Minor Magic, page 17
part #7 of Xoe Meyers Series
Emma and Siobhan weren’t present. They were with the other wolves Devin had summoned to watch over them. Emma’s father had been yet to show himself again, but we were still being cautious. If everything went according to plan, it would all become Devin’s problem, should he choose to accept the role of pack leader. After everything that had happened, the chances were likely slim, but I had to try.
“I want to step down as pack leader,” I announced suddenly, interrupting all of the quiet, murmuring conversations that were taking place.
Everyone turned to stare at me.
I bit my lip. “I, er . . . ” I trailed off, realizing I really should have spoken to Devin privately. I met his eyes. “I was hoping that a replacement might volunteer. A replacement that likes it in Shelby, and is strong enough to run a pack.”
He glared at me while everyone silently watched the exchange.
“This replacement would be very good at the job, especially since he likes bossing people around,” I half joked.
The glare deepened.
I sighed. “But if he doesn’t want to take over, I understand. I will remain in the role of pack leader until another suitable candidate is proposed.”
He slumped back in his seat. “I’ll do it,” he muttered.
Abel raised an eyebrow at him. He looked just as bruised, battered, and tired as the rest of us, but still exuded his normal air of power and control. “Truly?” he asked, disbelief clear in his tone.
Devin nodded, then smirked at me. “It’s only fair for me to take a turn. Xoe has done it long enough.”
I grinned so wide my ears hurt.
Allison had obviously filled Max in, since he just smiled, not at all surprised, but Lela seemed worried. She’d gotten attached to me as leader. Being with our pack was the first time she’d ever really belonged, and I understood why a change might worry her.
I pulled my gaze away from her frightened expression, not wanting to draw attention to it and embarrass her. “I’ll still be available in an advisory capacity,” I announced to the room in general, though I spoke for Lela’s benefit.
She visibly relaxed.
“In fact,” I continued, “Chase, Dorrie, and I have decided to open up our own paranormal private investigation firm. We’d like to be available to help demons, and members of the paranormal community alike.”
Jason raised an eyebrow at me. “So you’re stepping down as pack leader just to become more involved in the paranormal community?”
I lifted a finger in the air as if to argue, but I couldn’t. “Well yes, but now people will have to hire me and I’ll get paid for it. And I can turn down any jobs that I don’t like.”
He nodded in satisfaction. “I wasn’t arguing with your idea,” he explained. “I think it’s perfect. You can’t ignore your role as a demon, but you can at least control it.”
Abel cleared his throat and tossed his long black hair over his shoulder. If anyone else was going to stand in the way of me stepping down, it was him. “I’m willing to let you out of your role with the coalition on one condition,” he stated.
A snide comment came to mind, but since Abel was smiling, I sensed he wouldn’t try to keep me in the position against my will. “Go on,” I encouraged.
His smile widened. “I propose that you keep your pack on retainer for any jobs that might involve them. That way, the threat of demonkind remains behind the wolves, and the threat of the wolves remains behind you.”
I grinned. “Deal.”
With that settled, everyone started chattering about the new developments. Max pulled Chase into a conversation about soccer, and Lela, Allison and Lucy starting discussing the new pack dynamic, soon to be interrupted by an inappropriate innuendo from Sam.
I smiled, watching everyone as we all relaxed and sipped our coffee. That was, until Jason caught my eye, and nodded toward the front door.
I tried to keep my breathing even, afraid of what he might want to discuss alone. Would he blame me for making him kill all of those people in the hidden compound? Would he say this was all my fault for getting involved with the wolves to begin with?
I steeled myself, then stood. He followed suit, we made our way toward the front door. No one hindered us, unfortunately.
We walked outside onto the front porch and shut the door behind us, mugs of coffee in hand. My dark thoughts were joined by the sound of cheerful birds, glad that it was finally spring. Jason approached the swinging porch seat and sat, leaving room for me to sit beside him.
I sat gingerly, still a little sore.
I glanced at his calm expression, feeling increasingly anxious the longer we went without speaking. “I’m sorry for dragging you into everything,” I blurted. “You shouldn’t have had to kill all of those people, and I know it was all my fault.”
He smiled softly at me, waiting for me to finish.
I looked down into my mug of coffee, wondering why he was so calm.
“I just wanted to say that I’m glad you’ve formed a goal for your future,” he explained, “and I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be leaving Shelby.”
I turned to him in surprise, sloshing coffee all over my hand. “Because of me?” I asked before thinking better of it. “I’m sorry for what I put you through, and I swear I’ll never ask anything like that of you again.”
He continued to smile serenely. “You can ask me for help any time you need. I’m going to Moab to work for Abel on slightly more . . . mellow tasks. I feel I could use a break from the action.” He held up a hand to stop my next argument. “And it’s not your fault. Just as you have chosen your life path, I need to choose mine, and I’m beginning to think I’m too old for the bounty hunting business.”
“Kind of hard to be too old when you’re going to live forever,” I argued softly.
He chuckled. “You’ll know what I mean once you reach my age.”
My eyes widened. I hated to be reminded that I might be immortal, just like my dad was . . . until he died.
“I’ve agreed to work for Abel for the next year,” he explained, “then who knows?”
My heart felt suddenly achy. Even though I’d only seen Jason off and on lately, the idea of him going away hurt. It wasn’t rational or even fair, but I couldn’t argue with the pain in my chest.
He gently elbowed my arm to get my attention. “Cheer up. I’m sure you’ll find all sorts of trouble to draw me back into.”
I offered him a small smile. It was good that he was going, and I was also glad to know I’d have a friend if I really did turn out to be immortal. I’d need someone to hang out with when I was one hundred years old. Hopefully he and Chase would be over their tendency toward working behind my back by then.
I gazed out at the green grass of the front yard and sipped my cooling coffee. “Life is strange,” I muttered.
He leaned his back against the swing comfortably, his eyes on a family of birds hunting through the grass for seed. “It sure is, but that’s half the fun.”
We sat like that for awhile, then eventually rejoined the others inside. Abel excused himself early, then the rest of us spent the day together, just an ordinary group of friends to anyone that might happen by to peek in a window.
If only they knew the truth.
Epilogue
“It’s crooked,” I observed, standing back on the cobblestone street in the demon underground.
Chase looked down from his ladder, hammer in hand, and sighed. “It was straight the last time you said that, so if it’s crooked now, it’s your own fault.”
“It’s been crooked every time,” Dorrie said from beside me, tapping her foot impatiently with her hands in the pockets of her paint-covered overalls.
I wore equally grungy overalls, with a bandana holding my hair away from my face.
Demons milled in the street around us, trying to take a peek at the new business without being overly obvious about it.
Chase turned back toward the sign with a sigh. “We’re hiring someone else to put up the sign in the human world.”
I crossed my arms and tried not to grin. “But that sign won’t be as cool as this one, so it won’t matter.”
Chase started taking the sign down again as Dorrie and I watched. It read, Minor Magics in big, scrawling letters, then underneath, in a smaller font, Your One-Stop Shop for all Your Paranormal Problems. The sign for our office in the human world just read M.M. Private Investigation. Didn’t want to give the humans too much to think about.
Chase refastened the sign after only moving it slightly. He glanced over his shoulder at us. “How about now?”
“Perfect!” Dorrie and I both said in unison.
With a sigh of relief, Chase finished securing the sign, then descended the ladder. He came to stand on my side opposite Dorrie, and placed an arm around my shoulders.
“Are you ready for yet another adventure?” he asked playfully.
I smirked and looked up at our new office. The start to our new life. I’d travelled to different realms, and been kidnapped multiple times. I’d dealt with ghosts, demons, and the loss of loved ones. I’d been to hell and back, and somehow had come out of it all alive. But was I ready for this?
I took Chase’s hand in mine and smiled. “I was born ready.”
Dear reader, thank you for reading! While this was originally the end of the series, I had enough questions about the series continuing that I decided to continue Xoe’s story. The next installment takes place a few years in the future and was originally going to be a new series, but on second though, I thought it would be less confusing and easier to find as a book eight. Without further ado, The Demon Code, book eight, can be found here!
MINOR MAGICS: THE DEMON CODE
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Sara C Roethle, Minor Magic
