“What do you mean?” asked Christopher and Logan at the same time.
“Demons are susceptible to the power of faith,” said Mike.
“You think you can pray the bastard away?” scoffed Logan.
“It seems to have worked at least once,” I said. I recounted the incident when Mike’s prayers—okay, exorcism—had driven Marcus away.
Logan and Christopher looked at Mike with newfound respect.
“A magician-killing knife and a prayer that pains demons,” said Logan. “I think we should keep you around. You’re like some kind of saint.”
“I’m no saint,” said Mike. “Just a believer. Luna’s the saint.”
“I’m not a saint,” I said quickly. “Aren’t saints supposed to be virgins?” I rubbed my belly and laughed. “I’m far from perfect. No more joking about sainthood.”
“Yes, Saint Luna,” said Logan.
I gave him my ‘don’t screw with me’ stare and he quickly added, “Sorry alpha. No more saint jokes.”
“Okay,” I said to change the subject from my imaginary sainthood. “The dagger will be held by Mike. What should we do with that timestone?” I pulled it from my bag.
“It’s got a slew of curses on it,” Mason said.
“It won’t hurt a werewolf. But I can’t leave it lying around or a human might get hurt. Can you remove these curses?”
I started to hand the timestone to Mason, then took a closer look at the object. It seemed to only have three curses left. They were nasty, but nowhere near as bad as the layers of curses I had seen on it before.
“I can get rid of those,” said Mason. “I’m very familiar with these curses.”
He took the timestone and stepped to the center of his new golden circle. “Mike, I need you to step outside of the circle. This will take only a minute.”
Mike stepped over the circle while Logan and Christopher stepped back even further.
A shimmering globe sprang into place, as if the silver dome covering a serving dish had dropped over the circle.
Christopher and Logan took a few steps back, noses curled in disgust. Natural werewolf hatred of magic.
After about three minutes, the globe popped like a soap bubble, revealing Mason. His hair was scorched, with smoke rising from his blond curls.
“Wow!” he said. “Those were some nasty curses. But they’re gone now.”
He handed me the glowing green timestone. In my palm, the color of the stone changed to a brilliant red that perfectly matched my nails. There was no trace of magic in the stone to either my werewolf or magician senses.
“Pretty rock,” I said. I brought the stone close to my nose and sniffed. Still no trace of magic.
I held the stone out to Logan. “Do you smell any magic in this thing?”
Logan cautiously sniffed. “No. Did the magician set his hair on fire to burn out the magic in this stone?”
Mason looked up and sniffed, finally noticing the smoke from his head. He ran his fingers through his hair and suddenly he had clean hair in a perfect trim.
Logan and Christopher shook their heads and snorted. Even the slightest use of magic irritated them.
“The magic’s gone?” I asked.
“No, it can still warp time. Time magic is different than other types. Like gravity, you see that the meta-particles of time are—”
He halted abruptly at our uncomprehending looks. “Never mind. It’s another genre of magic.”
“But what can this rock do?” asked Mike.
“It let a human move fast enough to nearly kill me,” I said.
I recounted the fight with the Guild’s deadliest assassin.
“He was faster than you?” asked Mike. “How did you beat him?”
“I shot him with an iron arrow.”
“Yeah, those fairies really hate iron—” Logan started, then corrected himself. “Wait, you can dodge arrows. If this guy was faster than you, how did you hit him?”
“I had help,” I said, nodding at Mason. “We’re a good team. He deals with the magic and I handle the mayhem.”
Mason grinned in agreement. Not letting on that I had magical resources of my own was becoming second nature to him.
A girl’s got to have some secrets, right?
“Now that the curses are lifted,” said Mason, “you can safely carry the stone.”
“It’s pretty, but I already have a necklace. Anyway, you know I’m not a jewelry girl. Werewolves never wear jewelry.”
“It’s also a powerful weapon,” said Mason.
“It’s the same as the dagger,” I said. “Me carrying a magical weapon would cause nothing but trouble. You take it.”
Mason rubbed his shirt at the spot on his chest where his favorite magical amulet lay. “I can’t carry it. It would interfere with my magic.”
He looked regretful, then shook his head. “Dad made it for me, but now I can’t use it.”
“What? Your dad made this for you?” I asked. “Is that why you were so familiar with it? How did it end up in the hands of the Assassin’s Guild?”
“That’s a long story.”
“More fairy tales,” muttered Logan.
“Tell me the story later,” I said to Mason. “For now, what are we going to do with this magic rock? Give it to Mike so he has a matching set?”
“It’s too dangerous for Mike,” said Mason. “Or any human. If activated incorrectly, it will age a human to death instantly.”
The image of the Guild assassin aging before my eyes flashed in my mind. If using the stone had sucked the life out of one of those tremendously long-lived Fae, what would it do to a human or a werewolf? The stone suddenly burned in my hand.
“You take it!” I said, thrusting the amulet and necklace toward him. “It might hurt the cubs.”
“I can’t carry it. Dad gave me a warning that if I carried the stone, it would be the end of me.”
“Just because he had a bad feeling about this rock doesn’t mean you should give it to Luna,” said Mike. “If it’s as dangerous as you say, that would be like giving a loaded gun to a child.”
“You don’t understand. It’s not ‘a bad feeling.’ Not like Dr. Patrizia’s flashes. Dad remembers the future. We all take his warnings seriously.”
Mason took the amulet from my trembling hand. Relief swept through me. Logan and Christopher let out the breaths they had been holding.
“Just bury the damned thing in the mine,” said Logan.
“It doesn’t matter what we do,” said Mason with resignation. “It’s fated to show up.”
“Your dad’s some kind of prophet?” I asked. Anger flashed through me. “Why didn’t that asshole warn us about the assassin? She almost killed me and the cubs.” I rubbed the scar on my belly where the assassin had come within an inch of ending our lives.
“It doesn’t work that way. It’s hard to explain. If he gives out warnings, time shifts around to thwart his plans.”
I pointed to the amulet in his hand. “What do we do with this thing? We can’t throw it away, it’s too powerful to give away, and it’s dangerous to keep around.”
“Doesn’t it have a safety?” asked Mike.
“A safety? Like on a gun?” I asked.
Mason tilted his head and gazed into empty space for a long time, long enough to make us all uncomfortable. His fingers twitched and he murmured in Fae. What I could understand sent shivers down my spine.
Mason blinked, then smiled. “A safety is an excellent idea. I can render the timestone inert until certain conditions are met.”
“What conditions?” asked Mike with the directness of a warrior who wants to know all about how weapons can be used.
Mason closed his eyes and brought the stone to his forehead. “That would be a ‘spoiler,’ as Dad would say.”
The timestone shifted colors, from deepest red, through orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. I had the sensation that it continued up through the invisible spectrum.
He ha
nded the stone to me and said, “Kiss it like you do with the coins we made. It will bond to you and remain unpowered until we activate it together.”
I took the stone and touched it to my lips, letting the tiniest trickle of lunar magic out. For a moment, the stone glowed like a full moon, silvery and chill. Then it reverted to match the blood-red color of my nail polish.
I blinked, and for a moment there were multiple copies of everyone in the garage, like the ghostly overlay of several films. One copy of Mike and Logan were locked in combat, snarling silently as they attempted to kill each other. Multiple copies of Christopher were standing in different poses, but none were inside Mason’s magic circle. Other copies of Mike were working inside the circle with copies of Mason.
As quickly as it came, the visions passed. Everyone was now in their original spot.
“Are you sure this thing is turned off?” I asked.
Mason tilted his head and squinted. “Why? Did you feel something?”
Alphas who see things or start acting erratically are soon deposed. Throw in a bit of magic and they would probably be killed.
“No,” I said. “I thought I felt a tingle. Probably my imagination.”
“Okay,” said Mason, “it should be safe now. It will take both of us to break the lockdown.”
I passed the amulet to Logan and Christopher. “Tell me if you sense any magic in this damned rock,” I said.
Logan was the first to reach out and touch it, like he expected the stone to shock him. After the barest brush of his fingertip caused no reaction, he relaxed enough to make a closer examination.
He took the amulet from my hands and sniffed deeply. Then he stared at the stone as if hypnotized.
He handed the amulet to Christopher and said, “You test it Chris. I can’t smell anything. Hell, her fancy nail polish stinks more than this rock.”
Christopher repeated Logan’s inspection. He finally nodded. “It’s inert. Whatever the magician did locked out any magic.”
I breathed a silent sigh of relief. If my beta and my runt both agreed that this talisman had no trace of magic, the rest of the pack would follow suit.
Mason gave a tiny headshake, which was ignored by Logan and Christopher.
“So, it’s inert,” I said. “What do we do with this thing? Lock it up in a safe?”
“No,” said Mason. “I would love to hide it away, but we might need it. Any place I locked it up would become a target for magical thieves. I might need it at a moment’s notice. Could you wear it?”
“You know I don’t like jewelry,” I said. “Even if it is pretty. When I shift, it would drop off. My wolf would leave it behind in a heartbeat.”
Mason stared into empty space for thirty seconds. “It would be safer with you than with anyone else. Any magical thief who tried to snatch this from you would regret it.”
“Didn’t you say you can’t shift until after the children are born?” asked Mike. “Can’t you just carry it for him until then?”
I feigned reluctance. If Mason thought I needed to carry this rock, I would carry it. Did the stone really trigger my vision of alternate futures?
“Well, if it would help Mason,” I said slowly, while watching Christopher and Logan.
Logan spoke first. “It’s no different than when you carry all of his crap in that invisible bag of yours. As long as you don’t use magic, I don’t care.”
Christopher nodded assent.
“But we don’t like our alpha being a pack-mule for a damned magician,” said Logan.
I opened my mouth to reprimand him, but Mike interrupted.
“Don’t be stupid,” he said. “They’re a team. Each one does whatever task they are best suited for. Luna is tough, fast, and inhumanly strong. Mason’s a wimpy magician, full of sneaky scams. It’s obvious that she’s better suited to carry his tricks.”
Mason raised an eyebrow at Mike’s comment but said nothing.
“Makes sense,” said Logan. He waited for Christopher to nod before continuing. “Go ahead and carry Mason’s stuff. The pack won’t object.”
“All right,” I said, looping the gold chain around my wrist. “I can probably keep it here—” The chain slipped, and the amulet dropped toward the floor.
I bent my knees and caught it before it had dropped six inches.
Mason stepped forward and took it from my hand, carefully avoiding touching the stone. “Here, let me adjust it for you.”
I stuck my left hand out, palm down. Holding the amulet by the chain, he draped it over my wrist so the stone was facing up. I expected him to loop the long chain a few times and close the clasp.
Instead, with a few words and a gesture, he made the gold re-form into a much shorter, much thicker chain. Even the simple clasp had been modified. It closed with a satisfying click. The bracelet now fit my wrist snugly.
“It feels strange to wear a bracelet,” I said. “I haven’t worn any jewelry since I was a teen.”
“Think of it as carrying a weapon,” said Logan. That made me feel better. It wasn’t vanity if it was a weapon.
A heavy-duty tow truck pulled up to the curb outside. There was a trailer behind the truck with a tarp-covered vehicle.
The driver exited and walked up to the open garage. “One of you a Mr. Mason? I got a delivery for you.”
“Close enough,” said Mason. He took the offered clipboard and scrawled his signature. “Just drop the car right there. Are the keys inside?”
We all stepped outside as the truck drove away. Mason grinned at me and pulled the tarp away with a stage magician’s flourish. The tarp flew away from his hands and landed inside the garage, neatly folded.
“Ta-da!” he said. “I got you a replacement.”
“Another Tesla!” I said. “Thank you!”
I hugged him tightly, then pulled away. “I thought the waiting list for these was months long. How did you get another so quickly?”
“Elon owed me a favor.”
Everyone laughed. Only Mason and I knew it was true.
“I thought we were going to have to start driving antiques to avoid having our cars crashed by assassination teams,” said Mike.
“I thought of that,” said Mason, “but I came up with another way to protect the car.”
“More computer hacking?” asked Christopher.
“A mix of engineering and magic,” said Mason. “That’s why I put that circle in the garage floor.”
Mason stroked the roof of the car like a lover and I felt a flash of jealousy. Men and their machines. Then I took a deep breath and pushed the emotion away.
“I could use an extra set of hands,” said Mason. “Would one of you like to help?”
Both Christopher and Logan shook their heads. “And mess with magic?” scoffed Logan. “You’re on your own, magician.”
“I’d love to work on this beauty,” said Mike.
“Great!” said Mason. “Mike and I can do the upgrade. That means we’ll be the first to drive it.”
Mike hopped into my new car to drive it into the garage. I took a minute to speak with Logan and Christopher.
“I’m going to come by in a bit and visit, if that’s all right,” I said. “Chris, I understand your wife finally moved here from Los Angeles. I’d like to see her again. How much does she remember?”
“Some days she remembers everything—meeting in prison, our matches, the first time she saw me shift. Then other days it’s like she can’t remember anything.”
“We’ll see if she can remember me.” I turned to Logan. “Are your kids here today?”
“Yes, alpha. But they spend more time on their phones than talking.”
“Okay, I’ll pop in to say hello.”
I walked back through the garage. Mason and Mike already had my new car up on jack stands and had pulled the doors off. Mason was upside down in the passenger seat, doing something under the dashboard.
In the kitchen, I turned on the oven and started to work, slicing fruit, preppin
g pie pans, and kneading dough. In less than an hour, I slid the pies into the oven. I could have been done a lot quicker using magic, but any werewolf would reject a pie with traces of magic. Better to stick with sugar and spice.
I cleaned up my mess, the smell of baking pies brought back memories that made the cleanup go quicker.
Once the kitchen was sparkling, I took a shower and dressed. The closet was divided; three-quarters held the dresses I could no longer wear, and the remaining held my maternity clothes. I stroked my favorite little black dress and promised us a night out together after the cubs were weaned.
The pies were ready, and I put them on the counter to cool down. I stood in the kitchen, my kitchen, and breathed deeply. The blend of scents—the pies, Mason’s smell, polish, and cleaning products—mixed to make this place my home.
I had never really felt that any place had been my home until now. Screw the castle on a tropical island; this was where I wanted to be.
I pulled two frosty beers from the fridge and took them out to the garage.
Mike was turning wrenches under the car and Mason was working on a door he had disassembled down to bare metal. As I watched, he held a plate of stainless steel in his hands and gave the door a measuring look. Then he quickly traced a line of magical fire onto the steel. Like a giant cookie-cutter had stamped it, the stainless-steel split and the extra metal fell to the floor with a clang. What was left fit perfectly inside the door panel. Mason gestured again and the metal seemed to flow like putty, attaching to the door panel in an unbreakable bond.
“You guys ready for a beer?” I asked. “Dmitri always tasked me with keeping the beers flowing when he worked on a car.”
Mike rolled out from under the car and stood. “I’d love a beer, Luna. Thank you.”
“Thank you, dear,” said Mason as he accepted the bottle.
“What are you doing with those panels?” I asked.
“We’re making your car bulletproof by adding steel panels,” said Mason.
“Won’t that make it too heavy to move? Lining the entire car with stainless-steel panels would add an extra ton to the weight.”
“We only add the bulletproofing to the interior. The engine compartment and the trunk will stay the same. Plus, this car has a very heavy battery pack. Mike’s pulling the battery pack and we’re going to upgrade it to remove almost all the weight.”
Lycan Legacy - 4 - 5 - 6: Princess - Progeny - Paladin: Book 4 - 5 - 6 in the Lycan Legacy Series Page 46
