by Deanna Chase
Dax let out a low whistle. It didn’t pay to piss off the powerful leader of Cryrique. He’d already known that of course, but he hadn’t been prepared for a settlement agreement that basically forced an entire pack to behave in a socially acceptable manner. “That’s… interesting.”
“You said Phoebe is investigating them now?” Pandora asked. Fire burned in her bright blue eyes. “Did another witch go missing?”
Dax shook his head. “No. Not as far as I know. One of their shifters died. Looks like a witch did it with a death spell.”
Pandora blinked and then sank back down into the couch. Eadric wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his side. She tapped her fingers against his chest. “Looks like someone wants revenge.”
“You think that’s what it is?” That made a hell of a lot more sense than any theory he’d come up with. Unless… what if they’d started to target witches again? Maybe ones from surrounding areas that wouldn’t be on the radar in New Orleans.
“It’s a possibility. But what do I know?” Pandora leaned forward and stared him in the eye. “No matter how upstanding those shifters appear, they are intolerant and dangerous. If Phoebe’s investigating them, she’s in danger.”
That’s exactly what Dax had been afraid of. He nodded. “I think you’re right. And that means I need to find her sooner rather than later.”
“Do you have any leads?” Pandora asked.
Dax’s phone buzzed. He held up a finger and glanced at the text. His heart leaped. Finally, Phoebe had used her credit card. “Just got one. Gotta go. Thank you, Pandora. You’ve been very helpful.”
“Let me know if you need my help,” Pandora said.
He was already walking out the door when he called over his shoulder, “I will.”
Dax sped through the streets of New Orleans, ignoring posted speed limits and swerving to avoid the never-ending potholes. This was the first time he’d gotten a hit on her credit card since he’d called in the order.
The card had been used in Uptown on Freret Street at a store called Pixie Dust. He knew the place well. They stocked ingredients for spells and even rented out work space for witches to concoct their spells somewhere other than their own kitchen.
He knew the chances of Phoebe still being there when he arrived were slim, but he could at the very least interview the staff. He could find out what she’d bought and make an educated guess on what she’d use it for. It was also possible she’d mentioned where she was headed or some other seemingly random fact that might help him track her down.
The store was squeezed between a microbrew pub and a sushi place in the up-and-coming neighborhood. Dax parked across the street, quickly sent Leo a text to let him know he was following a lead, and then hopped out.
The front window was stocked with how-to books, silver jewelry, and a display of dried herbs. Inside, the place smelled of a strange mix of lavender and sandalwood.
The witch behind the counter looked up from her magazine and wrinkled her nose at him. “We don’t carry anything for shifters.”
Charming, he thought. “I’m not here to buy anything. I’m looking for someone.”
Her lips formed a thin, tight line. “Madeline isn’t here.”
He had no idea who Madeline was, nor did he care. Dax flipped open his wallet and pulled out the picture of Phoebe he’d been carrying around for the past few days. “I’m looking for this witch. I have reason to believe she was here about twenty minutes ago.”
The cashier eyed the photo, and Dax saw the recognition dawn in her gaze just before she looked up at him, her expression bored. “Never seen her before.”
He let out a small snort of derision. “Are you sure about that?” With his other hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Arcane ID. “If you’re not truthful, I’ll have reason to believe you’re hiding something and a whole host of agents will come raining down on this little shop of yours. A thorough search would likely be a huge hassle even if we don’t find any illegal substances.”
“That’s fucked up, man.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, but if you’ve seen this woman and are holding back due to some solidarity code or just because you plain don’t like shifters, then you’re impeding an investigation, and as far as I’m concerned, you get what you deserve.” It was a shitty way to get what he wanted, but he was tired of wasting time.
“Fine. Fuck. Chill out,” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “Yeah, I saw her. She was here buying some candles and a silver pendant.”
“Is that all?” he demanded, glancing at the herbs in the bin behind her.
“No.” She tapped a button on her register. “Looks like she went for some wolfsbane and silver flakes.” Her lips curved into a shitty little smile. “Looks like your girl doesn’t like shifters too much, doesn’t it?”
“Looks like it. Which way did she go?”
She shook her head. “No idea.”
“You didn’t see her get in her car? A gray Charger?”
The cashier’s eyes lit up. “Gods, I love that car. It’s a beauty. I drool over it every morning.”
“She’s been here before?” Dax asked, surprised.
“Yep. A couple of days ago. Parked right in front. I spent most of the time admiring that piece of machinery. I’ve always wanted a muscle car.”
“Right.” He glanced around once more. “You said she drives by every day. Where do you think she goes?”
“The River Roux. It’s the café on the corner. I think she eats half her meals there.”
Jackpot. That was the break Dax needed. He knocked his knuckles on the counter. “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.”
“Whatever, dude. Just don’t go all Sheriff Crankypants on me again. It harshes my chill.”
“Looks like you’re safe,” Dax said and hurried outside. The first thing he did was walk over to the River Roux, the café on the corner of the block. It was a breakfast and lunch place that appeared to be ramping up for the lunch service. He stepped inside and scanned the tables. There was no one who looked like Phoebe, but that didn’t appease him. He knew better than anyone how good she was at disguises. He needed a minute to really assess each patron.
Instead of getting a table, he took a seat at the end of the bar, giving him a decent view of the restaurant. A waitress hurried over and took his order for a sweet tea. After carefully scanning the faces of all the patrons, he was satisfied none of them were Phoebe. And when the waitress returned, he handed her a couple of bills and left with his to-go cup.
But he wasn’t in the least bit discouraged. If Phoebe had walked to the store, that meant she was likely staying somewhere nearby. He just couldn’t place where that might be. There weren’t a lot of hotels in the area. Maybe she was making use of a short-term rental. He climbed back into the Trooper and was just getting ready to pull away from the curb when a gunmetal-gray car shot past him.
“There you are,” he said and stepped on the gas, cutting in front of a blue Toyota. The Toyota swerved, and Dax thought he heard the high-pitched sound of the horn, but he didn’t care. Phoebe’s car was turning left onto one of the residential streets.
He sped up and followed. He made the turn just in time to see the Charger slip into a garage at the end of the block.
“Gotcha,” he said and then turned right onto another street and parked a few blocks away, not wanting his Trooper to be visible near her safe house, just in case someone recognized it.
By the time he made it back to the house on the corner, his entire body was damp from the oppressive humidity and he was a little cranky that he’d had to track down his partner, but he sucked in a deep breath and told himself to chill. Phoebe wouldn’t be doing this if she didn’t have a good reason.
As Dax walked up to the front door, it was clear to him that the house was one of Phoebe’s safe houses. He recognized the lights that were outfitted with microphones and cameras that lined the walkway. The run-down landscaping and the peeling pai
nt was familiar too. She didn’t want any of her safe houses to stand out and preferred ones that looked like they needed a serious update. No one would ever suspect that on the inside, the house was outfitted with state-of-the-art security equipment and computer systems.
But Dax knew, and he did his best to stay out of view of the cameras by walking on the overgrown lawn. It wasn’t until he jumped over to the front porch that he knew he could be seen on the monitors inside.
Surely she’d let him in, wouldn’t she? He pressed the doorbell and stood right in front of the camera lens. “Come on, Phoebe. I don’t know what’s going on, but you’ve got me worried. Open the door.”
There was no sound, no hint of movement on the inside. To anyone else, the house would seem empty, deserted maybe. But he was certain she was in there. He knocked, and when that went unanswered, he pressed his left hand to the door and grabbed the knob with his right. Then he said his name. “Dax Alton Marrok.”
The lock clicked and the door magically opened. He let out a sigh of relief. Phoebe had spelled the other houses so that he could gain entry if he needed to. But he’d never known if she’d spelled all of them. Why would she if he didn’t even know where they were? Thank the gods for her thoroughness.
He took two steps into the house and then froze.
Phoebe was standing in the foyer, a dagger in one hand and an agate glowing in the other. He recognized the agate right away. It was her sunshine spell, meant to knock out vampires. It wouldn’t hurt him, at least not permanently. But the dagger…
“Whoa. No need for that, Phoebs,” he said, raising his hands in a stop motion. “I’m here to help.”
She stood there, frozen for a few beats. Then the light in the agate blinked out and the dagger fell to the ground. Phoebe leaped forward and crushed him in a hug.
His arms went around her automatically, holding her against him. She felt the same, hard and soft at the same time. And her skin smelled like sunshine, just like it always did, but something was different. And he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she said into his neck, her voice cracking a little as she choked on a tiny sob.
“Phoebe, what’s wrong? What happened?”
She pulled back, her sad black eyes swimming with tears. “I know what happened to my brother. A pack killed him, and now they’re after me.”
11
Dax’s arms encircled me, holding me tight as if he were never going to let me go. And if I was honest, I could have stayed right there in his arms forever. His woodsy scent and his faint citrus taste were exactly what I expected when I was in the arms of Dax Marrok. He might be from a different universe, but he was still Dax in all the ways that mattered.
“Whoa,” Dax said as he broke away from me. His dark eyes were full of lust as he stared at me.
I smiled. “Thanks for stepping in there. I guess I really could’ve hurt myself.”
His lips curved into a sexy little smile, and I was just contemplating kissing him again when I heard the faint sound of footsteps.
We both sprang apart. I pressed my fingertips to my lips while Dax grabbed his shirt from a nearby shelf and pulled it over his head, hiding those glorious muscles. He wasn’t quite as built as my Dax back home, but that was because my Dax had been drugged not too long ago with a substance that was meant to turn him into a supershifter. But this Dax was close. It seemed like he did more physical labor than his counterpart.
We were both silent as we listened to the footsteps fade into the background. Whoever it was had retreated.
“That can’t happen again,” Dax said, turning his back to me.
I knew he was right. If Allcot found out… the consequences were unthinkable. Not to mention, I wasn’t the Phoebe he’d known all his life. Was it considered cheating to be with this Dax in this world while I was in a relationship with the other one? I didn’t know. All I knew is that it was too dangerous for me to be playing this game. “You’re right. It won’t.”
Dax hung his head and ran a hand through his hair. Then he blew out a breath and silently walked out of the storage room.
I followed him into the kitchen. “Where do you want me?”
He spun around, gaping at me. “What?”
“Where do you want me?” I asked again, waving a hand around at the messy kitchen. “I can help you move appliances out or start cleaning up debris.”
“Oh. Right.” He glanced down at his feet and shook his head.
“What is it, Dax? Do you not want my help?” I grinned at him. He’d completely misunderstood me, and I don’t know why, but it amused me to no end.
“It’s not that…” He shook his head and tried again. “If you won’t take no for an answer, then I guess you can start bagging up the debris. I’ve got the appliances covered.”
I saluted him. “I’m on it, boss.”
Chuckling to himself, he walked outside while I grabbed a couple of large garbage bags and got to work.
Three hours later, we were sitting in the courtyard under the oak tree, eating sandwiches and drinking tea.
“You worked hard,” Dax said.
I jerked my head up and gave him a weird look. “I’ve always been a hard worker.”
He snorted. “No you haven’t.”
“Yes I have,” I insisted. As a teenager, I’d always worked an after-school job, and then when I was training for the Void as a vampire hunter, I worked security for a couple of different clubs. But this Dax wouldn’t know that. I started to wonder what kind of life my counterpart might’ve had in this world.
“You can’t call sitting around your mom’s dance studio all day actual work. All you did was answer the phones and sign people in.” He picked up his drink and took a long sip.
I stared at him, my mouth open as I took in his words. My counterpart had a mom in this world?
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, frowning. “You’re not seriously upset that I called you out on that lie, are you?”
I started to ask about her but then shut my mouth and shook my head. I was intensely curious about what happened to her and my dad, but I’d have to wait for Seth to return to find out. “No. I guess not.”
“Hey, Phoebs, I was just messing with you.” His tone was apologetic, then turned to one of sympathy. “I know you miss her.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to recall my mom. She’d been elegant, full of life, and the most talented witch in all of New Orleans. But the thing I loved most about her was her joy. She’d loved me and Seth and never failed to shower us with kisses and hugs. I could almost feel her scooping me up into one of her mama-bear hugs, and I wrapped my arms around myself as if to keep the memory alive. She died when I was far too young, and my recollection of her was starting to become hazy.
“Hey,” Dax said softly, his big hand resting gently on my bare knee. “What are you thinking about?”
My eyes popped open. “Her hugs. She was really great at them.”
“You’re right about that.” His fingers pressed into my flesh as he gave me a little squeeze. “I miss her too, you know.”
It was so strange to be sitting with this man, discussing my mother. But the idea that this Dax loved her too filled me with such joy and contentment I couldn’t help smiling at him. “I’m sure she loved the hell out of you.”
“Of course she did. Once she even told me I was her favorite.” He winked at me. “It was right after Seth ruined one of her spells by spilling sea salt into the herb mixture.”
I chuckled. “He’s always been a bit of a klutz in the spell-casting department.”
Dax went on to regale me with a few stories of good intentions gone awry when it came to my brother, and it didn’t take long to figure out that the pair had been best friends growing up. And I started to wonder if he knew that Seth wasn’t the same boy he’d once known and loved.
I put my sandwich down, no longer hungry. “Can I ask you a question?”
&
nbsp; “Of course you can.” He turned to me, giving me his full attention.
“Are you and Seth still close? I mean, do you two—”
“No.” The answer was instantaneous. “Seth and I… that ended years ago. You know that.”
What ended exactly? Their friendship? “Why?”
His fist curled and anger flashed in those gorgeous eyes of his. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with being betrayed and left to rot in a whorehouse for over eight years.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked before I could censor myself.
He gave me a strange look and put the rest of his sandwich down. “Are you seriously telling me you don’t know how I ended up here?”
“Yes,” I said, because it was the truth. And I really wanted to know. This man was so strong, so capable, it was hard to imagine how he’d entered an agreement with Clio unless he was forced somehow.
“I did it to keep an eye on you,” he said so softly that I barely heard him.
My breath whooshed out of my lungs. “But… why?”
“What do you mean, why? Don’t be so dense.” He scoffed and stood, his anger apparent in his jerky movements as he paced in front of me. “When your mother died and Clio took you as payment for her debts, your brother and I decided it would be me who’d come and keep an eye on you. He said he was working on a plan to purchase our freedom. He said he just needed a few weeks.”
Dread settled in my belly, and I wanted to tell him to stop. That I didn’t want to hear what happened, but I had to know.
Dax let out a humorless snort. “But then four years went by before he showed up here with Allcot to take you back to his plantation. Imagine my surprise when the bastard didn’t even try to do anything to help me to get away from Clio. We were best friends. I watched over you for four fucking years, keeping you safe from the worst this city had to offer. And what did I get? Nothing. Not even a ‘Sorry, Dax.’”
Eight years ago. Eight years ago was when my own brother went missing. When he’d crossed over. Had he known about the deal Dax and his doppelgänger made? I doubted it. He’d been flying blind. It probably took him years to get to a place where he could affect any change.
