“I’m sorry Lach hasn’t responded,” Elspeth said. “I haven’t been able to reach him either.”
“It’s so unlike him. We open The Barkleton day or night whenever Lach wants to get Maylene, but it’s four days past her pickup, and we’re booked solid this weekend. You’re listed as the emergency contact.” The dog-sitter handed over the leash. “I’m sorry we can’t keep her any longer.”
“No problem.” She stooped down and unleashed the English bulldog. “I appreciate you bringing her over. If Lach has an outstanding balance, call me, and I’ll take care of the bill.”
“Will do. Bye, Maylene.” The woman waved tentatively at the persnickety dog, who turned her head toward the living room like a queen shunning an undesirable subject.
Elspeth closed the door and swallowed the knot of dread. Maylene was the top woman in Lach’s life, and he’d never overlook anything about his dog.
“Tell me the diamonds on that collar aren’t real.” Zum sat in the hallway scratching Maylene’s brindled head. Ever the queen, she accepted the homage, her pink tongue lolling out one side of her mouth as she panted her appreciation.
Elspeth went to the kitchen to fetch a bowl of water.
“Like Lach would touch a rhinestone.” She turned on the faucet, scolding herself to calm down. “If the collar surprises you, don’t ask about the hand-ground raw food he has delivered every seventy-two hours.”
Lach’s fine. It can’t be that easy to get back from Antarctica.
“Order this sweet baby a steak from Gallaghers.” Zum rested on her side, rearing back as Maylene tried to lick her mouth.
“I’m about to lose it, Zum.” Four texts. Two calls. Aleron hadn’t answered any of them. She threw her friend a pleading glance. “Can’t you get some kind of ‘I’m okay’ from Aleron through your friendship bracelet? I lost the warm feel of the protective bubble I tried to wrap him in when we communed.”
“I’ve felt sensations through it before, but none today. Seanair can get a little long-winded when he’s on a rant.” Zum stood, moving in quickly for a tight hug. “I’m sure Aleron’s fine.”
“He should have checked in by now.”
“And I’m telling you to chill. You’ve got too much on your plate, and you’re going to overload your circuits.”
“Great. I’m a robot on top of everything else.”
“No, you’re a Nexus, which is the greatest thing to happen to our people in centuries.”
She buried her face in Zum’s shoulder. “Nothing like going from zero to hero with no training or even a manual.”
Kazumi stepped back, grasping Elspeth’s shoulders, her dark brows knit tight. “You’re doing great. Seanair should have given you time instead of thrusting the Judex thing on you and forcing you to witness Rob’s immolation. Ignore that email he forwarded last night from the French contingent about their ‘real’ treatment for the tripowered disease. I swear, your grandfather’s machine-gun-leadership style needs a cease-fire.”
“Witnessing Rob’s return to the source has only made me more determined.” She took Zum’s hands. “My powers get stronger each day, but the quickest way to get a stopgap for Lach is if I marry into or form an alliance with the family who owns the most promising technology.” The weight of what she was loomed large. “Whatever becomes of Lach, I won’t be like Seanair and use my power to force compliance or take what I want. I couldn’t live with myself if I did.”
“You’re nothing like Seanair.” Something dark swirled in Zum’s deep-blue eyes. “My mother’s working her connections in Asia for information, and her reach is long.” She leaned back, her expression heart-attack serious. “Lach’s lived a lot longer than the others, and there’s got to be a reason for that. He’s what, thirty-one?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll keep at it on Lach.” Zum’s mouth pulled to the side in a teasing smile. “Try not to worry about Aleron. His strength is more crematorium than Easy-Bake, but don’t tell him I said that.”
She sized up her best friend. Kazumi’s jet-black hair was slicked back into a high ponytail. With gunpowder dark eyeliner, a tight black turtleneck, and leggings, she’d gone Goth cat burglar today. “I love you. You know that, right?”
“I love you too, E. You’re my sib from another crib.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you. Seriously.” She rested her forearms on Zum’s shoulders. “This is all too much, and you’re keeping me both sane and protecting Manhattan from my monsoon.”
“Girl, are you listening to yourself? You’re trying to learn, in a matter of days, what took me six years. The fact you managed to pool water in the air today is incredible.”
Their Water games had been pretty cool, the main issue being how to regulate volume.
“I know. And thank you for trying to distract me from stressing about Aleron not answering my texts.” She straightened and spoke the truth baked into her every cell. “I love him, Zum. I know it’s fast, but it’s real. I can’t imagine life without him, but I have to face reality. I can’t undo centuries of social protocol because I think the status thing’s ridiculous. If I focus on that, my brother dies.”
“No worries.” She swatted a hand toward Elspeth. “We’ll launch Operation Secret Romance. Aleron can play bodyguard on the streets, hot lover in the sheets.”
“It won’t work.”
“It will. EB’s broiling over you. You can’t let a man like that get away.” Zum’s hand covered her heart as she belted out the lyrics of an old favorite song. “Is this love that I’m feelin’?”
Elspeth covered her ears, unable to endure her best friend’s obsession for old-school, eighties rock ballads. “Stop. No Whitesnake. No Scorpions. And for Goddess’s sake, no Tesla.”
Zum chewed her lip, her singing face morphing to serious. “Don’t give up yet, okay? He gazes at you the same sappy way my father looks at my mother.”
Raised voices came in the hall, followed by a quick knock.
“Ms. Lennox, your cousins Ross and Flora are here, along with a warlock named Egan. Shall I let them in?”
Goddess on a bike.
“Yes.” She came out of the kitchen to meet a crowd of confused expressions. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Graham called and said to get our asses here, pronto.” Streaks of dirt marred Flora’s face, her clothes askew and dotted with leaves and sticks. “I happened to be in Central Park, as it’s easiest to commune in the dark.”
Naked. Nope. No public nudity in the city.
“We were in Midtown debriefing about the Russians over dinner.” Ross stepped toward her. “Do you have any idea what this is about?”
“No.” She motioned toward the living room, her pulse rising. “Let’s wait in here.”
They hadn’t made it to the sofa when the door smacked the wall. Maylene tore for the bedroom as Graham pushed inside, Aleron strung between him and Kerr.
Her heart kicked. Hard. Her instincts flared. The slow slide of something terrible has happened dredged through her. One look at Aleron, and the room narrowed.
She barreled through her cousins.
Graham grunted under the strain, Aleron several inches taller and wider than her brother and cousin. “He’s still bleeding.”
“I don’t care. Move the coffee table so they can put him on the couch,” she ordered Ross and Egan. She raced to the only person who mattered. “Baby?” She cradled Aleron’s blood-crusted cheeks, and her brain screeched to a halt. Cold. Weak. Failing.
Her energies ripped from her. An explosion of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire circled him, a twister of Fire and Air whirling a fierce spray of healing heat and air.
He was dying. The man she loved was—
“No!” The word tore from her in a howl.
Hands gripped her shoulders.
“He’s just weak. Elspeth, stop!” Zum’s voice broke through, both her best friend and Flora jerking her back.
“Get him to the couch,” Graham order
ed, stepping away as Ross swooped in to help Kerr. Her brother’s hands gripped her shoulders, his face even with hers. “He’s lost blood. I’ve already called the doctor dedicated to Elite One. They’re bringing over several pints of a preparation for a Fire and Air of his strength. Between whatever you did to protect him and his own energy, he’s holding up better than he should be. He’s not dying, Elspeth. I promise. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
Protest surged inside her, but though Graham wasn’t the most caring brother, she could count on him for honesty. That didn’t stop her from parking herself on her knees beside Aleron’s prone body.
“What happened?” She looked up, worry welling in her throat.
“I’ll tell you what happened,” Kerr snapped, causing her to jerk her head around. Her cousin jabbed a finger toward Aleron, who dozed with his eyes half closed. “Seanair’s dead. And that shitbag right there may not have been the one who actually killed him, but he was in on it and knows what happened to the Goddess-forsaken cuff.”
Graham shot Kerr a back-off glare. “When I need you to answer for me, I’ll let you know.”
She turned back to her brother, her mind a muddled mess.
“Seanair’s two Air guards found him and called me. They’re guarding his body until I get back. I’ve sworn them to secrecy on their lives until we can form a plan.”
Flames whooshed up the chimney. Her own Fire energy rose and strong-armed Kerr’s immense power. While her cousin was a pompous a-hole, oddly enough he was also a devout Natura, honoring and honing his Fire power to incredible levels. She would have thought his fanatical level of devotion to his element would have made him a better person.
“They took his hand!” Fury rolled from Kerr. “Someone hacked off our grandfather’s hand and took the cuff.” His face morphed into a volcanic mask of rage. “Foussé has a motive. Seanair killed his dad when he tried to take the cuff years ago. Our grandfather told me the whole story. Only family should be trusted. Ever.”
An acrid, metallic scent hit her. Blood. Graham’s, Kerr’s, and Aleron’s clothes were soaked with the blood and energy signature she recognized. Her grandfather’s.
“It’s only a matter of time before this gets out.” Kazumi came over and took her hand. “Let me brief my mother. I know she’ll want to talk to you and lend her support where she can. She and Seanair didn’t see eye to eye on many things, but she did respect his commitment to his elements and to peace, even if she disagreed with how he kept it.”
She nodded, her throat clogged with emotion.
Kerr paced at the window, pulling at his hair like he was going to tear it out.
“I’m okay.” Aleron grunted as he shifted to a semireclined position. “I won’t say no to that transfusion, though. Or an aspirin.”
“My bathroom cabinet.” She nodded to Flora.
“I’ve got something better. Give me a minute to whip it up.” Her cousin headed for the kitchen.
A strange numbness of disbelief settled in. Too much power. Too much death. Too much sickness. Too much pain.
Goddess above, what do you expect of me?
Kerr stopped pacing, his cold glare hard. “Do you realize what this means? If we don’t find that cuff and get it on a Fire, things will burn. Everywhere. You won’t be able to stop it. We’ve got a nuclear-fuel rod walking about Manhattan.” He scowled at Aleron. “And you want to kiss our only suspect’s boo-boos. How about a five-star dinner and a cocktail?”
“The bullets were charmed,” Egan interrupted from the corner. “I sense the disintegrating magic.”
Kerr turned his murderous gaze on Egan. “What’s a fucking warlock doing in here?”
Ross stepped between them. “Check your prejudice, cousin. He’s a fully vetted ally of our family.”
“Why don’t you grab a bullhorn and squawk it from the balcony? There are families who will gun for us as soon as the word is out. Literally, it appears. We have to find that cuff.” Kerr gave a harsh nod at Aleron. “And he’s going to tell us where it is. If he needs a little incentive, I can help.”
Stress poured from Aleron, along with his determination to get off the couch and start working.
“He didn’t do it, and he doesn’t know who’s involved other than two people.” Elspeth pushed Aleron back down and eyed Kerr, firing a little breeze around the apartment to remind him that Air gave her the ability to read another person’s intent. She faced Graham. “What do you want to do?”
“Why are you asking him?” Kerr came toward them. “The little professor doesn’t know shit.”
“He’s the ascender.” Elspeth primed her Water, ready to douse Kerr’s hotheaded ass. “Seanair should have told you. I’m sorry.”
“He told you?” Kerr snipped, clearly indicating he still considered her a step above human trash.
“He told me,” Graham interjected. “It’s why he ordered me home for the gala. He told Jon Costa, too, as he wanted to train us both on our new responsibilities. He’s already spoken the prayer of succession. I was to have communion with him next week for the passing of the cuff.”
“I can get you a cuff,” Egan said. “Until you find the real one, I can glamour a metal bracelet so no one will know.” He pushed off the wall. “You don’t need the Natura or coven communities knowing Fire’s untended. The longer that stays true, Fires will sense the fissure, and the covens will sense the energy shift.”
She stood and placed a hand on Aleron’s arm.
Protect.
Power flowed from her like an open elemental spigot, bathing Aleron in a mélange of light.
“Protecting him isn’t necessary,” Flora said, frowning as she returned from the kitchen. “My brother won’t harm him.” She handed Aleron a vial. “This oil tincture will work faster than a human pain pill. It’ll temporarily make you sleepy, but your Fire will burn off the haze.”
Aleron eyed Flora, strain lining his forehead. He tipped back the ampoule and sank against the pillows behind his head. Elspeth raced to her closet and rifled through her jewelry drawer for the cheap bangle she’d worn as part of her genie costume at Kazumi’s last Halloween bash.
“Here.” She opened the clasp, handed it to Egan, and hoped the thing would fit around Graham’s wrist.
“This will work.” The warlock turned over the bracelet. “What does the real cuff look like?”
She recalled the few times Seanair had let her inspect it as a kid. “All the cuffs are made from asteroid metal, so the base is iron, but it’s about four inches wide, coated in matte gold and etched with hieroglyphics.”
Egan nodded. “I’ll need to step into the kitchen for some privacy. Be right back.”
“You should call your parents at the commune,” Graham said to Flora. “Tell them to be on alert. A power vacuum is dangerous until we show some leadership.”
“Good idea. Do you want me to head up to Seanair’s house afterward? I have a healing ritual I can perform on the grounds that may destroy any residual magic.”
“Yes, thanks.” Graham turned to Kerr. “You interact with the lieutenants most. We need a plan for a sit-down for tomorrow. Get the word out and set up the meeting on neutral ground. I want a rooftop where all elements can flow freely.”
“Seanair holds meetings in the Roxy apartment at Radio City Music Hall,” Kerr ground out. “If you’d come home more than once a year for the last decade, you’d know that.”
“I hope your assumptions keep you warm, cousin.” Graham glanced toward the kitchen. “If the covens are responsible for Seanair’s death, we’ll need all the help we can get.”
“Fine,” Kerr said. “I’ll head to the Kindred offices and get the meeting notice out to all Northeast lieutenants.” He stormed off, nearly trampling Egan as he came out of the kitchen.
“Ignore him.” Ross went over to the warlock. “He’s assumed since birth that he was next in line.”
“Here you go.” Egan held the cuff out to Graham, the copycat strikingly similar to what Elspeth
remembered of Seanair’s. “If anyone tries to sense the magic, it’ll feel like Fire but a little off. Blame it on acclimation to your energy. Power looks different to all witches, as the empty vessel inside each of us is unique.”
Graham took the cuff but eyed the warlock for a long, assessing moment, finally shifting his gaze back to Ross. “I’ve got a lot of questions, but for now can you follow Kerr to Kindred and handle the PR plan for the humans and the families? We need to play Seanair’s death off as a robbery gone wrong.”
“Sure thing.” Ross headed for the door with Egan.
“Keep an eye on Kerr in case he boils over.”
Egan hesitated long enough to imply he’d rather charm snakes with his hands tied behind his back. “Will do.”
The door shut as Graham snapped the glamoured bangle around his wrist, pushing it beneath the sleeve of his Henley shirt. “I’ll keep it covered, and hopefully this ruse will hold if no one gets anything but a glimpse of it.” He flexed his wrist like the counterfeit cuff already chafed.
“Don’t play with it,” Elspeth advised. “Don’t draw attention to it. We have to appear as if this transition was well in play.”
“I’ll try, but I need to get going to handle Seanair’s body. Oh, shit, I just remembered—”
“I said the prayer,” Aleron said, his gaze somber. “His elements retired peacefully.”
She went over and clasped his hand in hers, kissing his knuckles. “Thank you. That must have been hard.”
“Not really. But even if it was, I wasn’t about to let him become an Astrux. Even after everything, I’d never wish that hell on him.”
Maylene came out of the bedroom then, hauled her stocky body up onto the couch, and plopped between Aleron’s legs, resting her head on his knee with a jingle of her tags.
“Graham, don’t leave,” Aleron croaked, his voice sounding like his vocal cords had flayed. “I have to tell you something.”
Elspeth squeezed his hand. “Stop talking. You’re too weak.”
“I’m going to be fine,” he insisted, pushing himself to a sitting position despite her protests and the fifty pounds of bulldog on his lap. “Now that the others have gone…I have the cuff.”
The Call of Fire: A Natura Elementals Novel Page 29
