by Linsey Hall
Contents
TITLE PAGE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THANK YOU!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
GLOSSARY
ABOUT LINSEY
COPYRIGHT
STOLEN MAGIC
Dragon’s Gift: The Huntress Book 3
Linsey Hall
CHAPTER ONE
“Trouble at two o’clock.” I tipped my chin toward the big glass window.
Nix glanced up from behind the counter and peered at the two figures crossing the street toward our shop, Ancient Magic. Rain fell on their huge forms as they stalked toward us. Her green eyes assessed them sharply.
My deirfiúr—sister by choice—was a pro at spotting danger. She normally worked the counter at Ancient Magic, a job that was just as much protecting the wares as it was selling them. She was basically the deadliest shopgirl you’d ever meet.
“Ah, hell. They’re trouble.” She pulled her dark hair back into a ponytail.
“Yeah. Gotta be demons.” They were almost seven feet tall and built like moose. Unless a basketball team had had babies with a football team and their charming family was visiting town, these guys were demons.
A month ago, I’d have reached for the obsidian daggers I kept strapped to my thighs. I’d repressed my magic for so long that weapons had become second nature. But ever since I’d started practicing my magic, I’d gained confidence.
And I liked using my magic now. A lot.
The hulking demons stepped onto the curb. Through the glass, I could make out the sawed-off horns peeking through their hair and their strange silver eyes. Weird eyes. Their arms bulged out of sleeveless shirts that were totally stupid for a rainy Oregon afternoon. Besides the massive size and the horns, they looked almost human.
My eyes skated around the shop, landing on the delicate items displayed on the shelves. Each housed a spell, and most of them were worth a lot of money.
Whichever one these demons were coming for, they weren’t going to get it.
“Can’t we make it a month without a robbery?” Nix said.
“Where’s the fun in that?” My brows rose as the demons turned away from our door and walked down the sidewalk. Like they hadn’t even seen us.
“What the hell?” Nix got up from her stool and walked around the counter, peering out the window. “They’re not coming in here?”
“Then it’s not our problem.”
“But it’s not good either,” Nix said.
I sighed. “Yeah. Fair point.”
I didn’t want them to bust up our shop in some dumb attempt at a robbery, but demons shouldn’t be wandering around earth, not even in all magic cities like Magic’s Bend, which was concealed from humans by a massive spell. Most demon species were too violent and reckless to follow the rules that kept supernaturals a secret from humans, so they were banned from earth.
“Too bad Del’s not here,” Nix said. “She’d take care of them.”
“Yeah.”
Del, my other deirfiúr, was a demon hunter paid by the Order of the Magica, the government that ruled magic users like myself. I could kick some demon ass, but I preferred not to unless I was being paid. Del enjoyed it, though. She’d take care of these guys as a way to pass the time.
“Hey, they’re going into P&P!”
“What?” I sprang to my feet. Demons had no right being in Potions & Pastilles, my friends’ coffee shop. “Now it’s our problem.”
“No kidding.”
We hurried out of Ancient Magic. I started down the street, leaving Nix to reignite the enchantments that protected our shop. Couldn’t have our stock walking away while we hunted demons, after all.
I slowed as I reached the huge front window outside Potions & Pastilles, then hovered just out of view and peered through the glass. The large coffee shop was empty of customers, the wooden tables and comfy chairs abandoned. Connor and Claire, my two friends who ran the shop, were behind the counter, tidying up before the evening rush. The demons approached them, stopping in front of the counter.
Did I need to bust in there and not bother to take names? But a bit of recon was worth a lot of fighting.
I called upon my magic, accessing the Shifter powers I’d recently stolen, and used them to enhance my hearing. I let the magic roll over me, filling me with warmth and igniting my power. Joy and pleasure flowed with it, something that had only recently started accompanying my magic. I assumed it was because I was more practiced and less afraid, but I didn’t know.
The birds chirping in the trees became louder, the sound of Nix’s approaching footsteps more prominent.
But it was the bigger demon’s words that made my stomach drop.
“We’ve heard there are FireSouls in the area.” His voice sounded like he spoke through a throat full of gravel. “We can find no trace of them, except for here, in your shop.”
I reached out and grabbed Nix’s arm to keep her from charging in front of the window. She whipped around and glared at me. Nix was more generally cautious than Del or me, but when it came to protecting those she loved, she was a freaking badger.
I shook my head, tapped my ear to indicate I was eavesdropping, and dragged her behind the wall so we weren’t right in front of the window. The demons wouldn’t hurt Connor or Claire, not as long as they wanted information, and I wanted to know who’d sent them to find me and my deirfiúr.
Inside the coffee shop, Claire shook her head, her dark hair swinging. “FireSouls?” Her eyes widened. “Around here? In our shop?”
If I hadn’t been frozen in place from fear, I’d have grinned. Claire was a good actress. My deirfiúr and I had revealed our secret to Connor and Claire a few days ago—that we were FireSouls, the most hated of all supernatural species.
Did that have anything to do with demons now showing up, looking for us?
No way my friends turned us in.
“Aye, can’t you hear right?” the demon barked. “Around here. Deadly pieces of work. So if you don’t want your power stolen by one of those monsters, you’d better share what you know. They’ll kill you in a heartbeat to get your magic.”
Not true. But I’d kill that demon in a heartbeat. And where did he get off calling me a monster?
FireSouls were despised—we could steal other supernatural’s powers by killing them—but we weren’t monsters. My deirfiúr weren’t like that.
But me? Now that I’d started accessing my FireSoul power, I was afraid he might be right. When I’d stolen the Shifter’s power recently, I hadn’t been able to control myself. Maybe I was becoming as bad as they said, but I didn’t like hearing it from a demon.
“No idea what you’re talking about, mate,” Connor said. “There’s no way FireSouls have been in here.”
The big demon surged toward the wooden counter, slamming his hands down. “You calling me a liar? Because a seer prophesied their presence and I tracked them here. Their magic reeks in this place.”
Shit. A Tracker demon. I’d thought their weird eyes looked familiar but couldn’t place them. They were like the bloodhounds of demons, easily able to sense other supernaturals’ magic and follow it. Del, Nix, and I had always been scared of
them, though we’d never met any face to face. If we had, our secret might be out by now, and we might be locked up in the Prison for Magical Miscreants.
The other demon drew a wicked-looking knife from the sheath strapped to his massive arm.
Nix tugged against my hold, her face twisted into an exasperated What the hell are we waiting for!?
She was right. It was one thing to listen for info. Another entirely to put my friends in danger.
“Go time,” I whispered.
We raced forward, shoulder to shoulder. By the time we pushed through the glass door, the demon had Connor by the collar, dragging his slim form over the counter. Connor threw a mean right hook, but the demon didn’t even flinch.
Stone demon as well as Tracker? Halfbloods weren’t unheard of.
A flash of silver to his left caught my eye. Claire, a mercenary as well as a part-time coffee shop owner, had dragged a sword from beneath the counter. She leapt over the bar, her dark hair flying, and lunged for the other demon.
The scent of flowers bloomed as Nix called upon her magic and conjured a wicked-looking sword of her own. She raced to join Claire.
Though I wanted to fry the demon who shook Connor with the lightning that was becoming my signature power, I didn’t want it to flow through to Connor and electrocute him too. So I pulled my daggers from the sheaths at my thighs, flinging Lefty and Righty in quick succession.
The black obsidian blades sank into the Tracker demon’s back. He grunted and dropped Connor, but didn’t fall.
Strong bastard.
But now that he wasn’t touching Connor anymore…
I called upon my lightning, letting the power surge through my veins. It crackled and burned beneath my skin as I gathered it up. Joy filled me at my control, at the feeling of finally embracing my magic. Like my soul was coming together.
My breath caught in my throat as I focused my power, attempting not to go overboard. I wanted to wound, not kill, so I could question him.
I released the jet of lightning. Fine and direct, it streaked toward the demon. Thunder boomed as the lightning stuck. The demon’s huge body shook, then collapsed to the floor. A chair crunched beneath him.
Direct hit! And almost no collateral damage. Jackpot. I grinned. I was really starting to like this magic thing.
At the same time, Nix and Claire sank their blades into both sides of the remaining demon. They yanked out their swords, and his huge body crashed to the floor. I raced toward the fallen demons as Connor struggled to his feet.
The demon I’d struck with lightning lay on his front, his body still smoking. I pulled my blades from his back and shoved him over. Sightless eyes stared at the ceiling.
“Definitely dead.” Connor’s voice was hoarse from being strangled.
Damn.
I’d tried not to kill him. Hadn’t worked. But at least I hadn’t killed Connor.
The second demon lay bleeding out onto the floor. I went to him, falling to my knees and straddling him, then thrust Righty against his throat. The black glass glinted in the light.
“Who sent you?” I demanded.
He choked, his features twisting at the pain of approaching death. The blood that welled from his chest felt warm against my legs. Gross.
His powers—those bloodhound Tracker senses and the massive strength that made him into a living stone—called to my own.
Covetousness surged, an aching hunger to steal his magic. He was so strong. I could be that strong. I didn’t need any help finding things, but his strength would come in more than handy. Fire filled my body, a blazing heat that seared my soul. Hunger and need and desire rushed through me, a potent cocktail that stole my control.
I could take his strength, have it for my own. All I had to do was let my FireSoul take his power as he died. The need was so strong it ate me from within.
Shaking, I pressed my hands to his shoulders, my magic reaching out for his. White flame flickered across my skin, extending out to him. I tasted the iron of his magic as it flowed to me.
Joy seethed inside of me as I stole his power, sick and dark.
“Cass!” Nix’s voice pinged in my head. “Cass! What are you doing?”
Nix’s shout tugged at my conscience. I gasped, surfacing from the trance I’d fallen into. The white flame still flicked across my skin, reaching into the body beneath me.
I threw myself away from him, desperate to escape the force compelling me to steal his powers. I had no problem killing him—he’d threatened my friends—and little problem stealing his powers, but I wanted it to be a conscious decision. Not one that I was forced to make. Not one I enjoyed so much.
“Cass! Are you all right?” Nix asked. She fell to her knees beside me, concern in her gaze.
I shook my head, clearing my blurry vision. Shudders racked my body. The desperate hunger was fading now that I was away from him. I glanced at his body.
Dark eyes stared sightlessly at the ceiling. Dead.
No, I wasn’t resisting. The hunger was fading because he was dead. I could no longer take his power, so the temptation was gone. It wasn’t my own willpower or strength.
Damn. What was I turning into?
“Cass?” Nix’s voice shook me from my thoughts.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” Nix said.
I hadn’t told Nix or Del about my new fear that my FireSoul compelled me to steal magic when I was in close proximity to a dying body. Or that I enjoyed it so much.
It made me a monster.
Like the one from my past who hunted me and my deirfiúr. It was one thing to take powers, but it was another thing entirely to enjoy it so much. To do it without control. Like an addict.
“No, I’m fine. I wanted to ask him questions, but he’s dead.” I climbed to my feet. “And I hate getting blood on my clothes.”
“Yeah, all right,” Nix said as she rose, but her gaze lingered on my. She was suspicious, but didn’t say anything.
I wasn’t off the hook. Nix was great at biding her time. She’d told me once that when I was stressed, I had the bad habit of shutting down. She usually just waited me out. Nix was the patient one.
I climbed to my feet as Nix and Claire turned to Connor. He was straightening his crumpled band t-shirt—Amy MacDonald, live from Glasgow today—and rubbing his throat. His face was still ruddy from air loss and his dark eyes bright, but he looked all right otherwise.
“That was one nasty piece of work,” Connor said.
Connor was a Hearth Witch with a knack for potions, so hand-to-hand wasn’t his specialty. He was a badass with potion bombs and a sword if he could get his hands on one, but this kind of fighting had never been his thing.
“We better hide these bodies until they disappear,” I said. “Pull them behind the counter or something.”
Connor frowned. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be good for business. Would you like a side of dead demon with your triple boosted latte, madam?”
“Why, that sounds delightful,” Nix said in a singsong voice as she grabbed a demon by the leg and dragged him behind the counter.
Please don’t let the health inspector show up.
It wouldn’t take long for the demons to disappear and return to the hell that they’d come from. You couldn’t really kill a demon, just their earthly form. In a little while, they’d wake up in their hell.
But at least we didn’t have to deal with their bodies, and whoever had hired them wouldn’t be seeing them for a while.
“Thanks for covering for us,” I said after I’d dragged the second demon’s body behind the counter. “I have no idea how they found us. Whoever they were.”
“They mentioned a seer. But didn’t they come from your shop?” Claire asked. “They came from that direction at least.”
“They couldn’t see us,” I said as Connor went behind the counter and started to make coffee. Back to business as usual. “We have concealment charms that hide us from the eyes of anyone seek
ing us with ill intent. It’s how we’ve managed to stay hidden for so long.”
My sisters and I had lived in Magic’s Bend for five years, but we’d only been able to settle here once we bought the concealment charms. Without them, we’d have to stay on the run or risk the Monster from our past finding us.
“I’m sorry this brought trouble to your door,” I said. “But we really appreciate you having our back.”
“Yeah,” Nix said. “You have no idea. We’ve never had friends like you before.”
“That’s what friends are for,” Claire said. “Do you think those guys were sent by the Monster who hunts you?”
“Maybe.” My skin crawled at the thought. My deirfiúr and I had no memory of the first fifteen years of our lives. Only that we were FireSouls and that we’d fled from someone terrible. I’d met him recently, so he knew we were still alive. “Probably.”
My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I dug my hand in and pulled it out, then glanced at the message displayed on the screen.
FOUND SOMETHING. MEET AT OFFICE.
I glanced up and met three pairs of expectant eyes.
“Dr. Garriso wants to talk to me,” I said. “I’d better run.”
Nix’s eyes flared with interest. She knew I’d given our scholar friend the Chalice of Youth, an artifact linked to the Monster, and that I was waiting for answers. We wanted to know why the Monster hunted the chalice and hoped Dr. Garriso would be able to help us.
“Go, go,” Nix said. “I’ll hang out here and make sure these bodies disappear.”
“I can handle that,” Claire said. “I deal with enough demon bodies in my day job anyway. I’ve got the skill set.”
“It’s the least I can do,” Nix said. “And this is my favorite place to eat. I don’t want you getting shut down by the health inspector.”
Claire laughed. The sound followed me as I headed out of the shop.
I stepped out into the late afternoon drizzle and turned toward my car, immediately bumping into a tall, hard form. I stiffened, muscles on high-alert, then stepped back and looked up.
