Green Mage, page 18
part #2 of Mackenzie Green Series
Great! Where do you want to meet and when?
I looked at my watch. An hour to freshen up and another twenty to get to the deli. Doable. I fired Amber off a message asking her to meet me at the deli Lucan had taken me to in an hour and a half.
See you then. I can’t wait!
***
Amber was already standing outside the deli as I parked and locked my bicycle. To see her there waiting for me with a smile on her face… well, it had happy butterflies dancing in my stomach. When I got close enough, she looped her arm through mine and practically hauled me into the eatery.
“You have no idea how happy I am that you said yes,” she bubbled as she dragged me towards the counter.
“Why?” I blurted without any tact.
She frowned. “Because I finally get to repay you for what you did. Because you are a good person, someone I would be happy to have as a friend. Plus, you kick ass, and Trey thinks you’re awesome. His words.”
I tried to recall the times I’d interacted with the young shifter and could only come up with a handful of meetings, and they were all at the Hall of Records when he’d come to work with his mother.
“I didn’t know he kept up with my activities.” My confusion must have come through.
“Ever since you helped us, he’s hero-worshiped you.” She lowered her voice. “He even goes and hangs around Catch and Release sometimes, checking up on you.” She laughed at my horrified look.
“Catch and Release is no place for a kid.” That made her laugh harder.
“We only go when we have business in the Working District. The look on your face. It was priceless.”
I wasn’t used to this level of teasing from someone I barely knew, but I didn’t want it to stop.
We placed our orders and went to one of the tables near the front of the store.
“Seriously, Mackenzie, my kid likes you because you helped me when no one else would. They would have taken him away from me. He knows that. He has the marking of a Protector.” Amber shivered at the statement.
“Shit,” I said. The Triad took potential Protectors and Enforcers from their families young and trained them to serve the Clan. If they’d taken Trey, they would’ve encouraged him to break all ties with his mother.
“No kidding. Good thing there is already a Protector in training.” Her smile was more wolf than human. “And the fact that he has a human mother makes him a less ‘pure’ option.”
I shivered at her words. The Purity Movement hadn’t made many waves in the last few months, but I’d eat tonfas before I let my guard down. They were likely biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike. Snakes were slippery like that.
“Dodged a festering pit of vipers there,” I said and lifted my iced tea in a salute.
She raised her water. “I’ll toast to that.”
Our food arrived, courtesy of Maisy. “Look at you back so soon,” she cooed at me and pinched my cheek. “And you brought a friend.”
Amber smiled and introduced herself. “This place is amazing. I will definitely be bringing my son by.” Maisy smiled at the praise.
“Well, I won’t interrupt your girl time. Just holler if you need anything.” With that, she tottered back to her granddaughter at the counter.
“Come here often, do you?” Amber smirked.
“Second time. Lucan brought me here a couple of days ago. Maisy has a soft spot for the dragon. I don’t know why.”
Amber laughed. “Old ladies and roguish men. It’s a certainty in life.” Now that I could believe.
We kept the small talk up as we ate our food. When our plates were clean, Amber broached the reason we were here.
“So, what do you need to know about?”
“Anything you can tell me on the Mythos Triad, the Ruling Council members, and their heirs or seconds.” I thought about it for a moment, then made a decision that could land me in very hot water. “If I tell you something, can you keep it to yourself?”
I wished I was a gryphon shifter and able to tell if she was being honest. But I wasn’t, so I’d just have to trust my gut.
Amber looked me straight in the eye and said, “Yes.”
Deciding to take the risk, I laid out the situation at hand.
“Lucan believes that there is a credible threat to the Summit. He was ordered to bring a date to the event, and he’s hired me to be his fake girlfriend.” I kept my voice low, not wanting the patrons at nearby tables to overhear.
Amber gave me a confused look. “But if he had concerns, shouldn’t the Triad have stepped up the security?”
“Yes, they should have, but they’re convinced that Lucan is being paranoid. I mean, who would be stupid enough to attack a meeting between the Vampire Council and the Mythos Triad. It would be suicide,” I replied.
“Well, that’s dumb. It’s Lucan’s job to assess these types of situations and react to them.” She leaned back in her chair.
“Right. Which is why he’s brought me in. But because of the politics of it, we’re not advertising my job. We’ve created a background of actually dating and going with the illusion that the two of us are together.”
That got me a huge smile. “Oh, the picture the two of you make.” I raised an eyebrow at that comment. “A lucky photographer got a snap of the two of you entering The Regency last night.”
I pushed my plate to the side enough that I could rest my forehead on the table. “Seriously?”
She nodded. “Yep, Trey asked me to clip it out.” I groaned and her smile widened.
“Well, as embarrassing as that is, I still need any insight that you can provide.” In the back of my mind, I vowed to track down a copy of the paper and clip the image for myself.
“Sure. Grab a pen. You’re going to want to take notes.”
***
An hour later, I had notes piled all around me, and Amber still hadn’t run out of information. I scribbled on a sheet of paper, adding to the other Protector’s files—little things I hadn’t gleaned from talking to their mates. For instance, Crystal had an uncontrollable fear of spiders. Relevant? Probably not. But I wrote it down anyway. Maybe it would be useful one day.
Amber didn’t have anything new to add to my notes on the Heads, but that was okay. I looked at my watch. Shit. If I didn’t leave now, Liz would skin me alive.
“I’m so sorry, Amber, but I have to run. I have to get ready for tonight.”
Amber looked at her watch too. “Crap, I didn’t realize it was so late. I have to get home anyway. Trey will be back from his shifter tutor soon.”
Hastily gathering my notes, I rushed out the door.
Four on the dot, I stumbled through the main door of Catch and Release. Liz stood at the bottom of the stairs. Arms crossed, her right foot tapping.
“Sorry, sorry.” I dashed up the stairs. The clicking of her boots followed me.
To make up for my almost delay, I let her do everything she wanted without a fuss. By the time I slipped into my black dress, I’d been primped and pampered within an inch of my life.
My black dress was similar to the red one I’d worn last night, only shorter. The hem sat two inches off the ground, and four slits divided the lower half from ankle to hips, and silver threads wove vines and leaves along each edge. The bodice of the dress hugged me from waist to chest, and the black silk pants the Tailor had fashioned to go with it clung tightly to my legs. Originally low cut, the Tailor had used a gossamer fabric to cover the exposed areas on my chest and down my arms. Every time I moved, there was a shimmer that rippled through the material. It was one of my few treasures. Though, having seen the green dress I’d picked up yesterday, my black dress may have some competition.
I was determined to meet Lucan at the bottom of the stairs tonight. It was one of the small ways I reminded myself that this was work, not a date. With fifteen minutes to spare, I found myself sitting on one of the small benches in the foyer.
A door to my right opened—the one that led to the gym—and Kevin strolled out. The way he dressed screamed goth. His black hair hung around his shoulders. The salon look must’ve taken hours to get right. I had the ridiculous urge to tease him about it, but with all the teasing the other hunters gave him, I refrained.
I couldn’t, however, stop myself from adopting the nickname he’d been given by the majority of my guildmates. “Hey, Kid.”
There was a moment's pause before his retort. “Sup, Daisy.” He’d taken to calling me different flower names. He thought it was hilarious. “Is Curtis finally putting the guild’s ladies to their proper use? I wonder if I could afford a night?”
I ignored him. He was still bitter that Chris kept kicking his ass. It hurt his pride to lose to a woman over twice his age. He thought the prostitute comments were demeaning, but I highly doubted Kevin would know what to do with one of us if he did manage to get us for the night.
He’d only said it once in front of the guys, and they’d taken him out back and gave him a ‘lecture’ on guild etiquette. Curtis hadn’t even frowned when Kevin limped for three days. Now Kevin kept those comments to himself or only poked at us ladies when he thought he had the upper hand.
My silence must have irked him. It was the only reason I could think of for what he did next.
I’d sat facing the door, one leg crossed over the other as I waited for Lucan. I nearly jumped out of my skin when a finger traced its way down my face from behind. I shifted in my seat. Kevin stood behind me. His smirk held a hint of malice as he continued to trail a finger down my neck.
“Go any lower and I’ll break your hand.” I meant it. He was taking liberties he wasn’t entitled to.
“C’mon now, Petal. I’m sure your date won’t mind if I have a taste of you before he gets here.”
He inched his finger down further, trailing it over my collarbone. The condescending entitlement in his tone spoke of silver spoon syndrome. Kevin, it seemed, had probably been born to privilege and wealth.
In a flash, I was up out of my seat. With one hand, I grabbed him by the fingers, crushing them. My other hand went for my weapons.
Black with silver veins, my tonfas were eighteen inches long and two inches in diameter. Six inches up from the bottom, a handle protruded out perpendicularly from the main shaft, which fit perfectly in my hand. My brother, Connor, had crafted them. As strong as steel with all the properties of silver, they were the perfect supernatural busters.
In a graceful arc, I brought the weapon down on Kevin’s immobilized wrist. A crack reverberated throughout the room, followed closely by howls of pain.
His cries brought people running from all corners of the mansion. Chris came thumping down the stairs, Liz hot on her heels, and Saber in tow. Casey, a Jack, came running out of a door on the far side. The gym door crashed open and Karlos, our resident Felis shifter and Reaper, came hurling in, his slitted golden cat eyes blazing.
“What the hell is going on here?” Chris’s voice thundered over the noise.
Well, hell… I hoped this night would end better than it started.
Chapter 22
“This fucking bitch broke my wrist,” Kevin spat, cradling his injured limb to his body.
Chris looked at me. That was the great thing about Catch and Release. They always got both sides of the story before acting.
My face may have been blank, but anger simmered inside. “I warned Kevin not to touch me any lower. He ignored it. He also insinuated that I was a whore, and the guild was smart to put my talents,” I gestured up and down my body, “to better use. Then he wondered if my client would share.” Chris pinched the bridge of her nose.
“You’re fucking crazy,” Kevin simpered.
Chris glared at him. Casey leaned her hip against a table, her arms crossed. Liz had stopped a few steps from the bottom, her vicious smile showing way too many teeth. Saber had continued to my side. When he looked at the boy, he gave him a very toothy smile.
I put a hand on his back. “Let me handle this, please.” He grumbled his assent.
“Did you, or did you not continue to touch a hunter when they asked you to stop?” Karlos’s voice rumbled out of his massive chest. His shaggy tawny hair, an exact match to his lion pelt, was pulled tight into a ponytail.
“She was asking for it. Look how she’s dressed. Besides, the girls here aren’t real hunters. Not like we are.” Kevin used his uninjured arm to point between the lion shifter and himself.
I almost pitied the kid. Someone had messed up his senses when it came to the place of women in the world.
The rumble reverberating from Karlos’s chest intensified. He stalked forward. His eyes shimmered with a golden sheen, his lion close to the surface. Karlos flexed his fingers and they morphed into taloned paws. Terran shifters didn’t have magical abilities like their Mythos cousins. Instead, they possessed another form—a seamless meld of human and animal. Powerful Terran shifters could choose to morph individual body parts at will.
And Karlos was a very powerful Terran shifter.
“You’re a disgrace.” Kevin backed up as Karlos stalked forward. “Those of us here are family. These women.” He pointed to the four females one by one. “They are your sisters. They will hold you up when you fall, take a knife for you, as you should for them.” I wasn’t sure Kevin realized that his face had transformed into a sneer. “Instead, you make them uncomfortable in your presence. We have tried to correct your behavior, but it seems the lesson didn’t take.”
“You’re just keeping all the free sex to yourselves. Waiting for me to prove myself before I can get a taste.” Where the hell had Kevin gotten the idea that Catch and Release was one big orgy?
“ENOUGH!” The voice boomed from above Liz. We all looked up. Standing only a few stairs above Liz was Curtis, our Guild Master.
Curtis’s gray eyes blazed with anger. Dressed hastily in a crumpled white shirt and dark pants, he clutched a dagger in each hand. I’d never seen him this angry. It caused my heart to beat faster.
With slow, deliberate steps, Curtis descended the stairs. Liz moved to one side. Chris shifted to the other, and a path opened between them.
Our boss didn’t stop until he, Kevin, and I created an odd triangle. Curtis looked me in the eye, assessing. I kept my face blank. I may have once considered selling my body to put food on our table, but not now.
Curtis nodded, then turned to face the twenty-year-old. “You have had multiple warnings regarding your behavior towards the women of this guild. Warnings you have failed to heed.” Kevin cringed. “Now, it is up to me to decide your punishment.”
Kevin sputtered as a red flush crept up his neck. This misconception of women was too ingrained. He must have learned it in childhood.
I sighed. Kevin was horrible to women, but he got along well with all the guys. I could only hazard a guess at his childhood, but I had to think he could be redeemed. After all, if there was no hope for him, what the hell kind of chance did I have.
I could see the fear Kevin was desperately trying to hide. The kid wanted to be here, wanted to be a Reaper for this guild. He took great pride in it.
“You have told me the views your father held. The ways he used to enforce those views in you. But you are no longer in his household, and you have done nothing to see things from a different perspective. You are young but stagnant. And if you hold to this course, you will never find peace.” Curtis’s eyes went far away for a moment. He’d seen something, and he was doing his best to pass on that information.
Curtis had to be careful with what he shared. Give someone too much information and it could lead them down the wrong path. He never told us more about our futures than we absolutely needed to know.
Pity filled me. I had been in Kevin's shoes once, raised to view the world with blinders on, and I knew what it took to overcome that view.
I softened towards the kid a bit. I reached out and put a hand on Curtis's arm. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.
“As the aggrieved party, may I choose his punishment?” Curtis turned his head to face me square on. He studied my face intently. After a few moments, he nodded, then addressed Kevin again.
“Mackenzie has asked to be in charge of your punishment. I am going to allow it. But this is your last chance. If you fail in whatever task she assigns you, I’ll expel you from the guild. Are we clear?”
Kevin looked wide-eyed between the two of us. With only a slight hesitation, he nodded. Good, there was hope for him.
I held up a finger, asking them both to wait. Then I walked over to Karlos and whispered something in his ear. He listened intently. When I finished, a feral smile lit his face. He nodded once sharply, then crossed his arms, glee radiating from him. He was on board.
I walked back over and stood in front of our youngest member. My dress billowed about my legs, and the black pants gave it the illusion of one solid piece. I used every centimeter of my height, vainly trying to match his tall frame. I had to admit, I felt badass.
“Your punishment will be two-fold. First,” I held up one finger, “you will do one nice thing for every female in this building. When you do, you’ll apologize for any harassing comments you have made to them. Get them a coffee, clean their weapons, buy them something, I don’t care, but you have one week to hit us all. Second,” I unfurled a second finger, “you will be switching partners. Sam’s a great guy, but you need a harsher role model. I have asked Karlos if he’s willing to take a new partner, he’s agreed.”
I let that sink in for a moment. I could see Curtis’s eyes start to crinkle. He could see where this was going, and it amused him. A snort from behind me let me know that at least one of the others had figured it out too.
Kevin chanced a glance at Karlos and gulped. He clutched his broken arm closer to his chest.
“For the next six months, you will be partnered with Cameron, our Aeromage Reaper. You will do whatever she tells you. You will call her Cam or Sir. You will watch her back, and if you’re good, she’ll watch yours.”
I watched as Kevin digested my words. Cam was the most powerful mage at the guild, or at least, the most powerful on paper. In her early thirties, Cam didn’t take shit from anyone. She would be the perfect mentor to show Kevin the right path. I just hoped he took the opportunity.
