by Renee George
"Like what?"
I really wanted to talk about Cassel. How he'd hurt me? How much I wanted him, but that I couldn't trust him. But I didn't want to put all that on Shy. She was already struggling with him showing up unannounced. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," she said. "I'm always fine."
"I mean, you know, with Cas back in town. Have you gotten a chance to talk to him?"
She shook her head and began tightly braiding my hair. "He's been busy. I've texted him, but he hasn't gotten back to me."
"Jerk," I said.
"Yes," she agreed.
"Brothers are the worst," I added.
Shyla giggled. "They really are." She poked her finger on the back of my head. "You know you've got a hole here. It looks like someone snatched you bald."
"They did. A bar fight at the Trash Bin got out of hand last night, and my hair became collateral damage."
"This is a pretty good chunk. I'll braid over it though, no worries."
"You should date," I told Shyla. "You are gorgeous, and I know at least a half dozen wolf Shifters who would howl to take out dancing."
"I don't want to date," she said. She wrapped the braids around the crown of my head. It made me look majestic. "There." She smiled at my reflection. "You are perfect. You know, other than the dark circles under your eyes and the bad breath."
"That's why they make concealer and mouthwash," I told her. "Thanks. My hair actually looks pretty good."
"Go get dressed," she said. "I'll drive you down to the parade."
I caught Shy's hand before she could leave the bathroom. I wanted to tell her that my brother wasn't worth all the pain and aggravation, that she deserved every happiness the world had to offer, and I wanted to tell her that without her, my life would sparkle so much less. Instead, I told her, "You're the best."
I applied a little concealer and splashed some mouthwash around my mouth to avoid straining my magic even more. The medieval gown was layered in golds, greens, and browns. My mom had explained that it was to represent rebirth and transformation. Cerridwen's gifts. I thought the colors made my skins a little ruddy. I looked better in cooler colors, not the warm tones of autumn. Still, with the way Shy had fixed my hair, I had to admit, I made a pretty picture. I would look presentable for the parade, and I wouldn't embarrass my town or my folks. That's all that really mattered.
I was ready to go with fifteen minutes to spare. I walked down to Shy's office. She wasn't in there, so I went downstairs to the kitchen. At our breakfast table, sat a large guy with reddish brown hair, wearing the standard black t-shirt and jeans of Monty's team. Shyla was smiling. I watched with amazement as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. She was flirting. I almost hated to interrupt, but I couldn't be late. Mom needed the win, and frankly, I needed a win as well.
"You must be Blaze," I said.
He looked up at me, his blue eyes a bright contrast to her dark hair and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I've been assigned to get you to the parade."
"What about--" I stopped short of saying Cas's name. I didn't want to worry my friend unnecessarily.
Shyla wiped the counter. "I can still take you if you want, but Blaze said he could give you a ride." She stared at my gown. "You make the Goddess proud," she said. "You look great."
I twirled around for her. "Thanks to you." I glanced at Blaze. "You can take me, but we have to go now. You don't want to see my mom when she's angry."
"Does she turn green?" he asked.
"Why would she turn green?"
"The Hulk," he said.
"I don't get it."
He looked aghast. "He's a superhero. Sort of. Don't you all get movies in this town?"
Shyla and I cracked up at the same time. I looked at Shy. "At least, he referenced Marvel. That scores him points in my book."
She nodded. "He's definitely got potential. Now, scoot, before Joanie's head explodes."
"We should go out the back," Blaze said. "Just to be safe."
I didn't know how much safer it would make me, but I didn't argue. "I will follow your lead." A lead which had me crossing a copse of trees to Blaze's black SUV on Quarter Moon drive.
"Is all this really necessary?" I asked as climbed in the passenger side and buckled up.
"It is," he said.
Now that I was out of earshot of Shyla, I asked him the one question I really wanted to ask. "What happened to Cas?"
"Monty called him back to the scene of last night's fire. He wanted him to go over the events that led to his injuries." He started the engine.
Then I asked him the second question I wanted to ask. "Are you a wolf Shifter?"
He gave me an odd stare. "How did you know?"
I smiled. My love life might be non-existent, but maybe Shy could find some happiness. "Just a lucky guess."
Blaze drove with two hands on the wheel, constantly checking his mirrors and looking over his shoulders. His paranoia was starting to make me paranoid.
"You don't really think someone is out to get me, do you? I mean. I'm nobody."
"Cas seems to think you're someone pretty special," Blaze said.
"If he wasn't here on assignment, he wouldn't have given me a second thought." I stared out the window and counted electric poles to keep myself from getting weepy. Stupid men.
"I've worked with Cas for five years. We trained together at the academy. Do you know that he mentioned you in our first conversation? Does that sound like a guy who hasn't given you a second thought? Because, I'm pretty sure you're his first, second, and last thought most days."
"He paid you to say that, right?"
Blaze laughed. "You're a hard woman, Brita Davis."
I wished that were true. Hard women didn't pine for men who lied to them. "If he told you about me, then you know I have a knack for curses. Do you want a boil on your ass, Blaze?"
"No, ma'am," he said. "How about if I stay out of whatever's going on between you and Cas?"
"Good plan."
Blaze's phone rang. The caller ID on his Bluetooth radio said, Three. He pushed the green answer button on the screen. "Four here," he said.
The call played through the speakers as the caller said, "Change of plans for the package. Team leader wants her taken to backup location."
"Why?"
"Code black."
"All right. Heading there now." Blaze hung up and did a U-turn in the middle of the street.
"What's a code black?" I asked.
"It means black magic. Monty must be zeroing in on the bad guys. He wants to have you taken to a house we rented in town a couple of blocks from Howler Street. We've magic proofed the entire place, and it will be safe for you until we can capture the witches or warlocks who are after you."
"I still don't get what they want from me."
"Who knows with these assholes. It's all power grabs. Pinky and the Brain shit. It's what makes them easy to find. It's hard to miss someone who is drunk on magic and trying to rule the world."
"You watch a lot of television, don't you?"
"There's a lot of down time in my line of work."
"I need to call mom and let her know what's going on. She's going to start worrying in a few minutes if I don't show up." I called, but Mom didn't answer.
I recognized the house as the Miller place. Tammy and Larry Miller had both moved on to the Next Adventure, and their kids hadn't been able to bring themselves to sell it. I saw Rabbit standing near the door, waiting for us. I got out, phone in hand, as I called Mom again. This time, she answered.
"Where are you?" she demanded.
"Small detour," I said waving and smiling to Rabbit as I crossed the threshold into the house.
My dad got on the phone. "Well, get your butt down here now, young miss, or I'm going to detour my foot up your ass."
"Talk to Abadose. He's the one who said I have to stay at the safe house." I felt weird inside the Miller place. I shook my hand and tried to call my magic. Nothing. It was as if I were empty. "And t
ell him to hurry because this place sucks."
"Abadose is with me right now, and he says he never gave orders to move you."
"But--" A hard whack to the back of my head sent me careening into the wall. I cried out as my shoulder hit the hard corner edge of a shelf and my phone flew from my hand. I turned as Rabbit grabbed me and wrapped a rope around me before yanking me toward the door.
"Time to go, Princess," he said with an angry hiss.
Chapter Ten
"Son of a bitch," I screamed as Rabbit dragged me through the house. I reached for my power to transport away, but I felt nothing.
Damn it. This blasted house! Blaze had said it was magic proof, which I would have to fight back the old-fashioned way. I kicked back with my foot, wishing I was wearing my boots and these damn medieval sandals that came with the dress. The blow landed on Rabbit's shin.
"Bitch," he growled. "I don't want to kill you, but I will."
I didn't want him to kill me either. "What do you want? Why are you doing this? You know I'm not the real Cerridwen, right? This is just a costume."
"I'm not an idiot." He gagged me with a piece of duct tape then dragged me out the back door where Ax waited for us. There was someone on the ground next to the white-haired Shifter. My heart skipped a beat. Was it Cas? No. Red hair. It was Blaze. When had they grabbed him?
My arms were bound to my sides, my power still drained from the morning, and I couldn't cast a spell because of the gag in my mouth. These guys had been thorough in rendering my helpless.
"We have to get out of here, Rabbit," Ax said. "Monty and Cas are coming."
Yes! I thought triumphantly. The rescue was on its way. I just needed to hold on a little longer. Blaze moaned. He was still alive. My pulse pounded with the ache in the back on my skull. Stay quiet, I begged him. And stay down.
"Goddess damn it," Ax said. "We have to take care of him. We have to take him out."
I bellowed, choking on the rag shoved to my throat. Rabbit threw me down onto the grass.
"We can't leave witnesses," Rabbit said.
Ax nodded.
I watched in horror as the white-haired man pulled a knife from his belt and knelt next to Blaze. I had to stop this. I couldn't let kill him. I rubbed my face against the grass to peel back the duct tape. The edge started to curl, but I had seconds if I was going to stop them from killing Cas's friend. Please, please, Goddess, I begged. Help me. The tape was halfway off my lips when Ax plunged the knife into Blaze's chest.
"You killed him," I whispered.
"Stop her," Ax said. "Don't let her speak!"
"Go to hell," I seethed as I watched Blaze go limp. Magic infused my words. The next few seconds felt as if I time slowed to a crawl. "Let the fire take you, and may you burn forever."
I watched with satisfaction as a bright blue flame shot up from the ground at Ax's feet. He screamed as his body was bathed with searing heat. His screams of agony as became a burning pile of ash brought me back to my senses. Oh, Goddess. I'd done it. I'd used my magic to kill.
Before I could do anything else, Rabbit's foot came down on my head, and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was sitting in a windowless room and surrounded by a circle of witches and warlocks in red robes. And one shifter. Rabbit.
"Ow." I tried to pull on my magic, but once again it failed me. Another warded house, most likely. I stared at the unfamiliar faces in the room until I landed on one I recognized. "Mrs. Abadose?"
"Brita Jean, you know you can call me Melba. You really have turned out magnificent. Ax, long dead, is still burning in the spot where you cursed him. It's such a shame that I have to arrest you. Your mother will be upset, of course, but she's a good witch. She'll follow the law."
"Why?"
"Why? Because you are a witch born to a Shifter like the children of the next Baba Yaga."
"Zelda? This is about her children."
"Three powerful babies who will one day grow to be more powerful than all of us. The Baba Yaga can't see it now since they are her step-grandchildren, but what I'm doing here today, I'm doing for all witchkind."
"She will strip you of your powers and jail you, or worse. You can't believe you'll get away with this."
"But I already am. You made that possible."
Rabbit glowered at me. "If it were up to me you'd be dead already."
"But it's not up to you," Melba said.
"Why are you helping her?" I asked Rabbit. "The Shifter Wanker is an advocate for Shifters. Why would you help a witch who is set against her?"
"For a reason older than time," Melba answered.
"Love?"
"No." Rabbit shook his head. "Money." He held his hand out to the witch. Pay up so I can get out of here."
"I'm sorry, Rabbit. But I can't have any outside witnesses."
The Shifter appeared genuinely surprised as he was frozen in place with ice blue magic, while one of the warlocks snapped his neck.
Melba shook her head. "I told you, you did me a favor with Ax. It was one less witness to take care of."
"Get the cauldron," she instructed the coven. "Place it in front of Brita."
Two witches hauled a cast iron pot to the center of the room. Melba held up a small bag, from inside she pulled out a wad of something that looked like it came from my sink drain.
"What is that?"
"Your hair and a little bit of flesh from the roots."
I gagged as his words registered. "My hair and flesh, but how?"
"The bar fight. All I had to do was move that ball a few millimeters. Shifters are so predictable."
Why did you need my hair?"
"Your mother has been talking to me for years about this fantastic hair of yours, how it's immune to magic and the mundane equally. I wanted to do a little testing before I took my plans further. Never burn a bridge if you don't have to, that's my motto."
"Your motto should be, "I'm a stupid bitch."
"Your hair and your magic far exceed my expectations. I believe, over time, I will be able to develop an immunity to magic that doesn't block my own abilities. So, if you're trying to provoke me, it won't work."
"Over time? How long are you planning to keep me?"
She smiled, bearing teeth like a predator. "Indefinitely. After all, you're a danger to yourself and others. Poor Ax will stand as proof for, how long did Rabbit say you cursed him to burn? Oh yes, forever."
A witch took a pair of sharp scissors to my head and started chopping all the the beautiful braids Shyla had woven for me.
I was less worried about my crazy hair than I was about being a captive for a maniacal witch for the rest of my life. Why had I killed Ax? I could have broken his legs or something else non-lethal, but I'd been filled with rage for Cas's friend. It had been my fault he'd been there. I'd told Cas to stay away from me, so he'd changed jobs with his buddy. And what if Cas had been the one to take me to that house? Would Ax and Rabbit have killed him? I shuddered at the thought.
Melba put my hair in the pot and wiggled her fingers are orange flames licked from the tips and singed the hair. Wait. If the room was warded, how was Melba using magic?
I tried again to pull on my energy, praying to the Goddess for strength, but again, I felt nothing. "What happened to my magic?"
"Your arm," Melba said. She gestured to my right side.
I stared down at my forearm and saw the same stick figure flower that Cas had tattooed on his chest.
"A little insurance to make sure you don't kill anyone else."
"So, you've made it impossible for me to access my magic. "Joanie is always going on about what a smart girl you are."
"Well, she never told me you were such a dumb ass." I planted my feet, as I prepared myself for what would happen next. I repeated what Cas had told me about the sigil. "I can't cast a spell, but then again, neither can you. Not one that will work on me now."
I leapt to my feet and grabbed the wooden chair. I swung it around, hitting two witches as the coven scrambled out of
my reach. Melba yelled, "Get her!"
The witches and warlocks took hesitant steps toward me as I held out the chair like a lion tamer at the circus. "I will bash your brains in, assholes. Just try me." Unlike most witches, I worked out a lot. On top of my firehouse training, my dad and brother had taught me how to protect myself in a fight. And if I could take a Shifter down without magic, then I could take down a few magically impotent witches.
"This is ridiculous," Melba said. "I don't want to hurt you, Brita. Put the chair down."
"Eat dicks." Her eyes widened as I roared and ran straight for her, using the chair as a battering ram. She leapt out of the way before I gored her like a bull. I kicked the door like I was going to a fire, and it flew open. I hadn't expected the steps on the other side, and I tumbled head first to the bottom. My head was bleeding, and nausea gripped me. Between Rabbit's attacks and the fall, I was sure I'd given myself a concussion. I stumbled to my feet and out the door to freedom.
The scent of clover exploded around me as the green eyes I knew so well looked at me from the face of a black-furred beastman, a Shifter's half form. "Oh, Cas," I said. "I remember everything."
He held me to him, stroking my hair. "It's okay. You're safe now."
"No," I said. "None of us are safe."
"You are, Brit. We've captured the coven. Monty is holding them now until Baba Yaga can send her minions to pick them up."
His fur receded, as he turned back to his human form, his shirt in tatters, but his black jeans intact. The right side of his chest was bloody and raw. "What happened?"
"The damn tattoo made it impossible for me to track you. It dulled your scent from me. I had to claw the sigil off to find you. Even then, it was difficult."
It was simultaneously grossed out and pleased by the oddly romantic gesture. I showed him my arm. "I've been magically neutered as well."
He growled. "I will kill them all."
"What about Melba Abadose?"
"Monty's mom?"
"Yes."
"She is coming in this afternoon. She wants to apologize personally to your mom. At least, that's what Monty said."
My throat felt suddenly dry. "She's not coming."
