by Becca Andre
I swallowed.
“I lost them,” Marlowe called back over the seat. “Where to?”
I didn’t want to take Era back to the hospital. “The clinic. Would you call the manor? Let them know what’s going on?”
Marlowe agreed and I turned back to Era.
“Is that okay with you?”
“Oh God,” she whispered. “What if it comes back? I lost three months!”
“You’ve been shot with an alchemically treated quarrel. It’s just Extinguishing Dust. It knocks out your magic, but it’ll wear off in—”
“Addie, you’ve got to help me.” She caught my hands, her grip so tight it hurt. “You cured me before.” She leaned toward me and the fletched end of the quarrel bumped my shoulder. She gasped.
“Just stay still,” I said. “We’ll be there in—”
A buzzing noise drew my attention to the armrest. Era’s phone. Apprehensive, I brought it to my ear. “Hello?”
“What have you done?” Rowan.
“I didn’t do anything.” Maybe I did deserve his condemnation, but not for this. “James’s idiot brothers showed up at the hospital. They shot Era.”
“What the hell was she doing there? With you?”
“Addie, it’s getting worse.” Era’s voice cut out on a whimper.
“Can we do this later?” I asked Rowan. “Era’s having a bad reaction to the Extinguishing Dust.”
“Shit. Where are you?” Rowan demanded.
I leaned to the side and saw a passing road sign. We were only a few miles from my shop. “Meet me at my place. I have an idea.”
“Addie.” There was a warning note in his tone.
“She’s freaking out. She thinks the loss of her magic indicates that she’s…relapsing.” I pulled in a breath. “I can do this, Rowan.”
A pause. “Fine. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He hung up without saying goodbye.
I frowned at the phone. “The man really needs to work on his phone skills.”
Era didn’t react to the quip. She squeezed her eyes closed and rolled her head from side to side against the seat back. I took her hand and turned to give Marlowe our new destination. I hoped this worked.
Chapter
4
I had Marlowe drop me at the front door and directed him to park in the tiny lot behind the shop. That way, he didn’t have to maintain an illusion. A limo wasn’t a common sight in this neighborhood, and at the moment, I preferred to keep a low profile. So far, I’d been failing.
I told Era to stay in the car. The less she moved, the better. I was just here for a formula. I couldn’t do anything about the quarrel, and I didn’t dare try. Elements might heal a lot faster than the average person, but it wasn’t something I was willing to experiment with. I’d leave that to the medical professionals.
I found Ian in the lab, sleeves rolled up and intently watching an old-fashioned copper retort. He might be a necromancer, but he had an outstanding work ethic.
“Ran into a problem,” I said, hurrying to the rack where I kept my finished formulas—the ones I didn’t offer for sale. I gave him a quick recap. He knew about my stint at the gun shop, he just didn’t know that James was a grim.
I selected a vial of amber liquid and returned to my workbench. It was Emil’s formula, the one he’d been selling to mundane humans, claiming it enabled them to temporarily wield magic. I didn’t know if that was true, but I knew it had a powerful effect on the magical—pun intended. But I’d need to dilute it.
A knock on the back door startled me. I tucked Emil’s vial in my pocket before going to answer it.
Marlowe waited on the stoop. The driver’s door and back door stood open on the limo. The rain had slacked off, though a light mist still fell.
“She’s not doing well, Miss.” Marlowe rung his hands, glancing from me to where Era paced behind the limo. Even from the distance, I could see the bloodstain around the quarrel had grown. That concerned me. Shouldn’t her rapid healing slow the bleeding? Or did she keep aggravating the wound? I needed to quiet her to give me a chance to dilute Emil’s potion for her.
“What happened to her before,” Marlowe said, his voice a whisper, “is it happening again?”
“No. She’s just freaking out. I’ll take care of it.”
I rushed back inside, returning to my rack of formulas. I selected a vial of Knockout Powder and a second vial of lime-green liquid—the antidote for the Knockout Powder. I removed the cap and downed the liquid.
“Rowan’s on his way over,” I called, heading for the back door. “Stay alert.”
“I can’t leave this.” Intent on his work, Ian didn’t look up. “Keep him outside.”
I huffed out a breath and headed for the back door. Anything to complicate my life.
No one had moved in my brief absence. Marlowe still waited on the stoop, his expression anxious as he watched Era pace. I didn’t stop to reassure him.
I hurried down the steps and popped off the vial cap with my thumb. With the way she was acting, I might have to move fast.
“Era?” I stepped into her path. “You’re making the bleeding worse. Let’s get back in the car.”
She skidded to a stop, her wide amber eyes on the vial in my hand. “An alchemist. It was an alchemist.”
My blood ran cold. Did she remember?
Abruptly, she turned and ran.
“Era!” I sprang after her. Once she got moving, I’d never catch her. She had at least seven inches on me. Those long legs would outdistance me in no time.
Era glanced back over her shoulder just as her foot hit a patch of oil and slipped out from under her. She slammed into the back of the limo and cried out when the impact drove the quarrel deeper.
I gripped her arm, intent on pulling her around to face me so I could throw the powder in her face.
“No!” She grabbed me by the upper arms, and before I could react, slammed me against the alley wall a few feet from the car. Her fingers dug into my biceps. “I’m not going back.”
Her eyes darted to either side and her grip loosened. She was about to run.
Freed of her grip, I flicked the vial upward and the powder hit her in the face.
Tires squealed behind me, and I spun to face the sound. Rowan’s Camaro slid to a stop beside the limo. The driver’s door flew open.
“Stay back!” I shouted at him. “It’s Knockout Powder!”
Era gasped, jerking my attention back to her. She doubled over, her grip so tight I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out. She started to fall, but I caught her. My back groaned as I struggled to keep her from landing face down on the quarrel.
Fire ignited the world around us, burning away the powder. Suddenly, Rowan was there, catching her around the waist and keeping her upright.
“Era,” he whispered.
She lifted her chin to stare up at him, then her eyes rolled back and she went limp in his arms.
Rowan’s attention shifted to me. “You hit her with Knockout Powder?” Fire still burned in his eyes.
“She was losing it. I was afraid she’d hurt herself.”
Rowan grunted and lifted Era in his arms. “Marlowe!” His sudden shout caused me to jump. “Help me get her in the car,” Rowan said when Marlowe joined him. “We’ll take her to the clinic and get the quarrel removed.”
“Yes, sir.”
The two men gently loaded Era into the back seat, careful not to jostle the quarrel.
Rowan straightened and pulled out his cellphone. “Go ahead,” he told Marlowe. “I’ll have Donovan meet you there.”
Marlowe nodded and hurried to climb in the car. I retreated to the steps while he backed out.
Rowan spent a few minutes making calls before he finally hung up and turned
a frown on me. “What happened?”
“I told you what happened. James’s crazy brothers showed up and tried to take me. Era intervened.”
“Why was Era there?”
“She came to see me this morning.” I released a sigh. “She’d heard about my shop and wanted to check it out. I had an appointment at the hospital that I had to get to. She got upset when I refused her offer of a ride, so I let her drive me. Once there, she wouldn’t leave, insisting she’d wait and take me back.”
“You should have called me.”
I started to speak, but stopped myself. Fire still encircled his pupils. I didn’t fear him—even after everything—but I knew the fire was evidence that he still didn’t have himself completely under control. He wouldn’t listen to reason. Not now. And certainly not where Era was concerned.
“Okay,” I said.
He’d been studying the back of the shop, but his gaze drifted back to me. “Why stop here for Knockout Powder? They could have sedated her at the clinic.”
“That’s not why I stopped here. I intended to counter the X Dust.”
“You have such a potion?” His eyes narrowed in what looked like suspicion.
“I still have a vial of that formula Emil was selling. Remember how it returned your power?”
“I nearly burned myself up. You’re not giving that to her.”
“I was going to dilute it.”
“No.” He continued to study me. “Why didn’t the Knockout Powder knock you out?”
“I took the antidote before I used it.”
“I want some.”
I hesitated. “Do you think I’d use Knockout Powder on you?”
“It does seem to be a favorite among you Alchemica alchemists.” Rowan gestured at my back door, inviting me to go get it.
I turned toward the door, unable to voice a protest. Did he really think I’d use a potion against him? I walked up the back steps, my mind a jumble of hurt and confusion. It wasn’t until my hand gripped the knob that I remembered Ian. Crap.
“Wait here,” I said. “I’ll get it.”
“Wait here?”
Leave it to him to pick up on that. “Yes. I won’t take a moment.” I turned the knob.
“Don’t want to introduce me to your assistant?”
I turned to stare at him. “Have you been spying on me?”
“Not personally, but word gets back.”
Hurt shifted to resentment from one breath to the next. “If you’re so damn worried about me, then why not send in your PIA buddies for a full shake down? As a matter of fact, I keep a record of every formula I’ve brewed. You can have that, too.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Why? Because you already have a list?”
“No.” He joined me on the stoop, towering over me. That was probably by design.
I opened my mouth and closed it. I was too close to breaking down to keep screaming at him, but my hurt and anger still needed an outlet. I turned back to the door and pushed it open. “Come in, Your Grace. Let me give you the tour.”
He didn’t respond, but I heard his footsteps behind me. The bastard. I couldn’t believe he’d resort to something as underhanded as spying on me. And contrary to what he said, he’d clearly been doing just that.
I marched down the back hall, fuming, but came to a dead stop just inside the lab. Ian’s eyes flicked in my direction before returning to the vial he was filling.
Oh God. I couldn’t tell Rowan who my assistant really was. He’d refuse my help entirely. My bullets would go on killing. The Huntsman boys would keep trying to take James. My burn salve would lose its magical support, and Rowan would never let me brew him more of his remedy.
“I told you this wasn’t finished,” Ian said.
“That’s okay,” I said. “My friend wanted an introduction.”
“Then let me wash up.” Ian capped the vial and tucked it in his coat pocket before walking to the sink to wash his hands.
Rowan stepped up beside me as Ian shut off the water and picked up a towel. I used the pause to scour my brain for a plausible lie.
“This is my colleague, Dmitri Rey.” I gestured at Ian as he walked over to us, still drying his hands.
“The other founder of the Alchemica?” Rowan asked, his dark brows climbing his forehead.
Ian didn’t even bat an eye. “Nice to meet you.” He offered Rowan a hand.
My breath caught as Rowan took his hand. What if he noticed Ian’s icy skin?
“William Brant.” Rowan left out his middle name. He released Ian’s hand, but didn’t comment if he noticed the chill. “I didn’t realize you’d survived the Alchemica’s destruction.”
“He was away at the time,” I answered for Ian. Had the hot water from the sink warmed Ian’s skin enough to fool Rowan? “Let me get what you came for.” I walked to the bookshelf and selected another vial of Knockout Powder antidote.
When I turned back, I found Rowan still studying Ian. I held out the vial. “Anything else?”
Rowan took the vial. “No.”
I leaned against my bench and crossed my arms. “You’ll let me know if Era needs anything?”
“Yes.” Rowan continued to study Ian. Did he suspect? “How did you find her?”
“The newspaper,” Ian answered. He leaned against the bench beside me and to my total surprise, slipped an arm around my shoulders. “Amelia does nothing by half-measures.”
A muscle ticked in Rowan’s jaw.
I jabbed Ian with my elbow. “Addie,” I corrected.
Ian laughed and took his arm from my shoulders, but he didn’t move away. “Addie,” he amended. The smooth way he embraced our little subterfuge shocked me—and reminded me how little I truly knew this man.
Rowan frowned at us, and I wondered what he was thinking. Would he insist Ian be registered with the PIA, too?
I took a breath, hoping to steer the conversation away from that and noticed a faint sulfurous smell. “Did you leave on the gas?” I asked Ian.
“No.” He gestured at the stove. He was right. The burner was out and the dial was clearly turned to the off.
“I smell it, too,” Rowan said.
“Check the—” I didn’t get to finish the statement as breaking glass from the front of the shop cut me off.
“Move!” Rowan caught my arm and jerked me into the back hall before I could even think of responding.
I regained my balance as we hit the back door and just managed not to tumble down the steps.
“What—” I turned to look back in time to watch the building go up in an explosion Rowan would have been hard pressed to rival.
The concussion sent us flying, but my flight was cut short by the wall Era had pressed me against not fifteen minutes earlier. I hit with my back—and head—and then smacked my face. It took me a moment to realize that my face had hit the ground.
I rolled over just before something heavy landed on top of me. I grunted on impact, imagining myself buried in bricks and rubble. My dazed mind gradually realized that what lay on top of me was considerably warmer and more pliable than broken brick. I cracked open my eyes and got a double image of Rowan that slowly converged into one. His eyes were squeezed shut and his forehead wrinkled. I was suddenly back in another alley—the one behind the Huntsman Gun Shop—and Rowan was protecting me from bullet fire.
I reached up and my hand found his warm cheek. His too warm cheek.
“Rowan,” I whispered, trying to remember if I had a vial of his antidote. I used to carry one in my bra.
His eyes opened, the orange stretching from his pupil to the charcoal perimeter of his iris. Gold danced through the orange like actual flame. Scary, but beautiful.
I forgot what it was I w
anted to ask and his image doubled again.
“Addie?” He rose up on an elbow and pulled away from me, but didn’t get up. Instead, he cupped my cheek. “Hey, you with me?”
“Where else would I be?” I didn’t think that came out the way I intended, but my head was starting to pound, so I gave up trying to think.
“She needs medical attention,” Ian said, standing over us. His white shirt was splattered with dirty alley water, but like Rowan, he seemed to have avoided injury—not that Ian could be injured.
“My car,” Rowan answered. Had it been damaged? He didn’t sound as devastated as I would have imagined. “Addie, can you sit up?” he asked me.
Water had wicked through my clothes from the wet pavement, so I should probably get up.
“Sure, I—” I pushed off the ground and the world swam around me in a dizzying array of light and color. Darkness encroached on my flashing vision, and I squeezed my eyes closed, praying I wouldn’t throw up.
Hands gripped my shoulders just as the darkness won out.
Chapter
5
I blinked my eyes open and discovered a tiled ceiling above me. The plastic cover over the fluorescent light was dark. The soft illumination in the room came from a source on the wall behind me. With the way my head thumped, I was glad the lights were on a dim setting.
“And she returns to us,” Ian said from close by.
I started to turn my head and regretted the action. It felt like my brains were leaking out the back of my skull.
“Lie still.” Ian gripped my shoulder.
“Sounds like good advice.” I had to stop and clear my throat. “What happened?”
“Our lab was destroyed.”
I remembered the parking area behind our lab and the explosion. I also remembered Rowan throwing himself on top of me.
“You smacked the wall hard enough to crack your skull. Literally. Anyone else would probably be looking at brain damage.”
