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I remember sadness on a man’s expression as he stared at me. He went down on his knees and with a gentle smile reached for me. I remember flinching away from his touch, but all he did was make promises that everything would be okay. And he was right. He ensured that everything would be okay.
—Nyssa’s Journal
“Nyssa,” Landus rubbed at my cheek, drawing me out of my dark thoughts. I pushed into his touch. “Where did you go?” he whispered.
“Nowhere. I’m right here. I’m always right here.”
He let out a breath. “I wish I could believe that.” He stepped back and grew serious. “We need to figure out what’s going on, what Baron wants with you, why he wants our people.”
“That ceremony he was doing last week looked like a very dangerous and highly illegal spell,” I said.
“He’s a bad guy, I doubt he cares if his spell is illegal or not.”
“True. But it does tell us one thing. That whatever he is trying to cast is very dangerous and shouldn’t be completed.”
Landus growled and I patted his chest.
“Relax. We’ll figure this out.”
“For now, we will go back to my place. You can’t stay here,” Landus said.
I looked at the battlefield that took apart my house. “That’s true.”
“I’m surprised the police or the corps haven’t shown up yet. We weren’t quiet.”
“I’ll give the corps a call so they can come clean this up,” I said, pulling out my cell phone. Corps was a law enforcement branch that dealt strictly with magic, energy, and beings. The normal police officers didn’t have the capabilities or the gifts needed to deal with the supernatural community and so the corps came to be.
“Chessi,” I sang into the phone when a male answered the phone.
“Nyssa, shouldn’t I be the one calling you?” His voice came out tired and cautious.
“I don’t know, did something happen?”
“Not that I know of. I’m usually the one calling you is all. I’m just surprised. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Yeah, I’m calling in one of your many debts. I need you to come clean my house.”
He sputtered over the phone. “I’m not a fucking cleaning lady,” he growled.
“No, but I have over fifteen dead bodies for you scattered throughout my house and backyard.”
He was silent for a moment.
“You know, I’ve been getting tons of weird reports about gates and whatnot. It has us running around like idiots. Does this have to do with that?”
Damn Chessi, being too smart for his own good.
“Probably if all those reports mean more dead bodies. I don’t have a gate here if that’s what you were asking, though. Just dead bodies.”
“Fine. I’ll have a team out there within the hour. I want a report when we get there.”
“I’m taking off. I don’t want more coming after me so I’m going to go into hiding.”
“Are you sure I’m talking to Nyssa. This is her right, because I swear I just heard a wussy speaking to me just now.”
“Har. Har. Shit is happening and somehow I’m in the middle of it.”
“Then get out of the middle of it.”
“If it were that easy, I wouldn’t have dead bodies in my house right now. There’s no getting out of it.”
He stayed silent for a few moments. “How bad, Nyssa? Don’t bullshit with me. How bad is it?”
“I don’t bullshit.”
“Just tell me,” he snapped.
I sighed and glanced at Landus, whose eyes were on my face. He looked pissed off, his lips in a thin line, but he kept his mouth shut.
“If this man gets what he wants, we will lose four different kinds of beings because he’s intent on wiping them all out.”
“Shit,” Chessi swore and then went on a swearing spree, probably getting dirty looks from his co-workers.
“What can I do?”
“Come clean this mess up, they’re starting to smell. We’re currently trying to find him, but it takes time.”
“Give me more than that.”
“I can’t. This man is dangerous and I don’t need you as cannon fodder. Enough people are involved as it is.”
“Dammit, Nyssa. I’m the Director of Supernatural Investigations. Don’t you think I should be in the know about some supernatural bastard going around with a massive hit list?”
“Probably. I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
I hung up, ignoring his yells, and tucked my phone away.
“Well, that went well but we should get going. I’m about ninety percent sure he has men already on their way, and they’ll be here in less than five minutes.”
“Let’s get out of here then.”
He grabbed my arm and led me out of the carnage of my house.
I looked back at my home and felt only a tinge of sadness. I liked that place. It wasn’t fancy, but it held everything I loved in there. My cameras were still there, all my gear, the work of arts I bought throughout the years. I’d be back, of course, but it didn’t make leaving any easier.
I turned to Landus’s big fancy truck and climbed inside.
My phone was ringing before we even pulled out of the driveway.
“It’s Maura,” I mumbled and answered the phone. “How’s Cecil?”
“We got her stabilized, and the poison stopped spreading so aggressively. It’s still going but slowed down enough to give us more time.”
“How much time?”
“Another week or so.”
I swore softly, a deep weariness settling over me. “We need to heal her. She needs to get better.”
“I know.” She sighed into the phone before saying something to someone in the room, though I couldn’t make out the words. When she came back on the phone, she sounded weary. “I have more news.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Baron’s men attacked our shields. They didn’t get in.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
“No one. You’re still with Landus, right? Let him know for me.”
“I will, thanks.” I hung up. “They tried to get through the protection spells the witches set up. Didn’t work.”
I flipped through the contacts on my phone.
“What are you doing?” he asked, pulling onto the interstate.
“I’m calling the mages and the vampires to see if anything happened with them. You should check in with your shifters.”
“They’re fine. I know when an attack happens.”
I shrugged and listened to the phone ring. I thought it was just going to go to voicemail when Mr. Sharo answered.
“What?” Clearly something had happened if he was so irritated.
“It’s Nyssa. I’m checking in to see if you’ve been attacked.”
“Damn right we have. That fucker killed three of our vampires and the Queen is screaming for blood. I can’t deal with you right now.”
He hung up on me. I stared at the phone, never having heard him talk like that.
Landus smirked at me. “Just let them handle their own problems.”
“And lose chances on getting my hands on Baron. Fuck no.”
I called the mages next. Mage Thomas answered on the second ring.
“Thank goodness, Nyssa. We’ve just been a-attacked. We lost two mages and a s-student.”
“And you answered my question. What happened? Don’t you have new wards up?”
“They broke them somehow. Some guy just came and lifted his hand. Our wards crumbled in seconds. They were our best ones too.”
I pursed my lips. “Can you describe the man to me?”
“Around s-six-two, dark brown hair pulled back in a p-ponytail, looks to be in late twenties. Nearly black eyes. Dark skin. He was a beast. He killed two of our master mages in moments and the student was collateral damage. After the attack, they left.”
“Thank you, Mage Thomas.”
“You need to stop this.”
“I do?”
“You’re strong, you can do it, if not any of us.”
“We will solve this.” I stressed the “we” to let him know he couldn’t just push his duties off onto me.
He grumbled and I hung up on him. Let him worry himself into an early grave.
“Did you hear all that?” I asked Landus.
He nodded, his grip on the steering wheel tight.
“There is another player who looks to be just as strong as Baron at his side.”
“He’s upping the stakes,” Landus commented, and I agreed with him.
“Are there any special events coming up?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Like the full moon or an eclipse or blood moon or some weird star arrangement. Something that will make magic stronger. A time limit. I feel like he has a time limit if he’s increasing the stakes. He needs to do something before something happens. If we find that out, we’ll have a better chance at taking him down instead of spending our time playing catch-up. We need to be active in hunting him.”
“I’ll look into it and fill Maura in. She has more sources when it comes to magic and rituals.”
I nodded and stared out my window, watching the moon work its own kind of magic. The night beasts were all out and about now, enjoying their own kind of living, whether that was hunting or trickery or just messing around.
Landus pulled into his driveway and helped me out of the truck. We walked solemnly into his house and up to his large bedroom.
Landus pulled me into his chest and I just stood there, not really wanting comfort. He seemed to sense this and put a little bit of distance between us with his hands on my waist.
“I won’t let him have you, Nyssa.”
I examined his face, taking in the determination. His eyes were a couple shades darker, making promises he could definitely keep.
“Thank you,” I said and patted his cheek, rubbing my thumb over the bristles of the hair on his jaw. “Can I just take a shower and go to bed? I just want you to hold me.”
He smiled a little. “I can do that.”
Taking me into his bathroom, he turned on the shower, making sure it was the right temperature. When he was happy with it, he slowly stripped me, taking care of me without making it sexual. I tried to not fidget, the experience completely different. I liked it. He made it so intimate. When he finished, I returned the favor, taking my time and enjoying the small movements, light touches, and the knowing looks.
The shower experience was the same. We washed each other, taking our time, and never making it sexual. We took care of each other, letting the shower wash away the fight and the dark thoughts.
When we finished, we crawled into bed. He wrapped his arms around me and drew me in, snuggling close.
~*~
I woke up, still snuggled in Landus’s arms. I didn’t move and just enjoyed the feeling of him against me. His head was tucked into the back of my neck, his hot breath tickling the exposed skin there.
I tried to relax, to keep enjoying it, but then I had to go to the bathroom and got all squirmy, plus Baron was on my mind. These last two weeks had been nothing but stressful because of him, and I did so well living a stress-free life since coming out of the Woodlands. Well, mostly stress-free. I still had nightmares I couldn’t understand and jumped at shadows once in a while or kicked a few people who tried to sneak up on me.
“Stop squirming,” Landus whispered into my ear and I stilled. His grip tightened and he pushed into me. I could feel his erection pressed against my butt. I squirmed again and he groaned. I smirked and then slipped out of bed.
He looked at me with sleepy, needy eyes, and I had a flash of fear before lust took over.
“Are you going to leave me here like this after squirming so much?” he asked.
I smirked. “Not my fault you have such weak control.”
I walked to the bathroom with a sway to my hips that I knew drove Landus up a wall. He groaned again in frustration while I closed the door. It only took me a moment to realize this was the same bathroom from when I went through the gate. The very first time I met Landus. I was out of it yesterday and didn’t bother noticing. It was still too much, definitely made with money, and bigger than my bedroom at my house.
I walked over to the his and hers sinks and looked in the mirror, blinking a couple of times. I looked different, but I couldn’t figure out how or even why. I just knew that as I looked at my face, something was off.
There was a light tapping on the door. “Nyssa, let me in.”
“No,” I said.
“Please, I really need to go to the bathroom and you’re only standing in front of the mirror. I never took you as a vain person.”
I nearly growled as I released the lock. He came in and leaned against the sink. His gaze blazed over my body taking in all my curves and lines. I knew I was beautiful. Not in a vain way, just that men and even women have complimented me enough times. I wasn’t sure how they knew I was beautiful.
Landus’ attention made me feel more than beautiful though. He made me feel like a fricken goddess, something I’d never felt. Another emotion he made me feel. I barely held back the frown.
“Nyssa,” he whispered, sensing some of my distress. “Are you okay?”
“Good enough.” I forced a smile.
Slowly, his smile twisted into a smirk. “In that case, how about we take another shower, and this time I’ll take care of you in a different way.”
His shift in emotions brought a laugh out of me. “Sorry, you’re going to have to handle it yourself this morning.” I eyed his impressive erection with a smirk. I winked and slipped out of the room. The man was a sex maniac. Which I loved. But he also knew not to push me. Which I liked even more.
When he came back out, I was sitting on the bed with my legs crossed, the phone in my hand as I fidgeted.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I think we should set up a meeting with everyone. Shifters, witches, mages, and vamps.”
He stiffened and stopped digging out clothes to change into.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“I know everyone hates each other, but we really need to communicate and come up with a plan. We keep reacting to him instead of being on the offense. We can’t keep doing this. He’s increasing the stakes, so we need to do the same.”
He contemplated what I said as he dressed. After pulling on his jeans, he turned to me and nodded. “Fine, but you make the calls. I don’t want to deal with the vamps.”
After his harsh response, he stalked out of the room. Even if he agreed with my idea didn’t mean he’d be happy about it. But something had to give. We couldn’t keep doing what we were doing now.
I made the phone calls and was even smart enough to choose a neutral location out in Central Grove where they could all meet in the small little section that none of them had claim to. It was a little pocket their territories or areas didn’t reach. They couldn’t complain about the area and get pissy for having to allow another group on their land or close to it. I even made reservations at a nice fancy restaurant.
I went downstairs and found Landus in his kitchen making a sandwich. “We will meet with everyone tonight, after the vampires wake up from their sleep. Around nine o’clock.”
“Okay.”
“Do you want to spar?” I asked.
He finally turned to look at me. He tilted his head to the side as he tried to assess my mood. Finding what he wanted, he broke out in a smile and nodded.
“Come with me,” he said and turned, strolling out of the room. I followed behind.
We walked down into his basement and into a training room. Everything was matted, with weights scattered about, along with punching bags on one side, and weapons filled up the opposite wall.
“Fancy,” I remarked, taking in all the weapons.
“How do you want to go about it?”
“Bare hands, no weapons. And no shifting.” It was unnecessary to add on that last bit. Landus rarely shifted, and I was pretty sure only a select few knew what his beast was. He kept it so well hidden from even his pack mates. And though I was supposedly a phoenix, I hadn’t been anything but human-shaped. I think.
“Okay,” he smiled.
We loosened up briefly and then began circling each other in search of weak spots. I tested the waters with some punches and kicks, and he gave nothing away as he defended himself. Then we grew serious.
It didn’t take long for us to wail on each other, holding very little back from. We worked up a good sweat with some nice bruises and only a little bit of blood. We both breathed heavily, like we were in sync with each other. He knew what move I was going to make before I even made them, but I had the same instinct too. He would go for a punch or a kick or a flurry of complicated moves that I was able to defend against because it was like his thoughts went into me and I was able to respond to him before he did any damage.
Finally, we separated and eyed each other warily. We weren’t getting anywhere like this. This was proof that our bond was strengthening. Did he know what he was to me? I hoped not. I wasn’t even ready to admit what he was to me.
“You fight mean,” Landus said.
I smirked. “I fight dirty. I fight to ensure that I’ll win.”
“Because of the Woodlands?”
I nodded and pursed my lips for a moment as I thought about one particular moment that nearly got me killed early on. I shook the memory away.
“Plenty of beings in Teragona think they’re hot shit, but once I see them, I know. They wouldn’t survive a day in the Woodlands.”
“Am I one of them?”
“You know you are. And I agree. You can survive out there.”
He smiled. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“That’s a big compliment coming from you.”
I sniffed. “Well, if you weren’t as good as you are, I wouldn’t be here with you now. I don’t like weak people or those who aren’t at least on par with me. They just become cannon fodder.”
“Is that because you like to run into danger?”
“No.”
“Then why is it so important that I’m as strong or stronger than you?”
I glared at him, letting a little of my fire show. “Because then I know you won’t die so damn easily. In any situation. You’re almost as much a survivor as I am. You know how to handle yourself in dangerous situations.”
“And that is important to you.”
I nodded and looked at the floor. “I can’t really say why I feel like that. It’s just how I feel.”
He nodded. “I understand. Do you want to go another round?”
I smiled up at him and nodded.
