Shadow on the Water

by Katya Moore

  "Now that’s just not civil. Not civil at all, Sia. Be a reasonable girl. My friends just want to talk to you about power. About expanding your reach. A girl with your…" He gestured up and down at me. "…gifts, could earn a pretty penny. Money that could help your friends. Your family."

  Aric snorted behind me. I arched a scaled brow at Donovan. "I’m set, thank you."

  "But are they?" He glanced at Kitty, who stood silently behind the bar, tapping Louise the Louisville Slugger against the palm of her hand. "This bar could become a hub. A place to be. We could bring in so much business if you’d just play ball like a good lass." He tugged at the lapels of his freshly rumpled suit.

  "Not. Interested." I looked at Tyrone. "Chuck his ass to the curb, would you please?"

  "With pleasure," Tyrone snarled. With a jerk, he hauled Donovan half off his feet and began to drag him to the door.

  "A pity. But I figured it’d be this way." Tyrone pitched him out the door. Donovan straightened his jacket, then raised a hand. A small remote caught my eye. "Good knowin’ you all. Night night."

  A loud explosion rocked the pub. Tyrone roared and dove at Donovan. With surprising speed for a man his age, he bolted to a waiting sedan and dove in the open door. They roared off before Tyrone could catch them.

  Kitty cursed and raised her arms as glass showered down on her from the hanging wineglass rack. Cass shifted and leaned over the bar to catch her around the waist and lift her over. He caught her by the arm and started to lead her toward the door.

  "Fuck off, you! I’ve got to see what’s going on with my pub!" She swatted at Cass’ hand and started to charge toward the back of the pub. I blocked her, still in my half-dragon. She stopped short and glared at me. "And whoever you are, you can fuck off as well."

  "Kitty, it’s Sia. Don’t be an ass. We’ll save the pub. You get out the front." I put a taloned hand on her shoulder. She flinched. My heart broke a little.

  I swallowed hard. "Trust us. We’ve got this."

  Kitty eyed me warily, then backed up a few steps. Cass extended a hand. She swatted it aside and marched toward the front door.

  "Go with her. Make sure she doesn’t come back in," I shouted to Cass as I ran toward the back. Cass nodded and followed Kitty out.

  Chase, Moira, and Aric were already at the back door. Flames wreathed the door, licking at the rear wall. Aric shifted and opened his mouth, coating everything in a blast of ice. Chase grabbed the doorknob and twisted, slamming his shoulder into the wooden door to shatter the shards of ice holding it closed.

  The alley was on fire. The dumpster was split in half, and flaming garbage covered the ground. There was a gaping, flaming hole opening into the back room of the pub. The air reeked of gasoline. I could see flames licking up the bricks, following the splashes of fuel.

  There were also six burly men in trench coats, holding automatic weapons and grinning at us malevolently.

  "Aric, fire control. The rest, with me," Chase roared over the crackle of the flames. The men took aim. We lunged.

  They seemed prepared for the flames that Chase and Moira unleashed. They dodged backwards quickly, fanning out and spraying at us with the weapons. Chase and Moira dodged behind hunks of dumpster. While the gunmen were focused on them, I attacked from behind. I grabbed onto the shadows caused by the flickering flames and pulled, twisting them around the muzzles of the guns and yanking them to the ground. The gunmen cried out in surprise and pain as I ripped the weapons out of their hands and hurled them into the burning garbage. Stripped of their weapons, two of them decided they weren’t getting paid enough and bolted out of the alley.

  I slipped into the shadows as the other four looked around. When they’d decided that I’d left, they charged Chase and Moira. As the two half-dragons blasted flames at them, I stepped from behind and raised my hands. Shadow tendrils shot up from the ground, wrapping around the legs of the charging men. One face-planted hard. Two stumbled but caught themselves. One jumped over the tendrils, got caught around the ankle, and plummeted, cracking his skull against the concrete. Chase and Moira made short work of the two stumblers, then turned their attention toward the face-planter.

  Chase grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and hauled him halfway up to face him as he crouched. "Tell Donovan he’s messing with the wrong pub."

  The man’s face split with mirth. A mad light shone in his eyes. "Donovan? Donovan’s just a piece of this. A small one. Goodbye, dragon." He spat in Chase’s eye, then bit down hard.

  "You son of a…" Chase cocked his fist to deliver a punch, but froze in horror as the man began to convulse and froth at the mouth. He let go of the man’s collar, letting him slump to the ground in a puddle of drool and vomit.

  "What the hell was that?" I shifted back to my human form and stared open-mouthed at the dead man.

  "Suicide pill. Fast-acting one." Chase reached down and grabbed onto the man’s sleeve. "Well, shit."

  I gasped. The man’s forearm was covered in the swirling black tribal lines of the Chosen of Apep.

  "Why would the Chosen help Kiernan Donovan issue a mob threat? Aren’t they busy sucking the Great Serpent’s cock?" Moira puzzled. "It makes no sense."

  "Unless it wasn’t a mob threat," Aric said as he joined us. Frost covered the alleyway and the walls, all fires laid to rest. "Donovan knows about the Chosen. Maybe he’s switching teams. Or trying to merge them."

  "There’s an unpleasant thought," I muttered. "Like the Irish Mob isn’t bad enough without sorcerers joining the mix."

  "Or sorcerers carrying guns, for that matter. Thanks for the disarm." Chase gave me a gentle punch in the shoulder. "You did great. All that shadow-play practice is really paying off. Your dragon’s becoming quite the beast."

  "Thanks." I surveyed the damage. "I should check on Kitty. She is not going to be happy about that hole in her wall."

  "On it." Aric pulled out his cellphone and started punching in a text message to his cleaning crew.

  "Thanks." I gave his arm a squeeze and turned to walk back into the pub. I felt his eyes follow me. I wondered how often people actually thanked him.

  I walked through the haze of smoke into the common room of the pub. Kitty stood in the center of the room, coughing and fuming.

  "Aric’s making some calls," I said softly. "But there’s some damage to the back room, and we’ll need to replace the dumpster."

  Kitty studied me silently.

  I swallowed hard. "How’s Billy?"

  "Bruised, but he has a hard head. He’ll be fine." She glanced back over her shoulder, then returned to studying me. "Galen’s giving him the full checkup."

  I nodded.

  "You really are one of them, then?" She reached for her cigarettes, then thought better of it. "A real, honest-to-God dragon?"

  I nodded again. My throat was closing up, tears building in my eyes.

  Kitty cocked a brow. "So now we both smoke?"

  I blinked hard in disbelief. Kitty cackled at my dumbfounded expression and walked up to me, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

  "Dammit, Kitty." I managed a half-sob, half-laugh.

  "If I can’t make dumb jokes, what’s the point of living?" she chuckled. "Besides, if I don’t laugh right now, I’m gonna cry, and that does no one any good." She sighed. "Kiernan Fucking Donovan. The man does not know when to give it a rest." She chuckled again. "Probably why he’s done so well for himself in his profession. The bastard."

  "Yeah. He’s making new friends, too. There were cultists in the alley helping him out." I slumped into a chair. "This just keeps getting worse. If the cult and the mob are joining forces…" I gestured vaguely. "I don’t know what. It can’t be good." I brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes, then rested my forehead in my hand. "I’m running out of good."

  Kitty leaned against the bar and sighed. "I feel ya, kid. I feel ya." She surveyed the kicked-over chairs and the bodies on the floor. "This new normal… I can’t say I’m a fan." I opened my mouth, and she raise
d a hand. "Still not blaming you, Sia. Life takes twists and turns, and our lives took a turn. It’s not going to be easy. But we’ll get through it. I have faith in that."

  "How?" I squeezed my temples and sighed. "I’m trying, but all I’m seeing is the spiraling hell that this whole dragon thing keeps throwing at me. The Chosen. The mob. The Elders. Alpha Squad."

  "Your boys. Your new home at the mansion. You finding out about your parents." Kitty ticked them off on her fingers. "Your being some sort of dragon royalty. Maybe saving the world at some point." She flashed a wry grin. "Free drinks at McKinnett’s for you and your friends. Our love and affection. It’s not all death and gloom, Sia."

  I looked around at the pub and frowned. My voice went small. "And I keep bringing all of this crap down on you. How long before… before you decide it’s not worth it? Before you decide I’m not worth it?"

  She reached over and gave me a gentle smack upside the head. "You know me better than that, Miss Sia Gloom and Doom. I’m a stubborn old bird, and it takes more than a little damage to my pub to make me turn my back on a friend." She snorted. "You saw what it took for me to turn my back on Kiernan Donovan, and he’s a mobster son of a bitch. You’re going to have to work a lot harder to get me to bail on you."

  I winced slightly. "About that ‘little damage.’ You might want to take a look at the back of the pub before you make any decisions."

  She side-eyed me. "Bad?"

  "You know how you’ve always wanted air conditioning?" I cringed.

  She raised a hand. "I’ll go see for myself. Come with me in case I faint like a great big wuss."

  Chapter Ten

  Cass

  "Drunk. He’s just drunk." Sia leaned back into my chest and sighed. "My brain hurts."

  "Come on, you can do better than that. You have to practice." I rubbed her temples with my fingertips.

  There was a small crowd of mostly regulars at McKinnett’s for the soft reopening. The pub was closed for a week while Aric’s construction contacts shored up the back wall and cleaned up the smoke damage. Her regulars had stopped by to check progress regularly, and Sia enlisted us to help with cleanup and extra security. She’d been putting off dealing with Alpha Squad. To their credit, they’d backed off with surprising ease. It made me nervous. Dario Beauvais was not one to give up easily, but he was noted for his tactical skills.

  "Okay," she sighed, her brow furrowing as she studied the man at the far table. "He’s… sad. Lonely. Missing someone." She shrugged. "At least, it feels like I feel when I’m missing someone. So that’s my guess."

  I gave her a quick squeeze. "Good. Trust those instincts. Now, see if you can find Missi." I placed my hands over her eyes. She made a noise of protest, then growled and settled back into my chest.

  "Okay, I’m reaching out… ugh, this is weird. Okay, drunk, perv, pervy drunk…that must be the pair that I saw hitting on each other… eww, people’s brains are gross… lonely, bored… happy, laughing, embarrassed, that’s the Miller twins and their buddy Pete talking shit in the corner…" She chewed her lip, frustrated. "Where are you….aha! Pondering, mulling things over…there! There she is! I can feel her. Friendly, with a healthy dose of bored out of her skull. She’s waiting on Mr. and Mrs. Walker, who never know what they want even though they’re in here every damned night." She batted my hands away and sat up to survey the room. She giggled victoriously as she pointed. Missi leaned against the wall near a table, a polite smile plastered on her face as the elderly couple in front of her stared into space.

  "Impressive!" I leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "You’re really getting the hang of this."

  "I’m trying." She kissed me on the lips. "I’d rather learn from you than deal with those Alphaholes."

  I pulled her into my arms. "I love teaching you. And I’ll admit, the less time you spend with them, the happier I am."

  Sia looked into my eyes, suddenly serious. "They’re not going to take me away from you."

  I forced a smile. "I know," I lied.

  She poked me in the sternum. "I’ve been reading emotions all damned night. Don’t be a dork. I mean it. You’re not going to lose me. Especially to Quinn. He’s boring and never smiles."

  I thought back to what he’d said about Sia. About her emotions being a liability. About me being a liability. I gazed into her golden eyes and felt a tightness in my chest. Am I endangering her? Would she be better off with someone she could find expendable? I cursed myself inwardly. As though she’d ever find anyone expendable. Still, the doubt wriggled through my mind like a burrowing insect, gnawing at me.

  "Where are you, Cass?" she said, giving me a gentle poke in the shoulder. "It’s not a happy place. I want you back in my happy place." She leaned in with a saucy grin. "I want you in my happy place," she murmured seductively, then giggled at her own randy joke.

  I laughed despite myself. "You’re insatiable, you know that?"

  "It’s all your fault." She winked and took a sip of her beer. "I was a sweet innocent little virgin before I met you guys. Pure as the driven snow."

  I snorted. "I’ll grant you the virgin part. Sweet as well." I leaned in and kissed her on the lips. "But you’re the one who tied me up and ravaged me."

  She chuckled. "Details." She kissed the tip of my nose, then her eyes widened and she groaned miserably.

  I turned my head to follow her gaze, then stifled a moan of my own. Alpha Squad was at the door.

  "Fucking shitty fuck weasels," she muttered into her beer.

  I arched a brow. "Innocent little…"

  "Shush. I was having a good time, and now…" She took a swig of her beer and wiped foam off her nose. "I’m going to need about five more of these."

  "Getting drunk isn’t the answer," I chided.

  "Says you," she sassed.

  I didn’t argue. Frankly, I was just as disappointed, and just as inclined to want to dive headlong into my gin. Probably more so. They were chatting with Luz at the door, still oblivious to our location.

  "Sia, read them." A hopeful thought popped into my head. Maybe she could see for herself what conniving, awful bastards they were. The guys and I were in agreement that if we tried, we’d just look like jealous idiots. "Read their emotions."

  "Ew." She wrinkled her nose, then shrugged and furrowed her brow.

  "Start with Dario."

  "Okay." She focused in on him as he caught her eye and smiled. Her brows shot up, horrified. "Oh my god, ew. I… I can’t even." She took another swig of her beer, as though washing the taste of him from her mouth. "I thought he was the nice one. Ugh. So wrong. He’s like ten entitled, grabby frat boys in a dragon suit."

  Dario’s eyebrow shot up, his smile wavering.

  I hid my smile behind a hand. "Right then. How about Kane?"

  She shook off Dario’s unpleasantness and focused again. "Hmm… he’s sizing up the joint." I looked at him. His eyes were roving over the bar, doing a security sweep. "Cocky bastard. He’s decided he can take everyone here. Dragons included."

  I arched a brow. Honestly, he probably wasn’t wrong. Kane’s reputation was formidable.

  "I’m doing Quinn next."

  I flinched a little at her choice of words, then chided myself for it.

  "Hmmm… hmm!" She sounded genuinely surprised. "He’s… not gross. I’ll give him that. He’s hopeful. Interested. Curious." She smiled faintly. "He’s taking in the pub like he’s never been in one."

  "I wonder if he has," I mused. I led a fairly sheltered life before I started combing Boston for Sia. My mentor kept me tethered to my books most days, and he was one of the more lenient academics. He at least let me read the occasional non-academic text. I can’t imagine that Elder Long gave much in the way of slack.

  "Poor bastard," she sighed. I could see her watching him. He looked good, sharply dressed in a blazer and electric-blue button-down. I glanced down at myself, in my plain white button-down and boring black slacks.

  I cleared my throat. "How ab
out Jared?" I offered helpfully and not at all to distract her from my direct competition.

  "Heh. I get to study his mind for once." She pondered. "Wow… he’s really hard to read." She frowned. "It’s not that there’s nothing there… there’s some sort of emotions, but they’re… stifled. Like he’s smothering them with everything he’s got." She snorted softly in frustration. "Dude’s got issues. I wonder what he’s like when he actually does feel something. This is some serial-killer shit right here."

  I felt my spine relax a few notches. Now she knew.

  They ambled over. I felt her tense. They nodded at us and bellied up to the bar. Kitty shot us a glance, then turned on her best bartender smile.

  "What can I get you lads this fine evening?" Her voice was friendly, but wary.

  Dario flashed her his most winning smile. "Your top shelf vodka, over ice, please. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. McKinnett." He extended a hand.

  Kitty arched a suspicious brow at him, then turned her attention to the others. Dario ran the neglected hand through his perfectly styled hair. The winning smile faded.

  "Michelweisen," Kane grunted. I gagged a little. I’d drunk it once, on a dare from Galen. It was cheap, and Sia told me that Kitty only kept it on tap because some of the hipster crowd liked to drink it ironically, and the occasional frat boys who wandered in liked to drink it in large quantities. Kitty’s brow did not drop.

  "Scotch, single malt if you have it," Jared said. Kitty’s expression shifted to something resembling appreciative. Uh oh.

  "Highland, Lowland, Islay, or Speyside?" she asked.

  It was Jared’s turn to arch a brow. He smiled approvingly. "Islay, please."

  "A peat man. Impressive. You can stay." Her lip twitched, a crack in the armor. "And you?" She turned to Quinn.

  "I…uh…don’t drink." Quinn blushed. "What do you recommend?"

  Her lip twitched again, this time in amusement. "I make a mean Shirley Temple."

  "That sounds lovely. One of those, please." Quinn’s voice was so earnest, it was hard not to crack a smile. I felt for him despite myself. My first time in a bar, I’d tried to order Flamebright, an aperitif made by fire dragons in Kentucky. Unsurprisingly, they’d never heard of it. Galen took it upon himself to educate me in the ways of human liquor that evening. I remember very little about what happened after that. The upshot, essentially, was: gin and tonic good, hangover bad. Very bad.