Chapter Thirty

“What’s your deal?” Flynn demanded as he settled next to Ky where they’d perched on an empty apartment balcony to monitor the confrontation with Simon. They had a view of a restaurant where somehow Colin knew Simon took breakfast every morning when in Glasgow. How Colin managed to get the information no one questioned, even though it felt almost precognitive or post-cognitive—was that even a word? At least some ability far more than a mere recordkeeper should have. “You’re jumpy. Please don’t shoot me by accident.”

“I had tea instead of coffee for breakfast.” He rubbed the back of his neck. He knew damned well Flynn referred to the bitter huff Vivi had been in this morning. Maybe it was the fact she refused to look his way during the few moments they’d shared the same breathing space at the hotel. Or maybe it was when she muttered “coward” that clued everyone else in.

“Ky…” Flynn rolled the lollipop in his mouth from one side to the other. “You went into the woods with her and both of you came back a hot mess.”

“We established there’s nothing between us. For sure. The magic in there messed with our heads.” Bullshit. I established the rabid feelings I have for her are not only still alive but also reciprocated. He unholstered his gun, made sure a round was chambered, and caressed the familiar handle.

“Uh-huh.” Flynn compressed his lips and then laughed. “There’s most definitely something there. But you decided there needed to be nothing between you two. She doesn’t seem to be on board with that plan.” He sighed and glanced upward as if in private consultation with the deity. “This is going to end up like Roman. If you turn green from some botched black-market spell bought to help you forget her, I’m taking pictures and posting them online. Fair warning.”

“Got it. No forget spells. No turning green.” Staring at the restaurant, he detected no lycans. But he wasn’t watching for a male lycan. He scanned for a hint of Vivi. Despite everything, especially knowing he should stay away from her, he still wanted to talk to her. If only for a moment, purely platonic, right? He was kidding himself if he thought that. He wanted to hear her voice and look into her beautiful green eyes.

“Even if she can’t remember anything, she’s your type. She makes sense with you. You get that, don’t you?” Flynn asked.

“Nothing about it makes sense. I don’t make sense even to myself. My head’s so fucked up from everything…”

Flynn rolled his eyes. “She’s oddly magical in a way I don’t get, but you go with it. You’re usually so uptight about anything to do with a woman looking your way, but with her you like it, even encourage it. Ever since your girlfriend died, you act like all women are toxic. Because you’re scared to feel anything. Or maybe because you’re afraid you’ll get another girlfriend killed, since you’re terrible at the once-and-done scenario. I’ve seen you duck into disgusting bathrooms no one in their right mind would set foot into, in order to escape out the window simply to avoid talking to a woman. Not with her.”

“Leave it. She’s better off without me. She’ll find someone else.”

Flynn pulled out the lollipop and pointed the red candy tip at him. “Will she? Who would she be better with? Not a lycan. That’s for sure. A normal lycan would freak over her talking about fairies in the woods. He’d turn her in to the Council. Then we’d be on a whole new mission to save her. Do you want her to end up with some warlock who wants her power? Or maybe a mage? Maybe Dom when he loses interest in Mom?”

“You think it’ll be Dom who breaks up when their whatever it is gets stale?”

Flynn compressed his lips. “Probably not. When she dumps him, then what? Age means little to someone like Dom even though Vivi is one percent of his age.”

“Knock it off. I get your game. If Vivi is into Dom, then at least he can keep her safe and teach her how to use her magic.”

“That’s big of you,” he said sarcastically.

Sensation prickled his skin. Glancing behind him, a will-o’-the-wisp poofed into existence in the corner whispering, “Follow.”

Ky holstered his gun and jogged after the blue wisp. “This way. Something’s not right down there. Call them off. Don’t go in.”

“I’d ask why we’re following some random blue light, but I’ll text the others.” Ky overheard Flynn typing into his phone.

The puff of light led him a quarter mile southeast to a small antiques store in the Park District.

At the doorway, he heard a whisper of “danger” before the will-o’-the-wisp disappeared.

“Here,” Ky announced.

“It told you that?” Flynn texted. Then he swiped through a few screens on his phone. “I turned off all street cameras. Internal security of this store and building is now also nixed.”

Ky nodded, not questioning how Flynn did it that fast or that it’d been done. Same as he expected not to be questioned further about following a blue light that spoke telepathically.

“Should we wait for the others before going in? They’re five minutes out, max.” Flynn swiped through a few screens on his phone. “This store’s ownership history is odd. It’s been owned by someone with a similar name iteration for about a hundred years. Marietta Simone, Mary Simon, Marianne Simmons, and Marnie Sims.”

“That’s not at all suspicious; it’s owned by a magical.”

With a deep inhale, Ky tried to listen to the internal voice, but all he could hear was his raging need to be sure Vivi remained safe. “The ladies should go to safety with Colin, but we’re going to need Roman. Just us. This won’t be good.” He waved at Flynn’s phone. “Text them that.”

Moments later, Roman appeared with Nova, who wore a blond wig with straight bangs under a knitted hat, and Vivi, who looked herself but wouldn’t look his way.

His jaw slackened at the sight of her in those skintight jeans that outlined her long legs. Her jacket with the faux fur at the sleeves was cute. He pulled himself together to say, “I told Flynn these two shouldn’t—”

“It is what it is,” Roman interrupted in an exasperated tone.

Nova said, “We’re safer with you than alone or with Colin. He’s sweet, but it’d be us defending him if someone tried to reacquire Vivi.”

The sign on the door read Closed, but the store was unlocked. Trinkets from many eras crowded cabinets, tables, and walls, predominated by old china, cheap oil paintings, silverware, and used toys. Above the musty smell of stagnant old items harboring the body odor of their previous owners was the smell of sulfur dioxide. Could be the magical entity itself, or from a lit match. The aura of foul magic permeated the air.

“This place is so much more than an antiques store,” Roman announced.

“You think?” Ky picked up magical energy off many of the pieces. This was a magic store disguised as an antiques retailer.

“Smell that? A Dragonfire witch is here.” Roman nodded Nova toward a cabinet of antiquities that blocked the view from the front of the store and spoke quietly to her, “You two guard the door, but stay away from the windows. Disappear. There’s a witch with firepower here.”

“Like bullets or something else?” Nova asked.

Roman’s eyebrows rose. “Something else.”

One moment the ladies were both visible, and the next, neither could be seen with the naked eye.

“How’d they do that?” Ky whispered.

“One of Nova’s skills.” Roman marched to the checkout desk and tapped the bell. Ballsy.

“Hate how unpredictable this type can be,” Flynn muttered as he gripped the hexenspiegel that rested beneath his shirt. The talisman would ensure any spell coming his way would bounce off without affecting him. “Not looking to get barbecued today.”

A woman with long black hair in fine braids that had been pulled into a bun pushed through curtains from the back room. A plethora of piercings wove through her brown skin. In a thick Indian accent, she said sarcastically, “What a surprise. Been expecting you.”

“Have you?” Roman said, “We’re looking for someone we lost. One of our kind.”

“Are you sure you’re not trying to find him?” A smirk tweaked her lips. She scratched beneath her high-collared shirt, revealed a glimpse of an electronic collar Ky recognized. She was one of the human’s brainwashed soldiers? Bad news. Being here independently meant she was under orders to do something like kill them or distract them or kill Simon.

Ky caught Roman’s attention, confirming he caught a glimpse of the collar too.

Roman winked, fast and subtle. He needed Ky and Flynn to distract her for some reason. A time stall. These sucked. Things often got out of hand.

There must be a plan in place he didn’t know about.

Fine. He’d go with it.

“Guess we should start packing a vial of amnesia serum with us from now on,” Flynn muttered. He must’ve seen the signal, too.

“As if I want to get accidentally injected by your inept ass?” Ky tossed back, forcing it to get confrontational. “If we bring it, you’re not allowed to carry it. You’ll probably drop it.”

“It’d solve all your problems right now, wouldn’t it, if you got injected?” Flynn unwrapped a new sucker and popped it into his mouth. “Besides, I’m not the one who drops things. You were the idiot who dropped the stone while trying to control that spirit. Before it possessed you.”

“In case you forgot, it shot thorns from his hands, and two went straight into my arms. Those fuckers hurt.” Ky darted a glance in the direction of the invisible Vivi, wondering what she and Nova thought of this. “Piss off.”

“No, you piss off. You don’t get to throw accusations. You’re no better than me when it comes to dropping shit.”

“Maybe we do this your way, then? She looks like your type.”

“Her piercings are phenomenal.” Flynn’s own face was littered with metal. “Says she’s a top-class lady with style.” Flynn winked in an over-the-top manner at the witch and flashed her his charming grin.

The witch’s eyes went wide as she took a step back.

Ky said, “Can’t keep your pants zipped. That’s your problem. It’s why we have to leave you in the car most of the time. One pretty girl and you lose your mind. Remember last year, when you missed the signal because you were getting blown?”

“She was gorgeous, and I got tired of waiting. I’d been in that storage closet getting high on bleach fumes for sixteen hours straight. At least I’m not off trying to romance my way out of…” Flynn’s lips thinned as he added, “things.”

Yeah, that was almost an oops with Vivi’s memory. But the implication that what he’d shared with her was anything less than extraordinary sparked genuine rage, not this ridiculous ribbing the two of them excelled at to stall. His voice lowered an octave. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Ky…” Roman warned. “Take it down a notch.”

“No.” He shrugged off Roman’s hand. “I want to know what the fuck he meant by that.”

Flynn rolled his sucker back and forth a few times. “If whatever happened meant anything, then you wouldn’t be able to blow it off like it was one of your once-a-decade one-night girls.”

“Shut your mouth. Now.” Ky stalked to Flynn. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Roman uttered a curse and held up a finger at the witch. “We’ll get back to you. This is about to get messy.”

Flynn didn’t back down. “You’re being a dumbass if you can’t see it. Maybe the spell you buy out of desperation will cause your dick to rot off. But that’d be good, wouldn’t it? Another solution to all your problems. She wouldn’t want your rotten dick.”

Ky picked up a commotion from the area where Nova and Vivi were supposed to be. There was the whisper of Nova saying, “Stay here…I mean it.” Then Vivi’s voice, “He’s talking about me, isn’t he?”

The witch moved to leave, but Roman stalked toward the curtained doorway to the back room to block her.

Ky punched at Flynn, who dodged and leveled a solid hit to Ky’s gut. Ky swiped at Flynn’s legs. He missed. Flynn jumped backward and threw a cut into Ky’s back that released a spike of pain.

Flynn said, “You’re out of practice like an undercooked tater tot. All soggy. Keep going and you’ll find out what humiliation feels like. What would she think of that?”

Ky growled and lunged. Flynn caught him head-on. The two of them landed hard against the cash register counter.

“Knock it off!” Roman thundered.

Ky pushed Flynn off him. “If you hadn’t missed the signal, Shane might still be with us.”

Shane. Shit. Shouldn’t have mentioned him. That accusation wasn’t true. Shane getting possessed was a complicated story, but it hadn’t been Flynn’s fault.

“How dare you? How fucking dare you?” Flynn roared and ran at him. They impacted against a cabinet, knocking it sideways. In a deafening crash, porcelain shattered. A solid right hook connected with Ky’s face.

He kneed Flynn, catching him between the legs. Flynn grunted but swung at him again. Instead of making contact, Roman lifted him upward and tossed him away.

“Enough,” Roman growled. “Both of you.”

Ky rose, rubbing his jaw. “Asshole.”

“You owe me an apology,” Flynn said.

“We’ll do some group counseling later. Now shut up,” Roman said.

The witch blinked at all of them as if confused. “Are you two done and ready to get on with our battle?”

“What battle?” Roman asked. “We’re simply looking for information. Our issue isn’t with you. Maybe we’re both after the same person. I’m happy to take him off your hands, and we’ll finish the job.”

Confusion passed over her face. “Aren’t you supposed to be the ones who rush in and save shits like him?”

“We’re no one’s hero, ma’am,” Ky said while righting his shirt. “Our business here is personal. I’d be happy to put a hole in his head for what he’s done.”

“So, you’re not after me?” She crossed her arms.

“Do we have a reason we should be interested in you?” Roman sighed dramatically. “I really don’t have enough give-a-shits today to fight a brainwashed Dragonfire witch. You’ll die. We’ll be hurt, maybe over-crispy. Overall, it’ll be a complete waste of time all the way around.”

She said, “I heard rumors of some psychotic lycan brothers who take down those of us who walk a different path.”

“Did you? I haven’t heard that rumor,” Roman said dryly. “I heard the one about four lycan brothers cursed into slavery to the bloody monarch of England against their will. The king’s a self-absorbed twit, by the way.” He hissed and rubbed his wrist around the curse band. Whenever they denigrated the monarch, they got punished. He held up his wrist and yelled at the tattoo. “He’s a twit. So fuck off.” His face smoothed over. “Sorry about that. Look, I’m under a lot of extra stress today. Like you, we’re imprisoned.” He pointed to her neck. “You want out of your prison, or did you forget you’re owned and collared like a dog that must do her programmed job and then return to her master? They messed with your head.”

She tugged at the collar around her neck and then, as if coming out of a daze, said, “Get this thing off me.” She tugged harder. “Help me.”

No one moved.

Ky said, “Ma’am, we’re not sure if you’re playing us or this is really you realizing you’ve been a captive.”

She stopped. They stared at each other in silent impasse for long seconds.

Roman said, “We’re here for a non-magical lycan who calls himself Simon, but I’m pretty sure that’s not his real name. He’s about five-eight with blond hair and a British accent.”

“No clue who you’re talking about.” The way her eyes shifted said she lied. “Get out of the store. Last warning. You’ve made enough of a mess. You’re not welcome here.”

All three of them jumped out of the way of the blast of fire that shot from her. Technically, it might have come from her mouth, but Ky had never observed one of her kind in action from far enough away to know from which body part the flame originated.

The overhead sprinkler system activated.

Flynn held up his hands to protect his head. “Damn it. I’ll have to do my hair again.”

While dripping with water, Roman removed a small hexagonal piece of wood from his inside jacket pocket and muttered a spell.

The wood stretched and enlarged into a Stubbe shield, one of the few items that offered protection against dragon fire. Sure, an anti-fire potion would be excellent and would likely shut her down if tossed on her, but the potion was hard to come by. Besides, who ran around with a random vial of it unless expecting to confront this type of witch? They met this witch variant so rarely.

Shield in front of him, Roman approached the witch. “If you can’t help us, then we need to speak to your prisoner.” A burst of flame shot out and landed uselessly against the shield. “This is your last warning, witch. Leave and let us talk to him. Or we’ll kill you.”

When the witch said nothing, Ky lunged forward and put handcuffs around her wrists, sending a basket of costume jewelry scattering in the process. Little secret about this type of witch was, if you could immobilize their hands in solid silver handcuffs, they couldn’t shoot flame. So maybe it did come from her hands.

She pointed through the curtains. “I’m supposed to get information from him.”

“Not kill him?” Ky asked.

She shook her head. “Supposed to find out if a lycan female approached him recently.”

The witch grabbed a vial off the counter with her cuffed hands, uncorked it, and sprayed a liquid all over all three of them.

Ky jumped away, rubbing.

It burned. A lot.

Acid.

The water from the fire system only aggravated it.

All three swiped at the liquid. The witch lunged for the back, but as if punched by an invisible force field before she reached the curtains, she was launched backward, landing on her butt against the far wall.

The same invisible force grabbed her by the shirtfront and knocked her head against the wall. Witch officially knocked out.

Nova became visible and crossed her arms. “Vivi, can you help these idiots?”

Vivi darted out from behind the cabinet and searched the counter and shelves until she found a pile of old photographs. She crushed and tore them into pieces and flung paper bits at each of them while muttering, “Exchange the negative intended to harm to good for all, blessed be.”

“I’ll be damned. The burning went away,” Roman said.

Vivi grinned. “Dom was right that anything could be used for that one. Cool.”

“Dom?” Ky asked. “Dom is teaching you?” Maybe Flynn’s comment about Dom meant more than he thought. Had he seen something? He searched Flynn’s face.

Flynn held out his arms in a shrug.

Nova said, “He gives us lessons when he has time. Super-fun stuff.” Sarcasm dripped from her tone. “You’ve met him. He’s about as kind as a sand burr with about as much patience.”

Vivi’s eyes narrowed on Ky. “Why should it matter to you?”

Don’t engage with her. She wants to fight.

“You’re right. It’s not my business,” Ky said.

Flynn disappeared into the back and called out, “He’s gone. Maybe on the run.”