by K. F. Breene
“Yeah. You know. The fear of being too touchy-feely. I get it.” She waved it away. “Did you shake her? She hates waking up. She might be sleeping.”
“I’m not going to—”
Reagan dashed in, as fast as an elder, and gave Penny a good shove.
Without thinking, Emery called up elements, wove together a spell, and thrust it at Reagan. Her reactions were quick, but he’d acted so fast that no one would’ve been able to get out from under that spell.
It concussed against her, rocketing her into the air. She hit the wall with a thwack before sliding down onto her butt, her mouth forming a silent oh. A moment later, her lips curled into a smile. “Good one. I didn’t see that coming.”
“What?” Penny inhaled deeply before frowning and fluttering her eyes open. All that blue hit Emery full force, and he barely stopped himself from smothering her with a hug. “What…” She glanced around in confusion. “Where am I?”
“In our hotel room. You…fainted at the meeting.” Emery stroked her chin with his thumb. “How do you feel?”
She fingered the towel on her forehead. “Did I whack my head? Am I bleeding?”
“Jump to disaster, that’s our girl.” Reagan hefted herself up and scooted closer. “What’s going on with you? Does your magic feel weird?”
Penny patted herself on the chest before looking over at the corner where Moss stood. “I thought I felt a vampire. No, my magic is fine. I mean, I feel like everyone else’s magic is battering me all the time, but other than that, it’s fine.”
“A good battered or a bad battered?” Reagan asked.
“When would being battered feel good?” Penny blinked up at Reagan. Her face colored in the dim light. “Oh. Right. No, the bad kind. Not horrible, but…present. Like I always know what creatures are hanging around. And oftentimes, I’d rather not. No offense, Moss.”
Moss sniffed.
“Maybe that’s what happened at the meeting,” Reagan said, chewing on her lip. “With all that power constantly beating into you, it makes sense you’d either crack up or shut down. Cracking up might’ve started World War III, so you shut down.”
“Is that your expert diagnosis, doctor?” Moss said dryly.
Reagan narrowed her eyes at him. “Seems you’ve outed yourself, Moss. You like Penny after all. I didn’t realize vampires could get worried.”
“She is an important asset in Mr. Durant’s arsenal, that is all.”
“You’re lying. Admit it, you like her.”
“I don’t know why that is your means of taunting someone…” Penny sighed and closed her eyes. “I still don’t feel great, but I feel…different. If I still have the ability to douse a magical creature’s shifting ability, I can’t feel it with Moss. Earlier, with that shifter, his spark almost called to me, asking to be doused. That sounds crazy, but…” She shook her head and winced before touching the towel again. “I don’t know what is happening with my magic, I really don’t. But my body aches and my head hurts. I feel like I have the flu.”
“You might.” Reagan was chewing her lip, trying to figure this out. “That might be all there is to it. You learned a new trick with that goblin, taxed your body with its magic, and it is all catching up to you.”
After a moment, Penny nodded. “That’s probably about right. Otherwise I’d feel differently.”
“I’d imagine so.”
But when Reagan’s worried gaze swung back to rest on Emery, he knew she didn’t entirely believe what she’d said. Or maybe she’d just said it for Penny’s benefit.
Taking a deep breath, he stood, Reagan’s words still weighing on him. His own self-judgment ringing loudly in his ears. Penny didn’t know enough to know if something was wrong. And without a man on the inside, no one else would, either.
He’d need to talk to her. Tell her all the risks with the dual-mage connection.
And then he’d need to let her choose.
“Roger agreed to help, right?” Penny asked, as Emery checked the closets. Sure enough, their stuff was already put away. A guy could get used to Darius’s people always taking care of things.
“Yes,” Emery said, pausing in the doorway to the bathroom and scanning for his toothbrush. “There are some details to work out, but he’s in. The fainting witch didn’t scare him into backing out.”
Penny’s lips curled in a slight smile. “So what happens now?”
Reagan sniffed. “With two extremely experienced, resourceful, strategic, and grabby elder vampires?” She shook her head. “We keep our wits about us and try not to let them derail this whole thing so they each come out with fifty percent ownership of the new Mages’ Guild.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” Moss said as she passed him. “Again.”
“Right.” She stopped between the bedroom and sitting room. “First we go to Seattle…and prepare for battle.”
11
Two days later, with a dull ache throbbing through the back of my cranium that I couldn’t seem to shake, I took Emery’s hand and let him help me out of the nondescript black Town Car. A large house greeted us, situated comfortably amidst lush green trees. Lights shone across the front and highlighted the walkway leading to the door, flanked by artful stone columns.
It was Darius’s house just outside of Seattle—the same one we’d used for shelter after busting into the Mages’ Guild compound the first time. Judging by the number of vampires stationed off to either side, hanging out in the darkness and watching us enter, this place was meant to be our home base until we had our plans sorted.
A wave of nervousness washed over me. This was it. This was the first leg of our rebuttal against the Guild. They’d come for Emery and me, and now we were going to them. The battle would decide the future of mages. My future. If there was one.
“How’s your head?” Emery asked me as Darius stalked toward us, followed by Moss and Reagan.
“Good. Hardly hurts anymore.” I flicked my hair, trying to look blasé about the lie.
His lingering gaze said he didn’t believe me. He’d been peppering me with questions about the goblin’s magic—how I’d dealt with it, what it had felt like, and how it had felt when Reagan helped me. They all ended the same way—his confused brow furrow and silence.
But honestly, except for the stupid perpetual headache and the heightened sense of other creatures’ magic, nothing had changed. I really, truly believed that I’d just figured some different things out about my magic. Maybe now that we were settling in at our battle headquarters, I’d have time to show Emery what was what. Then we’d both have constant headaches. Yippee!
Darius had a stern face and hard eyes, his movements as graceful as ever but now with an added edge of viciousness. Magic rolled and boiled around him. He was in the battle zone, and it showed.
“What’s the situation here?” Emery asked with an air of command. Electricity kissed my skin and warmth expanded through my middle.
I sucked in a sweet breath, savoring his natural scent. A pleasant dizziness rolled over me. For a moment, my headache cleared, and I felt utterly at peace. Balanced and whole, as if my being had reached across the universe, dug deeply into the ground, and spread out through the air. Whole.
So sure, I was still cracking up a little, but this one aspect of the weirdness felt too good for me to want to fix it. It was best not to mention it.
“We’ve got our core team set up,” Darius said, falling in beside Emery. The two of them strutting toward the house like they were on a rough-and-tumble style runway. “We’re the last pieces. Vlad has secured his own locations for himself and his people. He did not want to stay in any of my properties—”
“Because of the territory-marking thing, right?” I asked. I now felt that marking situation every time I went into a shifter or vampire establishment. Thankfully, mages and humans didn’t do it. It really was disconcerting.
Emery studied me again.
Darius hesitated for a beat before saying, “Yes.” The
word rode a release of breath; he seemed slightly derailed by my question. That, or he wasn’t being entirely truthful on why Vlad was choosing to stay removed. He recovered quickly. “Roger is bringing in the shifters who are best suited for this situation. He has an estate in the hills that he has fortified. He says the location is locked down. We’ll see.”
“I’ve heard he is extremely capable.” Emery stopped near the mouth of the walkway to the front door.
“He is, I’m loath to admit. He has cut down the number of our children who survive adolescence by half. He’s a remarkable leader, which will benefit us greatly in this endeavor…”
A grin slowly spread across Emery’s face. “But any other time, he makes your life hell, is that it?”
Darius spared Emery a glance. “Just so. That is easily remedied, of course. Or was…” I took a step back when Darius unintentionally blasted me with a wave of his spicy magic. “Rex is useless. His people were always in complete disarray. I often took my business into his territory. They never noticed my presence. I have a feeling that territory will soon change, forcing me to change with it.”
“Not my problem you’re breaking the rules,” I said, standing my ground. “Rex was a gobbleturd. He shouldn’t have been in charge of people.”
“A gobbleturd?” Reagan moved up next to me, her spiky eyebrow hairs looking like two mini porcupines crawling across her forehead. Her hair didn’t grow as fast as it needed to, given her skin’s ability to withstand the effects of fire. Emery and I had tried to fix it, but Callie’s healing magic was a gift. One Emery and I didn’t possess.
“You can use it. I don’t mind.” I gave her a thumbs-up as Emery started chuckling.
“We’re at least a few days out from any real strategizing,” Darius said, and I wondered why we were standing around in the chill outside the house. Yesterday had been my first fever-free day, and I wanted to keep it that way. “We need more information. Updated numbers.”
Emery and Reagan both nodded, businesslike, each facing a different direction.
“I want to talk to a few people,” Emery said, squinting in the darkness. A form stood sentry within the branches of the tree, mostly masked by the night. The movement had been so slight—barely a flicker—that I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t been watching Emery. “And see a few things for myself. Tomorrow we’ll go in town around twilight and feel things out.”
“That’s not wise,” Darius said. “You’re easily recognizable.”
Emery’s smile said Darius was missing something.
“Of course,” Darius said, his tone implying he was rolling his eyes at himself. A vampire would never stoop to actually rolling his eyes. “Then be wary of other mages hunting for those using magic.”
“This isn’t my first rodeo.” Emery’s voice was low and rough. “This has been my life for the last three and a half years. I know where I stand.”
“I suppose I don’t have to tell you to watch her.” I got another flick of Darius’s eyes.
“He means you.” Reagan nudged me.
“Yes, I gathered.” I pulled my sweater tighter around me.
Emery didn’t answer. Instead, he waited quietly for something.
Darius nodded and started for the door. “I’ll leave you to it. My people know to heed your word. I expect to be updated in all matters. No detail is too small.”
“We’ll see,” Reagan muttered.
“I’ll be grilling you especially, mon ange. Privately.” I didn’t miss the sudden warmth in Darius’s voice. His magic changed, too, a floral sweetness riding the vampire spice, reminding me of the flowers draped from the banister in his French Quarter house. Beautiful and elegant. Freshness among the death.
“I guess we’re stuck with you, huh?” Emery barely turned, but it was clear he meant Reagan.
“Are you kidding? He’s letting me out to cause havoc. I’m not passing that up!” She shook her head, looking at the sentry Emery and I had noticed earlier. “He’s too young for such a prominent spot. He twitches too much. He’ll have to be moved.”
“I agree.” Emery took a few steps toward the house, his gaze taking in the structure.
I raised my hand. “We’re not going to be causing havoc. Just FYI. We’re still lying low, at least until Darius has a plan.”
Emery chuckled softly. “Who are you fooling, Turdswallop? You cause havoc as a normal course of your day.”
“No. Not anymore. I’ve turned over a new leaf.” I lurched forward when Emery started walking again, cutting across the decorative mulch.
“We’ll need to tear down whatever ward is here and put up another.”
I nodded, not able to see the magic of the ward, which was normal with a lesser, run-of-the-mill variety spell. I could feel the pulse of it, though. Keep out.
I rolled up my sleeves, the cold around Seattle milder than in Ireland. I didn’t immediately have to pull them back down again. It took another few seconds.
“Reagan, take a tour around the property.” Emery pointed to the side. “Check for any magical tripwires or traps. If you find any, don’t take them down—I want to analyze them. Look for any trails around the area. Anything that looks out of whack.”
“On it.” She took off at a faster-than-human walk.
“We’ll need to set some new magical tripwires,” Emery continued, turning to look at the driveway. “If someone knows about this place, and they probably do, since Darius had a breach of loyalty, then I want to know who’s visiting. I want to know which species. The age of any vampires. The type of shifters.” He looked down at me. “Do you think you can work that? I can’t do the details of age and type.”
“Oh.” I glanced back at the house. Clearly he didn’t mean to do all of this now. We hadn’t even gone inside yet. “Yeah, sure. Probably. I don’t know. We’ll see.”
His eyes softened and he ran his thumb across my cheek. My body heat flared as his skin touched mine. A sensual hum settled low in my body and the universe opened up like it had a few minutes before, welcoming us in, whole and happy and perfect.
I did like cracking up when it felt like this. I really did.
“Focus, Penny Bristol, or we’ll both be lost,” he said, sliding his hand along my forearm before grabbing my hand. He kissed the tips of my fingers. “Though I don’t know how much more lost to you I could be.”
I smiled like a lunatic and fluttered my eyes as he leaned down to me. I savored the feeling of his soft lips and hard body. All too soon, he pulled away, letting his touch linger as he exhaled forcefully. “We need to secure this house before we…sleep.”
I felt feverish again, but in a good way. Hot and achy and desperate.
“Focus, love,” he said, and while he said it to me, I knew he really meant it for himself. I’d need to lead the way so he could get his mind back on track.
I totally didn’t want to, but I forced the delicious heat pulsing in my core to the back of my mind, where the headache had hung out lately. Except in these moments of oneness between Emery and me.
“Right,” I said, back to business with a husky, wispy sort of voice. “What’s next? Wait, should I be writing all this down?”
His smile didn’t help my newfound sense of clearheadedness. “Let’s head indoors and wait for Reagan. Whatever she sees will probably affect the ward and tripwires we set.”
He held the door open for me, and the first thing I heard was “I’ve seen better security at the local grocery store.”
“Ah nuts.” I back-pedaled into Emery. “Who thought it was a good idea to bring my mother?”
12
“Wait—” I held up a hand, my back against his front. He wasn’t letting me escape. I rounded on him. “She isn’t one of the core people, is she? Because working with her through text is probably the best strategy. You know this. Everyone knows this. I shouldn’t have to tell you.”
He slid his hands down my back, his touch annoyingly soothing.
“No.” I flared my el
bows, shrugging off his hands. “Seriously, she has to go. She’ll harass me constantly about you sleeping in my room. You want me to check out the city with you? Good luck convincing her.”
“Come on, Penny Bristol, let’s say hi to the older half of the crew,” he teased.
I shook my head with my mouth downturned. “Don’t want to.” He turned me around and walked me forward. I was still shaking my head. “Don’t want to. I was really enjoying my freedom.”
The interior of the spacious house was as I remembered it—elegant, rustic, and perfectly decorated for the area. In the living room, Dizzy and Callie were sitting on the couch, their satchels at their feet. Across from them in the leather recliner, her fingers wrapped around the barrel of her shotgun, rocked my overbearing mother.
“Really? You have the shotgun out here?” I slouched as her eyes came around to me. The vampire she’d been berating about security scooted back to the wall, probably relieved to be spared the abuse.
“Have you seen what they have posing for security around here?” She scoured the vampire with another hard look. “Of course I have the shotgun handy.” Her gaze zipped over my shoulder. Reagan was as silent as an elder vampire, but I could feel her magic coming closer. Had she always been this stealthy, or was it another benefit from her bond? “What in the devil happened to your hair?”
“Reagan, now, I thought you were past losing your hair.” Dizzy clasped his hands over his pot belly and clucked his tongue. “You were clearly being too reckless. You’re lucky Callie brought the right supplies to fix you up.”
“It wasn’t me.” Reagan pointed at me. “Her fault.”
“Penny is very good, yes,” Dizzy said, “but she shouldn’t be surprising you with spells. You’ve had much more experience than she has.”
“She didn’t surprise me.” Reagan leaned against the doorframe. “She let it float toward me, nice and slow.” Dizzy and Callie’s expressions closed down into confusion. “She stole some magic from a goblin, and now she can nullify my magic. I couldn’t very well let her threaten me, could I? No, I could not. So I choked her to show her I wasn’t helpless.”
