Blood, Smoke and Mirrors (2010) (9 page)

"I'm better now, thanks," I murmured as Lex released me. "You have any advice here on possible judgments?" My voice was as raw and as weak as my knees had been, and I winced at the sound of it.

"You're gonna have to put that dog down, it's worse than rabid," he replied, and I nodded. "I don't know what to tell you about the imp, you're gonna need to decide that for yourself, but I think the kid might be redeemable. Teenagers are brain damaged that way, they do stupid things."

"Maybe." I had a pretty good idea of what judgments I was going to hand out, but I had a few questions first. With slow, uneven steps I approached Cecelia.

"Have you decided the fates of these criminals?" she asked.

"I have."

"Very well. What do you decree for the imp?"

Of course she had to ask about that one first. Great. Well, it was a tough call. Yeah the little terrorist bastard deserved death in a good old-fashioned law of Hammurabi kind of way. But then again imps just don't realize what sort of havoc they cause when they tamper with machinery on the scale of an airplane, because they're not exactly problem-solving critters. Most of them stick to the small stuff, but when they escalate to something on this scale there's really only one thing you can do to stop them. You can either kill them, or you can send them somewhere they can't cause any more trouble.

If I wanted be a good witch, I'd spare its life by banishing it to the Gray, a realm without warmth, sound, or color, where it would spend eternity tormenting beings that deserved it. It's Hell, essentially, or at least a version of it. But I'd already proved that I wasn't a good witch, and right now I wasn't feeling merciful.

"Death."

"Done." Cecelia nodded, and the little bugger gave a piercing shriek of protest and vanished from its cell. I was glad that it vanished. I wasn't sure I could deal with watching it die. There was a part of me that was afraid I'd enjoy it.

"Your decision for the wolf?"

"I have a question first. Can you cure it? Remove the wild magic from it, I mean. Make it not a shapeshifter." Strange as it sounded, I couldn't blame it for "hunting the hunter", as it put it. If its crimes were all due to its "bad dog" nature, it might be possible to save it. I'd never heard of such a thing, but faeries have incredibly powerful magic.

Cecelia almost seemed surprised, but then again her expressions were so controlled it was hard to tell. "I can, yes. You must promise not to speak of it. I have no desire to deal with other shifters seeking a cure."

"Okay, you have my word. I want it cured then, and sent to a mental-health facility where it can be treated."

"Done."

The intelligent part of my brain warned me not to watch what happened to the shifter, but curiosity got the better of me and I turned toward the cell. I don't know what I was expecting, probably that it would vanish like the imp had and I wouldn't get to see the beast sucked out of it. Instead the shifter loosed a piteous howl, the sound echoing around us as the creature crumpled to the ground in an angular heap of furred limbs. I half expected it would dissolve into the form of a naked human like in the movies, but instead there was a whirl of red energy that swirled up and out of it, ending in a bright white flash that blinded me for a moment.

When my eyes adjusted, I spotted a dirty, nude figure curled up on the floor of the cell. It stirred and sat up, and I blinked in surprise as I realized the shifter was female. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman stared back at me--and young too, even younger than me. Someone who should've been in college, not tearing guardians limb from limb. She glanced down at her hands and then back up at me, her eyes large and frightened.

"What have you done?" she asked, her voice still rough.

"Saved your life. You're welcome," I said, my voice hollow. I didn't feel particularly excited about it, I just wanted to go home and cry for a few hours.

"But you've taken my wolf. I'll have no pack, no people."

"You'll get used to it. I did."

Without another word she vanished, and I turned back to Cecelia.

"And the alchemist?"

"Well..." That was a bit trickier. I glanced over at her cell and saw Jane staring back at me anxiously. "A year of being barred from Faerie," I began, and was interrupted by an indignant teenage shriek. Alchemists get many of their ingredients from Faerie, so this would seriously hamper her ability to make potions. Ignoring her, I continued with my decision. "During that time she can spend her extra energy doing community service, preferably in a hospital setting, so she can learn the benefits of healing others instead of interfering with them. Therapy is definitely in order too. Lots of it."

"Done."

"That's not fai--" Jane started, but was cut off as she disappeared. She was probably sent to her room at home, where no doubt another punishment from her parents awaited her.

I raised a weary eyebrow at Cecelia. "Do we get to go home n--"

The floor disappeared from beneath me again and I found myself falling through darkness. Lex and I landed in a clumsy sprawl on my bedroom floor in front of my mirror.

"--ow?" I finished lamely. "Ow."

"Sorry 'bout that," Lex said as he tried to untangle himself.

"Hey, they're back!" I heard an excited voice call from my kitchen. I looked up in time to see Tybalt dash into my room, Portia right behind him.

"Kitty!" the two faeries happily exclaimed in unison. At least someone was having a good day.

Chapter Eight

Piled into my apartment's small kitchen were two cats, two faeries, one guardian and a partridge in a pear tree. Okay, maybe not the partridge, but I feared my apartment was nearing its maximum legal capacity. Merri and Pippin continued to stare at Lex, as though they found his every move intriguing. Crazy cats. I was half tempted to get out their catnip mice so they'd go do something else, but that would require moving, and I was just too damn depressed and exhausted to do anything but sit. I didn't want to do anything at all.

It was dark and raining outside. Though it seemed to us as though only minutes had passed, hours had flown by during our time in Faerie, which is about par for the course. I made a few phone calls to Mac's family and confirmed it was his flight that'd crashed. They promised to let me know when the memorial service would be. I felt numb and helpless, knowing there was nothing I could do but wait for my chance to say goodbye to my friend. First Maureen and now Mac--I had no one left, aside from my faerie cousins, who were doing their best to distract me. Especially Portia, who was opposed to negative emotions of any sort and was determined to keep my spirits up.

"You're doing good, Kitty," Portia congratulated. "There should only be one more test from the Council too. Piece of cake."

"Do you two know why Lex was brought with me for it?" I asked.

"Well, he's your guardian, silly." Portia rolled her eyes at me as though it should've been obvious.

Confused, I turned toward Lex. "Does that make any sense to you?"

"I haven't heard of it happening before, but I'm not exactly an expert on the subject. This situation isn't normal to begin with. There've been a few attempts to kill off the competition in the past, but usually they're subtle about it instead of outright puttin' a price on your head." He shrugged unknowingly. "Maybe Cecelia thought it'd be rude to separate us."

"Anything's possible at this point. I'm glad you were there." I wasn't sure what I would've done if Lex hadn't been there, if I hadn't had him to comfort me and calm me down when I heard about Mac's death. I glanced at Tybalt, noticing he was strangely quiet on this subject. Well, if he had something to say I'm sure he'd speak up, so I decided to move on. "We're going to talk to your other contact tomorrow morning?"

"Right. We could probably see him now, but it's not safe for you to be out at this hour."

"I won't argue with that, I've had enough drama for one day. Who's this contact of yours? It didn't sound like you were eager to talk to this person when Pete brought it up."

"That's because it won't be cheap--he sells information for a high price. I try to avoid dealin' with him unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Another librarian?" Many librarians, like Mac, prefer the free exchange of information, but there are those who prefer to barter and those who prefer to charge outright.

"In a way. We'll worry about that tomorrow. Now, we have two problems to deal with tonight. Food and entertainment."

I smiled, the first real smile I'd had all day--apparently Lex had the same plan of distraction as my faerie cousins. "Well normally I'd say we should order some pizza, but I'm afraid the poor delivery guy wouldn't make it here in one piece."

"Agreed." Lex nodded.

"You want food? I can make food," Portia offered. A feast popped into existence atop my kitchen table, a stunning array of dishes crammed together, and I swear I heard the table's legs groan under the weight.

"I wish my cousins were this handy," Lex commented, impressed. "You must be great at parties."

The selection was mainly made up of foods I like, the sort of greasy, fried American fare we serve at the Three Willows. Though I didn't have an appetite I forced myself to eat, knowing I needed to keep my magical strength up. Portia regaled us with lively tales of the past exploits of the Silverleaf clan during dinner, and I was grateful for it. When we'd stuffed ourselves full, Portia made everything disappear as easily as she'd conjured it, and we moved into the living room.

For the entertainment portion of our evening Lex bravely--or perhaps foolishly--decided to teach the faeries how to play Texas hold 'em poker. The only cards I own are Tarot cards, but he'd brought a deck of playing cards with him in his gym bag, and we used pretzels and chocolates as poker chips. The man displayed the patience of a saint as he tutored my cousins in the basics of the game--I'd learned it when we'd dated, though we'd bet clothing instead of snacks.

Tybalt was enthralled, but Portia was slow to warm to the idea until she figured out how to cheat by magically marking the cards. Poker ended soon after that, and we turned to the Game Show Network for entertainment. Few things are quite as entertaining as watching millennia-old frost faeries shout "No deal, Howie!" at your television screen.

It was a welcome break, and I could almost imagine this was a normal night of fun with my cousins. The addition of Lex didn't hurt, but it added to the strangeness. He was acting like the Lex I remembered--funny, caring, charming. I wanted to stay angry with him, but having him stand steadfast by my side today made that difficult. He was there when I needed him, which felt weird after what had occurred between us in the past.

A little after midnight I kicked the faeries out and sent them home so Lex and I could get a good night's sleep before our big day tomorrow. Not that I predicted being able to sleep with the cold dread that'd settled into my stomach, but I was willing to give it a try. I gathered up the empty drinking glasses and the bag of chips we'd devoured, and brought them into the kitchen. When I returned to the living room for the second round of mess, I found the lights had been switched off. Barely visible, Lex stood at the window, staring into the night as he held the curtains aside.

"You need to see this."

"What is it?"

"Might want to put your shields up in case they try to take a shot at you," he advised as I crossed the room. With a deep breath I put my shields in place, feeling the energy snap around me and then continue its new odd habit of stretching to include Lex.

"How are you doing that?" I looked up at him, confused.

"Doin' what?"

"You keep getting through my shields."

"Huh. Probably 'cause your subconscious knows I'm not going to harm you, so there's no need to keep me out. Those vamps outside, on the other hand, they're probably not here to play cards." Lex pointed into the darkness, and I looked out the window.

"I don't see anything." Squinting, I pushed my glasses up on my nose and strained to see what he indicated. My eyes slowly adjusted to the rainy night. The streetlights had been doused, and this time it wasn't my fault.

"There." Stepping close to me, he gestured again. "Two in gangways across the street, one behind that oak tree." Following Lex's lead, I managed to spot three figures hiding in the shadows, and they were definitely not my neighbors.

"What are they doing?" I asked, my voice dropping to a tense whisper.

"Waitin'. They can't get in, so they're waitin' for us to come out. Sooner or later they'll get impatient and figure out a way to force their way in. In fact, I'm surprised they haven't tried to set your building on fire and smoke us out."

"They can't, I have a ward against that too. Fire here can't grow any bigger than a stove burner."

"Damn, you are good. Still, with those vultures outside it's not safe here anymore, Cat. You'll have to stay somewhere else from now on." With his point made, he let the curtains fall back into place, plunging the room into darkness, with only the light from the kitchen to see by.

"You're right," I reluctantly agreed.

"You could come stay with me."

"With you?" Surprised by the suggestion, I turned to look up at him. We were standing so close I could feel the heat of his body and the light brush of his breath against my face. Nervous, I took a deep breath and unintentionally inhaled the familiar, unique scent of him. My heartbeat drowned out the steady patter of rain against the windows. With an amazing display of willpower I resisted the urge to bolt, knowing I'd only trip over something (like the cats that were still standing guard over Lex) and break my neck. Instead I took a slow step backward. "Why, you think it'd be easier to babysit me on your own turf?"

"I'm not babysitting you. Really, I'm protecting them from you," he teased. Grinning, he reached up and tucked a stray lock of hair that'd escaped from my braid back into place behind my ear.

"Thanks, that makes me feel so much better," I joked, a blush heating my face.

"I try. But seriously, Cat, I'll be here as long as you need me." Lex looked down at me, seeming sincere, and I shook my head at him.

"Don't, Lex. You're only here on orders. You'll be gone and on to the next as soon as this assignment is over."

"What if I don't want that?"

"What if I do? I'm all for the life-saving thing, but I don't want you in my life again."

"Are you sure of that?"

Scowling, I took a steadying breath and prepared to launch into an explanation of the myriad reasons why I wasn't about to go through another round of heartbreak with him, but before I could speak he leaned down and brushed a kiss across my lips.

A warm tingling suffused my body as soon as our lips met, the sort of electric reaction I usually associate with casting magic, but much, much better. He was hesitant at first, probably afraid I'd slap him or zot him with a spell, but when I didn't object he slowly began to deepen the kiss. My knees went weak as my good sense vanished, and I slipped my arms around him to steady myself. Lex held me close as he continued to kiss me, and I leaned into him. I'd forgotten how well we fit together. He sighed, as though my lips were delicious and he savored them.

"This is a bad idea," I murmured.

"No, this is a good idea." Lex nudged me back toward the couch, and I sat down in a less-than-graceful flop. Next he joined me and drew me into his arms.

"Oh yeah? How?" My hormones were obviously happy to see him, but I still had a little bit of brainpower left, enough to be skeptical of the situation.

"Because letting you go was a bad idea. I don't want to make that mistake again." His voice was low and strained, and I wished it wasn't so dark so I could see his expression. I sighed, a mix of old pain and new uncertainty, but he kissed me again and I stopped arguing.

I relaxed into the embrace, returning the kiss passionately. I felt better instantly--safe, warm, desired. Lex stroked my braided hair and let his hand rest at the small of my back. I ran my own hands up and down his back, debating whether or not it would be a good idea to tug his shirt off, but then I felt him unhooking my bra. My pulse jumped, and my magic decided to take that opportunity to wreak havoc on a pair of unsuspecting table lamps. With an electric sizzle followed by two sharp pops the light bulbs flashed and exploded. Startled, we jumped apart, the mood broken. We stared at each other, and I felt a guilty blush heat my face.

"Cat--" he started, and I held a hand up to stop him before he could say anything further.

"I don't want to hear it. I'm going to get some new bulbs, and we're going to pretend that never happened." Thoroughly irritated with myself, I retreated to the kitchen, fumbling to rehook my bra as I went.

"Don't worry about the lamps, we can fix them tomorrow. Cat, please talk to me." He paused, hovering in the doorway.

"No. Nothing's changed between us, I still can't trust you."
And apparently I can't trust myself with you either
. Rummaging through the cabinets, I banged doors open and shut as I looked for light bulbs. I was sure I had them somewhere.

"Is that why you ignored my advice in the test today? You don't trust my judgment?" Lex asked, sounding more than a bit offended. The change in subject threw me.

"No. I couldn't kill the shifter, not when I could help it. Or her, rather," I corrected. Hadn't been expecting that one, considering the few shifters I'd met at the cafe had all been men. "The imp had to go though, 'cause I figured that while you might be able to remove the wild magic from a shifter, you can't un-imp an imp."

"That shifter has a death warrant out on her."

"And were any of her crimes committed before she was infected?" I pointed out, and he shook his head. "I didn't think so. See, you haven't changed, you're still Mr. By-the-Book. The first time I screw up something as Titania you'll go running off to rat me out to the faerie council, because you can't risk jeopardizing your position as a guardian. Well I learned that lesson, and I'm not eager to repeat it."

"I didn't have a choice, Cat."

"Yes, you did. I told you about the attack in confidence, because I was scared and I needed comforting from the man I loved, and you had to go all
Law and Order
on me and turn me in." Slamming a cabinet shut, I crouched and started looking through the clutter under the sink.

"You're not bein' fair. I'm not the bad guy here. You caused harm with your magic, and yeah, I couldn't let it go, but I never dreamed the witches' council would treat you so unfair. I tried to convince them to change their minds. I even testified on your behalf, just like Maureen did."

"You did?" Pausing in my search, I turned and looked up at him in surprise. I didn't know he'd tried to help me. I always thought he'd testified against me, that he'd washed his hands of me when he'd found out I wasn't a law-abiding citizen.

"Course I did. I would've told you about it, 'cept you weren't speakin' to me at the time."

"Oh." Feeling numb, I tried to convince myself it didn't change how I felt about him. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of the package of bulbs behind a bag full of plastic grocery bags. Reaching back, I grabbed them and then got to my feet. Crossing the room, I handed the bulbs to Lex.

"I never meant to hurt you, Cat."

"And now you want to pick up where we left off, like nothing ever happened?"

"Somehow I doubt you'd ever let me forget," he replied dryly. "I'd like you to forgive me, though, and give me a second chance."