If Fallon wants to keep her man and take the title she’ll have to exert a little dominance of her own.
About the Author
Las Vegas native, Katie Salidas is a Jill of all trades. Mother to three, Wife to one, and slave to the craft of writing, she tries to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer.
Author of the Immortalis series, Chronicles of the Uprising, and various other paranormal works; writing is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.
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The Angel and the Beast
C.N. Crawford
The Angel and the Beast
Zee walked along Fifth Avenue, tugging a threadbare jacket around her thin frame. It was only three days before Christmas, and last-minute shoppers crammed the sidewalks. Holiday scents wafted through the air—roast chestnuts crackling in braziers, the piney aroma of Christmas trees stacked in neat rows against the storefronts.
Women hurried past her, their hair trimmed in fashionable bobs, with cloche hats perched on their heads at jaunty angles. Motorized automobiles honked on the street—Model Ts—or “Tin Lizzie’s” as people seemed to call them. The damn things were taking over the city, replacing the old horse-drawn carriages.
Despite the warm gas lights and gently falling snow, Zee was on edge. As she’d walked through Midtown, the prickling sensation between her shoulder blades had grown stronger. Someone was watching her—she was sure of it.
She paused to peer into a toy-shop window, her breath warming the air in front of her face. In the glass’s reflection, she tried to catch a glimpse of anyone who might be following her, but bodies rushed behind her faster than she could track.
By her side, a family stopped to peer at the display, the mop-haired boy breathing on the glass.
“I want one of those cars, Dada,” he said loudly.
On a small pedestal, a model of a Model-T gleamed under electric lights. A perfect facsimile of one of the full-size monstrosities on the street to her right. Zee pulled her jacket even tighter, her teeth chattering.
As the family turned to walk away, Zee followed. Somehow, she felt safe near them. They looked so cozy together, like they all belonged.
She tried to remember what that had been like, when she’d had a family in Loukomorie, but it seemed so long ago. Back when she actually had a cozy room to spend the winter nights instead of huddling in doorways.
She now carried all her possessions on her body: tattered shoes and a stained dress, a coat, and a pocket full of old candy. She had but one thing of value on her—the letter that just might earn her a place to stay tonight.
Maybe she escaped her past by moving to New York, but she hadn’t arrived with a place to live.
Frigid wind nipped at her ears as she hurried toward Central Park. As she slipped through the crowd, the skin on her neck prickled again, more strongly this time. Someone was definitely watching her.
Someone with magic.
She stopped short, and a man swore as he almost bumped into her. She ignored him, concentrating as she tried to sense the source of the spell. Unlike some fae, she couldn’t sniff out tiny feathering tendrils of magic. An aura had to be pretty powerful if she was going to pick up on it.
Still she closed her eyes and focused her mind. The magic curled over her shoulders, thrumming along the nape of her neck. Now that is eerie.
Her eyes snapped open, and she hurried forward, deeper into the throng of Christmas shoppers. Away from that creepy, tingling magic.
There had been something predatory about how the spell had searched her out. And there was nothing she could do about it. Exiled from the Fae Court, she had no protections here.
Or maybe there was something she could do about it on her own.
As she hurried along 5th Avenue she searched for a woman about her size, and her gaze landed on a young girl hawking newspapers. Pale hair. Five foot two. Just like Zee.
“Two cents for the latest news!” The girl called out, her voice ringing like a bell.
Shivering, Zee crossed to her.
“Do you want a paper miss?” asked the girl, her voice softer now. She couldn’t be more than thirteen.
Zee shook her head, as she concentrated on the girl’s face. It was like a jigsaw puzzle, taking the bits that didn’t match and replacing them with her own. The girl would only feel the lightest brush against her cheek, but in moments they would exchange features.
Zee might not be skilled at sensing magic, but glamour came to her naturally.
“No thank you,” said Zee, doing her best to disguise her Russian accent.
The girl’s eyes widened. Humans were always shocked to see their own faces staring back at them.
Guilt tightened her chest. She hoped she hadn’t gotten the girl into any trouble. She hoped it would be just enough to confuse her stalker.
Disguised as the paper-seller, she slipped back into the crowd, pulling her hat lower. As she picked up her pace, her fingers tightened around the letter in her pocket. In a looping script, Luis had written that she could find accommodation at the Plaza Hotel, but she was still at least ten blocks away.
Behind her, a shout pierced the air, and she turned to see a group forming where the Newsie girl had stood. Zee’s heart tightened. The girl lay in the snow.
Whomever was searching for her had found its quarry. Guilt pressed on her chest as she looked at the girl’s stockinged legs stretched out on the sidewalk. But she didn’t have time to linger, with the back of her neck prickling again.
Pushing her guilt away, she turned and ran.
The brick was slick with sludge and frozen snow. Too bad there hadn’t been time to get winter boots before the Fae Court kicked her out of Loukomorie. Slush froze her feet in her threadbare flats.
She didn’t see the man until it was too late, slamming into him and sprawling across the sidewalk. Her head cracked against the brick, icy water soaked her neck.
“Are you alright miss?” The blond man leaned down, offering a hand.
But as Zee reached up to grab it, an older gentlemen knocked him out of the way.
“My niece is terribly clumsy,” he said in a dry voice. “I’ll take it from here.”
“What?” Zee asked, staring into the old man’s bearded face with confusion.
But instead of replying, the stranger launched into a spell. As if in a daze, the blond man wandered away. Zee started to stand, but within seconds, she felt invisible hands tightening around her throat, choking the air from her lungs.
She couldn’t speak, couldn’t scream. She could think of nothing but the crushing pain in her lungs and her frantically beating heart. The man reached under her, lifting her from the sidewalk, his arms wrapped tightly around her.
He carried her toward the curb. A moment later, he was shoving her into the dark interior of a car. He quietly incanted another spell, and darkness descended over her. Still, her throat was free, and she gasped for sweet air.
While she couldn’t move, speak, or see, the spell didn’t stop her from hearing. As they drove, the sounds of the city faded, replaced only by the rumbling hum of the motor car. What in the gods’ names is happening here? Adrenalin surged through her veins. Was this an agent of the Fae Court, hunting her down for vengeance? Whatever it was, she was in some deep, deep trouble.
Eventually the car slowed, its tires crunching over gravel. When they stopped, she lay stiffly, until the man picked her up again. The winter wind whipped about her for a few moments until a door creaked, and she heard the man’s footsteps echo over a stone
floor. They were in some sort of building—one where the air smelled of old wood, smoke, and wet dog. A kennel, maybe? What the hell was he planning?
Slowly, her captor placed her on the stone, then pulled off her jacket. Her mind screamed at the feel of his hands on her shoulders, as she had no control over her body. If her muscles were still her own, she would have flinched as cold metal touched her neck. Something locked into place with a click. A collar. Bile crawled up her throat.
She heard his footsteps move across the room, then the sound of metal creaking, slamming shut. Her pulse raced. I’m completely at his mercy.
The man cleared his throat, then incanted another spell, as he finished the final Angelic words, vision returned to her eyes.
She blinked, her heart thrumming. Within a dank stone room—like a bare cellar—iron bars surrounded her. A wavering candle stood on a wood table, but shadows covered most of the room.
Well this is quite the situation. The iron surrounding her would prevent her from using her glamour. Or any magic for that matter. Iron was the bane of all magic, and one of the reasons why it came so naturally to the fae. They had no iron in their blood.
Across the room the man watched her intently, scrubbing a hand over his hoary beard. “Welcome little one,” he said.
Zee crawled to her knees. “Why have you abducted me?”
The man grinned, exposing chipped and stained teeth. He was like a monstrous Santa Claus.
“Are you one of the Russian Fairies?” He said mimicking her accent. “I’ve heard the most wonderful things about Luokomorie.”
Zee stiffened at the mention of the Court of the Russian Fae. She didn’t belong to them anymore.
The man continued, “Unfortunately I think you’ll find your quarters here not quite up to your usual standards.”
“I came to New York to visit a friend, but when the Luokomorie Court learns what you’ve done with me, they’ll flay your skin from your body.” Lies—complete and utter lies. The Luokomorie could not care less what happened to her anymore. But hopefully he wouldn’t realize that.
The man’s blue eyes twinkled. “I think you’ll find my accommodations far more thrilling than whatever your friend would have provided.” He smiled again, his yellow teeth flashing in the light of the guttering candle.
“Who are you?”
“You can call me Kelley.”
“I want to leave.”
“That won’t be possible,” he replied. “Your services are urgently needed.” The old man crept closer until he stood just outside the bars of her cage. “You and I,” he whispered. “Are going to create a race of beastly angels. After all, isn’t that what humanity is—a race of angels trapped in the bodies of beasts? And now, I will express the human condition through my own creations. With your help.”
Zee pressed herself against the far side of the cage. “I’m a fae,” she said trying to hide the panic in her voice. “But I don’t know how to do that sort of magic.”
The man grinned again. “Of course. I foresaw your arrival. I have been watching you for a long time. I know more about you than you know about yourself.”
Zee’s stomach clenched. If the man knew half as much as he claimed, she was in grave danger. If her father learned that she was still alive… She shuddered involuntarily, trying not to imagine what would happen to her.
The man’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t worry, my beauty. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.” A sigh slid from him. “Well, maybe it’s best if I introduce you to the other creature in our partnership.”
Picking up the candle, he walked slowly across the room. Warm light danced over another cage, and he held the candle higher. Something lay on its floor, and her stomach turned. It wasn’t even human-a dark shape covered in hair, next to a pile of old clothes.
Her hunch had been right, this was a kennel.
“Wake up, hound,” said the man as he gave the cage a sharp kick.
The animal leapt to its feet. He wasn’t an ordinary dog—he was practically the size of a horse, with enormous green eyes. He snarled, snapping at the bars of the cage.
“Show some obedience, cur,” said Kelley. “I have brought you a fae.”
The hound quieted, turning its eyes to Zee. It studied her with unnerving intelligence.
Her mouth went dry. What. The. Hell.
“Come here boy,” said Kelley. The hound didn’t move. Its eyes remained fixed on Zee.
Kelley began to mutter another spell. After a moment, light began to flicker at the hound’s neck, sparking around his metal collar.
As a low growl rose in the hound’s throat, Kelley bent to unlock its cage. Slowly, with a painfully loud creaking noise, he opened it. Zee expected the hound to leap out and attack the old man, but he walked out slowly instead.
Zee sucked in a breath. The hound was huge. At least as large as a Russian bear-hunting dog. She might have even thought him magnificent, if his fur hadn’t been so matted. Clearly he’d been imprisoned for a long time.
“That’s my boy,” said Kelley patting the hound’s head. The hound growled again. Kelley stiffened. He barked a single word. “Feratius!”
The hound’s collar flashed and Zee felt a chill fill the room. The hound whined in pain.
“Obey your master,” commanded Kelley. The hound lowered its head submissively, and Zee could see that the fur around his neck was frosted white. It took her a moment to realize it was frozen solid.
“This way, boy,” said Kelley.
The hound followed Kelley toward a large wooden column. From the top, hung a length of iron chain. Seemingly oblivious to the hound’s impressive jaws, Kelley knelt by its head and clipped the chain to the collar.
“Stay,” said Kelley before looking to Zee. “Now it’s your turn girl.” He moved towards Zee’s cage. She scrambled away from him. Kelley shook his head. “Don’t make this difficult on yourself.”
Zee kept her distance from the man. Lacing his long fingers together, Kelley incanted a short spell. The collar around her neck began to glow with a pale light. Still Zee pressed herself against the back of the cage.
“You should really come out,” said Kelley softly.
Zee didn’t move.
Kelley shook his head. “We’ll do this the hard way then.” There was a flash of light as he said, “Feratius.”
Zee screamed as ice closed around her throat. The collar produced a chill so cold it felt like her skin was burning. Then, as suddenly as the collar had chilled, it warmed. Zee’s neck throbbed with pain.
“If you do not obey me,” said Kelley. “I will keep you in a perpetual state of agony. At least, until I decide to kill you.”
Slowly Zee crawled toward the front of her cage, her muscles shaking. “What do you want from me?” she stammered.
“You’ll know soon enough.”
A creak pierced the air as Kelley opened the door. When she poked her head out, he grabbed the collar with one hand, clipping an iron chain to it. A leash of sorts—as if she were a dog. Her mind screamed a million insults at him. Her stomach churned.
“This way,” he said jerking her to her feet.
The hound crouched by the wooden stake, his eyes following her every move. Kelley led her forward until he was close enough to attach her chain to the top of the wooden column—just like the dog’s.
“Now it’s time that you two were properly introduced,” said Kelley with a grin. “Show her your true form.”
The hound growled at Kelley.
“Do I need to remind you what happens if you disobey me?”
The hound quieted, then its entire body began to tremble.
Her heart thudding, Zee moved as far from the beast has her chain would allow. The hound’s legs began to thicken and its hair retracted into its body. Zee gasped as its snout shortened, its fur replaced by smooth, golden skin, legs replaced by powerful human arms. And the face staring up at her, with his deep green eyes—well, he looked a lot like an angel himself.
Slowly he stood, his gaze locked on her. Despite having been kidnapped by a maniac, she couldn’t stop her eyes from roaming over the stranger’s body-his strong jaw and perfectly chiseled form.
Kelley touched Zee’s arm, and she flinched.
“She’s a pretty little thing isn’t she?” Kelley asked. “Perfect for you to mate with.”
Zee’s stomach swooped. “Mate?” she shouted.
“I won’t take a woman against her will,” said the man.
“Who said anything about her being unwilling?”
The handsome man frowned. “You know that sort of magic is outlawed. If you—”
Kelley laughed. “No one is coming to save you. And besides, when you have sired a race of Angels, what will it matter anyway? The old gods will quake in the face of their new masters.”
“No. I’m—”
“Feratius!” Kelley interrupted.
Instantly, the collar around the man’s neck blazed with an icy light. He cried out, clutching it and falling to his knees. Kelley chanted another spell, and dark filaments appeared and bound his hands.
While the beautiful man rolled on the floor in agony, Kelley slipped into the shadows. After a few moments, he returned with a thick volume bound in thick leather. He opened it slowly, then began to read. On the floor, the green-eyed stranger thrashed in pain, clutching at the shining collar.
Adrenalin blazing, Zee pulled frantically at the chain that attached her to the post. Whatever spell Kelley planned to use couldn’t be good.
Kelley incanted the spell slowly, enunciating each word precisely. It was something about love and heat and… Gradually the room warmed.
Zee’s neck still ached where the icy collar had frozen her skin, but a sensual heat had begun to flow into her limbs, her pulse racing for an entirely different reason. On the floor the man stilled. The light shining from his collar dimmed.
Magic & Mistletoe: 15 Paranormal Stories for the Holidays Page 7
