by K. F. Breene
One thing was for sure—she could help his mother. Help him. Donovan had just cemented that fact. She had everything it would take, including determination, courage, and cunning. She was the whole package.
The luckiest day of his life had been when he’d nearly run her down.
“Keep watch on her. Keep her safe. Call me with updates.”
“Yes, sir. And sir?” Donovan paused for a moment. “They don’t have any money, and that kid looks grim. He needs food. He’s a shifter, and she’s got him eating vegetables ’n’ shit—” Donovan’s voice hitched with the slip in decorum. This was business, and that talk was out of line.
Kieran let it go. “And?”
“And if everything goes as planned, he’s going to need some real sustenance. Shifters need meat. If he doesn’t get it in human form, the second he can turn into his animal, he’ll take down the first red-blooded thing he can find.”
“See to it. Don’t let her know it’s coming from me, and don’t take no for an answer.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kieran dropped the phone. For once, he wasn’t showing goodwill to get something out of it. This time, he was helping a sick kid, like he had with that blanket. No strings attached.
He heaved a sigh and thought of his mother. She’d be proud of him. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
His thoughts hardened a moment later. What he’d have to do to tear his father off the throne.
Or maybe not.
36
Alexis
“I don’t like the interest you are taking in the Demigod’s situation,” Mordecai said as we pulled up in front of the house. The minions hadn’t followed us out of the parking lot, and I got the sneaking suspicion that someone else was on car-tailing duty. It would have to be a pretty ratty-looking car not to stand out around here. They were probably hunting the used-car dealerships.
I hurried to his side so I could help him out. “I’m not taking an interest in his situation. Honest. It’s just that the girl’s situation is similar to that of Kieran’s mom, and I don’t know what the heck that magical wall is. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s not right, putting that up. It’s a shit thing to do. They killed that girl because she possessed a type of magic that scared them. Sound like a familiar story?”
“And if you stick your nose in, they might kill you, too.”
I blew out a breath, forcing out the image of the girl’s desperate face. “I know.”
“So you need to steer clear.”
“I know.”
“You don’t sound like you mean it. When you stumble on something that doesn’t make sense to you, you pick at the thread until the entire sweater unravels.”
He was right. It was a personality flaw that usually didn’t result in huge consequences. Now, though, crushed between two Demigods who had a fragile relationship, it could have consequences of epic, astronomic proportions.
Frank stood in the center of my lawn, his face lighting up when he saw us.
“Frank, seriously, why do you have to stand on my lawn?” I asked in annoyance. He looked down at his feet. “Anyway, there are some people who are trying to spy on me. Can you keep an eye out for anyone hanging around here who shouldn’t be?”
“Sure, yeah. What do they look like?” he asked, walking toward the door.
“Just look for trespassers, okay?”
“Okay. Should I call the cops?”
I stopped at the door and just stared at him for a moment. This was clearly one of those times he’d forgotten he was dead. “No, Frank. That’s okay. Just let me know, all right?”
“Of course. I’d be happy to.”
“And hey, can you ask around and see if anyone wants to watch the neighborhood as a whole? I want to keep tabs on these guys.”
“Well, the president of the neighborhood watch fell off his ladder last week. From what I’ve heard, he landed on his back, right up near his neck. He’s in the hospital…”
No, he wasn’t, he was in the cemetery on the other side of town.
“Then it would be a good idea to organize everyone in case the thieves hear what happened and try to take advantage of the situation.” I unlocked the door.
“Yeah…” Frank nodded slowly. “That’s a good point. Okay.” He straightened his shoulders. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks, Frank.”
“Oh my God, Mordie, you look terrible.” Daisy rushed to the door and put her shoulder under Mordecai’s other arm. “Are you okay? What did they say?”
I held my breath as we got him to the couch. When I returned to shut the door, Frank was standing on my walkway, facing the street with his hands on his hips.
“They verified my illness,” Mordecai said, burying himself in blankets.
“All that, and all they did was tell you what you already know?” Daisy’s voice burned with anger. “You could’ve stayed home for that.”
I ducked into my bedroom really quickly and grabbed the blanket Kieran had bought. Returning it wouldn’t do a damn thing to get him off my case. We might as well use it.
“They did tests on how much it’s progressed, but I have to wait for the results. Not that it will do any good. I told them it wouldn’t matter—” He frowned when I stretched out the blanket. “What are you doing?”
“Wait…” Daisy scanned my clothing, lingering on the office-supply seamstress job and then my hair. “What the hell happened to you, and where are your clothes?”
“I don’t want this.” Mordecai tried to ward off the blanket. “Take that back to him, Alexis. Just because—”
I held up my hand to stop them both, before launching into what had happened to me at the magical government building.
“So you see?” I finished. “This blanket has nothing to do with anything. I doubt he’d even let me return it, let alone back off if I did. He’s got that file to hang over my head now.”
Daisy’s eyes narrowed. She took the blanket and threw it on top of Mordecai. “He stripped you down?”
“I was freezing and my clothes were wet. I had to get out of that shirt.” I turned quickly for the kitchen.
“Yes…” Footsteps thudded against the floor. “But he stripped off your shirt?”
“It happened so fast that—”
“What about your pants?”
My face burned as I filled a glass with water. I didn’t answer.
“Alexis, what did you do?” She stopped at the entrance to the kitchen. “He’s the enemy, remember? A crush is one thing, because the man is seriously hot, but—”
It was definitely role-reversal day. First Mordecai, and now this.
“I kissed him. That was it.” I gulped down my water. “It’s not like I meant to. It just happened.”
“Was that really it?” Daisy asked with a cocked hip, suspicion and anger clear on her face.
“Yes,” I lied. Even if I wanted to spill all, they were too young for the nitty-gritty. And I certainly didn’t want to spill all. “Then I shoved him away because I remembered about my phone and Mordecai.”
“Then you remembered about Mordecai?” Daisy accused. “After making out with the enemy?”
“If that water hadn’t been magically treated, it would’ve had ice on it. That’s how cold it was. I couldn’t get my thoughts straight.”
“So you’re a class five,” Mordecai said softly, thankfully not wanting to dwell on my terrible decision-making. “Do you think that’s why he’s interested in you?”
A wave of heat washed over me.
This would probably be the new normal. Every time I thought of that whack-job Demigod, I’d remember his searing touch, paired with the light, teasing kiss that boiled my blood. Even now, my breath sped up and my heart rate increased.
“Or is it the mutt thing?” Mordecai asked.
A knock sounded at the door.
I pointed at him. “That was a real knock?” Sometimes I had to ask to be sure. When Frank had enough energy, he used it to
affect the physical world.
After Mordecai nodded, I motioned for Daisy to get into the kitchen and padded softly to the door.
“What about the bat?” Daisy whispered.
I ignored her as I wrapped my fingers around the knob. How many people could it be? Only three possibilities came to mind: my stalker, his minions, or a salesman who wouldn’t last ten minutes trying to sell me something. Much like Mountebank Iams and his Nurse Ratched, salesmen tended not to find my witty personality in any way charming.
I swung the door open, revealing the large man with the huge arms and sharp cheekbones that would break a fist.
Two canvas grocery bags hung from his right hand, one with something leafy sticking out.
“I’m Jack,” he said. “I’m here to make that roast.”
“Holy Moses,” Daisy said from behind me, peeking around at Jack. “He’s a big guy. Seriously, should I get the bat?”
Jack flashed straight white teeth, the smile making his dark eyes glitter. “You’d need more than a bat to take me on.”
“Well, it’s a start,” Daisy said.
He hefted the bags. “Can I come in? Mordecai needs some fuel.”
“Fuel, as in food?” Daisy shouldered me out of the way and pushed the door wider. “Because I’m starving.” This was an incredible change of pace, even for her. But then, food had a way of changing minds. “You’re one of the Demigod’s guys, right? You look vaguely familiar from the other night.”
Jack ducked in and had a glance around. If he was unimpressed, he didn’t show it. It was nice of him.
“I’m one of his Six, yes. I’ll be hanging around the yard for a while. Keeping the beasties away.” He motioned toward the kitchen, and I nodded to his silent request to enter.
“Oh, good. So if that mobster comes here to try and shut Lexi up, we’ve got some backup.” Daisy nodded at me as Jack set up shop on the counter. She glanced at his muscular back before fanning her face and dropping her voice to a whisper. “He seems nice and he’s super hot. Ditch the Demigod for him.”
“What mobster is this?” Jack asked, glancing back. A good-natured smile adorned his bronzed face. Daisy was right—he was handsome. All of the guys I’d seen around Kieran were. They had nothing on him, though. Except when it came to manners and personal boundaries.
“Nothing,” I said, walking to his side. “Just some criminal from the freak show the other night. One of the ghosts asked for a parting favor. I need to make an anonymous call, is all.”
“You should really just do the letter,” Daisy muttered.
I looked over the ingredients as he was unpacking. Organic, fresh produce, two packages of butter, heavy cream, a hunk of meat… “I should say no and turn you away. I want nothing to do with Kieran.”
“Say no and turn me away after you eat. After what you went through in the assessment today, you deserve it.” He pushed over some carrots. “I hear you know how to work with vegetables.”
He was so easygoing and relaxed that it was hard to remain uptight and standoffish. I huffed out a laugh as Daisy sat at the table.
“We all do, yeah. But we’re not used to the carrots being this firm.” I delegated the carrots to Daisy along with a peeler. “I’d offer you some wine, but—”
“Here.” He bent down to the canvas bag and extracted a bottle. “I got you.”
I definitely wouldn’t be saying no now…
“This isn’t going to change my mind about working for your boss, just so you know.” I took the wine and found my out-of-use wine opener.
“I’m just trying to get a couple kids a good meal. But since you brought it up, he’s a good boss. A fair boss. He pays well, and he looks out for his own. He pulled me out of a rough spot. He’s a man that a guy—or gal—can respect.”
“I bet he didn’t stalk you, though,” Daisy muttered. “And force you to get an assessment out of the blue. And steal your clothes…”
Jack’s brow furrowed and he glanced at my getup, reminding me I hadn’t changed yet. “I did have to take an assessment—we all did; Kieran likes to know exactly what he’s working with—but yes, I got to keep my clothes. Then again, I didn’t go for a swim.”
“That’s because you didn’t get chased across an obstacle course like a gazelle running from a lion,” I replied.
“Touché,” he said, chuckling.
“He’s probably going to make a shrine out of the clothes.” Daisy jerked the peeler over the first carrot, taking more of the skin than was absolutely necessary. “After he gets whatever he wants, he’ll kill her off. He’s already collecting mementos. Whack job.”
“Daisy,” I chided.
Jack laughed harder as he unpacked the meat. “You don’t have to worry about Demigod Kieran. He’s trying to shelter you from what may come. He may not reveal all his cards at the get-go, but if you put your trust in him, he’ll see you through any storms. I know from experience.”
I shook my head as I washed the potatoes. If Kieran planned to go up against Valens, he might not be able to see himself through, never mind me. Working for him might be a suicide mission.
I needed to find another source of income, and quick.
37
Alexis
“Alexis!”
I jolted straight up in bed, ready for an emergency. Light blanketed my curtains, telling me it was already full day. I’d had a late night on Sunday, poring over all the listings on several job boards, sending resumés until the crack of dawn. Frustratingly, lower-level positions hiring magical people were as sparse as ever, and half of the companies listed I’d already worked for (and been fired by). The scant few left paid next to nothing.
It looked like I’d be at the freak show for a while longer.
“Alexis,” Daisy shouted again.
“Coming.” I ripped the covers away and swung my legs over the side of the mattress. “Coming!”
Fear pumped through me, all the things that could’ve unexpectedly befallen Mordecai running through my head. I pulled open the door and staggered out, never entirely alert after coming out of a deep sleep.
“Here she comes,” Daisy said as I thundered down the hall.
A strange tent of scarfs, old blankets, and weird mystical pictures greeted me at the edge of the living room near the front door. A weathered wooden chair sat in front of the setup, and my trusty fold-up chair was tucked inside the makeshift fort.
Mordecai and Daisy stood off to the side, surveying the mystical monstrosity.
“What’s…going on?” I rubbed my eyes, swaying as adrenaline, fear, fatigue, and the beginning stages of annoyance created a heady cocktail.
“It’s afternoon. We need to get some training in before heading to the fair.” Daisy held a clipboard and a pen, with an architect’s pencil tucked behind her ear. “Let’s go over the setup first, shall we?”
Annoyance took over. “You woke me up to walk me through how to properly sit in a festival of awful?” I noticed Mordecai’s “beloved” turquoise blanket mixed in with the other pieces of the “tent.”
He slumped under the force of my accusatory stare.
“Daisy said that it adds brightness to the overall ensemble,” he explained. “And I have that gravity blanket now, which is warmer than all three of my other blankets put together. I don’t need as many.”
“Oh, sure, pick a domineering Demigod’s gift over mine. Great.” I pulled my hair out of my face as I turned for the kitchen and a giant cup of coffee. Mordecai’s explanation had stung me. I knew almost everyone could provide for this family better than I could, but the fact that it was him doing it…
“We’ve got another one,” came Frank’s muffled voice through the door.
I groaned, finishing the trek to the kitchen counter and reaching for the empty coffee pot. Frank had kept checking in all day yesterday, cataloging the many movements of strangers around my house. Jack and the smiley blond guy, who’d introduced himself as Donovan when he’d forced his way in to mak
e pot pie yesterday evening, had been spotted numerous times, but a couple of others had been hanging around too, taking shifts and going so far as to peek in the windows.
That wasn’t all they were doing, though.
They were trying to make their lives easier by setting up surveillance around my property. So far, Frank had spied them putting up four cameras, covering both exit points (the front door and a never-used back door) and the sides of the house. I’d left them to it. I wanted my watchers to rest easy, comfortable in the knowledge they could monitor me from afar. Then, when I needed to get out undetected, I’d rip down their electronic eyes and set them to scrambling.
“He’s hiding in his favorite bush. I’ve got my eye on him, don’t worry,” Frank yelled. “I got Genevieve out back. She has eyes like a hawk.”
Frank was working on a network of nosey spirit neighbors, but so far, the two other spirits he’d brought around were more than pulling their weight.
Class-five magical worker, look at me. Invisible network at my service. If only they could, I don’t know, throw a punch or push someone off a cliff. Then I’d be cooking with gas.
Beggars can’t be choosers.
“Hurry up, Alexis,” Daisy said with obvious annoyance.
“She thinks she’s created a genius business plan,” Mordecai said.
“I have created a genius business plan, you troll,” Daisy shot back. “This setup will bring all the freaks to the yard.”
“She is the freak. We want the norms.”
“Whatever. Ew. Stop raining on my parade.”
I was getting it from all sides. I didn’t think I was up for it. Not before caffeine, anyway.
“I’ll be right there,” I said tiredly, scooping grounds into the filter. My plastic scoop scraped the bottom of the metal tin, and buying more wasn’t in my budget until I got a new job.
All sides.
“He’s big, but I can take him, don’t you worry, Alexis,” Frank called through the door. “The bigger they are, the slower they are. I move like the wind.”
