by Dane, Lauren
They ended up back in Faine’s living room. “What did you see?” Faine asked.
“They have plans to attack Rebecca’s house. They know where she lives. Thank goodness she went to the enclave earlier. I think we need to call the cops though and give them a heads up. Or rather, I’ll call Agent Anderson at the task force because the issue of how I came by the information won’t be as big a deal. PURITY is using enough explosives to injure people on the whole block. And they know where Meriel is. One of their spies from Owen got them access to a directory. That’s how they knew where to find Lark and Simon’s house. They have a list of all the top-ranking witches. One of the mages has told them they need one of these witches to do the spell to open a portal. What the mage told them isn’t possible, so that’s something at least. But they’re willing to kill however many, and whoever they have to. Carlo Powers is obsessed with the Magister. He thinks he can control it.”
Faine scrubbed his hands over his face. “Fuck.”
“Yes. The plus is that they really have no way of bringing the Magister back. But they have no hesitation at all in killing or harming anyone to try it. I need to get all this data to our IT people. They can get in and see what we can find. And I need to get this info to Lark and the others so they can make sure all clan leadership is away from known addresses.”
“We can drop it somewhere if you like,” Mei offered.
Helena thanked them. She made a call, told the IT people to be at the offices to get all the data off those sticks. She wrote a note, shoved it and the sticks in an envelope and handed it to Mei. “Thank you so much. You’ve saved lives by helping us tonight. Gennessee won’t forget that.”
“That’s what family does.” Mei hugged her. “Now you need to rest or get some protein in you. You used a lot of magick to get into his head back there.”
Faine narrowed his eyes at her but waited until they’d left before he turned her way again. “I know you need to make calls. I’m going to make some food and you will eat it without complaint or I will call your mother.”
“You fight dirty.” She liked it.
“Don’t forget it.”
She smiled as she grabbed her phone. “I won’t. Thank you.” She dialed the number Anderson had instructed her to use in urgent situations.
“Anderson.” He’d clearly been awake.
“I’d say I was sorry for waking you up, but I think I should be sorry you’re not sleeping at nearly two your time. It’s Helena Jaansen and I have bad news for you.”
“Riots and bad news from my favorite witch too. Busy night in America.”
Shit, she’d forgotten about the riots. She didn’t know if something even worse had happened while they were gone so she turned on the TV with the sound off and plunged ahead with the reason for the call.
“I’ve come by some information that PURITY has plans to kidnap Rebecca Gennessee. I’ve heard this info twice. I know Senator Sato called you regarding the first source.”
“We’ve got people on her location. Well, outside her location. Nothing amiss has happened.”
“We moved her, as you know. But there’s more. They’re planning to use enough explosives to level her house and probably her side of the street for a block or so.”
“What?” His tone sharpened and she knew what was coming so she headed it off.
“I can’t tell you how I know. Only that I do. Greg Powers is behind a plan to kidnap Rebecca, Meriel or possibly other powerful witches to aid his father in bringing back the Magister. They know the locations of these witches because they are in possession of a directory of sorts.”
“Like my middle schooler has?”
“Probably. Look, before this mess we were just a bunch of people with magick. We had potlucks and ran businesses. None of this war or spying stuff happened. PURITY brought all this on. We just like to eat casseroles and gossip.”
He snorted. “Spare me. I’ve seen you fight. You didn’t just learn that yesterday.”
“No. I’ve been trained my entire life to do this job and still, I’ve never blown up anyone’s home. I’ve never assaulted a child or started a riot. The bald facts are that humans have pushed this situation to the brink. We’ve done nothing but react to what you’ve done to us.”
“I apologize. I’m not trying to offend. I know. But not all of us are these PURITY assholes.”
“I know that. Which is why I called the FBI instead of handling this threat on my own.” She let that hang for a moment. She would handle it if he didn’t, and she wouldn’t leave a body. Just because she didn’t kill Greg Powers a few minutes before didn’t mean she wouldn’t later on if the situation merited it.
She was giving Anderson—and humans in general—a chance to make things right.
“I’ve already got people on the clan leadership in the major cities. Are the explosives planted now?”
“I don’t know. I just know it’s part of their plan. Her house and property are warded pretty well. But if they were bringing the explosives, or if they’d planted some under the house in the sewers or next door . . .”
“I’ll send teams over to check things out. So, this story about spies for Hayes disappearing.”
“Dunno what you mean. I’ll talk to you later. Thanks.” She hung up before he could say anything else. In the kitchen Faine was making bacon and eggs. Her head hurt and she normally would have gotten a bloody nose for using that spell to get into Powers’ head. But in the post-Magister world, bloody noses from overuse of magick seemed far rarer.
She watched the destruction on television as she called Lark and filled her in.
Chapter 26
HE found her dabbing her eyes and staring at the television. Her sadness hit him and he realized he’d assumed it was his own and had been ignoring it as he’d been cooking.
“Hey.” He handed her a plate and let her get herself together. But he settled next to her, needing that contact.
“So happy first day bound to me. How’s that working out for you?” She ate a piece of bacon. “Thanks, by the way. You’re a really good cook as well as the other services you provide.”
Her smile made him feel a little better. “As it happens, though the day has been challenging, being bound to you has been quite lovely. Unexpected, I suppose, because no one can really express just what it feels like to be so connected to someone you love. What about you?”
“I’m not quite sure what I’ve done to deserve you, to be honest. I used to be calm. Like every day. I didn’t cry when I watched television unless it was Steel Magnolias. Being around you reminds me that I used to be that.”
“You resent me for it?”
“Huh? No! Why would you think that? Can’t you feel me? Or whatever?”
Her confusion was sort of adorable, but he figured telling her that would be a bad thing at that moment. “So tell me what you mean.”
“No. I’m sick of thinking about it and talking about it.”
“You’re a difficult woman.” He grinned and when she turned, annoyed, she saw it and rolled her eyes.
“I’m too tired for you to poke at.”
“Eat your food and then let’s sleep a while. Did you talk to Lark?”
“She’s upset about the house all over again. Meriel and Dominic have moved into an enclave. Simon doesn’t want to, but he wants Lark safe so they’re in one for the time being. Your name may have come up in a ‘Faine did it for Helena and so you should do it for Lark’ way. Not by me. I think it might have been my dad.”
He cringed and then laughed. “That’s what it’s like having a father-in-law, I guess. He wants you both safe and he has every right to expect me and Simon to make that happen. Though I do plan to ask him if he has a lawn mower and some Bermuda shorts the next time I see him.”
She snickered. “You two.” But then she put her head on his shoulder. “I’m
so tired. I’m afraid of fucking up, but I’m so tired of being afraid to mess up that I’m sort of feeling punk rock about it. Like, bring it, I’m a cranky-ass bitch now so watch yourself.”
“I have no idea what you mean by that, but it sounds defiant and good and you said it with such viciousness I’m okay with it. There’s so much happening right now.”
“St. Louis is on fire. A little girl was turned away at a hospital. Who does that? She may die and all the person could think of was that she was a shifter? What is wrong with the world? Who raised such a creature? I can try to report a possible bombing, but I can’t stop that. It’s totally out of my control.”
“I know how much you hate being out of control, alamah.”
“I do.” She frowned and he nudged her to keep eating. “Grump and eat. Now that I know you get depleted after magick and need protein, I’m going to make sure you take care of yourself. That’s how I deal with my fear that something will happen to you.”
She looked up as she forked eggs into her mouth.
“What? Did you think I was beyond worries? I worry about you every waking moment. It’s part and parcel of loving a warrior isn’t it?”
“You’re very reasonable for someone who looks as good as you do.”
“I do try.” He paused a moment. “It’s okay to be afraid. I know you were raised to feel differently. But the world now is full of things to be afraid of. You’d be a fool not to fear for the future. You’d be irresponsible not to understand the gravity of what you do and how much people rely on you and not to be worried about letting them down. Fear doesn’t make you weak, Helena. It makes you strong. Because you do it anyway. You know the stakes and you get up every damned morning and you do your best.”
On the screen, the cameras shifted to Birmingham. On fire.
• • •
IT was still dark when Faine woke up. About two hours before the sun would rise. He lay still because he didn’t want to wake her. And because when it was quiet and she was sleeping in his arms, the world was perfect.
Things were going to happen that day. He could feel it. The buildup and anticipation in his bones. He waited until her breathing slid into the slow and deep of heavy sleep and got up.
He’d work out. Get some of the stress out of his muscles. He headed to the garage where the treadmill was. Now that she lived there with him, he’d need to clear out that part of the garage so she could park there. Since they’d both need exercise equipment, he could easily convert one of the bedrooms into a workout space.
By the first mile his muscles began to loosen up and he felt better, more alert. That day would see the House debating the Domestic Safety Act on the floor. He’d keep her busy so she wouldn’t obsess.
He smiled when he remembered her preferred end to their training session the day before. If he could keep her in bed all day it would be wonderful. But he knew his female, she’d want to be out and about and it was her job, after all. He was just grateful they weren’t in DC or she’d want to be at the House to watch the floor debate in person. And given how many times people seemed to want to kill her in DC, he was just fine with being across the country right then.
He’d had enough. Enough of this stupid crap with the PURITY people. More than enough of them trying to harm his woman. He had something more precious than anything he’d ever dreamed.
Being bound to her was . . . astonishing. Her strength lived in him now. He’d appreciated that before. Had watched her in action and admired her for it. But this was a different sort of experience. It wasn’t like he heard her thoughts or anything like that. But it was as if he were tuned into her. Intimately so.
If he concentrated, he knew she was still sleeping. Calm and relaxed. His beast approved and he was sure that should anyone try to disturb that, he would have bared his teeth and stopped it.
He also understood how hard she was working to let him in to share her life. To make it their life. Never would he have thought she would doubt she was worthy of such adoration, but he got it, just little twists here and there. Surprise and wonder when he did little things for her or professed how much he loved her.
One of these days he hoped she’d simply accept all the things he did and said as her due.
He turned on NPR as he rounded into the third mile and listened to news of the country falling apart.
• • •
HELENA woke feeling physically better than she had in a while. She’d only gotten five hours of sleep, but her body felt like it had been nine.
Tila, her . . . mother-in-law? Yeah, she guessed that was it, had told Helena that with the binding she’d have some of Faine’s strengths. If she only needed three or four hours’ sleep like Faine she could get so much more done.
Or at the very least, they could spend an hour or two every day in bed doing other things.
She deliberately didn’t think about work as she got out of bed. She needed to do some kickboxing and do a few miles on the treadmill. After she sweated a lot and showered, then she’d switch to work mode.
Faine was in the house. She knew it, felt his presence. That piece of him that lay in her belly shifted a little, as if it knew she was thinking of him.
He came around the corner as she headed to the garage to work out. “Good morning, alamah.” He pulled her to his body and kissed the top of her head.
“Mmm, morning.” She tipped her face up and he kissed her lips, his taste settling into her senses.
“What are you up to?”
“I’m going to run a bit. Work out with the bag.”
“Want a partner with the bag? I already did five miles but I’m always happy to stand around and watch you glisten with sweat as you beat the bag into submission.”
“I’m pretty sure you’d be able to make any subject whatsoever sound dirty.”
“I have many talents.”
She laughed and he kissed her again. His joy at doing so flooded the connection between them. She threw her arms around his neck and hung on, making that quick kiss a longer one.
“You taste good.” She grinned and he swatted her butt.
“Keep that up and you won’t get outside for some time.”
“It occurs to me that we haven’t even had shower sex yet.” She went out into the garage and began her stretches.
He poked his head out. “I’m going to start the coffee and then I’ll be out in a bit. But don’t think I’m going to forget about the shower sex comment.”
She moved to the treadmill. “Counting on it.”
The scent of coffee rose and woke her up nearly as well as the miles she ran, and when he came out some time later without his shirt and wearing his snug running shorts, she was plenty awake.
“Suddenly I really don’t care about the bag.” She stepped to him and took a lick over his right nipple. “But I’m really, really dirty. Think you can help with that?”
Laughing, he bent, caught her at the waist and heaved her up and over his shoulder and jogged to the master bath where he gave her a workout and got her all clean. Physically anyway.
• • •
FORTY-FIVE minutes later they came out to the kitchen. “You totally deserve to have me make breakfast after that performance. If I had scorecards you’d have all tens.”
“You’re in a mood this morning. I like it.” He poured them both a cup of coffee.
“Calm before the storm, I think.”
“Are we defining sleep as the calm?”
“Five hours without injury or conspiracy is a win. I’ll take what I can get.” She began to pull the makings for breakfast from the fridge. “And now that I’m exercised, sexed up and clean on the outside, I suppose I can no longer avoid looking at the news.”
He winced and she knew it was pretty bad. “You want to get me up to speed while I cook?”
“They made four hundred arr
ests last night in St. Louis. At this point it’s millions of dollars in property damage. The mayor declared a curfew.”
“The little girl?”
“She made it through the night so they’re cautiously hopeful. Her parents went on television and begged everyone to calm down. A mob showed up at their house and tried to burn it down. But the Pack had guards there and they prevented such a thing. The cops showed up and arrested everyone, even though the mob started it and the wolves were just defending themselves. Rumors are swirling around. Cats came after that and are guarding the house along with some witches and some humans too.”
“Good lord. Well at least there’re some small rays of hope.”
“The coven offices in New Haven were trashed. Windows broken out. A security guard was beaten. He was treated at a local hospital and released. Several members of the city council showed up today to help with cleanup.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m trying hard to hold on to all the positives in that news.”
“Me too.”
They ate breakfast and watched the national news while she scanned the local news on her notebook. She needed to get out in the field. Things at the office were being handled.
She called to check in and Marian told her Rebecca was fine and they’d moved classes to the nearest enclave and had upped the security. The kids were learning defensive magick along with geometry and poetry. That’s how it had to be and no matter how sad it made her, it didn’t change anything. But it would make them better able to defend themselves in a world where some people wanted to harm them simply for who they were.
“You’re going to carry today?” He tipped his chin at the weapons she’d strapped on.
“Concealed mainly. But if they’re assaulting children now, I’m not taking any chances out there. I need to stop over at the DMV in Montebello. They were refusing to help anyone who appeared to be an Other yesterday. Like you can tell?”
Faine gave her a long, slow perusal that had her blushing within moments. “I don’t know. I can see the magick all around you. Beautiful. Makes me want to lick you.”
