Chapter Twenty-Eight #3
EJ frowned, his sluggish brain putting it together. Karson was dead. Terenzio was dead. Willim, who would have been next in line for Master of the City, was dead. That left Walter. If he wanted it.
The queen gave a slight incline of her head. “We will expect to hear from you tonight.”
George waddled over and put his forepaws on EJ’s knees. He lifted the heavy slobber machine to his lap, and the Basset Hound dropped into an ungainly pile of flesh. Drool smeared onto the afghan. EJ scratched the floppy ears.
Walter asked, “How are Grizz and Boots?”
Grizz had been transported to the closest triage and trauma hospital for care.
Boots received a transfusion and CPR at the scene and more lifesaving measures in the medic helo. She was on life support, hanging between life and death. Shiloh and Walter had both fed her, but sometimes that wasn’t enough.
“Both are still alive,” the queen said, “and well guarded. If they are still among the living at dusk, Amy will feed them to healing.”
“Cost?” Walter asked, his tone mild.
“Usury and extortion.” Aunt Jane said it with affection, grinning, unconcerned. “My expense, not yours.”
“You have always had a soft spot for women who use their gifts to soar through glass ceilings,” Walter said.
“You’ll discuss with the children what we offered?” the queen asked.
EJ sat up straighter at those words and that royal “we.”
“I will, my queen,” Walter said, his head still down. “Tonight. For now, I hear the helo. Shiloh and I have only a few minutes to drink from Amy Lynn before the sun stops us. We will all be in my quarters. Until sunset, my queen.”
“Until sunset,” the queen echoed. Her face vanished from the screen.
Shiloh said, “Don’t think you can gets handsy, fanghead,” she said to Walter.
“I’m sure I would rue the day.”
The two vamps managed to get off the floor and made their way out of Angie’s apartment. The others of the unit followed. Villetti kissed Angie and said, “I’ll bring supper.”
He didn’t ask, he informed. Angie didn’t blast him about it. She smiled and kissed him. On the mouth. In front of EJ.
EJ chuckled evilly.
Villetti flipped an index finger at EJ on the way out.
Angie looked soft all over. Happy.
All except for the glowing, singing skin of her hands.
Angie
I shoved Aurora off me and sat upright. Slowly. I felt like I’d been run over by a truck. When I was sitting, feet on the low coffee table and a fluffy afghan pulled over me, the cats climbed into place and demanded petting. One at each hand.
EJ said, “They seem to like the new look.”
“Cats,” I said, as if that explained everything. Which it did.
“We need to talk.”
“Yes.”
“I’m making more coffee. You want tea?”
“Irish Breakfast, extra creamer, sweet. The tiara looks adorable, by the way.”
EJ flashed his boyhood grin, dislodged George, and made himself at home in my kitchen. As he worked, he said, “Ojos. Protocol Fuck Off.”
“Protocol Fuck Off initiated.”
I spluttered with laughter until EJ said, “Even the queen can’t get inside for the next thirty minutes.”
I sobered.
“The military has secrets. So does the queen. So do I. I don’t use them often enough to be detected.” He brought over my tea and an espresso for himself. Retook his chair, George now on the floor at his feet, snoring.
He whistled a note, opening a silence working over us. Lifted a tablet out of the couch cushions and handed it to me. “A private communiqué from the queen to Walter and Shiloh.” Enunciating carefully, he changed his words. “Walter, and the queen’s assassin.”
I glanced at the tablet, laid it in my lap, and sipped tea, watching my brother. “The tea is perfect, thank you.” He nodded and I gestured for him to continue, sipping tea, ignoring the cats now scent-marking my hands. I said, “You and I are tied somehow. Still. And we never talked about it.”
“Not us. Our magic. From the time when we were kids and you saved us by braiding our power together and getting us away.”
“The yellow strand twined with my blue-white thread,” I said.
“I have no idea of the color. It’s the tuning note G. Angel magics.”
I looked down at my mug, blinking at the tears that, for some ungodly reason, filled my eyes. “I don’t think about that time much, when my angel left me alone. It hurts. Hayyel left. He took all the magic.”
“Not really. He touched the spark between us, not like a curse, but a blessing that resonates to tuning G. It lets us use our magic together. Apparently it also lets you use raw magic. And no. I didn’t know what it did, or how to use it, until tonight.”
“Blessed…” Hayyel had blessed me. Us.
I drank more tea, breathing, letting my unexpected grief settle, finding a place for it within me.
Oddly, it rested next to the thread of blue-white magic, and what might be my battle magic.
I wondered if I could draw up either or both at will now, instead of only after it was too late.
I set my mug aside and read the info on the tablet. Reread it. I placed the tablet aside.
EJ had refilled my tea mug. He was on his third espresso. Fourth?
“You’re going to have jitters,” I said.
“Never.”
I laughed and drank tea, enjoying the quiet camaraderie. “Walter is going to sacrifice himself for us,” I said.
“No. My interpretation is that Walter’s going to trade his position of independence, here with us, and take on the mantle of Master of the City, in exchange for Mama and Dad and the Everhart Clan trying to cure Nyoka of demon possession and removing her brand.
There are no guarantees. Mama and Dad say it might take decades to reverse engineer the workings.
And yes, Walter knows he won’t get Nyoka back for a while. ”
“That sorta breaks my heart.”
“Look at you, wanting everyone to be in love. Think the long game. While Nyoka is in a comfy, padded, null cell, Walter will be dating the cop.” At my blank look he said, “You didn’t see the way they were looking at each other at the Sacred Heart of Mary Mission Church? All goo-goo eyed and lovestruck?”
“Walter? Has the hots for Rocas?”
EJ grinned. “What can I say. Magic was in the air.”
I threw a fluffy pillow at him. My hand didn’t hurt. “That is so lame.”
“But true,” he said. “Walter gets a love life and we get to keep our independence.”
“A unit on guard next door and Shiloh living upstairs is not independence.”
“But it’s better than being forced back to Asheville and the coven and royal responsibilities.”
“What does the unit think about it?” I made a fist. Still didn’t hurt.
“They’re retiring. They say they’re old.”
I snorted. It was a sound Aunt Jane might make. “They sip vamp blood for healing on a regular basis,” I said. “Their bodies are twenty years younger than their true age.”
EJ shrugged, as if he too found the decisions of old people, weird. “They and their families are willing to move here. They wouldn’t be here as a group except as needed. Two per shift, with Shiloh taking the brunt of nighttime security, just like Walter did.”
“I don’t like Shiloh taking over Walter’s apartment.” EJ didn’t reply so I added, “She’ll have lovers and probably live-in blood donors. She’ll never be discreet.” Cousin Wacko would be on top of us. Literally.
“Plus,” I said, “she stole my DNA and used my staff. That can’t happen again. I’ll have to put a lock on the staff.” I lifted my hands, all glowy and white. Both cats leaped on them, rolling as if my hands were catnip. “She knows what our magic did at the mission. She’s the queen’s assassin.”
“She gave us the Rule of Three,” EJ said slowly. “Like a mini-coven.”
“You’re trying to say you like the idea of having an Everhart around.”
“Actually, yes. She doesn’t want to be part of the main coven either. And we already know our magics are compatible.”
I scowled at EJ, thinking, as I batted at the cats. Aurora batted back, grabbing my hand with all four legs. Borealis got the zoomies, running up the walls to the counters. Two steel bowls went flying, and clattered to the floor.
“Better not have dented that,” I said to Borealis. “Cats,” I said to EJ.
George farted in his sleep.
“Dogs,” EJ said. “Not saying it’s perfect. But we wouldn’t be under royal orders.”
“Piece by piece, we’re losing our independence.”
“Piece by piece we take it back. By making our own family. Walter could have gone back to the queen and Grampa and still gotten the trade for Nyoka. You know Mom and Dad would have taken on the challenge. He took the MOC position to stay near us and still give us our freedom.” EJ’s mouth softened.
“He never showed it, but the old man loves us.”
“So…we invite him for holidays?”
“We include him in our Chat-town family. And the queen’s banner comes down from our building and goes up at Asshat’s old place.”
That suited me very well. “Shoulda led with that.”
“What do you think?”
I tilted my head one way, then the other, weighing it. “I’m in if you are.”
“I’m in. We need to practice using our magic together. All our workings will be more effective. Healing workings, assault workings, everything. As long as the military doesn’t get wind of what happened during the storm.”
“Fingers crossed,” I said. I handed the tablet to EJ. “I’m for a nap. Villetti will be here in a few hours.”
“You were supposed to go dancing with your friends.”
“I invited them over. We can dance here.”