Suck It by Linsey Hall
14
Mac
I left my friends and entered the cell that held Valerie. Drakon followed, his footsteps silent.
The room was empty except for Valerie, Eve, and Lachlan. I nodded at the big shifter, who inclined his head in greeting. Eve didn’t turn to greet us. She was staring at Valerie, who glared back with a steady gaze.
“How’s it going?” I asked. “Any luck finding the shifters?”
“She’s agreed to make a deal,” Eve said.
“Do you trust her?” I asked.
“I think so, but you can confirm that, can’t you?”
“I can.” I walked toward Valerie and gripped her shoulder. Immediately, I got the sense that she was willing to tell us the truth. My new power seemed to connect our minds like a bridge, and it made it easier to read her intentions. “She intends to work with us.”
“Of course I do.” Disdain echoed in Valerie’s voice, and the raging bitch that I’d left here had been replaced by the cool, calm master of ceremonies that I’d first met.
“Why?” I asked, not letting go of her shoulder but not using my magic to force her to talk. “You weren’t nearly as cooperative before.”
“I’m not an idiot. I’ve already betrayed Ludovic. There’s no going back. I now need to look out for myself.”
It was reasonable logic, and she believed it. I did, too.
“All right, then. Where are the kidnapped shifters being held, and are they still alive?”
“They should be alive. Ludovic wants their souls. If he’d been able to launch the attack during the ceremony, he could have done the spell there. But you interrupted that.”
Thank fates we had. “So now what?”
“I’ve already told Eve this, but I’ll repeat it for you, since you’re all so disorganized.”
I just smiled.
Her lips twitched with irritation. “Ludovic needs an event of magical significance. A small comet is passing over Paris tomorrow night. He’s got them in the ancient city of Ville Magique, and he’ll do the spell then.”
“The abandoned town?” Ville Magique was France’s version of Guild City—an all-magical town hidden deep within the heart of Paris. When witches had cursed the town with a plague hundreds of years ago, everyone had cleared out and never come back.
My heart hurt for those long-ago supernaturals. I would hate to lose Guild City and have to hide among normal human Londoners.
“Yes, the very same. He’s the only one there now,” Valerie said.
“So as soon as this comet passes over, he’ll do the spell—taking their souls and killing them,” I clarified.
“Exactly. And when he does, he’ll be more powerful than ever.”
“How do we get into Ville Magique?”
“Through a local absinthe bar, of course. But you’ll need more help.” A self-satisfied smile twitched her lips. “And that’s something you can’t force me to do.”
“You’d be surprised.” But was I capable? It took a lot more power to force people to physically do my bidding, and I wasn’t sure I had enough for an operation as complicated as sneaking through the bar and into the hidden city.
Capable or not, I was willing to try.
“I’ll make you a deal,” Valerie said. “Release me, and I’ll willingly help you.”
“I’ll offer you leniency, and you help us.”
She frowned, dark eyes flickering with thoughts. She was planning to use the leniency to escape. I could feel it. But it was our only chance, and I was willing to bet we could keep a handle on her.
“Fine.” She nodded sharply. “I will take you into the bar, past the guards, and down into Ville Magique. From there, I’ll tell you how to navigate the city and find the prisoners.”
“You’ll come with us all the way.”
She laughed. “There’s no way in hell I’m going that close to Ludovic if I’m betraying him.”
Her honesty made me trust her even more. “Fine. You have a deal.”
“Vow it on your blood. I’m no dummy.”
I nodded, turning to Eve and Lachlan. “Do you have a blade?”
Lachlan handed me one, and I used it to nick my fingertip. “I vow to show you leniency if you help us find the shifters in Ville Magique.”
The deal had some very broad parameters and plenty of room for interpretation, but it would have to do. Anyway, I could always try to force her to do my will, even though I worried about my ability to do so.
I handed her the knife, and she took it awkwardly. Her hands were still bound in front of her, her shoulders tied to the chair, but she managed to clumsily make a nick in her finger. Blood welled. “I vow to help you reach Ludovic’s lair,” she said. “One thing, though. You’re going to need backup. There will be a lot of guards.”
An idea popped to mind. “I know who to ask.”
We left the cell, leaving her with the guards. Carrow, Beatrix, and Seraphia all stood and joined us as we made our way to the stairs. I was halfway down the hall when another thought occurred. Valerie could know about my past.
I turned on my heel and started back toward her cell.
“Where are you going?” Carrow asked.
“One more question.” I could feel Drakon at my back, but didn’t turn as I waited at the cell door for the guard to let me in.
As I entered, Valerie raised a brow. “Yes?”
“What do you know about my past? What does it mean to be a daughter of the Arcane Order?”
“The Daughter of the Arcane Order. And I’m not the one you want to ask. That’s Ludovic.”
“All the same, you must know something.”
She sighed, clearly annoyed. “The Arcane Order was our rival secret society for many years. We each tried to collect the most powerful supernaturals to join our ranks. For a while, they were in the lead. Until they weren’t.”
“And what does this have to do with me?”
“Why, everything. Your parents were the leaders.”
“No, they’re regular people living outside of London.” Right? Even as I said it, something unfamiliar tugged at my subconscious.
“They aren’t.” Valerie shrugged. “If I knew more, I would tell you. Partially because I like seeing the world tilt under your feet.”
I scowled at her. “Do you know what I am?”
“Do you not?”
I hated to admit the weakness to her, so I didn’t. She clearly didn’t know. There was no cunning in her eyes, no hidden information.
I turned and left, ignoring the guards and Drakon as I joined my friends at the base of the stairs.
“Well?” Carrow asked.
“She didn’t know much.” I looked at Eve and Lachlan. “Can one of you contact Glencarrough and get us an audience with the remaining members of the Donahue and McCabe packs? They’re going to want to know where their members are, and I think they’ll be good backup.”
They both nodded and led the way up the stairs. My little group found our way out to the courtyard, and I let my friends go on ahead of me as I turned to Drakon. “What will you do now?”
“Go home. Then help you with the packs when we’re given an audience.”
“Thank you.” I kept my gaze on his, even though I was desperate to avert it and get some space. “I’ll let you know when Eve and Lachlan give me a meeting time. I don’t want to stroll into their headquarters without warning.”
“No, that wouldn’t go well for us.”
There was the faintest awkward silence, then he nodded. “I’ll see you later.”
He called upon the ether and disappeared, leaving me standing alone in the courtyard. My shoulders sagged, and I tilted my face to the sky.
Holy fates, what was I going to do?
“You okay?” Carrow’s voice sounded from my side, and I turned to her.
“Yeah, great.”
She laughed. “Sure. I believe you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on. Let’s head home and get cleaned up while Eve and Lachlan arrange a meeting with the packs. I’m covered in dust, and I’m pretty sure I smell like horse.”
“Drakon doesn’t seem to mind.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Please. Even I can see the way he looks at you. And when you showed up here earlier, you sure were bright eyed and bushy tailed.”
“Not talking about it. Not now, at least.”
“I get that.” She looped an arm through mine. “Come on. I’ll buy you an ice cream on the way back to our tower.”
“A woman after my own heart.”
Late the next morning, after we’d cleaned up and slept, Eve delivered the news that the packs were willing to meet with us.
After I got out of the shower, I texted Drakon. Part of me wanted to just ignore him all together, but that was dumb. For one, he could find me. And for another, he was good backup. I wasn’t stupid. This was hardly the time to turn down help.
He met us in the courtyard of our tower after a very late breakfast. I’d had an insane craving for a massive stack of pancakes but had settled for some quick eggs instead.
Due to her high status in shifter society, Eve had agreed to accompany us to meet the packs, just in case we needed some backup. She eyed Drakon as we stopped in front of him. He nodded at them but turned his gaze immediately to me.
“They’re expecting us now?”
I nodded. “It’s early in Texas, but they’re ready.”
It was noon here, and still before dawn near Amarillo. It was no surprise the packs were fine with an early meeting, however. It was doubtful that many of them had slept since the rodeo. I knew I’d be insane with worry if it had been my friends captured by a mad man.
“We’ll go directly to the bar where they had the first meeting.” I pulled a transport charm from my pocket. “Meet us there?”
He nodded and called upon the ether, disappearing. I threw my charm to the ground, then entered with Eve. The ether sucked us in and spun us through space, spitting us out in the dark, quiet morning on the Texas prairie.
It was warm despite the early hour, with a breeze carrying the scent of grass and animals. The parking lot was far emptier than it had been. Though the neon boots were still dancing over the bar’s entrance, the establishment was silent. Heaviness hung in the air, as if the worry from the building’s occupants was seeping out the cracks in the windows and doors.
Eve, Drakon, and I strode toward the main doors. They opened as we neared them, the McCabe and Donahue alphas standing side by side as they stared at us.
Grim expressions marked their pale faces, and their eyes were dark with worry.
They both looked at Eve first, expressions of respect on their faces. She was the Wolf Queen, the most powerful of them all, and though I didn’t think they’d met her, they obviously could feel her power. All supernaturals were sensitive to that, but shifters had an extra layer of hierarchy built into their society.
Donahue and McCabe inclined their heads to her, and she did the same, though with a slightly less deep of a bow. Then she gestured to us. “I’m not the one you want to speak to. It’s these two.”
They turned to us.
“You’re the ones who broke in here the other night,” Donahue said. Her dark hair was pulled back in a severe ponytail, and she crossed her arms over the plaid shirt she wore. “I didn’t recognize you given your disguises, but it makes sense.”
“We were,” I said.
“You should have told us.”
“Glencarrough tried to tell you. Would you have believed me?”
A grimace twisted her lips. “No.” She looked up at McCabe. “He wouldn’t have either.”
“It was our mistake.” He nodded to us. “We regret it.”
It wasn’t quite a thank you, but then, I didn’t need one.
“Can we come in?” I nodded toward the bar behind them.
They nodded and stepped aside. The three of us entered an entirely different space than we had the first time. Most of the lights were off, and it was dead silent inside. The mechanical bull sat still, and several of the tables had been pressed together to form a meeting space.
Every seat at the table was occupied but two. The seats near the bar were crowded with shifters, dozens of them—possibly the entirety of each pack. The remaining ones, at least. And they were all quiet as the grave.
“We’ve tried to locate them.” McCabe turned to us. “Called in the local witches for a locater spell and contacted the sorcerers as well, but we’ve had no luck.”
Donahue leaned against the big table. “Glencarrough said you know where they are. How?”
I ignored the suspicion in her voice, though I sensed Drakon straightening, his fighter’s instincts always close below the surface.
“We captured one of their people and made a deal,” I said.
Donahue frowned. “You believe them?”
“I’m a seer. I can feel that she’s telling the truth.”
“Then where are they?” McCabe asked.
“Ville Magique, the abandoned supernatural town hidden within Paris.”
He nodded. “Good. We’ll go get them.”
“Not quite,” Drakon said. “We will be coming.”
McCabe bristled. “They’re our pack members.”
“They are. But the one who took them is our enemy. He’s been hunting Mac for years. We intend to stop him.”
“Then how did the shifters get dragged into this?” Annoyance echoed in Donahue's voice.
I explained the whole story, leaving out a few pertinent points that I wanted to keep quiet. I could feel the shifters listening intently as I spoke—could even feel their irritation rising.
“So we were just collateral damage?” Donahue asked.
“I’d say you were simply unlucky. There was something about your festival that made it perfect for Ludovic’s plan. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The shifters around me bristled with irritation, and I heard more than a few growls. It was time for us to get out of there.
“Valerie, our contact, is going to help us get into Ville Magique,” I said. “I’ll ask her how much backup we can bring and let you know. Then we’ll meet tonight to sneak in.”
Both alphas nodded. We left without another word, but I knew the day was just getting started.