Page 17

Chapter Seventeen

Red Rum was back—but this time, I had allies of a different caliber.

Deep animal snarls erupted from behind the parked cars on the nearest street, followed by yelps of surprise—and pain. Sounded like Zak had brought his vargs along. Lights blazed as our attackers unleashed defensive magic.

Zak flexed his arms and yellow magic spiraled around his wrists. “Well, Kai? Care to cover me, or should I watch my own back?”

Short throwing knives appeared in Kai’s hands from under his jacket. “I’ll cover you.”

With no more discussion than that, they strode toward the parked cars where the rogues were hiding—and now pinned between snarling vargs and two highly displeased mythics.

I stayed right where I was, breathing hard. Useless little human. Slipping my Queen of Spades out of my pocket, I glanced at the painted royal’s mysterious smile and hoped Zak didn’t kill anyone. MagiPol discouraged dead bodies in the streets.

The thought had scarcely crossed my mind when metal screeched. A parked car flipped onto its side, then rolled onto its roof, forcing Kai and Zak to dive out of the way.

A man the size of a Viking on steroids stood in the new gap, flexing his huge arms. What looked like two bowling balls floated on either side of him.

Gulping, I scrapped my opposition to corpses. Whatever Kai and Zak needed to do to survive a Hulk-mode telekinetic was fine by me.

Silver flashed—a scaled underbelly filling my vision. The not-an-orb-anymore fae hovered in the air, facing me with its undersized wings spread. I blinked. Where had the fae come from? I’d left the orb in my purse, and I’d left my purse in Aaron’s living room before Kai and I had departed on our errand.

The fae’s fuchsia eyes fixed on something behind me.

I whirled toward the steps that descended into the sunken square. Two figures were crouched in the shadows, their guns aimed at my chest.

The fae’s small paws touched my shoulders, cool and tingling, then its long tail spun around me like the coils of a snake. It squeezed and chilly magic surged through me. My vision blurred into wild ripples.

Pop-pop-pop!

The guns fired, but I only felt the fae’s power sizzling inside my body. The men emptied their weapons—but nothing touched me .

The fae’s tail loosened, then the creature faded out of sight. My vision steadied.

The men holstered their empty guns, then marched up the steps. I looked around sharply. The fae creature was gone, and Zak and Kai were busy fighting Telekinetic Hulk, plus an unknown number of goons. Crap. I was on my own.

I spun on my heel, ran toward the gallery entrance, and ducked behind a wide concrete column. Clutching the Queen of Spades, I waited. Footsteps approached, and I heard the two rogues split up to flank me. Scarcely breathing, I listened.

A footstep scuffed close on my left.

I jumped out, card extended. “ Ori— ”

The smirking rogue ducked, no spell in hand or magic underway. Shit, wrong guy! I whirled in the other direction—

“ Ori tacitus esto! ”

A white flash blinded me and I stumbled backward, swearing furiously—or trying to.

My lips moved, but no sound came out of my mouth. Panicking, I tried to scream—not a peep. That spell had muted my voice!

The stocky sorcerer, bulky artifacts clipped to his belt, walked around the pillar. I retreated unsteadily, clutching my useless card. I couldn’t even call for help. Leering, the two rogues followed me.

“Surrender and you won’t get hurt,” one suggested.

Yeah, right. Since I couldn’t say that, I flipped him the bird.

“Can you restrain her?” the sorcerer asked the other guy.

“Probably, but she looks like she might bite. Just use a spell.”

Damn right I would bite them. I’d punch ’em too. Maybe I should start with that .

The sorcerer snapped a narrow metal talisman off his belt. “ Ori decidas in —”

A smart person would run. Or dodge. Or duck.

I lunged at him and grabbed his wrist. His eyes widened, but he couldn’t stop the last of his incantation as I wrenched the artifact toward the second rogue.

“— astris .”

The air rippled, and the sorcerer’s unlucky accomplice pitched over backward with sparkles covering his body like he’d rolled in a glitter bath. Whoa. Neat.

“You—” the sorcerer snarled.

I punched him in the nose. His head snapped back, a pained grunt escaping him. Yeah, take that! Also, ow . My poor knuckles.

He shoved me backward and yanked out another artifact. “ Impello! ”

I jerked away and the invisible spell caught my shoulder, sending me spinning. A bang and a loud metallic crunch warned that the rest of the magical force had struck something besides my breakable flesh. I landed on my ass, jarring my teeth and almost biting my tongue off.

“ Ori —” the sorcerer began.

I leaned back and pistoned my foot into his groin. Wheezing, he staggered out of my reach and thrust his new artifact toward me again.

“ Ori —” he gasped.

A gloved hand clamped over his mouth. Appearing out of nowhere, Zak pulled the sorcerer forward, then smashed him into the nearest column. The rogue crumpled to the ground, unused talisman clattering against the concrete.

“Are you hurt?” Zak asked me .

I tried to say no but couldn’t make a sound. Miming speech, I gestured helplessly at my mouth.

“Silencing spell?” he guessed. “It’ll wear off in a couple minutes.”

Could he sound any less concerned? I was voiceless here! It was awful!

On the street, the carnage was impressive—two flipped cars, several smoking craters, and three shattered streetlamps. The villains were nowhere in sight, so I assumed the druid and electramage had successfully driven them off. As always, Zak looked unscathed, minus the big yellow splatters on his back.

Kai joined us, his potion-smeared jacket hanging from one hand and dripping yellow goo on the ground. “Are you okay, Tori?”

I nodded. Silently.

“We should leave before—oh.”

I blinked at his frozen expression, then followed his gaze. He was staring at his sleek black motorcycle, lying on its side. Ah. That metallic crunch sound. His bike.

With the pain of a bereft father in his eyes, Kai heaved his motorcycle up, while Zak and I waited at a respectful distance. A gory puddle gleamed beneath the tires, and I could smell the gasoline. Our first casualty.

Kai sighed sorrowfully. “The edge of the planter punctured the gas tank.”

So… that meant we wouldn’t be riding it home. I cautiously cleared my throat—and actual noise rasped from my vocal cords. I could speak again!

Suppressing the urge to whoop, I murmured gravely, “I’m sorry, Kai. You can get it fixed, right?”

Zak’s hood turned toward me. “Your voice is back. ”

“Don’t sound so disappointed.” I poked his arm. “Did you drive? Can we catch a ride with you?”

His sigh was as pained as Kai’s. “Fine.”

“Thanks. You’re the best.”

“I thought I was a shitty friend? Make up your mind.” He turned toward the street. “Bring the bike. You don’t want to leave it here.”

The druid, the human, the mage, and the motorcycle made their ragtag way onto the sidewalk, the latter leaving a gruesome trail of bodily fluid in its wake. We walked in an odd silence, passing endless lines of shiny BMWs and Mercedes.

Zak led us through a stinky alley and onto a quiet one-way street with metered parking. Stuffing a hand in his coat pocket, he pulled out a set of keys. The fob beeped, and a pair of taillights flashed in answer.

Stopping dead, I looked at the vehicle, then at the druid, then back at the vehicle. “This is yours? This? ”

He kept walking. “Why are you so offended?”

I pointed like he couldn’t see it. The lifted pickup truck towered over the nearby cars, its big, deep-tread tires hungry to flatten inferior vehicles. Mud around the wheel wells splattered the dark blue paint.

“But that’s a truck .” I rushed to catch up with him, Kai trailing behind with his bike. “I figured you’d drive a Prius or something. You know, a non -gas-guzzling monstrosity.”

“It’s diesel, not gas.” He lowered the tailgate. “Tori, think about where I live.”

I scrunched my face, picturing the mountain valley. “Okay.”

“Now imagine trying to drive a car there. In the winter. ”

My face contorted further, then relaxed in defeat. “Fine. The truck makes sense.”

Zak climbed onto the tailgate, and between him and Kai, they wrestled the motorcycle up onto the lined bed. Zak laid it on its side, then opened the metal box behind the cab and pulled out ratcheting straps to tie it down.

“This feels disturbingly normal,” I commented to no one as he worked, “and also very not normal.”

Kai shook his head and tossed his potion-stained jacket into the truck bed beside his bike.

Zak jumped down and shut the tailgate, then held out a rag to me. “Can you wipe this shit off my back?”

I took the cloth, stepped behind him, and started mopping up the potion drying on the black leather.

“You could just take your coat off,” I suggested, knowing he never would. “Or is it hiding all your scary potions?”

With my free hand, I patted a clean patch of leather to see if I could feel his belt of vials.

“I know you like my ass, Tori, but could you restrain yourself?”

I choked, my face flushing, and refused to look in Kai’s direction. “This yellow stuff is just smearing around and I don’t want to get it on my hands.”

“Fine. Toss the cloth in the box.”

As I pitched the rag over the tailgate, I heard a zipper and whirled back around. Zak had undone his coat, and I gasped as he pushed his hood off and shrugged out of the leather. The nearby streetlamp cast lovely shadows across his unfairly gorgeous face.

His unnaturally bright green eyes turned to Kai’s slack-jawed stare, silently daring the mage to comment, and tension thickened the air until I could barely breathe. Kai, wisely, said nothing.

Zak threw his coat into the box, then stripped his gloves off. I scanned his newly revealed outfit. To my surprise, he was wearing a different belt. The wide leather circled his hips, sporting built-in slots that held six test-tube vials just above his butt. I pursed my lips. He really did have a nice ass.

Four rough-cut crystals hung on ties around his neck, resting on a dark t-shirt. His muscular arms displayed feather tattoos that ran down from his shoulders, and circles marked his inner forearms, each one filled with a colorful rune—gifts of power from the fae he knew. A month ago, one circle had been empty, but now…

I pointed. “You got a new one.”

“Get in the truck, Tori.” He walked to the driver’s side, climbed in, and slammed the door.

Grimacing, I peeked at Kai. His stunned expression made me feel better about my initial meltdown at the sight of Zak’s face. Though, to be fair, Kai was probably feeling faint for different reasons.

“His eyes are freaky, right?” I mock-whispered.

“Tori…” Laser-like focus overtook Kai’s shock. He opened his mouth, then seemed to rethink whatever he’d been about to say. “Let’s go.”

He opened the passenger door and I heaved myself up—no step rail on this truck. The cab was spacious but it had no back seat, just one long bench. I crammed into the middle spot as Kai swung into the passenger seat and shut the door.

Zak inserted the key in the ignition. “Buckle up.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t want a traffic ticket? ”

“Don’t want your thick head going through my windshield. Where to?”

As I gave directions to Aaron’s house, I grappled with my seatbelt. The bench would’ve been comfortable for two large men, but it was a tight fit for three people. The engine started with a rumble, and I pressed close to Kai to keep clear of Zak’s elbow as he steered the monster truck onto the road.

More awkward silence. I bit my lip, fighting the urge to speak. I couldn’t ask. Not yet. Not here. Must wait. Must… be… patient.

“You have a fiancée ?” I burst out.

“Tori,” Kai growled warningly.

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t keep it in.” I clasped my hands together. “ Please explain before I die of curiosity.”

“Die of unsated snoopiness,” Zak muttered as the truck rolled to a stop at a red light.

“Butt out,” I snapped, then turned back to Kai. “How can you date so many women and be engaged ? How can you be engaged if you haven’t spoken to her in years?”

Kai folded his arms and held his silence. I groaned.

“Arranged marriage,” Zak said matter-of-factly. “Common practice in the family.”

“How do you know that?”

He smirked. “A few years ago, I was offered the hand of one Fumi Yamada if I joined their guild and stopped messing up their business dealings. She was lovely, but I had to decline.”

“Huh.” I peered at Kai. “Is that what it is for you?”

He didn’t so much as twitch for a full minute, then gave a short nod. “Arranged at birth. I left the family seven years ago, but the engagement still stands.”

“But … you wouldn’t actually marry …? ”

“No. Never.” His jaw flexed and I swore I heard his teeth grind. “But until she marries someone else, I’m technically spoken for.”

Spoken for. Kai, who dated an endless horde of beautiful women but never progressed to a relationship with any of them, considered himself unavailable. I didn’t understand how an engagement arranged by a family he’d ditched years ago could affect his romantic decisions now, but his fiancée had to be the reason he never dated anyone seriously.

Though why he didn’t just not date at all, like Ezra, confused me. Was it a distraction? A big middle finger to his family? Easy sex? Who knew, but that wasn’t a question I could ask in front of Zak. I did have some concept of boundaries.

I randomly clapped my hands. “This is just like a road trip! We should stop at a drive-through.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Zak demanded.

“Possibly. Have you ever been so tired that you surpassed tired and went giddy instead?”

He pressed his sexy mouth into a flat line. “The potions are in my bag behind the seat. I’ll get them out as soon as we stop.”

“What have you been giving her?” Kai asked sharply.

“I dosed her with a magic buffer potion, targeted to block fae magic, and a vitality potion altered for a human’s stamina. I might need to adjust the potency. The fae lord is burning through her strength.”

“You are an alchemist,” Kai muttered. “We weren’t sure.”

“He’s the best alchemist on the west coast.” Was I slurring? When they both looked at me, I figured I must be. I poked Zak in the arm. “Eyes on the road. ”

“I’ll be frank, Kai,” Zak said as he returned his attention to driving. “She won’t survive this for long. I don’t know how anyone could. I can only assume the part of the ritual that would’ve protected the link’s recipient is missing. Otherwise, Red Rum’s witch would’ve been a dead man too.”

Kai absorbed that in silence. “Park here.”

Zak pulled up beside Aaron’s cottage-style house and executed a flawless parallel park between two sedans. I wasn’t jealous. No way.

Kai leaned around me to study the druid. “Tori can send you copies of the ritual, but I think it would be more efficient for you to examine the grimoire.” A long pause. “You should come inside.”

“Whoa,” I breathed. “You just invited the big bad Ghost into your house .”

“So your mage friends can ambush me?” Zak said, ignoring my babbling. He propped an elbow on the steering wheel. “I’ll pass.”

“Let me handle them.” Kai’s dark gaze flicked to me. “We don’t have time to waste. If I’ve learned anything from my family, it’s that enemies with the same goal make the best allies.”

“Only until the goal is met.” Zak rubbed the back of his neck. “Seeing the grimoire in person would be more useful.”

Kai nodded. I goggled in silence, unable to believe it.

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking I can’t protect myself against mages,” Zak warned. “You can’t see my familiars, but they can see you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Kai threw his door open and slid out.

Zak frowned at me, then opened his door and jumped out too .

I sat alone on the seat, blinking dumbly at the glowing windows of Aaron’s house. Then I scrambled into motion, hauling my exhausted ass out of the truck.

My mages and my biggest secret were about to clash, and I knew it was gonna get ugly.