by B N Miles
“I know,” Jared said. “It really is. I mean, anyone with half a brain would’ve left the official truck behind, especially after we know what their company’s called.”
“Well, maybe they were just… I don’t know, making sure everything was okay?” Cassie tilted her head. “That’s possible, right?”
Jared gave her a look. “Not really.”
“Okay, then.” Jessalene stood up. “Let’s go to the suburbs before they have a chance to get away.”
“You two get dressed.” Jared sighed. “I’ll drink some more coffee.”
Both girls jumped up. Cassie kissed his cheek then ran upstairs. Jessalene lingered for a moment. “Do you really think they have something to do with Wen Bet?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I doubt it. I mean, just based on that incompetence. But we’ll chase it down anyway.”
She nodded, turned, and followed Cassie upstairs.
7
Jared pulled down the now-familiar road toward Big Roots Landscaping. He parked a few houses away, out of sight so they wouldn’t have any warning that they were coming.
“Okay,” he said, looking at the girls. “Let’s not take this too far. Goblins are more dangerous than they look.”
Jessalene nodded. “I’m ready.” Jared reached back and tapped at the vest she was wearing. It was official MetaDept body armor and should protect her from most conventional weapons, along with some magic. It was fitted to her body, the magic cloth taking her shape. It was a deep, almost mind-bending sort of black that let no light escape at all. At certain angles, it seemed to shimmer with the priori stored in its wards.
“You look good,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you two don’t have to wear it.”
“I have magic,” he said. “And Cassie can turn into a girl monster wolf thing.”
“Aelurodon,” she said. “Bone crunching dog.”
“Right, that thing.” He glanced at her, then back at Jessa. “I’m sorry, but you’re just more vulnerable.”
She opened her mouth then shut it again. “Fine,” she snapped. “Let’s just go, okay?”
Jared grinned and patted her knee before getting out of the car. The girls followed, and the three of them walked down the old, uneven sidewalk. Tree roots grew underneath it in places, forcing the concrete up, cracking it in other spots. They came around a bend and spotted the garage up ahead.
The truck Jared had seen earlier was parked out front at an odd angle. It looked like the Goblins drove straight back here, pulled the truck in, and ran inside. They were panicking, which was both good and bad. It meant they had something to hide for sure, but it also meant they could be dangerous.
“Be careful,” Jared warned, glancing back at them. “I think they’re spooked. Who knows what they might do.”
Both girls nodded. Cassie was wearing a pair of tapered sweats and a simple cotton t-shirt, both easily removed for when she needed to shift. Jessalene looked attractive in the MetaDept vest, which disturbed Jared just a little. Her tight black jeans and tank top showed off her slim, long, athletic legs and toned arms. Her hair was pinned up in a tight bun, and her jaw was set in a serious expression.
They walked up past the truck. Jared looked inside and found hamburger wrappers on the floor and a plastic water bottle with some kind of dark yellow liquid inside. He frowned as Cassie stood up on her toes to look in beside him.
“Piss bottle?“ she asked.
“Piss bottle,“ he confirmed.
Jessa gave them an odd look but declined his invitation to take a look. Jared laughed a little then he approached the old, half-rotted door and knocked. There was no sound from inside. “Mondo,” he called out. “It’s Jared Bechtel. I’m just here to talk.”
He knocked again. There were noises from inside, but nobody came to the door. He frowned back at the girls.
“Can’t we just kick it down?” Cassie asked.
“Not exactly legal,” Jared said.
“I don’t know why we’re following the book here,” Jessalene grumbled.
“Mondo!” Jared banged on the door. “I saw your damn truck. Open up and explain yourself before I torch this whole garage.”
He heard more noise then, chattering and moving around. Jared went to bang one more time, but a lock clicked open, and the door peeked inward.
“Jared!” It was Mondo, all right. He smiled at them, his teeth sharp and jagged. “And you brought the girls. To what do I owe this, uh, pleasure?”
“Mondo.” Jared gave him a look. “I saw your guys outside my house. You know that was really stupid, right?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” He smiled and looked at them all. “I’m sorry, but we’re very busy today. Maybe come back later.”
“Your company’s name is on the side of the truck. I was here the other day. I know it was you, Mondo.”
He stared at Jared for a long moment, then his eyes flipped over to the truck parked out front. “I don’t know… I mean, I’m not sure what you’re saying.”
“Look, I get it. You guys are in over your heads. Just talk to me, tell me how you got my address and why you sent guys to watch my place. We can figure this out together.”
“No,” Mondo said. “No, I just—” He went to shut the door, but Jared put his hand out and stopped him. That was against regulation, but he couldn’t help himself. The more Mondo talked, the more pissed off he got.
Those Goblin assholes got his address. He didn’t know how, but they must be working with someone with resources. There was no way a bunch of random Goblins found the address of a Magi by themselves, even if he wasn’t active in his family anymore.
No, these guys were far too incompetent to figure that out themselves. They’re working with someone, and Jared wanted to know who.
“Marshal,” Mondo said. “Let me close the door. I’m done talking. You can’t—”
“I can,” Jared said through clenched teeth.
He reached for the priori and felt it flood through him. The memgram came like water flowing into an urn. Abstract crystalline shapes in a perfect vacuum, floating, glittering, broken into their constituent parts.
It was a little overkill. The door began to melt beneath his hands, dripping away into its constituent parts. It flowed into sawdust like water, dripping down onto the floor in thick gobs that hit the ground and scattered into dust. Mondo stared at him, his eyes wild as he staggered back, the doorknob still clutched in his hand.
Jared pushed the rest of the door out of the way as Jessalene stepped past him. “Start talking,” she said, glaring at Mondo. “We don’t have time for games.”
Jared’s eyes went up into the room. There were more Goblins, five of them in total, huddled around a table toward the back. They stared as Jessalene forced Mondo back into the cluttered main garage.
“Jessa,” Jared tried to warn.
The goblins stood up.
“Time to shift?” Cassie asked.
“Wait,” Jared said. “Hold on.” He moved forward, grabbing Jessalene’s arm. Mondo was backed up against a rack of spare parts, breathing hard, eyes wild with terror. “Hold on,” he hissed again.
“Look at him,” she said. “He’s terrified. He’ll talk.”
“They’re fear gods,” Jared said before the whole room went black.
Or not exactly black. Jared let go of Jessalene’s arm and staggered backward. His eyes bugged out as his heart began to race. Cassie turned and sprinted, slamming against a wall, staggering, running again. She let out a wild, animalistic scream, ringed with pure terror.
Jared’s heart was pounding so hard he thought he was going to throw up. The room, oh god, the room was black, thick with the blackness, heavy with pure light-sucking darkness. Things crawled in that darkness, beings with heavy scales and tentacles, writhing in the corners of his vision. He clawed at his face, a silent scream on his lips. The Need tore at the back of his skull as he fell away from Jessalene
and the Goblins, horror pulsing through him with every beat of his heart. He reached the broken door and stumbled into daylight.
He tripped, nearly falling, but stopped at the truck, fingers gripping the edge of the bed. He couldn’t think of anything else to do. His mind was blank with horror, fear ripping through him. He held on tight, the only solid thing around. Hands grabbed at him and he struggled away, an animal growl on his lips. Fingers clawed at his skin and an aura pressed against him, somehow familiar through the haze of horror that had fallen over him. Everything was distorted and broken, and the beating of his heart, the sweat rolling down his back in fat globs, made him want to double over and puke.
“Jared,” a voice said. “Jared, it’s okay, what’s happening? What are you doing?”
His wild eyes saw Jessalene, but he couldn’t understand her. She was twisted, contorted somehow, and his body screamed at him to get away from her, run away from her as fast as he could. He groaned as he cowered away from her, dropped down into a ball at her feet. She knelt next to him, touching his back, her fingers like snakes against his skin. “It’s okay, it’s okay, what’s going on? Jared, you’re fine. You’re okay.”
Her voice, her touch, made him want to writhe and scream. But her aura washed over him, clean and pure, like fresh forest snow or a spring rolling down a mountain. That aura soothed him, whispered to him, and he grabbed at it desperately. He felt her lips press against his neck and he groaned.
Jessalene. His Jessalene. His girl. He looked at her, the fear still pulsing through him. The distortion hazing her face began to fade back, peel away like gauze, as his aura continued to wrap itself around him. She smiled back, and gods, she was so beautiful. He reached out for her, pulled her closer, and kissed her.
Then reached for the priori. He felt it flood him again as he cast a shield around them both. The magic snapped into place, and the fear melted away as the hardened air covered them both in a protective bubble.
“Fuck,” he said, leaning his head back against the car. He was still sweating, but the world was back to normal. His heart rate was beginning to stabilize, and he didn’t feel like he might puke anymore.
“Jared?”
“I’m okay.” He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. “I’m okay. Magic flooded it out.”
“What happened?”
“They use fear magic,” he said. “Goblins are minor fear gods.”
Jessalene looked back over her shoulder then shook her head. “But why didn’t I freak out?”
Jared touched the vest. “Protection from some magic,” he said. “I guess fear magic is one of them.”
She laughed. “And I didn’t want to wear it.”
“Glad you did.”
He released the shield. The Need came over him, hot and angry, but it felt familiar and comforting compared to the pure terror that had just nearly ripped him into pieces. He looked into Jessalene’s eyes and pulled her against him, kissing her. She kissed him back before pushing him away. “Not the time,” she said.
“Sorry,” he grunted. “Couldn’t help it.”
“I know. We need to find Cassie.”
“Shit.” Jared got to his feet. “I’ll find her. You stay here.”
“You need my help. We can’t just leave her.”
“I know, but she might be dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” Jessalene frowned.
“If she shifts…” Jared shook his head. “Let me handle it. If she’s feeling the way I was, she’s going to want to kill whatever comes close. She won’t know…” He trailed off. “She won’t recognize us.”
“You recognized me, though.” She bit her lip. “Why wouldn’t Cassie?”
He hesitated then let out a sharp breath. “Your aura. That’s what brought me back. Maybe that can work again with her.”
“Perfect.” Jessalene turned and was already trotting down the sidewalk. “Come on.”
Jared got up and glanced at the melted door. Mondo stood there, grinning his toothy grin at them. He clenched his jaw and turned just as Mondo waved to him. He ignored the Goblin and ran off after Jessalene.
8
“She couldn’t have gotten far,” Jared said as they rounded a corner at a stoplight. Up ahead was a thrift store on the left and a small strip of stores on the right. There was a pizza place with a wooden railing, a small cafe and restaurant, and a low storage unit building set further back from the road down a short, paved driveway.
He heard a shout back toward the storage place. Jessalene gave him a look. “That way,” she said.
He nodded and they ran up the drive. The gate looked open, but as they got closer, Jared realized the chain link had been torn sideways. He ran through it, Jessalene just behind him.
Long claw marks were left in the corrugated metal doorways of the storage units, the steel bent back and torn. Jared hurried along, following the marks, moving toward another scream. “Cassie!” Jared yelled.
They rounded a corner and found her.
Two men were backed up against a storage unit door, which was bright orange and covered in patches of rust. The first had light brown skin and a thick black mustache. He was older, in his sixties at least, with a polo shirt tucked into jean shorts. The other guy was pale, shorter, thinner, younger, and held a skateboard out in front of him like a weapon. He was shaking, and his baggy jeans quaked with every motion he made.
Cassie stalked in front of them. She was in her shifted form, her large wolf-like face snapping at the men, her eyes bulging. She was red with black markings and looked like a fox, but she was the size of a dire wolf at least. Her muzzle was black, and her eyes were a sharp red as she bared her teeth in a snarl, spittle flying from her jaws. She was a couple hundred pounds of pure muscle and claws, a killing machine Jared had seen tear men to pieces.
“Cassie,” he said again, coming toward her.
She turned to them and bared her teeth in another snarl. Jared put up his hands.
“Cass, it’s me.” Jessalene walked past Jared. “Sweetie. It’s Jessalene.” Jared sensed Jessa’s aura reaching out toward Cassie, caressing her, stroking her, working its magic on the enraged Were.
Jared inched toward the men cowering against the unit. They seemed like normal humans, and he couldn’t feel any aura coming off either of them. He guessed they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Cassie snarled again and snapped at Jessalene. Jared moved closer to the men and Cassie whirled around to face him. He froze, a memgram on the tip of his tongue, ready to snap into place.
She bared her teeth again. Jared knew he should’ve been afraid. Cassie could tear his body to pieces if she wanted.
But he knew she didn’t want that. This was Cassie, after all. His Cassie. His bubbly, beautiful, and sensual Cassie. The woman he held just last night, felt her breathing against his neck, felt her body snuggle close against his in her sleep.
He stepped toward her, hands out. Jessalene gave him a warning look and Cassie growled, the hair on her back standing up, her body tensed to pounce. His heart was beating fast, but he refused to let his fear show on his face. He loved this girl, loved her as he’d never loved before, and he wasn’t about to turn his back on her now.
“Cass,” he said. “It’s okay.”
She growled at him and snapped. He didn’t stop. Her jaws wrenched the air just inches from his throat.
“Cass,” he said again.
“Jared,” Jessalene called out. “Careful.”
He stared at Cassie. “Cassie, sweetie. It’s me. It’s Jared. It’ll be okay; I know you’re afraid. But it’s going to be okay. I promise, it’ll all be okay, just come over here. I’m your fated mate, remember? You’re bonded to me and I’m bonded to you. It’ll be okay, don’t be scared.”
Cassie didn’t move. She watched him, teeth still bared, but she didn’t snap again. He got closer, close enough to touch her. He reached out and brushed her face, making her purr almost like a cat. She nuzzled his
hand, and she slowly covered her teeth.
That was when one of the idiot humans decided to run.
The younger man bolted. He threw his skateboard with a wild scream at Cassie then ran to the right, angling to get around her. The board thudded against her flank and dropped to the pavement with a clatter. She growled and whirled away from Jared, her body tensed to pounce. The kid screamed and staggered away, slamming against the door of another storage unit with a loud bang and a clatter. Cassie jumped at him, teeth out, claws ready to tear the guy into bits.
“No!” he yelled and snapped the memgram into place.
Cassie’s teeth snapped down on a shield. She yelped as her teeth bit into diamond-hard air and her body followed, slamming against it. She staggered back, dazed, shaking her muzzle, a whine escaping her lips. She snapped out at random, angry and looking for something to kill. The kid screamed again, staggered and nearly fell on his face, but kept running. He sprinted as fast as he could, his pants sagging down so much that he had to hitch them up.
Cassie whined and snapped at the air as Jared moved the shield around her, pinning her in place. She struggled at first then looked at him, fear still in her eyes. He knew what was happening to her, knew she was confused and afraid. He moved forward and wrapped his arms around her body. She growled, struggled, but didn’t try to bite him, didn’t try to gut him with those claws. He pressed his face against her warm, surprisingly soft fur and felt her breathing fast, sucking massive amounts of air into her huge body.
He could feel her tense, ready to get violent, but he held her tight. Her teeth were still bared. “It’s okay, my perfect Cassie,” he whispered. “You don’t need to be afraid. I have you now.” He slowly released the shield, letting it vaporize into the air. He prepared another shield, just in case, ready for any sign that she’d snap.
“Fated mates,” he whispered. “I feel the same way, you know. Felt it the moment I saw you back in that transport, down on your knees, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life.”
