Intoxicating Magic

by Deanna Chase

  “But it’s a basic need to make sure you’re okay. I can’t really turn it off,” he said lightly.

  I understood that all too well. He was only trying to protect me. That was the problem. And what David always did. Placing my hand on his arm, I said, “I know, but I have to stand on my own two feet sometimes.”

  “Why? In this case I mean. Do you know how hard it is to watch you suffer, especially when I know I can do something about it?” He was dead serious now.

  When he put it that way, how could I argue? “I just don’t want to deplete you. And I guess I don’t want to appear weak. I hadn’t thought about it from your point of view. I get it.”

  “You’re not weak,” he said, steel in his voice. “Anything but weak, actually.” Grabbing my other hand, he turned me until we were eye to eye. “I’m not trying to dominate you. I know other people in your life do that. What I want is a partnership. I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe and whole. And I hope you’ll do the same for me.”

  I couldn’t say anything at first. He was everything I’d ever wanted.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, his lips turned down.

  I rose up onto my tiptoes and kissed him softly. “I’m just wondering what I did to deserve you.”

  He chuckled. “No telling. But you’re mine now, got it?”

  “Got it.” I saluted him. “Just as long as you remember who you belong to.”

  “Are you kidding? I’ve already ordered the business cards.” He winked. “Now let’s get this leg healed.”

  Chapter 29

  By the time Tal was done, my leg was completely healed. If I was honest, I’d never felt better. He was right about the peace part of the magic. It had soothed every inch of me. And even though I was still dying to see for myself that my family was safe, the panic had ebbed, and I was ready to take on anything.

  After checking in with the director, we stopped by the office Phoebe and I now shared to see if Hunter had shown up yet.

  “No,” she said as she slid a magical ring onto her right ring finger. “But I expect him at any moment.”

  Tal and I glanced at each other. David was still waiting. I cleared my throat. “We need to make a quick run before we start hunting.”

  “Going to Allcot’s?” she asked.

  “We kind of have to. Meet us there? Or somewhere nearby?”

  She frowned. “You know he’s going to lock you in. We have a mission.”

  “We won’t let him,” Tal said with conviction. The look on his face made me regret that we had to go there at all. “But Willow needs to see her family, and I’m sure they want to see her. Besides, we need to give the antidote to the guards before they get any worse.”

  Phoebe pursed her lips. “Yeah, I suppose so.” She pulled a silver pen from her bag and slipped it into Tal’s pocket. “Twist it if you want me to hear whatever’s going on.”

  I smiled. She was always coming up with new items to magically bug. “Thanks. I’ll call you when we’re done and then we can decide where to meet.”

  “Be safe.”

  “We will,” Tal said and took my hand. “It’ll be a quick trip.”

  Tal and I disappeared back into the hall with Link in tow. My dog had a pep in his step that hadn’t been there this morning. It was as if he knew I was better.

  We found David pacing the garage, his phone pressed to his ear. He spotted us and quickly ended the call. “Better?” he asked me.

  I nodded. “Tal has the antidote.”

  Talisen stopped behind me, his hand on my back. “The sooner we can administer it to the guards, the better.”

  David gave Tal a sharp nod of acknowledgement and stalked to his car.

  Tal leaned down and whispered, “Maybe you should ride with him. It’ll give you a chance to talk.”

  I turned slowly, unable to believe he’d just suggested I ride with my ex. “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “I know you have things to say. And once we get to the house we’ll be too busy.”

  “But…” I didn’t complete the thought, unsure of what to say.

  Tal smiled down at me. “I’m not worried, love. The sooner you’re able to settle things with him the easier it’ll be on you. Go ahead. Link and I will be right behind you.”

  I hesitated, not wanting to separate from Tal or Link. There were too many unknowns, too many different groups coming after me. I wanted to keep those I loved as close as possible. But Tal was right. I needed to settle things with David, and once we got to the safe house, the opportunity would be lost. Nodding, I gave him a quick hug and then jogged to David’s car.

  The pictures Rox had showed me of David and his crew were fresh in my mind, and I considered asking David about them. But in my heart, I didn’t really believe David had known about Rox and Beau’s friendship. David had only been keeping vampires away from me and my shop. And of course he hadn’t told me about them. He probably thought he was handling them, just like he’d handled Clea, a female vamp who’d tried and failed to assassinate me last year.

  David raised both eyebrows in question when I slipped into the passenger seat.

  I gave him a sad smile. “There are things I need to say.”

  His hands tightened around the wheel as he pulled out of the garage and onto the streets of New Orleans. “You don’t have to say anything, Willow. I think it’s obvious what’s going on.”

  I clasped my hands in my lap and forced myself to look at him.

  Once he stopped at a light, he turned and met my determined gaze.

  “I’m sorry, David.” My words were barely audible and gravelly through the lump clogging my throat. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen this way.”

  “Forget it.” He turned to stare at the traffic whipping through the intersection while we waited. “Nothing happened. You got back together with your ex. End of story.”

  I let out a sigh and tried again. “It’s not the end of the story. You and I, there was something there. I don’t want to pretend there wasn’t. That’s not fair to you.”

  “Life isn’t fair, Willow,” he snapped and pressed on the gas. “Forget it already. We both knew our relationship was never going anywhere. Fae and vamps don’t mix. Right?”

  His face and tone were so cold I almost cringed, but forced myself to not react. It was obvious he needed to put up a wall between us, that he didn’t want to hear that I cared for him, that I had loved him in my own way. “Yeah. I guess so.”

  “That’s what you’ve always told me.” He took a sharp right turn and then a left, speeding faster than he normally did.

  “David—”

  “Let it go, Willow.” He swerved past a line of cars and merged onto the freeway, heading toward the west bank.

  I slumped in my seat, feeling worse than ever. This had been a bad idea. I stared out the window for the next twenty minutes until we turned onto a deserted-looking dirt road and stopped in front of a large white farmhouse, which was concealed from the street by large moss-covered oaks. Cypress trees and swampland stretched out behind the house. The isolation was both comforting and terrifying. It was hard to believe Asher’s people would find it. But at the same time, if they did, where would everyone go?

  David stormed into the house as soon as we parked while I waited for Tal and Link, who’d been right behind us.

  “How’d it go?” Tal slipped his arm around my waist and gave me a kiss on the head.

  “Not well.” I stepped back, putting distance between us. “Can we keep the PDA to a minimum for now? I don’t want to make things worse.”

  Tal glanced at the house and back down at me. “Yeah. Sure.”

  I placed a light hand on his arm. “Just until we leave here? I don’t want to make him feel worse than he already does.”

  Tal gave me a sympathetic smile. “Trust me, Wil. Nothing’s going to make him feel worse than losing you, especially to me. But I agree. No need to rub his face in the fact. Let’s just get to wor
k, okay?”

  Rough wood floors and a banister with peeling paint met us in the entryway. This was Allcot’s safe house? I had to give him credit. Every other building he was associated with was high-end in the extreme. No one would ever believe this place was his.

  “Why is it so quiet?” I whispered to Talisen, not wanting to disturb the unnerving silence.

  He shrugged. “No idea, but we can’t stand here all day.”

  I nodded and moved ahead of him into the parlor. An old, saggy brown couch took up one wall and a plain-wood side table filled the other. A single bulb hung from the ceiling, illuminating the cobwebs in the corners. Jeez. The place looked like it belonged in a horror movie.

  “There you are,” Allcot said from the top of the stairs. He glared down at us, his eyes full of fury. “I sent Davidson to get you hours ago.”

  “We were working on the antidote for your guards,” I said evenly, trying not to engage in his anger. “Thank you for taking care of my family. Can I see them?”

  His gaze narrowed in on Talisen. “You work for me now. I expect you to follow orders when given.”

  Tal stared at him, his expression blank. “Like Willow said, we were working on the antidote. I have what I need to cure them. We’ll discuss my employment at another time.”

  My fists clenched, and I wanted to deck Allcot. Employee. Right. More like indentured servant. Tal had been sold to Allcot. It was outrageous.

  “My family?” I asked again.

  Allcot tore his icy stare from Tal and cast me one of irritation. “Your mother is waiting for you in the kitchen.”

  I took off toward the back of the house, not caring what else Allcot had to say. I appreciated his help, but it was more and more clear to me he was only doing it out of his own selfish motivation. He’d own me too if he could figure out a way to do it.

  “Mom!” I cried, bursting into the kitchen. She was sitting at a butcher-block table, her head resting in her hand.

  “Willow?” She stood, a stark streak of black ash on her face making her appear paler than usual.

  “Mom,” I said more softly and wrapped her in my arms. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded, hugging me back fiercely. “Yes. My lungs feel a little singed, but other than that I’ll live after some rest.”

  “Oh, no.” I hugged her tighter, an ache forming in my chest. “I’m so sorry. Tal is here—I’m sure he can help.”

  I felt her nod again, and then we stood there just holding each other. When she finally let go, I sat with her at the table.

  “Where are Carrie and Beau?”

  “Sleeping,” she said and poured out a cup of tea for me.

  “How are they doing?”

  Mom took a breath. “Beau is fine. Allcot got him out first.”

  My heart swelled with gratitude that Allcot had been there for my nephew even if I would never be entirely sure about his ultimate motivations when it came to Beau Jr.

  “He went back in for Carrie, but by then she was already passed out from the smoke inhalation and her leg was burned pretty badly.”

  I stood, ready to get Tal immediately, but Mom grabbed my hand, not letting me go. “Allcot brought in a healer. She’s okay.”

  I sat back down, eyeing her. “But he didn’t send the healer to you?”

  She shook her head. “I declined. I’ll be fine.”

  “Mom, you’re wheezing.”

  “You know how much I don’t like enduring another fae’s magic,” she said stubbornly.

  I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest. Yes, I knew. Mom was suspicious of everyone in the supernatural world, and it took a lot to gain her trust. That seemed reasonable to me. She’d lost her husband and her son because of their gifts. And one never knew what powers someone had hiding under a seemingly friendly smile. “Well, Tal is here. After he’s done, he can give you a once-over.”

  She took a sip of her tea. “All right. Did he find an antidote?”

  “Yes.” I stood, intending to go find him, but my phone buzzed. I pulled up a text message from Phoebe. It was a picture of four people: Meredith, the fae from Eureka we’d turned over to Allcot; the fae who’d been with Victoria and was currently in the Void’s custody; Rox, the vampire who’d tried to force me to turn him the night before; and finally the power-hungry third guard Talisen was currently curing upstairs.

  Phoebe: Found this at the fae’s residence along with a bunch of half-formed plans for infiltrating Allcot’s residences. Allcot’s guard is a mole.

  Chapter 30

  Son of a… Tal had been right. The images we’d seen when we’d healed the guards had been their heart’s desire.

  “What’s wrong, sweetie,” Mom asked. “You look like you’re ready to pass out.”

  “Who all’s here?” I asked her while texting Phoebe with the address and asking her to come immediately.

  “Allcot, David, Pandora, Nicola, the sick guards, and that female fae David brought back from California. Why?”

  Panic took over as foreboding weighed down on me. Had the guard been strong enough to give away our location? “Oh, God. I have to find David.”

  “Honey?” Mom stood. “What’s going on?”

  “Our location has been compromised,” I called as I ran out of the kitchen. The entire bottom floor of the house was deserted, and it wasn’t until I got to the top of the creaky stairs that I heard voices. I followed them into a dimly lit bedroom to the right.

  Nicola, a witch and Pandora’s half sister, was pacing. Her blond hair was piled high on her head and she wore glasses low on her nose as she scribbled something on a pad of paper. Pandora was sprawled on a chaise lounge, her eyes closed. Blackout shades covered the two windows, but it was clear that being awake during the day was taking a toll on the vamp.

  I cleared my throat. “Uh, hi.”

  Nicola spun, clearly startled. “Oh, hi, Willow. When did you get here?”

  “About twenty minutes ago,” Pandora said without opening her eyes. “Her and her fae.”

  “Have you seen David?” I asked.

  Pandora waved a listless hand. “He’s probably with Eadric, forming some sort of a plan.”

  “We can’t stay here.” Nicola turned to me. “It’s not safe.”

  “No, it isn’t,” said a female voice I didn’t recognize.

  I spun and found Meredith standing in the doorway, wearing the same clothes she’d had on when I’d met her in the forest. Only now they were a bit tattered. She stood tall with her feet shoulder-width apart, ready to attack.

  “What are you doing out of your shackles?” Nicola demanded, magic already bursting at her fingertips.

  “Change of plans.” Meredith opened her palm, revealing a small vial of gas. Then with an evil smile, she tightened her fist around it and the glass shattered. Gray mist engulfed her.

  What the hell? I moved forward but froze when she sucked in air, breathing in the entirety of the mist. Her lips turned up in a self-satisfied smile.

  “What did you just do?” I demanded, trying to still my fluttering wings. My flight instinct had kicked in. Whatever she’d done, I knew deep in my bones it was not going to turn out well.

  “This.” She lifted her upturned palm to her lips and blew. The gray mist turned into a familiar thick fog.

  “No!” I cried, throwing my hands up as if that could shield me from the intoxicating magic.

  “What the hell?” Nicola threw a blast of magic that shattered a hole in the plaster wall when Meredith ducked.

  The fog encompassed me and my entire body relaxed. All my worries fled as I sank into a threadbare chair.

  “That’s it, fae. Curl up in that chair for a while. Don’t worry about anything while I take care of a few things.”

  As soon as the fog reached Nicola, she stumbled backward and flopped down on the bed, her arms spread wide. “I think we need to nap,” she said. “We’ve been working too hard.”

  Meredith laughed. “Yes, witch, I think that’s
a fine idea. Just close your eyes and get some rest.”

  “What the fuck is going on?” Pandora jumped to her feet in lightning vampire speed. “What did you do to them?”

  I watched Pandora in fascination. Her blond hair fell in long layers down her back. The dim light bounced off her glossy locks, and I found myself wishing I weren’t a redhead.

  “They’re under my spell. They’ll do whatever I wish as long as I ask nicely. Won’t you, girls?”

  Nicola and I nodded. In the back of my mind there was a nagging doubt that something was off, but I didn’t care. The fog had created a utopia I didn’t want to leave.

  Pandora growled. “Reverse it this moment before I rip your goddamned head off.”

  “Restrain your sister, Nicola,” Meredith commanded.

  Nicola turned without hesitation and cast a spell that stopped Pandora dead in her tracks. She appeared to be frozen in place by the magic.

  “That’s impressive,” I said.

  “Thanks.” Nicola turned to smile at me. “I’ve been learning a lot from my lessons with Phoebe.”

  “Nicola! Reverse the spell this minute,” Pandora cried.

  “You will do no such thing. Leave your sister where she is,” Meredith said softly. Then she gestured to me. “The pair of you, follow me.”

  Nicola and I did as we were told, ignoring Pandora’s demands to release her from her invisible prison.

  “This way, ladies,” Meredith sang and glided out of the room and into the hallway. We followed her halfway down the hall until she stopped at another door. “Willow, this is the room your nephew is in. Please retrieve him so we can take him away from this vampire lair.”

  My nephew. Yes. That’s who I’d come here for. I nodded, and with bold determination, I strode into the quiet room.

  “Auntie!” Beau called and ran toward me.

  “Willow?” Carrie sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes.