Hazel chuckled. “Not at all.”

  This time it was Cassie’s turn. “But?”

  “I think you should tell me.”

  Damn you, Hazel!

  Cassie hesitated, and then said, “I guess it’s also what followed.”

  “What followed?”

  What followed was the two of them laying in each other’s arms as Esras gently stroked her back. Cassie had been all but lulled to sleep as she whispered into his ear, “So, one of our mages was murdered.”

  “Hang on,” Hazel said. “Just to be sure. This was right after the two of you had sex.”

  Cassie’s eyes toggled back and forth. “A few minutes, but yeah.”

  Was that weird? Now that Cassie thought about it more, it did seem kind of weird. No words of endearment. No declarations of love. Sex done and straight back to business.

  “Please continue,” Hazel said.

  Esras tensed against her as he lifted his head from the pillow. He looked into her eyes. “I’m so sorry. Did you know him? Cassie, why didn’t you say something?”

  “No, I didn’t know him.” And I didn’t say anything because you make me so freaking horny. “Then we were attacked,” she added. “We were in his gem shop and the place suddenly burst into flame. If it wasn’t for Beatrice, we probably would have died.”

  Esras frowned. “When did this happen?”

  Cassie rolled off of him, supporting herself on her elbow. “Last night. And I’m fine, obviously. Try not to worry.”

  “How could I not worry? You just said you almost died.”

  “Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration,” Cassie said. “But things got a bit hairy for a moment.”

  Esras’s frown deepened. “She attacked you with hair?”

  Cassie tried not to laugh. Sometimes certain expressions just didn’t translate. Another reminder that they weren’t from the same realm. “She didn’t attack us with hair, silly. She attacked us with fire. Like I said, try to relax.”

  “I fail to see how that’s better.”

  Right. Good point, although on some level Cassie would prefer to die by fire than by hair. That would have to involve a lot of gagging.

  “Forget all that,” Cassie said.

  “But I just learned about it.”

  Okay, Mr. Literal. Did she have to create some sort of guide to human slang? She stared at Esras’s pointed ears for a moment, then brought her gaze back to his dark eyes again. “But everything is okay here, right?”

  Esras cocked his head. “Yes, things are fine.”

  “So, no strange happenings? No demon sightings? Nothing like that?”

  Esras narrowed his eyes. “Is that really why you came here?”

  Oh, shit. It hadn’t been, right? At least, not entirely.

  Cassie shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I wanted to see you too.”

  “Too,” Esras said.

  Crap. He might be bad at slang, but he was pretty damned sharp when it came to everything else. “Oh, come on. I meant I wanted to see you, but I was curious about that too.”

  Esras started to get out of bed. Cassie gathered the sheets around herself, suddenly feeling naked.

  “I take it he didn’t believe you,” Hazel said.

  Cassie sighed. “No, he didn’t. And he was right, wasn’t he?”

  Hazel waited, her eyes meeting Cassie’s. “About what?”

  Cassie ran her hands through her hair, pulling it back. She sighed, not comfortable with facing the truth. “That I’m all about conflict. Fighting battles. That’s what brought us together to begin with. We were part of the resistance. We fought to bring down the Seelie regime. Then we won. Since then there’s been just sex. Cuddling. Wine. Stuff like that.”

  In other words, normal, Cassie thought. Intimacy. Relaxation. Peace. What everyone else in the entire universe hoped for. What the hell was wrong with her?

  Hazel handed her a tissue before Cassie even knew she was crying. She mopped her cheeks and accepted another tissue to wipe her eyes. “There’s something wrong with me, isn’t there?”

  Hazel looked pretty damned close to crying herself, but she held it together. “Cassie, you’re just complicated. There’s a lot going on with you.”

  Yeah, that’s one way of looking at it. Cassie wiped her eyes again, then blew her nose. “But I thought I’d found my happy ending.”

  A soft smile graced Hazel’s lips. “Cassie, maybe it’s just not time for the ending. After all, your story isn’t over.”

  Cassie heard the wisdom in Hazel’s words, but didn’t really feel reassured. The fact was, there had been huge parts of her story that she hadn’t enjoyed at all. And it seemed that she didn’t know how to let herself enjoy the parts she should. Which, she supposed, was why she was in therapy to begin with. But part of her suspected that, for all her powers, she might lack the one she needed most. The power to simply let herself be happy.

  Chapter 12 - Julia

  I tugged my jacket closed against the chill, wishing I’d worn a heavier coat. What was the temperature? High thirties? Low forties? It was almost March, after all, so I’d somehow convinced myself it would be warmer. Obviously not. Still, it felt nice being out with Phoenix, walking through Shockoe Bottom alongside others who were coming and going.

  “That was really good,” Phoenix said. “Not that I’m an expert. I don’t really eat all that much sushi.”

  “It was kind of amazing,” I agreed, and I actually did eat sushi as often as possible. “Thank you.”

  Phoenix smiled. “Hey. Least I could do given your moving expenses.”

  He’d made it clear from the start that dinner was on him, his assertion being that I must be tapped right now. He wasn’t wrong, given that I’d recently shelled out for first and last months’ rent, plus security. I’d also had to buy a bunch of new stuff. A coffee maker, for example, as well as a new toaster. I’d been living off of a batch of vegetarian chili I’d whipped up two days ago, so right now my stomach was very happy indeed.

  “So, your family,” Phoenix said, picking up from where we left off back at the restaurant. “They live here in town, right?”

  I drew in next to him, our shoulders nearly touching as another couple passed by on the sidewalk. “Not too far. Three Chopt area.”

  “No idea where that is. Plus, weird name.”

  I had to laugh. “I know! What’s even weirder is that I grew up there and only googled it a few years ago.”

  “And?”

  “Colonial era stuff.”

  “Sounds about right.”

  “Apparently, the area was named after Three Chopt road. Something to do with a trail where people used to leave notches in the trees.”

  “Interesting.”

  I laughed. “Meaning not really?”

  Phoenix laughed too. “No, it really is. Not very nice for the trees, but hey. So, what do they do? Your parents, I mean. Not the Colonials.”

  I pictured my parents, a smile rising to my lips. My father, fighting against middle-age pudge by hitting the gym three times a week. And my mother, who lived for her garden come spring, but kept her nose in a book all winter long.

  “Well, my father is a systems developer.”

  “No idea what that means.”

  “I know, right? Tech stuff, basically. To be honest, I’m not really sure.”

  “Does your mother work?”

  “Social worker,” I said. “She works with the homeless population. Especially teens living on the streets. They’re incredibly vulnerable.”

  Phoenix turned to look at me, obviously impressed. “Wow, that’s admirable. Any brothers or sisters?”

  “Just one,” I said. “My sister, Leah. She’s way younger than me. Still in high school. I guess I must have worn my parents out. Because, you know, the ten year reproductive break.”

  I expected Phoenix to laugh, or at least react. Instead, he fell silent as a group of women walked toward us. His energy shifted too, a wariness overcoming him that I couldn’t help but pick up on.

  As they drew closer, I saw that there were four of them. Three were young, probably about our age, two dark-haired and the other blonde. The fourth was tall and fair, but considerably older. Probably in her late fifties. That one stared at Phoenix with her steely blue eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting in a malignant smile. Then her eyes locked onto me, and remained on me. She spoke quietly to the women beside her, who looked my way too.

  I waited for them to pass, then turned to Phoenix again. “Those women. Do you know them?”

  Phoenix spoke tersely. “One of them, definitely. That was Sarah Wellingsford.”

  “The Sarah Wellingsford?” I knew who he meant, of course. Sarah Wellingsford, traitor to the witch community. At least the part of that community unwilling to use dark magic. I’d been under the impression that she’d gone into hiding, maybe even left the city completely. If so, evidently she was back, and not the least bit worried about being seen.

  “The one and only,” Phoenix said. “I didn’t like the way she looked at us.”

  It wasn’t like I hadn’t noticed. Her gaze had been both haughty and threatening, like she knew something we didn’t. “What about the others? Did you recognize them?”

  “Just one of them. The blonde. Pretty sure she’s a member of the city coven. I think her name’s Tammy.” Phoenix looked over his shoulder, checking. “Anyway, whatever. They’re gone. Forget them.” He pointed across the street. “Hey, have you been there before?”

  I looked to see a brick building with warmly glowing windows. Neon signs advertised Guinness Stout, Bass Ale and Irish Coffees. The sound of Celtic music drifted toward the street. The place was called O’Malley’s.

  “I’ve heard of it,” I said. “Never been there.”

  “Come on, we should check it out.”

  Phoenix took me by surprise, grabbing hold of my arm. I laughed as he tugged me toward the pub, the foreboding I’d just been feeling already starting to lift. I needed this right now, a night on the town, a night without worry. There'd been too much darkness lately. Phoenix was right. Forget Sarah Wellingsford and her creepy friends, whoever they were. The darkness could wait.

  The inside of the bar was warm and cozy, the tables full of people talking and laughing. Candles flickered behind glass hurricane globes. Across the room, an Irish band played on the stage. We spotted a booth where four people were leaving and snagged it before anybody else had a chance. We slid in across from each other at a table full of empty glasses and pitchers.

  Phoenix took a quick look at a table tent advertising specialties. “We should have Irish coffees.”

  I’d never had one before, but why not? This was a night for fun and new things as we got to know each other more. Before long, a server had come and gone to clear the table and deliver our drinks. Phoenix and I touched our glasses together. We watched each other sip a blend of coffee, sugar and Irish whiskey through a layer of whipped cream.

  “Damn,” Phoenix said. “I may just love Irish coffee.”

  I felt pretty sure I did too, suspecting strongly we wouldn’t be stopping at one. I leaned in across the table. “So, tell me about your dogs.”

  Phoenix raised his eyebrows. “You want to know about my dogs?”

  “I totally want to know about your dogs. You mentioned them a few times, so stop keeping me in suspense.”

  He laughed. “Okay, well, there are two of them. Carl and Toby. I got them—”

  “You named them Carl and Toby?”

  “What’s wrong with Carl and Toby?”

  “I don’t know. They sound more like poker buddies than dogs.”

  “They are my poker buddies! Don’t kid yourself. I have two very smart dogs. I almost never win against them. Thankfully, we only play for Milk-Bones.”

  I found myself laughing again. “You were about to say how you got them.”

  “They’re both rescue dogs. Carl is a little older. He needed a new home when his owner passed away.”

  I felt my cheeks grow warm. “Aw, that’s sweet.”

  “I know,” Phoenix said. “I’m super-sweet like that. And Toby was probably about six months old. The rescue people found him running along the highway.”

  “Oh, my God. Double-dog life saver!”

  “Kind of makes me a superhero. Don’t you think?”

  “And these furry poker buddies, they live with you at your cabin?”

  It had actually been Cassie who’d told me about Phoenix’s cabin. He worked as a carpenter out by his mother’s farm, where he helped out on weekends. Apparently, he’d bought the wreck of some old river house and refurbished it all by himself.

  Phoenix sipped his drink again. “Yeah, you’d like it there. At least, I think you would. I mean, it’s in the middle of nowhere, but there’s a pond and woods all around. In the winter, you can see the mountains through the trees.”

  I took another sip too. “Sounds beautiful.”

  “What about your new place? How’s that working out?”

  “Coming together,” I said. “Oh, I might need a little help moving some furniture the next time you’re in town.”

  Phoenix shrugged. “Why wait? We can do it tonight.”

  I looked at him, briefly wondering if he might have ulterior motives. Honestly, I didn’t get that vibe, and I was almost never wrong about vibes. And the fact was, down the road, I could imagine something happening between us. But all I could do was imagine it, thanks to my blind spot.

  I smiled at Phoenix. “That would be great.”

  We lingered for another drink, still talking the entire time. When we finished, I paid for the tab. He’d paid for dinner, after all. We started making our way through a room that seemed to only have gotten more crowded. Apparently, O’Malley’s was quite the popular nightspot.

  Suddenly, the front windows blew inward as an explosion tore through the room. The front of the restaurant burst into flame and fire leapt toward the ceiling. People screamed and leapt to their feet, toppling tables as they tried to escape. I froze, unable to move as terror surged through me.

  Phoenix grabbed hold of my arm, yanking me back to my senses. “We need to run! Now!”

  He didn't let go as we turned and ran through a room suddenly transformed into a hellscape. A fire exit stood open, clogged with people pushing and screaming to get out.

  Phoenix yelled to be heard above the shriek of an alarm. “Too many people! We'll never get out that way!”

  I spun as he yanked me again, then stumbled after him as we were bumped and shoved in the panic. Smoke was billowing up around us fast.

  “There! Go there!” Phoenix pointed toward a flashing light at the ceiling. We ran in that direction, then down the hallway past the restrooms. Miraculously, way fewer people had spotted that escape route. We spilled out into an alley, dashing right when those ahead of us chose left. Who could say which was best? I’d just barely managed to suck air into my lungs when a new wall of fire rose up around us. I jumped back, nearly knocking Phoenix off his feet. Then my eyes widened as a woman emerged through the flames. She wore tight leather pants and was shirtless beneath her leather vest, her arms sculpted with muscle. Flames flickered in the golden mask covering the top half of her face. From behind that mask, green eyes locked onto mine as her lips curled up in a smile. “Happy to see me again?”

  My heart hammered in my chest. “Who are you? What do you want!?”

  Somehow, her voice cut through the sounds of sirens and people crying out to each other. “You know what I want. Now, give it to me.”

  My mind flashed back to yesterday, to that moment of unexpected power. I summoned my magic, light flaring at my fingers. I grit my teeth, willing another shockwave to leap from my hands. That didn’t happen. All I could do was blast useless light at our attacker.

  Her mouth curved in contempt. “Look at you trying to summon the goddess. It appears that you remain unworthy.”

  I screamed against the wail of sirens. “What are you talking about? What do you want from me?”

  Her sneer spread into a grin, amusement gleaming in her eyes. “What I really want is to be done with you.” She thrust her arm out at the back of the building. Instantly, a window liquefied. Molten glass rolled through the air to meet her outstretched hand, where it transformed into a spear.

  “Julia, look out!”

  I stumbled, nearly falling as Phoenix shoved me aside. I spun to see him facing her, fury blazing in his eyes. She fixed her gaze on him, as if just now remembering his presence. “Do you think you can stop me, necromancer? Do I look dead to you?”

  With inhuman speed, she rushed forward and rammed her spear through his chest. She lifted him like he weighed nothing. The scream on Phoenix’s lips died as she lifted him higher, thrusting again. She flung him to the ground, where he remained still, his neck bent at an unnatural angle.

  A horrified wail escaped my lips. “What did you do? You killed him!”

  The woman advanced toward me. “Very observant,” she purred. “Unless you want to be next, listen carefully. Tell me where it is and maybe, just—”

  Light flashed green against my eyes as a man charged forward. I barely had time to register that he had dark hair, that he was tall and broad-shouldered, before he grabbed hold of the attacker. He threw her across the alley where she slammed against a wall. Bricks cracked, dust swirling upward as the flames around me suddenly vanished.

  That’s him, I thought. The one from my dream.

  At that same moment, a police car plunged into the alley, lights flashing and siren wailing. Brakes screeched as the car careened to a stop. The siren cut off and a voice crackled through a speaker. Drop your weapons or we’ll open fire! Drop your weapons now!

  The woman sprang from the wall and spun toward the police car. She thrust out her hand and the car lurched upward, where it burst into a fireball.

  The man charged at her again, but this time I didn’t wait to see what happened. My eyes went one last time to Phoenix, where he lay dead upon the ground. Then I did the only thing I could. I ran in the direction we should have chosen to begin with.

 

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