Natural Dual-Mage (Page 56)

Roger’s eyes swung around the room, belatedly picking Cahal out from the corner where he stood. A crease formed between his brows. “Of course.”

“How are you guys?” I forced myself to ask, fear riding my words. Emery squeezed me.

“At last count, we lost forty-three,” Roger said. “Their wounds wouldn’t heal…those that had them.” He clasped his hands behind his back, pulling at the seams of his borrowed sweats. A troubled expression crossed his face. “Some of them didn’t have wounds at all. I couldn’t find any damage.”

My heart sank. That was probably part of the reason my godly spell hadn’t worked as well as I’d hoped. The great scales had taken out a lot of their people…but they’d also taken out some of ours. Sometimes the guys on the good team weren’t always good guys.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Thank you, for helping us. Thank you, and their families, for sacrificing them.”

His nod was slight. “I wanted to tell you that I have faith in you. I have faith that you”—he glanced at Emery—“and Emery can help build a better Mages’ Guild. A fair organization that adheres to the magical rules we must all live by. Should you need my help, or someone to discuss…anything with, don’t be afraid to contact me, at any time. I have declared you a pack friend. You are always welcome. And any of us will help you, should you need it.”

Warmth infused my chest and tears came to my eyes. “Thank you,” I said, touched he would offer me his friendship after losing so many people to the battle.

Roger offered me another curt nod, glanced down the way toward the kitchen, and turned toward the door.

“Roger,” Reagan called out. He stopped near the corner, half his body out of sight, and looked at her, waiting. “Thanks,” she said. “This wouldn’t have been possible without you.”

He walked on without a word.

“Did you do something to piss him off?” I asked, confused by his reaction.

“Just the usual.” She shrugged. “I’m a pack friend too. He just pretends not to like me.”

After Darius came back with drinks—Cahal drank brandy?—he settled down next to Reagan on the love seat, looping an arm around her shoulders. On the couch, Callie’s chin slowly fell toward her chest, and Dizzy’s head bobbed, his eyes half closed. They were beat.

“So what was the deal with the vampire?” I asked when no one volunteered the information.

Darius sipped his drink. “Marcus. An elder that has been around nearly as long as me. Not as many interests, though. Not as ambitious. For years, we thought he was headed toward a stupor. A sort of vacation from the world and our politics—like Ja before you re-energized her, Penny.”

“Your fault, not mine,” I said automatically.

“Indeed,” Darius said as though something smelled. “It appears he has had his hands in the Mages’ Guild for…decades. Now that we know the truth, it is all so clear. He formed an illegal connection with the High Chancellor, manipulated him, and set up a cash cow. Then he sat back with his hand out, watching the money roll in. He didn’t have to be ambitious; he merely had to whisper a few suggestions into the ears of his ambitious puppets, goading them toward power, and he could stay idle.”

“Oohhh.” The reason the High Chancellor had escaped the giant scales clicked. He wasn’t in control—his deeds weren’t his own. He hadn’t been a match for an elder vampire. It also appeared the godly magic didn’t affect vampires, because Marcus should’ve surely been thrown out with the bathwater.

“I am amazed you and Vlad missed Marcus’s involvement,” Reagan said, and I caught a glimmer in her eyes. She was going to rub that in. If Darius hadn’t sort of deserved it, I might’ve felt bad.

“So why did he suddenly start taking a more active interest?” I asked.

“Because suddenly…there was a threat, and a vampire behind that threat,” Darius said. “He, through the Guild, has been suffocating my territory, stunting my children’s opportunities for growth. No one could stand up to the Guild’s power, until you and Emery joined together. Being that you were connected to me…”

“He knew Darius would use you to tear down the Guild, which would allow Darius to expand his business in this area,” Reagan finished for him.

I sank bank onto Emery, my mood turning dark.

Emery rubbed my back. “You have to always assume a vampire is using you for something, even if the deal is mutually beneficial.”

“Don’t feel bad, Penny,” Reagan said. “They can’t help it anymore. Darius tries to use me on a continual basis. That’s why I have to keep him guessing by stealing his money and buying islands for no other purpose than to have them.”

Darius froze in place. “What is this, now?”

She grinned mischievously.

“So Marcus launched back into action when he saw his empire being threatened,” Reagan continued. “Which means, Penny, you basically woke up two vampires. You kicked them back into the vampires’ political arena.”

“I didn’t. Darius started all of this,” I said, sticking with blaming him.

“I knew that strategy couldn’t have been the Guild’s doing,” Emery murmured, circling the bottom of his glass with the brown liquid. “It was too…”

“Good,” Reagan said.

“Strategic.” Darius curled a strand of Reagan’s hair around a finger. “The Guild wasn’t used to working at a higher level of strategy. Their timing was suspect.”

“They didn’t know their enemy,” Reagan said.

“Now they do. We did a pretty good sweep, but there is always someone who escapes. Always someone who lives to tell the tale. You ousted yourself tonight, mon ange.” Darius’s voice turned hard. “Tomorrow we’re leaving. I’m taking you to a remote location where you can hunt and fish and stay out of the public eye. You can work on your power.”

“He means you’ll need to lie low.” Emery chuckled. “Again. Good luck with that, Darius.”

“I can help you train.”

I started at Cahal’s voice. He was always so still and unimposing that I kept forgetting he was there.

Darius’s eyes gleamed. He slowly sipped his cognac, not commenting.

Reagan’s mouth curved downward as she surveyed the large, incredibly gifted druid. “That is just enough of a challenge to make me go for it.”

“I have seen an Heir train with Lucifer,” he said. “Briefly. In glimpses only. I was intrigued—am intrigued, I should say, with your power. More so now that I have seen how it complements Penelope’s in such a natural way. I did not expect that.”

“Penny’s…or yours?” Darius asked smoothly, his eyes calculating. He was probably wondering how to tether another asset.

“The Godly Touch, vampire,” Cahal said, his voice just as smooth, his eyes fierce. “Or the Angelic Touch, if that is your pleasure. It is one and the same.” He paused, his eyes on Darius. “I know what you are thinking. You best be careful. If I hear you’ve tried to strip this dual-mage pair of their Touch, I will personally kill you, and sprinkle your ashes on the barren waste of an island you do not yet know you own.”

“Wow, you’re good.” Reagan’s eyes widened. “How did you know that’s the kind of place I bought?”

“I had no desire of the kind,” Darius said, completely at ease. Somehow. “But I am as intrigued as you.”

“Let it stay that way.” Cahal downed what was in his glass. He set it gently to the side. His gaze beat into Reagan next, and she was just as immune to its terror-raising effects as her bond-mate. “Let the vampire take you to a safe location. I will find you there.”

With that, he walked out of the room and left the house.

“Okay…goodbye,” I called after him. The door latched. “Thanks for helping… That was kind of rude.”

“That is how they are,” Darius said, unperturbed. “He has the same godly power you do, Penny, that was clear.” He stared at nothing for a moment. “In all my many years, I have never seen as many myths and legends come to life as in the last few years. Something is building. Something big. And somehow, you are all a part of it.”

Silence hung heavy in the room. Tingles walked across my skin.

“Nah,” Reagan said. “I don’t buy it. Darius is just trying to start drama. Like arms dealers who try to start wars so they can make a profit.” She looked at me. “Marcus greatly spread the Guild reach in anticipation of this fight. He’ll be punished or killed for bonding without asking, but his network will help you. You’ll have to turn everyone to a better, less power-hungry way of thinking, but at least you already have a network.”

It was true. “Wait…what about Emery? And you? I can’t build up a new Mages’ Guild on my own. Or at all. I don’t know the first thing about leadership.”

Emery rubbed his thumb against my thigh. “Roger, Vlad, Darius, Reagan, and I all put it to a vote. This is your project. It will be in your control. Obviously, you’ll need help. And you’ll need to delegate. But you’ll be in charge of bringing it about. You are the only person we would all agree upon, and Vlad just barely went with it.”