by Ciara Graves
“You alright?”
“Yeah, just didn’t realize it’d be this bad.” I winced when my scar gave a twinge, nearly pulling Rafael to a stop, but he kept me walking.
“Maggie?” he asked, using my fake name.
My mind went completely blank for a few seconds as to what his fake name was until it came back to me. “I’m alright, Roger, just very excited,” I said loudly, with the best smile I could muster. I was not alright, not even close. That wasn’t just dark magic I sensed pushing in around us. Hybrids. They were here and not just one or two. More. A hell of a lot more. I dug my nails into Rafael’s arm until he grunted. “Sorry,” I whispered.
He took a firm hold of my hand, but it was too damned risky to tell him anything. It’d have to wait. I squeezed back and offered up another smile his frown said he didn’t buy.
We walked with the rest of the crowd to the hotel. Once at the front doors, we held out our invitations. The warlock checking people into the conference barely glanced at them as he waved us into the lobby, telling all new arrivals to check in at the front desk to get room assignments. Onyx also told me we’d be sharing a room. I would’ve preferred my own, but she said it would look odd. Most witches bunked with their friends and families. If we came together but didn’t stay together, some would find it strange and the last thing we wanted was attention of any kind. The desk clerk was kind enough, and after we gave our fake names, he handed over two room keys.
“You’ll be on the sixth floor, room 613. The attendant here will take your bags for you,” he said cheerfully. We handed over our bags and watched the man head for the elevator. “And here’s the itinerary for the conference, there have been some minor time adjustments to the ones sent to you prior to the event. The opening greeting will start in the next hour. The auditorium is right through those doors behind you.”
“Thanks,” Rafael said with an easy smile as he took the key cards and paper.
“Montana, huh. I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone from that state. At least, not in a long time.”
“Yes, coven leaders felt it was time for us to branch out, so to speak,” Rafael explained. “There’s not very many of us either. So when two leave, well, it’s a good part of the coven.”
The clerk laughed politely with Rafael. “I can understand that. You’ll have a great time here.”
“Thanks.” Rafael turned away with me attached to his hip for the moment. “You need to sit down?” He leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear as he spoke.
Brief glimpses of other times spent together flashed through my mind, but now wasn’t the time to think about Rafael and me. That time was over. Finished.
“Maggie?”
“No, I’m fine. Like I said, just very excited.”
As he glanced at me, I purposely shifted my gaze around the room aimed at those I sensed were the strongest.
His gaze narrowed enough to let me know he picked up on part of the message. “Yes, me too.”
I wasn’t sure if that meant he sensed it too or if he’d keep an eye on them.
We stood in the lobby observing everyone who entered through the front doors. It was just like old times until Rafael grunted and suddenly pulled away from me, mumbling about grabbing a glass of champagne. He didn’t even ask if I wanted any. Guess all that friendliness since we got here was just for show. He wasn’t worried about me, not anymore.
As a few people moved out of the way, I spotted Rafael speaking to a couple of witches, very attractive witches, who were extremely interested in him. The blonde kept running her fingers down his arm as she laughed.
I cringed and rolled my eyes. God, that laugh was fake. Not even a good fake. Guessed there weren’t that many attractive warlocks here and Rafael—ahem, Roger—was fresh meat.
If he could flirt then so could I. I wandered over to another of the tables set up serving champagne, picked up a glass, and drained half of it as I sauntered around the room. I smiled, catching the attention of several warlocks and witches.
But one set of eyes looked at me with more intensity than the rest. Rafael. He could just deal with it.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you here before,” a smooth voice said from behind me.
“First time.” I smiled brightly at the warlock as he walked around to face me. He took my hand and kissed the back of it, his grey eyes glinting with mischief.
His dark magic made my skin crawl, but I forced my smile to stay in place. “And you are?”
“Morris.”
“Maggie. Pleasure to meet you.”
He didn’t let go of my hand. His thumb ran over my knuckles, the movement anything, but nice. Rafael had done that a few times and having this flirtatious asshole do it had me clenching my champagne flute and biting my tongue to stop myself from decking him out of habit.
“Where are you from?”
“Small coven in Montana.”
“You here all alone?” He sidled closer until there was hardly any room between us. His eyes wasted no time checking over my body in this freaking ridiculous dress. What I wouldn’t give for my gun right about then. Or a new sword. I’d have to bug Rufus about making me one as soon as he and Bowen got back.
“There’s someone else here with me, but we were only sent together.”
“Ah, so you’re not with anyone?”
I sipped my champagne, tried for a seductive smile. “Completely available.”
“Then let me be your guide. I’m sure your companion can take care of herself?”
“Himself. And yes he can.”
Morris offered me his arm, and I slipped mine around his. “Great. The opening night is just the tip of the iceberg of what we do during these gatherings. You stick with me, and you’ll have an unforgettable time.”
“I’m sure I will.”
He talked a lot, but I tuned most of it out. I was working on finding a way to ask about Gigi. A gong was struck, startling me—I hated to admit—and everyone started for the doors to the auditorium. Morris stuck by my side and escorted me in. We found seats close to the front where a stage was set up with a long line of chairs. Three in the middle were fancier than the others.
“The Elders,” I whispered in Morris’s ear, “do they all speak tonight?”
We were in our seats, and still, I sensed Rafael’s eyes glued to the back of my head. I didn’t bother searching for him. He could be pissed off all he wanted about my flirting with someone else. He would never be with a dragonborn. He made that damned clear.
“Yes, they give the opening speeches. I’ll admit this part isn’t too terribly exciting. Just a lot of catching up on what the covens have done this year and plans for the future.”
“Great plans?”
“Sometimes. Sector 13 isn’t the only one of its kind. There are sectors in all the states filled with dark covens looking for a way to take back what should be ours.”
At any other time, I would’ve found a way to drill him about these other sectors, but I was here for Gigi. That, plus, dark witches really weren’t a priority for me, what with Shuval preparing for war and trying to charge ley lines so she could do who-knew-what to everyone. Morris talked some more about their plans to start showing their true strength with the Feds. Pushing back on the laws that restrict their magic. Thankfully, the lights dimmed, and he finally shut up. The stage went completely dark, and Morris held my hand tighter in anticipation from whatever was going to come.
A puff of red smoke, followed by violet, then green, then several more colors erupted on the stage.
I clapped, along with Morris, though inwardly I wondered how cheesy this opening ceremony was going to get for a bunch of dark witches. When every seat was taken, the stage illuminated.
I recognized most of the faces up there, the Elders of these dark covens and all of them with innocent blood on their hands.
If only I were here to wipe them all out.
Depending on what state I found Gigi in, I might be.
The ope
ning ceremonies lasted too damned long, and by the end of it, I was chomping at the bit to get out of this hotel. I needed a shower, or a very hot fire to burn the stench of dark magic off my skin. Morris held my hand in the crook of his elbow as we exited the auditorium after listening to two hours of speeches about reestablishing the dark covens as a dominant power with the aid of several new allies. I assumed they meant the reapers. I made mental notes to come back to this shithole later. Much later. If Sector 13 was still standing after Shuval did whatever she was planning on doing.
“You look like you could use another glass of champagne,” Morris suggested as we followed the rest of the crowd down a long stretch of carpeted hallway.
“That I could. How could you tell?”
“I’m great at reading people. Something tells me you’ve had a hard go of it lately.”
I tilted my head. “Not really, just waiting for the next great thing to come my way.”
“Then you have come to the right place.”
I needed to confirm what Onyx had told us about Shuval coming here, but just as I was working on how to phrase that question, we passed through a set of glass doors and into a large conference room. Booths for vendors were set up from one end to the other. Some sold drinks and food. Others sold charms, potions, other items. Clothing here and there. Morris guided me along, picking up another glass of champagne for me.
Once we’d walked further, I wished I hadn’t had anything to drink. The champagne churned in my gut and I nearly lost it right there.
“Maggie, something wrong?”
I shook my head but couldn’t get myself to talk. Opening my mouth right then was a terrible idea. I tugged him along, but the next table, and then the next, were worse. Morris was saying something, but the words didn’t register. I’d expected to see some dark shit while we were here, but what was on those tables made me want to draw my dagger and ram it into Morris’s chest a few times. At least.
“You’re pale. Do you need to sit down?”
I choked on the words I wanted to say, my eyes glued on what lay on the next table. The shifter parts and pelts had been a bad start. The demon horns were worse.
The dragon scales, horns, claws, and what appeared to be dried organs were something from a nightmare.
Dragonborn were supposedly extinct for centuries so how the hell did they have parts of dragonborn to sell? And if Shuval was coming here, did she know about this?
Dizzy, I grabbed the edge of the table. The champagne threatened to come up as a horrible realization hit me. There were plenty of dragonborn who stood against Shuval. My mom and countless others. She killed those who betrayed her.
And she sold them for parts.
My mom—a cold shiver ran up and back down my spine—they said they never found her body. That there were some bones leftover from the blast, but they were all male. Mom, damn them, they’d taken her and cut her up, removed her scales, her horns.
My vision swam, and someone was saying Maggie loudly. That voice, I knew it, but I couldn’t get myself to focus on where it was coming from. My knees buckled and then I was falling.
Morris caught me, his hands holding me in a very inappropriate way, but I was too disoriented to shove him off.
“You need to sit down. Come on.”
“Get your hands off her.”
Two very familiar arms closed around me protectively, and I clung to Rafael’s shirt, trying to stay upright. I very much wanted to find a place to puke, but Morris and Rafael were arguing, and it was getting louder by the second.
I grabbed Rafael’s arm, wanting him to shut the hell up. The dizziness passed long enough for me to notice quite a few people watching us closely. Very closely. A couple of them were Elders. That was not what we needed on our first night here with no idea as where Gigi might be.
“I just need to lie down,” I snapped loudly, tugging harder on Rafael’s arm.
“I can take her to her room,” Morris insisted.
Rafael’s usual demon growl rumbled in his chest, and I pinched his side making him grunt instead. He glance down at me.
I shook my head subtly.
Keeping one arm firmly around my waist, he said he’d take care of it and helped me out of the conference room. We passed a lot of curious faces, but I kept my head down. Once we were free of the crowd and to the elevator, my legs gave out completely, and Rafael was the only reason I wasn’t a puddle on the floor.
“Easy, Mercy, easy,” he whispered. “Almost to the room.”
“Did you see it?” I gasped. “All of it? God, Rafael, the dragonborn. They have dragonborn parts.”
“Yeah, I did.” The growl was back in his voice.
The demon parts, I had no doubt he saw those, too.
The elevator dinged as we reached the sixth floor. I took a step forward but didn’t make it very far. Rafael didn’t bother letting me walk. He simply picked me up. I wasn’t about to protest. At our door, he set me down long enough to slide in the keycard then I was back in his arms.
“I’m fine, really,” I told him.
He growled quietly but set me down. Carefully, we both removed our amulets and set them aside. I barely got out of my boots when nausea kicked in full swing, and I bolted for the bathroom. The champagne came up violently as I clung to the toilet, envisioning those dragonborn parts all over again. My imagination ran off with me, and I heard Mom screaming as they tore her apart piece by piece.
Rafael was there, holding my hair and rubbing my back.
I dry heaved for a long ass time until my stomach finally settled, and I sat back.
Rafael wet a washcloth and dabbed gently at my face.
“Why are you doing this?” I mumbled.
“Doing what?”
“Taking care of me. I’m fine on my own.”
He sank to the floor in the doorway. “That warlock is not a good guy.”
“No one here is a good guy, remember?”
“Mercy, I mean he’s not a good guy even for a bad guy. I saw that look in his eyes the second you collapsed. If I hadn’t stopped him, what do you think would’ve happened, huh?”
“You saying I can’t take care of myself anymore?”
“I’m saying what you saw down there would mess anyone up. We’re here to find Gigi. I can’t let anything happen to you before then.”
I wasn’t sure why, but that pissed me off. I chucked the washcloth at him and clambered to my feet using the sink. I splashed water on my face and used the hotel mouthwash to get the acid taste out of my mouth.
Rafael didn’t move a muscle.
I had to step over him to get out of the bathroom. I wanted out of this damned dress and into my comfortable clothes, then to curl up in bed and not move for the rest of the night. I needed something to drink, but my stomach was too unsettled to handle anything. I cursed and muttered annoyed as I struggled to get out of the dress. Two hands replaced my own and undid the zipper enough for me to reach it on my own.
“I’m sorry you had to see all that stuff downstairs,” Rafael said quietly, standing right behind me.
Why did his presence have to be so damned comforting and confusing? I was trying to hate him, but how was I supposed to do that when he obviously cared for me no matter what he said?
“Mercy?”
“Rafael,” I managed to say, but nothing else came after. I should’ve told him to leave, to stop being nice if he didn’t want to be with me, but none of that happened.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Talk about what? The shit you’re putting me through because of what I am? Or what happened downstairs?” Angry, I just had to get angry. Then I could get through this mission to save Gigi.
He blew out a heavy breath as the tension between us crackled like electricity. “Downstairs.”
“Great, so we’re not going to talk about how you’re acting like you didn’t hold a gun to my head. That’s freaking fantastic. You know what? I don’t think I want to talk about anything
with you unless it has to do with finding Gigi.” I tore through my bag and found my sleep shorts and tank.
Rafael made no move to leave the room.
“Mind?”
He crossed his arms and still didn’t move.
“You’re a pain in the ass. You know that?” I snatched up my clothes and marched for the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
It took a few extra minutes to get out of the damned dress and into my comfy clothes. When I opened the bathroom door, Rafael stood right on the other side, expression torn between anger and confusion. I knew exactly what he was going through. I wanted to kiss him and smack him at the same time. Was he really angry at me? I opened my mouth to yell at him some more when his arm was around my waist and his lips on mine. The action startled me for a split second, then I was kissing him back.
I ended up against the bathroom door, and I forgot why I was supposed to be angry at him.
This was right, all of it.
But as fast as it started, Rafael pulled back, muttered something under his breath I didn’t catch, then he was gone. The door slammed shut behind him, and I was left more confused than ever.
Furiously, I chucked my boots at the door, then sank right back to the floor.
Eventually, I found my way to the only bed this room had—of course—and fumbled for my cell.
But I had no one to call.
I tossed it into the pillows, yanked the covers over my head, and tried to get to sleep, praying I wouldn’t dream about Rafael.
Or have nightmares about my mother being turned into dragonborn parts to be sold at market.
Chapter 6
Rafael
