A Shift in Fate, page 19
“This is Lestari,” Pele said. “I’ve worked with her in the past for some jobs that required delicate work with memory spells. She’s good at what she does.” Pele’s words were casual, but I had never once in the centuries I’d known her heard her say anything good about a witch or warlock. They were usually dismissed by everyone else because their magic was far weaker than that of daemons or fae.
My eyebrows crept up a little as I surveyed the witch again, trying to ignore the tension building within me. The last time I’d been in a room with a witch, I’d killed her.
“I’m the best at what I do and you know it,” Lestari said. She had a light accent. My travel around the human realm was limited and my interaction with humans even more so, but I was pretty sure she was from somewhere in Southeast Asia. Mmm . . . good food there. My musings over food ended abruptly at her next words. “And you must be the witch killer.”
“Must I be?” I kept my voice flat and gave her a bored look.
“Your reputation precedes you, Nemain,” Lestari replied. “Or do you deny cutting a bloody path across the human realm on your own and then later on with that warlock lover of yours? What was his name? Something annoyingly French?” She tapped a finger against her lips as she thought about it.
“Sebastian. His name was Sebastian,” I answered, and it took me a moment to realize I was rubbing my arms where the blue flower tattoos had once been. They’d been part of a spell Sebastian had cast on me. Every year a new one appeared to mark the death of my lover, Kaysea’s sister, Myrna. Sebastian had been a fan of using beautiful things as tragic reminders. My magic rippled under my skin, wanting to come out, but I pushed it back. I’d promised Pele I would behave and I would. Besides . . . I didn’t want to just blindly kill witches and warlocks anymore. Mostly. This one was starting to piss me off.
“That’s right. Sebastian.” She practically spat his name and then gave me a calculating look. “I heard you killed him. And a few members of the warlock Circle. Sent them running with their tails between their legs.”
“Sebastian had it coming. So did the Circle.”
“No doubt,” Lestari murmured. “And here you are. Needing the services of a witch. Tell me, Nemain, why should I help someone who has spent a good amount of her life murdering my kind?”
My temper flared, and I barely held my magic in check. “You know exactly what sent me on that path. Don’t act like I didn’t have a reason to hate the warlocks and witches. My parents are dead because of your kind. Thousands of others died after your kind stirred up the hatred of the humans and left us to burn.”
“Not all witches helped the warlocks! My grandmother fought back!” Lestari snarled. “She got burned along with the rest for her troubles!”
“So a handful of witches fought back and died. The ones who survived did so by allying with the warlocks,” I snapped back. “That made them fair game to me.”
“Not all the witches who survived were allied with the warlocks,” Lestari scoffed. “Plenty of us were working against them. You never bothered to find out if any of the blood you were spilling was innocent. You fed your rage and never questioned it. It’s what made you so easy for Sebastian to use.”
My control snapped and my magic surged. I knew I wouldn’t be able to contain it. I spun away from the witch and slammed my fists down on the stone table. Crystal blue flames shot out from me, and the table exploded. Frozen shrapnel flew outward. Jinx threw up a shield around everyone in the room, including the witch, and the stone chunks slammed harmlessly into it and fell to the floor.
I stood in the center of the room with my magic raging around me and flames still covering my arms. The room was littered with frozen chunks of the table and ashes. Lestari had taken a step back when the table had exploded, but otherwise she stood her ground. She was doing her best to keep her expression neutral, but fear was peeking through.
Still, she held my gaze when I looked at her and didn’t back down. Guilt nipped at me. I’d promised Pele I would behave, but instead I’d made a mess of her room and probably blew our chance of getting the witch to help us. Pele had overcome her dislike of vampires to not only allow Mikhail and Magos into her bar, but she had also found a daemon willing to help Magos.
“You’re right,” I said calmly and pulled my magic back, but not all the way. Instead, I let it wrap around me the way I usually did when I was home. It meant it was still visible to the witch, assuming she was capable of seeing magic, which I was pretty sure she was based on the way she was studying me. “I was so lost in rage and grief that I didn’t see I was being used. I hurt and I wanted to hurt others.”
Lestari studied me with an unreadable expression. Anger and disappointment rose in me. Not at her but at myself. I had really screwed this up. I gave Lestari a tight smile and turned to apologize to Pele for fucking this up and destroying her table.
“I’ll help your friend,” Lestari said before I got the words out. “Perhaps there is another room we can use?”
Kalen toed a frozen chunk of the table, and I clenched my jaw in an attempt to keep my face from turning bright red in embarrassment. Now that I no longer kept my magic tightly chained up, episodes like this were rarer, but they still happened when my temper snapped. I didn’t know why, but it bothered me that I’d lost control like this in front of Kalen.
“I’m so sorry, Pele,” I said. “Is there somewhere else we can meet for now? I’ll help clean up this room later and replace the. . .”
I trailed off as Finn pulled away from Bryn and bent down to pick up a piece of the table. It was a pretty big chunk, and he needed to use both hands to pick it up. He peered at the frozen stone and carefully looked over all the other pieces.
Magic pulsed from him. He bit his bottom lip as he continued looking at the chunk of stone in his hands. I felt another pulse of magic, and Finn held the stone out straight in front of him and let go. It didn’t fall. Instead, it spun slowly in the air and moved towards the center of the room. The other pieces on the floor vibrated and slowly lifted off the ground.
A little more magic pushed out of Finn, and the pieces snapped into the resemblance of a table, but the pieces didn’t fit together since part of the table had turned to ash in my magic explosion. Finn’s eyebrows bunched together in concentration, and more magic flowed out of him. A loud pop echoed through the room, causing everyone to flinch, and the table slammed to the ground.
It was whole again. Perfect. Not a scratch or crack on its smooth surface.
We all stood around it and stared at it in shock. Even Pele’s mouth hung slightly ajar. Which for Pele was the equivalent of her jaw being on the floor. I slowly turned my head to look at Finn.
He looked around at all of us and back at the table in confusion. Finally, he looked at Bryn. “Did I do good?” he asked, his voice unsure.
“Yeah, kid,” Bryn said firmly. “You did great.” She emphasized her words towards the end and gave all of us a sharp look.
Pele recovered first. “Thank you, Finn,” she said and took a seat at the table, running her fingers along the surface. “This is wonderful.”
Finn looked at her for a few seconds as if he didn’t quite believe her, but Pele just held his stare and gave him a small smile. He returned her small smile and scooped up Luna, who had been sitting by his feet and carried her over to Lestari.
“Can you help my friend?” Finn asked and carefully placed Luna on the table.
If I’d tried to pick you up like that when I was a kid, you would have scratched my eyes out, I thought dryly at Jinx.
Your hands were always dirty and gross.
“I’ll try,” Lestari said, cutting into my private argument with Jinx. “Luna, I’ll need to take a look at your mind to evaluate the current state. Are you okay with me doing that?”
Yes, Luna replied.
Lestari nodded and took a seat in front of Luna, a look of concentration on her face. The rest of us sat at the table and said nothing. Minutes ticked by as Lestari continued to poke around in Luna’s mind. If this didn’t work, I wasn’t sure what our next move would be.
“Okay, I can fix this,” Lestari said. “It’s going to take some time though, and I’ll have to prepare a few things.” Relief flooded me. Finally, something was going our way.
“How much time?” I asked.
“Mending the mind is delicate work,” Lestari said. “Luna’s memories are already coming back, which is good. All I’m going to be doing is encouraging that to happen faster. It will take several hours.”
“Okay.” I looked around the room. “Pele, is there someone who can guide Magos in the daemon realm? I’m guessing that will take some time, and we might as well get it done now.”
Magos looked at me, a question in his eyes.
I smiled. “How would you like to walk in the sun again, my friend?”
He blinked and seemed taken aback before a wide smile spread across his face. “I would like that very much.”
“Mikhail must go as well. Asmodeus will serve as a guide,” Pele said. “I already filled them in on what was going on, and they were more than happy to assist.”
I bit back whatever smartass comment I was going to make. Pele was hiding it well, but I knew she’d have words with me later over losing control of my magic. Teasing her at the moment over the centuries-long crush Asmodeus had on her wasn’t a good idea for my health, so instead I just said, “Perfect.”
The three of us headed downstairs and to the bar. Asmodeus was working along with two others when they saw us. “Asmodeus,” I said in greeting and gave them a wide smile. “This is Magos and his nephew, Mikhail. I assume Pele filled you in?”
“She did.” Asmodeus nodded, the overhead lights from the bar gleaming off their dark mahogany skin. They had the same bright turquoise eyes as Pele, but their skin was several shades darker, creating a beautiful contrast with their eyes. “Are you all ready to go?” At my nod, they moved towards Pele’s office and pulled the curtain aside. “After you.”
We walked into Pele’s office and waited by the dark wooden arch that took up most of one side. The sound from the bar cut off as soon as Asmodeus let the curtain fall back into place. I looked over their appearance as they walked across the office.
Black pants that were high-waisted but loosely cut in the legs. Their top was also black but fit tightly against their skin and cut off at the midriff, giving us a delightful view of the hard muscles across their abdomen. The sleeves were long and loose but had a slit cut out across the upper arms, giving us a glimpse of more well-toned muscles. It was a beautiful outfit that was neither masculine nor feminine, reflecting Asmodeus’s nonbinary nature.
I narrowed my eyes in speculation. “Is this outfit one of your sister’s designs?”
“Yes,” they said casually. “Just something new they’re working on.”
I moved slowly around Asmodeus as I scrutinized the outfit more. The pants fit loosely around the legs, but they were pretty tight on the top, doing wonders for their ass.
“So now your sister, who has a thriving fashion business, is also spending some time trying to move along your relationship with Pele.” I grinned wickedly.
“I don’t know what you mean,” they replied and tapped some of the glyphs on the side of the arch.
I snorted. “It’s been almost a century, Asmodeus. That’s a hell of a long time to be carrying this torch.”
Asmodeus ignored me like they usually did when I brought up this topic and stepped back from the gateway as it finished opening. “Asmodeus will stay with you and guide you back.”
Mikhail nodded and strode through the gateway. Magos paused before me, his copper eyes gleaming. “Thank you, Nemain.”
I shook my head. “This is all Pele’s doing.”
“I will give Pele my thanks as well,” Magos said. “But this is only happening because of you, so thank you.”
“I’m only doing it because having Mikhail as my only option during daylight hours doesn’t work for me. You’ve made it pretty clear you’ll be sorely put out if I kill him.”
Magos shook his head as amusement lit up his features, and he followed the others into the daemon realm.
The meeting room was still completely silent when I returned to it minutes later. Everyone was completely focused on Luna and Lestari. The silver grimalkin in her fae form was perched on the table like a sphinx. Jinx sat on the table as well, not touching Luna but still close. Lestari was sitting on a chair directly in front of her and staring directly into Luna’s unfocused lavender eyes.
Neither was moving a muscle. I grimaced slightly. Mind magic was fragile and intense. Finn was positioned equally still next to Luna and holding onto her paw lightly. I’d never encountered a young kid who was so serious and calm all the time. Bryn stood directly behind him, a worried expression on her face. I had no doubt that were Finn to turn around and look at her, she’d drop that expression for one of confidence.
Pele, Eddie, and Kalen were drinking what smelled like tea at the other end of the table. I quietly joined them.
“It will probably be at least another hour here,” Pele said and glanced at Kalen. “Any idea when the Queens are going to demand Finn’s presence?”
Kalen studied his teacup with a thoughtful expression. “Most likely within the next twenty-four hours. Both Queens are aware he is in Nemain’s care. They will want to meet him in person.”
Bryn’s eyes bore into me as I thought about our options. If the fae Queens made a direct request to bring Finn to them, we couldn’t deny it. The fae Queens did not accept no as a response, and we couldn’t afford to go to war with them. But we also couldn’t just waltz into their domain without having precautions in place and an escape route planned.
“We’ll decide our next course of action once Luna has her memories back and can help us fill in Finn’s history. And maybe shed some light on what Balor is planning.” I looked at Kalen, and he met my eyes. “Finn, Bryn, and Luna have my protection for as long as they want it.”
“And if the Queens want the boy to stay in the fae realm?” Kalen asked in that polite tone of his.
I shrugged. “It’s not the first time they’ll be denied what they truly want now, is it?” I matched his polite tone, but I let the challenge show in my eyes.
Kalen’s polite mask slipped slightly, showing a glimpse once again of that cunning predator I was sure was the real Kalen. “Easy to make such a declaration. Another thing entirely to follow through. Just how much are you willing to sacrifice to protect that child? You barely know him.”
“I know enough.” My voice was hard, and I let my magic out a bit to wrap around me. “He will not pay the price for the actions of his parents. And he will not be used as a political pawn.”
Kalen leaned forward slightly, his mask slipping even more, but his magic stayed hidden. “If you continue on this path, you will be known to the fae Queens. You might be able to shelter the boy while he grows up, but your time in the shadows will officially be over. You will be sought after by the fae Queens.” Kalen glanced at Pele. “And the daemons. Your magic will not be ignored, and everyone will seek to use you. Or kill you. Most likely both.”
“I know the price.”
Kalen leaned back and slipped the polite mask back on. “I suppose we’ll find out.”
Of that I had no doubt. I was on a collision course with the fae Queens. There was no avoiding it at this point. The best I could do was try to steer the outcome so me and mine received the least amount of damage as possible. But I had no false hopes of coming out of this unscathed. Dealing with the fae always came with a cost.
I looked back at Finn as he sat patiently by Luna’s side, waiting for his friend to be whole again. His parents might be the bad guys, but that didn’t mean he was one. He deserved a chance to grow up without being influenced by his parents or the fae Queens. I didn’t know how yet, but I was determined to make that happen.
“Is there an empty room here with a mirror I can use?” I asked Pele. “I want to check in with Andrei. If he doesn’t answer, I’ll make a run out to the wolf lodge to make sure everything is okay.”
“Use the room next door.” Pele gestured to the left. “If you end up going out there, take Kalen with you. If there’s trouble, you should have backup.”
I rubbed my face to cover the small smile that played across my lips. Kalen likely would have come with me anyway, but Pele’s suggestion would make sure he did. If Lestari finished with Luna before we got back, Pele would determine whether any information should be hidden from Kalen and the fae Queens. Kalen was clearly thinking the same thing, but he didn’t seem the least bit upset about possibly missing out on important information. If anything, he looked amused.
“Pele, I know it’s a lot to ask, but would it be possible to set up a ward around the wolf lodge? I should have asked you to do it before. I don’t think the werewolves are going anywhere.” Even if Andrei is, I thought sadly. I’d been so happy to have him back in town, even with everything going on, but it hadn’t taken long for things between us to get off course. “They’re defenseless out there. Part of the trouble that may come their way is my fault. The least I can do is make sure their home is protected.”
Pele frowned at me. “First you have me help a vampire, now the werewolves. I’m not liking this pattern, Nemain.”
“You know I’m good for it.” I winked at her, and she rolled her eyes.
“I’ll send Asmodeus out when they get back. They’re quite good with wards.”
“I’m sure they’re quite good at a lot of things.” I gave Pele an innocent look.
She gave me a blank stare and sipped her tea. I might have been imagining it, but I was pretty sure she was fighting back a smile. Hmm . . . maybe things were progressing on that front. I’d have to gossip with Kaysea about it later.
“Give me a moment. I’ll try one more time on the mirror before we head out.” I left the room and entered the empty one next door. Once again, no one answered and the worry I’d been trying to ignore surged up. I took a few deep breaths and pulled my magic back in so it wouldn’t be on display as we walked across the bar. A few minutes later, we piled into my Chevelle and sped out of town with the engine roaring.
