyes. Her usual careful perfection of expression gone, replaced by something haunted in the cast of her downturned mouth and the shimmer of something in her eyes.

  “I can’t answer those questions,” Marika managed to get out, her voice horse. “That’s not my place.”

  Truth was a commodity Xander dealt with. He used it as payment and punishment. The right information at the right time could harm or help, and right now it wasn’t doing anything good.

  “What’s not your place?” Mina asked. Xander felt the Darkling’s arms snake around him, hugging him as if he was something solid in a sea of shifting sand. “You’re a Mage. Don’t lie to me. You’re not very good at it.”

  His mother looked down for a fraction of a second. A gesture that told him she was searching for the best lie. He’d seen her do this often enough when dealing with political socialization she engaged in. All of it was petty insults and compliments as she fought to become queen of the social circle. Ever since the Chairman’s wife had died and he hadn’t replaced her, Marika had reigned supreme. A position she enjoyed. He never realized how much.

  “It’s not that simple, Xander.” Marika looked up, and she’d pulled herself together. He saw it in the steely set of her jaw and the squaring of her shoulders. “There is more to this than the simple accusation of experimentation. I suggest you talk with Cazacul, Mina. The Dark leader must know the origins of all who are relegated to his race.”

  “He’s my father, then?” Mina cried, relief evident in her voice.

  “I don’t know.” Marika’s voice had taken on a loftier, cool tone. She wasn’t going to budge on anything right now, nor did Xander have the time to fight her for it. “I told you, you need to ask him. Why do you always get in the middle of things you don’t understand? I regret the day we allowed you into our lives.” The cruel words hit home, and he felt Mina’s hand clench at his shirt.

  “Don’t be a bitch, Mother,” Xander interrupted. It didn’t matter he’d told Mina much the same thing. It was one thing when it was between the two of them, but his mother talking to Mina like this triggered something primal in him.

  Marika stepped into the room, pointing at the Darkling in his arms. “I don’t know what you see in this creature. She is a Dark, Xander. You are a Mage—the ruling class—and we are at war. Get rid of her.”

  “Don’t talk politics to me when your biggest concern is a party—”

  “My parties are what keep your father alive and well, my son,” Marika spat, hands clenching. “You managed to ruin years of political gain by your association with that damn Dark and your failure as Regional Mage. I keep your father from being executed as an example of how we as parents inappropriately raised you, so don’t think I don’t know what I am doing. I expect you to be a Mage first and not some pathetic man. You fuck the Darks; you don’t love them.”

  “Is that what you told father when he caught you with one of the collared Elementals?” Oh yes, if she was going to go there, he’d meet her halfway. Xander gave her a cold smile, even as guilt warred with his anger. In some ways, his mother was right. He’d been taught you use the other races. Never did you have long-lasting relationships. Not that he’d ever slept with Mina. The thought of it did something to him, a curious unsettled feeling he didn’t—wouldn’t—examine. “Or is that an exception to the rule?”

  “How dare you!” His mother gasped at his words. He’d hit his mark, but the look of pain rolling across her face, a momentary wince, didn’t give him a sense of victory, but a hollow feeling of sadness. He knew his parents needed to siphon from collared Elementals, even Darks. But, this arrangement sometimes led to more intimate relationships, none of them appropriate. He suspected even his father indulged a time or two. This was the way of it, or so he’d been told. He’d never had to siphon—sleep and food restored his power, a curious benefit he attributed to the combined genetics of his parents. Both of them were born to first-generation Mages. He’d never met his grandparents who died long before he was born due to war.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she hissed at him, her careful façade cracking.

  “You’re right; I don’t understand,” Xander told his mother in a cool voice. He could see her bristle even as she tried to explain. The truth was he’d never understood this type of betrayal. It was one of the reasons he’d never married even though his parents paraded half the female Mage population before him. Sure, he’d slept with some of them, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to shackle himself to someone who’d eventually cuckold him.r />
  “I don’t have to justify myself to you!” His mother’s hurt fueled her anger. “You have no idea what we’ve sacrificed for you, the prices we’ve paid.”

  Tears were in her eyes. Great. The second woman he cared about, he’d made cry. All in one day. He was on a roll.

  “No, I don’t know what prices you’ve paid.” His anger changed as Mina shifted suddenly in his arms. With a frown, he looked down at her trying to determine what she’d been doing. Was she plucking emotions from him? She gave him an innocent look. His gaze returned to his mother; he’d deal with Mina later.

  “But,” he said in a hardened voice, “eventually, I’ll find out the truth, to Mina, myself, and whatever behind the scenes deal that is going on.” His mother stiffened. “Because, I’m sure there is more to this story than you’re letting on.”

  A strange sensation rolled over Xander, a prickling at the back of his neck. Someone was trying to locate them, using very crude means.

  “Do you want me to go?” Mina’s voice was so soft, he barely heard her. She’d remained silent as he’d argued with his mother. “They’re looking for me.” He didn’t question how she knew this. It was Mina.

  “We both need to go,” he told the woman in his arms. When had he changed his thought from girl to woman? This was not something he should be exploring. Damn his libido. Never did pay attention to circumstances. He looked at his mother. “I won’t keep you from your garden party, Mother.”

  “Xander, I’m sorry,” Marika said in a trembling voice. “You’re my only son. I love you. I just want the best for you.” Her voice broke. “I want you safe.”

  “I know,” Xander replied. He did know. His mother could be damn infuriating, but he’d never questioned her love for him. “I can take care of myself. Go, do what you do best. We’ll talk later.” If there was a later. She wasn’t the only one who could lie.

  “Mina.” He looked down at the Darkling; he didn’t have to tell her they had to walk through the shadows. He simply didn’t have enough energy to transport the two of them. He needed whatever spare power he had left for an emergency. Soon he’d have to find somewhere to rest, or he’d collapse. Not a promising thought.

  “I know where to go.” She smiled, showing her serrated teeth—disturbing to others, but not him. It had never bothered him. The shadows she called up rolled over them in the darkened room. His last view was of his mother’s strained face as she watched him leave with Mina. He relaxed his hold on the Darkling and stepped out into the shadow realm.

  “Where are you taking us?” He scanned the gray expanse of nothing that was the in-between place of the Shadow Nymphs like Mina. The monsters that hunted her were here. Somewhere. He barely had enough energy left to protect them both.

  Linking her hand through his, she pulled him along. He didn’t know what direction. It was all the same to him.

  “Oh, we’re going to find answers,” she told him in a sing-song voice. Then she looked up at him with her large eyes. “We’re going to see Cazacul.”

  Oh hell.

  Chapter Ten

  NICKI FELT A HEADACHE COMING ON. It started right behind her left eye, making it twitch. Her right eye joined it, and now the tension traveled over her skull to the back of her neck. This was going to be one hell of a long night. She really shouldn’t have gone to the damn mall this morning. She wouldn’t be playing referee between a murderous Dark and an irate witch.

  “If it wasn’t for Mina, I wouldn’t be doing this,” Rachel announced for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. She stood at the kitchen island before a large bowl of water. She turned to Nicki. “Are you sure he has to be here?” She didn’t bother to lower her voice, not that it would’ve mattered anyway. Dark, Elementals, and Mages all had great hearing, especially the Darks.

  Lev raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Yes.”

  “Rachel. Chill.” Nicki tried to keep her voice calm, but her irritation must’ve leaked through, because her friend made a huffy face and turned her head back to the bowl of water, blond ponytail bouncing. When was the last time she’d gone to a hairdresser? She normally didn’t forget things like this. This was her one friend who understood things like couture and being well-groomed. But today, she was dressed in red scrubs, top dotted with tiny hearts, having come straight over after work. No wonder Rae was grouchy. She was a fashion nightmare.

  “Is your witch always like this?” Lev murmured, his rich voice rolling over them both. Nicki glared at him, knowing he said the words to piss off Rachel. It worked.

  Rachel turned to look at him. “Her witch? How about I show you what this one can do? Maybe you’d like to spend the next seven days puking!”

  Rachel was spoiling for a fight. Not that Nicki blamed her; he made it easy. Heck, she’d just tried to shoot the guy. Without thinking, Nicki rubbed the sore spot on her forehead where Lev had held the gun to it. Come to think of it, he did deserve this.

  “What? No threats of turning me into a frog?” Lev said in a light tone as he picked up one of the baggies of dried green leaves. He was standing dangerously close to her friend.

  “I’m not a Mage.” Rachel snatched the bag out of his hands as he tried to open it. “Give me that. Quit messing with my herbs.” She turned to Nicki. “Can’t you do something? If you don’t, I swear I’m giving him hiccups for the next month and I’m out of here.”

  “Hey, I’m with you.” Nicki glared at Lev, who didn’t appear affected. He just picked up another baggie and turned it over in his hand. “Leave her alone, or Mina will never get found.”

  “Princess here should learn to do her job no matter what the distraction,” Lev said as he picked up another type of herb, this one purple. Rachel smacked it out of his hand.

  “You’re not a distraction; you’re a menace. You’re worse than Mina.”

  “I’ll take that as a complement.” He picked up a bag with yellow flowers in it. “So, do you smoke this?”

  That was enough.

  Nicki grabbed Lev’s black leather-clad arm and jerked him away from Rachel, who’d thrown a handful of something in his direction. It didn’t hit him full in the face, but enough of it made him start to sneeze.

  “I warned you,” Nicki told the sneezing Dark. Lev shrugged off her hand, reached into an inner pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a small brown bottle, the kind one found in health food stores. Pulling off the cap, he threw back his head and downed the contents in one move. He managed to swallow before another sneeze convulsed through him.

  “You’re an idiot,” Nicki added, crossing her arms, prepared to see Lev sneezing for the next hour.

  Rachel turned her back on them, sprinkling the herbs from the bags into the water. Then she fixed the mess Lev had caused and returned all of the baggies into neat rows next to the bowl. Nicki half expected her friend to whip out a ruler to measure the distances between the baggies.

  Lev didn’t comment, instead he rolled his shoulders, making the scars on the side of his face stand out. Nicki suppressed the sudden urge to ask about them.

  “What did you drink?” Nicki looked at Rachel’s rigid back as she leaned over the bowl of water. Energy stirred around her friend, a strange kind of magic. It didn’t feel like Dark or Mage energy, but felt more wild—similar to Elemental power but considerably dampened down. “You should be doubled over. She doesn’t play with her curses.” Personally, she’d wanted to see him sneeze until tears flowed. Poetic justice.

  “It’s nothing. A tincture I carry.” He made a wave of his hand, reminding her strongly of Mina. “I don’t like human medicine. The sneezing malady, while uncomfortable, isn’t untreatable. Now, when she perfects hives, that’ll be trickier.” She could’ve sworn she heard a note of admiration in his wonderful voice. She didn’t miss the slight curl of his lips; it wasn’t a smile, but something closer to predatory as he gazed at Rachel.

  Funny, she used to be bothered when men showed interest in her friends. Not something Nicki was proud of, the old desir
e to be the center of every male’s attention. But this time, her worry wasn’t on herself; it turned to concern about her friend. She wasn’t sure Lev was all that good of a guy. Rachel needed a nice, plain man who liked things in place. Not some lunatic bad boy like Nicki was prone to find. Looking at the scarred, black-clad Dark next to her, badass was the only term she could equate to him.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Nicki found herself hissing to Lev in a low voice. He raised one eyebrow at her. Arrogant ass.

  “Now you read minds?” His lip curl widened, showing a row of disturbing serrated teeth and pulling at his facial scars, giving him a maniacal look. “Tell me what I shouldn’t think about. I’m curious.”

  “Her.” She pointed at Rachel’s back, trying hard not to alert her friend as she scried. “Leave her alone. You’ve been harassing the hell out of her. And don’t think I’m stupid. I saw the look you gave her, like you wanted to eat her up.”

  He leaned forward until his lips brushed her ear and said in soft ripple of sound. “Oh, but I do want to…”

  “You…” The unwanted image flared bright in Nicki’s mind. Her anger, always close to the surface, boiled over, flowing over her to become the familiar shield in her arsenal of public relations. “I will make your life—”

  “Stop,” Lev commanded in his deep, sexy voice, placing a finger on her lips. The words died on Nicki’s mouth as if someone had turned off a water faucet.

  What the hell?

  How did he do this? He spoke, and everything inside her wanted to do what he said. This was insanity. She didn’t even like him. Even Victor, someone she’d loved, couldn’t control her like this.

  “You amuse me, Nicki,” Lev continued in a quiet voice as Rachel worked. “You’re full of anger, but you don’t like it in others.” He lifted his finger, and Nicki narrowed her eyes at him. Instead of attacking him, which is what she wanted to do, she settled for frowning at him. Death by glare. Oh, how she wished she knew a good spell.