That did seem like a hindrance. Due to her nighttime proclivities, she needed her own space, and sharing a room didn’t seem conducive. Even so, they still weren’t the lovey-dovey type like they used to be. Something was up.
“Something’s wrong though, isn’t it?” I hinted as I placed my cup of coffee on the table. “What has you guys on pause?”
Jackson eyed me for a moment, his gaze narrowing ever so carefully before he spilled his guts. “I think she’s hesitant because she’s waiting for the cure, but I don’t give two shits about it. I just want her. Fangs and all.”
“Have you told her that?”
“Many times, Kenz, but it’s like she doesn’t believe me. I guess I’ve given her reason to doubt what I’m saying is true, but I just wish she’d trust me.”
Their relationship was a complicated mess, and I was the last person to be playing Dr. Phil when my own relationship was on the rocks. But if anyone had to survive, it was Jackson and Amy. They fell hard for each other from the very beginning and it was magical. I wasn’t a champion for it at first. I wanted to castrate Jackson when I found out, but when I saw how he was with her, it changed my whole viewpoint. Obviously, he changed when she became a vampire, but no one was perfect. All that mattered was that he was making up for it now.
“She may not come around,” I said thoughtfully. It was a hard truth. “Amy knows you love her, but she knows you’d prefer her fang-less. Whether that matters to you now or not, it doesn’t change the past. She wants to be human for herself, but I think deep down, she’s excited to get back to normal with you, too.”
“Things will never be normal again,” he replied sadly.
“She doesn’t know that.”
“Then she’s living a lie.”
That might be true, but it wasn’t my place to tell her. There was only so much I could say to my best friend before I was overstepping my bounds.
“You need to tell her, Jack. Give it to her unvarnished and make her understand.” I gave him a sly smile. “Maybe you’ll finally get laid.”
He threw a pillow at me. It hit me on the head, knocking my messy bun askew.
“You need help,” he laughed.
“No, my friend, you need help.” I stood up and gathered my coffee cup. “I’m gonna get ready to leave. I have an errand to run.”
His forehead furrowed. “Oh yeah? Where to?”
I smirked. “I gotta see an old friend.”
With the cloaking spell in place, I took the train into the city. After a few transfers and a couple of buses, I stood in front of the SIU building. While I was still in my Celeste persona, it would wear off before too long, so I had to make this trip quick. I crossed the street and sat on the grimy bench that faced the building. Zooming traffic separated me from the SIU building as I pulled out my phone and dialed Michael’s number.
“Garrett Michaels,” he answered after a few rings with his thick New York accent.
“If it isn’t my partner-in-crime!” I said cheerfully. “What’s the crime world been like? Miss me yet?”
There was a pause. “Mackenzie?” he whispered, as if trying to avoid being heard by others.
“The one and only, in the flesh. Why don’t you come outside and say hello? I’ve missed you.”
I heard rustling in the background and imagined him hurrying to get up from his desk. “Where are you?” he growled into the phone. “I’ll be right back,” he called out, away from the mouth piece.
“I’m across the street. Bus bench. Hurry.” I ended the call, not waiting for a response.
I patiently waited as people walked by and traffic hurtled past. Horns blared and tires squealed. The city was alive with sound, the smog hanging heavily in the air. But I only had eyes for the entrance of the SIU building.
Suddenly, the front door burst open and Michaels ran out, his eyes going directly to the bus bench across the street. I saw his expression turn to confusion and I smirked, lifting a hand and waggling my fingers. His eyes widened in shock, and it took him a split second before jumping into action and crossing the street, almost getting run over in the process.
“Are you for fuckin’ real?” he yelled as he was halfway to me. “You got plastic surgery?”
I choked on a laugh. “Are you kidding? And permanently change my beautiful face? You’re crazy, my friend. This is nothing but run-of-the-mill, ordinary magic.”
Michaels stopped just a few feet in front of me, punching his hands on his hips, the gleam of the badge clipped to his belt glaring in my eyes. “You’re enemy number one, Grey! You and your fake lawyer. Why the hell are you here?”
I grinned. “I have information for you. Information that may be useful to your investigation … if you’re still trying to help me, that is.”
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course we are, but you’re not making it easy.”
I patted the seat beside me. “Good. Now sit down and let’s chat. We have much to discuss.”
Michaels’ jaw dropped and he stared at me dumbfounded, like he couldn’t believe what I was saying. Eventually, he gave in and sat down. Loosening his tie, he slouched in his seat and sighed.
“This better be good, Grey.”
“It’s gold,” I boasted, and proceeded to tell him everything. I felt as if I’d told this story a million times already, but just one more time would do. I told him about my fake lawyer and how he ended up being a vampire hunter. Then I told him about the cure.
“I followed your lead on Isaac, but got nothing,” he grumbled.
“You got nothing, because you didn’t know where to look.”
We sat on the bench for almost two hours as I told him about the archivist and the story about Waldo Wagner and the cure. Sharing my secrets was cathartic, and I described all that had happened in the last few days since my release.
By the time I finished, Michaels was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, his chin propped on his fists. “This is exactly what I need to go to Briggs … except I have no actual proof, other than your word, which ain’t worth much, nowadays.”
“Go to the archivist. Speak to her,” I advised, leaning forward as well. “I’ll give you her location. She’s in a clock tower in the city.”
“Even if I talk to her, we still don’t have any physical proof, Grey.” Michaels turned to face me. “We need that, and if you continue to pursue this, you’ll contaminate any evidence you find.”
“Are you asking me to sit this out? You know I can’t do that.” I shook my head. “This is my life, Michaels, not to mention Amy’s life that’s on the line. I need to protect us both.”
“What does your father have to say about this?”
I shrugged. “He wants me to tuck tail and run to Scotland, but I can’t do that. I won’t hide from this.”
“What about the cure? Where is it?”
I squirmed uneasily. “It’s safe, and that’s all you need to know.”
“You’re really not trusting anyone with the location?”
I shook my head. “It’s the only security I have to keep me alive.”
He laughed. “Smart.”
I tapped my head with my finger. “Gotta be five steps ahead.”
In that moment, Cassidy walked out of the SIU building and looked around until his eyes landed on Michaels. He jogged toward us, stopping traffic to get across the street.
“Oh, shit,” I muttered.
“Just play it cool,” Michaels mumbled back.
“Hey, we’ve been looking for you,” Cas said as he approached. He looked between us and arched a brow. “Who’s this?”
“Uh …” Michaels uttered. “A friend. She’s been helping me track Mackenzie.”
“Oh!” Cas perked up. “You’re a Luna. Brooklyn?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know her well,” I replied, trying to disguise my voice.
“I’m sure you do, since she’s been training you all,” Cas answered nonchalantly. “Aren’t you supposed to be up in Cadwel
l Estate? I can’t believe Sebastian gave you leave to be here. I can’t imagine he knows half of what’s going on.”
“He doesn’t,” I added. “Our Alpha is very stressed at the moment, and we’d rather not add to his list of worries.”
“I’m sure,” Cas snorted. “Mackenzie is a handful. I don’t envy him for getting stuck with her.”
I held back a growl. Stuck with me? Was that really what he thought? I wasn’t easy, but damn, I didn’t think I was a nightmare, either.
Michaels eyed me like he thought I’d do something irrational, but I forced myself to stay calm. I wouldn’t blow my cover over some hurt feelings. I wasn’t that Mackenzie anymore.
“My friend here was giving me some information on Grey,” Michaels redirected the conversation. “Word on the street is that the Elders don’t want her because she killed Ephraim, but because they want the cure. They want to turn it into an immortality elixir.”
“Where did you hear that?” Cas looked to me with unconvinced eyes.
“The archivist. According to her, Isaac came looking for Waldo Wagner’s file, the originator of the cure. Unfortunately, instead of a cure, he accidentally created an immortality elixir. Isaac wants to replicate it.”
Cas blew out a breath. “Son of a bitch. I thought Wagner was a myth.”
I shook my head. “All true, and now Isaac has all the information he needs to make the cure work in his favor.”
“Thank God Grey has the cure,” Michaels said.
Cassidy nodded. “She’s smart. She’ll keep it hidden and safe. No one will find it unless she wants them to.”
“So, what do we do?” Michaels asked. “This is what we need to free Grey.”
“I agree, but we still need more.” Cas crossed his arms over his chest and pondered over what he’d learned. “Wait a minute—how do you two know each other?” All the camaraderie came to a screeching halt as Cassidy narrowed his eyes at us. “You don’t typically associate with any supernaturals besides the ones on the team.”
Michaels and I looked at each other wide-eyed.
“Uh …” he stammered.
“We met through Mackenzie,” I blurted out. “She tried to set us up one time. It didn’t work out, but we remained friends.”
Michaels whipped his head around to me. He was a confirmed bachelor, but it wasn’t a stretch that I would set him up with someone.
Cassidy frowned. “She never tries to hook me up with her friends.”
I bit my lip to hold back a laugh. Really? That’s what bothers him in this precise moment? Jesus.
“Concentrate, Chang.” Michaels snapped his fingers in his face. “We’re not here for blind dates, we’re trying to keep Grey safe.” Bless my partner’s heart.
“Right!” Cas snapped back to reality. “I’ll let Briggs know about this development, and maybe we should pay the archivist a visit. See if we can dig up some more information.” He jogged backward and waved to me as he headed back to the SIU building. “It was nice meeting you!”
I waved back as I watched his retreating figure cross the street and enter the building. Once he was gone, my tense body relaxed. “Fooling you guys is way too easy,” I chuckled.
“Laugh all you want, Grey, but when this is all said and done, he’s going to want a blind date.” Michaels stood to leave.
Shit, he was right.
“I’ll find a Luna for him.” I lifted a shoulder nonchalantly. “There’s something else I need you to do when you go to the archivist.”
“What’s up?”
“She mentioned that someone pulled all of my files. I need to know who. Can you do some digging on the side?”
His brows shot up in surprise. “Sure thing. What are these files about?”
“According to Jackson, it’s my life story. That’s what an archivist does. They record history, and apparently, I’m part of history.”
The thought made me shiver. I knew the Freedom War was important, but I didn’t think my whole life was that big of a deal. Yeah, I was Alexander’s daughter, but in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t really matter. What worried me most was how much this archivist knew. Did she know I was a hybrid? Because if she did, whomever had my file knew it, too.
“I’ll find out what I can.”
“Thanks, Michaels. I owe you big time.” I pulled him into an unexpected hug. He tensed for a moment, but I held on until he relaxed and patted me on the back. He wasn’t the sentimental type, but we were partners, and that meant something.
As soon as I left the SIU, I felt the magic wearing off on my disguise. It started with the red on my fingernails fading away, and I rushed to the train station to hide in the bathroom until I was completely back to my normal self. I locked myself inside a bathroom stall and breathed deeply as the transformation took hold.
Making sure no one was around, I exited the stall quietly and looked in the mirror above the sink. My dark brown hair was back, but I decided to leave the contacts in. It was better to be safe than sorry if I ran into anyone. Maybe my best bet was keeping them on permanently until this whole fiasco was over and done with.
I slipped out of the bathroom and took the train back to the Bronx. I still had time left from the cloaking spell, but I decided not to push my luck. Amy would be waking in a few hours anyway, and I wanted to be there to come up with a game plan. Now that we knew what the Elders were really after—they could not care less about my ass or Ephraim—it was time to contact the hunter.
“Honey, I’m home!” I called out as I walked into the house. I was surprised to find the first floor quiet, since I expected to find Jackson and Amy there waiting for me. The lights were dimmed, and I could hear hushed whispers coming from upstairs. I ignored it, not wanting to eavesdrop, and went to the kitchen.
I certainly didn’t expect to find Bobby there. He didn’t spend much time here to avoid raising suspicion.
“Yo,” I said as I walked in, catching him carefully mixing some potion and herbs.
“I’m busy,” he murmured without looking up.
“Hey to you too,” I huffed. “Where is everyone?”
He sighed dramatically. “What am I, the babysitter? They’re around here somewhere.”
As I watched Bobby Wu tinker and mix his concoction, I narrowed my gaze. I couldn’t help but remember what he said when I first came to him for help.
“After this, Princess, I own you.”
The gleam in his eyes was unmistakable, like he’d just won the biggest prize known to man. Maybe he did. A Lycan on retainer—a Princess, no less. That wasn’t something you saw every day, and now he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. I was in deep shit with this one.
The only thing I had going for me right now was the fact I was in hot water and far too recognizable. But the minute I was safe, he effectively owned my ass, because his services didn’t come cheap and I’d been using him like my own personal warlock on speed dial.
“What are you doing?” I inquired as the liquid he blended turned purple and started to froth at the top.
“Something for a client,” he peered up at me, “which doesn’t concern you, Princess.”
“You need to remember that,” I blurted, not caring how elitist it made me sound or how much I hated the title. I needed him to remember who I was for the sake of this bargain. And for my life.
His gaze snapped to mine and his hands froze. “Remember what, exactly?”
“That I am a princess.” I inwardly cringed. “I’m the daughter of King Alexander MacCoinnich, and there are lines I cannot cross.”
He tilted his head and smiled as if he found this all so very amusing. “Are you scared, Princess? Are you afraid that you might have made a deal with the devil?”
“I’m serious, Bobby.”
He shrugged. “I am too. You cannot renege on our bargain, Princess.”
“What is our bargain, precisely?”
Bobby set all his things down and gave me his full attention. “A life
for a life. I’m saving your life, and in exchange, it will belong to me.. When this is all said and done, Princess, you will be mine to wield.”
“I belong to no one,” I growled. The temperature in the room started to rise, and I felt my inner wolf stir awake.
He chuckled. “That’s where you’re wrong. The deal has been struck. You no longer have a choice in the matter.”
Without thinking, my canines slid out and my claws extended. A rumble deep in my throat sounded and I was ready to rip Bobby Wu apart, consequences be damned.
Bobby tsked. “Simmer down, Princess. You try to kill me, and you won’t like what happens.”
I couldn’t stand the sight of him. If I stayed in the kitchen for a second longer, I would rip his throat out. Instead, I spun on my heels and stormed out of the room before I did something I knew I’d regret. I didn’t know what Bobby had up his sleeve, but I’d be stupid if I wasn’t worried.
I climbed up the stairs to the second floor, realizing the hushed whispers I heard earlier were coming from Jackson’s room. They were much clearer now, and though I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I heard my name.
“Mackenzie is fine,” he said. “You have nothing to worry about. We’re being careful, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
That made me raise an eyebrow. Was he in there with Amy, reassuring her that I was okay? But why? So many questions, and zero answers. His door was shut, and I didn’t want to risk getting caught listening, so I tiptoed back to my room and quietly closed the door.
What the heck is that about? I said to myself as I straightened up my room, picking up all the clothes and making the bed. I wasn’t the neatest person by any stretch of the imagination, but I tried. In reality, I was just looking for busy work to keep me from running back downstairs and killing the warlock.
After thirty minutes, there was a knock at my door. I opened it to see Amy standing in the doorway. Her flaming red hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and her full-tatted arms were on display.
“Morning.” She grinned.
“Evening.” I smiled back and stepped aside to let her in. “You just waking up?”
Curse Breaker Page 11
