by Ciara Graves
“Morning,” he said without looking up.
“Any word back from Nor?” I’d almost forgotten we’d been trying to get a hold of him and Damian before we left. “Or Damian?”
“Nothing, but no bad news either, about Nor being found dead.”
“Yeah, guess that’s okay.”
“They can take care of themselves. We should focus on a plan for tonight.” He tossed his cell behind him then slipped into the bathroom and closed the door.
The shower turned on, and I crossed my arms, annoyed. “Really? Wow, guess I’ll figure out that plan all on my own then.”
After finding the notes I brought along, thanks to Onyx, I set them on the table and sorted through them, searching for any mention of Gigi hanging around a certain warlock. When nothing turned up, I sifted through them again for the layout of the hotel. From what Morris told Rafael about tonight’s activities, there had to be a special room for them if they wanted to keep most of those attending away from them. My eyes crossed after staring at the layout so hard. There were more conference rooms, but they were all listed on the itinerary as being used for workshops. Dark magic workshops. What they did in there I did not want to know.
If Morris was taking us somewhere away from the hotel, we’d need a way to track our movements. I hated Sector 13, mostly for how little the setup made sense. Buildings had been demolished and resurrected in the weirdest ways when the reapers essentially took over. According to them, it mirrored their home realm which they no longer had access to. They wanted to preserve it so over the years they’d been rebuilding Sector 13 without any care for permits or what the governor said. If I were governor, I’d let them do what they wanted, too. They were reapers. Bastards were damned near impossible to kill, and their network was vast. They were like the paranormal version of the human mobs. Except a hundred times worse. Gigi had been convinced the reapers were getting involved with the dark witch covens, but what for? I tapped my fingers on the table, the sound loud in the quiet room.
Rafael had finally turned off the shower but stayed in the bathroom.
My mind drifted from the reapers to Shuval and her role in all of this. There were hybrids here. I might not have physically seen them last night, but I’d sensed them. The tingling of my scar said they weren’t too far away. Was she here to recruit more? Or strike a deal with the Elders somehow? Gigi said messing with the ley lines would affect everyone with magic, that included these witches and warlocks. Unless… unless she spared them all or turned them all into hybrids. Shit. This many hybrids would be a nightmare. The mages had been bad enough. And the dragonborn we’d faced. He’d killed twelve agents before we brought him down.
If Shuval was here, even if we found Gigi, we had to gather intel and see what she was up to. There had to be a way to seek her out, get closer without letting her know who I was. My eyes wandered to the amulets on the table. The disguises fooled everyone so far. Would they fool her if we ended up face-to-face? An icy chill raced down my body as goosebumps appeared on my arms. If I was captured, she’d torture me to make me tell her everything. And if I refused, if I didn’t join her, she’d hurt me in ways I couldn’t imagine. That I knew without any doubt. After everything Bowen and Rufus told me, I had enough of an idea of the pain I would face.
And when she was finished with me, she’d sell me off. She might even hand me over to the reapers for the rest of my miserable life.
“Mercy?”
I jumped out of my chair with a yelp and spun around.
Rafael held up his hands, ready to defend himself, but there was hardly a flicker of magic at my fingertips ready for me to defend myself. After I caught my breath, I sank back into my chair.
“Thought you heard me,” he said as he joined me at the table.
“Bit lost in thought.”
“Noticed. Any ideas?”
“On?”
“Tonight. Dealing with Morris.” He pulled the hotel layout closer, brow furrowing as he ran his fingers along the map. “Does this place have a basement? Onyx said she saw cages disappearing through another door. Nothing on the itinerary seems to deal with cages.”
“Not that I can tell. And who says it has to take place in a basement?”
“Most horrible things end up in basements.”
He had a point, but there was no basement anywhere on the map. I hadn’t seen any stairwells leading down either. Nor a B button in the elevators. “Could be off-site.”
“Off is bad news.”
“Yeah, no shit.” I ran my fingers through my damp hair, dragging my mind away from darkening thoughts of being tortured and eventually killed to thoughts of saving Gigi. One thing first. “You said Morris did know Gigi.”
“According to some very intoxicated witches. They could’ve been mistaken.”
“Or not. I’ll stick with Morris today, see if I can’t get him to spill anything else until we head to the event tonight.”
His growl followed me to the couch where I tossed my dress last night.
“You have any better ideas? He clearly likes me.”
“And I had to play off that I’m your bodyguard last night.” He coughed and mumbled something else I didn’t quite catch.
“What was that?”
“He thinks I’m in love with you and promised to back off for my sake. He might not want to be around you.”
With the dress in hand, I kept facing the wall as I asked, “Do you?”
“Do I what?”
What was I thinking? Get it together, Mercy. You’re here to save Gigi, and as soon as you get back to Sector 21, Rafael will go back to his happy life as a Fed and forget about you. That kiss last night meant nothing. None of it meant anything. “Nothing, never mind. I’ll convince him to stick with me for a while. I can be persuasive when the need arises.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Ignoring his last comment, I dressed in the bathroom and did a simple braid with my hair. Not that it’d matter. Once I put the amulet on, it’d give me a fancier-looking hairdo. I wasn’t sure how much longer we needed the magic to last. With any luck, we’d uncover a better lead on Gigi and be able to escape out of here with her while our disguises were still intact. Rafael had dressed in the room and was buttoning up his black silk shirt when I exited the bathroom. Our eyes locked and my heart pounded violently in my chest. I’d been involved in intense life or death situations plenty of times before.
This was much worse.
Each time I took a breath, he mirrored me, and his hands paused with his shirt only half buttoned. Every subtle movement either one of us made was watched by the other. Licking my lips as my mind imagined striding across the room and kissing him as he had kissed me last night. He took a step as if reading my mind, but I blinked, and an image of Gigi hurt, or dying tore me away from the moment. I scooped up my boots, tugged them on along with my daggers, then aimed for the door.
“See you downstairs.”
“Mercy. Amulet.” He held it out to me.
The disappointment in his eyes lit a sudden angry fire in me. Good, he could be disappointed. I took the amulet, slipped it on, then left him behind. Gigi. I was here to find Gigi. Nothing more.
The lobby was bustling when the elevator door opened. A late lunch—well, breakfast, really, since it appeared everyone else was just waking up now too—was being served in the dining hall. I followed the crowd inside, but didn’t think I could stomach more than coffee. Once I had a mug, I sauntered around the room and found an empty table where I could keep a close eye on the doors.
Morris eventually appeared. I called his name as I waved at him. He left the warlocks he was speaking with behind and hurried to join me.
“You’re looking much better today,” he said as sat down.
“Yes, I’m not sure what came over me last night.”
He glanced around. “And Roger?”
“He should be down shortly. Listen, I was hoping you’d still be willing to show me around today. I promise
not to faint again.” I held my hand over my heart as we both laughed.
Morris sighed. “As much as I would love to, I don’t want to make Roger jealous.”
“Jealous? Why would that make him jealous?” Yes, please, make him jealous. As soon as I thought it, I wanted to kick myself, but Rafael could deal with some uncomfortable emotions for a while. “Morris?”
“It’s just I think Roger feels more for you than you realize.”
“Oh?” Loud giggling met my ears. “You sure about that?” I nodded to the doorway where Rafael had finally appeared, the witch from yesterday clinging to his arm.
“Huh, I could’ve sworn he was into you. Guess I’m not as good at reading people as I used to be.” He laughed. “Well then, I would love to be your escort for the day. Did you have a chance to see what was going on this evening?”
“I did.” I ran my finger lazily over the rim of my mug.
He watched me intently.
“Last night Roger mentioned you had something special in mind.”
“Ah, that is a surprise for later. Trust me. You’ll both enjoy it.” He winked then kissed my cheek.
My hand was raised to punch him when he pulled back, and I quickly rested it on his shoulder instead. He tilted his head with curiosity, but the moment passed, and he asked if I’d eaten.
“Yes, but please help yourself.”
While he was grabbing food, I followed Rafael and the witch around the room with my gaze. He was grinning like an idiot as she practically sat in his lap while they shared a plate of food. If looks could kill, that witch would be dead on the floor. Sparks flickered to life at my fingertips, and I shoved my hands out of sight. Of course, now my magic would start acting up when I was pissed off about Rafael. When she kissed his cheek, I bristled and glared into my coffee until Morris returned to the table. Then it was back to smiling and flirting. I wanted him to like me so later when I confronted him about Gigi, he’d talk to me.
Or he’d realize I wasn’t who I said was and then we’d really have some fun.
At eleven at night, Morris and I made our way to the lobby to wait for Rafael. My stomach was in knots, and I was glad I hadn’t eaten anything. The workshops we attended had all been focused on combining different forms of magic. Hybrids. They were giving the covens lessons on being hybrids without them even realizing it. Was Shuval going to turn them without even asking? Each session was worse than the one before it, and I was ready to burn this place to the ground, with all the Elders inside. The witches and warlocks here might use dark magic, but no one deserved to be turned into a damned slave for their magic.
While we waited, I leaned into Morris’s side. We sat on one of the couches after a very long seminar on using the right type of horn in certain potions. Not that I paid any attention to it.
“Morris, I was wondering if you knew someone, a friend of mine.”
He shifted subtly away from me. “Oh? And who might that be?”
“Gigi. She was supposed to be here, but I haven’t seen her or heard from her. Just worried.”
“I’m not sure. There are so many witches here.”
“I know, I was just wondering is all.”
He was lying to my face. His right eye twitched, and his left hand nervously fidgeted on the arm of the couch.
“If I see her around, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, that’d be great.”
If he saw her, which meant he knew what she looked like. If nothing else came from this night, I’d be dragging Morris into our room and beating the truth out of him then take his unconscious body and dump him somewhere very far away.
“Ah, there’s Roger now.”
Rafael was alone, and though he grinned, it was clear, he was beyond tense.
Clarissa, the witch Morris told me about a few hours ago, must’ve been driving him nuts. She had a reputation at these gatherings for finding those warlocks she deemed worthy of her and digging her claws in as deep as she could. She was nothing but a dark witch looking for a strong protector and someone to spoil her. Morris said she already ruined a few good warlocks.
“Good evening to you both.” Rafael gave me a quick once over. His brow wrinkled, as it always did when he was worried, but I shook my head, and he left it alone. “I trust you had a pleasant evening so far?”
“That we have, but the night is far from over.” Morris held out his hand and helped me to my feet. “You two are going to enjoy this, I think.”
“All the secrecy makes it sound like not everyone knows about whatever it is we’re doing.”
Morris chuckled as he led us to the elevator. “They don’t. I’m among the few who get to choose those lucky enough to see the best entertainment the covens and our new friends have to offer.”
“New friends. The Elders mentioned that last night,” I said once the three of us were alone in the elevator. “Who are they talking about?”
Morris hit three buttons at once, the main floor, first, and second.
The elevator descended.
So there was a basement.
Rafael grunted.
I hated to agree, but basements were always trouble.
“It’s just you seem to be one of the more informed warlocks.” I wrapped my hand around his arm as I said it, purposely pressing myself against him.
Rafael turned away, but he couldn’t complain. Clarissa probably spent the entire day flirting with him, and he would’ve flirted back to get information.
Morris smiled as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I am at that.”
“So? These new allies?”
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. All will be revealed in due time. First, the covens have to be prepared then everyone will share in the glory of what’s to come.”
Morris was definitely our go-to guy when the time came to beating the answers out of someone. He seemed to be in on whatever plans the Elders made. The faster we made it through whatever this was, the faster I could tell Rafael what I thought the Elders were up to. The doors opened, and two large shifters stood guard outside a set of double doors. Music pulsed from the other side along with shouting and yells.
My gut said I should turn around and go back upstairs, but Morris was pulling me along, with Rafael behind us.
“They’re with me,” he said firmly to the shifters.
Their eyes flared yellow, and I panicked. What if they smelled demon? Or mage? Our covers would be blown. There weren’t supposed to be shifters here.
“You may enter,” the one on the right said gruffly and opened the doors.
As soon as we were through, the door slammed shut behind us, but I wasn’t too focused on an escape route. The shouting grew to a crescendo then burst, nearly deafening me. My feet became stuck to the floor as my jaw dropped.
“I know, right?” Morris yelled to be heard over the crowd surrounding us. “Isn’t this great?”
Great was not a word I’d use to describe what was before us.
A circular cage took up the center of the massive space. The floor was covered in dried blood, some of the stains seemed old. The cage was surrounded by stadium seating, and it was packed with witches and warlocks. Morris maneuvered us to a bench with empty seats in the front of the cage. A warlock stood in the center of the cage, making an announcement about the fight we saw the tail end of.
I was deaf to his words. I sat on the edge of the hardwood.
Morris evidently mistook my shock as excitement. “I thought you two might like this,” he said to Rafael. “You can even put some money on the fights if you want. This is how I made my small fortune over the years.”
There were always rumors fights like these went on, but I never ran across them. Damian hadn’t either in all his years living with the underbelly of our society. And here I was sitting in the middle of one. Paranormal fights to the death. That’s what this was.
Morris yelled and clapped with the rest of the audience, but Rafael and I exchanged pissed off gla
res. We had to get out of here before either one of us lost our shit and blew our covers.
Rafael tilted his head then did it again.
I frowned. What was he trying to tell me?
I looked through the bars of the iron cage to a raised platform situated on the other side. It was higher than all the other seats. Several of the Elders were present, but they weren’t the ones that made me wish I had a few of Rufus’s magical bombs.
I grabbed hold of the bench harder as I counted the dragonborn on that stage. No, not dragonborn. Hybrids. They were all freaking hybrids like the one we faced down weeks ago. Some of them were mages, too.
What of Envy? Was he here?
My scar throbbed, but I didn’t see any hint of Envy.
In the center of them all, was a seated figure, but whoever it was remained in shadow. I couldn’t make out any details at all, only a silhouette. From here, it could’ve been a man or a woman.
“Next to the ring we have a shifter, hungry for blood,” the warlock announced from the center of the cage. A door cranked open as the crowd went crazy. He was shoved into the cage, eyes bright yellow as he roared and shouted in rage. He shifted easily into a large and dangerous-looking wolf, then prowled around the cage. He threw himself at the bars in front of us, and I jumped. Those yellow eyes latched onto me. We had to get out of here. I did not want to watch two paranormal beings tear each other apart for sport. I was almost on my feet when the announcer said, “And his opponent is the last of his kind. An ancient being of great power. Send in the gryphon!”
“What?” I snapped and shot to my feet.
“Maggie, you alright?” Morris was asking even as Rafael was shaking his head furiously.
“Yeah, just—uh, can’t believe they found a gryphon.” Wesley. He was the only gryphon I knew of. Another door cranked open, and a figure shambled inside the cage. As soon as I saw his face, I grabbed hold of the bars, desperate to get to him. He looked so much worse than the last time I saw him, when he was being dragged away by gobs. His clothes were ragged, and he was dirty, covered in dried blood. How many times had he fought in the cage already?
