Chapter 15
“Of course,Mr. Anderson. Here at Pennington and Byers, you’ll always get the best representation for your case. You’ve been one of our top clients since my father first started in this business, and I’ve vowed to continue his legacy, so I’ll be handling your case personally.”
The vampire on the phone pays no heed to my words and drones on and on, talking about I don’t even know what. He’s been around the block enough to know that he shouldn’t share vital information over the phone. That’s what an in-person meeting is for. Again, something he already knows from the numerous cases the company has handled on his and his family’s behalf.
His prattling words become white noise as I zone out, my mind shifting instinctively to Bailey. Cor meum. Wondering how her first day of class is going. She should be close to finishing her last class of the day, and while she hasn’t used my cell phone number yet, I hope she will today and tell me all about it. My fingers twitch as I flirt with the idea of texting her to ask but then think better of it. I don’t want to come on too strong.
But damn, that kiss with her was everything. Never once in my eight hundred years have I ever felt something so consuming as that. And all it took was that bitch Ariana trying to claim me when she had no right to. With her being my business associate’s daughter, I’ve always looked at her as family and nothing more. It hasn’t helped that she’s always come on too strong, and there hasn’t been a spark with her. Not that I wanted one.
Then you have Bailey. My beautiful curiomancer.
I wasn’t sure what would happen when we finally found her, but being drawn into her orbit wasn’t one of them. Only it’s a different draw than a soul bond. My soulmate—the one made for me—chose the path of violence and murder that I wanted no part of. She fed me fancy lies about how much better our lives would be, but I instinctively knew how it would end. And that was why I refused to bond with her, no matter how much my soul yearned to be joined with hers.
Unfortunately, ten short years later, I was right. She was apprehended after a long line of gruesome murders and sentenced to death. My refusal to bond with her saved my head. Literally.
The chair beneath me creaks as I shift my weight, getting into a more comfortable position for the long haul this conversation is turning out to be.
My yes’s, mhmm’s, and you’re right’s are on point with the conversation even though I’m not actually paying attention. At some point, I’ll have to cut him off, but I’ll need to wait for a lull in his diatribe in order to do so. He won’t let me get a word in edgewise.
Kicking up my black Italian loafers, I place my feet on my desk, crossed at my ankles. The lights in my office bounce off the freshly polished surface of my shoes, highlighting an errant scuff mark that was missed. I scowl at it, telling myself I’ll get that handled as soon as this phone call ends.
Finally, the other end of the line goes blissfully quiet, the vampire running out of steam. Right as I go to explain once again that he needs to come in for a meeting, a loud pop breaks the silence followed by a pink portal forming right in front of my office door.
My expensive shoes hit the ground with a thump as I jump up, ending the call without a word. There’s only one person I know who wields pink magic, and there’s no question if I’d drop whatever—even a long standing client—I was doing for her.
Anticipation rides me hard at seeing her again, loving the fact that she’s chosen to come see me after finally getting some of her magic down. It couldn’t have been easy, but I’ll lavish her with kisses as a job well done. Maybe I’ll even take her to dinner before she heads back to Stonewell if she’s up for it.
Fuck. I swipe my fingers through my hair as nerves rattle my frame. My blond locks are hanging loose today whereas I had them pulled back when I picked her up from the human sector. Would she like it like this? I’m not opposed to cutting it if she has an aversion to long hair.
Smoothing out my suit jacket, I plaster a smile on my face, hoping it belays my nerves. I don’t think I’ve been this out of whack over a woman in… ever. My fang pierces my lip as I nibble on it, the aroma of my blood saturating my office as I wait for the girl of my dreams to grace my vision.
Not a mere moment later, a body falls through the portal, landing on my hardened floor with a choked cry. Fuck. The portal winks out of existence as I quickly round my desk, gathering cor meum in my arms. What the hell happened? Her scared pink eyes meet mine. Pink? Why the hell isn’t she wearing her glamour? Fear and terror cross her features until she realizes where she is, and then those emotions are quickly replaced with apprehension and exhaustion.
Shifting her better in my arms, a whimper slips between her cracked lips as I squeeze her tighter to me. It’s then that I notice her clutching her wrist, black and blue bruises marring her perfect flesh, and blood oozing down her arm. Blood that smells insanely delicious, making my fangs throb. “Bailey.” My voice trembles. “What happened, cor meum? Did you have issues coming through the portal?”
“A-a-axel…” A sob erupts as she throws her arms around my neck, clutching me to her like a lifeline. She cries even harder as I feel her grab her wrist behind my neck, but I hold her to me, hoping to take away whatever has caused her to feel like this.
Getting to my feet is easy with her in my arms, her weight nothing but a mere feather to my strength, and I take her back to the couch she originally sat on the first time in my office. But I don’t dare let her go. I continue to hold her, rubbing what I hope are soothing circles on her back until she’s ready to tell me what’s going on.
Time means nothing as she continues to cry, her words incomprehensible. It takes all of my willpower to forget about potent raspberry merlot scent of her blood as I catch mumblings of asshole, professor, and something that sounds suspiciously like the word mate.
After what feels like an entire lifetime, Bailey’s tears finally subside, and she pulls away, refusing to make eye contact with me and leaving me feeling bereft. But thank the gods, she doesn’t climb off my lap. She just sits back, cradling her wrist against her chest protectively.
“Cor meum.” I cringe as my words cause her to flinch. What the fuck happened to cause that reaction? She wasn’t like this when I dropped her off three days ago. My body vibrates with fury, knowing someone is probably going to die. “Bailey, I really need you to tell me what happened,” I push out through gritted teeth, not worried at all about breaking a fang. They grow back for this very reason.
Tears well in her eyes once again, and she doesn’t stop them from falling as she goes into detail about what transpired in the dining hall on Sunday to the pain she’s been on the receiving end in the past hour. As the words spill from between her trembling lips, my fury doubles. No, it fucking triples.
And the moment she mentions the professor claiming her as his mate—after fucking abusing her—I can’t hold it in anymore. I see fucking red.
Not wanting to hurt cor meum more than she already is, I carefully lift my sweetheart from my lap and make sure she’s comfortable on the black leather couch before crossing the room and finally unleashing my rage. My vision darkens around the edges as my desk cracks and splinters directly down the center. My laptop becomes a victim to the carnage as I pick up the device and hurl it toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Bailey’s scream echoes in my ears, clearing some of my hostility as the electronic shatters into a million pieces as it hits the glass, raining bits and pieces all over my once-pristine floor. As the fight flees my body, my gaze finds Bailey’s tear-soaked face, her body trembling as she curls into a ball. Shielding herself from my wrath.
But doesn’t cor meum know that I’d never hurt her?
Of course she doesn’t, I chastise myself as I fall to my knees before her, my fingers itching to reach out and touch her. But seeing my own blood caking my hands stops me from making contact with my quivering sweetheart.
I lose myself at the sight of it, knowing the destruction I just caused from my lack of control.
Control. Something I’ve always prided myself on having an abundance of, that quickly snapped and wrought destruction the second I found out my girl got hurt. This isn’t like me. I’m not this person who leaves carnage in my wake. And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say I was just like my dead soulmate. Maybe that’s why we were paired.
No. I can’t think like that. She murdered and plundered the land. I destroyed my office. There are major differences between what we’ve done.
“Ax-xel.” Her sweet, whimpering voice filters through my mind, pulling me back from my tumultuous thoughts. “I’m sorry.”
“No.” I shake my head adamantly, dropping my hands to my sides. “Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong, cor meum. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m just extremely pissed off about what happened to you. But that can wait. I’ll deal with that later.” Grabbing the handkerchief from my pocket, I deftly wipe my hands, trying to clean off as much as possible so I can touch her.
The soiled rag joins the destruction behind me as I toss it over my shoulder. Now that my hands are semi-clean, I reach out, cupping Bailey’s face in one hand as I tuck an errant lock of hair behind her ear. She melts into my touch as she has every time, even after the horrific display she just witnessed.
“I”ll deal with what happened at the academy, cor meum. But what I want to know is why you haven”t healed yourself.”
Her perfect brows pinch together, staring back at me like I have two heads. “Heal myself?” she murmurs, her lips twisted. “I don”t know how to,” she whispers quietly, shame coloring her beautiful heart-shaped face. “I don”t even know if I can.”
“Give me one moment, cor meum.” I feel bereft as I pull away from my sweet girl, but I know exactly who to call.
It takes a solid ten minutes to find my phone under the remaining pieces of my desk, but the moment it”s in hand, I dial the one person I know who can heal her.
The line rings twice before an aged, croaky voice answers.
“My, my, Mr. Pennington. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
A smile tilts my lips despite the circumstances. “Olga, I am in need of your healing skills. I”ll explain better when you”re here. Just please, what you find in my office can”t leave here.”
She clucks her tongue, and even over the phone, I know the old crone is rolling her eyes at me. “I know how to be discreet, young vampire. I”ll be there in two shakes of a broom stick.” The line goes dead before I can correct her use of the saying or thank her.
“Who’s Olga?” Bailey asks as I pocket my phone, stepping over the rubble to rejoin her on the couch.
As I go to sit down, a pop echoes around my office, a body materializing out of thin air in front of us. Bailey squeals and slides over on the couch, tucking herself behind me, instinctively knowing I’ll protect her. But this is one person she doesn’t need protection from.
“There’s no hiding your prey from me, Mr. Pennington,” the old bat cackles gleefully, clapping her hands. “Did you go a little overboard in feeding? Tsk, tsk. I thought you knew better than that.”
This bitch. It’s times like this that I remember why I haven’t talked to her in years.
“No, ya fucking biddy, that’s not why—” I get cut off as Olga gasps, clasping her withered hands to her chest.
“Alyssa?” Confusion colors my features until I look over my shoulder and find Bailey peeking out from where she’s hidden herself behind me. “I–I thought you were d–de–dead.”
Oh shit. “Olga.” I garner her attention before stepping aside, revealing Bailey completely. “I’d like to introduce you to Bailey. Alyssa and Reese’s daughter.”
Olga’s eyes widen, and her hand shakes as she lifts it to her lips, tears free-falling down her cheeks. I had completely forgotten that at one point in time, Olga knew the Foss family.
“But… how? They were all…” she trails off as she chokes on her words.
“It’s a long story, one I’ll tell you another time, but for now, we need your help.” That one word snaps the crone into action, practically shoving me aside as she takes the spot next to Bailey.
“What happened, child?” Bailey finally relinquishes her hold on her wrist, the bruises, puncture marks, and broken bone stark against her pale skin. Even with all the runes she holds, it’s plain as day how beat up she actually is.
Just the sight fuels my rage one more, but I tamp it down, knowing now isn’t the time to lose my shit. Again.
Bailey looks to me for guidance on if she can trust this woman, and I preen like a fucking peacock at the notion. That means she at least trusts me.
“Go ahead, cor meum.” The old crone sucks in breath at the pet name, but she otherwise ignores me, watching Bailey and waiting for a response.
As Bailey recants the story for the second time, I keep my eyes on Olga. Watching as she goes from a concerned grandmother facade to something that resembles a boiling mad bull. She huffs and grits her teeth, her face getting redder every second until it looks like she’s about to explode.
Finally, Bailey finishes with how she ended up in my office, and Olga sits back, her weathered hands fisted on her lap like she’s afraid if she doesn’t keep them there, she’ll cause her own destruction to match mine. She takes a deep breath before turning fully to Bailey with a tsk, shaking her head.
“May Karma—the nasty bitch—have a field day with that professor.” Olga huffs a breath. “I’m so sorry, child. You haven’t had the best introduction to our world. But that’s okay.” She reaches out and pats Bailey’s non-injured hand. “We’ll get you right as rain and prevent this from happening again.”
“How?” The vulnerability in Bailey’s tone breaks my heart. She’s the biggest bad in our world, yet she sounds so small because she feels powerless.
“Easy.” Olga claps her hands again. “You have your own tool for healing yourself.” She taps a wrinkled finger in the center of Bailey’s chest where a plus sign sits between her breasts, barely noticeable behind her red tank top.
Bailey’s chin drops to her chest, eyeing the place Olga is tapping. “I was wondering if that’s what that was,” she murmurs quietly, most likely to herself. “But I can’t.” She sniffles. “I don’t even know how I made the portal to get here. The only other time I got my magic to work, I lit myself on fire and ran into a wall.”
“What?!” I yell, wide-eyed as I stare cor meum down. She didn’t tell me that. Fuck.
“Shush, vampire. The adults are talking,” the old lady snickers, earning a scowl in response. I’m a fucking adult, dammit. Hell, it may not look like it, but I’m even older than she is. While vampires are considered immortal, witches are not. They have extended lifespans, but eventually they age and pass on from this world.
Bailey giggles, a lighthearted sound that has me dismissing Olga’s comment. If it takes the old bat talking shit to make cor meum happy; well then, she can talk shit all she wants.
“In all seriousness, though, Mr. Pennington, you need to go. You don’t need to be knowing any ‘mancer secrets.” But I’m already shaking my head before she even finishes.
“Over my dead body.”
“That could be arr—” I hold my hand up, stopping her.
“Cut the shit, Olga. I’m not leaving this room.”
“Fine. Fine.” She waves me away. “Sheesh. He’s a testy bloodsucker, isn”t he?” she mutters to Bailey, making the scowl reappear on my face. I wholeheartedly regret calling her. “Now, child.” I grimace. She’s not a child, but compared to Olga, I guess she is. “I’m going to alleviate a little of the pain so you can focus better. And then we’ll get you healing yourself as much as you can, and I’ll finish the job. Does that work?”
“Yeah,” she murmurs, sitting up a little straighter. But I don’t miss the skepticism in her tone. Even in that one word, it screamed loud and clear that she doesn’t believe Olga will be able to help.
A white glow emits from Olga’s aged hands as she closes the tiny distance between her and Bailey. With a soft touch, she drags a finger over the worst of the damage—her broken wrist—and almost immediately I notice a difference. And not just from the look of it. The ever-present pain etched on Bailey’s face lessens a degree and her shoulders slump as she lets out a relieved breath. The glow diminishes at that point, and Olga sits back with a satisfied smile on her wrinkled lips.
“Didn’t believe I could do it, didn’t ya, child?”
“It wasn’t th?—”
“Don’t lie to me. I know you were skeptical.” And she was. Very. Even I could smell the lie before she finished telling it.
“You’re right. I didn’t think you could. But in my defense, I’m still learning a lot about this world.” Her tone bleeds sincerity. But it’s plain as day what the little bit of healing has done for cor meum. Evident in the way she waved her injured wrist around as she was talking, instead of clutching it protectively.
“Indeed, you do still have a lot to learn. And that’s okay. Now, before we start, tell me what happened with this whole lighting yourself on fire, mumbo jumbo.”
And she does. From Thaddeus getting pissed at her for touching his flames—which spikes jealousy in me like no other—to her magic pissing her off and forcing it to work. Then she explains how the flames danced around her, not hurting her one bit. But even with Thaddeus’ ice magic, he was still burned by her power. Then they moved on from there, trying her speed rune. Which, well. It’s hard to hold back my own snicker at that.
It’s a testament to just how powerful she is. I’m not sure how much backstory Thaddeus has supplied her with, but as the eighth in line for the winter fae throne, his power isn’t to be trifled with. Or maybe he’s been shoved down the line of succession with his older siblings having kids. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken about his home life. But as it is, they do things ass-backward there. It’s the fae, so what do I expect? If they were going by who was more powerful, Thaddeus would win hands down. Every single time.
“Magic is a fickle, fickle thing, my dear. You need to build a relationship with it in order to use it correctly. As it is, your magic has laid dormant under your skin for twenty-one years. That can cause a huge disconnect between the both of you.” Bailey listens on with rapt attention, an excited gleam in her pink eyes. “What I want you to do is coax your magic. Sweet talk it. Promise that you’ll use it more.”
“I’ll try,” Bailey murmurs, immediately closing her eyes and getting to work.
“When you feel your magic will do as you wish, then ask it to follow you to your healing rune.” Olga taps Bailey’s chest again, right over the First-Aid cross.
We wait with bated breath to see what will happen. Over the course of the next few minutes, many emotions flash over Bailey’s face: her brows furrowing in concentration, biting her lip, cringing, and then, finally, a slow smile tilting her lips up.
A pinkish glow emanates from the center of her chest, the light from her magic exposing the full symbol from behind the cloth of her top. Right before our eyes, a few of the bruises start to lighten, one disappearing altogether, and the gashes slowly closing. All too soon, the magic stops, and Bailey slumps back against the couch.
Her heavy breaths and unmoving nature start to worry me the longer she remains in such a still state. The moment I start to move forward, Olga holds up her hand, giving me a rare, gentle smile and shakes her head to stop me.
Not a mere second later, Bailey’s eyes flutter before opening completely, pinning me to spot with the intensity of her emotions. Happy. She’s happy. Excited even. A squeal of elation slips from her pouty lips before she launches off the couch, directly into my arms.
The feel of her pressed against me is something I never want to live without. It’s like the sun is constantly shining, keeping the darkness at bay. Now that I’ve experienced even just a shred of her affection, I know I don’t want to live without it.
“I did it, Axel! Did you see that?! I did it!” she exclaims, pulling back slightly but not slipping from between my arms.
“I did, cor meum. I am so proud of you,” I murmur, staring down at what will now become my whole world. She just doesn’t know it yet.
She spins in my arms, the smile never faltering. “Thank you, Olga! Oh wow. It feels amazing to know I can actually do something with my magic.” It’s amazing to see just how this one act has changed her whole outlook on the shitty day she’s had this far.
Only better and brighter things from now on for cor meum.
“You’re very welcome, child. I’m glad I could be of help in my old age.” She snorts at her own comment, making Bailey giggle. “Now, let me finish healing you. You used a lot of magic, and I’m not sure it’ll accomplish finishing the job right now.”
“Okay. I do feel more drained now than I did with the fire. But I did portal here, too, so that may be why.” She says the last part mostly to herself, but we all heard it.
I reluctantly release her so she can finish getting healed while I plan my next actions. There’s no doubt she needs to get back to the academy. I’m sure Thaddeus has been made aware of what happened by now and will be looking for her, along with Jasper. The fuck. He should have protected her. But no. He had her lay her nature bare before the person that hurt her.
And it did fuck all except now Bailey has a lycan trying to claim her. Even after injuring her.
No one at that academy can protect cor meum the way she needs to be.
“Alright, child. All done,” Olga murmurs, getting her feet. She pulls Bailey into a hug, rubbing her back like a loving grandparent. “How about I take you back to the academy so you can rest? The best way to replenish your magic is to sleep.”
“I can take—” I try to interrupt to keep Bailey here longer with me, but Olga isn’t having any of it.
“I can get her back in a blink, Mr. Pennington. Plus, you have an office to clean up.”
Fucking crone. Of course, she’s right. But I don’t say that.
“Fine,” I grumble, shoving my hands in my pockets. My knuckles bump my cell phone, reminding me it”s there.
Bailey closes the distance between us and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down to her height. “Thank you, Axel,” she murmurs sweetly, brushing her soft lips against mine.
I suck in a breath, ready to deepen the kiss, but she backs away with a smirk, knowing what she just did to me.
Fucking tease.
I’ll get cor meum back for that later.
That’s a promise.
“Call me if you need anything. And I mean anything, Bailey,” I get out right before she clasps hands with Olga, and they disappear.
Crickets could be heard in the quiet of my office now that both Bailey and Olga are gone. My gaze travels over the destruction that needs to be cleared. It’s not something that I want to deal with right now. Bailey’s protection is at the forefront of my mind, and she needs someone there to deal with the fallout of this incident and any other that may arise.
Snatching my phone from my pocket, I dial the one person who may fight against me on this, saying it’s babysitting duty, but would ultimately do anything for our friendship.
“What’s up, Axe?”
“Luka, my favorite demigod and best friend. How are you?”
“Cut the shit, Axel. What do you want?” I snicker, knowing he’s seen right through me.
“I need a favor.” I bite my lip, waiting for him to backtalk me on needing yet another favor.
“Name it.”
“I need a protection detail at Stonewell.”
“Is it for the pretty little curio from Friday?” The interest is thick in his voice. Too thick to be feigned.
“Yes.” Hesitancy is rife in my tone.
“Done.”
And that’s why we’re best friends. Even if his immediate acceptance makes me question his motives.