by Sierra Cross
“And what’s wrong with democracy, Ambrose?” Despite myself, I was starting to feel amused—not a feeling I associated with being in Bonaventura’s presence.
He shuddered again. “Because of your short lifespan, we don’t have time for me to give a complete answer.” Damn...harsh. Wait, was that a twinkle in his eye? The vampire was joking with me. “The point is,” he said. “You are not who I would have chosen, ever, but...you are the right leader for your coven. And my centuries on Earth have taught me that when a coven has the right leader, it can do amazing things.”
Amazing things, us? I pushed my sunglasses back on again to hide my surprise. Part of me wanted to beam and thank him for the compliment, like I was some dorky Miss Magicborn America pageant winner. Another part of me wanted to tell him he could keep his back-handed compliments to himself from now on, thanks very much. But before I could figure out what to say, Bonaventura had already stalked away, through the pool area’s front gate, and was heading back into the hotel building.
Bonaventura had rented out an entire wing of the hotel, and we spent the next twenty-four hours licking our wounds trying to get in decent enough shape to fly home. Griffin and a couple of other vampires needed some time to regenerate missing parts. Ugh. I’d never get used to that. Callie stayed awake only long enough to eat. Bethany was shaken and a bit shell-shocked but physically seemed to be on the mend. By the time we boarded Bonaventura’s private jet, I’d finally let it sink in—my coven was whole again.
It was a solemn victory. While there was plenty to revel in, there were so many losses even Matt’s adage about celebrating the wins along the way didn’t feel right. Nobody said much the whole way back. When we deplaned, Bonaventura nodded goodbye to me. I didn’t want to read too much into it, but I swear there was a spark of gratitude in his eyes. That was even better than being owed a favor.
The vamps took off in their big black SUVs. My coven and I waited in the small, swanky terminal with Bethany. We’d called her parents the moment we had cell phone coverage, and her dad promised to arrive on the next available flight. The young witch sat at the edge of her seat, gripping the edge like if she let go, she’d float away.
“What’s going to happen to the other girls?” she asked.
I glanced around at my coven and decided an honest answer was the best I could do. “I don’t know, Bethany.”
“They weren’t always like this, you know,” Bethany said. “Before Dean Well—I mean, Tenebris—showed up, those girls were my friends. We were all in the honors program together. I was the youngest witch in the whole school, and I was scared and homesick…but they were all so nice to me. Then in January, we got a new dean. He called us all into his office, supposedly to receive some kind of academic award. Only instead of giving us an award, he did some kind of demon spell. Filled the room with green magic and declared us his witch vessels. He told us his true name. Said now we were in his thrall, whatever that means.”
“Means he tried to make you his willing slaves,” Asher said grimly.
“Well, it worked…on everyone but me.” Bethany’s face twisted with puzzlement at the memory. “At first I did feel a pull to obey him, but some part of me was always fighting it.”
The guardian part of her? I wondered. I’d read enough of my mother’s tome to know that control spells had to be tailored to the target’s nature. The same spell wouldn’t work on a witch as on a guardian. Matt and I locked eyes, and I knew he was thinking the same thing. If Mals, by their mixed nature, were less vulnerable to demonic influence, that was damn useful info for the future.
Bethany’s small face darkened with sorrow. “I know it sounds stupid, after everything that’s happened, but I really miss my friends. How things were before.”
“That’s not stupid,” I said. “Not at all.”
Her voice cracked. “I guess I should think of it like they’re dead, right?”
“No, kid.” Tears filled Liv’s eyes. “Don’t give up hope for the people you love.”
I stole a glance at Callie. Her eyes looked shiny too, but maybe she was just exhausted. Ever since she’d taken back control of her body from the Splinter, her emotions seemed muted. Distant, in a way that unnerved me. I chided myself that it wasn’t fair to expect she’d bounce back instantaneously. The Callie I knew was more resilient than just about anyone I’d met, but who knew what inner scars an ordeal like this could leave?
The answer was, no one.
Because no one had ever come back from it before.
We were damn lucky she was alive.
It was another two hours of waiting before Ted Brooks, at last, limped in through the front door. As soon as he saw us, he took off in our direction at a dead run. Even the pain that registered on his face didn’t slow him down. Bethany flew into his arms, and he swung her around like she was weightless. For the first time ever, I heard her giggle…but her laughter morphed into a small sob. The soft sound of it broke my heart, but I told myself her grief was normal, to be expected.
Matt had healed her body, but it would take a lot of time to heal her psyche.
“Where’s mom?” Bethany asked, brows knitted, once she was back on the ground.
“She’s doing great, hon,” Ted said. “Sitting up, eating solid food. She’ll be back to bossing us around in no time. But the doc said it was too soon to travel. Boy, she can’t wait to see you!” The big man spoke with an even tone, but his grin seemed forced. I couldn’t even imagine the mix of emotions he must be feeling. It reminded me that we weren’t the only ones who’d been through hell in the last few days.
“Director Bonaventura has arranged for you take his plane back home,” Asher said.
“Wow.” Ted held up a set of car keys. “But I got a rental car…”
“No worries.” Matt took the keys from Ted. “I’ll make sure it’s returned.”
Ted put his arm around his daughter’s shoulder, and they walked off together toward the waiting jet. Bethany looked relaxed, leaning her head toward her father. But Ted kept turning his head from side to side, as if to scan every doorway, ever passing crew member. I couldn’t blame him for getting stuck in paranoid guardian mode. He and his wife had just lived through any parent’s worst nightmare—and worse, they’d had to shoulder the burden alone. Few in the magicborn world would have sympathy for a Deviant teenager’s troubles or those of her sinful parents. And, much as I hated to think it, their forced isolation made it more likely that Bethany could someday again be snatched away from her parents and exploited for her gifts.
Still, as I watched their two figures shrink into the distance, I was just glad the kid was alive and heading home. That this family had stayed intact through it all seemed a small miracle.
It gave me hope.
We waved goodbye through the window as the sleek jet took flight.
After we dropped off Ted’s keys at the rental car kiosk, Callie spoke up. “I don’t know about y’all, but I need a cup of Strong Brew.”
“What the lady wants, she gets.” Asher gave Callie’s shoulders a gentle squeeze.
“Come on coven, to the Spelldrift.” I tugged on Matt’s big rough hand to lead him out. As soon as I made contact, warm tingles lit up my skin and memories flooded my mind’s eye of our “date” at the mountain cabin. His touch, even the barest brush of it, would apparently always drive me crazy…and from the look he gave me I knew the feeling was mutual. A smile welled up and spread across my face, warming me from the inside out.
Callie insisted on buying us all coffee—the barista working the counter at Strong Brew on weeknights still let her use her old employee discount code. As soon as we settled into our usual back booth, she set down our tray of lattes in black-and-orange mugs, then downed her own quad shot espresso.
Liv threw a circle of silence around us and looked at Callie’s empty cup. “I thought you only ordered mochas with whipped cream.” Her voice sounded almost critical, as if she was accusing Callie of…what, exactly? She was
definitely our Callie—the Splinter was gone—but something about her did seem different.
Tougher, maybe.
“Guess I just needed something a little stronger today,” Callie said cheerfully. But the mirth in her voice didn’t match the faraway look that had entered her eyes. Like she was faking a level of happiness she didn’t quite feel.
Liv apparently didn’t notice. “You know what else you need?” she said with a hint of mischief in her voice. “A tattoo!”
“A what?” Callie looked confused.
Liv pulled her waistband down to reveal her Coven of Fire tattoo on her hip. I pulled my flannel off my shoulder to show my bicep.
“We all have them.” Asher followed suit, lifting up his shirt to bare his back. “Even our ink-phobic guardian.”
“Matt got a tattoo?” Callie’s eyes went wide. “Where?”
“On my chest.” Being Matt, though, he didn’t offer to show it.
“That settles it, gang, I need one too!” There it was again, the forced note of mirth in her voice. There would be time for real joy to come back to her, I told myself. She was alive, and here with us. That was all that mattered right now.
At Blue Geisha Tattoo, those of us who still had coffees sipped them and stared at the saltwater fish tank as Callie pored over each and every page in the tattooist’s book.
She was having a hard time deciding on a design, making decisions of any sort really. Should it go on her hip or shoulder or lower back? Should it be in script font or block letters? Should it be all black or many colors? It broke my heart to watch her struggle all the while apologizing for making us wait on her. Matt politely suggested she wait for another day and she flatly refused that notion.
“So, sorry guys. I’m trying to hurry,” Callie said with a forced smile.
“It’s a choice that will stick with you a bit,” Asher said. “Take a minute. We’ve got no place else to be.”
I leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Callie, you are wherever you are at this moment in time. And we love you. No matter what. For always.”
Two hours later, Matt, Asher, and I sat at our table near the front of Sanctum bar. Callie had finally insisted we head over to the bar while she wrestled with her tattoo options. Unsurprisingly, Liv—who’d been smothering Callie since her return—stayed behind to offer moral support.
Sanctum felt quiet, even for a Tuesday night. So quiet that if I closed my eyes, I could focus on individual conversations at neighboring tables. But Seattle spring was finally in the air, coaxing people to stay longer at work and roll in for their evening cocktails later, so that was normal.
Normal was good. I needed more of it in my life.
We nursed our beers and waited. This was our third round of drinks—what the hell was happening over there at Blue Geisha? None of our tattoos took nearly this long. Was something wrong? Did the pain freak Callie out making it go slower? But I felt all of us in our coven bond. And the energy was good and light. And whole. Relax, I chided myself.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. “Hello,” I answered it as a reflex.
“Miss Hill, welcome back.” The second I heard the faux sweetness I knew I’d made a huge mistake. “Assemblywoman Hicks here.”
I got up and walked to the back so I could hear her better. Even though hearing her was the last thing I wanted.
“Yeah, thanks for the warm welcome.” I tried desperately to keep the edge out of my voice. “What can I do for you?”
“Sweet of you to ask. But it’s I who can do something for you.” She paused as if she was waiting for me to take that hairy rotten bait. When she realized I wouldn’t, she continued. “We’ve decided, out of the goodness of our hearts, to reinstate your coven.”
I took a second to translate that. “You mean you got a call from Bonaventura?”
“Excuse me?” She paused. “Well, the Director did put in a good word for you. But it was really our decision.” Yeah, right. “We are very generously offering to let you continue to maintain the wards.”
“Wow, thanks,” I deadpanned.
She continued to puff out words as if I’d given her the eager, grateful response she no doubt craved. “There will, of course, be a mandatory inspection on the first Thursday of every month. You will come before the Assembly at each meeting with a progress report.” She rattled off the list with glee. “Oh, and we’ve decided to call in the loan effective immediately. Or we’ll rescind this offer. Those are the terms. We’ll see you in our offices tomorrow morning with your check in hand.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed. A big belly laugh that got away from me. As if.
“Yeah, okay,” I said. “Sounds great. But this is actually what’s going to happen. We’ll repair and maintain the wards. Submit to an inspection with a two-week notice in writing. And we’ll never attend another Assembly meeting—for any reason.” They needed us a whole lot more than we needed them. And with Bonaventura on our side? Pfft. “Oh, and we’ll repay the debt on the pre-arranged terms.” As I raised the phone to end the call, I could hear her squawking rebuttals. I didn’t care. Damn, that felt good.
“Everything okay?” Matt asked as I slid back in next to him.
“Yeah, everything’s just great.” I leaned in and nuzzled his neck.
Asher cupped his hand and pretended to cough the word “revolting,” but all it did was make us snuggle closer.
I wished Callie and Liv would hurry up and get back because I wanted to raise a toast to our whole coven being together. And then I wanted to hug everyone good night, grab Matt, run upstairs, and jump his bones. Not just in a mountain cabin in our minds, but in our real apartment. His real body… A thrill ran up my spine at the thought.
A flash of blond hair by the front door caught my eye. Finally. Liv was making her way to us, with Callie at her heels. But Liv had an odd look on her face. I was about to ask what was wrong when Liv shook me off.
“Hey, you survived your first tattoo,” I said as Callie and Liv pushed into the booth next to Asher. “Well, let’s see it.”
Callie looked down sheepishly, then pulled off her jacket. She was wearing a Blue Geisha tank top. And rather than there being a neat little swath of Saran wrap on her bicep, her whole arm was wrapped. From wrist to shoulder. I blinked, trying to take it all in. On the outside of her bicep in black script was “Coven of Fire.” The rest of her arm was outlined for more work to come. Each of our names was on there. As well as a few spells for protection. I saw a phoenix and a lion. And a dragon wrapped around her wrist. A chain of daisies ran up her arm between all of it, artistically tying it all in together. It was just a sketch of what was going to be a densely packed sleeve.
The three of us just stared, mouths open.
“You um…” Matt said eloquently.
“Wow, that’s a big commitment…” I struggled to find the right words. “And you haven’t had a chance to settle back in yet…” I looked to Liv, wondering if she’d tried to stop her. Wasn’t there some rule about making big decisions right after a breakup?
Surely the same could apply after being separated from a Splinter?
“This is something I have to do, Alix,” Callie said firmly as if reading my mind. “I need this. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to be back. I know I’m lucky.”
I frowned. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself. “What’s going on, Callie?” I said. “You can tell us anything.”
She shook her head in frustration. “I don’t know if I can describe to you what I feel. It’s like there’s a hole, right here.” She touched her chest and shivered. “So empty without the Splinter—no. Before you ask. I wanted it dead. It’s just. I can’t even describe it.” She swallowed a sob. “And when the needle hit my flesh, and I felt that bright pain—because I asked for it—I felt relief. I felt in control. I felt…like I needed to carve on my skin the reasons why I’d never let this happen to me again.” She looked up, tears rimming those sparkling blue eyes, but not falling. There was
a strength and a solidity to the set of her jaw. “And how I will not rest until we destroy Tenebris.” She lifted her arm and showed the underside of her forearm. There was an outline of a Tenebris-like demon, face contorted in pain, a firebolt exploding his chest.
“Well done,” Asher said. “A girl after my own heart.” He kissed the side of her head.
I forced a smile and rubbed her un-inked arm in solidarity. She had a ton of healing to do, and I was not talking about the tattoos. But no matter how long the road ahead of her, she had us at her side.
Emma walked up to the table and Liv grabbed her elbow playfully. “Callie’s back!”
“I see that.” My boss’s look was less than warm. “Glad you’re okay. Sorry I’m in such a bad mood. My brother just called to let me know that a cutting-edge Fidei research facility was blown up. By Mals.” I couldn’t help but notice she gave Matt the side-eye as she spoke the word.
My heart sank. So that was the story they were spinning about El Diablo. Well, of course. It wouldn’t look too good to say they’d let a Caedis worm his way into their precious facility. Or that a coven full of misfits—whose charter had been revoked, no less—had to alert Fidei top brass to what was happening under their noses.
Asher rolled his eyes. “You can’t believe everything you hear about Mals, Emma.”
“No, you can’t.” The vein in Matt’s temple throbbed.
“Wow, this is awkward.” She folded her slim arms across her navy scoop-neck top. “You’ve done a lot for this community, and I won’t forget that. The fact is I just don’t feel comfortable…” She paused and I wondered where she was going with this. “I can’t let you stay in the apartment any longer.” Whoa. Matt and I were homeless, again? “But despite the pressure I’m getting from my family,” she went on, “you’ll still have a job here. As long as you continue to show up on time for you shifts.” Her face was an impenetrable mask. “No hard feelings, this is just how it has to be. Tracy will be over to take your drink order.”
