by Deanna Chase
“Just a minute,” she snapped.
My smile faltered. I bit back a snarky reply and waited. But when she pulled a phone out of her back pocket and started texting, I lost the battle. “I’m sorry, but we’re in a hurry. Can I pay for this?”
“I said—” Her eyes went wide with shock as she stared over my shoulder.
I spun just in time to see a man clutching a gun reach out and wrap his arm around my neck. My left wing was smashed between us and sent a dart of pain through my left side as he pulled me tight against his body. “Come quietly and no one needs to get hurt.”
I swallowed a cry of protest and met the trembling clerk’s eyes. Her mouth opened in silent shock as she backed up and stumbled over her feet. She went down with a yelp of surprise at the same time Phoebe appeared in my peripheral vision and yelled, “Freeze!”
Holy fae. She had blood trickling down the side of her face. He must’ve attacked her first. How had a human gotten the jump on her?
“Son of a bitch,” my attacker muttered and spun me around, his arm cutting off my airway. My eyes bugged out as I scrabbled at his hold.
“Let her go, or I’ll be putting you in a body bag in about three seconds,” Phoebe demanded, flashing her sun agate at him. What was she going to do, blind him with it?
Light flared from the agate and my attacker stumbled back.
“Move, Willow!”
Oh, shit. That’s exactly what she’d done. I threw myself to the right, barely avoiding a collision with a rack of accessories.
The gun went off with a thwap and the next moment a crackle of magic exploded, illuminating the store in a brilliant flash of blue lightning.
Trembling with delayed adrenaline, I crawled from under a garment rack and peered around. Who the hell was that guy, and what did he want? Phoebe was standing in front of our frozen attacker, rubbing her jaw thoughtfully. The gun lay at her feet. Good Goddess. That was close. He’d been stunned and wouldn’t be moving another muscle until she reversed her magic.
I turned and caught sight of the clerk. She was chalk white, also frozen in place, except she had tears streaming down her face and instead of being spelled, fear had rendered her incapable of moving. She didn’t even answer her ringing phone.
“Who sent him?” I asked Phoebe.
“Don’t know. But since the bastard coldcocked me and tried to take you, this is Arcane business. I’ll call it in.”
“He coldcocked you?” My voice rose in sheer disbelief.
She nodded and touched the cut on her head. “He came out of nowhere. The bastard has some sort of training.”
“What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know, but we’re sure going to try to find out.” She kicked our attacker. “God help him after the interrogators get to him.”
Forcing myself to maintain some sort of normalcy, I turned back to the clerk. My dress was still sitting on the counter. “Can I check out now?”
She didn’t appear to hear me as she started to shake and slid back down to the floor. “Dammit,” I muttered. Humans. I walked around the counter. The register was almost identical to the ones we used at my shop, The Fated Cupcake. “I’m sorry. But this dress is too good to leave here. If you don’t mind, I’ll just check myself out.”
Her vacant eyes met mine, and she gave me one tiny nod. I was certain she wasn’t registering what she’d agreed to, but there was no way in hell I was leaving my perfect dress.
Chapter 2
Sitting on my bed, I leaned against my enchanted oak, holding the gorgeous plum dress. As a faery, I needed nature to recharge, and in New Orleans, a city full of concrete, that wasn’t an easy task. Sure, New Orleans has lots of trees and parks, but it’s not like living in a forest. When I moved to New Orleans, Phoebe spelled the magical oak into existence so I could recharge in my sleep. It was the perfect solution.
Though the oak didn’t seem to be helping much now. My limbs were shaking from delayed shock. I’d almost been abducted. A gun had gone off. And then I’d bought a dress as if nothing had happened. I could’ve died. What was wrong with me? Holy crow.
A month ago, my biggest worry was running out of Molten Muse at my shop. Now I had someone gunning for me. And it wasn’t the guy Phoebe had taken out. Surely he was hired muscle. No, it had to be Asher, the vampire lord who had killed my brother. Did he know I’d inherited Beau’s abilities? What else would prompt him to have me kidnapped from a cute boutique on Magazine Street, of all places? Not very subtle. Was he coming after me at all costs now? I’d have to be extra cautious everywhere I went from now on.
My stomach dropped with sudden fear. My shop. I had to tell them. What if Asher sent another gunman there? My employees could be in danger. My wings fluttered, and despite the still-lingering pain, I flew to the floor and grabbed my phone.
For once, I’d remembered to charge the thing. Link, in wolf form, pressed against my leg in a possessive manner. The second I’d walked through the door, he’d shifted from his adorable Shih Tzu form, no doubt sensing my off-the-charts anxiety level. “Back up, Link.”
He looked up at me through golden eyes but didn’t move.
“Fine, but stop pressing into me. Your one hundred and fifty pounds of wolf-weight is going to knock me over.”
He snorted a breath through his nose and backed off a little.
“Huh.” Maybe he did understand me.
The phone buzzed just as I picked it up. The Fated Cupcake flashed on the screen. “Tami?”
“Willow? Oh, my God,” my assistant cried. “I’m so sorry.”
My heart dropped to my toes hearing the panic in her voice. Had Asher already sent people to my shop? “What’s wrong? Is everyone all right?”
“Everyone’s fine.” She sucked in air as if to calm herself. “It’s nothing like that.”
I let out a sigh of relief. As long as my employees were okay, everything else could be dealt with. “Okay, what happened?”
“I don’t know exactly. It’s been swamped all morning here, so I’ve been chained to the front counter. It must’ve happened last night, otherwise we would’ve heard something.”
“Heard what?” A small headache started to form above my left eye.
“Oh, sorry. I’m flustered. Someone broke into your office. It’s been trashed.”
“Just my office? Nothing else?” Why the hell would anyone break into my office? There wasn’t anything there but my computer and some old files. And none of that was terribly important. Even my recipes didn’t mean much without my magic to alter them.
“Everything else appears to be in order.”
A feeling of utter violation took up residence in my gut and started to spread. My office was my sanctuary. A space that was all mine. “I’ll be right there.”
“Do you want me to call anyone? The police?”
Good question. Did I want anyone involved? “No. I’ll take care of it. Thanks, Tami. See you in a few.” I hit End and immediately called Phoebe.
She’d gone straight to the Arcane to start filling out paperwork. I’d stopped off at home to grab Link and collect myself. I’d needed a moment before going to the Arcane building. I’d be bombarded with questions I wasn’t sure I should answer. Last week, I’d found out Felton, the director of the Void, had wanted me either dead or locked up permanently to be used as his personal weapon. But Allcot eliminated him after he’d found out the director had used his sister-in-law. The immediate threat at the Arcane was gone, but I had no idea if anyone remained loyal to Felton. Did anyone still working in the Void branch share his views? Plenty of agents had carried out his orders without so much as a murmur of protest.
Of course, they could’ve been Influenced. Maude, my aunt, had been. I just had too many questions and trusted no one but Phoebe and Talisen.
“Wil, are you on your way?” Phoebe’s voice boomed through the phone.
“No. My freakin’ office was ransacked,” I huffed out in frustration. “There’s no way I’m
going to make it to the Arcane anytime soon.”
“Your office at the shop?”
“Yes. Tami just called.”
“I’ll be right there.” Phoebe hung up before I could protest.
My phone made a sad beeping noise and then died. Dammit, I swear I’d charged the stupid thing. Grabbing the USB cord, I gestured to Link. “Let’s go, boy. Never a dull moment.”
Link stayed in wolf form, and honestly, I was glad. It made getting him into the Jeep a little tougher since he practically took up the entire back seat, but his large presence made me feel safer.
Seven minutes later, I parked a few spaces down from my shop in Uptown. I watched a steady stream of customers filter in and out through the gleaming glass doors. It was just another normal Saturday, except I’d been assaulted and I was being stalked. Plus my personal sanctuary had been invaded. What the hell were they looking for?
“Let’s go in, Link.” I jumped out and pulled the back door open. He leaped with ease to the ground and headed for my private side entrance.
What was I walking into? My pulse quickened with something close to fear. Get a grip, Willow. No one is in there. Tami and the staff had already checked things out. My rationale did nothing to soothe me. As I rounded the corner, Link let out a growl and pawed at the door.
“What is it, Link?” Sweat broke out on my palms as I studied the lock. There wasn’t any sign of forced entry. Not even a scratch. Had they come in through the front? Surely someone would have noticed if the glass door had been damaged. No, whoever had done this was a professional.
Link sniffed incessantly at the bottom of the door but stopped growling. It was likely he smelled the lingering scent of whoever had broken in.
Confident I wasn’t walking into an ambush, I slipped my key into the lock and opened the door easily. Pushing the door open, I held my breath and then gasped at the utter catastrophe within.
Link bounded in, tearing through the office, sniffing anything and everything. He stopped behind my desk and whimpered. Torn paper, destroyed books and journals, and stuffing from Link’s bed and my couch littered the floor. But the worst of it was in and around my desk. It appeared every single one of my meticulous, handwritten files had been shredded, burned, and then sprinkled on top of my desk. My whole body went cold with barely suppressed rage.
Link started to whine, and I headed his way.
“What did you find?” I peeked over my desk and started to gag. “Omigod!” Who would do such a horrible thing? “Back,” I told Link and then, shaking with anger, I reached down and lightly stroked the small bluebird. He was still breathing, but barely. His wings and tail had been duct-taped to the floor, and half his feathers had ripped from his body as he struggled to break free. My insides constricted, coiling into a tight ball. The horrible display was too much for my inner fae. I had to breathe life back into the poor helpless thing. A monster had done this.
Vampire.
One of them was after me and this was a message. Hate filled my vision, but I quickly pushed it aside. The bird needed my help.
My touch seemed to calm him, but he was very weak. Carefully, I peeled back the tape, and as the last strip came free, he tucked his wings to his sides and started to shake.
“It’s going to be okay, little one.” I cradled him in one hand and half covered him with the other. Running two fingers along his chest, I drew in a tiny bit of his life force and, together with my magic, forced it back into his being. It was just enough to stop his shaking. Normally I didn’t alter the life energy of animals, as plants were my specialty, but I had to do what I could.
I sank to the floor, holding the traumatized bird, and stared at the destruction around me. The bird had been a symbol. Whoever did this was trying to intimidate me, letting me know they’d do the same to me if I got in the way. Why else would anyone harm a poor, defenseless bird?
When Phoebe arrived five minutes later, I was still sitting on the floor, cradling the poor bird. She took one look at the office and hit a button on her phone. “Forensics.” Pause. “Bring the cameras, print and motion. We’re going to want more than one type of record.”
The Void investigators were on their way. While Phoebe and I both worked for the Void, we were vampire hunters, not forensic investigators. Phoebe did a cursory lap around the office, taking notes, inspecting the discarded papers, and finally stopped right next to me. “Someone had a bonfire on your desk.”
“A small one, it appears. Good thing they put it out.” My whole store could’ve gone up in flames.
“What’s with the bird?”
I told her what Link had found and she gasped in shock. “Damn, that’s awful.”
I nodded. I was more upset by what the bird had been through than the state of my office. It reminded me too much of being imprisoned at the Void not too long ago. The bird started to flap its wings, forcing me to let go. He wobbled and fluttered to the ground but stood tall, ready to move on. “Good-bye, little birdie. Have a good life.” I held the door open and watched as he clumsily flew out of the office under his own steam. My magic appeared to have given him a fighting chance. I hoped so, anyway.
The door that led to the shop creaked open. “Wil?” Tami, my assistant, poked her head in.
“Yeah?”
Relief flashed over her face. “I was hoping that was you in here.”
I sent her a grim smile.
“Someone is here to see you.”
Before I could respond, a small-framed, frizzy-haired bundle of energy plowed through the door. Her pale blue wings flexed behind her. “Miss Rhoswen.” The faery came to a stop in front of me and held out her hand.
Startled, it took me a moment to extend my own hand.
“Director Halston. I’m sorry we’re meeting under such unpleasant circumstances.” Her grip was firm as she pumped my hand.
“Director.” I cut my eyes to Phoebe. She gave me a slight shrug. Had she known the new director was coming? “I wasn’t expecting you.”
She smiled. “Groundwork is often underestimated. After your earlier attack and now this, I thought it was important I see to the details personally.” She glanced around my office. “Looks like whoever did this was very thorough.”
“My life’s work has been destroyed.” My voice was flat, almost uncaring, even though I was dying inside. I’d built this store from nothing, poured my heart and soul into it, and now someone had threatened what I’d created. I had backup files for all my recipes, but that wasn’t the point. These records were my originals, the ones I’d made during my creative process. This was personal.
The director swept a mass of hair out of her eyes and pulled out a leather-bound notebook. “Have you touched anything?”
I repeated the story of the bird one more time. She pushed her plastic-framed glasses on and frowned. “I’m going to do the Arcane inspection myself.” Paper crinkled beneath her shoes with each step as she made her way around the room.
Phoebe and I shared a curious look. Directors didn’t do routine field inspections. There was only one reason she was here—she’d taken a personal interest in me.
My blood pressure rose and my wings started to twitch. The last time I’d been on a director’s radar, I’d been locked up in the basement of the Arcane building waiting to be turned into a lab rat. I left my office and headed for the storefront.
Tami rushed to my side when I stepped behind the counter. “Can I get you anything? A Calming Cupcake?”
I turned slowly, focusing on her, trying to force all the anger and sadness swirling inside me into a tightly locked box. There wasn’t time to process all the emotion bursting in my chest. “Actually, yes. Should’ve thought of that myself.”
She handed me the lavender-frosted cupcake and patted my arm. “I’m so sorry this happened. I can’t imagine how violated you must feel.”
I picked at the paper wrapper as I glanced around the shop and noted everything else appeared to be in place. But what about my plants? A s
harp jab of fear pierced my heart. Not my plants. They were like my children, so carefully cultivated and magically altered. “Is the lab all right?” I asked, not at all sure I wanted to know the answer.
“Yeah. I checked everything after I saw your office. No one has been in there.”
“Thank the Goddess,” I breathed, relief flooding through me as I took a bite of the cupcake. It took a few moments, but eventually the ingredients filtered through my system, easing the tension in my shoulders. I reluctantly headed back to my office to find the director had cleared a space and was sitting behind my desk, her pen flying across her notebook pages.
“Now that you’re back,” the director said, “have a seat.” She pierced me with a stare reminiscent of a high school principal.
I obeyed and sat stiffly next to Phoebe, fidgeting with my fingernails. Why was I so nervous? I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Let’s discuss the reasons you could be a target.” She scanned each of our faces, lingering just long enough to make eye contact.
Silence.
“Kilsen?” she demanded.
Phoebe raised her chin, acknowledging her. “Yes, Director?”
“Your theory, please.”
Phoebe glanced at me once, then gave Halston her full attention. “Any number of reasons, I suppose. Orange Influence or the fact that Willow was recently partnered with a vampire. It could be related to her brother’s death—”
Blood rushed to my head. Had she really brought my brother into this? We’d decided to keep the details of the abilities I’d inherited from Beau under wraps until we knew who we could trust.
“Her brother’s death?” Halston frowned and pulled a file out of her bag. She flipped through it and scanned a sheet. “It says here in the report that the incident was a random act of violence.”
Phoebe shrugged. “That’s the way it was ruled at the time, but who’s to say? I’m just throwing out possibilities.”
