Chapter 14
TRACE
Two days after I left Poplar, I was back once more, in the early evening so I could share a meal with James before the others arrived.
He made a simple pasta dish with a side salad.
I complimented him on his cooking, which brought a rosy glow to his pale cheeks.
Edwin sipped gin and seemed on edge. I presumed it was because this had all been his idea and he didn’t want to look like a tit if it failed.
Somehow I didn’t think it would fail, mostly because as Dalziel was bringing his son’s mentor with him, they had a full blood Fae to ensure the magic would work.
That didn’t mean I could ignore the way my gut clenched with anticipation.
As the sky darkened, we headed outside to move the garden furniture out of the way, then walked around to what would become my driveway if this all worked.
Edwin glanced at his phone. “They’re on their way.
” He lit a cigarette and paced up and down until the throaty purr of an engine made him look up and smile.
“That’s Baxter’s motorbike. I’d know it anywhere.”
James’ eyes grew wide. “Baxter rides a motorbike?” He looked a little starstruck.
Baxter pulled into the driveway. Her passenger dismounted before she even cut the engine, immediately divesting himself of his helmet and ruffling up his dark hair.
“Fuck, that’s better. Hate them, but couldn’t chance getting stopped for violating regulations.
Sweet ride though.” He beamed at Baxter and pulled out a mobile, frowned at it, then his expression relaxed as a dark-coloured people carrier pulled into the space directly behind the bike.
“Oh good, Luc can stop freaking out about us being separated now.” He turned wide sapphire-blue eyes on the three of us.
“Uh, maybe don’t mention I said that to him? Hello, Edwin, Trace. And uh…?”
“James, this is Charley, Dalziel’s son. This is James, my friend and shadow.” Edwin looked amused. Charley seemed as irrepressibly cheerful and chaotic as ever. He wiped one hand down his jeans then shoved it at James with a manic grin.
“Wow, you’re a shadow? That’s like, a cool gig, right?
” He eyed Edwin for a second, then returned his megawatt smile to James.
“Make sure he spoils you rotten. Only fair when you’re legit a walking sippy cup for his lazy vamp arse.
” He punctuated this statement by flashing his fangs, which made James choke out a laugh, then pulled a self-deprecating face.
“Some of us still have to chase our supper. La tragédie, c’est moi. Oh, ’scuse me.”
He turned away as everyone piled out of the car.
I noted Luc, the young shifter, take his place next to Charley and immediately start running his hands over his mate as if checking he was in one piece.
Baxter caught my eye and rolled hers, but she grinned at me, so I reckon she was used to the sweethearts’ nauseating togetherness and not offended by the young wolf’s implied insult to her driving skills.
The kid didn’t look like he could help himself.
James caught my eye. “Wow,” he mouthed. I nodded. Wow indeed. Charley was a lot.
Dalziel embraced Edwin warmly. “You know everyone, obviously,” he said, his soft Scottish burr holding a note of caution. He reached for me next and held out a hand. We half shook, half hugged.
“It’s good to see you again, Dempsey, although I wish it were under better circumstances.
The legal team ran through every possible potential loophole we could exploit in case there was a way to prevent the demolition of your cottage, but that bastard Filey went through all the right channels.
He’s slime, but he’s untouchable.” His brows furrowed.
“For now. Anyway,” he brightened slightly, “you haven’t met Hector and Stephen.
They’ve been with me for a century and were happy to lend a hand tonight.
” He ushered forward two very different-looking pale-skinned men.
“Hi there, I’m Hector.” Somehow I hadn’t expected a London accent to come from the mouth of the burly guy who extended his hand first, nor the easy smile and seemingly chill manner; he looked brooding and scary, but his demeanour was anything but.
Short, dark-haired and square-jawed, he was jacked like he could take buildings apart with his bare hands.
All I knew about him was he worked for Dalziel at his Lanarkshire home, as did the second vampire to greet me.
Unlike Hector, Stephen was tall, slender, and blond, with pale green eyes that barely landed on mine before looking away. He barely touched my hand, murmuring a quiet hello. I couldn’t help but notice he looked daggers towards Edwin. Interesting.
I shot an easy smile at Pavel, Dalziel’s shadow, although it had taken me a moment to reconcile him tonight in what I assumed was his off-duty clothing with the immaculate, fade-into-the-background, formal-wearing slip of a man who’d recently kept an entire houseful of assorted supes fed and watered without so much as breaking a sweat.
Now, Pavel gave off the vibe of a mashup between an androgynous, ‘heroin-chic’ model at an edgy fashion shoot and a 70s glam rocker, clad in candy-striped harem pants, clunky sandals, and a sleeveless white leather vest, his hair free from any product and blowing around his ears like a dandelion clock seconds before a child takes that huge inhale.
His bare arms glistened with…was that glitter body cream?
He smelled like flowers and honey and rain.
It went to show we really never knew a person until we’d seen them at work and at play.
Which left Isher, the Fae. Standing a little apart from the rest, he peered through the yew hedge where it was thinnest, then his lavender eyes found mine.
“That’s the garden, right?”
“Yes. I was hoping to get a way made through this from the drive, but for now we’ll have to walk around.”
Isher gave me an intense look that nearly had me taking a step back. “What?” I asked.
“It’s no problem to make one right now.”
I worried at a hangnail on my thumb. “Bit anti-social to rev up a chainsaw at nightfall, man.” I wasn’t sure what magic he was capable of, so didn’t like to assume he’d be comfortable wasting energy on this when a lake of ice was more important. Right now an earth mage would have been handy.
His lips twitched. “Agreed. I shall call Edwin over.” Everyone was chatting nineteen to the dozen like most of us hadn’t been holed up together in the very recent past.
Edwin dutifully regarded the greenery and listened to Isher explaining how it would be beneficial to reinstate the archway we assumed had once led to the drive. Edwin rounded on me.
“You didn’t tell me this because? This will be your home, Trace. It makes perfect sense to access your land from the driveway.” He looked aggrieved.
I shrugged. “It’s been full on, man, it’s okay. Not a deal breaker.”
Dalziel stuck his head into the group. “Problem?”
“Not at all,” I said hastily. “I don’t want Isher to wear himself out before the big event though.”
At a hike of Dalziel’s expressive eyebrows, Edwin explained.
Dalziel looked as if he was having trouble keeping a straight face.
“Isher, perhaps you should be a little more forthcoming to the assembly about who you are and why this will barely put a dent in your magical energy.” Well, this was interesting.
Dalziel, who was known for being guarded in his dealings with the Fae, looked for all the world more like a proud if slightly anxious parent than a Council member with a potentially unstable Faerie living under his roof.
Isher shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. Everyone went suddenly very quiet.
“Well?” I said when I couldn’t bear the silence a beat longer.
“Yeah, so. Volik’s my uncle. This is child’s play for me.”
By the Goddess, I didn’t expect that. Hoping I didn’t look as green as I felt, I managed a weak smile. “An archway would be very useful.”
Baxter’s eyes were on stalks, her gaze zapping between Dalziel and Isher, before she suggested with a smirk, “That’s spiced up Lucansburn, I bet.”
Isher’s high cheekbones and the tips of his ears reddened.
Dalziel rested a hand on the Fae’s arm and snapped in an undertone, “Inappropriate, Baxter. Borderline speciesist too. Isher was given no choice in the matter, as you know, and he’s been a model of propriety, as well as bloody good to Charley. Apologise, if you please.”
Baxter’s mouth opened as if she was about to argue, clocked the furrow of her sire’s brow and hastily begged Isher’s pardon. Face now glowing like a peony, he gave her a tight smile, then turned back to Edwin.
“How wide do you want the archway?”
I’d seen plenty of Fae magic in my time.
The biggest appeal was in watching those for whom it was a new experience.
I kept my eyes on James, then Edwin and Baxter in turn, assuming that Dalziel’s staff had probably seen plenty since Isher’s unceremonious arrival at Dalziel’s Lanarkshire estate.
Isher spoke again to Edwin, then addressed Dalziel.
“It will be subtler to work from the other side of the hedge. I won’t be long.” He clicked his fingers and disappeared. James gasped.
“Where’d he go?”
“The garden.” He looked at me disbelievingly. “Honestly. There’s a chance of being overseen if he does it from this side, so it’s better for him to work privately if he can. We don’t want a nosy neighbour calling the cops if they see stuff they can’t explain.”
“But he just…” He made a pooff gesture with his hands.
I chanced a hand on his shoulder. “James, I promise you, that’s Fae magic. Any minute now… And there you go.” A perfectly symmetrical archway began to carve itself out of the hedge, leaves and branches melting away to form a short tunnel heading towards us.
“Fucking hell,” James breathed. He went a little paler than usual. Edwin was by his side before I could look for him.