by Lisa Edmonds
“Alice?” he prodded.
“Hang on,” I said with a note of irritation in my voice. “I’m having a revelation.”
Sean chuckled. “Isn’t it a little early in your day for that? You haven’t even had coffee yet.”
I elbowed him in his hard stomach. He made an exaggerated oof sound and nuzzled my neck. “So, do you need a minute to process this revelation, or…?”
I sighed. “No, you ruined the moment.”
“Sorry.” He pressed a kiss into my hair. “So, things did not go well last night, I take it.”
“Actually, overall, things did go well. We got the bombers in custody.” Most of them, anyway. I wondered if they’d caught Kent Stevens yet. I’d have to text Adri and ask.
“Good, then we won’t have to leave the house today.” He settled in more comfortably.
“Don’t you have to go to work?”
He snorted. “I haven’t seen you in more than a week, Alice. I took the day off.” He rubbed my arms, his hands wonderfully warm. “So, how did you end up needing vampire blood and a blood transfusion?”
“I can’t go into details because of my contract with the Court,” I reminded him. “All I can say is not everything worked like it was supposed to at the end, but I’m all right now.”
He stopped rubbing my arms and just held me. “It was close, though, wasn’t it?”
The old Alice would have denied it, but I was trying not to lie to Sean—at least, not unless I absolutely had to—and I’d sort of made an agreement not to tell him I was fine when I wasn’t.
“Yeah, it was,” I admitted.
Sean’s anger prickled on my skin. He might not have demanded an explanation for my injuries, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to find the person who’d hurt me and tear them apart. “I know you probably had no choice, but I don’t like that you had to drink Vaughan’s blood again. It gives him some influence over you and that son of a bitch is always plotting and scheming.”
“I didn’t have a choice about drinking his blood, but I do have a choice about whether I let him manipulate me afterward. If that’s what he’s hoping for, he’s going to be sorely disappointed.”
He squeezed me and kissed my temple. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”
“I planned on taking it easy and just doing some things around the house. Thanks for picking up some groceries; let me know what I owe you for that.”
“You can get dinner for us later and we’ll call it even.” He paused. “Have you given any more thought about what you’re going to do for an office?”
A month ago, I’d been evicted from my office during the height of violent anti-vamp and anti-magic protests that swept the city after it was discovered a group of mages was responsible for dozens of murders. The building’s owners cited safety concerns, since several mage-owned businesses were targeted for arson and vandalism. I was having a difficult time finding anyone willing to rent me office space. The contents of my office were in storage while I figured out how I was going to deal with the situation.
Sean had offered to lease me space in the Maclin Security building, but I’d declined. It felt too much like a commitment and like I’d be mixing my professional and personal lives in a way I wasn’t comfortable with.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Something will become available soon, I’m sure.”
“There’s still space available in our building if you want it,” he said mildly. “Decent-size office on the first floor, with its own bathroom and a great view of the loading dock.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind.”
He let go long enough to lean back and grab something off the nightstand and hand it to me, then pulled me back into his arms.
It was a travel brochure for a resort in the Bahamas, featuring isolated cabanas with private beaches.
I looked over the brochure. “Still wanting to take a beach vacation with me?”
Sean had wanted to go on a trip after we’d put the West-Addison harnad in jail, but within days of closing that case, the Court had hired me to help catch the bombers. I’d decided to take the job instead of the vacation and Sean had not been happy.
“Look at that sand,” he murmured in my ear. “And that crystal-blue Caribbean water. Tell me you don’t want to spend a week away from everything, swimming in the ocean, drinking rum punch, and lying in a hammock under the palm trees.”
“It does look pretty fantastic,” I admitted, folding the brochure. “Let me think about it.”
He raised up on his elbow. “Let’s stop thinking about it and just do it. You and I, we think too much. My pack, my company, your ghost, your work…it will all be fine while we’re gone.” He kissed my forehead. “Pack a bag and let’s just go, Alice. Whatever we need that we don’t have already, we’ll buy when we get there.”
“I can’t go to the Bahamas; it’s too far away. If something happened here, it would take too long to get back.”
“What do you think might happen?”
I rubbed my face. “Anything could happen. I just…I can’t go to the Bahamas. Maybe we could go to a beach somewhere closer, somewhere we could get to and from quickly, if we had to.”
He sat up and leaned against the headboard. “I’d really like to know what you think might happen if you leave town. If you’re worried about your house, between Malcolm and your wards and my security company, it’s safer than Fort Knox. Malcolm is protected inside the house. The Court can do without you for a week; they have other people who work for them and two new full-time investigators. What are you worried about? Explain it to me so I can understand.”
How could I explain how vulnerable I’d feel so far from my home and its wards? My home was my security, the first and only thing that was every truly mine, after twenty-four years of being a prisoner in my grandfather’s cabal compound. If my grandfather ever tracked me down and I had to run, that would be one thing, but even the thought of being away for a week made my stomach churn.
“I’m not sure I can explain it,” I told him finally, rolling onto my back and staring up at the ceiling. “Maybe it’s irrational.”
“You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?” he asked wryly.
During an earlier fight over my refusal to let him buy me new furniture, I’d called him a bully and he’d called me irrational. “I wasn’t referring to that,” I told him, running my fingers through his hair. “Really, it is probably irrational of me to be afraid of going out of town.”
“Is that something we can work on together?”
I took a deep breath. “Maybe we could start with something not so far away. When that goes okay, maybe something a little farther. Then, maybe the Bahamas, assuming you’re not sick of me and my bullshit by then.”
“I’m kind of fond of you and your bullshit.” He kissed me again, more purposefully this time.
I ran my hands up under his T-shirt and over his chest, scratching him lightly with my nails. He growled low and slid a hand across my stomach where my tank top had hiked up while I slept. I shivered at his touch and pulled him half on top of me, suddenly no longer sleepy. His kiss grew hungry and his hand slipped under my top. I moaned.
Rogue raised his head and barked at us.
I laughed. “Butt out, fur-face. Sean and I need some private time.”
Sean growled. Unimpressed, Rogue tilted his head, his tongue hanging out.
I threw back the covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed. “Hold that thought. I’ll let him out in the backyard, and then we can—”
“Don’t let him into the backyard,” Sean interrupted. “There’s something…weird going on back there.”
I blinked at him. “In my backyard? What—?”
I didn’t get to finish my question. I sensed a surge of power and a wave of magic rolled over the house. Rogue went berserk, jumping off the bed and barking. I staggered and almost fell. Despite my shields, the wave of magic left me disoriented.
Sean was off
the bed and at my side in a heartbeat. “Alice!” He sat me down on the bed, his hands on my face as he stared into my eyes. “Are you all right?”
“Magic attack,” I mumbled, trying to clear my head and focus.
“What do you mean, a magic attack?”
Suddenly, Malcolm was in my room. “What the hell was that?” the ghost asked.
“Did someone attack the house?” Sean demanded.
“No,” Malcolm told him, floating over to me. “It feels like something big just happened, but somewhere else. Alice, you okay?”
The disorientation faded. “I’m okay. That was a massive wave of magic. Malcolm’s right; something big just happened. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like that.”
“Let’s go see if the news has anything about it,” Sean suggested.
We headed downstairs. Sean turned on my new television and I went to the kitchen to make coffee. While the pot was brewing, I joined Sean, Malcolm, and Rogue in the living room. Sean had found a local station with a breaking news alert.
The anchor addressed the camera. “We have no official statements yet from either local law enforcement or federal authorities, but we are receiving reports that the magic pulse that has caused widespread disruption and minor injuries was some sort of shockwave that seems to have originated from the northeast part of the city. We have crews en route to the scene now, and will bring you more information as we receive it.”
Sean turned the TV volume down as a commercial came on. “A magic shockwave? Is that possible?”
“It’s possible. All magic produces energy, but to create a pulse that powerful…” I shook my head. “It had to have been a massive coordinated attack.”
“An attack on what, though?” Sean asked. “The northeast side is mainly residential. What was the target?”
I heard the coffee pot gurgling and headed back to the kitchen. “You want a cup?”
“Definitely,” Sean said.
I poured two cups of coffee, added cream and sugar to mine, and returned to the living room just as Sean was turning up the volume again.
The television showed live aerial footage of a sprawling mansion—or what was left of it. Most of the building had collapsed and it looked like the doors and windows were gone on the section that still stood. People were running from the rubble, some helping others who had been injured. A caravan of vehicles was on its way down the driveway, heading away from the ruin toward a half-dozen ambulances, fire trucks, and police vehicles parked outside an enormous gate.
The news anchor spoke. “Channel Five has learned that the epicenter of the magic pulse is a residence believed to belong to local businessman Darius Bell. As you can see from our live footage, there appears to be significant damage to the home and surrounding buildings. We have been told that emergency personnel are not being allowed to enter the property at this time. We do not yet have any information about casualties or the cause of the disaster.”
I stared at the screen, dumbfounded. I could think of only one possible explanation for the devastation: after months of small-scale attacks on Bell’s operation, Moses Murphy, my grandfather, had decided to declare open war by breaching Bell’s wards and destroying his cabal headquarters. No wonder the shockwave had been so powerful; the blast that had broken the wards and demolished most of the building had to have been enormous.
I tried to estimate how many mages would have had to work together to create an attack on this scale. It would have to be dozens, and half or more of them would probably be incapacitated or dead after breaking the wards. I had no doubt Bell would have had landmines and cascades embedded in his wards designed to kill anyone who tried to break them. Moses had sent those mages to their deaths.
“Alice?”
I realized Sean was talking to me, and judging by his tone, it wasn’t the first time he’d tried to get my attention. I tore my gaze away from the television and looked at him.
I don’t know what my face looked like, but he took the coffee cups from my hands. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You’re as white as a sheet. Sit down.”
I remained standing, too horrified by what my grandfather had done to really process what Sean said. He set the coffee down on the floor, since I still had no other furniture other than the couch, and made me sit.
I had to say something to explain my reaction. “The wards around Bell’s compound were powerful and deadly. Breaking them would have killed the mages who did it.”
“What kind of magic could do that?” he asked.
“Earth magic; destabilize the ground, destroy the building. With that much power, I’m surprised any part of the house is still standing, but breaking the wards probably killed half the mages they brought in for the attack. Maybe they didn’t have enough firepower left alive to finish the job.”
“It had to have been the Murphy cabal.” He rubbed my back. “They’ve been hitting Bell a lot lately. I’ve never seen anything like this, though.” He jerked his head at the screen.
“No one has.” Malcolm stared at the television. “Mages and cabals have always wondered if this kind of coordinated attack could be done, but no one’s ever pulled it off until now.”
“Maybe because no one was ever willing to sacrifice so many lives for one single strike.” My voice was harsh.
I felt a spike of awe, horror, and anger that wasn’t mine. Malcolm’s emotions were leaking over to me. He floated back and forth, a sign of how unsettled he was. “Hey, you okay?” I asked him.
“I used to live there,” he said quietly. “They had me in the east wing of the house for the last year I belonged to the cabal.”
We watched the news for the next hour. Sean and I sat on the couch with Rogue curled up at our feet while Malcolm floated around the room, obviously upset but not wanting to talk.
It didn’t take long for the national news networks to pick up the story, so Sean switched back and forth between several channels as we tried to find out what was happening. There was a lot of speculation but no real answers, other than what we could see occurring live at Bell’s compound.
I wondered how long Bell’s people were going to be able to keep police and federal agents from entering the property. There were dozens of them camped out on the road in front of the gate; I saw members of the ATF, FBI, SPEMA, and local and state law enforcement personnel. I supposed it was a question of how long it would take to find a judge willing to sign a warrant.
Just how much Bell did not want law enforcement poking around in his compound became evident when aerial footage of the scene showed all of Bell’s people moving away from what was left of the house and heading for the gate.
I stood up and walked toward the television, Sean right behind me. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“They’re going to blow it up,” I said.
The camp of waiting law enforcement must have come to the same conclusion, because it suddenly became a hive of activity. Men and women representing various agencies began running or taking cover behind their vehicles as the last remaining cabal personnel left the compound. The news helicopters moved to a safe distance.
Rather than the massive explosion law enforcement feared—and the news media no doubt hoped for—it was a controlled demolition that began in the center of the C-shaped building with a fireball that spread toward the ends in a series of smaller detonations. In about fifteen seconds, the entire main building was a burning ruin. Three smaller buildings went up after that, reduced quickly to smoking rubble.
“I guess they really didn’t want the cops to get in there,” I said when the explosions stopped.
“So, what now?” Sean asked.
“Bell will regroup and strike back at Murphy, back in Baltimore and wherever he can find anyone affiliated with the Murphy cabal. Meanwhile, Murphy’s probably already on to phase two of the plan. It wouldn’t surprise me if there’s another attack on Bell before the day is out.”
“The city’s about to become a war zone,” Malcolm s
aid grimly.
I watched the burning remains of Bell’s compound. “And we’re all going to be caught in the middle.”
Sean was hungry, so I ordered Chinese food. While we waited for it to arrive, Malcolm disappeared into the basement to deal with his complicated feelings about watching his former prison blow up, and I took a shower and got dressed.
I got back downstairs just as Sean returned from taking Rogue for a walk. “Hey, that reminds me,” I said.
He unclipped the leash from Rogue’s collar. “We need to talk about your backyard.”
I went to the back door with Sean and Rogue behind me. As I unlocked the door, the dog growled, which surprised me. Rogue rarely growled.
When I stepped out onto the porch, I stopped and stared. “What the heck? Why is there a jungle in my backyard?”
A week ago, I’d had two large, empty flowerbeds I’d planned on filling when I got a chance. Both flowerbeds were now overflowing with plants no less than four feet tall, and some were even bigger. When I looked closer, I realized they were impossibly giant-sized versions of the flowers and plants I’d intended to grow.
And they were moving.
“So, I wanted to surprise you,” Sean began.
I gaped at the swaying mass of vaguely menacing greenery. “Well, you nailed it.”
He sighed. “You worked so hard getting these flowerbeds built and then you were too busy to plant anything, so a couple of days ago I went and bought the plants you had on your list and put them in. When I came back the next day to water the plants, they seemed bigger already, but I decided it had to be my imagination. The day before yesterday, they were huge and I realized it wasn’t my imagination. I decided I needed to do something before the situation got any more out of hand. I tried to pull one out of the ground and it bit me.”
My eyebrows shot up. “The plant bit you?”
He showed me his forearm. There, a few inches above his wrist, was a semi-circular scar.
I touched the scar as if to convince myself it was real. Despite all the fights he’d been in, Sean had few scars thanks to his shifter healing abilities and the ones he did have were from particularly severe injuries. And yet, somehow, a plant had wounded him badly enough to leave a scar.
