blood and magic 02 - kissed by fire

by Danielle Annett

  “Aria, do you really think that is such a good idea? You were just attacked earlier this afternoon. You should take things easy and you shouldn’t go anywhere alone. Not with the threat to you still out there.”

  I shook him off. “Maybe if you hadn’t killed the only viable source of information I had, I wouldn’t need to go out right now.”

  His eyes narrowed and I realized my mistake too late. Stupid, Aria, stupid, stupid, stupid. I wanted to bang my head in to the nearby wall.

  “And where exactly is it that you’re going?”

  “That isn’t any of your business,” I said.

  “I beg to differ.”

  I rolled my eyes and continued forward. Again he stopped me, this time by stepping in front and blocking my path with the bulk of his body. Declan stood at six feet tall, towering over my five-foot-seven frame. I hated having to look up when I scowled at someone. He folded his arms across his chest, the forest green tee he wore stretching across his chest and shoulders. It drew attention to his well-defined muscles. Declan was ripped, and that was an understatement. He looked imposing but I didn’t back down. I got right in his face, drawing myself to my full height and then some as I stood on my tiptoes.

  “Look, you don’t own me. You don’t control me, and you have no right to tell me what I can or can’t do. You are not my mother or my father, so get out of my way.”

  He glared down at me, his eyes glinting metallic emerald in the light, his tiger at the surface, before a wide smile spread across his face.

  My heart skipped a beat. “What are you smiling about?”

  “You’re kind of cute when you’re angry.” He did not just call me cute. I crossed my arms over my chest and rocked back on my heels.

  “Oh really? Well I’m about to be fucking gorgeous here in two seconds.”

  That drew a laugh, deep and rich. I gritted my teeth.

  “You, little girl, need to realize that you are being reckless. You’re being impulsive and acting without regard for your own well-being. Now stop playing around and tell me where you’re going.”

  God, I wanted to hit him. Really hard upside the head. Or I could light his ass on fire. I smiled at the thought. He was so damn arrogant. I stared into his eyes, and the moment we locked, I was hit with the realization that I would lose. Damn Alpha stare. He wouldn’t budge. The Alpha was too, well, Alpha. Lighting his on fire was sounding better and better as each second passed.

  Every scenario I could think of played in my head as I tried to find a way around him. I needed to get to The Ref. I was already short on time as it was. Knowing he’d scent a lie, I tried to be as honest as possible.

  “Look, I’m going to The Ref,” I said with a huff. “Will you let me go now?”

  The Ref was a well-known bar and grill in Spokane Valley. It was known for being an upstanding establishment, so really, Declan wouldn’t have a good reason to stop me from going. For all he knew, I just wanted to have a drink and forget about today.

  He seemed skeptical, though. His nostrils flared, and I knew he was trying to detect whether or not I was lying. I wasn’t and he knew it. He took a step to the side and I was finally able to brush past him.

  “Thank you,” I said, keeping my nose high. It was about damn time.

  I opened the main door and stepped outside. I felt like running, but I kept my steps even, my breathing light. I was outside, but I wasn’t home free yet. I walked down the stone pathway that would lead me to my car, the crisp air slightly stinging my cheeks. As my Honda Civic came into view, I felt the sensation that I wasn’t alone. I turned around and, dammit, there he was. Declan was right behind me, literally.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Coming with you.”

  “No, you’re not. I don’t need a babysitter.” When was he going to get that through his thick skull?

  He shrugged his shoulders, unfazed. I rounded to the driver’s side, unlocked the driver door, and slid in. Declan reached for the handle and pulled on the door of the passenger side. Nothing happened. I started the engine. There was a knock on the window and Declan indicated for me to open the door. I shook my head. Nope, not going to happen, buddy. I put the car in reverse and gently pressed the gas. The car didn’t move. I frowned. Sonofabitch. Pressing a bit more firmly on the gas pedal, I tried again. Nothing. I glared at him. His arm was braced on the car, one hand locked to firmly hold the handle.

  I scowled and pushed the gas harder. I heard a crunch of metal and then watched as he casually tossed my passenger door handle away. What the hell? I stopped and pressed the automatic button to roll down the window. The switch not moving nearly fast enough.

  “What is your problem?” I yelled.

  Declan reached through the window, lifted the inside door handle, opened the door, and proceeded to climb in the car. He calmly reached for the seatbelt and buckled himself in, sitting back and looking as relaxed as ever.

  The car continued to idle as I sat there, staring at him as though I could will him to get the hell out of my car with just my gaze.

  “Well, are we going?” he asked after a full minute passed.

  “No, we are not going. Get out of my car! I don’t need you following me.”

  “I’m not following you. If it were that simple, I’d have just taken my own car. I’m visiting, being social. You should try it some time.”

  He was kidding, right? He had to be kidding. Looking at his expression, I realized that no, he was not kidding. Seriously, could my day get any worse? Without a choice, I pulled out of the Compound and headed towards The Ref, ignoring Declan as best as I could. We passed through the massive Compound gates and I nodded to those shifters I saw along the way. Here was to hoping that Inarus would still show and that I’d be able to talk some sense into Declan. I needed to get some information out of Inarus before the damn tiger went all Alpha and killed him too.

  As I made my way further from the Compound, Declan turned in his seat and faced me.

  “I’m sorry for being rash in my decision to kill the vampire. My instincts kicked in and I believed I was protecting you.” The expression on his face was like he was trying to chew glass. It was almost comical how painful it seemed for him to utter something as simple as an apology.

  “Uh, thank you?” I said. This was just weird. I was pretty sure he was losing his marbles because this was way out of the norm for him.

  “You don’t have to seem so skeptical.”

  “I’m not, you’re just behaving strangely.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, for starters, you break my car, force yourself on my trip, and then apologize for being rash. Does any of that seem normal for Declan, Alpha of the Alphas, to you?”

  “I didn’t break your car, I broke the handle, and really that was your fault. I didn’t rip it off; your foot on the pedal did that.”

  “Still not normal.”

  Declan shrugged like it was no big deal.

  Pulling into the parking lot of The Ref, I noticed that the bar was surprisingly uncrowded. There was only a small scattering of cars parked throughout the lot. We’d made it here with only minutes to spare and I anxiously scanned the parking lot for any sign of Inarus, but aside from two men smoking near the entrance, the lot was deserted.

  I opened my door. “I’ll be back, wait here,” I said, my voice firm.

  “Not a chance in hell,” Declan said as he followed to exit the vehicle.

  Slamming my door, I turned on him. “Can you for once just, I don’t know, take direction? I don’t need you scaring him off or interfering. Just wait in the car, please.” The last was said through gritted teeth, but you got more bees with honey. Maybe if I was polite he’d actually listen. From the look on his face, though, it was doubtful.

  Declan raised a brow. “Who are you meeting? I was under the impression that you were coming to The Ref to hangout, maybe let off some steam. I thought we were being social.”

  Shit. Why did I keep shoving my
foot in my mouth? There was no getting around this. “No, you were being social. Look, I’m just meeting someone who has some information about today’s attack. It’s no big deal.”

  “You want me to wait in the car while you meet with a dangerous supernatural after having just been attacked earlier this morning.” He could wait inside the bar is he’d prefer. All I cared about was that he was away from me.

  “I’m not meeting with anyone dangerous. And how do you even know that they’re a supernatural?”

  His eyebrow arched even higher.

  “Fine, he’s a supernatural. So what?”

  “How do you know that whoever you’re meeting with wasn’t behind the attack? This could be a trap.”

  “I just do, okay.”

  “No, it is not okay. You’re being stupid and I’m not going to just watch you stick your neck out for no good reason.”

  God, he was so infuriating. “You are not my keeper!” I was practically yelling by now, small waves of heat coming off of me and melting the snow around my feet. How many times did I have to remind him? I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I didn’t need him acting like my mother for Christ’s sake.

  I walked around the front of the Civic and stopped before him, my hand propped on my hips. “Look, I don’t work well with others—”

  “You’ve got that right,” he interrupted. I bit my cheek to hold in my retort but gave him my best glare. He shrugged, unfazed.

  “I don’t need you getting in my way. Whatever you might think, Inarus isn’t a threat to me, so if you’re going to be stubborn and refuse to wait in the car, at least stay the hell out of my way.”

  “You’re meeting with the damn psyker?”

  Whoops, probably shouldn't have mentioned him. Declan had a sore spot when it came to Inarus. It might have had something to do with the fact that Inarus had been able to easily infiltrate the Compound, bypass all of the Pack’s security, and get away right under Declan’s nose with no one the wiser. A single individual having that much stealth didn’t sit right with the him. There was nothing I could do about it, though, so I turned and began walking to the far end of the lot, the snow melting beneath my feet and making splashing sounds with each step.

  I didn’t bother to look and see if he was following me. If he knew what was good for him, he’d stay out of my way. Reaching the far side of the parking lot, I leaned against a brick wall and set in to wait. Spokane was cold this time of year, winter beginning to make its presence known. Fall rains had quickly turned to winter snows, but we were still in that in-between stage where everything felt wet. The newly fallen snow was quickly turning to slush on the roads and I could already feel the moisture seeping in to my shoes with each step I took.

  I directed my fire towards my feet without drawing out any flames. If I was going to melt snow anyway, I may as well keep my toes warm. I’d been practicing control and sending heat to targeted areas of my body was quickly turning into a useful skill. Within seconds, my feet became nice and toasty and I leaned back in comfort, my eyes constantly scanning the lot and nearby streets for any sign of my quarry.

  Declan leaned against the hood of my car and I had to smile at the fact that he hadn't worn a coat. Sucked to be him right now.

  Over thirty minutes passed with no sign of Inarus. Declan had remained outside in the open, but at least he’d stayed near the car. I watched him stand still as a statue the entire time, his gaze on tonight’s full moon. I knew the moon didn’t call to him, not in the way stories said it did. Shifters felt no urge to take their animal form on a full moon, but he still seemed captivated by its very presence. Maybe just because it was something beautiful to behold. I wasn’t really sure. I pulled out my cell phone and checked the time. Forty-four minutes had passed.

  He wasn’t coming. I kicked clumps of snow in frustration as I made my way back to my car, irritated that I’d waited out in the cold for three quarters of an hour just to be stood up like a prom date. Declan caught the movement and turned toward me, watching my approach through a narrowed gaze like a predator watching his prey. I tried not to fidget. When I was ten yards away from my vehicle, the distinct buzzing of a psyker nearby had me freezing. In a flash, Declan was on alert, jogging towards me.

  “What is it?” he asked when he was next to me, his voice holding a thread of concern. I waited, scanning the area for any sign of Inarus. The buzzing persisted for a full two minutes, but I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. Declan stood by in silence, doing his own visual scan of the area. We both came up empty.

  “He was just here,” I said, “but now he’s gone.”

  “How do you know?”

  I looked at him like he was a moron. I’d told him already about the buzzing that let psykers know when one of their own kind was near. It was akin to the sound of bees, faint but annoying at the same time.

  “You know how, the buzz in my head,” I said, tapping my temple. He nodded in understanding. When the buzzing didn’t come back after several more minutes ticked by, I decided it likely wouldn’t. I wasn’t about to wait another forty plus minutes to see if it did. I pulled my keys from my jacket pocket and, taking the hint, Declan went back to the car and waited beside the passenger door. I climbed inside and then stared out the passenger side window as Declan waited with his hands in his pockets. I debated whether or not to let him in. With the door handle now broken, he couldn’t open the door from the outside. A part of me wanted to just leave him stranded here in The Ref’s parking lot. I could tell by the scowl on his face that he’d caught my train of thought. It drew a laugh from me that I muffled with my free hand as I leaned over to open the door.

  Declan slid in smoothly, his expression far from amused. I coughed to cover my laugh and the put the vehicle into drive. I cranked on the heater and Declan placed both his hands in front of the vents.

  “Did you seriously consider leaving me there?” he asked after a few minutes.

  “I would never do something so childish to the Alpha of the Pacific Northwest Pack,” I said, laying it on thick with the honorific. I made sure to look him in the eyes while I said it, filling my tone with all the sincerity I could muster. I could tell he wasn’t buying it if the furrow between his brows were any indication.

  A buzzing sensation hit my thigh and I dug through my pocket to retrieve my cell. “Naveed,” I said into the phone.

  “Are you the owner of Sanborn Place?” a man asked on the other end.

  “No, I—” Wait, I was the owner now. It still didn’t feel right. “I am,” I said into the receiver. “What can I do for you?”

  A job right now would be great. I didn’t really care how big or small the gig was so long as it gave me something to do. Hitting the gym or wandering around the Compound was quickly getting old. I was surprised I had potential business already. I’d only just started reaching out to former clients earlier today.

  “I have a problem on my farm. Something is eating my goats.” Okay, maybe I did care about the type of gig. Was he seriously calling me because an animal was attacking his goat herd? I shook my head. Well, it was better than nothing I supposed.

  “And you think I can be of help? Sir, is it possible that a wild coyote is attacking your goats.”

  “No, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. A monster haunts my lands.” A monster? He really needed to be more specific. Our world was filled with monsters. “I’ll explain everything in person.”

  He gave me the address to his farm and I had Declan jot down the numbers as I drove. I promised I’d be there within the hour. It wasn’t like I had anything better to do, and I turned my Civic around and headed towards Green Bluff.

  I offered to drop Declan off at the Compound on my way. Hell, I practically insisted. But he refused. I had a shadow tonight, and it didn’t look like I’d be losing it anytime soon.

  We arrived at the Trezzi farm out in Green Bluff a half hour later. The owner boasted ten acres of property in what was known as the local farming l
ands. A large red barn greeted us as we pulled through the long, dirt-covered driveway, passing a small herd of goats and a cluster of chickens along our way. Their heads rose as we drove past, as though they sensed a predator in their midst. Declan gazed out the window, a wry grin on his face.

  When we parked, a Hispanic man in overalls came out of the barn to greet us.

  “Miss Naveed?” he called, wiping his hands with a small rag.

  “That’d be me,” I said. I reached my hand out when I was close enough. He put his hands up, showcasing his grease-covered palms.

  “Sorry, I haven’t cleaned up, was working on my tractor.”

  I pulled my hand back. I wasn’t really concerned with the grease, but I wasn’t going to push for a handshake, either.

  “No worries. I came as soon as I could. This is an associate of mine, Declan.” I indicated the man beside me, holding back that he was the Alpha of the Pacific Northwest Pack. Declan being Alpha was common knowledge. He’d been in control long enough that his name was remembered, but most only knew him by name, not by face. Despite paranormals having come out of the closet during the Awakening six years ago, people were still skittish when they came face to face with a shifter. Mr. Ortiz looked like a nice enough man, but fear did strange things to people. I didn’t need him any more afraid of what lurked in the shadows than he likely already was. Declan inclined his head in acknowledgment but didn’t bother shaking Mr. Ortiz’s hand.

  “Please, come this way.” Mr. Ortiz led us around the barn, the smell of motor oil strong in the air as we passed by, and towards the small but well-kept home hidden behind it. It was dark now, night having taken over, but the property was well lit with pillar lights spaced periodically throughout. We climbed up the three-step porch and took a seat on the outdoor furniture. I reclined in a wicker chair. Declan claimed a seat beside me with Mr. Ortiz across from us. “Can I get you anything to drink?” he asked.