by Jayne Hawke
I sighed and opened the door.
The boxes were full of wonderful food, which we didn’t have room for. I managed to squeeze the best of the perishables into the fridge. We had enough sausages and bacon to give us a huge English breakfast every day that week. My stomach growled at the thought. I was going to need to increase my gym time to compensate for all of this food.
“I don’t know how much he thinks we eat,” I said when Matt walked in the room.
He looked around at the loaves of bread stacked on top of the pasta, and premade sauces jammed onto the kitchen counter. The small table had been claimed by bags of rice, tea, coffee, and spices. Ethan had even added in two bars of divine-sounding chocolate and a small bit of rich creamy butter. He was pulling out of the stops, and that was making me increasingly suspicious.
Matt shrugged. “All forms of shifter eat a lot.”
He did eat more than me despite doing a lot less physical work. I hadn’t really thought of Ethan as being a shifter, though. Images of a huge black dog with monstrous teeth hunting me across the moors flashed in my mind. I shuddered. I needed to be more careful.
Ethan was exactly on time again. I was waiting for him down on the sidewalk, though. I didn’t want him in my home.
“That notebook is proving to be more difficult to translate than I’d originally thought. I’ve had people trying to break through the protective magic all night,” Ethan said as he opened the car door for me.
“I thought it was just a notebook?”
I didn’t remember having felt any complex magic on it.
“The moment I tried to read any of the entries, they jumbled and rearranged themselves,” Ethan growled.
“We’ll need to find out who else was working with Montgomery.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. That took us off of Ethan’s list, and I didn’t have enough connections in the drug trade to know where to start. Jake might know someone to ask. He tended to deal with the drug side of things far more than I did. Those jobs paid better, on the rare occasions they came through at all, as you usually brought the drugs in with you and Elise gave the bounty hunter a cut of the sales from those. Of course, some hunters tried to take the whole lot of drugs for themselves, but Elise had a way of finding out, and you didn’t want to be on her bad side.
“I might know someone. I’ll text him and see what he has to say,” I said as I pulled out my phone.
“I was planning on having you try and crack that defensive magic on the notebook,” Ethan said casually.
My throat tightened, and I looked at the door handle. We were going fast, but I might be ok if I jumped out just right.
“I really think the glamour was just a fluke. You’re far better leaving it to the professionals. We don’t want to waste time, after all.”
“Did the food arrive this morning?”
“There’s far too much. Matt’s taking some to a family who takes in unwanted fae mongrel kids,” I said.
“I’ll keep that in mind. I’m used to feeding cu sith.”
Of course he was.
He smiled at me with a little too much teeth.
“Given you belong to me, I want you at your best,” he said smoothly.
I shiver ran down my spine.
“I’m quite sure you have some more magic within you, so we’re going to test that and put it to use,” Ethan said firmly.
There was no wriggle room. I was completely screwed.
I’m sorry Dad, I thought as I closed my eyes and tried to steady my racing heart.
TWENTY-THREE
To my surprise, there were voices when we walked into Ethan’s cottage. At first I’d assumed he’d left the radio on, then I felt another set of eyes on me as I took my boots off. Looking up, I saw a beautiful cait sidhe looking at me with a radiant smile on her face. Her sleek black hair had been cut into a fashionable cut with short choppy layers that she’d flipped up at the ends. I saw a lot of Matt in her with the almost fragile bone structure and inquisitive eyes.
I was a little envious of her beautiful maroon cami with delicate lace edging around the neckline, and her black leather pants were exquisitely made. They fit perfectly and had the slight shimmer of magic wrapped around them. Really, it was the heavy boots with swirling stitches around the laces that I wanted. I had a thing for nicely made boots, and those were gorgeous.
“This is her?” the cait sidhe asked Ethan.
“This is Kit,” Ethan said mildly.
“Welcome to the madness, Kit. I’m Kerry,” the cait sidhe said as she beamed at me.
“Hi,” I said weakly.
I followed Ethan into the kitchen and found two tall, muscular cu sith guys in the kitchen making coffee and poking at the notebook.
“Kit, this is Cade.” Ethan nodded towards the slightly shorter and broader of the pair. “And Dean.”
Cade and Dean both had the same ink-black hair Ethan did. Cade wore his a little longer and it was more wavy than fully curly. His caramel eyes were full of laughter as he smiled at me with a pretty mouth. The black t-shirt he wore had wrinkles and bore a pure white symbol that looked as though someone had put a sun symbol on top of an ankh. I didn’t recognise it.
Dean was more uptight and military in appearance. His black hair was cut shorter than the others, barely an inch long. The plaid shirt he wore, surprisingly, worked for him. I thought it was the deep grey with the slight purple that softened his edges a little; of course, the way it hugged his muscular frame didn’t do any harm. Both cu sith wore pale blue jeans and what Dad had always called stomping boots. They were ordinary guys, albeit very powerfully built and handsome guys.
“Hi,” I said with a little wave.
I groaned internally. The little wave was so ridiculously dorky. What was wrong with me? Being fae, they were all incredibly striking and beautiful. I stood out like a sore thumb.
“How do you take your coffee?” Cade asked.
“Hot?” I said with a smile.
“I can do hot,” he said with a grin.
“Just don’t let him try and cook for you. Hot is the best he can manage, and even that’s not guaranteed,” Dean said good naturedly.
“The alpha there talks about you as though you put the sun in the sky,” Kerry said with a laugh.
I frowned at Ethan’s back as he tapped on his phone. He talked that highly of me? A warmth spread throughout me as I felt a great deal of pride. That was great praise indeed.
“I’m sure you’re exaggerating. I’m just-”
“A hack-and-slash girl,” Ethan said, turning to me with a grin that made his eyes dance.
Dean pushed the notebook towards me.
“The alpha says you can break the protections on this,” Dean said.
“He’s exaggerating. He saw me get lucky with a little magic yesterday. I can’t do anything that complicated.”
Everyone looked at Ethan, who shook his head and sighed.
“Kit, stop screwing around and try,” Ethan said with exasperation.
“I’m not screwing around. I didn’t know I had magic until yesterday,” I growled.
Ethan stared me down, clearly not believing a word I was saying. He was right not to, but I wasn’t going to admit to that.
Cade placed a cup of coffee down on the table in front of me. Ethan walked around behind me and gently nudged me to the table. He pressed his hard chest against my back and took my hand, gently placing it on the notebook.
“It’s just like the glamour,” he said softly as he held my hand in place.
I couldn’t move. His powerful body was pressed against mine, giving me sinful thoughts. How was I supposed to even try and focus when he was practically bending me over the table?
“Relax and let your mind’s eye see the wards,” Ethan said.
I tensed and tried to look for a way out. He held me where I was, gentle but firm.
Gritting my teeth, I exhaled slowly and tried to see if something formed in my mind’s eye like it had with the glamour. I really h
oped it didn’t so I could just walk away. The risks here were far too great. They were fae. The chances of their being able to feel the truth of my magic were just too high.
A complicated web of twisting knots formed in my mind. It appeared to be spider-silk-thin threads with a very soft sky-blue glow to them. They wrapped around the notebook. Somehow I knew that if I tugged on four of the knots just so, it would all unravel and reveal the information within.
“Do it,” Ethan whispered in my ear.
What choice did I have? All eyes were on me, and they knew that I could do this.
Goodbye sweet freedom I thought to myself as I tugged on the first knot.
It felt like a tiny cold orb between my fingertips. At first, nothing happened, and I thought I’d done it wrong, but then the threads slackened. I moved my hand three inches to the left and tugged sharply on the next knot. The information was becoming clearer now. The last two knots were slightly larger and warmer between my trembling fingertips.
Some of my magic was right there on the surface of my skin. If my reading had been correct, they’d all be able to smell and taste it. They’d know that it wasn’t just a drop of fae blood.
“You’re freakin’ amazing! We poked at that all night and didn’t get anywhere!” Kerry said to me with a huge grin.
“I’m beginning to see why Ethan’s so determined to keep you,” Dean said.
My blood ran cold. He hadn’t mentioned anything to me about keeping me.
TWENTY-FOUR
I turned and looked pointedly at Ethan. Cade picked up his cup of coffee and slipped out of the room with Kerry not far behind him. Ethan’s beautiful mouth slowly spread into a stunning smile that threatened to take my breath away.
“Did I not mention that part?” he asked seductively.
I rolled my eyes and pushed him away. Pressing my hands against his chest was like trying to move a wall. He stepped back half a step, but it was clearly because he wanted to not because I’d made him move.
“Would it be such a bad thing? You’d be well paid and never need to worry about money or clothing again.”
He cocked his head slightly to one side in an irritatingly sexy gesture that made his liquid gold eyes sparkle with amusement.
“When were you going to mention that you contacted Matt about an alchemy apprenticeship?” I growled.
He smirked at me.
“It was his choice to hide that little fact, not mine.”
I shoved him. He didn’t move this time.
“What are you playing at?” I growled.
He put his hands on my hips.
“I’m planning ahead. You are, by your own admission, the very best. And Matt is rather talented. I’m simply making good hiring decisions,” he said with a soft purr.
Damn him, shivers ran down my spine as I wanted to melt into him. No man had ever had that effect on me before, and I hated him for knowing exactly what he was doing.
“Stop purring. You’re a dog, it’s weird,” I snapped.
He threw his head back and laughed, a huge laugh that filled the room with joy and happiness. I heard the others laughing from the hallway.
I desperately wanted to laugh along with them. The entire thing was just so ridiculous.
“You know you’re beautiful when you pout,” Ethan said with a sinful smile.
Heat pooled in my stomach, and I decided I hated him even more for having such an impact on me. Of all the men in the city, he was the last one I could afford to have this stupid crush on. And yet, there I was with his hands on my hips and no desire to remove them.
“Should we head out for the day?” Cade asked.
Ethan squeezed my hips gently before he released them.
“No. Let’s see what this notebook has.”
I turned and grabbed my cup of coffee, gulping it down to try and hide the blush on my face. Ethan picked up the notebook and frowned at it.
“He appears to have used some form of code.” He tossed the book to Kerry. “That’s your forte.”
The cait sidhe hopped up onto the worktop behind her and began leafing through the pages of the notebook.
“It must have been something logical; his handwriting suggests he jotted things down quickly, which suggests that it was something he could hold on his head. Don’t worry, I’ll crack it.”
Cade held out the coffee pot for me.
“More?”
He couldn’t keep the smile from his face or the laughter in his eyes. I needed something far stiffer than coffee.
“So, you didn’t know you had even a scrap of magic until yesterday?” Cade said with his chin resting on his hand.
He’d propped his elbow on the table and was watching me with something between mild curiosity and boredom.
“Not a clue,” I said.
I saw Ethan raise his eyebrow out of the corner of my eye.
“What were your parents again?” Ethan asked.
“Human as far as I know,” I said.
Cade and Dean shared a look but said nothing. They must have known I was lying. Why weren’t they throwing me in a cage somewhere? It wasn’t as though I’d be able to fight all four of them off. I was good, but I knew my limits.
“Where did you get your daggers from?” Dean asked.
“They were a gift from Dad for my thirteenth birthday,” I said reflexively.
He’d had them engraved specially to help channel and hide my magic. I really hoped the cu sith didn’t recognise the engravings for what they were.
“That’s an interesting gift. Thirteen-year-olds usually ask for games, concert tickets, a laptop,” Dean said idly.
“Is that what you asked for?” I challenged.
He grinned at me. “I asked for a mace. It was a beautiful thing too, exceptionally well balanced. The handle was made from wood taken from the heart of the Wilds and blessed by elves.”
“That mace was why he didn’t start dating until he was 21. There wasn’t enough room in his life for both that mace and a girl,” Kerry teased.
“There weren’t any girls as practical and useful as that mace,” Dean shot back.
“People don’t usually look for practical and useful girlfriends...” I said.
“I’m a pragmatist,” Dean said with a shrug.
“He’s focused,” Kerry said while trying to stifle a laugh.
“At least he’s not out chasing tail at every opportunity,” Ethan said to Kerry.
“A girl’s got to let some steam off, and it’s not my fault I haven’t found anyone worth keeping for more than a couple of nights.”
“Cats,” Cade said with a sad shake of his head.
“Just because we like a bit of fun instead of this serious ‘mate for life’ stuff,” Kerry said with a roll of her eyes.
“Is it so wrong to settle with the person who completes you and makes you happy?” Cade asked.
“Is it so wrong to experience new things and enjoy a little variety?” Kerry shot back.
They turned to look at me. I held up my hands.
“No comment.”
That was not a discussion I had any intention of getting into. I didn’t always have a lot of sense, but I knew better than to go there.
TWENTY-FIVE
“We’ve been asked to look into a missing Hecate witch,” Ethan said as he sat down next to me.
I’d been there for an hour and they were already handing out cakes and acting as though they hadn’t eaten all day.
“That isn’t our usual thing,” Dean said with a frown.
“The money’s good, and it should be an easy enough deal,” Ethan said with a shrug.
“What about the god magic?” Cade asked.
“We can’t do much until Kerry cracks that code or Kit’s contact gets back to her,” Ethan said.
I needed to nudge Jake about that.
Dean set out an array of cakes and a large pot of coffee. There were what looked like hand-baked scones, the same mouth-watering coffee and walnut cake, a
beautifully produced lemon tart, and what I thought might have been sticky toffee pudding.
Everyone sat down and began helping themselves to a bit of everything. I watched as Kerry slathered her scone in clotted cream. The pot of cream the size of my fist must have cost hundreds, and she just dolloped it on her scone with a smidge of raspberry jam on top. Ethan put a slice of the lemon tart and a generous helping of the sticky toffee pudding on my plate.
“Dig in, else you won’t get a bite,” Cade said with a smile.
I picked up my fork and put a bite of the pudding into my mouth. I’d only read about the pudding, and it so much better than I expected. The toffee syrup on the outside was verging on obscenely sweet with rich caramel and vanilla tastes. The actual pudding was moist with a springy texture, soft and mild to balance the syrup.
“Don’t worry, we’ve already packed some up for Matt,” Ethan said with a smile.
“You should invite him over. He sounds pretty cool,” Cade said.
“Has he done much with his cait sidhe magic?” Kerry asked me.
No, he was too scared of hurting someone. Cait sidhe were tied into death, and he couldn’t bear the thought of accidentally ripping someone’s life force out.
“Not really, no,” I said.
“Bring him over; I’ll see what I can show him. It might help his alchemy,” Kerry said.
I hated the idea of bringing Matt into this and putting him at risk, but it looked as though Ethan had already done that for me.
“Weren’t we meant to be finding a missing witch?” I asked.
“Not before we’ve enjoyed this,” Dean said with furrowed brows.
“Do we know much about her and who might have taken her?” Cade asked.
“She’s a lone witch, but she has ties to a number of groups, including the hounds,” Ethan said.
I swallowed down my last bite of pudding without chewing. The last thing I wanted to be doing was going anywhere near the hounds.
“You think she was helping them on a hunt and is holed up with a dark-witch friend somewhere?” Kerry asked.
“That’s my expectation,” Ethan said.
