At Nite (Red Sky Book 1), page 16
“Finch?” Rex glanced up. “You mean the familiar?”
“Leon, yes. If you can control your cat brain for a little while, he may be a fount of information for you, Midnite.” Marquis gave Nite a quick hug and patted his back. “So proud of both of you. I know it’s a lot to happen so fast, but once you get a phone, be sure to put my number in it and give me a ring if Rexford is being difficult.”
Nite nodded and Rex groaned.
“Father! Please. We’re exhausted and new. We get it. You’re proud that your son has secured a familiar.” Rex ran aching fingers through his hair, sore memories from the night before, Nite pulling and grasping his locks in pleasure.
“Fine. I won’t tell you about the funding, then. Or that you’ve got ranking in the council as you’ve your own coven and a familiar.” Marquis folded his arms behind his back, a smug expression twisting his lips.
Rex folded his arms and leaned against a wall, resisting the urge to slide down.
“I hate to be a petty cad, but Justin’s passing will have Baron sniffing about, wanting to ask questions. I don’t believe you’ve met your uncle…” Marquis ground his teeth.
Nite chewed on his thumb. “Can I ask a question?”
Rex and Marquis gave Nite an expectant look.
“Um. I’m missing pieces, but Doris isn’t Rex’s mother and there’s his omega father?”
“Mads. Baron’s…eh…Paramour. He has a mate but Mads is…” Marquis waved his hand.
“Oh. Drama. Does that mean Justin was your half-brother?” Nite’s pretty lips twisted.
“No. Justin was Damien’s.” Marquis tensed, the discussion a painful one.
“Baron always wanted everything Dad ever had. He wanted Damien, a familiar that had an arrangement with him then took him. Then Father met Mads, and Baron eventually took him. They’re not even a triad. Baron is a dick.” Rex sighed raggedly. “Not that Mads is much better. He’s never even called or written a letter. Baron took over the family business and ruined it, threw it into his son’s lap. He’s been living off the family fortune as the firstborn son but can’t stand it when Dad or I succeed in any capacity.”
“Sounds like my stepdad.” Nite huffed, a true morsel of bitterness stifling in the gesture.
“Point is! I think I’ll be ceding as much business as possible with Baron to you, Rex. He’ll be wanting answers I don’t feel I owe him, and since he has no heirs at this point, you’re either a threat or a backup to him.” Marquis shrugged, his expression tilting toward surly. It was the most he’d ever spoken about the situation with Mads.
“Father?” Rex slid the rest of the way down the wall, folding his arms over his knees. Marquis joined him, his posture achingly similar. Nite fidgeted, holding his wand awkwardly at his side. Rex gestured for him to sit at his other side and he did so quite quickly, relaxing at the contact. “How bad is it going to go if I tell Baron to go fuck himself?”
Marquis snorted. “No worse than it already is. I’ve done so plenty a time and he’s never missed an opportunity to rub my nose in the situation with Mads. Shamed our family so terribly. Both times.”
“Was Mads a familiar?” Nite fidgeted with his wand, tracing fingers over the pretty carvings.
“Hmm? No. Damien was. Gorgeous little gray fox. We were set to bind when both our magics were compatible. Baron’s magic rejected him and I accepted and bindings were a little more formal those days. Baron made their magic work and was a better fit, birthright-wise. Spirits above and below, he’s a dick! I loved Mads.” Marquis’s upper lip curled, and he shrugged. “But don’t ever let that fool you for a moment that I don’t love Doris. She’s my better half, and I’m happy with her. Wouldn’t trust my brother around her for love or money though.”
“Speaking of money, what do you think Baron will want?” Rex stretched his legs out and pulled Nite into his side more.
“Money, power, anything I have?” Marquis snorted.
“S’long as he’s not taking me.” Nite nuzzled in happily.
“He can’t. You’re a bound familiar. Your magic is locked to Rex’s. If Rex dies, you get his magic. You will rely on no other mage, ever.” Marquis swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. It’d been a tough conversation.
“Oh. Let’s hope I never find that out.” Nite resumed rubbing against Rex in that catlike way.
“Anyway. You two see to your little one. Dor and I are going shopping for a bit and coming back. Since there’s so much stuff coming and going right now, I think it’s best we stay. Any way I could convince you two to head back to Toller’s tomorrow to see if you can find any more documentation on that Herbert fellow?” Marquis stood and stretched.
“Sure thing. After dinner tomorrow.” Rex hung his head and sighed once before standing as well, drawing Nite up at his side. “So, sidecar, back seat, or jacket?”
“Jacket. Every time.” Nite grinned, his cheeks pinkening.
Chapter Eighteen
Nite
Rolling up on the store in the dead of night should have made Nite feel something. But it didn’t. Unlike every other master he’d had, Herbert had little to no idea what Nite actually was. He’d tossed the word imp about, and knew he had a superior form, wanting to keep that form tamped down. Guilt bubbled at the bottom of his stomach as they pulled up.
“That’s strange.” A light on the upper floor flickered as someone walked past its source. Nite stuck his head out and sniffed.
“Bradley…” Nite sighed. “He’s probably looking for shit to steal.”
“We’ll see about that.” Rex glanced around at the street. Only one car sat there, a Mercedes of some sort, of middling age. “That his car?”
“Yep.” Rex walked by it and casually slipped his wand free, tapping the hood before ducking behind the building. A strange shimmer washed over them and within moments, the car’s alarm blared to life, summoning Bradley out to the street. Even standing in plain sight, Bradley didn’t notice the two, and they slipped in.
“Thought you had a key,” Nite whispered.
“Mhm. You’ll see.” Rex flitted about, inspecting things. Without even studying things closely, Nite knew everything of a certain value had been removed. Either Marquis’s group or by Rex’s. Bradley couldn’t have taken much else. Nobody could get to the secret stashes.
When Bradley swept back in, Rex flowed by him, and it was then that Nite realized he must be obfuscating himself somehow. Invisibility? Camouflage?
Rex tapped his wand on the door, the inner mechanisms shifting to such a degree that opening them without magic would be nigh impossible.
Bradley straightened his shirt and glanced about, keen eye nervous as he shuffled back upstairs and into Herbert’s study. Nite hadn’t had precisely fond memories there, but the room was pleasant. The warm fire hearth and the expensive rug… Totally going to shred that carpet to bits. Nite mewed, the sound catching Bradley’s attention.
“Midnite? Kitty kitty? Here imp, imp, imp.” Rex reached into his jacket and pulled Nite out to perch on his shoulder before dropping the spell.
“Holy shit!” Bradley stumbled back and paled under the low light.
“What are you doing here?” Rex stroked Nite’s head softly. “I mean no harm, but this place is mine. I assume you didn’t know that. So?”
“Looking for a w-will. Uncle Herb said that there was stuff left for me.” Bradley swallowed hard.
He did. He allocated a chest of fairy gold to him, Nite’s soft meow made Rex grin. I know where he kept it. Separate from the treasures.
“So he can talk… Okay. I’m not crazy…” Bradley took a shaking breath.
“Hm? Yeah.” Rex’s tone appeared almost bored, unbothered by Bradley’s presence. “Unfortunately, all but that belongs to me now. Your uncle played dangerous games with the wrong people and owed a lot of money.”
“Figures.” Bradley sighed heavily.
Nite led the way, winding across the study and onto the mantle where he clawed at a panel of the filagree, opening a latch hidden inside. A hidden door clicked open to reveal a cavity.
“Whoa… You got your claws back, kitty kitty.” Bradley reached out to pat Nite’s head and received a hiss in response and a swift swat.
Cocksucker! Nite scooted over across the mantle to lick his paw and swipe the top of his head aggressively to get the scent of the jerk off him.
“She never has liked me that much. How did you fix her claws?” Bradley eyed the little recession, arm visibly twitching as if he wanted to reach and take it.
“He.” Rex stared pointedly. “And he likes me just fine.”
I don’t like you because you pet me backward, tried feeding me those disgusting paste tubes, and tried playing fetch with me like a dog! Nite growled and meowed loudly.
Rex snorted and leaned against the doorframe, studying the human.
“Her. It’s a girl cat.” Bradley’s brow twitched as he glanced from Nite to Rex.
Nite hissed in protest. And you misgender me!
“He. Nite is male. He’s also not a cat, which is why he probably doesn’t enjoy being treated like a pet.” Rex strode over to stroke Nite’s head and flicked the collar, ring dangling from it.
“He… He’s uh… He’s an imp, right?” Bradley shivered, eyes wide.
“No. He’s a mage. That collar kept him a cat when your uncle had him.” Rex’s face tensed up into a terrifying anger, cool and simmering like the calm before a hurricane, that deadly stillness.
“A m-mage! No! He’s like… He’s some kinda creature, right? Come on!” Bradley’s eyes darted toward the door as if he were thinking about making a break for it. “Th-that’s why he wears that collar so he doesn’t monster out!”
Rex shook his head, that steely expression stuck there. “Nope, just a young mage.”
“Come on. Stop pulling my—” Bradley jumped and swore as Nite shifted, delighting in the outfit that Rex had spelled to transform with him. He gripped the edge of the mantle, swinging his legs casually. “Shit!”
Nite leaned forward, brow furrowing. “Does this look like a monster? Jackass.”
“Holy fuck. He’s a mage… He’s a he! He— You’re a mage, too?” Bradley pointed at Rex with a shaking finger, skin paling.
“Yeah, and?” Rex flicked his arm to let his wand slip free before tossing Nite his.
“Look. I don’t want any trouble! I know my uncle was up to shady shit. I’m so sorry about treating you like a cat, dude.” Bradley raised his hands, palms out.
“He left you a crate full of fairy gold for all the shit you stole,” Nite scoffed and gestured to the cubby. “It disappears at midnight, so try to be far away when they realize.”
“Fuck. I can’t catch a break. Fairy gold?” Bradley groaned.
“Depending on how much you help me, I might can sweeten your sour mood.” Rex stared at his nails and glanced up. “With real money, of course.”
“All ears, sir, mage, magus—”
“Rex.” Amethyst eyes flicked up to bear down on Bradley once more and if Nite was a betting man, he’d have put a few dollars on that gaze being magical.
“R-Rex.” Bradley stepped back.
“Now. This.” Rex reached into his pocket and held up a single crystal.
“Ohhh no! Not that shit. No. I don’t do it.” Bradley waved his hands and Rex glanced over at Nite, who nodded to confirm.
“What do you know about it?” Rex twisted the crystal between thumb and forefinger, the pink of it glinting in the low light.
“It’s addictive, expensive, and magical. Three things I’m straight up allergic to, man!” Even though he was a scuzzbag, Nite could roll with an excuse like that.
“Yet you’re here, digging through magical shit.” Rex gestured around.
“Okay. I’d deal with my uncle and play delivery boy but like… This whole mess is dangerous. I am a neutral party.” Bradley shuddered visibly and backed up once more, the backs of his thighs bumping into Herbert’s desk.
“Where did Herbert get it from?” Rex tossed the crystal up and snatched it midair, seamlessly sliding the crystal into his pocket.
“There’s a guy that makes it. I’d go pick it up occasionally, bring back to my uncle. He’d grind it up and sell it upstairs to the right people. Process it.” Bradley braced against the desk, skin paling, making him appear much younger than he was.
Rex glanced over to Nite, locking eyes as an unspoken conversation flicked between them.
You trust this bozo? Rex’s expression seemed to say.
Nite shrugged, glanced over at him then back to Rex, and shrugged again. Eh?
“Anyway, we can spell him not to talk about it?” Nite twiddled his wand nervously.
“Yeah. So, Bradley, here we are. We need every bit of information on those crystals you have. If you help us, we can make it worth your while, financially.” Rex narrowed his eyes and stared Bradley down, using some kind of magic that bubbled in their bond.
“A-and if I don’t want to?” Bradley fidgeted.
“I wipe your memory of having met us with a little charm and send you on your way with your fairy gold, none the wiser.” Rex waved his hand dismissively.
“Not much of a choice. Since you’re going to wipe my memory if I say no, can I ask a few questions? I may be a pussy with confrontation, and have sticky fingers, but there’s a reason Uncle trusted me.”
Rex glanced over at Nite to confirm, receiving a sigh and eye-roll with a reserved nod.
“Where do you think wish comes from?”
“Stardust?” Bradley frowned for a moment as Rex nodded. “Not sure. They said it’s hard to make, but it needs to be cultivated. I guess they’re growing it.”
“Wish is the last magic left in the body of a mage when they die. That crystal is mortal remains.” Rex’s teeth bared as Bradley, if possible, went even paler.
“So they’ve been… Killing you guys to get high off it?” Bradley covered his mouth and slouched, genuine remorse in his expression. “I thought they would like… Used magic to like…”
“They get mages hooked on it until they die of consumption and wipe out an entire coven to harvest.” Rex shuddered.
“Oh, god…” Bradley shook his head. “They’re going after more. I heard talk that they were expecting a huge shipment in…”
“Too late. We intercepted it. So they’re going to be peeved.” Rex grumbled and glanced over at Nite. “How well do you trust Brad here? He passes all my intention checks.”
“I wouldn’t trust him with my wallet, but his courage and loyalty come from a dollar.” Nite furrowed his brow for a second.
“But. Are you curious?” Rex glanced over at Bradley, a wicked smile growing. “Are you curious enough to take over your uncle’s business and help us keep some of this stuff out of human hands?”
“I appreciate it, man, but I have a job and shit—”
“A part-time manager at an auto parts store.” Nite rolled his eyes. “We’re offering you protection, too.”
“Can I m-make demands?” If Bradley went any paler, Nite was going to have to go over and fan him and coax him into breathing.
“Of course.” Rex gestured for him to carry on.
“I w-want to stay here rent-free. And… And I want to only open the store two days a week for the upstairs and be by appointment only for the special stuff. I want real protection spells. I want a guarantee for my safety and I want two grand a month—cash…and commission…”
Nite glanced over at Rex and they exchanged another one of those conversations with their eyes.
That’s it? Rex’s amused expression seemed to ask.
Nite nodded and flicked his brows as if it were that easy. “Sure. But we’ll have to incentivize you not to steal and stay loyal.”
Rex eyed him for a lingering moment and pulled his wand out, watching the male flinch. Rex held it sideways and tossed it to Bradley, a studious look dominating his face as Bradley reached out and fumbled to catch it.
“Fuck! Shit!” Bradley threw the wand down and climbed atop the desk, knocking over paper and a green shaded banker’s lamp in his haste, pens scattering. “What the fuck?”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Rex reached down for the wand and smirked at Nite. “My good sir. I have even more questions because you have an awful lot of magic for a human. How old are you? Herbert was what, in his eighties?”
“F-fifty. I age well.” Bradley pinched his shoulders. “And I’ve been told as much, but I stay so scared of it because half the shit I touch burns me and shocks me.”
Nite nodded sagely. “I’ve noticed for a while he has magic, but it felt wrong… That’s why I hated you petting me! Jeez.”
“Sorry. I usually don’t like cats, but you were so sweet and cuddly and even now, still, I want to— No. You’re different now. Less drawing… Is that because you’re in the greater form?” Bradley glanced Nite up and down.
“Holy fuck, he’s a mage! He was horning after omega.” Nite snorted. “Spirits’ fucking sake, dude.”
“Omega? I was not horning after a fucking cat!” Bradley scoffed.
“I think you were, dude. You know what an omega is? Nite there, different kind of male. There’s my kind of males in mages, alphas, and then there’s Nite’s kind, omegas. Some of them have different magic and can shift into a lesser form. In Nite’s case, a cat.” Rex explained the pregnancy thing, and Bradley didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by it. In fact, he seemed relieved.
“Oh, thank goodness.” Bradley wilted a little.
Rex tilted his head and Nite pursed his lips.
“So like…do you have a mage parent?” Rex crossed his arms.
“Mother? No. Father? Couldn’t say. My mother wasn’t exactly the monogamous sort. Uncle raised me.” Bradley flinched when Rex came near and wrapped an arm over his shoulder.
“Come back with us for a few days. Let’s see if we can get you a wand and a little training, ok?” Rex’s demeanor changed completely, coaxing Bradley into his side.
“Seriously?” Nite bristled at Rex touching the other male for all of two seconds before his mind reconciled. Nite had to trust that Rex was loyal, and also very much attracted to him in a way no other male could garner. But then again…what did Rex have to be loyal to? They’d not had any real discussions. He must have been making a face because Rex sauntered up to pat his cheek, earning a nuzzle in response.
