Death Match (A Magic Bullet Novel Book 2) (15 page)

T
he Protectorate healer
was an elderly woman by the name of Lana. She had to be old, even by Naphil standards, because her skin was wrinkled and she wore her gray hair tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. The first thing I noticed, though, were her kind eyes, the color of which matched her hair.

"Remain still, Miss Winters. Please let me look at your leg."

Although her accent was barely perceptible, I still noticed it. "How are my teammates? Is everyone okay?"

"You are the only one in need of a healer." She paused. "On your team, at least."

"No one died?"

"Not today."

I was relieved. Although I knew it was inevitable, I didn't like the idea of anyone dying during the games.

"Is Lana short for Svetlana?"

She nodded as she set to work, unwrapping the makeshift bandage and examining the wound. "People used to tell me Lana was such a pretty name, like Lana Turner." She shrugged. "It used to annoy me. I didn't know who Lana Turner was until someone finally showed me a picture."

"She was beautiful," I said. Lana Turner was a famous actress in classic Hollywood films. I'd seen her in The Postman Always Rings Twice and The Bad and the Beautiful.

"She was." Lana smiled faintly. "So I stopped being annoyed and started saying thank you whenever someone mentioned her."

She put her face close to the side of my calf and sniffed. Was she
smelling
my wound?

"Venom, I think," she said and licked.

Gods and stars, the batty old Naphil literally licked my wound.

"Definitely venom," Lana said, more to herself.

From the corner of the room, I heard a rumbling chuckle.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Reed. He stepped out of the shadows. Whatever injuries he'd sustained on the field had already healed. Lucky bastard.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said.

"I think Lana's coming on to me," I said. "She gave me tongue. Maybe you should find a healer who isn't so attracted to me."

To my surprise, Lana laughed. The sound was almost musical. "I like her, Grayson. I can see why you'd want to heal her."

I jerked my head in his direction. "
He
wants to heal me? I thought it was Colony Games policy."

Lana shrugged her hunched shoulders and reached for a cloth. She dipped the cloth in some kind of yellow ointment and pressed it gently against my wound. It stung, but only briefly.

"Grayson made sure you were assigned to me," Lana said and winked at him. "He knows I'm the best there is."

"Lana's been one of our healers since I joined the Protectorate," Reed said. "She predates me by a number of years."

From the looks of her, if I had to guess that number, I'd say a hundred.

"A hundred?" Lana queried. "Don't be absurd. It's far greater than that."

"Double shit on a sundae," I said. "You're telepathic, too?"

She put a fresh bandage on my arm and smoothed it. "One of my many talents."

"It's one reason she's such a good healer," Reed explained. "She can identify the pain, what happened. The patient doesn't even need to be conscious, as long as the brain is functional."

I had a habit of cloaking my thoughts around Reed anyway, but my defenses tended to wane when I was injured. It was hard to keep a mental barrier in place when I was grappling with pain.

"Well, thankfully, I'm conscious," I said.

"The ointment will suck out the venom," Lana said. "I'd like to see you in three hours to reexamine the leg."

"Three hours." I saluted her. "I'll be here."

Lana gave Reed an accusing look. "You said she'd be combative and disagreeable. I think she's been a lovely patient."

I glared at Reed. "Are you trying to make me look bad?"

He folded his arms across his chest. "I think you manage that all on your own."

Lana gently patted my shoulder. "Ah, young love. How I miss it."

"Young love," I sputtered. "Quick Reed, grab the ointment. I think the venom has spread to her brain."

Lana laughed again and music filled the room. "It's true what they say. Youth is wasted on the young."

"See you in three hours," I said.

As soon as she left, I hopped off the table and winced as my foot hit the floor. Pain shot straight up my leg, jolting my heart. Reed grabbed my shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I'll be back in three hours, as promised." I unsheathed a yantok and extended it downward. "And I don't need an escort."

"You need to rest," he said. "Your leg needs to heal before the next match."

I said a quiet word and watched the yantok glow.

He drew me closer. "You're going to taser me for caring about your well being?"

"Trust me, this is far worse than a taser." I held it between us, to prevent him from moving any closer. My pulse accelerated, probably my body hard at work trying to get rid of the venom.

His dark eyes were fixed on my face. "Let me come with you. Make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine," I insisted. "And if I'm not, I have my follow-up appointment in two hours and fifty-eight minutes."

He sighed. "Why are you such a porcupine?"

"Why are you such a do-gooder? There's no Protectorate rule that says you have to be nice to a djinni."

"It has nothing to do with rules."

I studied his earnest expression. "Although I guess since I'm sort of human now, maybe you are required."

"I'm not."

"No one is that nice for no reason," I said. Everybody had an agenda. It was the way of the world.

"I never said I didn't have a reason."

I narrowed my gaze, trying to figure him out. Usually, I could see the angles. Reed had me stumped.

"It's because you're too close to it," he said cryptically.

"Too close to what?" I paused. "You see me as some kind of damsel in distress, don't you?" This was Flynn's theory. He accused Reed of being my Prince Charming, coming to my rescue on multiple occasions.

"No one could accuse you of being a damsel in distress, Alyse," he replied, seemingly amused by the thought. "Even in your cuffs."

"You're a Naphil," I said. "You're genetically programmed to play the role of hero."

"Hero? I believe you labeled us as monks."

I had, at one point, espoused my theories on the Nephilim, which
may
have included accusations of a monk-like existence in the romance department.

"You can be both," I said. "Monk heroes are definitely a thing. You'd look great in a chougu."

"One of these days," he said, his breath warm on my neck, "I'm going to show you exactly how wrong you are about the Nephilim."

My knees weakened, but I forced myself to stand up straight. The ointment still had work to do.

I pulled away from him and wiped the spot on my neck where his breath had touched me. Cooties and all.

"Why don't you just go back to your seat and watch the rest of today's matches?" I asked. "That would be more useful."

He smiled. "But not nearly as much fun."

Heat spread through my body. If my legs had been up for it, I would have sprinted out of the room. Was he exercising some kind of Naphil mind control? He was telepathic. Maybe he could control my thoughts the way he controlled fire.

"I told you I don't need an escort." I sheathed my yantok. "I'll see you back here in two hours and fifty minutes."

"As you wish."

I could feel his eyes on me as I hobbled away.

Dear gods. What was happening to me? Flynn had been a youthful mistake, but Reed? They couldn't be more different. Thankfully, they had one thing in common—I had no intention of sleeping with either one of them. Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever.

F
lynn was waiting
for me in my hotel room a couple of blocks from the stadium. I didn't need to ask how he got in. Despite the large supernatural presence, the hotel rooms weren't djinn-proof.

"You should have let someone else handle the Ifrit," he said. "You weren't up for it."

"Thanks for playing Monday morning quarterback. Now leave."

"How's your leg?" He ignored me, crossing the room to inspect my calf.

"It's fine." I waved him off. "The Protectorate healer is on the case. She wants to see me in a couple of hours and make sure her heavenly ointment has drawn out the demonic venom."

He stopped and eyed me suspiciously. "A Protectorate healer? Who decided that—Captain Bold and Beautiful?"

"Reed made arrangements for me. So what?"

I continued to the bathroom before he had time to get a good look at me. I was desperate for a shower. I needed to wash away the stench of battle. Plus, I was pretty sure there was Komodo dragon piss in my hair.

"Why does your hair look like it's been tossed in a blender?" Flynn asked.

"Gee, you've always been so free with the compliments, Flynn."

He scrutinized my face. "Why is your skin glowing?"

My hands flew to my cheeks in a panic. "Like my yantoks?"

"No, like a happy person," he said suspiciously.

"My skin is not glowing."

He moved to block the bathroom doorway. "Holy Plasma Plane, Alyse. Are you hot for the Naphil?"

"That's none of your business, Flynn," I said. "It hasn't been your business since the Academy. Not that our relationship kept you from being hot for other trainees."

His shoulders slumped and he gave me an apologetic look. "You know I'm sorry for the way I treated you."

"Are you?" I asked sharply. "You never really said."

"Well, I am," he said. "And I'm not saying this out of jealousy."

"Why would you?" I asked. "We're long over and you have Tessa now. Sweet, flexible Tessa who somehow doesn't seem fazed by the fact that you're a djinni."

"She was fazed," Flynn said. "Trust me. I think she's still trying to accept it. She doesn't have a Third Eye, remember? She didn't know about any of us until you accused her of being a secret mage and forced me to reveal my true nature."

Here we go again.

"Flynn, I told you I'm sorry a hundred times. Look at it this way, now you know she really loves you. If she was looking for an excuse to leave you, she was handed one on a silver platter."

"Sometimes she asks me to sleep in the guest room," he admitted, raking a hand through his dark hair. "Usually after she has a nightmare where I turn into a giant snake and squeeze the life out of her."

"But you only shift into mammals," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "Not the point. Alyse, she's still learning about us. This whole thing has been a huge eye opener."

"You should tell her to talk to Detective Thompson. I've been teaching her about Ghuls..."

Flynn's eyes widened slightly. "That's a great idea."

"What is?"

"You can teach Tessa, too. Let her join your little sessions with the detective."

I blew out an exasperated sigh. "Flynn, Thompson is PTF. She's not learning for fun. She's learning so she can track her parents' killers and exact vigilante justice."

Flynn looked surprised. "She told you that?"

I shrugged. "Well, I imagine that's what she wants. That's what I'd want."

He chuckled. "I know exactly what you'd want."

"I don't know if she'll go through with it when the time comes," I said. "And if Reed found out, he would definitely stop her."

Flynn stared at me, his blue eyes blazing with intensity. "I don't like the idea of you with a Naphil. It's unnatural."

"Relax, I'm not with, nor am I hot for, a Naphil," I said and pushed past him into the bathroom before the conversation degenerated. Who was I kidding? It was already there.

He gave me his infamous smoldering look. "If it's simply a matter of passions running high after a good fight, I might be able to offer you some assistance with that."

"No thanks, Flynn. I'm at room temperature."

He tried to stick his foot over the threshold to keep the bathroom door from closing. "Those rosy cheeks tell a different story."

I pulled out my yantok and tapped the end of Flynn's foot with it. "This is your final warning."

The foot receded and I slammed the door closed and locked it. I wasn't sure why I bothered with the lock. If Flynn really wanted to, he could shift to mist and drift through the small gap underneath the door. He wouldn't do that, though. Even Flynn had standards.

I turned on the water in the shower, desperate to scrub myself clean. As I stripped off my clothes, my thoughts turned back to Reed. His penetrating gaze. Those broad shoulders. Maybe I should have let him escort me back to my room.

I shut my eyes and groaned in frustration. It had to be the venom messing with my mind. Hopefully, my lascivious thoughts would stop once the ointment worked its magic.

To help matters along, I turned the water all the way to cold and stepped inside.

P
inky and Cyrus
were holed up in a training room to practice spells while Reed and I accompanied Farah and Mix to the first match of the day. Thanks to Lana's miracle ointment, my leg was completely healed.

I grimaced as a gang of Ghuls took center stage. Man, I hated Ghuls. The mere sight of them put me on edge. It didn't matter that they were dozens of yards away about to go head-to-head with a team of knuckle-crunching Hinns. Their cheering section was close to the action and I briefly wondered how so many Hinns were allowed to congregate in one place at the same time. It seemed like a recipe for a violent outbreak.

"You sure you don't want to join your caste?" I nudged Farah. "I see a few lookers over there."

"I want to see which team wins the match," she replied. "Then I'll decide which of the victorious Hinns I'm interested in."

"Even if they win, they'll probably be too injured to be any fun for you." I knew what Farah's definition of fun was and I doubted these Hinns would be up for her level of acrobatics tonight.

"You really underestimate my kind, you know that?" she said. "That big one in the far corner could take down all four Ghuls and still be raring to go afterward." She licked her lips. "In fact, the rush of adrenaline might keep him up all night."

"If you're lucky," I added.

"Too bad Rocco couldn't score a ticket," Mix said. "It might have saved us all from this conversation."

"You'd think the crime syndicate could manage to sneak at least one of their key people into the games," Farah said. "It's really disappointing."

I noticed a group of Ghuls take their seats in the section opposite us and my whole body stiffened.

"You really don't like Ghuls, do you?" Reed whispered next to me.

Who does? "How can you tell?"

"Your body language isn't exactly subtle."

Damn human form.

"Too bad Detective Thompson isn't here to see these Ghuls get their asses kicked," I said.

"She tried to get in," Reed said with a chuckle. "Pretended she was a Protector."

I laughed at the thought of Detective Thompson as a Naphil. She was far too normal to be anything but human. "So what happened?"

"Security wasn't fooled."

I cast a sidelong glance at him. "How do you know?"

He held up his phone. "She texted me. Used all caps."

"It's for the best. A place like this is too dangerous for her, especially when supernatural tempers are flaring."

The horn sounded and the match began. I was immediately struck by the precision of the Ghuls' movements. Neither Ghuls nor Hinns were the most organized of castes, but the Ghuls definitely seemed to have coordinated their efforts. It made me think of my recent run-ins with them. The whole thing was odd and out of character. Then again, maybe they'd been training for the games, except the one Thompson and I encountered specifically said they were here to watch.

The Hinns didn't bother with pleasantries. They morphed straight into their preferred animal forms—a black panther, a Grizzly bear, a Bengal tiger, and a wolf. They weren't your standard versions of these animals, of course. Picture them bigger, angrier, and capable of intelligent thought.

The Ghuls didn't appear fazed by the sudden menagerie in front of them. They fanned out in a semi-circle, grunting orders to each other. Despite their newfound organization, there didn't seem to be a clear leader. That was more typical for Ghuls.

"Do you think they're doping?" I asked. Maybe the Dragon put some money on Ghuls too.

"A drug that prevents Ghuls from behaving like disgusting monsters?" Farah mused. "I'd say get that sucker in mass distribution pronto."

We'd only seen the impact of the drug on mages so far. What if the drug affected djinn differently?

Mix appeared thoughtful. "It is possible. One of the guys in my IT group has a son with ADHD. Stuart says the meds calm him down and help him focus. Otherwise, the kid's a mess."

"But why would they want to be calm and focused during a Colony Games match?" Farah asked. "This is their chance to shine with their bloodlust and general depravity."

Farah was right. It didn't make sense. Even the Hinns on the field seemed momentarily confused by their opponents' behavior. The organization didn't last long, though.

The animal forms scattered, with each Hinn targeting a corresponding Ghul. The Grizzly bear's deep growl reverberated throughout the stadium as it approached a Ghul and the breathless crowd stomped its feet in approval.

They lunged for each other at the same time, colliding in mid-air. The impact didn't seem to have any effect. They grappled like two oversized wrestlers. Their sturdy, stubborn bodies made it difficult to do anything except dig in and hug the hell out of each other.

"They're trying to out-squeeze each other," Reed said. "I don't think my strength would be enough. I'd have to use fire."

I tried not to think about what would happen to me on the other end of that hug. My head popping off like a champagne cork, most likely. I had no chance in my human form.

"Do me a favor and light a fire under his ass if he gets me in a hug like that," I said.

His mouth quirked. "You would never let him get that close to you."

He knew me so well.

While the bear and Ghul hugged it out, the wolf and panther were having a better time intimidating their respective Ghuls. The wolf's fangs were bared and he snarled and snapped as the Ghul kept himself just out of reach. The black panther slowly and methodically circled its Ghul, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

The crowd reacted as the Bengal tiger pounced, launching its powerful body at the nearest Ghul. They rolled across the field, droplets of blood flying in all directions. The Ghul's body evaporated as he shifted to mist and drifted away from the bloodthirsty Hinn.

"Did the Ghul just run for cover instead of fight?" Farah asked in disbelief.

"He sure did." It wasn't very Ghul-like to retreat and regroup. It was...smart.

I started to get a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. Ghuls were not complicated creatures. They didn't require psychological profiles or in-depth analysis. They were the djinn equivalent of cave men. Their needs and wants were simple and obvious. Food, shelter, survival. The flesh of humans, whether alive or dead. Didn't matter to them.

As I continued to watch the action unfold in front of me, I knew something was amiss. These Ghuls had too much going on under the hood. It wasn't in their nature. I'd come up against more than my share of Ghuls as a Shadow Elite agent, but I'd yet to see the kind of cooperation and strategy that I was witnessing right now.

All four Ghuls turned invisible at the same time and the Hinns stood in their animal forms, looking around with uncertainty. I knew they were trying to decide whether they should shift too. They probably assumed, like I did, the Ghuls would be a straightforward fight. No djinn tricks like the ones they might expect from Shaitans.

Except the Ghuls were playing their own game.

The Ghuls reformed at the far end of the field, just inside the chalked boundary line. Except they didn't reform as four Ghuls. One enormous spider emerged from the mist.

"Gods and stars," Mix said. "A Brazilian wandering spider."

Now you wouldn't think a spider would be much of a threat when up against some of the deadliest mammals in the world. This, however, was no ordinary spider. The combined magic of all four Ghuls created a venomous spider the size of a house. Although the Hinns' mammals were larger than their non-djinn counterparts, they were nowhere near the size of this hairy, brown spider.

"Well, they're still ugly," Farah said.

In addition to its size, the spider had another advantage—its six legs. The Ghuls used the legs to their full potential, kicking and pushing the attacking Hinns. The wolf tried to wrap its jaws around the back leg and quickly found itself pressed against the ground under the weight of the overgrown spider. The crowd cheered when the wolf's neck snapped.

My stomach turned. I had a feeling the death count would rise significantly today.

The remaining Hinns swarmed the spider, choosing to remain in their animal forms. They probably weren't sure how to attack it. I was sure the Hinns hadn't practiced any kind of joint shift. It wasn't a typical move by any djinn. It would've taken hours of practice, especially for djinn that weren't accustomed to working in tandem. Once again, it was smart. Something was definitely rotten in Philadelphia.

The large spider reared up, raising its two front legs, and revealed the bright red hair surrounding its fangs.

"Ugh, the hair is the same color as mine," Farah said with a shiver.

"I'd be worried about that pose," Mix said. "It's ready to attack."

Attack it did. One leg jutted out and kicked the panther clear across the field. A mass of black fur spun around in the air and landed in a heap, alive but clearly injured. The Grizzly bear was next. It lunged at the front leg and attempted to break it by squeezing with all its strength.

"Not the front leg," I yelled.

It was a tactical error. While the bear's arms were wrapped around the leg, the spider took the opportunity to test its fangs. They sank into the brown fur, skewering the Hinn. There wasn't even enough time for the toxins to reach the bloodstream before the Hinn died. The bear's body dissolved and a collective boo reverberated in the stands. The Hinn population was not pleased.

The remaining Hinn regarded the spider from a safe distance, still in its Bengal tiger form. Hinns were a proud caste and I knew this tiger was torn between survival and pride. He couldn't win this one, though. There was no shame in admitting defeat.

The Hinn seemed to reach the same conclusion. I watched, gripping the edge of my seat, as the powerful tiger shifted back to the Hinn's human form and sank to his knees.

The match was over.

I
sat
with Reed and members of the Enclave during dinner, chewing my grilled chicken in contemplative silence. Everyone was talking about the later matches, but my mind was still on the morning match. The Ghuls' success was still bothering me.

"Why are you so worried about the Ghuls?" Reed asked, nudging me gently with his elbow.

"Are you rummaging around in my head again?" I asked. I'd told him umpteen times that my mind was a dangerous place and he entered at his own risk. Umpteen times he failed to heed the warning. Funny, I didn't associate the Nephilim with stubborn.

"I don't need to," he replied. "It's written all over your face."

"How do you know it's the Ghuls on my mind and not the match?" Any sane person would worry more about her impending death.

"Because you're insane."

I slapped his thigh hard under the table. "I knew you were poking around in there."

He laughed and rubbed away the sting. "I wasn't, I swear. It was just that moment."

I took another small bite of chicken. I needed my protein if I expected to keep up with the supernaturals. Okay, technically I needed magic if I expected to keep up, but I'd take all the vitamins and nutrients my human body could get.

"Think of it this way," Reed said. "The sooner the games finish, the sooner the Ghuls leave town, right?"

I took a satisfying bite of cornbread and shook my head. "Under normal circumstances, I'd agree with you, but this reeks of a bigger plan."

"Since when do Ghuls plan?" Gina asked, reaching across the table to refill her wine glass. Must be nice to indulge on libations when you don't need to compete the next day.

"They don't, not in any forward-thinking way," I said. "Usually their plans involve stalking the Badlands at night for victims."

"Or looking for freshly dug graves," Reed added.

"I hope they steer clear of mage graves," Gina said. "Unfortunately, we have quite a few new ones they could plunder."

Fresh graves. Not just from the games or X-caliber, but also The Night Owl. The cornbread stuck in my throat.

"Out of curiosity," I said carefully, "has anyone seen an albino Chinese mage compete in any of the mage matches? Shocking white hair, tough as leather?" Maybe she competed when I was in Lana's care or in my hotel room.

Everyone looked blank.

"We've seen all the groups compete at least once, right? There isn't any group left we haven't seen?"

Oscar shook his head. "Some of the teams might have a second string, in case one of their members can't compete at the last minute."

Dragon Mage couldn't possibly be second string. She was practically a one-woman show.

"What are you thinking?" Reed asked.

I stared at my remaining pieces of chicken. My appetite was officially gone. "I don't know. Whatever it is, it isn't good."

"A toast," Oscar declared, tapping his fork against the wine glass and rising to his feet. "To a great match tomorrow. May our team prevail."

"Or die trying," Gina added with a mischievous wink.

A few people laughed, like it was a joke. Not me. I gritted my teeth and tried not to punch her in the face.

"Easy now," Reed said quietly. His hand rested on my thigh. I knew it was there because he didn't want to draw attention to my ire, but the feel of his hand somewhere it didn't belong...Let's just say there was an internal debate about my response. One of them involved throwing him onto the table and having my way with him. The other involved jamming my lone dagger into the back of his hand. It seemed I was becoming more like Farah every day.

Pinky blushed into her glass of iced tea. "I'm only eighteen. I'd prefer to put off death for a few more years at least."

It was enough to silence the laughter.

Oscar tapped his foot uncomfortably. "The Enclave is proud of our members and those new friends who have chosen to join our team and lead us to victory. Victores in aeternum."

The other mages raised their glasses and repeated, "Victores in aeternum."

I wasn't big on group efforts, but I had to admit, there was a nice vibe at the table. Apart from Gina and her shit-eating grin, most of the mages seemed heartfelt in their desire to bring honor to the Enclave. I had brief memories of moments like this, back at the Academy. Team building exercises and friendly competitions. I was always focused on winning, though, no matter the cost. It was one of the qualities Flynn had found insanely attractive about me. That alone should've told me to run in the opposite direction.