Chapter 9 Gracie
Suggested Listening: Ambition by Erika Harlacher
My heart is racing so hard it’s making my head pound and my vision blur. Now is not the best time for a migraine to fuck with my sight.
“What the fuck is he?” I whisper-yell while squinting at the man with red scales sprawled out on the ground.
He isn’t completely unconscious. He’s groaning, and his foot is twitching. I’m kind of scared about what he’ll do when he gets up. Because it’s not a case of if, but when. I really don’t want to be around for that.
Puck spreads his arms, eyes trained on the downed man, and speaks softly. A lot like a certain meme with raptors ready to pounce. Not sure that’ll work on our T-Rex level threat here, but I appreciate that one of us has a firing brain cell. “Everyone step back slowly. To me. Quickly.”
Shit.
Whoever this guy is, he’s bad news.
There’s just one problem. With the way the room is spinning, I don’t trust my legs.
Darius tightens his arm around my waist, banding me to his side. Like he knows I need to be steadied. I cling to him while up and down seem to get a little confusing in my head.
Vyslan and Luciu are across the room on the other side of the downed man. I see my big demon throw out his arm, like he’s going to protect my warlock. Which is sweet. It’s nice to see some of us are working together.
Fuck, it feels like there are three ice picks being driven into my skull.
Two on either side of the frontal bone, and one trying to drill up through the occipital on my left side.
The concussion blast of whatever Vyslan did coupled with the cost of that updraft spell is really doing a number on me.
Spellcrafing all night really wasn’t a great idea now that I have a bit of perspective.
Puck’s hand gently grasps my other arm, offering a counterbalance to Darius’ support. The two of them guide me away from the rubble. Though I’m not sure where we’re going or where we’re headed.
The only other option for an exit is a dark hallway that leads on forever.
The guys seem equally as confused because we stop a few feet away from the downed man, which allows me another opportunity to squint at him with my blurry sight.
Yup, those are scales.
I’m pretty sure this is the big, scary dragon shifter we were hoping to avoid. Now we’ve likely just pissed him off. Awesome. Just great. Because we needed to add one more thing to the list of shitty things that have happened in the last twenty-four hours.
We’ll have to deal with the angry dragon later. Or hope he’s not all that attached to his gig as Treznor’s pet lizard. I do seem to recall the guys saying it was likely that the vampire sire had something on the dragon to force his loyalty.
“This way,” Luciu says from the entry to the hall.
Puck and Darius look at each other before we head after my warlock and demon, with Puck bringing up the rear.
I see Luciu glancing back past Vyslan a few times.
He catches my eye and smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
They’re worried. And why wouldn’t they be?
We just fell I-don’t-know-how-many-stories into the basement of this crypt, and the final boss is still waiting.
I’d hoped I would be in some sort of shape to help, but at this point?
Just staying upright while clenching my jaw through the pain is an accomplishment.
And that’s saying something. I hurt at every moment of every day.
So much so that it’s become this background thing I just ignore.
But I’m not so sure this is a power-through-it moment.
If the pain is bad enough that I can’t push through, then it’s really bad.
Darkness descends around us for a moment, offering my pounding head some relief. There are dim lights ahead, giving the hallway ominous shadows.
How many thralls are hiding between here and Treznor?
“In here,” Luciu whispers.
There’s a creak of a door and we step into a dimly lit space.
It’s colder and filled with the whirling sound of fans.
Red, blue, green, yellow, and white lights flash here and there from racks of equipment.
There’s a decidedly plastic-and-oil scent to the place that hasn’t been covered up by the musty air or blood. Almost like this place is brand new.
Voices and footsteps echo in the distance. No doubt, an explosion like that will have drawn some attention. And since we’re talking about thralls, who have been reduced to an animalistic state, they’ll smell us out soon enough.
This isn’t good.
“Where are we?” Puck demands.
“Uh, it’s the server room. Well, it’s where I put the server and all the back-end equipment for the security system. Control room is next door. I think that’s where the big guy back there was headed. Did we, uh… Is he dead?” Luciu asks in a high-pitched voice.
I stop breathing.
The guy's leg was twitching, wasn’t it?
“No, it would take more than that to kill a dragon,” Darius says dryly. “Isa put him to sleep for a while. Not a long while, but hopefully long enough for us to get Ezra and get out of here. We should be safe in here for a few moments. But we do need to move on. Quickly.”
Strong hands turn me in place, and a hand guides my chin up until I’m squinting at Vyslan. The hellfire dancing atop his head and horns is soothing to my over-taxed brain in a way. “You aren’t doing well, are you, sweet witch?”
“No,” I croak out. “I only had small spells prepared. That updraft was more like a big spell.”
All spells have a cost. A small spell might take a few strands of hair you can pluck off your shirt.
That’s all I had at the moment. But that spell?
It needed more. Some blood would have been ideal, but I couldn’t move quickly enough.
I’m strong-willed, so sometimes I can force a spell to work.
But there’s a rebound cost that takes twice as much, if not more, out of me.
I’ll be feeling the cost of this spell for a while.
The worst part? I’m spent. Useless for the remainder of this little trip, save for the potions I made ahead of time.
And it’s not like I can just waltz my happy ass back to the car.
Going up the elevator would be taking my life into my hands.
No, at this point, the only path forward leads straight to Treznor.
“I can help,” Puck says. His hand rubs my shoulder, and normally that would feel great. But my nerves are practically on fire.
I glance at him, and he grimaces.
Because of his constant monitoring, he knows the truth. He might want to help, but this is beyond his ability. Besides, if Treznor is as big, bad, and scary as they all say, Puck will need his focus on this fight.
There is another way, but no one is going to like it.
“Could Gracie and I stay here? Barricade the door?” Luciu suggests.
Vyslan and Puck turn toward him with suspicious glares.
Luciu takes a step back, hands up. “Sorry. Just an idea.”
I don’t need to be told that Darius, Puck, and Vyslan have been chatting behind our backs. This little plan has rocked along a little too smoothly. It’s painfully obvious that those three are working together. I’m both pleased and irritated about that.
I’m so used to being the person in control that it’s difficult allowing the guys to manage me.
But it’s also comforting, in a way. They can be a team if they want.
And Puck is playing nicely, which is entirely unexpected.
I’m not unaware of his motivations. I heard their story, but he still wants me to hear him out after this.
To consider what he’s going to say. And while he hasn’t come out and said it in clear-cut terms, the fact that Darius sees us together in most iterations of their future is all the information we really need.
We’re fated. All of us. This was meant to be. And while I do like to thwart the expected path of life, I’m not going to fight this.
Five men who want nothing more than to take care of me? It’s overwhelming in a nice sort of way. It’s the dream all the other girls in the coven had that I never thought would work out for me. For once, it’s nice that fate works in my favor.
“They don’t trust you yet, Luc.” My voice comes out gravely, and my vision is starting to do this boingy thing that’s unsettling. “It’s not personal, but…”
Luciu grimaces. “I… Yeah, I should have thought of that sooner. I guess I do seem pretty suspicious. Shit.”
“Cheer up,” Darius says with a grin. Given the two sets of pointy teeth peeking out from his top lip, it’s not as comforting as he wants it to be. Which just makes it more adorable. I don’t think Darius has any idea how badass he looks. “So far, you’ve passed all the tests with flying colors.”
“You.” I point at Darius. “Come here.”
He points at his chest, brows arching, but only hesitates a moment. “Yes, my witch.”
Darius takes a step toward me. It’s a small room, but the dizziness is settling in.
I reach up and take a handful of his shirt, just under Isa’s body draped around his neck like a scarf, and tug. Darius bends forward, lips parted in surprise.
Oh, right. He doesn’t see his own future.
Our lips meet with a slight click of teeth, but Darius catches up. He cups my shoulders and rocks into the kiss. I can feel him smiling as I gently push him back.
“What was that for?” Vyslan asks with naked glee.
“Just because,” I say.
“Do I get one?” he asks.
“Nope.”
Puck mutters something under his breath and crosses his arms over his chest.
We still have things to figure out before we can move forward.
He hurt me. Deeply. And I’m only just now beginning to understand.
We’re going to have to mend that before we can move forward.
And he has to get over his problem with Ezra.
Neither are deal breakers, but it's going to require Puck to change. And I won’t expect that.
It might not be worth it for him in the end, and I don’t want to pin my hopes on him changing.