Chapter 19 Magic
Magic
ROGUE
Honestly? I have no idea what the hell my ‘enemies’ are doing consorting with a loose cannon like Mina.
She clearly wasn’t the person I thought she was during our friendship, and if I look at her behavior objectively, she’s a complete looney tune.
That makes her a liability and my training would tell me that makes her useless as an asset.
Sure, she could be a distraction and possibly do some damage, but long-term?
She’s as likely to bite the hand that feeds her as to do what you need her to.
Her extreme self-absorption and delusions of grandeur based on some mild social media cultishness has rotted her brain.
I don’t know when that started, or if it was always there and I ignored the red flags, but it's beyond obvious now.
Unfortunately, knowing those things and dealing with the fallout of her joining more stable ‘evils’ isn’t equivalent.
Plus, I haven’t had time to heal from the betrayal of trust and absolutely horrid shit she’s said and done to me since the split.
It makes me vulnerable in ways I feel ashamed of, and I’m not used to that.
I’m always the strong one, the one who can shove it down and move on—I learned that at the feet of the Kellys.
But her defection, her use of my most deeply held wounds to harm me?
I can’t escape the destruction inherent in someone you cared about weaponizing your pain for their benefit with gleeful precision.
“Princess, you know she’s crazy, right?”
Angelo’s soft rumble as we continue on through the stupid demon bullshit makes my shoulders tense.
Of course I know that, but my head and my heart aren’t on the same wavelength right now.
The one ally I had besides Reb for all those years just severed the ties between us with such absolute finality that it left an aching hole in my chest. So I nod, not trusting myself to speak yet.
Yes, it’s crazy for your heart to think you could get over having your ass kicked, but it makes up all these wild reasons that it could have been not her fault.
I’m fully aware that this confrontation, filled with purposeful, logically applied stabs into open emotional wounds was not caused by any spell or whatever.
Mina knew what she was doing and did it publicly enough that everyone around saw and heard her barbs.
That’s the last straw, and it was meant to reveal my weaknesses and make me even more susceptible to attacks.
I don’t know if it worked, but knowing her intent changes everything in my fragile internal balance.
There’s no going back from this, and I have to mourn that—when I have time.
Rebel saves me, snorting as he mutters, “That bitch is on death row; she just doesn’t know it yet.”
“Well deserved, and it can’t come soon enough,” Archie says.
I blink for a moment, a little surprised by the easy way he says that, but then I remember that despite his laid back attitude, this is the future alpha in the cat shifter pack.
His dads are varied by species of cat and personality, but his mom is fierce as fuck.
Samara raised him to tread lightly and rip the throat out of someone who threatens your people; it simply hasn’t been as obvious as it is right now.
“Guys, we can’t do a fucking thing about that cuntmuffin now, so let’s drop it, okay?
” Damon’s rebuke makes my chest loosen up a little, as the more we talk about her, the longer she’s living rent-free in my head while my emotions try to stuff her bullshit in a locked box until I’m ready.
“We have to be focused on this damn meeting and finding out what’s happening at the secret one. ”
“D’s right,” I say as we finally reach the elevator at the other end of this enormous level.
“Finding that ‘circus’ place is what’s important, and after that, scoping out who invited us and why is the secondary mission.
We haven’t been attacked nearly enough for it to be about taking us out.
If that was the point, BJ wouldn’t have stepped in with that nonsense and there would have been more attempts. ”
“Maybe they don’t want to risk doing it in demon territory?” Javier asks, as Angelo uses his tail to activate our ride to the top. “That would track if their parents were part of the conspiracy, as we believe.”
“I don’t know about that. They’re slick; getting it done would be more important than doing it right.” Damon looks up from his phone briefly, then shrugs. “I’ve organized a lot of clean-up over the years from the background, and Luca is much less calculating about his vendettas than people think.”
Angelo groans as he straightens and shifts his demon features back to normal.
“Little D is right. I’m the muscle, so I’ve seen it firsthand, but he’s also the one we called to arrange the work in the aftermath of his insane ideas.
He worked with all the crooked law enforcement, politicians, and physical disposal crews. ”
I give my submissive demon an appreciative grin. “So you have yet another useful skill set that I didn’t even know about… Nice.”
His face flushes with pleasure and his twin laughs as the elevator doors open. “Man, I just love watching you melt him, Princess. It’s both hysterical and perfect every time.”
The quieter demon arches a brow, then smirks as he looks at Archie. “I can hold my own on top, too.”
Now we all join in the humor as Archie turns almost eggplant in color, muttering, “Shut up, assholes. Don’t be haters.”
Their antics help calm me and I’m thankful.
My body was on high alert from the previous situation, and as we board the stupid carriage, I feel lighter.
Moving to my lion’s side, I put my lips against his ear.
“You’re hot as fuck when you’re growly with me, but even hotter when D is helping me show you the other side.
I love that you two finally admitted what I’ve known for a long time.
And seeing that passion is fucking gorgeous, baby. ”
His shy smile is my reward and for the first time since we saw my ex-BFF again, I can breathe.
We stayed quiet on the trip out of the horror house and to the edge of the demon territory.
We walk through the center gardens, avoiding Fae territory for obvious reasons, and when we get to the middle area, I stop and look around.
“They have to be hiding their secret meeting place. We know it’s not in demon or Fae lands. ”
“Demons would never agree to the aquatic shifter territory,” Angelo says with a sneer.
“Not because of water, but the MC that runs it is… definitely beneath them. They could be involved in the bigger picture because that’s a lot of expendable minions, but Luca and Lola wouldn’t be seen as corpses amongst those dumbasses. ”
Three down, I suppose.
“The main meeting area that way would be a terrible choice as well. Too much overlapping security sweeps from various clans. Odd visitors from ‘out of town’ would draw way too much scrutiny,” Damon adds.
“But nothing on these boards gives enough info to identify the location. Finding it has to be tied to some sort of magic because no one comes to these things without protection and staff, but that’s the best place for leaks to start.
They overestimate their skills and give shit away. ”
“Clever,” Reb says as he rakes his hand through his bright green locks. “How are we going to find it, then? We don’t have a seer, a psychic, or even a fucking palm reader, man.”
“But we have Wonder Twins powers, and lots of raw strength,” Javi says thoughtfully.
“Perhaps if we form a circle and join hands with the demons and Fae at the quarters, then put the shifters in the middle… It might allow us to combine your talents and use us to focus the output. One or all of you might sense the demon magic in areas that aren’t Gemini territory? ”
“Then we can try to separate it out, line by line, until we find what doesn’t fit!” I clap my hands, then grab the phoenix in a tight hug. “Brilliant, babe. Creating a funnel to amplify the two halves of the magical spectrum is really smart. I don’t know if it will work, but it’s worth a try.”
“Hell yes, it is,” Archie says as he holds his fist up for a bump. “After that brief trip to fake Hell, I’m not excited about exploring the other lands in our quest to find the bad guys. I don’t even want to go to check out the shifters; this shit is way too intense for me.”
Rebel nods, looking around to check out the surrounding area for a moment. “We need to make it look like we’re doing something other than what we are. Perhaps a light glamor, then we’ll begin?”
“On it.” Closing my eyes, I throw my hands out, waving them at my guys like I’m throwing confetti.
When I feel the basic magic take hold, I bob my brows at them.
“It’ll look like we’re praying to whatever from the outside.
I used nothing that will survive a deep dive by someone with juice, but it will keep passers-by from nosing into our business. ”
“Makes sense.” I turn to my cuddly lion and he shrugs. “You gotta save the mojo for this big stuff, eh? No use using a nuke to drive a nail.”
He’s getting much better at understanding what two-thirds of our family uses—people do not give him enough credit for how smart he is.
“Exactly. Everyone gets in a circle—Rogue, we take West and East, Ang go north, and Damon is in South. Javi and Arch are in the middle, back to back, looking up. Got it?” My step-brother has switched to an intensely focused magic user now, and there’s no point in trying to talk him down until this is done.
The others don’t work with him like I do, and I’m used to his bossy, matter-of-fact behavior in the field. It’s annoying, but it works.
“Alright,” I murmur as the outer circle joins hands.
“The middle pillars should focus on the sky and open themselves to us. Once we’re able to meld together, we’ll reach for your power, and then extend it to the grounds little by little.
Do not break the plane of the circle or let go until we’re ready. ”
The shifters chorus their assent and I turn to look at my magical men.
Angelo tilts his head, looking at me in amusement.
“Princess, we’re waiting for your command.
Rebel might think he’s in charge, but D and I know better.
This isn’t a Council mission; this is our family.
You’re the center of the universe here.”
Trying not to preen as Reb scowls darkly, I add points to Ang’s total for later. That demon just earned himself a treat for goddamn sure. “Okay. Here we go.”
I close my eyes, breathing out slowly as I gather all the power of both my demonic and Fae sides, then start the chant, “Imbhuaileann na cruinne, bogann an t-aer fós. Ceiltíonn an fhírinne, nochtann an solas. Tá ár gcumhachtaí le chéile, a láithreacht a chruthú dúinn.”1
Magic hits me in the chest like a cannonball, and colors explode in front of my eyes as the raw energy flowing from the twins to Reb and I twine together to form a circle that sizzles with strength.
Damn. We might actually do this; I wasn’t really sure it would work.