Grimm shot me a look out of the corner of his eyes as if to say I had nothing to do with this.
I dipped my head at him respectfully, because it was easier to be polite with a unicorn who liked to murder rainbows in his spare time. Much as one would beat up a punching bag – a stress reliever.
I finally turned my attention back to the witch, studying her thoughtfully. In the alley, she’d worn a hood. In the Hellfire Club, she had run away before I could see more than a youngish face and deep brown hair. She was older than me, but only by a few years. Closer to Nate’s age than mine. About my height, dressed casually in jeans and a dark jean jacket, and black flats. Nothing that screamed evil. No wart on her nose. Just a plain, vaguely-pretty, young woman.
Nate finally noticed that the woman he held by the throat was staring over his shoulder at me. He glanced over casually. “Do you know this crazy bitch? She broke through the window while I was napping in the chair over there and started tossing vials around like I had pinched her ass.”
I sighed. “Crazy witch, not bitch. Please put her down. She won’t attack you.” I gave her a stern look. “Will she?” I warned.
She lowered her head with a guilty sigh. “No,” she whispered.
“Something about that pregnant pause makes my detective penis tingle,” Nate said suspiciously. “You know her,” he said, lowering her to the ground, but keeping an eye on her as he took a few cautious steps back.
I nodded stiffly. “Nate, meet Rai… my dad’s current girlfriend.”
Although she looked entirely different, now.
Nate grunted, impressed. “Go, Terry,” he said, openly eyeing the young woman up and down. Her eyes flickered with surprise at my knowledge, but she didn’t bother denying it. “This should be good…” Nate said.
“That’s to be seen,” I said, shrugging my shoulders as I stared at her.
Chapter 50
Nate stepped back from her, folding his arms.
“How did you know?” she asked, sounding both impressed and concerned.
“Your awkward hug after our double-date. You fumbled the handoff. Although I didn’t realize it until the next day,” I admitted.
Nate raised a hand. “I think I need to hear more about this date in order to understand the full extent of the danger.” We both shot him dark looks until he sighed, muttering to himself as he wandered over to Grimm.
“It was nothing,” I said, but Rai chose that same moment to be super helpful by saying, “I never thought I would have the privilege of meeting Cain.”
Nate swore. “Fucking Cain?”
Grimm chuckled, snorting as he stamped a hoof, somehow emitting sparks on the carpet.
I snapped my fingers, cutting Nate off. “Not important, Nate,” I said, clenching my teeth.
He scowled at the world in general before leaning against Grimm, folding his arms. The billionaire pouted against his pet unicorn.
Inwardly, I grinned. So, Nate was jealous, was he?
Rai watched us thoughtfully. “If you knew, why didn’t you hunt me down? Why haven’t your friends hunted me down?” she asked, frowning.
“I didn’t tell anyone.”
The silence was deafening.
“I’m keeping my trust on a short leash these days,” I said, not wanting to go into details. In fact, I currently had about as tight a grip on my thoughts as I had ever consciously maintained. I was mentally exhausted, but it was necessary.
I studied her, frowning thoughtfully. “You’re not a dark witch, are you?”
She glanced at Nate as if seeking the best way to answer. Then she turned back to me, shrugging uncomfortably. “Maybe just a little bit?” she said with a hesitant smile, holding up her thumb and forefinger enough for a few pieces of paper to slide between.
Nate roared with laughter. I shot him a murderous look.
“You’re just a little dark?” I asked, wondering if we were really having this conversation.
She sagged her shoulders. “I’m trying to be honest. I’ve done some dark things, yes, but only when I had to. Crossed lines, that sort of thing.”
“Haven’t we all?” Grimm added with another stomp of his hoof.
Rai practically jumped out of her flats, bumping into the door behind her. That sent Nate into another round of giggles. “He can talk!” she gasped, pointing in case we had missed it.
“You should hear my cat,” Nate managed between laughs. Then he patted his unicorn’s mane in a familiar gesture, as one would thank their pet dog when it barked at an intruder. He swore absently, pausing to glance down at his palm – that was now covered in fresh blood. Because the red orbs on Grimm’s feathers actually oozed blood – a weird facet of the feathers. Nate let out a resigned sigh, and resumed petting Grimm, not bothering to wipe it off.
I turned to see Rai staring at the bloody hand in horror, likely assuming that Grimm’s feathers were made of razors or something to cut up his hand so easily. She tensed as Grimm suddenly looked up at her, stared at her territorially for a moment, and then nuzzled his face into Nate’s chest, careful not to impale his rider with his horn.
Technically, Grimm was an Alicorn – a unicorn with wings – but he currently had his wings hidden from view. He could do that, since they were literally made of shadows. I decided it wouldn’t ease Rai’s alarm to share that.
“He has a cat?” Rai asked, sounding as if that had been the most important thing he’d said.
“Who’s the witch now?” Nate muttered back at her, folding his arms. “I’ve got a cat, a unicorn, a magic satchel,” he said, patting the satchel I had given him, “and a long, black staff.”
She blinked at him, and then turned to me with a frown, hoping for a more serious response than the juvenile delinquent stroking his bloody unicorn while trying to out-witch the only real witch in the room. I pointed at his satchel. “Like Mary Poppins,” I explained to Rai, pretending not to notice the resulting dark look on his face.
I waited, having nothing else helpful to offer. I’d found it was easier to just let Nate rant when he was in the mood. Like a tornado. Some things you just survived.
On cue, he continued, as if to make up for our lack of awe. “I’m also friends with Baba Yaga, but she doesn’t carry around all this cool stuff,” he muttered.
Rai’s eyes briefly widened at mention of the legendary witch. But that was pretty much the extent of Nate’s witchcraft resume. Rai glanced down at her own belt – the vials and pouches hanging from it – as if it suddenly felt inadequate. “I’ve got some crushed starstone, a pinch of sunrise, two chimera eyes, and some sawdust,” she admitted. “A satchel would be nice…”
Nate and Grimm both snorted indelicately. Almost victoriously. Nate was becoming a bad influence on Grimm, like two frat brothers left unattended for too long.
I clapped my hands together to end their pissing contest.
“You’re going to explain why you stole the Seal of Solomon in the first place, and then why you gave it to me.” I took a slow step forward, “and finally, why you are dating my dad.” I lifted my palm, a ball of white fire suddenly crackling into existence. “He isn’t a part of our world, and I’m a little overprotective. But first, you’re going to tell me how you found me, and show me how your disguise works.”
Rai took a breath, nodding.
“I used the blood you left behind at the duel with the Templar. I burned the rest of it, don’t worry,” she added quickly.
I nodded stiffly, not having even considered that I’d left blood behind.
Rai continued. “Your father was never in danger, because the woman he met doesn’t really exist,” she said. Then, with a murmured phrase, she was suddenly the Rai I had met at the restaurant – an older, raven-haired woman.
Rai lifted her gaze to mine, making sure I was watching. Then she pointed at a strange symbol tattooed on her wrist. “A Druid owed me a favor and made me this secret identity.”
I frowned in surprise. “The younger version is your real look?” I as
ked, wondering all over again why she had decided to date my dad. If the young look was the real her, she could have chosen to date anyone, so why an older man like my dad?
She nodded. “I age well.” She murmured the same phrase, and was suddenly the younger woman again, her real self.
I just nodded, having seen too much weird stuff in my life to be overly impressed to hear she was significantly older than she appeared to be. Par for the course in my world.
But she had still put my dad in danger, whether she saw it that way or not. What if one of the Templars had seen her secret identity and connected the two versions as the same person? Seeing her around my dad would have put crosshairs on him, because they likely already knew who he was. Thinking of that for the first time, I suddenly felt a panic attack brewing.
I needed to have him watched, protected. It wouldn’t be hard for the Templars to connect Terry Penrose as my dad, and Olin Fuentes was currently very, very pissed at me. I wouldn’t put it past him. His only saving grace was the fact that he was a Regular.
“You’ve just proved to me beyond a shadow of a doubt…” I began, nodding as if impressed at her transformation, “that you are remarkable at deceiving people. And that my dad’s life may now be in danger,” I snapped.
Her briefly hopeful face suddenly blanched at my change in tone. “He’s in Las Vegas with his friend, Harry.” I looked up at her sharply. “I bought him tickets first thing this morning and told him he had one hour to get ready. A boys’ weekend. Just in case,” she said, nervously.
“Prove it,” I finally said, trying to conceal the sudden wave of relief I felt. If he was out of town, he was safe. Olin couldn’t find him. And I knew Harry, the boring English teacher my dad usually took with him to the local riverboat casinos every few months or so.
She slowly reached into one of her pouches and pulled out her cell phone. She thumbed through it before holding it out so I could see. I walked a few steps closer, glancing at the screen. There, not an hour ago, was a picture text from my dad. Him and Harry in front of the Bellagio.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Thank you,” I managed, not meeting her eyes. “But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. You’re the one who put him in danger in the first place,” I hissed, wanting to rip her throat out. “Using him to get closer to me. How dare you? I should kill you where you stand. You don’t even deserve to utter his name. Let alone think you can date him in the first place?”
Surprisingly, little Rai was a wee bit possessive, and didn’t like my tone.
“He was just a charming man in a grocery store!” she snapped, face reddening in fury. “He flirted with me, and I said yes! I had just gotten into town and hadn’t even begun looking for Constance yet—”
I raised my hand without intending to. My mind went blank and my vision flashed white.
I heard screaming, crashing, and shouting, I think.
Then I felt much better.
Chapter 51
I realized something was locking me in place, hugging me tightly, but it didn’t feel like arms. I blinked in confusion to see Nate standing in front of me, holding out his hands with a horrified look on his face as he stared at me, mouth moving wordlessly.
I stared at him, not understanding.
But I realized he was blocking my magic.
My ears popped, and sound abruptly returned. “Callie!” Nate shouted at me desperately. I held up a hand, flinching at the immediate increase in volume.
I slowly shook my head, trying to remember what had led to this situation. “What just—”
A pained groan cut me off, and I glanced past Nate to see a woman-sized dent in the wall, and Rai woozily climbing to her feet. I blinked a few times, memory slowly returning. Rai had said something…
Constance. Rai had been looking for… Constance.
My mother.
She stared at me, looking terrified.
“You attacked her. Out of nowhere. You remember?” Nate asked, shifting so that he blocked Rai from my view.
I nodded numbly. I opened my mouth to apologize, but then clicked it shut. Instead, I closed my eyes, breathing deeply for a ten-count. Then I opened them again, meeting Nate’s eyes.
“I’m better. She caught me off guard when she mentioned my mother’s name.”
He nodded, searching my eyes. “I’m going to let you go, now. Okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. But… maybe be ready to jump in again.” I met his eyes, letting him see the torment I felt. That it was probably best for someone to play referee. Because I didn’t remember consciously deciding to send Rai through the wall.
“Okay. That sounds smart.” He released his magic and stepped back, revealing Rai again.
“I’m sorry, Rai,” I told her. And I meant it. I had apparently blacked out in a rage, using my magic to hurt her. It didn’t mean I wasn’t upset right now. I was livid. And terrified. And confused. But those emotions didn’t justify what I had done. “I think we need to start from the beginning. To prevent any more… surprises. I’m a little unstable right now,” I admitted.
Rai studied me for a moment, still looking startled, but not seriously hurt. “I should have expected it, to be honest. Saying her name like that. But… I lost my cool when you grilled me about Terry.”
“Two over-emotional women,” I said, lips curling into a hint of a smile. She returned the smile and gave me a single nod. She brushed some drywall off her shoulder, waiting for me to start.
“How did you know my mother?”
She sighed, staring down at the floor sadly. “My sister and I were attacked by Templars many years ago,” she whispered. “Outnumbered as we were, we never stood a chance. They tortured us. I watched my sister die and knew I would only survive her by minutes.”
Rai’s breath shuddered at the memory, and I watched as a few tears fell down her cheeks.
“Just when I had given up, and was bleeding out beside my sister, a wizard appeared out of nowhere, chasing the bad men away.” Rai finally looked up at me with a faint smile. “Constance.”
The room seemed to tilt beneath my feet, but I somehow remained upright, ignoring the concerned look on Nate’s face. I shook my head. The two witches I had seen in Eae’s vision. The survivor had been… Rai?
“I remember the Templars all screaming as they fled, slaughtered by their own weapons coming to life as if wielded by an army of ghosts.” My own vision blurred as I nodded stiffly. “Everything was quiet for a time as I hugged my sister’s body, waiting for the pain to stop. The next thing I knew, a woman was staring down at me with tears in her eyes. She said her name was Constance, and that everything was going to be alright, now.”
Rai shook her head wonderingly at her own story.
“She cried for a complete stranger bleeding out on the grass when most people would have simply looked the other way. The last thing I remember is her holding my hand, humming a lullaby to me, and I knew I was about to die as I closed my eyes for the last time.” Rai glanced up at me. “I woke up the next morning beside my dead sister, and Constance was already gone. I feared that the Templars had come back for her, that she had sacrificed herself for me… But then she appeared at my doorstep years later, asking for my help—”
Something crashed to the floor behind me, shattering loudly and making me spin instinctively, my pulse suddenly racing as fight or flight kicked in. Eae stood there, wings of stone and vapor flared out wide to touch almost each wall of the office. He had knocked a lamp off a nearby table. Where his wings touched walls, drywall disintegrated to powder. He stared at Rai as if at a ghost. I heard a muffled gasp behind me and turned to see Rai giving him much the same look, except more frightened than shocked. As if suddenly very afraid of the outcome of the next two minutes.
“You…” Eae breathed.
“Me…” Rai squeaked.
I flung my hands out between them. “If one more person interrupts my goddamn special moment, I’m pinning them to the wall
!” I roared as a swarm of butter-flays suddenly hovered above each of my hands.
Eae flinched and I heard Rai gasp.
“Amen,” Grimm growled from the corner of the room.
“Got it?” I shouted, letting the swarms of butter-flays rise a foot higher.
Everyone agreed very quickly after that. I released the butter-flays and turned my back on Eae, focusing on Rai’s stunned face. “You were saying?” I asked her in a much gentler tone. “My mother asked for your help…” I encouraged, reminding her of where she had left off.
Rai nodded hurriedly. “Constance appeared on my doorstep years later, requesting a powerful blood potion that could ward someone for a very long time. She had heard I was the best at them,” Rai added somewhat proudly.
“You made the ward?” I asked her, dumbfounded. The ward that had kept me safe my whole life. My parents’ parting gift. It had to be.
Rai nodded. “I asked her why she didn’t just use magic, but she insisted that it needed to be a blood potion. And she needed it to last for a good long time. I told her I would do it for free, thinking it was the least I could do to repay her, since I wouldn’t have been able to make it for her in the first place if she hadn’t saved my life. Except she refused my gift, telling me she would rather pay. She even acted like we had never met, even though it was obvious we had.”
Nate cleared his throat gently. “That makes sense. A gift could establish a bond. A way to trace the spell. But services rendered are more common, more exchanges to search through. Probably why she pretended not to know you, too,” he mused.
Rai sniffed. “I didn’t think of that at the time and insisted I would do it for free. She didn’t argue further, just held up three glass vials from her pocket and asked if she could be the one to pour the blood in the cauldron when it came time to add the final ingredient. I didn’t see any harm in that, and so agreed.” Rai’s eyes grew distant, recalling the memory with a sad smile. “Took me all night, but it was the finest blood ward I ever created. She never told me what it was for, so I assumed she was wanting it for herself, fleeing dangerous foes…”
Feathers and Fire Series Box Set 2 Page 24
