by Emma Dean
Thankfully Corbin didn’t make her wait long.
“Should I be worried about Emily?” The raven’s eyes flashed ruby. Corbin knew Emily better than anyone except maybe her mates. Mika wondered if he saw her games and knew to some degree what they meant.
“I don’t think so.” Mika shook her head and uncrossed her arms. She planted them on her hips instead. “But I’ll talk to her and the raccoons to be sure.”
She only really needed to talk to one of them.
All three of them seemed to relax at that, but she could still sense their attention on her shoulder. It ached but it was a thousand times better and would be back to perfect by midnight no doubt – just in time for her to work with one of the queens.
Morgana had taken to switching who she worked with each night, monitoring the lessons through some weird ghostly ability to pass through the veil between realities. It wasn’t quite like a portal or teleporting, but similar.
Watching Morgana argue with herself in the blood crystals was probably one of Mika’s favorite things during their lessons.
“So, you have shifter healing,” Lucien said carefully. “Anything else we should know about?”
This was going to be a difficult question to answer truthfully, but Mika was very aware of how they’d chosen to word their questions. This was their compromise. They got their answers, and she still had some privacy.
Mika wished she could tell them everything, she really did, but it didn’t seem like a good idea—not yet. And immortality? How was she ever going to tell them that?
Mika considered what Emily had told her about the paths before them and decided that knowledge wouldn’t help them either.
“I love you,” she told them, looking at Ethan, Lucien, and then Corbin. “And I have a date with Malachi tonight.”
“Ohhhh,” Lucien drawled. “Finally.”
Corbin grinned and nudged Ethan. The storm witch smiled at her like he couldn’t believe how lucky he was when she was the one who felt like the luckiest person in the world.
“We’ll make sure you guys have some peace and quiet then,” Corbin teased. “When do the wards go up?”
“As soon as Selene and Edith get here. Hopefully Matthew is with them, but who knows.”
“What about your house?” Ethan asked, reaching out to take her hand. “I saw the plot you’ve already marked with your blood. When do you plan to transport it here?”
Mika let them lead her to the dining hall, enjoying having the three of them around her. It felt perfect and she wished they had time to just…hang out instead of constantly having to plan for disasters.
What would that be like? Would they ever be able to live like normal people?
“I can do that whenever,” Mika admitted. “Even after the wards go up thanks to the blood magic. It’ll recognize my blood and pass through. I just have to make sure not to use too much and I’m more worried about warding the island at the moment.”
Mika couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to put them up now. The longer she waited the more opportunities Azrael had to attack.
“Where’s Malachi?” she asked, smiling as Corbin pulled out her chair for her.
“He’s getting things ready.” Corbin smirked.
Well then, they’d already known about the date. Why wasn’t she surprised? Mika smiled slightly as she looked over those sitting with her.
The table was set, and lights twinkled. Somehow the dining hall felt different than it had when she’d been a student. Mika wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but it felt more close-knit and a little bit romantic.
Audrey started filling her plate with food from the platters, chatting with Finnick. Mika was pretty sure the fox was her other best friend at this point, and she couldn’t think of a stranger pairing. Finnick had softened a lot since being mated to Kenzie, but so had Hunter.
Would that happen to her raven?
Dagon awkwardly sat down when Corbin called him over, and the raccoons were at the other end of the table, sitting next to the foxes. Mika could see Torin and the other Heads at another long table, and then the coyotes were at yet another.
It was easy to see who the students and faculty were when they stared like they did.
“Samuel said the Klamath Mountain Pride will be working with the Cascade and Blue Mountain Packs to secure the Northwest between Northern California and Washington. He also warned the Cirque de Nuit to send people here if they feel like they can’t protect all of their members,” Kenzie told Mika, pointing a breadstick at her. “I’m sure that’ll include a lot of elders and children. Thanks to their train they’ll be able to keep an eye out for suspicious activity in every new location. I also hear they’re speeding up their schedule to make it one city a night.”
That would be a new problem she’d have to figure out how to deal with later. Mika considered how much land there was on the island and figured if the dwellings were temporary, she could…well, it might make more sense to use the main building for room and board. They’d have to figure out what to do about classes later.
“We could move all hunter classes, and battle magic including basic magic to the hunter wing,” Lucien suggested. “The classes will have to be larger, but everyone will be learning enough to survive.”
“Healing will have to stay in the main building,” Corbin muttered, ripping off a bite of his chicken wing. “I’ll mention it to the Guardian. All healers can operate there because that infirmary is well stocked and roomy.”
“And we’ll have to set up a schedule that includes everyone,” Ethan added. “They’re all in limbo and waiting for something to happen. If they’re busy, they’re less likely to freak out and cause problems.”
Weird how they could kind of pick up on her thoughts thanks to the blood bond. Mika didn’t hate it, but she did want to know how specific it was.
“I spoke to the other hellhound,” Dagon mentioned. “She’s keeping an eye on the tunnels at the moment. We’ll switch off shifts, and Audrey asked if I could draw a better map.”
Mika felt slightly embarrassed she hadn’t even thought of that.
“I wonder where Azrael will strike first,” Ash mused. “Where on this earth would he benefit the most?”
“The seals.”
Everyone turned to stare at Ben, including Emily.
“Why the seals?” Emily asked at the same time Mika did.
“Wasn’t that what he was doing with the Hellfire Society?” Chance asked, shrugging as he reached out for the last piece of chicken.
Corbin swiped it before the raccoon could take it and Mika had to pretend like she hadn’t noticed to keep from laughing.
“That was what they were trying to do,” Lucien admitted. “But Jessica James wiped them out.”
“The witches wanted access to demons for their power,” Mika murmured. “But why did Azrael want the seals?”
Whatever the answer was, she knew it wasn’t going to be good. Death had been subtle before, taking hundreds of years to acquire access to them until Jessica. And now he didn’t have to sneak around anymore.
He had twenty-thousand demons on his side and her father.
Mika sighed and stood. “I’m going to the library.”
“Don’t you have a date?” Lucien asked, all innocence.
She glared at him, hating the way everyone at the table turned to look at her.
“Finally,” Finnick muttered.
Audrey snorted and Mika rolled her eyes.
One day maybe she could go about her life without people butting their noses in, but Mika highly doubted that would happen any time soon, if ever.
Mika stopped behind the largest raccoon’s chair, eyeing his mate. “Ben, can I talk to you for a second? If it’s okay with Emily.”
The raven gave her a sharp look. “Anything you tell him, he’s going to tell me.”
Mika nodded. She’d expected nothing less. It was the raccoon’s opinion she wanted more than anything. He was quiet and observant,
knew the foxes, and had helped with Bradley Davis.
But he wasn’t like Hunter despite all their similarities. He wasn’t as volatile, and Mika needed to know.
The tall raccoon followed her into the courtyard outside the dining hall with a frown on his face. He didn’t look pleased by this at all, but he also didn’t tell her to fuck off. Mika figured that was something.
She twisted her fingers to create a small, invisible circle around them to keep anyone from being able to listen in. The raccoon tensed. “You can get out if you want, but I just don’t need anyone else hearing this.”
Ben eyed her suspiciously, but his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, so subtle most would miss it.
“Do you remember the last time we spoke?” she asked, tugging at the end of her braid.
He nodded but didn’t say a word.
“Do you still feel the same way?” Mika clasped her hands behind her back, wishing she wasn’t such a nervous weirdo.
“I still think all this could get her killed.” Ben’s frown deepened. “But you saved her life in that clearing and healed her after you both tried to kill each other. I can see why Hunter and Eisheth trust you.”
He still didn’t trust her though.
Mika nodded, accepting the progress. “And if I were to ask you to do something, would you?”
Emily recognized her rank within the Collective, but raccoons did whatever the hell they wanted. When they picked alliances, it could be forever, or for five seconds depending on how they were feeling that day.
“Depends I suppose.”
She nodded again, chewing on her lip as she tried to figure the best way to ask it. “Can Lucifer see you if you were in hell?”
His eyes widened at that. “No. I’ve never met anything or anyone who could see us until you. Except Emily.”
Who was his mate.
“It’s the blood,” she told him, waving in the general direction of his heart. “Even when you are still and disappear from my eyes, my magic can hear the blood singing.”
They were silent for a moment while he waited for her to get to the point.
Mika sighed, shivering slightly as she felt a freezing wind that promised snow tonight. “You already know that Lucifer and Jessica want me to take Death’s gift, and hand it over. I still don’t have a spell for that, and they’re hiding something. I need you and your pack to find out what it is. Tell no one but me and Emily. I love my cousin and my adopted brother, but…I’ve been burned by family before.”
Ben appraised her as if he was seeing her for the first time. “You think they’re not telling you something about the seals?”
“Jessica was the one who wiped the Hellfire Society from this reality, but my brother, Jacob, he was working for Azrael, and apparently so is my father.” Mika tossed her braid over her shoulder and shook her head. “They were a part of the Hellfire Society before Kenzie exposed the traitors working with Bradley Davis.”
She looked up at him then, and his brown eyes widened slightly. Whatever he was sensing from her surprised him. Mika wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but at this point it didn’t really matter. She had to know if Lucifer was setting her up to fail.
“I thought they were trying to break into hell to bargain for the power to become demon witches. I thought they were trying to bring an apocalypse here. Maybe they were, but I wonder if Azrael had some other purpose for the seals. And I wonder if Lucifer knows what it is. There’s a seal under the school, Ben.”
The raccoon snarled at that, his sharp canines surprising her. Mika always forgot raccoons were predators until they reminded her. “Where?”
“Dagon is guarding it. You can ask him. He can also take you to hell.” Mika summoned a coat and slipped it on. “If Azrael is trying to take possession of the seals, he’s going to come for us at some point or another and I need to find a way to defend everyone here.”
She couldn’t do it by herself, and she couldn’t do it without having all the information.
“You think Lucifer doesn’t want to kill Azrael?” Ben asked, tilting his head to study her.
Mika shuddered as she remembered ripping Jacob’s heart from his chest. “I don’t think killing him is the problem, but I do want to know what his intentions are. I want to know who he wants to possess the gift of Death.”
Originally, she’d thought Lucifer wanted her to take it, but that didn’t make any sense. Mika was practically a death god herself at this point and she had a sneaking suspicion the Morrigan was planning for her own demise.
If Mor died, then Aine would ascend. But what happened if Aine died as well?
Lucifer was the most logical choice to take the gift of Death from Azrael as he was also a fallen angel. He had the power and the strength. She wasn’t opposed to the idea, not really. But if that was his plan, why hadn’t he told her that?
“You can take that gift from Azrael?” Ben asked, as if he didn’t quite believe her.
She’d already found a death knight spell that stole power from an opponent. Mika knew she could do it given enough time.
“I can take it. I’m more worried about what I’m going to do with it once it’s in my possession.” The last thing she wanted was to become Death. “I’m trying to find a companion spell that will help me find a compatible host.”
If she could set it free and let the universe choose…Mika figured that would be the best course of action. That way no one could take it for personal gain.
She would trust in chaos to lead them through this.
If the Morrigan had taught her anything – it was that.
Ben nodded. “I’ll take the other three and Emily.”
“Not Emily.” Mika glared at him. “Unless you want Lucifer to catch you.”
“We can hide her,” he snapped.
Magic wasn’t enough to hide Emily from the prince of hell, not even Mika’s magic. She didn’t know anyone stronger than Lucifer either to make a spell even he couldn’t see through.
“You can hide her every single step of the way?” Mika asked, one eyebrow raised. “Even from the goblins?”
Ben glared at her.
“I’ll protect her,” Mika promised. “She’ll be safe here.” She pulled out a ruby and summoned three blood beasts. “Guard Emily, protect her, and stay hidden.”
The three small cats ran off, disappearing into the shadows.
“Satisfied?” Mika asked, tucking the ruby away. She’d have to send out more tonight when she met with Morgana. Until those wards were up, they needed all the help they could get.
“If anything happens to her…” Ben trailed off and seemed to decide something. “We’ll leave tonight.”
Mika almost collapsed in relief. She’d send anyone else, but Lucifer couldn’t know she was spying on him. If he found out…
Well, she didn’t want to think of the potential consequences to that.
Mika thanked him and turned to head to her room in Oleander House. She still had to get ready for her date.
“I do have one question for you,” Ben murmured.
She stopped and eyed him warily. “Yes?”
“Your brother and father were working with Bradley Davis?”
“Yes.” Mika tugged the hair tie out of her hair harder than necessary at the reminder.
“You were also close with Selene in high school?” the raccoon asked.
Her eyes narrowed. Clearly, he was trying to tie strings together to see the bigger picture. “Yes. We used to be inseparable.”
“What happened?”
Mika suddenly felt exhausted. “I was one of his victims. The night he…afterwards, I was so panicked I accidentally killed a human just by touching him. That was the night I found out I wasn’t a normal witch. And then it took three years for me to figure out how to use basic magic again thanks to the block caused by the fear I might kill someone. I couldn’t touch anyone because the only magic I could do was blood magic. I had no control and my magic tried to kill anyone who came
in contact with me.”
She wasn’t sure why she was telling him everything, but some part of her wanted him to understand.
“I will never be able to repay you for making sure he was caught,” Mika told him. “You probably don’t like me. Not many people do.” She shrugged. “But I will always be eternally grateful for what you and the other three did for me, and everyone else on that list.”
“You weren’t on the list. I would have remembered your name.”
“No, I wasn’t officially on the list. I never tried to press charges.” Mika gave him a small smile. “Even if I had told her who, my mother wouldn’t have allowed it.” Thanks to high society and the scandal that would follow.
She had the power to change that too. Mika could outlaw arranged marriages. If they lived through all this, she would.
Mika pulled a necklace over her head and handed it to him. “This vial is filled with my blood. Dagon cannot teleport you back onto the island without it if the wards are up.” She summoned a note with a flick of her finger. “Draw this rune on your body with it before he teleports you.”
Ben took both from her with a carefully blank expression.
“If you do anything else with that blood, or the other three raccoons do, I’ll know it.” Mika grinned at him then, her sharp canines matching his. “Don’t get caught. I’d feel bad.”
For the first time, he smiled. “We don’t get caught.”
She nodded; another small weight lifted from her chest. “Thank you.”
The raccoon did that disappearing thing and she followed the singing blood until he went back inside the main building.
One more thing off the to do list.
Mika headed to Oleander House. She was supposed to wear something fancy per his request. Why he wanted her to dress up, she didn’t know, but Mika liked wearing dresses when she wasn’t feeling lazy.
It would be a nice change after having to deal with tactics and strategy all day.
And sending a spy into her newly adopted brother’s home.
Mika sighed and opened the door to her House, trailing her fingers over Ethan’s plants. Hopefully she was just being paranoid. If one more person she loved and cared about stabbed her in the back she was going to lose her shit.
