Dragon's Gift - The Valkyrie- Complete Series Read online

  But we currently needed some of that dark magic. Though the Order and the Protectorate would pretty much always be on the same side, Caro had explained that the Order’s hard-on for rules and regulations slowed down the Protectorate, who always took the difficult jobs the government didn’t want. Helping the little guys, solving the unknown cases, protecting the disenfranchised. That kind of thing.

  “Can we sneak past?” I asked.

  “No. But I’ve got something better.” Tabitha darted into an alley on our right. “Come on.”

  We followed her through the quiet, winding alley.

  Tabitha whispered back over her shoulder, “We’ll sneak up on them from behind. Tie them up, and I’ll alter their memories.”

  “You’re a mind mage?” I asked.

  Tabitha waggled her fingers. “The best. It’s why I do this job. I help newbs sneak into The Vaults—not everyone knows how to be careful.”

  We turned down an alley that spit out onto the street where the Order members stood. I could see the shoulders of one man who stood closest to the alley entrance.

  “We need to lure them in,” Tabitha said. “Can’t make a scene on the street. It’s too busy.”

  My gaze darted around the alley. There was a trash bin positioned about twenty feet from the end of the alley.

  I looked at Tabitha and Cade. “Cade, you pretend to attack Tabitha. Tabitha, you scream for help. I’ll hide behind the bin and ambush them as they come to save you.”

  Tabitha gave a thumbs-up. “I like it. Except I’m no damsel in distress. I’ll be Oscar the Grouch, you be Princess Peach.”

  Oscar the…? Oh. The Sesame Street character who lived in the trash bin. I had no idea who Princess Peach was, but she was obviously a damsel in distress.

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ll be the princess.”

  Tabitha dug into her bag and pulled out some short lengths of rope, then handed them to us. “Tie them up once you catch them.”

  We took the ropes, then crept toward the trash bin to set up our scene. Tabitha crouched down and pressed herself against the wall, her nose wrinkling at the scent of rotting garbage. There was some kind of greasy puddle right under her feet.

  Suddenly, I didn’t mind playing the damsel so much.

  I gripped the ties that Tabitha had given me in one hand and conjured my dagger in the other, then pressed my back against the wall and looked at Cade.

  Tension over the coming fight rose in my chest, the usual pre-fight jitters. I made a face at Cade, sneering. “Come at me, bro.”

  The corner of Cade’s full lips kicked up at the goofy tone in my voice. He stepped close and loomed over me, shoulders blocking out what little moonlight there was. His hands went to the bricks on either side of my face, caging me in. The ties that Tabitha had given him dangled from one hand.

  Immediately, the scent of a storm at sea drowned out the gross alley stink, and his heat warmed my front. Though we weren’t touching, it felt like the air between us was lit with sparks.

  My pre-fight jitters vanished as I imagined the feel of every inch of him, his hard muscles pressed against me. It made my breath come short and my skin blaze.

  I glanced up at him, catching the hard set of his jaw that was such a contrast with his full lips. Banked desire burned in the depths of his green eyes.

  Tension crackled.

  He was just as aware of me as I was of him.

  And this was why I’d wanted to be on trash bin duty.

  “Guys! Guys!” Tabitha’s low hiss broke through my trance. “Get it together.”

  Fates, we’d just totally blacked out on a job. It’d only been for a few seconds, but gazing at each other like two sex-starved teenagers had been bad.

  My gaze darted away from Cade’s, but I could still feel every inch of him even though we didn’t touch. “Yeah, yeah, we’re ready.”

  “I’ll take two,” Cade murmured.

  “Deal.” I glanced at Tabitha. “I’ll take the one you don’t grab.”

  “Leave minimal bruising,” Tabitha said. “No killing. If you can hold him till I get to him, I’ll use my tricks to make him compliant.”

  Fine by me. Killing people was high on my No Thanks list. Demons and monsters, no prob. People? Nope.

  “On three,” Cade said. He counted down.

  On one, I looked toward the end of the alley and screamed, trying to give it a real hint of fear.

  As expected, the Order members jumped up, then raced down the alley. Cade leaned closer, as if he were homing in on his attack, but I kept my gaze on the oncoming men.

  They ran two by two.

  My heart thundered as they neared. I vibrated with readiness, wanting to jump into it.

  “Let her go!” one shouted.

  “Bastard!” hissed another.

  I almost felt bad about the sneak attack. When they were almost upon us, Cade whirled and grabbed the first two by their collars, dragging them back into the alley.

  Tabitha leapt out from behind her trash bin and threw herself at one man, taking him down in pile of limbs.

  I lunged for the other, using my body weight to force him onto his back. He was a stocky guy, which made my landing pretty cushy. He grunted and thrashed, swinging a fist for my face.

  I dodged, pressing my blade to his throat. “Hold still!”

  His palm fired up with a glow of red magic. Red liquid dripped from it, and his magic felt like acid prickling against my skin.

  Ah, hell.

  Whatever his magic was, I knew I wouldn’t like it. I’d put money on acid or poison sweat, and neither of those sat on my list of favorite things.

  I pressed the dagger slightly deeper, not enough to really cut but enough to make him know I meant business. “Come on, guy. Chill.”

  He was about to slam his palm against my shoulder when Tabitha lunged toward us, laying her hand over his face.

  “Calm down,” she whispered. “Forget the last three minutes.”

  He slumped immediately, jaw going slack.

  “Holy fates, Tabitha.” I reared back, staring at her in horror. “What the hell?”

  “I’m a really strong mind mage.” She darted around us and sprinted toward Cade and the others.

  He’d dragged them back in the alley and wrapped his arms around both of them in a bear hug that looked like it was squeezing the breath from them. They were both conscious, but barely, their heads lolling.

  Tabitha placed her hands on the men’s faces, and they slumped in Cade’s superhero-looking arms.

  She stepped back and brushed her hands together. “Bring them over with the others.”

  Cade carried them over as if they weighed nothing, though each had to be over two hundred pounds. He laid them on the ground with the other two, and Tabitha bent low over them, laying her hands on their faces.

  “Your recon determined that The Vaults is no longer here. It closed down two years ago. Now, sleep.” She moved on and did the last two Order members, then stood and turned toward us. “Ready?”

  I saluted. “Anything you say, boss, as long as you don’t zap my memory.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I took a vow to use my power only for good.”

  “Like a superhero?” Maybe superheroes were on my mind after seeing Cade’s arms in action.

  “Exactly. My gift won’t make people do anything crazy, but it can do little stuff like that. And only if it won’t permanently harm someone.” She shrugged. “It’s not like I told them to forget their wives or anything. I’m not a monster.”

  No, but she was definitely a badass. “Fair enough. Let’s go.”

  We hurried out of the alley, leaving the men to their naps, and rejoined the night crowd on the sidewalks. It was emptier at this end of the street, and Tabitha led us quickly to the cliff face.

  There was a long set of narrow stone stairs leading up between the buildings toward the Royal Mile, the human area of town. On the other side of that, pres
sed between the stairs and the cliff face, stood a narrow building.

  “Come on.” Tabitha waved us toward the door.

  We followed her through the entry, into a cluttered old bookstore. The lights were dim, and every volume was bound in leather. Piles of books towered toward the ceiling, leaving a path toward the back.

  My heart leapt at the sight of all the old tomes. I’d never had much time to read in Death Valley, nor the money for books. And school had definitely never been a priority. Or a possibility, most of the time.

  I knew I wasn’t as smart as I could be. Or should be.

  But these books were awesome.

  “Why are we in a bookstore?” I asked.

  “Not just a bookstore, dearie.” The voice echoed through the room.

  I spun in a circle, looking for the voice’s owner. From the sound of her, she would be 102 if she was a day and with white hair and a flowered dress. I just knew it. The voice was so distinct.

  “There’s no one here,” Tabitha said. “This is the entry to The Vaults.”

  “So the house is talking to me?” I ran my gaze over every corner and crevice I could find. There really was no one else here.

  “Don’t speak of me in the third person.” The house humphed. “Ruuude!”

  “Sorry! She’s new.” Tabitha looked at me. “Come on.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  “Likewise. Don’t touch anything.”

  Damn.

  We followed Tabitha back through the stacks of books. She dug into her pocket, pulled out a glowing golden stone, and held it up. “If you don’t have one of these, the house pretends to be closed for the afternoon.”

  “Then the person just leaves?” I asked.

  “Of course!” the house said. “Don’t be ridiculous. I have control of this place.”

  Weird. But I didn’t dare say it out loud. I didn’t like horror movies, but I’d seen enough commercials advertising them to know that possessed houses always won.

  Tabitha stopped at a wide wooden doorway and pressed her golden stone to the wood. Magic sparked on the air, smelling of incense carried on a fresh breeze. The door swung open.

  “This way.” Tabitha led us onto a dark and quiet street.

  Historic-looking shops, no more than two stories tall, lined the cobblestone road that was devoid of vehicles. A few people walked along it, their figures illuminated by the golden street lamps. I studied the nearest shop, realizing it was built right into the stone mountain. It’d been carved to look like a building with a roof and everything, but it was all made of stone.

  Overhead, the stars twinkled high in the night sky. But the air didn’t smell as fresh as it did outside.

  “This is crazy,” I said.

  “Isn’t it?” Tabitha grinned. “We’re beneath the castle. A spell makes it look like the sky is up there, but it’s just rock.”

  An older man with white-streaked hair appeared in the doorway of the shop I’d been studying. He glared at me, his wrinkled face disapproving.

  “Get along!” he huffed. “Always loitering, the new ones. Either come in and buy an enchanted pygmy toad, or get off my stoop.”

  An enchanted pygmy toad? From a shop that smelled of mold and old paper? No thanks. Not even if the toad was enchanted to do dishes.

  “Come on, Amos,” Tabitha cajoled. “Chill your ride. We’ll get a move on.”

  He humphed. “You’d better, Tabitha Tweeter!” He shooed us along. “Now go!”

  She gestured us to follow her, so we did, walking side by side down the darkened street.

  “Tabitha Tweeter?” I asked.

  She winced. “You can see why I don’t introduce myself with my full name.”

  “Fair enough.” I glanced at Cade. “You ever been here before?”

  “Only a few times.”

  Despite the dark magic that hung on the air, his stride was relaxed. It made me twitchy, but apparently it wasn’t enough to bother a god of war.

  Tabitha led us past shops and pubs, most of which smelled or felt like dark magic. A few were more neutral, but they tended to deal in things that were iffier—like weapons and magical animals.

  Right after we passed a man selling a potent brew out of a barrel around his neck, Tabitha stopped at a tall door.

  Madame Mystical’s Magical Mementos.

  I looked at Tabitha. “We’re going to see someone called Madame Mystical?”

  “Yes. But if you call her that, you’ll regret it.”

  Yeah, I wouldn’t want to go by that name either.

  “She inherited the shop from an ancestor. The same line of Eclektica has run this place for centuries. And it’s been decades since a Madame Mystical has lived here. Just call her Melusine.”

  “Melusine, it is.”

  Tabitha pushed open the door and stepped inside. I followed with Cade close behind me.

  A dozen scents and tastes bombarded me at once—magic of all varieties lived within this shop. The space towered at least three stories high, with shelves lining the walls all the way to the top. Thousands of magical objects sat on the shelves, each giving off their own signature.

  The space in the middle was relatively empty: just a few display cases and some chairs. Near the domed ceiling, colorful birds fluttered. Or were they pixies? I squinted up, unable to see.

  “Tabitha.” The voice was deep for a woman’s, and echoed with power.

  I yanked my gaze from the pixies—definitely pixies—and sought out the voice.

  The woman stood on the other side of the shop, leaning against a wide wooden desk with her arms crossed over her chest. She had flame red hair flowing in waves to her waist and wore a slinky red catsuit. Matching red heels gave her an extra four inches of height, which was impressive considering she was probably already five ten.

  “Melusine.” Tabitha grinned. “I brought you some customers.”

  Melusine waved her hand around the space. “Browse at your leisure. Haggle at your own risk.”

  “We’re not here to browse.” Though I did like the look of some of the books that were stacked against the shelf nearest to me. And there was a wicked-looking dagger that called my name. “We were sent here by Hedy. She said you could help us with a cursed portal.”

  Melusine’s red eyebrows rose. “Now that sounds interesting.”

  She gestured me forward with nails that were tipped with black. They matched her eyes, which seemed to see straight through me.

  We approached, dodging the cases of shrunken skulls and ancient genie lamps. As I neared, I got a hit of her magic signatures.

  The scent of burning wood, the feel of a crackling fire warm on my face. I faltered just briefly.

  Dang, she’s strong. No wonder Hedy had sent us here.

  4

  We stopped in front of Melusine, who never took her eyes from my face. It almost looked as if she recognized me.

  Weird.

  I didn’t like it.

  But I shrugged it off and dug into my pocket for the vial of oil that had been scooped off the front of the portal, and handed it over.

  She reached for it, but instead of taking the vial, she grabbed my arm.

  Her magic flared, suddenly feeling too hot against my face.

  “Hey!” I yanked my arm back.

  Cade stepped in front of me, jostling me out of the way. “Back up.”

  Melusine just laughed and stepped to the side, her dark eyes peering around Cade and landing on me. She smiled, a crafty, pleased smile that made me even more wary.

  Then, she stepped back and sized up Cade. Her gaze widened with appreciation.

  “Well, hello, god of war.” She danced her fingers over his chest. “I was so distracted by your friend Njord here that I didn’t even notice you.”

  “Njord?” I asked.

  But she ignored me, raking her gaze over Cade’s tall form. What was it with all the ladies drooling over him? First the Vampire of Venice, and now Melusine?

  Inward
ly, I winced. I hadn’t been much better. And it sure as heck wasn’t my place to be jealous.

  “Could you help us?” Cade asked. “We’ll pay.”

  “Oh, and how?” she purred.

  “Business, Melusine. We’re here on business.” Cade’s voice was firm.

  She rolled her eyes, then straightened. She snapped out her hand. “The vial, please.”

  Melusine was suddenly all business—as if a shutter had closed over her flirty side.

  I handed it over, and she took it.

  “Oh, interesting!” She raised it to her face and peered at it. “Right, let’s go to the back. Tabitha? Will you flip the closed sign? Then you can go.”

  “On it.” Tabitha waved goodbye to us, then hurried back to the door to do the job, and we followed Melusine toward the back of the room.

  She led us through an arched blue doorway that led into a smaller round room. The ceiling was only two stories above us and domed like the one in the larger room. More pixies floated up there, darting around, their colorful wings blazing like rainbows.

  “Illusions,” Melusine said. “Cruel to keep pixies underground.”

  Well, at least she had a conscience.

  There was a single round table in the middle of the space. It held a large stone basin that was round and shallow. Water gleamed on the surface. I felt a light tug in my chest, so subtle I thought I’d imagined it.

  Weird.

  I nodded toward the water. “This is all you use for your magic?” I’d never really heard of an Eclektica before.

  “I am half Selkie. Hence, the basin of water. It helps me focus my power and read different magics. Create them.”

  Half Selkie? The sea creatures lived off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland, as far as I knew. And turned into seals. I wanted to ask her if she turned into a seal, but bit my tongue. Asking “do you put on a seal skin and flop into the sea at night?” was probably not polite.

  Melusine approached the table and uncorked the vial. Cade and I joined her, standing on the other side of the table so we could get a good view.

  She raised the vial to her nose and sniffed delicately, then grimaced.