Magic Bleeds kd-4 Read online

  Curran sprawled on the bed with a big self-satisfied smile. “Want to know a secret?”

  “Sure.”

  “It’s not the bathtub, baby.”

  Well, aren’t we smug. I picked up the corner of the lowest mattress and made a show of looking under it.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “A pea, Your Majesty.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  I jumped back as he lunged and his fingers missed me by an inch.

  “Getting slow in your old age.”

  “I thought you liked slow.”

  A flashback to last night mugged me and my mind executed a full stop.

  He laughed. “Ran out of snappy comebacks?”

  “Hush. I’m trying to think of one.”

  As long as we kept sparring, I could pretend that surviving today would be a breeze.

  Curran slid off the bed, presenting me with a view of the world’s best chest up close. “While you’re thinking, Raphael and Andrea are waiting for us downstairs. Nash doesn’t matter, but if I keep the scion of Clan Bouda waiting for too long, I’ll have to smooth his feathers, and I don’t feel like it.”

  “Feathers?”

  “Yes.” Curran snagged a white T-shirt from the drawer. “B’s precious peacock. Strutting around and making sure all the ladies faint in his wake.”

  I arched my eyebrow at him.

  “He’s not a bad guy.” Curran shrugged. “Spoiled, arrogant. Good in a fight, but thinks with his dick. When things don’t go his way, he throws a tantrum. Andrea is perfect for him—unlike his mother, she doesn’t buy any of his bullshit.”

  “So if I invite him over for tea and cookies . . . ?”

  “As long as it’s in public, it wouldn’t be an issue. Just don’t expect me to show up. I’ll be indisposed. If you invite him into our rooms, I’ll rip his head off.”

  “Is it because you’re jealous or because it would be a breach of Pack protocol?”

  “Both.” The muscles along Curran’s jaw tightened. “He handed you a fan so you could fan yourself while watching him. If he steps a hair out of line, he won’t live to regret it and he knows it.”

  I slid Slayer’s leather sheath on my back. “Now is probably a good time to mention that I made a deal with his mother.”

  Curran stopped. “What sort of deal and when?”

  I sketched it out for him while putting on my boots.

  Curran grimaced. “Typical. She picked a moment when you were at your weakest.”

  I shrugged. “It’s a good deal for me.”

  “It is. But then she tried to feed you. That’s my privilege.” Curran held the door open. “B will always push you to see how far she can make you bend. I won’t interfere with the way you handle her, but if it was me, I’d call her to a meeting once this is over. Somewhere public where the two of you would be on display. Make her wait. Half an hour ought to do it.”

  “Are you actually holding the door for me?”

  “Get used to it,” he growled.

  I bit my lip so I wouldn’t laugh, stepped through the door, and Mr. Romance and I went down the stairs to the conference room.

  RAPHAEL PACED ALONG THE WALL, FLIPPING A knife. Andrea leaned against the table. Her face was grim.

  Raphael nodded as Curran and I walked through the door. “M’lord. M’lady.”

  Andrea blinked, her eyes opened wide. “Kate? What are you doing here?”

  “She’s his mate. Where else would she be?” Raphael’s voice dripped bitterness. Something had happened between them and it wasn’t good.

  “It’s not the same for her,” Andrea said without turning around.

  “No, it’s not. She actually came through when our people were dying.”

  “She had a choice. I didn’t.”

  Raphael’s eyes shone with red. “She had the exact same options you did.”

  “Enough,” Curran said.

  Raphael turned around, spinning his knife, and resumed his pacing.

  Curran glanced at me. “You quit the Order.”

  “Ted made it a choice between Brenna’s SOS phone call and keeping my ID on my neck.”

  “So you picked the shapeshifters over the knights,” Raphael put in.

  Andrea shot him a look of pure fury.

  “No,” I said. “I picked people in danger over a direct order to ignore them.”

  Now things were clear. I went to help the shapeshifters and Andrea stayed, and now Raphael wanted to bite her head off for it.

  “I have your dog,” Andrea said.

  Thank you, Universe. “Has he barfed anywhere?”

  “He ate my bathroom rug, but other than that he’s okay.”

  “I owe you a rug, then.”

  She nodded.

  I perched on the table. “What’s the Order’s plan for dealing with Erra?”

  Andrea grimaced. “Ted’s brought in some female knights from Raleigh and they’re setting a trap for her at the Mole Hole. Tamara Wilson is here. Master-at-arms, blade. She’s supposed to be out of this world good and immune to fire. Ted’s going along with your plan to directly challenge Erra. They’ve put her name on a flag and are flying it over the Mole Hole.”

  The Mole Hole used to be Molen Enterprises until it exploded. The slender glass tower once belonged to the Molen Corporation, owned by one of the richest families in Atlanta. Rumor said the Molens had gotten a hold of a phoenix egg. The plan was to hatch the egg, so the young phoenix would imprint on them, giving them a superweapon. The phoenix did hatch, but instead of going “Mommy!” it went boom. Took out the Molen tower and the three city blocks around it. Phoenix didn’t squat once they hatched. They rose, like ancient rockets, straight into the sky.

  Eventually the dust cleared, revealing a perfectly round crater. About a hundred and forty yards across, it gaped almost fifty feet deep and full of molten glass and steel. When the crater cooled two weeks later, a foot-thick layer of glass sheathed its bottom. Enterprising citizens cut steps in the crater’s earthen wall, turning it into a makeshift amphitheater. All sorts of legal and illegal events took place in the Mole Hole, from skateboarding competitions and street hockey to dog fights.

  “The Mole Hole is in the middle of the city.” I frowned.

  “Fifteen minutes from the People’s Casino, twenty from the Witch Oracle in Centennial Park, twenty-five from the Water and Sewer Authority,” Andrea said.

  “How badly was the Order trashed?” Curran asked.

  “It was still smoking when I left at the end of the day,” Andrea told him.

  “Then Moynohan needs to administer severe and very public punishment,” Curran said. “The Order must save face.”

  “He’ll get plenty of spectators at the Mole Hole,” Raphael said. “The last time I was there, the buildings on the edge of it were packed full. At least three thousand people, maybe more.”

  I felt an urge to hit my head against a wall. “You were there when I told him that Erra loves to panic crowds, right?”

  “I was there,” Andrea confirmed. “I refreshed his memory. He told me to shove it.”

  “And that’s the person for whom you will put yourself in harm’s way.” Raphael shook his head. “But you won’t do the same for our people.”

  “He’s one of many knights,” Andrea said. “He’s not the Order. His views are outdated and don’t reflect the attitudes of the majority of the Order’s members. I didn’t swear allegiance to him. I gave my loyalty to the mission.”

  “And that mission is to clean you and me off the face of this planet!” Raphael growled.

  “The mission is to ensure the survival of humankind.”

  “Yes, and Moynohan doesn’t think we fit the description.”

  “I don’t care what he thinks,” Andrea snarled. “I’m there because I dedicated my life to it. It gives me a purpose. Something to believe in. Unlike you, I actually did something with my life instead of wasting my time rutting with anyth
ing I could hold still for thirty seconds.”

  “A lot of good it did you—you sit on your ass in the Order all day long, polishing your weapons, and the one time you could have made a difference, you chose to do nothing.”

  Andrea slammed her hands on the table. “I chose to obey an order from my commanding officer. Discipline, look it up.”

  “They were dying! They called you for help and you did nothing!”

  “Yes, because Kate went there.”

  Derision twisted Raphael’s face. “So you let her take the fall for you?”

  “I’m not her!” Andrea pointed at me. “I can’t just dramatically rip my ID off and walk away.”

  I glanced at Curran in case he decided to wade in. He sat next to me, his jaw resting on his fist, watching them the way one would watch a fascinating play.

  Andrea kept going. “The Order was there for me when nothing else was. Where was your precious Pack and these fabled shapeshifters when I was sixteen with a sick mother on my hands and no way to feed myself? Where were you? I won’t be a flaky slut bouda. When I give my loyalty, I mean it.”

  “You’re giving it to the wrong people, can’t you see that?”

  Andrea’s eyes blazed. “If I leave, Ted wins. I won’t let that fucker force me out, do you hear me?”

  “Do what you want.” Raphael shook his head. “I’m done.”

  Oh, boy.

  “There are only two streets leading from the Mole Hole, so if Erra panics the crowd, she’ll run them either toward the Casino or toward the Water and Sewer Authority,” I said. “Erra gets off on watching people run. The street leading to Water and Sewer is dark, but the street to the Casino is well lit.”

  “The Casino is more likely,” Andrea said. “Not only can she pick off the stragglers, but scared people naturally tend to run toward the light. It gives them an illusion of safety.”

  And the light will be full of vampires. “Erra might be reluctant to destroy vampires, which could limit casualties.”

  “The People won’t enter the fight,” Curran said. “They have nothing to gain.”

  “Nataraja may or may not know the connection between Roland and Erra, but Ghastek doesn’t know,” I said. “He realizes that something odd is going on and he wants a piece of it. He went through a giant guilt rant when I wouldn’t let him have Deluge’s head. He won’t jump into the fight if you or I ask them, but if a knight of the Order calls them . . .”

  “Ted would never approve vampire deployment. He wants this to be solely the Order’s affair.” Andrea crossed her arms.

  “You’re wasting your time,” Raphael said. “She won’t do anything to help you. It would endanger her career too much.”

  “You’re an ass,” Andrea snarled.

  Raphael executed a perfect bow. “Does the Beast Lord require my presence any longer?”

  “No,” Curran said.

  Raphael walked out.

  Curran gave me a beautiful version of an “I told you so” look.

  I turned to Andrea. “If you call Ghastek and tell him that Ted’s planning a showdown with the navigator of undead mages less than two miles from the Casino and doesn’t want the People involved, Ghastek will foam at the mouth.”

  “Thanks for the tip.” Andrea grimaced. “Would’ve never thought of it on my own, being as I sit on my ass all day polishing my weapons.”

  Curran rose. “The Pack thanks the Order for its continued cooperation and goodwill. We look forward to successful relationships in the future.”

  That’s it, you’re done, go away now.

  Andrea drew herself upright.

  “I’m not done,” I said quietly.

  Curran ignored me. “You and I have an understanding, Andrea. Don’t abuse it by insulting your friend and my mate.”

  Andrea walked out.

  I sighed. “You don’t get to decide when I’m finished talking to my friend.”

  Curran perched on the edge of the table. “The conversation was going nowhere. They’re both hurt and neither of them was in the mood to listen.”

  That didn’t change anything. “I thought this was a joint venture. Am I wrong?”

  Curran fell silent for a long moment, obviously picking the right words. “Yes, it is. I know it goes against the grain, but please don’t contradict me again in public. You can scream and kick me in private, but in public we must present a united front. Always. Anything we do outside of those rooms upstairs will be scrutinized and people like B will exploit every rift to their advantage. When a decision is made, I need to know that you will support it.”

  I tapped my fingernails on the table. “Even if the decision was made without my input?”

  He exhaled slowly. “I’m not used to sharing. I’ve never had to do it before. If you cut me some slack, I promise I’ll do the same for you. I will attempt to always include you, but it won’t always be possible. You have to trust me.”

  “Trust goes both ways.”

  Curran leaned closer. “If she were one of mine, I would’ve had my claws on her throat. I permit her to insult you, because she is your friend and you don’t play by the same rules. I want some credit for that.”

  This was going to be an uphill battle. I could see it in his eyes. “You permitted her to insult me because she is a knight of the Order and even you can’t murder them with impunity.”

  “That, too.”

  “As long as you’re aware that I will make my own decisions and I will fight you if you attempt to interfere. I will make an effort to always include you, Your Majesty, but it won’t be always possible.”

  Gold sparked in his eyes and vanished.

  “I deserved that,” he said. “We’re even now. Peace?”

  He watched me carefully. It was important to him. What I said would matter.

  Curran was used to unquestioned obedience and I rejected all authority. He’d never shared his power before and I never had any. Both of us had to give and neither wanted to.

  “Peace,” I said. “This is going to be really difficult for us.”

  “Yes. But we’ll work it out, with enough time.”

  If it got to be too much, there was always the gym.

  We sat in silence for a long minute.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked finally.

  “Erra’s down to three undead: wind, animal, and the third one.”

  “Gale, Beast, and Darkness. And nobody knows what Darkness does.”

  Curran nodded. “Assuming that whatever trap the Order sets for her fails—”

  “Which it will,” I added.

  “—she’ll chase the crowd toward the Casino.”

  “We have to keep her away from the crowd.” I pulled Slayer from the back sheath and put it on my lap. “There is no telling how many she will kill, if they panic.”

  “Not that many,” Curran said. “Most of the deaths will be from people trampling each other.”

  Thanks, Your Fuzziness, that makes me feel loads better. “Ted doesn’t care about the loss of life. He deals in large numbers: the welfare of many outweighs the lives of the few. I can’t do that.”

  “I know.” Curran leaned back. “We’ll take a squad from each clan, female fighters only.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “How many per squad?”

  “Between five and ten. We position them along the roofs. You’ll wait on the street by the Casino. She’ll chase you. If you back away far enough, my . . . our people will swarm her undead helpers. You and I will key on her.”

  As plans went, it was painfully simple, but anything else depended too much on Erra’s actions and she was unpredictable.

  “It makes sense.” I played with my sword, running my hands along the blade. “You shouldn’t go to this fight. You’re male and a shapeshifter; that makes you twice as vulnerable to Erra.”

  “I have to go. It’s in the job description.”

  “It’s not a fight that you can win, Curran.”

  “I don’t get to cherry-pick the
battles I know I’ll win.”

  A narrow smile curved his lips. He looked wicked and almost boyish at the same time. Something jabbed me right under the heart, where I stored my fears, and they surged through me all at once.

  He was mine. He cared for me, he made me lose all sense, he didn’t give a damn about my father. He was what I wanted, because he made me happy. I wanted him like I’d never wanted anyone in my life.

  I knew how this dance went—I’d gone through its paces before. As soon as I started to care about someone, death would snatch him from me.

  Curran was going to die.

  There was nothing I could do to prevent it. He would die, because that was what always happened.

  My throat constricted. “Let me take care of it.”

  “No. You aren’t strong enough on your own. You’ve fought her twice to a draw.”

  “I almost had her.”

  Curran nodded. “I heard. And you could’ve taken her, too.”

  My voice came out flat. “Rub it in, why don’t you.”

  He grinned. “No time for that now. Maybe later.”

  I closed my eyes. There wouldn’t be any later.

  “Are you imagining me rubbing it in?” he asked.

  “I’m counting to ten in my head.”

  “Is it helping?”

  “No.”

  “It doesn’t help me with you either. I used to lift weights to alleviate frustration, but someone blowtorched my weight bench. How did you do it, by the way?”

  “I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.”

  I felt like I was trying to hold back a giant rock as it rolled down the mountain. No matter what I did, it just kept rolling, grinding at me with its weight.

  He was going to die.

  “There is another reason,” Curran said. “You’re my mate. I installed you in my rooms. You aren’t yet alpha. To get you confirmed as alpha, I’d have to bring you in front of the Council and they will bitch, and moan, and drag it out, and our time is short. Besides, the true alpha authority comes once you’ve proven yourself. That takes weeks, months sometimes, and several kills. Because you’re my mate, the shapeshifters will treat you with courtesy, but in the field, when they’re between life and death, they won’t listen to you. Seven squads means seven female alphas. You’ve seen how well they get along on their own.”