A Shot in the Dark (Smoke & Mirrors Tavern #6)

1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

SAGE

“Look, you seem like a super interesting guy, but I just don't think we have this kind of relationship yet. You could at least buy me dinner before you jump right to tying me up.”

Not even a snicker. Tough room. I tugged at the cuff wrapped around my wrist, not really expecting to get free. Surely they held more impressive things than me here, which meant escaping wouldn’t be as easy as breaking the restraints. Not with my puny arms anyway. In the past, I’d always been able to weasel my way out of bad situations before I ended up strapped to a table, but apparently, life had more excitement in mind for me today.

Maybe I should be asking myself why I couldn’t stay out of trouble in the first place. But since that required a degree of self- evaluation I wasn’t quite ready to commit to, today was not that day.

“Tell me what you are,” the man in the lab coat snapped, like the answer was going to change.

I sighed. He could at least ask more interesting questions. The circles we were running in were getting old.

“Still human. Like I said before, your spell is broken, I literally have no magic. What exactly are you looking for?”

They’d already taken hair and tissue samples, though I wasn’t sure what that was supposed to tell them. A witch’s body would read as human even if they sent it through every lab test known to man. Witches drew power from nature and our bloodlines. If any human decided to practice magic, they could pass down their knowledge and several generations later, as long as their family continued practicing, a new witch line would be born. Assuming they knew the difference between all the bullshit out there and the rituals that could actually produce results.

But, for some reason, despite the long history of my family and my grandmother’s incredible power, my mother and I had been abandoned by our ancestors. Neither of us had a lick of magic. I could practice to my heart’s content, but the earth’s magic never responded to me.

Which meant this poking and prodding session was pointless. Not that anyone wanted to hear my thoughts on the matter.

The man in the lab coat examined the samples he'd taken under a microscope, growing more and more frustrated with every test.

“It doesn’t make sense,” he grumbled to himself.

Tell me about it, dude.

“Actually, it does if you consider this,” I pointed out “Your spell is defective.”

The man glared at me. The frustration at his inability to find what I was hiding after hours of testing was reaching a point where he could no longer hide it.

“What are you?”

I rolled my eyes. “Human. What is this facility for?”

“Perhaps I should dissect you right here to be sure,” he said, ignoring my question.

Dammit Ollie, where are you? My closest friend in Eastbend had been snatched up by these assholes along with me and Levi, who was new to town but already pretty close with our big, sweet bear shifter Connor. Levi was human, and while I was sure Connor would be going crazy trying to find him, he couldn't possibly get out of here on his own. Ollie on the other hand, might also be human, but she was the very embodiment of chaos. If anyone could get us out of this, it was her. The problem was, Ollie was also pregnant, and her child was either a sorcerer or a demon. The hunters would be extremely interested in the baby she was carrying and we needed to get the hell out of this place before they did something terrible. The fact that Ollie hadn't already busted into this room to rescue me meant things weren't going well for her either.

“Do you really think that will give you a different answer? You’ve run every test you’ve got and came up with the same thing I’ve been telling you all along.”

The man’s frustration melted away into an amused smirk. “That was far from every test I’ve got. Those were just the least invasive options. We like to start with the ones that leave our subject whole in case they’re useful. But if there’s nothing worth preserving, I’ve got plenty of options.”

“Sage? Open your eyes for me.”

That voice was one I hadn’t heard in a long time and hearing it again after all this time was like a dream. Part of me wanted to open my eyes to confirm I wasn’t actually dreaming, and part of me worried it would disappear the moment I woke.

But there was real concern in that voice and no doubt he’d already noticed I was starting to wake. I forced my eyes open and was immediately rewarded with an up close view of Luca's worried hazel eyes. His face hovered over mine and I wanted to smooth away the little crease between his dark brows, but he backed away before I could reach for him.

“How do you feel?”

I marveled at his gentle tone. This version of Luca had seemingly disappeared when he was shot and turned into a vampire several months back. And while I certainly didn’t mind the darker, broodier Luca, I’d missed this softer, caretaker cop side of him. And all it took was getting attacked by hunters to bring it back out, why hadn’t I thought of that sooner?

Still, while I quite enjoyed his sudden closeness, I chaffed at the idea of needing to be taken care of. And I was a little confused about how I’d ended up in Silas’s basement. Silas was the vampire that turned Luca and we'd both spent a lot of time here while Luca struggled through his change. But Luca had recently moved back into his own place, so why bring me here?

“What happened? Did they knock me out?” I grumbled, trying to sit up and getting pushed right back down.

My throat was raw and sore, and my voice was rough, but while I had a vague and hazy memory of a stabbing pain, it was like a dream slipping away after waking and I couldn’t quite grasp it back. Still, I placed a shaky hand on my stomach, finding a sore spot that told me whatever happened hadn’t been a dream.

“Knock you out? You walked out of that room on your own. We were going to ask you what happened.”

“What? That can’t be right.”

For some reason, I was freezing. It took everything I had to not wrap my arms around myself. Throwing myself in with non-humans meant I’d had to learn to watch my body language and it was more important than ever that I not look weak in front of them.

Luca’s head tipped. “Sage, I saw you walk out of that room covered in blood. Are you saying you don’t remember what happened?”

I shook my head and looked down at myself, realizing what he’d said was right. Sucking in a breath, I jolted upright, wincing as I lifted my shirt to check my sore stomach. There were superficial cuts and marks, the deeper incision that I’d noted earlier had been sealed with skin glue and wound closure strips, and there was bruising around my wrists along with a few shallow cuts. Nothing that could have caused all the blood on my clothes.

This explained why Luca had come here instead of taking me back to his place or even mine, he didn't trust himself around all this blood.

Luca had backed off slightly, but he still kneeled next to the couch. “Most of it’s not your blood.”

“Who’s blood is it?” I asked in a panic, tugging the few remaining buttons of my shirt off, but stopping at the stained t-shirt underneath. So much for not looking weak.

“Here we go,” Rowan’s voice called from the stairs. “My clothes won’t fit him, so I grabbed your workout clothes, hope you don’t mind.”

Rowan was Silas's mate and practically child sized, one of the smaller fae, though we weren’t sure what kind exactly. Luca’s clothes would be too big for me, but at least I’d be able to get them on.

Rowan’s face lit up like sunshine as he handed over the clothes. “Oh, you’re awake already! How are you feeling?”

He backed away when he noticed I’d already started unbuttoning my pants. The two of them gave me some space to change, Luca taking the water bottle and pain relievers from Rowan while I turned my back and quickly pulled on the clean clothes.

“Confused,” I answered. “I don’t remember what happened or how I got covered in blood. They must have drugged me, or… maybe I passed out.”

“Well, what’s important is that you’re safe now. We’re going to head over to the tavern, Elliot should be here soon.”

Ollie's mate Elliot was a powerful sorcerer who was skilled with healing magic. We'd been relying on him a lot since this fight with the hunters started.

“Thanks.”

“Of course. Take it easy and I’ll let everyone know you’re okay.”

When Rowan was gone, I returned my attention to Luca. “Tell me what happened.”

Luca stared at me for a long moment. I could feel his intense eyes on me, but I couldn’t manage to meet them. It wasn’t the first time in my life something strange happened, but I’d definitely never woken up covered in someone else’s blood before.

“Please,” I added, getting the feeling he didn’t want me to know. “I need you to tell me everything.”

I couldn’t stand being left in the dark. It just wasn’t the type of person I was. I used information to my advantage and to do that, I needed all of it. Every bit I could get my hands on, no matter what it cost me.

“We don’t know,” he finally said. “The place you were taken to was a hunter run facility. As far as we can tell, they were running tests on all kinds of non-humans and potentially trying to find ways to steal magic. We found you last in a higher security area close to where their magic dampening spell was hidden. Zane and the others broke the spell and by the time we made it to the hall where you were being held, we could already smell the blood. I was about to break into the room when the door flew off its hinges. It had been slashed along with the person standing in front of it. You stepped out of the room on your own and then passed out. There were more men inside and all of them looked like the one by the door. We can’t be sure what happened, but what we saw doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Shivers ran down my spine. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe the things Luca was telling me, it was just… it couldn’t be right.

“I don’t think I need to tell you I couldn’t have done that. There had to have been something else in that room. The question is, why didn’t it kill me too?”

“They didn’t find anything else in that room. Connor couldn’t scent anyone besides you and the men who died.”

I huffed a laugh and gave in, wrapping my arms around myself to ward off the increasing chill.

“What are you suggesting? That I was suddenly able to use magic, or became strong enough to break down a door?”

Luca shook his head. “It took me several kicks at my full strength to knock down one of those doors, if I hadn't just fed I'm not sure even that would have done it. You couldn't have managed it no matter how long you pounded on it. But something slashed through the hinges and sent it crashing. And you were the only one still standing in that room.”

“Anyone home?” Elliot called from upstairs.

“Down here,” Luca answered.

I glanced down at the baggy sweats I wore and cringed. There was a reason I didn’t let the others see me like this, but it couldn’t be helped.

Elliot caught me up on the missing pieces while he healed me.

“Everyone’s at the tavern now, I’m sure Ollie will fill you in on everything tomorrow. Just take it easy and get some rest.”

Yeah, that wasn’t happening. “The tavern sounds good, I could go for a drink. Thanks for your help!”

I slipped away from Elliot’s still casting hands and grabbed my shoes on my way out the door. Silas lived in a neighborhood filled with older historical homes, many of which were owned by witches and passed down through the family lines for generations. Inheriting a home layered with generations of protections from your ancestral line made its wards all the more powerful and could even lend a bit of power to any spells cast on the property.

Lucky for Silas, his home hadn’t been owned by witches, or at least not a line with any kind of history. I wasn’t sure how a house with those protections would react to a vampire moving in. I’d snagged a townhouse to rent so close to this older historical neighborhood it could only be described as tragic, considering how many older homes were likely bulldozed to make room for the newer building. But, as much as the building’s placement sparked my indignation, I’d jumped at the chance to live there for nostalgia’s sake. Because my family had lost my grandmother’s home in that very neighborhood after she died. Or maybe not so much lost it as my mom quietly sold it off without telling me.

I’d barely made it out the door before Luca caught up to me.

“Elliot wasn’t done.”

“Well, I feel perfectly fine. No need to waste any more energy.”

“You shouldn’t be up and running around,” he insisted.

“I’m not running,” I said, increasing my walking speed even though there was no sense in trying to outrun a vampire. “Just thirsty.”

“It’s nearly morning.”

“Then I’ll get a mimosa.”

“Sage.”

“Don’t worry, I’m great. Just gonna grab my car and head over. Probably best if I be in on the discussion.” More like I couldn’t possibly let them have that discussion without me. “I mean, of course I realize Ollie could probably handle everything I contribute in the first place, but she’s got other stuff on her plate right now.”

Or at least that was what I told myself to pretend I was relevant in this little group. I was, after all, the only powerless one trying to keep up with the rest of them. And sure, Ollie didn’t have active magic, but at least she had been studying magic and all things non-human for years, whereas I couldn’t so much as mention the word in my house growing up without sending my mother off the deep end.

“I never implied that you weren’t needed,” Luca said. “But they can manage without you while you heal.”

He really hadn’t and I cringed at the lack of confidence in my words. Dammit , between the facility and being out of uniform, I was completely off my game.

“Of course,” I waved him off. “But I’m fine.”

God, that would be a lot more convincing if my throat wasn’t a mess, but Elliot had understandably focused on the deeper wounds before my throat. It was my own fault for running away before he’d finished, but the only thing that was going to make me okay at this point was getting back to work.

Luca must have realized he couldn’t talk me out of going, and he sighed. “Fine.”

The world tipped and cold wind whipped at my face. When I opened my eyes, my building was right in front of me and Luca set me back on my feet.

“You shouldn’t do things like that out in the open,” I scolded.

“I made sure no one was around first.”

Shaking my head, I took one step toward my door and stopped, patting down my pockets. Shit.

Luca dangled a set of keys in front of my face and handed over my wallet as well. “The things they took from everyone were tossed into one of the first rooms we came across. I don’t know if everything is there, but those were the only things that smelled like you.”

“Thanks.” I took another step toward my townhouse and realized the next problem. “Uh, I can make it from here. Thanks.”

Luca gave me a flat look and continued to follow me to the door. Yeah, I didn’t think he’d let it go that easily. I unlocked the door with a sigh and handed him the keys.

“Pull up the car for me? I’ll just change real quick and be right out.”

Luca grudgingly took the keys and circled the building to find my car. I let out the breath I’d been holding and slipped inside, grabbing clothes on the way to the bathroom. Getting a look at my messy hair, dark circles, and dull blue eyes, I shook my head at myself before hopping in the shower.

After the fastest costume change in history, I was back out the door, spare glasses in place, tucked in and buttoned up in all the right places and looking mostly like the Sage they all knew. Or at least convincingly enough to be who I needed to be.

Luca was tapping away on the steering wheel when I hopped in the car.

“Sage, I still think—”

“Lecture me on the way or I’ll call a taxi.”

Luca’s jaw clenched in frustration and I couldn’t help the way my heart skipped at the sight of it. A lot had changed in Luca since he’d become a vampire. But the one that bothered me the most, was that he held everything in now.

The man was filled with anger and rightfully so, but he bottled it up along with all of his smiles, laughter and tears. He’d been so open before he died, but now it was nearly impossible to get anything out of him. So on those rare occasions where I got to see a little blip of a reaction he couldn’t hold back, the feelings I’d never hidden all that well came bubbling back up.

Of course, the reaction I provoked in him more often than not was frustration, but I’d take whatever I could get. Cutting himself off from his emotions completely was the last thing he needed. Silas had warned me of the importance of not letting him lose touch with his humanity and I’d been forcing my way into his life to help in any way I could. Though I clearly did not enjoy having the shoe on the other foot.

Maybe we were both too stubborn for our own good. The Goddess knew we butted heads more than anything else these days, but sometimes that was what friends did. Not that friendship was all I wanted from Luca, but he seemed determined to pretend he didn’t know how I felt about him. So if a friend was all he ever saw me as, then I’d take what I could get.