Natural Dual-Mage (Magical Mayhem 3)

“Do you always look perfect?” I demanded, because this was a little ridiculous.

“You should’ve seen Vlad leave.” Reagan shook her head, watching as Darius picked up a remote and started pushing buttons.

Marie and Moss came in next, both stopping in the mouth of the living room and surveying me.

“Penelope, you look a mess,” Marie said, and for once I could say, “Look who’s talking. Is that a man’s shirt?”

Her eyes narrowed.

“You fought well,” Moss said, sounding like the sentiment had been dragged from his mouth word by word. He nodded, glanced at Darius, and then headed off to the safety of his room, Marie behind him.

Blackout curtains electronically slid across the windows as black shades fitting into the window frames rolled down behind them. Darius glanced at all of us, his eyes lingering on Reagan for a moment, before nodding and moving off toward the kitchen. I noticed his less-than-graceful walk, and his ever-so-slight limp. Even though his arm, which had been useless, was healed, he’d clearly taken a lot of damage if he still wasn’t completely restored.

I started when Roger walked in, preceding Callie and Dizzy, who looked as tired as I felt. They nodded at me before sinking into the couch with dual groans.

I’d left the fight before people who were more than twice my age. I doubted I would ever live that down.

“Penny,” Roger said, his sweatshirt tight against his muscled chest, his pants hugging too many things much too tightly. Veronica would have had a seizure. “How are you?”

Surprised, I touched my fingers to my chest. “Me?”

He shifted, uncomfortable, probably because he was in Darius’s territory, and could feel it. Or, more probably, smell it.

“You were carried out so quickly…” Roger looked me over.

“Oh.” I pointed at Cahal. “He was pissed. I didn’t need to go. But…well, he’s huge.”

Roger’s eyes swung around the room, belatedly picking Cahal out from the corner where he stood. A crease formed between his brows. “Of course.”

“How are you guys?” I forced myself to ask, fear riding my words. Emery squeezed me.

“At last count, we lost forty-three,” Roger said. “Their wounds wouldn’t heal…those that had them.” He clasped his hands behind his back, pulling at the seams of his borrowed sweats. A troubled expression crossed his face. “Some of them didn’t have wounds at all. I couldn’t find any damage.”

My heart sank. That was probably part of the reason my godly spell hadn’t worked as well as I’d hoped. The great scales had taken out a lot of their people…but they’d also taken out some of ours. Sometimes the guys on the good team weren’t always good guys.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Thank you, for helping us. Thank you, and their families, for sacrificing them.”

His nod was slight. “I wanted to tell you that I have faith in you. I have faith that you”—he glanced at Emery—“and Emery can help build a better Mages’ Guild. A fair organization that adheres to the magical rules we must all live by. Should you need my help, or someone to discuss…anything with, don’t be afraid to contact me, at any time. I have declared you a pack friend. You are always welcome. And any of us will help you, should you need it.”

Warmth infused my chest and tears came to my eyes. “Thank you,” I said, touched he would offer me his friendship after losing so many people to the battle.

Roger offered me another curt nod, glanced down the way toward the kitchen, and turned toward the door.

“Roger,” Reagan called out. He stopped near the corner, half his body out of sight, and looked at her, waiting. “Thanks,” she said. “This wouldn’t have been possible without you.”

He walked on without a word.

“Did you do something to piss him off?” I asked, confused by his reaction.

“Just the usual.” She shrugged. “I’m a pack friend too. He just pretends not to like me.”

After Darius came back with drinks—Cahal drank brandy?—he settled down next to Reagan on the love seat, looping an arm around her shoulders. On the couch, Callie’s chin slowly fell toward her chest, and Dizzy’s head bobbed, his eyes half closed. They were beat.

“So what was the deal with the vampire?” I asked when no one volunteered the information.

Darius sipped his drink. “Marcus. An elder that has been around nearly as long as me. Not as many interests, though. Not as ambitious. For years, we thought he was headed toward a stupor. A sort of vacation from the world and our politics—like Ja before you re-energized her, Penny.”

“Your fault, not mine,” I said automatically.

“Indeed,” Darius said as though something smelled. “It appears he has had his hands in the Mages’ Guild for…decades. Now that we know the truth, it is all so clear. He formed an illegal connection with the High Chancellor, manipulated him, and set up a cash cow. Then he sat back with his hand out, watching the money roll in. He didn’t have to be ambitious; he merely had to whisper a few suggestions into the ears of his ambitious puppets, goading them toward power, and he could stay idle.”

“Oohhh.” The reason the High Chancellor had escaped the giant scales clicked. He wasn’t in control—his deeds weren’t his own. He hadn’t been a match for an elder vampire. It also appeared the godly magic didn’t affect vampires, because Marcus should’ve surely been thrown out with the bathwater.

“I am amazed you and Vlad missed Marcus’s involvement,” Reagan said, and I caught a glimmer in her eyes. She was going to rub that in. If Darius hadn’t sort of deserved it, I might’ve felt bad.

“So why did he suddenly start taking a more active interest?” I asked.

“Because suddenly…there was a threat, and a vampire behind that threat,” Darius said. “He, through the Guild, has been suffocating my territory, stunting my children’s opportunities for growth. No one could stand up to the Guild’s power, until you and Emery joined together. Being that you were connected to me…”

“He knew Darius would use you to tear down the Guild, which would allow Darius to expand his business in this area,” Reagan finished for him.

I sank bank onto Emery, my mood turning dark.

Emery rubbed my back. “You have to always assume a vampire is using you for something, even if the deal is mutually beneficial.”

“Don’t feel bad, Penny,” Reagan said. “They can’t help it anymore. Darius tries to use me on a continual basis. That’s why I have to keep him guessing by stealing his money and buying islands for no other purpose than to have them.”

Darius froze in place. “What is this, now?”

She grinned mischievously.

“So Marcus launched back into action when he saw his empire being threatened,” Reagan continued. “Which means, Penny, you basically woke up two vampires. You kicked them back into the vampires’ political arena.”

“I didn’t. Darius started all of this,” I said, sticking with blaming him.

“I knew that strategy couldn’t have been the Guild’s doing,” Emery murmured, circling the bottom of his glass with the brown liquid. “It was too…”

“Good,” Reagan said.

“Strategic.” Darius curled a strand of Reagan’s hair around a finger. “The Guild wasn’t used to working at a higher level of strategy. Their timing was suspect.”

“They didn’t know their enemy,” Reagan said.

“Now they do. We did a pretty good sweep, but there is always someone who escapes. Always someone who lives to tell the tale. You ousted yourself tonight, mon ange.” Darius’s voice turned hard. “Tomorrow we’re leaving. I’m taking you to a remote location where you can hunt and fish and stay out of the public eye. You can work on your power.”

“He means you’ll need to lie low.” Emery chuckled. “Again. Good luck with that, Darius.”

“I can help you train.”

I started at Cahal’s voice. He was always so still and unimposing that I kept forgetting he was there.