Mercenary Magic (11 page)

“It’s funny you should mention that,” said Kai. “Because we’ve just had another one this afternoon.”

“Oh, really? Sorry to hear that.”

“And the incursion was led by your sister.”

Harrison snorted. “Are you sure that was an ‘incursion’ and not just Olivia being moody? You know how she gets sometimes. Maybe you annoyed her.”

“She blasted me through a glyph that transported me clear across the Golden Gate Bridge,” Kai said drily.

Harrison laughed. “Yeah, you annoyed her all right.”

Kai gave him the dragon’s grin. You know, the one a poor, unsuspecting sap got before becoming dinner. The smile died on Harrison’s lips.

“We aren’t talking about a silly prank like the one she once pulled with the multiplying fireworks over New York. This is hardcore, ancient magic. And Olivia used it to get me out of the way so she could steal from me. If you don’t do something about her, I will. And trust me when I say, she won’t like it.”

“There’s no need for threats. I’ll pay you for whatever she took.”

“I don’t want your money. I want my property returned to me.”

“I’ll look into it.”

Harrison was such a bad liar. Kai picked up on that as well. His expression hardened.

“What do you know about all this?”

“I?” He pretended to look surprised. “Nothing.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire.
His magic had shifted pitch when he’d lied. It was practically screaming inside Sera’s ears.

Kai glared down at him, then his eyes swept the room. A trio of bodyguards stood nearby, watching the exchange.

“I’ll be in touch,” Kai told Harrison, then turned and walked away.

“He’s lying,” Sera whispered as they made their way to the entrance hall.

“Later,” he said, low and quiet.

He paid, and they left the restaurant, each with a boxed dessert in their hands. Kai waited until they were in his car and driving off down the street before speaking.

“You’re right. He is lying. He’s always been an atrocious liar. His magic tingles when he lies,” he said. “He knows something about the theft.”

“But what?” Sera asked. She didn’t mention that she’d felt the very same thing from Harrison’s magic.

“I don’t know. But I will find out. That I guarantee.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Legacy of Magic

SERA’S APARTMENT WAS only about a ten-minute drive away from Illusion, but they might as well have been worlds apart. Pristine lawns on enormous upscale estates gave way to blocks of cute little row houses and apartment buildings. The dividing line between San Francisco’s magical playground and the real city couldn’t have been more obvious if they’d planted the Great Wall of China at the border.

Sera sat in the passenger seat of Kai’s tank, her fingertips crunching into the cake box on her lap. She gazed out the window, her eyes unfocused—and more importantly, not looking at him. She could still feel him beside her, his magic bubbling just below the surface. It unrolled, inching toward her in slow, pulsing breaths.

“Stop that,” she growled as his magic brushed across her neck.

“Why?”

“Because I find it annoying.”

He sniffed the air. “Your magic would seem to indicate otherwise.”

Damn. No matter what she did to mask her magic, he always saw right through her. When she got home, she’d have some serious reading to do. Maybe she’d find something to help her in one of Dad’s old magic books.

“You like my magic,” Kai continued. “And your magic likes my magic.”

“No,” she lied. His magic snapped and sizzled and burned—and not even in a bad way. When it touched her, adrenaline and endorphins hooked up and threw a wild party in her body.

“Right.” A smirk spread across his lips, smug and overbearing. He slid his hand across the armrest toward her.

“Touch me and I’ll retaliate.”

His smile widened. “That might be worth it.”

“I mean it. I have a knife, and I’m pretty good at using it. So unless your magic includes the ability to regrow fingers, I’d keep it and the rest of you away from me.”

He retracted his hand, but the look in his eyes told her that her threat hadn’t repelled him. Just the opposite actually; it had enticed him.Why? Oh, that’s right. Because he was a freaking psychopath. Just like the rest of the magical elite.

“Sera—”

“What do you think Harrison Sage knows?”

Kai’s gaze flicked to her, then back to the road. Thank goodness. The last thing she needed was to end the night in a ditch. Probably hacking her way through an army of zombies too, knowing her luck.

“Either Harrison’s protecting his sister, or he’s involved too,” Kai said. “I hope it’s not the latter. That would be a phenomenal pain in the ass.”

“Why?”

“He has a seat on the Magic Council.”

Sera couldn’t say she was surprised, what with Harrison’s stellar personality, but she was worried. She’d made it her goal in life to stay as far away from the Magic Council as she possibly could.

“As you saw, he has power and resources. And bodyguards.” Kai snorted, and smoke puffed out of his nostrils. “Fine, he’s not a top fighter, but the guards just make him look weak.”

“I see… Um, did you know your nose is on fire?”

He patted down the flames. “That happens sometimes.” There was something awfully eerie about the casual way that he said it.

“So, what kind of mage is Harrison?”

“A summoner mainly, his favorite summons being unicorns, eagles, and vampires. I bet you didn’t know you can summon a vampire.”

“I did actually,” she said. “I fought a crew of them once. And barely survived. Killing summoned vampires is about as easy as trying to decapitate a mosquito with a sword. It’s a good thing I’d brought along a flamethrower.”

His face went completely serious. “Look, if you ever get bored working for Simmons, I’ll double whatever he’s paying you.”

Walk willingly into the mouth of the dragon? I don’t think so.
“If you’re nice to me, I promise to think about it.”

“You’re lying.”

“Yes.”

“I think I can change your mind.”

I seriously doubt it.
“You’re welcome to try.”

Sera was kicking herself even before she saw the spark in his eyes. She had not just taunted the dragon with an impossible challenge. Except that she had. Because she’d lost her mind. Taunting dragons was bad. Bad, bad, bad.

“Um, let’s just get back to the Harrison issue.” She cleared her throat. “You were saying he likes to summon unicorns, eagles, and vampires.”

“Among other things.” He was watching her strangely, like he half-expected her to jump through the window. “Harrison never did master dragons, though. And he’s pretty sour about it too.”

“Because the summoners in your family can summon dragons,” she guessed.

“Of course they can. It’s all in the name.”

“So I take it ‘Drachenburg’ means crazy dragon people who go on long and fiery rampages?”

He laughed. “Something like that. Dragons are the pinnacle of summoning. And Harrison cannot stand failing.”

“What magic can he do besides summoning?”

“He can cast a handful of elemental spells,” replied Kai. “Olivia is the stronger mage, but she’s too unstable for the Sage family to put her in the driving seat. She’d drive their legacy right into the ground just because it sounded like a funny idea at the time.”

“And did your family put you in the driving seat?”

“For some things. Mostly the business side. My parents still control the rest.”

“What about your siblings?”

“I don’t have any. My extended family is large, though. Dozens of cousins.”

“And you’re the oldest of them?”

“No, just the most responsible. I’m not
that
old, you know.”

Sera knew she shouldn’t, but curiosity won out. “How old are you?”

“Thirty.”

Not so many years older than she was.

“You’re surprised,” Kai said. “Do I look so old?”

No.
“Yes.”

He chuckled as he turned into the parking lot. “Where can I park?”

“Anywhere. Most of us who live here don’t have cars.”

“How do you get around?”

“With the bus. Or my scooter.” She frowned at him. “Why are you laughing?”

“I’m picturing you explaining to the bus driver that you don’t, in fact, plan to massacre every living soul on his bus with that big sword you carry around.”

“Plenty of people bring their gear onto public transportation. I have a license for the sword, and I always carry my Mayhem badge. People are actually relieved to see it because it means they’re safe as long as I’m traveling with them. If members of the vampire mafia try to hijack the bus, I’ve got it covered.”

He turned off the engine. “Has that ever happened?”

“No,” she said as they both stepped out of the car.

She followed the cobbled path past a lonely picnic bench and a dusty patch of dirt in the grass that the neighborhood winged cat liked to use as a litter box. All the tenants did their part in cleaning up after the stray. If you let winged cat poop sit too long in the sun, it combusted. And spread fast. Entire cities had caught on fire thanks to a few magical cat droppings.

San Francisco was one of them. The disaster of 1906? That was all thanks to a magic-drunk elemental mage and a whole lot of winged cat poop. Not that the general population knew the truth. They all believed that earthquake story propagated by the Magic Council.

“I don’t need an escort,” Sera told Kai, who was keeping pace beside her.

“Last time I was here, vampires attacked. I feel obliged to at least check under your bed for monsters this time around.”

“You are not going anywhere near my bed.”

“Fine. You can check for monsters under my bed.”

She’d been reaching for the doorknob when her hand dropped out of the air, like a harpy who’d just been firebombed. “Are you propositioning me?”

“Are you accepting?” He sure looked serious, and he had such a tight wrap on his magic that Sera couldn’t tell if he was lying. “Today was fun.”

“Fun?” Now she knew he must be messing with her. “Which part? The battle at MRL, being teleported across the bridge, or the arrogant prick at the restaurant?”

“All of it,” he said. “I should get out of the office more often. I should hang out with fun people more often. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to be around another normal person for a change.”

Normal? Neither of them was the least bit normal. Potent and ancient, his magic was off the charts. And she… Well, she was an abomination, right?

“You consider yourself normal, do you?” she asked.

“No, I’m a bloodthirsty psychopath. Just like you.”

He leaned in, his arms braced against the doorframe, his eyes burning with need. Sera could almost see the dragon peeking out from behind the man. The dragon was powerful, seductive, and ruthless. It was wrapped in a magic as old as the world itself.

“Speak for yourself.” She suppressed a shudder as his magic slid over her shoulders, sending rivers of liquid heat down her back. “Hey, I told you to knock that off.”

“Your lips say one thing. Your magic says another.” His whispered words caressed her cheek. “And right now it’s singing.”

“For you to stop,” she breathed out. Yeah, breathing. That was getting hard.

“You don’t want me to stop.”

No, she really didn’t. But right now she was suffering from very poor judgement. She shoved out her hands to push him away. He hopped back, laughing.

“Is that the best you can do?” he taunted.

“No.” She swung a punch at him, aiming for that arrogant smirk.

She missed.

He pivoted out of her way, flicking her on the back as she passed by him. “Too slow.”

She spun around to hit him again, but he ducked. He was fast. Just not fast enough. Adrenaline pumping in her ears, she pounded her fists down hard on his head.

“Damn it, Sera,” he growled, stumbling back. “That hurt.”

But he was still standing. Anyone else would have had the decency to pass out. Not the dragon, though. Oh, no. He was far too stubborn.

She swung another punch at him, but he caught her hand and twisted it behind her back. “Let go.”

“I’m not holding you very tightly. You could break free.” He leaned in closer. “But you haven’t.” His lips brushed against hers, teasing her with promises of more. “Why is that?”

“Because you’re my client.” She nipped his lip. “I can’t attack you or else—”

Kai pulled her against him, swallowing her words whole. His tongue plunged into her open mouth, his kiss hard and urgent. His magic wasn’t wrapped away—not anymore. It slammed and smashed against hers, saturating her every pore. She knew this was a really, really,
really
bad idea, and she just didn’t care. She wanted to drown in his magic and never come up for air.

Floodlights blared down, blasting her with blinding light. Except it wasn’t floodlights, her mind was trying to tell her. It was the porch light. Something clinked and jiggled. Metal. The door! Sera pushed back from Kai, landing on the doormat as the door opened. Riley looked out at her.

“What are you doing out here, standing all alone in the dark?” he asked.

Sera looked around. Kai was nowhere in sight. She heard the rumble of an engine and tires crinkling over gravel as a car drove out of the parking lot. Wow, he sure moved fast.

“Did you lose your keys?” Riley asked.

“No,” she said wearily. The insanity of the day was finally catching up to her, and she was crashing.

Riley’s eyes narrowed as his eyes took in the blood-dried bandages, the torn-off jeans, and whatever else was wrong with her. She hadn’t looked in a mirror in hours, which was a good thing.

“Sera, what happened to you?” He frowned. “You look like shit.”

“Thanks. I love you too,” she said, slipping past him to go inside. “It’s been a long day. I’m going to shower and call it a night.”

“Wait.”

She stopped her tired shuffle down the hall and looked back at him.

“What’s that?”

He pointed at the doormat. There, beside the potted lavender plant sat the two cake boxes, stacked one on top of the other. Sera took a step back and swept them up into her arms. She gave the boxes a hard glare. Cats dumped dead mice on your doorstep. Maybe dragons left you cake. Kai was making a power play, marking his territory or some other such dragon nonsense.