Elf (Mystic Guardians #2)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

A laric

“Nice haircut,” Alaric said as he crept up behind his friend and coworker, Finn, who was kneeling behind a one-ton truck in the warehouse parking lot.

Finn shrugged one shoulder. “Needed a change.” The jinn’s shock of bright auburn hair had been shaped into a faux-hawk with low tapered sides and a small lightning bolt shaved bare just over his ear. It suited his rugged good looks perfectly.

Alaric knelt beside Finn. “I can’t believe you cut all that long hair off at all. Thought you were as attached as Bain and Xavier are to theirs.” The Seattle winter was settling in, and the nights had grown considerably cooler—a time of the year Alaric loved. Tonight, the full moon hung high in the sky, and there were just enough lights working in the lot for him to see Finn clearly, as well as their target.

“I got sick of unclogging the drain.”

Alaric snorted; he had the same problem with his thick, shoulder-length black curls. He looked at the warehouse they planned to infiltrate. “How many are inside?” He glanced around the parking lot. They were in the midst of an industrial district of Seattle—nothing but concrete and brick as far as the eye could see. Not one tree. That could be problematic, if he used too much of his magical energy.

“At least three. I followed them here from the shipyard before I called Xavier and asked for backup. I could handle three myself, but I don’t know how many more were already inside. I thought he was sending Callan.”

“Callan apparently got arrested for a bar fight. Bain’s bailing him out.”

“I’m not surprised about the bar fight, but isn’t Bain supposed to be on some kind of honeymoon?”

“He came back early to take a job. Still can’t believe that uptight little accountant of his didn’t take one look at Bain’s flashy clothes and demand a replacement on the spot.”

“The basilisk may look like a disco ball, but he’s got serious skills.” Finn looked over his shoulder at Alaric. “You ready for this? I’m going in smoke, scouting ahead, and I’ll come back and let you know what we’re up against. They were all carrying heavy, so be ready to dodge.”

“Got it.”

Alaric watched as Finn’s solid form disappeared. He wasn’t like the other shapeshifters at their company, didn’t rip up clothes or go through the actual breaking and reshaping of limbs. He just faded away until nothing was left but vapor, then reformed as whatever form he wanted, animal or human. It was impressive magic and made him invaluable in all situations. Especially since he could conjure clothes in the process. None of the others could do that. Alaric had seen more than one shifter fighting naked.

Of course, Alaric didn’t shapeshift at all. He used a glamour to blend in with humans when needed, since his eyes and ears were most definitely preternatural, but his main purpose on any fighting job was not to infiltrate but to heal. An ability that came with a price unknown to most of his coworkers.

His boss knew, though. Xavier, the most powerful sorcerer Alaric had ever met, knew fucking everything. There was no hiding anything where that one was concerned. Finn knew as well because he’d seen the toll magic took on Alaric during past jobs.

Finn came back, formed long enough to wave him in, then re-vaped and disappeared. Alaric ducked and ran toward the side door that Finn had slipped under. The parking lot only had those few working lights, so it was easy to keep to the shadows. He quietly broke open the locked door and stepped inside the warehouse.

Boxes were stacked on ceiling-high shelves on either side of the aisle he faced. He made sure to keep his steps light on the concrete floor as he hurried down to the end. More shelves with boxes met his gaze. The overhead lights were bright, which made his job more difficult, but Alaric had many years of experience sneaking. He followed the sound of voices, easily making out more than three.

This wasn’t one of Finn’s usual jobs. Xavier had made it plain that not only did he want no survivors, but he’d also like them to suffer beforehand. No one who worked for Protective Solutions could stomach human trafficking, but Xavier, who had apparently witnessed some horrific things in his long life, was particularly bloodthirsty about shutting these rings down.

Which was why he’d called Alaric. He could throw spells that made a human or preternatural’s life a living nightmare. Perfect for a situation like this when the criminals deserved the worst.

He paused behind a stack of boxes and took in the scene, eyes zeroing in on the obvious man in charge—a surprisingly good-looking, tall man in a bespoke suit. He had shockingly white hair and a cold expression that betrayed a complete lack of empathy. Knowing what this man did set Alaric’s teeth on edge, but he resisted the urge to cast his planned intense nausea spell. It wasn’t yet time. Besides two men—wizards from their auras—stood on either side of the man. That was a complication he hadn’t expected. He’d have to rethink his strategy.

Four more men stood in the small space, all of them human. He stepped closer to better hear their conversation as he sensed Finn, in his vape form, moving around the men.

“The shipment will be here tomorrow,” one of the humans said.

“It was supposed to be here yesterday,” Bespoke Suit said, his tone low and full of authority. This was one used to getting what he wanted. If he hadn’t been pond scum, he could have been attractive with his shiny hair and his tall, lean body. But what he did made him the ugliest sort of human.

The other guy shrugged. “They had some sort of trouble with the boat, but one day isn’t bad.”

“I have a schedule, and I expect it to be followed.” Bespoke waved his hand, and one of the wizards pointed at the man who’d spoken. The human started to choke, falling to his knees and clutching at his throat. Bespoke and the wizards watched calmly as the man suffocated. When his body lay still on the floor, Bespoke looked at each of the others. “Anyone else want to say that failing to meet my schedule ‘isn’t bad?’”

They shook their heads, staring in horror at the dead man.

Alaric grinned. One down, four humans and two wizards to go.

He’d need to take out the wizards first. Problem was, as soon as he sent out a spell, they’d sense the magic, so he’d have to be fast. And instead of something small like nausea, he needed something that would incapacitate them both at the same time. Because Xavier wanted everyone here dead, he’d be going for the big guns. Tougher spells that would debilitate wizards. Which would take a lot of energy.

While he’d stood there mulling over his options, the men had continued their conversation, and it had grown heated.

“The boat trouble wasn’t our fault!” one of the humans yelled. “Not to mention our boss was taken out.”

Bespoke went very still. “You think I’m not your boss?”

The guy paled and started to shake his head rapidly. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that with him gone, there’s been a lot of shifting among the ranks, so the boat trouble wasn’t reported immediately. Honestly, it wasn’t our fault.”

“But that’s where you’re wrong. It was your job to make sure everything ran smoothly.” Bespoke smoothed his hands down his suit jacket, then nodded at the wizard to his left.

The wizard flung up his hands.

Alaric took his shot, sending a deadly plague into the wizard.

The wizard let out a loud gurgle and fell to his knees. Festering sores sprouted all over his exposed skin.

Alaric gathered more magical energy to flatten the other wizard, but that one suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of him.

Fuck, a warper.

And one skilled at binding because in the next second, Alaric couldn’t move. The wizard grinned at him, a twisted evil thing, just as screams sounded. Alaric glanced over to see Finn solidifying just enough to pass through two of the humans, leaving gaping holes where their chests had been. Finn had told him once that he hated using his vapor form as a direct weapon. He must have sensed Alaric was hobbled.

But not for long.

Alaric drew on his magic and broke the binding spell, flinging another plague spell in the wizard’s direction. But the warper had already flashed back to Bespoke, who was firing into the corners of the room, obviously shooting at something he couldn’t see. The holes appearing in the humans must have rattled him.

The gunshots were deafening in the warehouse. Alaric darted forward to take the gunman out, but the wizard wrapped an arm around his boss, and they both disappeared. Alaric turned to let loose on the last of the criminals, only to see he’d been taken out by the bullets Bespoke had been firing.

A groan sounded in the corner. Alaric ran there to find Finn on the floor, hand clutching his thigh. Blood pooled beneath it.

“Shit. You actually got shot.” Alaric knelt and placed his hand over the wound, letting his healing magic flow. It gathered in his center, to flow out along his limbs, warmth tingling in his fingers to seep into Finn and repair the damage. He’d already used so much of his energy, the healing pulled everything he had left. Once done, he closed his eyes and slumped back on his heels.

Finn quickly sat up and put his hands on Alaric’s shoulders. “You okay? Damn, you should have waited. It wasn’t too bad.”

“It was bad, Finn,” Alaric said, voice rusty from the exhaustion pulling at his body. “Nicked an artery.”

“Oh, well shit, that is bad. Thanks, then. Come on, let’s get you to some trees.”

“A lot of them. I’ll never forgive myself if I take too much from one and?—”

“I know. I’ll find you a nice, big park. Trees, grass, maybe some squirrels. Take a teaspoon from each, they’ll be all right.”

“Thanks.” Honestly, he felt like he could drain a whole forest. But he trusted Finn to find a suitable spot. And they had to get back to their vehicles first.

Finn stood and helped Alaric to his feet, draping Alaric’s arm over his shoulder. “The one in charge got away with one of the wizards, but you did a number on the other. Festering sores, Alaric? Classic.”

“Needed something fast and deadly,” Alaric panted out as he tried to make his legs work. “But I shouldn’t have used something that powerful. I didn’t know the other was a warper. That’s going to make finding them even harder. Xavier won’t be happy.”

“He’ll just have to deal. At least that will narrow down the search. There aren’t a lot of wizards with that power.” Finn tightened his arm around him. “You can normally do a lot more before your energy is depleted like this. Is there something going on?”

“The warper bound me, and it took a lot to break free. He’s powerful. Very. Which means the man in the suit is, as well. Rich as hell, too, to afford a warper.”

“Which narrows down the search even more.” Finn helped Alaric outside.

Alaric was glad his friend was so strong. He was really struggling to walk. Felt like his feet slogged through thick, wet sand as they traversed through the big parking lot to where Finn had parked his truck out of sight.

Finn opened the truck door for him. “I’ll drive. We’ll come back for your car.”

Alaric just nodded as he settled into the passenger seat. Truth was, he shouldn’t be this wiped, and he couldn’t help but worry some. Maybe that wizard had been using another spell—one he couldn’t sense.

Finn drove fast, passing more warehouses, then taking them down several side streets. He let out a whoop when they finally reached a thick stand of trees in a small neighborhood park. He parked and hurried around to help Alaric, but Alaric didn’t wait. The magic of nature was already seeping into his body, giving him strength to move on his own. He knelt and placed his hands on the ground, feeding from the countless roots under the surface. His strength returned full force, and he stopped, sending out his senses to make sure he hadn’t taken too much. He hadn’t.

But something was still wrong. He’d been feeling it happening over the last year. It had been taking more energy to throw spells, and healing had been taking more out of him than usual.

He needed to find out what was going on.