Magic Wild (Dragon's Gift: The Seeker Book 4) Read online

  Connor passed me a vial and helped Roarke drink a larger one that he held up to his lips. Unfortunately, the stuff was a glimmering pink color, so pretty that it had to be disgusting.

  I uncorked it, sucked in a deep breath, then downed the thing.

  I was pleasantly delighted at the taste of fresh strawberry.

  That was, until the potion kicked in, flushing the last of the poison from my system. I started sweating immediately, soaking through the back of my shirt and turning my hair damp.

  Across from me, Roarke’s brow gleamed in the warm light.

  Then the hangover hit. A giant pounded on drums inside my head while my stomach turned sour as month-old milk.

  “Oh, I’m going to die.” I collapsed back against the chair.

  “Looks like it worked!” Connor’s voice was way too cheerful.

  “Now you definitely look like you were drunk,” Nix said.

  I leaned over so I could see my reflection in one of the decorative mirrors on the wall.

  Sallow skin, bags under my eyes, hair limp as spaghetti. Yep. Drunk as a skunk and now sober as a nun.

  Perfect.

  I drew in a shuddery breath. “Could I have a coffee and some water? Possibly an entire bottle of aspirin?”

  “On it.” Connor hurried off, stopping briefly to turn down the music that pumped over the speakers.

  My head immediately felt ten percent better. Connor was a hero.

  Roarke’s hand closed around mine. I glanced up to meet his eyes. “Thanks for getting us out of there.”

  “Thank Cass.” I grinned up at her. “She got the message right in time.”

  Cass pulled up a spindly wooden chair and plopped into it. “Thank magic. That was some sticky stuff you were in.”

  “No kidding.”

  “But worth it.” Roarke gestured to the two vials that Aidan now held.

  “If that works on your brother, you’re going to need a truth teller,” Aidan said.

  “Good thought,” Roarke said. “I don’t know how to read him anymore.”

  “Isn’t Alton, from the FireSouls, a truth teller?” Nix asked.

  “Yes!” I’d forgotten about him. He was one of the ten warriors who lived at the FireSoul complex with Corin and Flora.

  “Want me to go see if I can get him?” Cass asked.

  “Yes, thank you,” Roarke said. “You could bring him to my place.”

  She stood and saluted. “Will do.”

  Aidan followed her out, and Nix headed to the bar to get a drink.

  I took one of the vials from the table by Roarke and downed it, then leaned toward him and whispered, “I won’t kill your brother.”

  Understanding glinted in his eyes. There was every chance that I could only be free of this curse if I killed Caden, who’d given it to me. And if that were true, then the Shadows might actually accomplish their awful plan.

  “Don’t think about it.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to my lips. “We will figure it out.”

  Though I hoped he was right, it was hard to believe it.

  Chapter Nine

  After quick showers at my place, we arrived at Roarke’s as the sun was setting. All this time zone hopping meant that I kept repeating sunsets. I hadn’t wanted another viewing of this one, but at least the circumstances were better.

  I might’ve had the worst hangover in the history of time, but that was better than being chained to a rock waiting to be sacrificed.

  Roarke and I hadn’t talked any more about curing me of the curse. By unspoken agreement, we’d deal with his brother first and see what we could learn. Anyway, it’d taken ten years for the curse to decay on Caden. I had time.

  We climbed the porch stairs to Roarke’s place just as Cass’s voice sounded.

  “Hey, guys!” she shouted from behind.

  I turned to look into the woods. She and Alton stood about fifty yards from the house, deep in the shadows of the trees. Smart not to transport too close—protection charms usually didn’t like that kind of thing.

  They approached, coming out of the gloom. Alton hadn’t changed since I’d last seen him at the FireSoul headquarters. He was a handsome black man, almost as tall as Roarke, with hard eyes, a strong jaw, and a dashing scar across his cheek. He wore burnished red leather armor, and though I favored black, it ignited a slight tinge of envy.

  Maybe I should mix it up some.

  Alton and Cass climbed the stairs to the porch.

  “Good to see you, Del.” He nodded at me, then stuck his hand out toward Roarke. “I’m Alton.”

  Roarke gripped it and shook. “Roarke. Good to meet you, and thank you for coming.”

  Alton nodded to Cass and me. “The Triumvirate are prophesied to do great things. The League of FireSouls is dedicated to helping them.”

  “Thank you,” I said. The League had come to our aid months ago when Cass had faced off against the Monster.

  Alton nodded, then we followed Roarke into the house. Cass, Alton, and I went into the living room while Roarke went to the basement to fetch Caden.

  He returned a few minutes later. The demons carried Caden’s chair, to which he was still chained and unconscious. Connor’s new, stronger potion had put Caden’s body into stasis, which had been super helpful considering that the stasis negated any need for bodily function. The last thing we’d wanted to do was have to repeatedly unchain a guy as strong as Caden.

  The demons set him down in the middle of the living room. Cass and Alton positioned themselves behind Caden, while I waited. Roarke drew a vial out of his pocket and approached, tilting Caden’s head back and pouring the liquid down his throat. It took some coaxing, but he got Caden to swallow the stuff.

  Unable to bear the suspense, I approached and leaned in, sniffing near Caden’s head.

  Relief coursed through me, weakening my muscles. “He no longer smells.”

  “Good.” Roarke went to the kitchen, then returned a moment later with another small vial. He held it up. “This should wake him up.”

  It was an antidote to the sedative, also brewed by Connor. Roarke poured it down Caden’s throat.

  Immediately, Caden sputtered awake, shaking his head.

  “What—Where am I?” His wide eyes darted around the room. They were a paler gray than Roarke’s, but familiar.

  Suddenly, he looked so much younger, and smaller, than Roarke. My heart twisted in my chest. This man was Roarke’s brother. And the Shadows had stolen him.

  “You’re safe, brother,” Roarke said.

  Caden’s head whipped toward the voice. “Roarke!”

  “Caden.”

  “Cade,” his brother corrected.

  Roarke nodded, something strange passing across his face. Like he’d once called him that but had stopped since their estrangement. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Cade. What do you remember?”

  Cade blinked, his expression clearing. As if his memory were coming back. Fortunately, I spotted no cunning on his face, and Alton would be able to confirm it.

  “Everything.” Devastation laced Caden’s voice. “All of it. And all of it terrible.”

  I glanced at Alton, who nodded. Truth.

  “But you cured me?” Cade asked. “I no longer feel the Shadows’ presence.”

  “Yes, we found the cure.”

  Cade sagged, relief evident on his face. Then he straightened, his gaze darting to Roarke. “Everything I’ve done… It’s all terrible.”

  “I know.” Pain crossed Roarke’s face. “But you weren’t in control.”

  “No.” Grief laced his voice. “But I sought out the Shadows. I asked them to make me stronger—to give me more power. You had so much, Roarke. I just wanted to be equal.”

  “And they helped you,” Roarke said. “You have several new powers. You used those powers to escape the Order prison.”

  “Yes. But at a cost.”

  “So it was mutual?” I asked. “A partnership?”

  “At first.
When I was young and dumb.”

  I could relate to young and dumb. I’d been young and plenty dumb. Was arguably still a bit of both.

  “Why did they curse you?” Roarke asked. “They are powerful. Surely they can do their own bidding.”

  “They cannot walk upon the earth. At least, not far from the small portals they create. They are bound by hell’s magic. But their plans mean they have work to do on Earth. They have to communicate with the demons who are on this side.”

  “That’s what you did,” I said.

  “Yes. Because I’m half demon, I can walk between Earth and the Underworld.” Cade licked his lips, and I suddenly realized he must be parched. And starving.

  I turned to one of the demons. “Could you get water and food from the kitchen?”

  The demon looked at Roarke first, who nodded. “Always obey her.”

  Hmm. That was something. A smile tugged at my lips. I didn’t know much about dating the Warden of the Underworld, but being given command over his demon minions had to be a step forward in our relationship.

  “There’s more you want to know,” Cade said.

  “Yes,” Roarke said.

  “But first, we can unchain you,” I said. “All the bad things you did, they were at the bidding of the Shadows, right?”

  Cade frowned. “Well, all the really bad things, yes. But I’ve cheated at cards and not called girls back and shit like that, so I can’t blame it all on them.”

  Alton nodded. Truth.

  “We’ll just call that mildly bad,” I said. “What I care about is that you mean us no harm.”

  “No! I definitely don’t want to hurt you.”

  Alton nodded.

  It took a few minutes, but we got all the chains and manacles off. Cade rubbed at the golden dampener charm around his wrist.

  “That stays on for now,” Roarke said.

  Cade shrugged. “Got nowhere to go, anyway.”

  The demon who’d gone to get food returned. He was fast, and so was Cade. He made quick work of a glass of water and a sandwich, then looked at us.

  “What are the Shadows’ plans?” I asked. “How do they involve me?”

  “They plan to open a massive portal to Earth. One that will allow thousands of demons to escape from hell onto Earth.”

  Shit. As Draka had predicted. “What is my role?”

  “You play a key part, but I don’t know the details.”

  Not great. “Where will the portal open?”

  “I don’t know. But I can lead you to them.”

  “We’ll need you to,” I said. “How many Shadows are there? And who are they?”

  “There were six, though you killed one. They are a dark force, and very ancient. Not demon, not human, not any kind of supernatural I’ve ever known. I think they’re evil.”

  “That’s a given,” I said.

  “No, I mean, I think they are like, evil incarnate.” He shrugged. “But that’s just a theory. Only recently have they sought power. Now, they are the leaders of the demons who wish to be set free of the Underworld.”

  “Why do they want to be set free?” I asked. “I know that some come to Earth to act as mercenaries, but demons are from hell. That’s their home. Most like it there. They have governments and lives and laws.”

  “True,” Cade said. “Most are content, especially those who live within the various Kingdoms. It’s not that different from Earth, really. There’s good places and bad—heavens and hells—with demons and others just living their lives. And things have been better since Roarke began keeping the peace.”

  “Amongst the Kings of Hell, yes,” Roarke said. “I don’t have to worry about the heavens. Not my jurisdiction.”

  “And the Kings of Hell control their civilians,” Cade said. “But there are outlaws who don’t fit well into the Underworld, so they’re trying to escape.”

  “Why don’t they fit?” I asked.

  “They’re the worst of the worst—so bad that no King of Hell will let them into their Kingdom. And they don’t want to be in the Kingdoms. They answer to no one and have existed on the periphery for centuries—millennia. When people think of evil demons, these are the ones. The baby eaters and skin-wearers.”

  “Of course.” Roarke sighed. “And I haven’t been able to control them because they aren’t led by a King of Hell. They’ve existed in the Shadows, outside my control.”

  “Exactly,” Cade said. “Though if you hadn’t controlled the Kings of Hell, this would have happened sooner—with more demons discontent because of the wars.”

  “So now it’s time for them to break free?” I guessed.

  “Exactly. They’ve been planning to escape for over a thousand years, but they’ve never had a way to do it in massive numbers. Most just leave hell as mercenaries, getting an Earthbound supernatural to free them in exchange for labor. Once on Earth, they go rogue and never return.”

  It was the whole reason I had been a mercenary—to track down the rogues. “But now they have a way for all of them to get out?”

  “Yes. Because of the Shadows. They have the magic and the brains to orchestrate an escape. I think it is their purpose for existing.”

  “There have been more uprisings lately,” Roarke said. “But I haven’t been able to find the demons responsible. It’s related, isn’t it?”

  Cade nodded. “I think so. Things have been getting more volatile lately. They sense that the Shadows have almost succeeded.”

  “Why now, though?” I asked. “It’s been a thousand years.”

  “Because of you,” Cade said. “You have the magic they need to escape. You’re part of their plan.”

  “These Shadows are a suitable enemy for the Triumvirate,” Alton said.

  The FireSouls had been very interested in the Triumvirate, as my deirfiúr and I were called, when we’d visited them.

  “This is your fated task, Del. You are meant to defeat them.”

  “I have to agree with him,” Cass said.

  “Yeah.” I nodded. Alton made an excellent point. The Shadows and I were bound. They needed me to complete their goal, and I needed to defeat them.

  “Which one cursed you, Cade?”

  “I don’t know. But I’d recognize him if I saw him. Not by sight, but by feel.”

  That wasn’t helpful.

  “Did you intend to curse me?” I asked. “Was that part of their plan?”

  “Yes.” Shame glinted in his eyes. “But I didn’t want to! I swear.”

  “I know. When was this plan developed?”

  “Just last week. After they saw Roarke with you. They had to draw you to them. They can’t capture you themselves, because they are trapped in hell or near their portals and you’re well-hidden. They hoped that stealing your Phantom dragon’s source egg would work, but it did not.”

  “So they scrambled to develop a new plan,” Roarke said.

  Cade nodded. “Yes. They have demons scouting for Del, but her concealment charms protect her.”

  “I have good ones,” I said. We’d bought them after we’d escaped the Monster, and I’d never gotten rid of them. Anyone who meant me harm couldn’t scry for me.

  “Right. And the Shadows know that. So they’ve been setting up traps to draw you to them.”

  “Eventually, I’d fall into one.” As I had, by picking up Caden’s curse.

  “Exactly.” Cade nodded sadly. “I’m so sorry that I cursed you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We’ll find a way.” That hopefully doesn’t involve killing you. Because I was damned certain I couldn’t do it. Sure, I could kill a demon or a monster intent on eating my head, but not another person.

  Not a good person.

  Not Roarke’s brother.

  I’d rather die. The only problem was—if I didn’t defeat the Shadows, everyone would die. And the demons would turn the earth into hell.

  So I’d just have to kill the Shadow who had cursed Cade and hope the effect trickled down to me, freeing me of th
e curse. And then I’d kill all the rest of the Shadows.

  “I’ll help you,” Cade said.

  Roarke nodded. “We’re going to need you.”

  Later that night, Cass, Nix, and I sat on the upstairs landing, drinking boxed wine out of coffee mugs and spying on Roarke and Cade down in the living room. We couldn’t hear them over the Allman Brothers that played on the stereo, so we weren’t being super stalkers, but it was nice to watch them.

  “They’re so lucky,” Nix murmured. She’d come by thirty minutes ago, after she’d done a bit of work at Ancient Magic.

  “Yeah.” I sipped my wine.

  “I mean, he thought his brother was lost.” Her voice was wistful. “But here he is.”

  I reached for her hand, knowing just what she was thinking. “We’ll find your family.”

  Cass grabbed her other hand. “They might even be alive.”

  Hope lit up Nix’s face. “You think?”

  “Yeah, it’s possible,” I said.

  “It’s probable,” Cass said. “One of us needs a happy ending with our families.”

  Nix’s smile immediately fell. “Oh, I’m so sorry. That was thoughtless of me. You both already lost your families.”

  “I lost mine before I ever found them,” I said.

  “And we didn’t lose all our family,” Cass said. “We have each other.”

  Nix smiled. “We do.”

  After a while, Cass asked, “Do you have any idea what you’ll do, Del?”

  “You mean, about the curse?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hunt down the Shadows and kill them. Hopefully that will work.” Worry tugged at my chest, stronger than ever. It was a demon with sharp claws, pulling and yanking. “I can’t kill Roarke’s brother.”

  “And you can’t let the Shadows get control of you,” Nix said. “Or worse will happen.”

  A prickle of sweat broke out on my skin at the very thought of it. “I know.”

  Demons breaking out onto Earth would be so much worse. Catastrophic on a level I couldn’t begin to comprehend. Not only would they cause massive death and destruction—the Telenec demon wasn’t the only flesh-eating variety—but they’d reveal supernaturals to the humans.