by Lisa Edmonds
Another growl, much louder.
“My security is more than adequate,” I assured him. “The reason I called is I’m looking for some magical objects that might be coming on the market and I wondered if you could keep an eye out for them.”
“Intriguing.” I could almost see his ears perk up. “What are these items?”
“I have photos I can send you, but briefly, there is a silver hand mirror, an antique pewter cup, and a fancy arm cuff.”
“What do we know of their powers?”
“From what I’ve been told, the mirror supposedly lets you see forgotten memories. Drinking from the cup allows a vampire to walk in daylight for an hour. The cuff apparently increases male libido.”
“Fascinating. I take it these objects are not being sold by their rightful owner?”
“They’re not being sold by the person who had possession of them until a few nights ago. I’m not sure the term ‘rightful owner’ has much meaning when it comes to magical objects. I think the prevailing philosophy is more along the lines of ‘possession is nine-tenths of the law.’”
He chuckled. “That is certainly true. Please send me the photos of the items in question and I will make discreet inquiries.”
“Thank you. Any news on the manhunt?”
Rogue came into the living room and plopped down on his bed. In the kitchen, the coffee grinder fired up.
Charles made an odd sound that was almost a snarl. “Nothing substantial. Frankly, I expected to wake to the news he had been found and was quite dismayed to hear there are no leads thus far.”
I sighed. “Well, it’s only a matter of time. I doubt he’s skipped town, so he’s out there, somewhere. I’m assuming you’re looking into weapons suppliers in town, in case he’s in the market for more firepower?”
“That is one of the lines of inquiry Ms. Woodall is pursuing. Her work for us has thus far been exemplary.”
“Excellent.” I looked forward to teaming up with Arkady Woodall at some point for an investigation, assuming my sheep pajamas hadn’t given her the wrong first impression. I grimaced. Maybe she’d forget about that.
“I will begin looking into the magical items you described.” Charles sounded almost energized by the prospect. I wondered if he was already bored and stir-crazy. As antsy as I was surrounded by watchful werewolves, at least I wasn’t trapped with him.
“Thanks, Charles. Call me anytime if you have news on either.”
“Good night, my dear.” We disconnected.
“You want a cup of coffee?” Sean called from the kitchen.
I snorted as I sent the pictures of the magical objects off to Charles. “You need to ask?”
He appeared carrying two cups of coffee. “It was pretty much a rhetorical question,” he said, handing one to me and settling onto the couch. “No sign of Stevens, I take it?”
“None.” I sipped my coffee. “In a way, it’s surprising; with so many people looking for him, anyone else would probably already have been found. Then again, anyone else wouldn’t have gotten away from the vamps in the first place.”
My phone beeped with a text reply from Charles: Photos received. I look forward to the hunt.
“So, are we in for the evening?” he asked.
“I’m in a holding pattern until I hear back from either Cait with the background check or one of the people keeping an eye out for the magical objects.” I yawned and took a couple of chugs of coffee. “I thought I’d look at some furniture options online, on the off-chance I get time to stop by the store tomorrow and make some purchases. If I knew what I wanted ahead of time, it wouldn’t take long to make the final choices.”
“That sounds like a plan. In the meantime, I’m going to see about getting us some food.”
I reached for my bag. “We should try that new Italian place that delivers. I’m thinking lasagna. Let me give you my credit card.”
“I’ve got this one. You got the pizza earlier.”
I hesitated, then relented. “Okay, fair enough. Do we need to feed Philip and Tom?”
“I’ll get something for them. A couple of meatball subs each should do it.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Still getting used to werewolf appetites.”
“We’re pretty much always hungry, for all kinds of things,” Sean said, his eyes gleaming. “Speaking of which, I’m very much looking forward to dessert.”
“You are hungry,” I teased.
“You have no idea.” He took my coffee cup and set it on the floor with his own. “I’m a starving man, Alice. I haven’t had a good meal in more than a week.”
“You poor man.” I climbed into his lap and held his face in my hands. “How about we just order subs for Team Two and skip straight to dessert?”
“You’re going to need your energy for what I have in mind. As far as I know, all you’ve had all day is about a gallon of coffee and that one slice of pizza.”
I gave him a look.
He turned serious. “Alice, I’m a shifter and an alpha. As long as we’re together, there will never be a time when I’m not wanting to make sure you’re safe and fed and happy.”
I kissed him thoroughly and started to climb off his lap. “Then you’d best order the damn lasagna, because I am starving.”
He laughed and reached for his phone.
Alice!
I heard Malcolm’s panicked voice in my mind at the same moment I felt a yank on the blue-green magic trace that connected us. Someone was trying to pull my ghost away from me. Instinctively I yanked him back and it felt like someone drove a white-hot dagger through my skull—a blood magic attack that would have killed or incapacitated a weaker mage.
I made an involuntary sound that was half-gasp, half-cry and fell off the couch, my head bouncing on the wood floor.
“Alice!” Sean shouted. “What’s happening?”
I couldn’t talk because my jaw was clenched to hold in my screams. Through the agony, I realized a spell was trying to pull Malcolm away and someone with strong blood magic was attempting to sever the binding that connected us. Malcolm was resisting but he was losing his battle against the powerful spell.
I didn’t recognize the magic but there was no time for me to think about who was on the other end of the attack. If whoever it was severed our binding, Malcolm would be lost to me forever—assuming I even survived. Stealing a bound ghost required the equivalent of a magical lobotomy and the pain was making it hard for me to think.
I heard Malcolm telling Sean someone was trying to take him from me and that if they succeeded I might die. Sean snarled at him to do something, but Malcolm wasn’t a blood mage. He wasn’t equipped for this fight, but I was.
From where I lay on the floor, I spooled my blood magic and yanked Malcolm to me. Startled, he tried to flit away, but I wrapped my magic around him like a cage. As he struggled to free himself, I thrust my hand into his body and ripped out the hidden spell that was trying to tear him away.
Malcolm yelped as the spell disintegrated. I released him and he flitted away from me, his eyes wide and horrified—whether at the attack or me or both, I couldn’t tell.
The spell was gone, but I couldn’t be sure there wouldn’t be another attempt. Malcolm needed to be safe until I could figure out what the hell just happened.
“Contain!” I shouted.
With a tingle of magic, Malcolm went into a special crystal on my bracelet, one he couldn’t jump out of or be taken from by anyone but me.
The stabbing pain in my head intensified as the blood mage stepped up his or her attack. Now that he or she had lost their ability to take Malcolm, they simply meant to kill me. Unfortunately for them, I was a better mage and a better killer.
I reached back through the magic trace and used my blood magic to kill my attacker. The dagger of blood magic in my head vanished with a sickening pop, leaving behind a vicious ache and a strange hollow feeling. Magic sizzled and then there was a familiar silence as somewhere the blood mage fell over
dead.
And just like that, it was over.
Blood trickled from my nose. My arms and legs felt like they were full of lead. I tried to move but couldn’t. My head hurt like it might split open.
“Alice,” Sean said, his voice tight. “Alice, damn it, say something.”
I opened my eyes. He was kneeling beside me, eyes bright with fury as he pulled me against his chest.
I forced myself to speak. “Nobody…takes…my ghost…from…me,” I slurred, and then I passed out.
8
When I woke, I was in bed and very warm under what felt like a pile of blankets and quilts. Beyond my eyelids the room was dark, but I had no idea if it was day or night. My body ached down to the bones.
“How many dead?” The voice was more growl than human. It sounded like it was coming from the hallway outside my room.
A long pause.
“This has to be related to the Bell-Murphy war.” Sean’s anger prickled on my skin. “I don’t know if it was a misfire of some magical weapon or these people were deliberately targeted. All she could tell me was someone tried to take away her ghost. Is it possible all of the victims—”
He broke off suddenly. I sensed movement before a warm hand brushed my forehead. “Alice? Are you awake?”
I made a small sound.
“I’ll have to call you back.” Sean put his phone on my nightstand. He pulled back the pile of blankets, scooped me up, and settled into the bed with me in his arms. I curled up against his chest and breathed in his scent, letting it ease the aches in my body.
He tucked my head under his chin. “Can you talk?” His voice was rough. “I need to know if you can understand me and how badly you’re hurt.”
I focused on putting syllables together. “Going…to be…all right.”
He took a deep breath and squeezed me against his chest. “You’re not lying to me, are you? We have an agreement: you don’t tell me you’re okay if you aren’t.”
“Feel like shit,” I told him.
His laugh sounded strangled. I opened my eyes and moved my head so I could see him. He obviously hadn’t slept and his eyes were bright, almost feverish, and shining gold, as if his wolf lurked just beneath his skin.
The curtains in my room were tightly closed but I saw daylight at the top and sides. “What time is it?” I asked.
“Almost noon.” He kissed the top of my head. “It’s been about fourteen hours since the attack.”
I remembered what I’d heard him saying when I woke up. “What happened?”
“A lot of people died last night around the same time you were attacked and the hospitals are full of people in comas who aren’t expected to survive. They don’t even know how many victims there are yet; dozens, at least. People dropped unconscious or dead at home, in their cars, wherever they were, all over the city. There was a lot of panic at first, but things settled down when no one else seemed to be affected after the first wave hit.”
“They tried to take Malcolm,” I said. “There was some kind of spell inside him, hidden all this time. I broke it and killed the mage who tried to take him and kill me.”
His chest rumbled with a low growl. “Good. So Malcolm is safe? I thought we’d lost him.”
“I put him in my bracelet in case they tried again before I was recovered enough to defend us.”
“Who do you think is responsible for this?”
“It has to be Bell. Malcolm died at the hands of one of his blood mages. I’m betting they spelled him before releasing him, so they could pull him back if and when they wanted to.”
“But why release him at all? Isn’t that unusual?”
“Very unusual; unheard-of, in fact. But if all of the dead and dying are people who had bound ghosts, then it’s something Bell has been doing for a while.” I laced my fingers with his. “Who was that on the phone?”
He squeezed my hand. “Adri Smith, calling to check on you when people started realizing that all the dead are mages. I don’t think anyone has figured out the ghost connection, though.”
“Bell has to be pulling in his ghosts because of Murphy’s attacks,” I said. “I don’t know how or why, but he’s either planning to use them as defense or offense.”
“How would he do that?”
“Cabals use ghosts as energy sources, like Kendall used that ghost in the statue. They can amplify a mage’s magic, be used as a focus for spellwork, and power wards, among other things. Maybe he’s going to use them to strengthen the wards wherever he’s holed up.” I hesitated. “Or he’s planning on using them to amplify a magical attack on Murphy or his people, either here or back in Baltimore.”
“Why not just keep them stored at the cabal, in case something like this happens?”
My eyes widened. “Because they weaken if they’re stored and go wraith over time. If they’re free, they gain power, especially if they’re bound to…” My voice trailed off.
“Bound to what?” he prompted.
“Strong mages,” I whispered. “Son of a bitch, that’s why he released Malcolm. We’ve been wondering all this time how Malcolm ended up with me when he died instead of at the cabal. Bell figured out a way to make his ghosts even stronger, by spelling them or arranging for them to be bound to mages and letting them build up power, then pulling them back when he’s ready to use them, killing all those mages in the process. Not that he cared about that, obviously.” My blood magic sizzled on my skin. “Murphy, Bell…they’re all the same. Not an ounce of conscience among them.”
Sean growled. “Is Bell likely to attack here, or back in Baltimore?”
“I’m betting Baltimore. Murphy took out Bell’s compound and one of his most profitable businesses. If he can amass a cadre of mages like the one Murphy used to attack his compound, and he uses the ghosts to amplify their magic, and he doesn’t care that it will kill most of them, he could obliterate Murphy’s compound and everyone in it.”
I turned my head away so he couldn’t see my eyes, worried they would betray how I felt about that possibility. I’d fantasized about destroying the compound and killing Moses for most of my life, but it had seemed an impossible task. If Bell could do what I thought he could do, it might be the best chance anyone had of succeeding where so many others had failed. I tried not to get my hopes up, but my brain fixated on it and wouldn’t let go.
“Murphy has to figure he’ll be targeted,” Sean said. “He might not know about the ghosts, but he’s too smart to stay in his compound, knowing there’s a target painted on it.”
“He’s arrogant. He thinks his wards will hold. No one has ever breached the perimeter walls, much less damaged the main building.” Not from the outside, anyway, I thought, remembering the massive hole I’d blown in the compound on my way to freedom.
“So you think he’ll stay home, despite the danger?”
“I guarantee he’ll stay.” I hesitated, then added, “Or at least that’s my guess, based on what I’ve seen of him in the news.”
“Well, you’re probably right about that.” He smoothed the hair back from my face. “Are you feeling any stronger?”
I nodded. “I’m a little foggy still, but I think it’ll pass fairly soon. It’s been a while since I had to fight a blood mage that way. Luckily, it’s like riding a bicycle, I guess.” I fell silent.
“You had no choice,” he said firmly. “It was you or them, right?”
“Even after they couldn’t get to Malcolm, they tried to kill me, I guess just on principle or in retaliation. They didn’t have to, but they did and they paid for it.”
“Will Bell’s people be able to trace you through the dead mage?”
I shook my head. “No. What little trace of mine there was would have dissipated within moments. The only concern is whether Malcolm still has any of those spells hidden in him. I think it’s best to leave him in the crystal for now, though, in case they’re still trying to call him back. I need to be stronger before I let him out and try to look for more retrieval
spells.” I took a deep breath. “In the meantime, I’ll get up and take a shower.”
“Can you manage the shower by yourself?”
“I think so.” Gingerly, I started to get up.
Sean resisted, holding me tight. “I thought I was going to lose you. I lay here all night, watching the news alerts about the dead and dying mages and wondering if you were going to wake up and what kind of shape you’d be in when you did.”
“I’m not so easy to kill,” I reminded him, then touched his face when his eyes darkened. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
He squeezed my hand, then kissed it. “It’s my privilege to do so.” He sighed. “I’ll call Karen and let her know we’re probably not going to make it over there tonight.”
“No, we’re going.”
“Alice, you just almost died. This isn’t the time—”
“This is exactly the time,” I countered. “I know an invitation like this is significant in shifter culture. It’s a family dinner and I’ve been invited to sit and eat with you. That’s an honor and an opportunity I’m not going to miss.”
He kissed me then, carefully, as if afraid I might break. I grabbed him and kissed him hard.
When I leaned back, he was smiling. “Now I know you’re feeling better. You need some coffee and some food. While you’re in the shower, I’ll order us some lasagna. By the time you’re downstairs, it’ll be here.”
My stomach growled. He chuckled. “Get up,” he said, rolling me gently off his lap. “Get clean, then come downstairs and get coffee and food.”
I lay sprawled on the bed and smiled up at him. “You’re my favorite werewolf.”
“You’re my favorite mage.” He poked me in the side. “Get in the shower.”
When I got out of the shower, I discovered Cait had sent me her preliminary report on Joseph Kendall earlier in the day. I took my laptop downstairs and Sean and I read through it while standing at the kitchen counter eating salad, lasagna, and breadsticks as Jack and Karen ate meatball subs outside in their SUV.
