Natural Dual-Mage (Magical Mayhem 3)

“Yes, exactly,” Ms. Bristol responded.

“Pairing them together was a terrible idea.” Penny leaned her head against Emery’s shoulder.

“What was with the fuzzy, moving shadows in the bar?” Ms. Bristol asked as they jerked to a standstill before the stop sign. “Touchy brakes.”

“A druid,” Reagan said, and any mirth Emery had felt immediately dried up.

Dizzy half turned to look back at Reagan with wide eyes. Callie did the same, looking at Emery. Ms. Bristol stared out through the windshield, her eyes tight in the rearview mirror.

“And did he or she make a decision that was favorable to our side?” Ms. Bristol’s voice was thick with worry.

“We are in no danger from him,” Penny said, and her voice was wispy again. “He is goodness. Justified power.”

“Goodness? He kills people for a living, and he doesn’t care who it is as long as he’s paid enough.” Reagan leaned forward against the seat. “Emery, slap her. Snap her out of this.”

“And Emery,” Ms. Bristol said, her voice even thicker. Resolve hung heavy in her tone. “How about you? Have you made a decision?”

Emery met Ms. Bristol’s eyes in the rearview mirror, and in her look, he could tell she knew he’d been contemplating the idea of forever. Soon, it would no longer be in his hands. It would be in her daughter’s.

17

“Can I speak to you, Penny?” Emery asked as we backed into the parking space at Darius’s house.

Full night had fallen, wiping away all the little details the sun had highlighted in the house’s beautiful surroundings. I’d missed Seattle and its green, lush beauty. I was happy to be back, even though the circumstances were less than ideal.

I snorted. Understatement of the year.

“Sure,” I said as the last of the pleasant haze left my mind and body. I’d figured out how to latch on to the druid’s magic, and, in so doing, had found a treasure trove of delight for my senses. He had his finger on the pulse of the natural world, his roots going down through the bedrock, and a natural essence pumped through his blood. My magic had practically vibrated around him, connecting me more solidly to my environment.

He’d followed us for a spell, though at a distance. Close enough that I could still feel his magic pulsing through my veins. Far enough away that neither Reagan nor Emery had sensed his presence. It was as though he knew I could feel his magic, and was letting me bask in the experience.

But the sensation had started to fade once we got into the car, and now it was just a memory.

“Penny?” Emery asked again, helping me out of the car.

Moss waited off to the side, staring at my mother as she stepped out of the driver’s seat.

“It has a lot of power.” She tossed him the keys. “Thanks for letting me use it.”

“There are automobiles set aside for community usage,” Moss said with a flat voice.

“Yes, but those are all five-seaters. I needed that third row.” My mother patted Moss on the shoulder. “Thanks.”

His glare followed her to the house.

“What’s up?” I asked Emery, getting a weird little flutter in my stomach from his intense gaze. Something was bothering him. “No headache, I swear. I feel good.” His expression didn’t clear. “That druid wasn’t there to hurt me. After the initial tumble, I mean. I held my own, though. I would’ve figured him out. But then he stopped, so everything was fine. Honestly, I was only in danger for, like…one minute. Tops.”

“Can I have a few minutes of your time?” he asked, and his voice quavered. It was like he hadn’t heard me at all.

My stomach flipped, dread spreading through my body. Flashes of how our last visit to this house had ended took up prime real estate in my head. He’d told me he had to go. When I’d awoken, he’d been gone.

Barely able to breathe, I followed him silently through the house, holding his hand in a death grip. I wouldn’t let him go this time. I was stronger when I was with him. He brought out the best in me, leveling me out perfectly, and vice versa. He was the teammate I craved, the partner I loved, and the missing piece in my life.

I’d always thought that missing piece was magic, but I’d been doing magic my whole life, largely without realizing it. Magic was inside of me. It had always been a part of the whole.

The thing I’d always been missing had been him.

“Okay, look,” I said as we walked past a straight-faced Darius. His eyes were knowing, but his expression didn’t give anything away. Oh God, this was going to be bad news. “I know I’ve been acting weird. But I’m trying to get a handle on it.”

We walked down the hallway toward the bedroom we shared despite my mother’s wishes.

“I just have to grab something really quickly,” he said, leaving me just outside the doorway. He pushed the door nearly closed so I couldn’t see inside.

Heart in my throat, unshed tears stinging my eyes, I gulped and looked down the hallway. My eyes landed on a sign on one of the doors. Shhh, editor hard at work.

Happiness fought for space amidst the dread. Veronica had come. She was surely in danger here, but given her track record as my friend, she was probably in danger everywhere. I was happy to have her around.

Emery opened the door, misery lining his face, and all thoughts of Veronica fled.

I knew that look. He was about to do something that he thought was the best possible thing for me. It was exactly how he’d looked the last time. Before he’d left.

“Life will calm down soon,” I said as he took my hand again and led me down the hall. “It’ll calm down. I know the odds are stacked against us, given the sheer number of mages we’re facing on their home turf, and their vampire helpers, but we’ve stood against impossible odds before. Actually, we’re always against impossible odds. That’s how we roll. So this is just another day, know what I mean?”

Dizzy gave us a thumbs-up as we passed the living room. In contrast, when we walked through the kitchen, Reagan gave me a solemn look, standing next to a straight-faced Marie.

My breath came out in fast, shallow pants, fear eating at me.

When we reached the door leading into the garage, Emery finally stalled, his hand on the knob. The fear I felt was reflected on his expression. He probably thought I would fly off the handle and try to kill him.

I might.

“You don’t have to do this,” I said, trying to talk past the tightness in my throat. “This probably isn’t best for me. Whatever it is you are going to do, it’s probably not the thing I really need. What we have right now is perfect. I’m happy just as we are.”

He studied me for a long moment, indecision eating through his eyes.

“We’re good,” I pushed, seeing an opening. “We’re fine. Let’s just stay this way.”

His fingers loosened on the knob. He shifted a little away from the door.

I sighed with relief and tugged on his other hand. “We’re good. We’ll sort through this weird goblin situation, and we’ll be good.”

Worry clouded his vision again, and I knew I’d said the wrong thing. He turned the handle and pulled the door open. This time, he was the one tugging. Getting me to follow him.

“No,” I whispered, my feet turning to lead.

He flicked on a switch in the two-car garage. It was empty of vehicles, but light showered down on a large desk supporting two monitors and some basic office supplies. The surface was spacious and immaculate, and I knew this was where Darius must have toiled over the files we’d stolen from the Guild’s record room on our last break in. His lackeys had scanned them all.

On the other side, in the corner, sat a rickety card table with one folding chair on either side. A fake crystal ball with a permanent white cloud hunkered in the center of the table with a pile of colorful rocks beside it. A deck of tarot cards sat next to that, and a colorful sash lined the side of the table.

I stumbled to a stop, utterly confused. It was my setup from my old job as a fake fortune teller at the Renaissance village near my old house.

“What…” The word trailed away as Emery tugged me forward again, leading me to the chair behind the table. The metal frame groaned under my weight. He settled in the chair facing me, his eyes liquid pools of blue.