The final jitters left my muscles and I relaxed. Hugs could work miracles, at least for me. When I was a ragey teenager hating all the adults in my life, Justin used to hug me until I calmed down, even if it took half an hour.
As I closed my eyes, Ezra relaxed too, the tension sliding from his muscles. He slipped his arms around my waist, holding me more naturally—pulling me closer.
Raising my head, I gave his shoulder a friendly pat and stepped back. “Better?” I asked in a chipper tone.
“Yeah.” He gave me a faint smile. “Thanks.”
I slapped the ice pack over my face again. “Let’s go inside, shall we?”
Marching to the door, I cursed my stupid brain. Or stupid hormones. Or whatever. I hadn’t meant to end our calming hug so abruptly, but when he’d finally relaxed, I’d done the opposite. All of a sudden I’d noticed I was pressed against a well-muscled chest, his broad shoulders under my hands, his warmth soaking into me, and dear god he smelled mouthwatering. Did he bathe in ambrosia or something?
Sweeping into the apartment, I found Kai sitting on the arm of the sofa beside an unconscious Aaron while Sin repacked her alchemy supplies. Kai gave Ezra a searching look.
“So,” I announced. “Can we talk about the elephant in the room?”
“Which elephant is that?” Kai asked.
“The ‘why did six mythic goons attempt to kidnap Aaron’ one. I’d kind of like to know, seeing as I owe one of them a good punch to the face.”
“It’s not really a mystery” Kai replied tiredly. “Since they were trying to take him alive, it was probably another ransom kidnapping.”
“Another … ransom … kidnapping.” I repeated each word, boggled by the casual way he had strung them together.
“Among mythics, Aaron’s family is famous,” Sin said, latching her case. “They’re extremely wealthy.”
“And Aaron is the sole heir to that fortune,” Kai finished. “It isn’t the first time greedy fools have targeted him, though it’s the closest anyone has come to succeeding.”
I looked from him to Sin to Ezra. “So, what, this happens all the time?”
“More so when he was living at home.” Kai glanced at Ezra. “I can only recall one attempt, besides this one, since we moved here.”
“I don’t recall any attempts. Must’ve been before I joined the guild.”
“Either way, the Sinclair family will deal with it. Frankly, I’m surprised anyone would risk getting on their bad side.” Kai stood. “Aaron can sleep off the potion at home. Ezra, help me carry him.”
I got out of the way as Kai and Ezra lifted Aaron between them and carried him out. Grabbing my keys, I hurried after them, and Sin followed. The wait for the elevator was fantastically strange—two mages supporting the third, an alchemist with blue hair and a potion kit, and then me—black eye, bandaged limbs, and green dye splattered all over my clothes.
Outside the apartment tower, two vehicles waited—an older red sports car parked on the curb with its hazard lights flashing, and a sleek black motorcycle abandoned on the lawn, two helmets hanging off the back. The guys loaded Aaron in the passenger seat of the car, then Ezra pulled out keys and offered them to Sin.
“Do you mind driving? Aaron will kill me if I smash up his baby.”
She took the keys. “Didn’t you drive over here?”
“Yeah, but it was an emergency.” He noticed my confusion and smiled sheepishly, tapping the scar that ran down his face. “I don’t have a license. No depth perception.”
“Oh.”
He tilted the driver’s seat forward and climbed into the back. As Kai rolled the motorcycle onto the sidewalk, Sin cleared her throat.
“Here.” She pulled two vials from her pocket, one with a thick pale substance and one half full of clear liquid. “Put the white cream on your injuries. It’ll speed the healing process. And this one … mix a few drops with water and it’ll wash the dye out of your hair and clothes. It’ll clean the stain off your sofa too.”
As I took the vials, my expression must have been more suspicious than grateful, because she winced.
“I’m sorry. I … misjudged you. Thank you for helping Aaron.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. She climbed into the red car and started the engine.
“Tori, will you be okay?” Straddling his bike with a helmet under his arm, Kai held the second one out to me. “You can come back to our place if you want.”
The overwhelming urge to take the helmet and jump on the motorcycle with Kai swept through me. I didn’t want to sit by myself in the apartment, listening at the door for signs of Ice Guy returning for revenge. Kai’s aura of competence didn’t allow stupid fears to exist in his vicinity.
But every bone in my body hurt, and I really needed a hot bath, my favorite pillow, and a bottle of painkillers.
“Thanks, but I’m good.”
He nodded. “Call me if you need anything.”
Sliding his helmet on, he started the bike and zoomed onto the road. The red car pulled away a moment later, following the bike’s taillight. I watched the vehicles speed off, then peeked at the dark alley where Aaron and I had fought Ice Guy and his cronies. Fear zinged through me and I hastened back into the building.
It was only when I walked into the apartment and noticed Aaron’s forgotten phone on the end table that I realized I couldn’t call Kai if I needed anything. I didn’t have his number, and without Aaron, I couldn’t unlock the phone.
Chapter Twelve
An electronic tune blared, startling me from sleep.
I tried to spring onto my feet but ended up spasming in place, groaning as every muscle in my body violently protested. Painfully rolling over, I grabbed my phone and squinted at the display, but it was blank. The ringing continued.
Fumbling for the end table, I snatched Aaron’s phone and swiped the call button to answer. “Hello?”
“Morning, sleeping beauty,” Aaron’s cheerful voice declared. “I see you have my phone.”
“You can’t see anything,” I mumbled, burrowing into my pillow. “Why are you calling me so early?”
“I know I said ‘morning’ but it’s actually twelve thirty.”
I groaned and flipped onto my face, dislodging half my blankets off the sofa onto the floor.
“Uh, hello?”
“Tori isn’t here right now. Please call back when she’s had more sleep.”
He chuckled. “I’ll keep it quick. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine.” I squinted my eyes open, blinded by the sunlight. “Are you okay?”
“Yep.” A pause. “Entirely thanks to you.”
“It was no big deal.” I yawned, almost cracking my jaw. “You owe me a new umbrella, though.”
“Consider it done. Can I swing by later today to get my phone?”
I nodded before remembering he couldn’t see it. “Sure. Any time after … three.”
“You’re going to sleep that long?”
No, but it would take a very long, very hot shower before I was anything close to mobile. “I’ll see you then.”
“Later, Tori.”
I tossed his phone onto the table and pulled the blankets around myself. Everything hurt and I wasn’t even going to think about getting up for at least an hour.
Perched on a stool at the kitchen counter a few hours later, I turned the Queen of Spades over, examining it from every angle. It looked like a regular, if ancient, playing card. The hand-painted queen wore a black dress with a cowl over her hair and held a spiky scepter that resembled a weapon more than a decoration. Her faint smile was enigmatic and commanding.
I’d forgotten the card was in my pocket until I prepped my shorts to wash with Sin’s anti-dye potion. It had worked like literal magic, lifting the stains from my hair and clothes with a quick scrub.
I flipped the card over again, silently repeating the incantation: ori repercutio. From what I could tell, the spell reflected m
agical attacks, but not reliably. Still, it was cool. Would its previous owner miss it? I grinned evilly at the card. Finders, keepers.
Sticking it in the pocket of my comfy yoga shorts, I arched my back, grimacing at the painful ache. Nothing like a few hard falls to make all your muscles hate you. My bandaged elbows and knees stung but were easy to ignore. My black eye, not so much. It wasn’t completely swollen shut, but close. I’d reapplied Sin’s healing cream this morning, but it did nothing to hide the spectacular purple bruise.
Justin, dressed in thin sweats and a t-shirt, stepped out of the bathroom, releasing a wave of steam into the hallway. He’d arrived home from his shift an hour ago and his next stop was bed—already delayed by an extended interrogation about the state of my face before he’d gone to shower.
“How are you doing?” he asked. “Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine, Justin. It’s just a bruise.” I tried to roll my eyes but it hurt too much. “Seriously, I’m good. Get some sleep.”
“You should quit that job before you get hurt again.”
I shouldn’t have told him I’d been injured in a bar fight at work, but it was the first lie that had popped into my mind. “It was an accident. Could’ve happened anywhere.”
“You didn’t come home with a black eye from any of your other jobs.”
Grumbling, I started to rise when my phone rang. The caller ID flashed “Door,” meaning Aaron was here to retrieve his cell. I hit 9 to unlock the security entrance.
“I’m meeting someone,” I said. “Why don’t you go to bed?”
“Meeting who?”
“A new friend from work. I accidentally took his phone last night.” I stood up and stretched more stiff muscles. “It’ll just take a minute.”
I could feel Justin’s eyes on me as I padded down the hall. A long minute passed, then someone knocked. With a warning glare at Justin, I opened the door. Aaron stood in the hallway, scratches marring his cheek and gauze taped over his arm, but otherwise as casually sexy as always in a maroon t-shirt and well-worn blue jeans.
Then I spotted the oversized purple gift bag hanging from his hand, a hot-pink umbrella hooked over the edge. “What is that?”
“That is the result of a bet,” he said shamelessly. “I’d better win this one, Tori. I mean it.”
“What bet?”
He peered over my head into the apartment. “Am I allowed in?”
“My brother is home.”
“Ah. In that case—”
I sensed Justin approaching from behind.
“Don’t be rude,” Justin said, all sorts of territorial undertones in the simple words. “Invite him in.”
Ugh. “Nah. He can just take his phone and—”
Aaron stepped forward, forcing me to back up. The three of us jammed into the cramped entryway. Aaron pulled the door shut, then offered his hand to Justin.
“Aaron Sinclair.”
“Justin Dawson.”
They shook hands and I swore their knuckles turned white. I really wished I could roll my eyes without hurting myself.
“Okay, okay, quit it.” I grabbed Justin’s shoulder and steered him down the hall ahead of me. “I guess you can come in, Aaron.”
“I’m already in.” He followed me into the main room, and as I plopped onto my stool, he leaned against the counter. “Nice place, man.”
“Thanks,” Justin said, slouching against the wall. “What happened to your face? And your arm?”
“I told you there was a bar fight,” I jumped in. “Aaron is a regular. He broke it up.”
“It was no biggie,” Aaron said modestly. “Just a few scrapes.”
“How did Tori get a black eye?”
Shit, Justin was cross-examining the witness to see if I was fibbing. “Justin, we’re not suspects in a crime. Could you please lay off?”
He didn’t look away from Aaron. “I don’t like it when my little sister gets hurt.”
Oh, screw this. I headed for the door.
“Tori,” Justin called. “Where are you going?”
“Somewhere else. See you later.”
“Wait.” He pushed away from the wall. “I’m going to bed. You don’t have to leave.”
I paused, waiting skeptically. With a stern glance at Aaron, Justin went into his room and closed the door.
Reluctantly returning to my stool, I hissed, “You couldn’t have just stayed in the hall, could you?”
Aaron grinned, unrepentant. “Then I wouldn’t have found out if I won the bet.”
“What bet?” I demanded.
“Do you like your new umbrella?” He unhooked the pink monstrosity and handed it to me. “I can’t wait to see you hit someone with it.”
I set it aside and gave him a hard stare. “The bet?”
“Sin started it.” Laying the gift bag on the counter, he gestured grandly. “She said I should give you a thank-you gift for saving my ass—”
“I don’t need a gift—”
“—but me, Kai, and Ezra disagreed on what to give you.” He nudged the bag toward me. “Open it and take a look.”
I almost told him to shove it. I hadn’t expected thanks for helping him last night, let alone gifts, like I was some kind of high-maintenance princess girl. But my curiosity was too strong.
Grudgingly, I opened the bag and pulled out the first item—a huge bouquet of pink lilies and orange roses. The second gift was a box of chocolate and a bottle of wine, tied together with a red ribbon. I dug my hand into the bag and withdrew the last item: a fluffy white blanket with a pattern of colorful owls.
“So?” Aaron prompted. “Which one do you like most?”
“That’s the bet? Which gift I’ll like?”
“Yep.”
“Did it occur to any of you that I might find this offensive?”
He dropped onto the stool beside me, unexpectedly somber. “I know we didn’t need to get you anything, but … you’ve got to be hurting today. We can’t fix that, but we wanted to give you something that would bring you some comfort.”
Biting my lip, I looked again at the gifts. Explained like that, my annoyance melted away. “The flowers are from Kai.”
Aaron blinked. “How’d you know?”
Kai was—reputedly—a playboy. Made sense he’d go for the traditional woman-charming gift. “You picked the wine and chocolate.”
Aaron squinted at the items like they might have nametags. “Yeah …”
I touched the silky fluff of the blanket, tied into a bundle with a blue string. That meant the blanket was from Ezra. Had he made the logical leap from hugs to cuddly things, or was it a coincidence? Lost in thought, I picked up the flowers and circled the peninsula to the sink.
“Flowers? That’s your favorite?”
“No.” As far as I knew, Justin didn’t own a vase, so I grabbed a tall beer glass and filled it with water. “I like all three.”
“No, you have to pick one.”
“Nope. I like them all.” When he groaned, I arched an eyebrow. “Sore loser, huh?”
“I don’t believe it,” Aaron muttered. “I owe Kai fifty bucks.”
I paused in the middle of arranging the flowers. “Huh?”
“He bet you wouldn’t pick one.”
Finished with the flowers, I absently opened the chocolates. Popping one into my mouth, I glanced at Justin’s door then shifted closer to Aaron.
“I forgot to ask,” I began in a whisper. “What happened to the guys in the alley? When we took off, the police were coming this way.” Even out of sight in an alley, we’d caused more than enough commotion to draw attention from the surrounding condo buildings.
“Unless they dragged their sorry asses out of there in time, they were either questioned by the cops and released immediately, or they were arrested and released later.”
“How do you know they were released?”
Aaron helped himself to a chocolate. “Our existence isn’t public knowledge, but it isn’t a complete sec
ret either. Certain people at various levels of government and law enforcement know about mythics and keep in contact with MagiPol. Police are trained not to arrest anyone with the MPD logo on their IDs. Instead, they take down our info and submit it to MagiPol, and they go after the culprit.”
“Seriously? Do the cops have any idea why they aren’t allowed to arrest certain people?”
“No idea how it’s explained to them, but they don’t normally know about mythics. It’s safer that way.” Aaron selected another chocolate. “Think about it. If human cops tried to arrest a rogue mage, the mage could seriously hurt them or worse. Better if they stay out of it. Even if we get arrested, guilded mythics know better than to cause a fuss. MagiPol will step in and we’ll be released within a few days.”
“Huh.”
“That doesn’t mean those guys who attacked us get off scot-free. I already reported them to MagiPol. Normally, I’d have you file a report too, but then we’d have to explain why you were with me and that might bring up awkward questions about why you’re working at my guild.”
“Yeah, let’s not do that.” I picked out a second chocolate. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too.” His hand closed around mine, the caramel-filled goodie between my fingertips. “Thanks for coming back for me, Tori.”
Our eyes met, his blue stare so intense that my heart skittered wildly behind my ribs. Then he drew my hand up to his mouth and stole the chocolate from my fingers, his lips brushing my skin.
“Hey!”
“Mm,” he said around the stolen mouthful of delicious caramel I’d been about to eat. “Good choice.”
“That was mine!” I yanked the box away from him. “They’re all mine. Last time I share with you.”
He grinned and stood up. “I’d better go before I eat the whole box.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” I followed him to the door, and as he stepped into the hall, I handed him his phone. “Don’t forget it again.”
“It would give me an excuse to come back.”
“And risk another staring contest with my brother? Nuh-uh. I’ll see you at work on Tuesday. Oh, but first.” I pulled my phone from my pocket. “Can I get your number? And Kai’s and Ezra’s too?”