Love Potion: A Valentine's Day Charity Anthology

by Graceley Knox

  "Congratulations, bestie," Hel says with a big grin, coming over to me and pulling me into a hug as Loki and Dylan start talking to my new mates.

  "You look amazing, girl," I say, knowing the pale pink, floor length dress I chose for her really suits her.

  "Says you in the wedding dress," she says, admiring my white lace dress that hugs every part of my body.

  "It is my day," I reply, winking at her. "How is everything?"

  "A long story, but I'm not telling you it all today," she says, clearly hiding something from me.

  "After the honeymoon, I'm coming to find you. You can't hide anything from the goddess of love," she teases.

  "Seems I can't," she says and hugs me once more. "I'm so happy you are a goddess like me now. I couldn't imagine an immortal life without you in it."

  "I love you too, bestie," I whisper back. She steps away, only to be pulled into Clay's arms and taken to the dance floor. I turn around as Herc and Broc come to me, passing me a plate of cake and a glass of champagne.

  "You guys know me so well."

  "That's why you love us," Herc says, grinning. Who knew love was always my destiny?

  About G. Bailey & CoraLee June

  Coralee June is an international bestselling romance writer who enjoys engaging projects and developing real, raw, and relatable characters. She is an English major from Texas State University and has had an intense interest in literature since her youth. She currently resides with her husband and two daughters in Dallas, Texas, where she enjoys long walks through the ice-cream aisle at her local grocery store.

  www.authorcoraleejune.com

  G. Bailey is a USA Today bestselling author of books that are filled with everything from dragons to pirates. Plus, fantasy worlds and breath-taking adventures. Oh, and some swoon-worthy men that no girl could forget. G. Bailey is from the very rainy U.K. where she lives with her husband, two children, three cheeky dogs and one cat that rules us all. And, of course, the characters in her head that never really leave her, even as she writes them down for the world to read!

  www.gbaileyauthor.com

  Chapter 1

  “Kai? Hello, Kai?”

  I set my teeth and crept along the dark rooftop, inspecting the expansive lawn below. Stationary spotlights highlighted different features of the boxy modernist mansion I was traversing, and more lights glared on the ten-foot stone wall surrounding the property.

  “Kai?” Aaron whined, his voice buzzing through my earpiece.

  “What?” I hissed, trusting the sensitive mic to pick up my voice.

  “Oh, you’re alive.” Which he knew very well, just as he knew whining would get a response out of me. “Are you done yet? Ezra and I finished our rounds five minutes ago.”

  Reaching the roof’s edge, I hunkered low and peered down. Two stories below, four men were positioned in front of the house’s entrance. They radiated boredom, their shoulders flexing and impatient breaths puffing white in the chill air. A light shone down on their heads, ruining their night vision, and I suppressed a disgusted snort.

  “Kai?”

  “I’m nearly done.” I scooted backward, then headed for the roof’s eastern corner in a stealthy crouch. The idiots at the door didn’t notice me, just as they would fail to notice a trespasser. What was the point in hiring extra security if most of it was incompetent?

  An annoyed sigh floated into my ear. “You scouted my and Ezra’s routes too, didn’t you?”

  The corners of my mouth twitched downward. “I can’t hear anything. Don’t make me mute you.”

  Aaron sighed again but fell silent.

  I ghosted across the flat roof and crouched again. A pair of armed men wandered along the property’s outer wall, half-heartedly inspecting the shadows. I waited for them to pass, then planned my route down with a single glance.

  Springing off the roof, I dropped half a story before catching the windowsill with both hands, then let go and dropped again. Mid-fall, I kicked off the building, arched backward, and landed in a neat roll. Then I was moving in a low sprint across the lawn.

  I reached the wall and leaped. My fitted shoes gripped the smooth stones and I dashed onto the top and straight into the tree branches on the other side. Eight seconds. A swift backward look proved no one had seen me.

  Some security.

  “I’m in position,” I murmured into my mic. “Check in.”

  “In position,” Ezra answered immediately, his smooth voice roughened by the crackle of the tiny earpiece.

  “In position,” Aaron drawled. “Which I told you while you were double-checking our work. Asshole.”

  I ignored that and checked the time on my digital watch—9:20 p.m. We would hold our positions for ten minutes—between the three of us, we had most of the property in view—then we’d do our rounds again.

  And we only had to repeat the cycle three times an hour for the rest of the night. Hardly entertaining, but a paycheck was a paycheck.

  “So…” Aaron began, his whisper loud in my ear; he must be holding the mic to his mouth. “Do you know who’s out here tonight?”

  “Three guilds, including us,” I answered.

  “These rich bastards would do better to hire one guild for comprehensive security instead of three competing ones. Can you believe those morons down there are patrolling? Did they learn their tactics from video game NPCs?”

  I watched another pair of guards stroll past and calculated about sixteen ways I could sneak by them in the next two minutes. Crouching more comfortably in the bare tree branches, I rubbed my gloved hands together for warmth.

  “We’ve got the perimeter,” I told Aaron. “No one will get past us, so the other guilds don’t matter.”

  He made a thoughtful noise. “It would be fun to show them how bad they are, though. Should we sneak in and check out the client’s collection?”

  “Good idea,” Ezra said. “We can take selfies inside the safe and post them on the job board in the morning.”

  Aaron snorted so loudly he probably gave away his position. “I know you’re kidding, but I’m honestly tempted.”

  “Focus,” I reprimanded, scanning from the north entrance to the south corner of the property.

  That bought me three minutes of silence before Aaron spoke again.

  “Did the job posting say anything about why the client needs extra security for three nights?”

  “No, but they’re well-known artifact collectors.” I adjusted my earpiece, wishing I could wear a hat, but I didn’t want to impede my hearing. My ears were frozen. “I checked their job history. They hire security for these three days every year.”

  “Really? Huh.” Aaron was quiet for a moment. “That’s strange. Why only three days a year?”

  The back of my neck prickled in warning. Several pairs of guards paced across the lawn, and more were positioned at the doors. All else was still and quiet. The property’s lights glared, leaving bright spots in my vision as I pivoted silently on my branch.

  In the darkness beyond the perimeter wall, something was moving.

  “I might have an intruder,” I breathed into my mic. “Stay in position. I’ll check it out.”

  Silence answered me; Aaron could be serious when needed. I slipped out of my tree and onto the wall. Giving a quick hand signal to the nearest guards—they knew me and my teammates were here, though they hadn’t seen us until now—I zipped along the top of the wall. As I drew near, the movement manifested into a slim figure. The trespasser was examining the wall as though debating how to get over it.

  Before he could look up and spot my silhouette, I hopped off the wall onto the interior side and caught the edge with both hands. Feet braced on the concrete, I scooted sideways until I was opposite the intruder. I waited, listening. Faint scuffing. A grunt of effort, a quiet scrape, then a thud as though the person had jumped to grab the wall’s top edge, missed, and fallen back.

  I set my feet, took a long breath, then catapulted over the wall.

&
nbsp; The darkness on the other side engulfed me, but I landed true—right on the trespasser’s shoulders. He slammed into the ground under me with a loud, high-pitched yelp.

  I locked him in a hold, bending his arms behind his back and pressing my knee into his lower spine. It was so dark behind the wall I could only make out dark, fitted clothing and a black ski hat on his head.

  I opened my mouth to speak—and the surrounding air turned to cold mist. The moisture condensed, then coalesced into a sphere of water around my head.

  Instantly I knew what I was up against: a hydromage, and he was about to drown me in a few inches of water.

  The liquid bubble clung to my head, and I clamped my mouth shut to keep from breathing it in. Pulling out a short, lethally sharp knife, I pressed it to the side of the trespasser’s neck, hard enough for him to feel the blade. He went rigid under my knee. The water orb collapsed and liquid dropped like an upended bucket, splashing off my shoulders and drenching us both.

  “Use magic again and it’ll be the last thing you do,” I threatened.

  He gave a tiny nod that I felt more than saw. Pinching my knife against my palm, I grabbed his shoulders and flipped him over in a single rapid move. He gasped as I straddled his chest, his arms pinned under my knees, and pressed my blade against his exposed throat.

  I flicked on the light attached to my armored vest. A soft white glow bloomed, illuminating the face of the beautiful woman pinned under me.

  Chapter 2

  Squinting painfully, she turned her head away from my light. Her skin was smooth russet, her cheeks tinted pink by the cold breeze, and a few strands of raven hair had escaped her hat to trail around her heart-shaped face.

  I allowed myself one startled blink, then refocused. My knife was still pressed under her chin, and a red scratch marked the side of her neck.

  “I’m detaining you for attempted robbery,” I informed her, my tone cool and professional despite my desire to ask her how many degrees of idiot she’d like to achieve in one night. “You’ll be turned over to the MPD for—”

  “I’m not a thief!” she exclaimed in a throaty voice tinged with an unusual accent. “I’m trying to catch a thief!”

  My eyebrows rose. I moved the knife off her throat and pressed the tip to her sternum. Her black jacket might slow the blade—slightly—but it wouldn’t protect her from my magic.

  “You’re not a thief,” I repeated in tones of heavy doubt.

  She glared up at me with eyes the color of cocoa. “No.”

  “You’re not a thief, but you’re skulking around an artifact collector’s home—”

  “I—”

  “—in the dead of night—”

  “You don’t—”

  “—dressed all in black—”

  “You’re dressed in black!”

  I didn’t take my gaze off her to look down at my standard gear—long-sleeved shirt, lightly armored vest full of small, sheathed weapons, fitted leather pants, and gloves. Distracting me might be her intent.

  “I’m being paid to wear black,” I replied. “What’s your name and guild?”

  She glowered mutinously. “Izzah Ramesh, from Odin’s Eye.”

  Odin’s Eye? Well. I considered her, the silence stretching awkwardly from a few seconds toward a full minute.

  “Dey!” she exclaimed, her accent thickening with anger. “Are you staring at me because you’re a creep, or are you waiting for something?”

  “Confirmation,” I answered shortly.

  A moment later, Aaron, who had heard everything through my mic, murmured, “Confirmed. There’s an Izzah Ramesh in Odin’s Eye. Recent member—only two months in.”

  “Did you join Odin’s Eye two months ago to conceal your plans for a heist?” I asked.

  Her eyes widened. “No! I’m not here for a heist. I’m trying to prevent one.”

  “That’s my job—as well as the job of the members of your guild who are here tonight. If you wanted to prevent a heist, why not join their team?”

  Her full lips pressed into a tight line. “I tried. They didn’t want me. But they don’t understand! There will be a heist tonight and they have no idea who—”

  The shrill blare of an alarm cut her off.

  I jolted in surprise but didn’t shift my knife from her chest. Aaron swore loudly in my ear as shouts echoed across the lawn.

  “Aaron,” I said sharply, “can you tell what’s happening?”

  Izzah frowned in confusion, then her gaze darted to the coiled black cord that ran from my earpiece into my vest.

  “No,” Aaron answered. “Something’s going on inside the house. Can’t see anything.”

  “What we can see,” Ezra observed with mild interest, “are the other guilds running around like frantic chickens.”

  “Don’t worry, Kai,” Aaron added before I could ask, “we’re holding position.”

  Unfortunately, I wasn’t in position, meaning a thief—if there was one—had a clear escape route.

  I slipped my knife into its hidden sheath in my sleeve, then dipped a hand into my pocket. With a small metal clip hidden in my palm, I grabbed Izzah by the jacket and hauled her onto her feet. Disguised by the movement, I attached the clip to the back of her jacket.

  “Try anything and you’ll be on the ground before you can scream,” I warned. Then I took two steps back, ran at the wall, and grabbed the upper edge. I hauled myself up and perched on the top to survey the chaos while keeping half an eye on the woman below.

  The mythics from our rival guilds were bolting this way and that, shouting to each other and creating all kinds of chaos. My gaze snapped between them, checking shadows and dark corners for someone who didn’t belong.

  A tug on my inner perception. Power trickled through me, and without looking away from the lawn, I pointed behind me. “Stay right there.”

  Izzah hissed in disbelieving surprise and halted her attempt to creep away.

  If the mythic who’d set off the alarm tried to escape this way, I would see him. I knew all the best places to sneak through, all the shadowy nooks and crannies, and I knew the face of every man on the job tonight. I’d memorized them yesterday.

  The minutes ticked past. Someone shut off the alarm, and the guild handling interior security appeared at the entrance to confer with the team covering the exterior.

  A man shoved through the group. “The east perimeter spell just triggered!” he shouted. “The thief is escaping with the artifact! Kurt, Abdul, get moving!”

  The teams split, half of them running for the driveway. I spun around on the wall, staring into the darkness. The east perimeter spell was a hundred yards out from the property and set to detect the passage of powerful artifacts.

  My hands closed into fists. I was covering the east wall, but no one could have slipped past me. Had I made a mistake? Had I missed something?

  “Kai!” Aaron barked into my earpiece. “Do we move or hold?”

  I hesitated. What should we do? Could it be a trick? Was the thief hiding in the house, waiting for us to jaunt off so he could slither away undetected? Indecision crackled through me.

  “Move,” I growled.

  Turning, I sprang down and landed beside Izzah. She was leaning against the stone wall, arms folded and cool stare fixed on me.

  “You’ll never catch up with him.”

  I ignored her as I pulled out a zip tie.

  She spotted it and jerked straight. “What’s that for?”

  “Did you think I’d just let you go? For all I know, you’re in league with the thief.”

  “I am not!” She threw her hands up. “Are you deaf? I came to stop this from happening!”

  “Right. Well, you failed.”

  “So did you.”

  Ignoring that too, I stepped toward her. She backed away, hands rising defensively.

  “I warned you: use your magic and I’ll use mine.” Urgency was building in my head. The thief was escaping, but I didn’t want to be rough with her if I
could avoid it. “Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

  My earpiece crackled with Aaron’s voice. “Kai, are you coming?”

  I bit back a swear. There was no point in delaying Aaron and Ezra while I dealt with Izzah. A few seconds could mean the difference between apprehending the thief and failure.

  “Go,” I ground out. “I’ll catch up.”

  “Are you s—”

  “Go!”

  Aaron’s and Ezra’s mics picked up the sound of their running footsteps. They would race to the perimeter line and start a search with the other teams while I was stuck here dealing with Miss Not-a-Thief.

  My glower made her retreat a step. Realizing what she’d done, she lifted her chin angrily. “You don’t even know what was stolen, do you?”

  “And you do?”

  “Of course. It’s the only thing worth stealing tonight.”

  “Ooh,” Aaron murmured, eavesdropping through my mic. “She knows something. Make her spill it, Kai.”

  My expression must’ve changed, because Izzah squinted at me—then pivoted on her heel and bolted.

  I could’ve taken her down with magic, but I didn’t bother. In six long strides, I caught up. Grabbing her jacket, I hauled her to a stop, spun her around, and shoved her back into the wall.

  “You have five seconds to give me a reason not to truss you up, gag you, and turn you over to the MPD.”

  She grabbed my wrists and tried to pry my hands off her jacket. My grip didn’t shift as I silently counted down. Three—two—one—

  “The Andromeda Spell,” she burst out furiously.

  “The what?” I growled.

  “That’s what the thief stole. It’s why the collector hires security for these three days each year—these are the nights of the Andromedis.”