by E. M. Moore
He winced. "Sounds like it might hurt."
"I'm sure it'll hurt like hell."
Every time I tried to get a good hold on him, he'd gasp, or curse. Finally, I decided to get it over with like a Band-Aid. I ducked threw my shoulder into his midsection and then propped him up on my shoulder. He was a lot heavier than he looked.
He cursed so loud my ears turned pink this time. I didn't bother saying sorry. He wouldn't remember anyway. About halfway down the trail, he passed out. I hurried faster, not caring about the physical pain I put him through when he was passed out from it. I opened the very back of the SUV and tucked him in there. Then, I ran around the other side, hopped in the driver's seat, and pulled away.
About halfway back into Salem City, Jake started to groan. I'd just gotten off the phone with my necromancer friend and gave him a heads up that I had a very injured wolf shifter on my hands.
Which reminded me. Since when the hell was Jake a wolf shifter? Bastard should've told me. No wonder why he wouldn't touch any of the SPAWN weapons or the weyfinder. They couldn't be handled by magical beings--only straight up Guardians.
God, I was so stupid. I should've figured this out sooner.
When I pulled up to Necromancer Frankie's house, I slammed on the brakes. Probably more than I should've sounding from the loud groan I got from Jake. That should teach him not to lie to me again. Asshole.
Two of Frankie's assistants met me at the back of the truck. They took Jake out and we hurried into the house. Frankie nodded at me, silently telling me to stay out of the way. I stayed in the waiting room. They shut the door, Jake on the other side of it.
I sat in a chair and held my head in my hands. How had things gotten so fucked up? The coven betrayed me. They almost got the amber stone. They probably did something to the fucking ley line!
SHIT.
I stood and started pacing the waiting room, which actually was a real waiting room. Frankie was a necromancer only to the magical beings, but to the humans, he was a spiritual healer and advisor. You know, that new age crap.
The air shimmered in front of me. I wasn't half as shocked to see Green Eyes as I would've been oh about an hour ago. "How...?"
He shrugged. "I stole a piece of your hair earlier."
I shook my head, but I didn't have enough energy to argue with him about how he shouldn't have been able to find me if he played by the rules. Now that he had my hair though, he'd be able to find me in any place that wasn't magically warded off. For instance, he could find me here, but not at my house. That had the best wards in the city.
Green Eyes looked me over and then took in our surroundings. Even though his face was harsh-beautiful, his features softened minutely. "Are you injured?"
I took a moment to take stock of myself. My right elbow hurt like a bitch and there were some things here and there, but for the most part, I thought I was good. "Doesn't seem to be so bad."
A long howl erupted from the room where Jake and the others went. I grimaced.
"Not as bad as your friend I take it?"
I shook my head and sat, my legs bobbing up and down with the energy that was all bottled up inside. One would think I would've been overspent, but that was the thing about adrenaline, it was hard to get rid of.
"I really fucked this up, Green Eyes. The coven tried to steal...something of mine." If the stone really was that coveted, there was no way I wanted to tell him I had it. You couldn't trust fae. "I think they did something even worse to the ley line."
He sat beside me. "That's why, and coincidentally how, I could find you. It's on full blast baby cakes. Even if I hadn't stolen a piece of your hair, I'm pretty sure I would've been able to draw enough energy from my surroundings to find you."
I tugged at the ends of my hair. How did this go so horribly wrong? Instead of trying to put this to bed so I could focus on Damen, I just made this immeasurably worse. I should've listened to Jake. He told me not to do it, but I was stubborn and didn't listen. Fuck me.
The fey touched my shoulder and I froze. He snatched his hand away immediately. "Okay, okay. See we're not at that point in our relationship either. No problem. I'm good." He paused for a few brief seconds so I could let the weird slide off me. "I tried to catch you at the library earlier. I think I may have given one of your patrons a heart attack."
My mouth fell open. "You showed yourself?"
He looked at me down his nose. "In a watered down version of course. No reason to show off the goods to the humans, you know what I'm saying?"
He laughed and I didn't. Fae were a weird magical species. So full of themselves.
"Do you have something for me? Any news?"
"I asked around. Turns out there have been instances in which the ley lines have turned good paranormals bad." He shrugged. "Who knew?"
"And?" I needed more. Not some vague answers. "How did it get fixed?"
"Who creates and finishes everything? The witches of course."
I balled my hands into fists. "Yeah, well, I'm fresh out of witch friends. Bitches double-crossed me."
"Can't trust a witch."
"Can't trust anything."
He elbowed me in the shoulder. "I don't know. I think I've been doing pretty good so far, haven't I?"
"Can we focus, please? A witch has to fix the ley line, right?"
"Well, yeah, a magic wielding witch should do the trick."
I racked my brain for an answer but came up empty. Maybe it was time to get the real guardians involved. Jake could call up some of his friends from the Elite, maybe they even had a witch on payroll who could swoop in and zip, zip, have this fixed within a couple hours. It was clear I wasn't cutting it.
The door to the room creaked open. I stood. Necromancer Frankie walked through and frowned.
Oh no...
Chapter Twelve
Frankie's face blanched. "What's he doing here?"
Green Eyes stiffened next to me.
I looked at the fae and then back at Frankie. "You can see him?"
"Oops. Gotta go."
Just like that, Green Eyes made himself disappear. Jesus. When the hell was I going to be able to do something like that? How convenient. When things got tough, I'd just blink myself out of existence for a little while. No biggie.
The necromancer cleared his throat.
I stood. "Frankie...how is he? Is he going to be okay?"
"The wolf shifty? Yes. He will recover fully. If you bring that fae back in here, though, he will not make it."
"Trust me, I didn't invite him."
Frankie pointed toward the room. "He's asking for you."
I jogged past the elderly man straight toward the room they took him into earlier. Jake was laying down on a stiff, thin bed, much like you would see at a real doctor's office. He looked toward me as I walked in, one side of his lips curled up. "Surprise...?"
"Was that a statement or a question?"
"Both maybe. Not sure. How pissed are you that I'm a shifter?"
"Not at all pissed that you're a shifter, but dammit Jake, why didn't you just tell me? You lied to me."
He looked like he wanted to deny it, but stopped and laid his head down on the thin blue cushion and stared up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry. I should have. I worried about what you would say though. You hunt down magical beings like me."
"Me?" I squeaked. How unfair was that. "You hunt down magical beings like you, too."
It really wasn't unheard of to have a shifter be an Elite. It made them more agile, quick. They were the best of the best. Now I knew why he kicked my ass sparring earlier.
Jake shrugged.
"Well, I guess I know why you left Salem now. Or did this not happen until after you were an Elite?"
"No, it happened in Salem. I'm surprised after all this time that Damen didn't just tell you. I half-expected he would, but then when I showed up and you didn't mention it, I was pretty sure he hadn't."
Damen knew about this? And neither one of them bothered to tell me after
all this time? "He never said a word. Is that why you two don't talk anymore? Is he mad"
"It was more me, I think. Obviously I couldn't uphold any of my duties as a Ley Line Guardian in Salem. I can't even touch any of our weapons. I had to leave. It's what was best."
I reached for his hand, but unsure what parts of his body were in pain, I pulled it back. "How did it happen?"
He stared up at the ceiling, a long lost look on his face. "We were out on a beat, I dropped the ball, and a werewolf got the better of me." He shrugged. "It happens."
"It...happens...? That's everything then? A wolf shifter bit you, you shifted, you had to leave, and bam, you're gone. Okay. Good. Now I know."
I rolled my eyes and started to turn. He reached out and grabbed my hand, stopping me from leaving. His voice was low when he spoke. "I was ashamed. It was almost Damen that got bit. I dropped the ball and the shifter almost got him. If it wasn't for the fact that I jumped in front of him at the last second, it would've been him. How could I have been guardian in Salem after that? He wouldn't be able to trust me."
I took a second to mull that over, but it didn't even take me that long to know that his logic sucked. "I can't speak for Damen, but you guys were best friend. He trusted you with his life."
His eyes hardened. "You're right. You can't speak for your brother. Bottom line is, I'm a wolf shifter. I left. Sorry to disappoint you."
Footsteps creaked the old floorboards behind us. I bit down on my lip to keep quiet. Frankie came around the other side of the bed with a mug of what I was sure was some sort of magical concoction that probably healed anything and everything.
"I can't thank you enough, Frankie," I said.
He instructed Jake to drink the entire cup and then he looked back at me. "What in the world is happening? I've been getting more and more business from magical beings. It's alarming. All I've heard is that everyone is acting out of character. And of course, it's gone around and around how you killed Eddie."
"I wouldn't have if I could have avoided it."
He waved me away. "I know, dear. Of course."
I launched into the entire spiel about the ley line. How we tried to fix it--well, how I tried to fix it--and failed. Told him what I knew from Green Eyes without telling him where the information came from. Something told me that the information gained from the fae wouldn't have been very well received if he'd known where it came from.
"Well, I think I might be able to help, young guardian." I blinked and watched as Necromancer Frankie's lips split into a huge grin. "You heard that right. There's still some fight left in these old bones."
***
Nothing worked fast in the magical world apparently. Necromancer Frankie said he needed some time getting a special concoction from a nearby fae clan. He knew he could get it, but it would just take time. He also wanted Jake to spend the night at the clinic so he could watch over him. I drove back to Chestnut Street with a heavy heart, which broke even further when I opened the SUV door in the garage. Lonely howls came from the basement.
I let Liam free. What else could I do? It wasn't as if I was going to get any sleep tonight anyway, but I really wasn't going to if he stayed. Before he left, I told him what happened. I told him to stay out of trouble or he'd have to deal with me. With as tired and sore as I was, I hoped I sounded convincing enough.
The house was quiet after that. I placed the amber stone back in its hiding place and moseyed up to bed and laid down, thankful that Jake and I were alive.
At some point during the night, Grandpa came and visited me. It wasn't the first time he'd done this. The bed depressed at my feet and not fully asleep, my eyes flew open. He was just as I remembered him. Tall, sinewy as if there wasn't an ounce of wasted space on his body. Even as an old man, he'd been tough. It wasn't until Dad put him in the nursing home that he'd started to deteriorate. I hated my dad for that.
"Hey, Pumpkin."
I blinked a few times, adjusting to the light and wanting to be able to see as much of him as I could. He was full-bodied, but just not as real as the rest of us were. "Hi, Gramps." I twisted to my side and propped my head up in my hand. "I've really messed things up, haven't I?"
"I'm not going to lie, things could be better."
My lips curved into a smile even though heat threatened behind my eyes. "I wish Damen were here."
He reached out and pat my hip. Despite his less than whole appearance, I felt the gesture just as strong as if he were actually alive and doing it in real life. "Damen's a wonderful Guardian, but you are, too. This can be fixed, and you're the one to fix it. Let your guards down, Pumpkin. You can do this. You're a Marston, just like the rest of us."
"But Grandpa--"
"You're strong. Believe in yourself. Believe in your abilities, in your training. Trust me. It'll be fine. Just do what's right. Always do what's right."
With one last pat, he vanished.
I would've liked a little more concrete advice other than to just believe in myself, but spirits were always cryptic like that. They couldn't knowingly change the course of events. If Grandpa did, he'd never be able to come visit us again.
I really would have to trust myself with this, and no one else.
Chapter Thirteen
The clinic was bombarded by magical beings overnight. When I walked in, Frankie called out orders amid controlled chaos. His two helpers from last night looked as if they'd been up for twenty-four hours plus with no coffee. When Frankie saw me, he strolled forward, pushing his hands through his graying hair.
"What the hell's going on?" I asked.
A woman I didn't recognize dressed like the two helpers ran from one room to another, Frankie watching her as she went. "Have you turned on your TV yet today, guardian?"
I shook my head.
"It's got to be the ley line. All hell is breaking loose. Crazy things are happening all over town. They've got the sheriff on TV talking about safety and trying to field questions about weird sightings. It's a mess."
My heart stopped. The revelation of the magical world to the humans in Salem would be the absolute worst thing that could happen to this town. "My god."
He put his hands on his hips. "I'm doing everything I can. I've got my feelers out to the fae clan I work with. They're doing everything they can. Everyone who hasn't been affected by the craziness is trying, guardian."
"We need to do something." Immediately, I thought of Jake. "Where's the shifter I brought in last night?"
He pointed toward a hallway and I followed it. I peered in the rooms as I walked by. Different types of shifters, the majority of Salem's magical population, filled almost every spare available space. Shifters loved it in Salem because they could be human and magical at the same time. Usually, no one asked questions.
When I didn't see him during my first pass, I called out his name. He emerged from a room two doors down. "Cas," he said, "Thank god." He pulled me in for a hug. "Frankie wouldn't let me leave but this is crazy. We've got to do something."
I squeezed him and then pulled away. "I think it's time we called in the Elite. What else are we going to do? We won't be able to keep the calm here with just the two of us. Even if Damen were here, this is way bigger than the Ley Line Guardians can handle."
"I agree." He scratched the back of his head. "I need to get back to your place. I'll use the portal to go back to headquarters and ask for assistance. Hopefully if I show up face-to-face, I can convince them to spare some men."
"Isn't that their job?"
Jake's eyes softened as he stared at me. "They have a lot on their plates right now, Cas. Trust me, this is the way."
After a few minutes of convincing Frankie that I needed Jake with me, he took his wards down temporarily so he could release him from the clinic. He promised he'd let me know right away when he heard back from the fae clan.
The road back to my house was a blur until Jake interrupted my jumbled thoughts. "Thank you for saving me yesterday. You're a tremendous fighter."
I smiled slowly. I'd always sought Jake and Damen's approval and Jake hadn't seen me in years. The sparring session hadn't won me much points, so I was happy to hear him say that. "You think so?"
"You're the one that took that big Earth thing down."
"You helped."
"Yeah. By getting my ribs crushed and a limb through my midsection." I looked him over, noticing his body was like new. I wouldn't have been able to tell that he was just laying in a hospital bed hours ago. "I'm a shifter. We heal fast."
I sighed. "Yeah, well, it was my fault the big Earth guy even existed. I should've just left the amber stone where it was like you said."
"You didn't know."
"Damen would've."
He tipped my chin in his direction after I pulled into the garage. "Hey. You're not Damen. Stop comparing yourself to him. He'd be proud of you for what you did."
I shrugged. No matter what he said, him and I both knew that I fucked up. "I just hope that Frankie can fix this and that the Elite will agree to help keep the calm until he gets what he needs and we can turn the damn ley line off."
"I'll give the Elite everything I have in me to get them here. They won't want the magical world exposed either. I'll tell them about the rise in crime and everything else."
I walked Jake to the portal and told him to hurry back no matter what. If the Elite weren't going to send backup, I needed a plan two.
To distract myself from waiting for him, I turned on the TV and tried to catch the news. Was it really as bad as Frankie made it out to be?
The short answer? Yes. The longer, more appropriate answer, hell yes. It was way worse.
As soon as I found the local news station, a rolling headline across the bottom of the TV read, "Reports of injuries and accidents rise in Salem today to over 1,000. We are unsure what is causing the uptick in violence. Unverified reports have reached the news station that we are researching now. Please stay tuned for more information."
The screen cut from a weather woman to a news reporter near the mall. A heavyset man spoke into a black microphone, sweat beading on his forehead. "This is Evan Guleg from News Channel Eight. I am at the North side of Museum Place Mall where a stabbing has just been reported." The camera cut to police officers taking down a young man.
