Arcane Magic (Stella Mayweather Series) (7 page)

"I know." As it happened, I did know that for certain. I allowed a little of my magic to trail over the package as I extracted it from my bag, and certified that the magic was, indeed, harmless to me. Actually, I could have even opened it without any negative consequences, but I heeded
Étoile's words and promised to obey her. Whatever it was, she didn't want me to know about it; and even I had to admit that was probably safer. I could weep my way out of being interrogated for our visit, but I might not as easily be able to hide what I found out. That concept was what kept my curiosity at bay. "It's more the knowledge of what's inside that bothers me," I tried to explain. "I don't want to know anything that could put anyone else at risk."

"Exactly right," came the deep, smooth voice I knew so well. Spinning around, my breath caught as I looked into the eyes of my ex-lover. I would have liked it if he seemed a little more pleased to see me, now we were on his turf, and unobserved, but just as before, his face remained impassive. He might have been overjoyed, or thunderously enraged, but I couldn't tell. Putting my emotions to one side, I remembered
Étoile's words about making sure it was Evan. Of course, with his house so heavily guarded, I was ninety-nine percent sure already, but one could never be too careful in our world. I let my vision shift as my eyes slid over him until I was sure he wasn't an impostor, dressed up in Evan's skin. The heavy silence surrounding us made it feel like hours that I gazed at him, but it could only have been seconds later that, with absolute surety, I handed him the package.

"Satisfied?" he asked.

Ignoring his comment, I chose instead to get straight into the issue at hand. "Étoile said you were expecting this."

Evan ripped off the seal and puffed the envelope open at the top as he glanced inside. "She's right. I've been waiting for this." He glanced from me to Astra. "You came here directly from the Council?"

"No." I shook my head. "We collected it from Étoile's apartment and she told us to take an indirect and unobserved route here."

"Could you have been followed?"

"We weren't," said a decisive Astra. Before he could ask, she added, "I'm certain of it."

For a moment, silence descended again
until Evan motioned with his head for us to follow as he walked deeper into the house. We went past the living room where we'd spent many happy hours, and through the kitchen, to find Micah waiting, seated at the island. A coffee pot stood there, along with mugs. As we approached, Micah rose and busied himself with the refreshments while I tried not to act surprised. I was expecting a curt dismissal, not coffee.

Evan indicated for us to sit as he moved around the table, shaking his head when Micah placed a mug in front of him. "I heard you had some trouble at home," Evan said
unexpectedly, surprising me. His face revealed nothing yet, offering no clues and I could only wish for a hint at what was running through his mind.

"If you mean the dead werewolf on my doorstep, I found it more perplexing than troubling," I replied as Astra looked my way, showing her shock and surprise. Of course, she didn't know about that, and I didn't want to get into another explanation right then. "I don't know what to make of it."

"Finding anything dead on one's doorstep is a bad thing," chipped in Micah as he passed the next mug to me, then poured another for Astra.

"Micah has a good point," agreed Evan.

"Do you wish it disposed of?" Micah asked, baring his extremely sharp teeth.

"It's gone," I said, refusing to allow him to intimidate me one bit. Micah might have been dangerous, but he never posed any danger to me. I think he just enjoyed a visible reaction.
However, I did know where the body had gone, even if all else was a mystery. Gage took on the responsibility of making all the funerary arrangements while I was too stunned to do anything. "To the country morgue, I think."

"Do you know who the wolf is?" Evan asked.

I shook my head. "Not yet. Étoile says she thinks he's probably low level."

"Do you know what he was doing at your house?" Evan persisted.

"He had an envelope with my name on it, so I guess he was delivering a message, but whoever killed him probably took it. It's all a mystery to me."

"What about you?" Evan turned his attention to Astra. "Are you staying with Stella?"

Astra gulped her coffee and gave him a puzzled look. "No. I have no plans to. Do I?" she asked, glancing at me. "I'm staying with my sister."

Evan returned his gaze to me. "You're home alone?" he asked, his face still impassive.

"Yes, it's just me." That wasn't an outright lie. He didn't need to know about Gage staying over, and I didn't feel obligated to offer any explanation either.

"You're alone in a secluded house where dead things are turning up."

"What's new?" I replied, taking a sip of the warm, sweet liquid as I thought about what to say. The truth wouldn't hurt if I kept to the basics. "Besides, Gage is right across the street. If anything happens that I can't handle, I can holler."

Evan didn't flinch at Gage's name. It was no secret that the two never got on well; but if Gage's close proximity
to me annoyed him still, he definitely didn't show it. All the same, again, I thought better of mentioning Gage staying overnight in my spare room. "And if he's not home?" he persevered.

"My magic is well under control."

Evan drummed his fingers lightly against the countertop and I could only assume that he was itemising the possible ways my life might end before I could do a damn thing about it. It wasn't like that idea never crossed my mind. Yes, my house was secluded, and perhaps, that wasn't the best place for someone who found herself the target of witch hunters, witches, and who knew what else? At least, it was mine. Plus, what was the alternative? Move into town, putting innocent people in danger, just so I could feel more secure by having them around me as witnesses? No, it was best I stayed put. Plus, if things got too dangerous, I could shimmer as far away as necessary. Just as I was deciding whether or not to explain all that, as if Evan didn't already know, the doorbell rang. Micah glanced at Evan, then wordlessly departed. He returned a moment later, gave a slight bow, and announced, "Your appointment is here. I'll show the witches to the door."

Astra set her cup down and I followed her lead.
I barely touched mine
, I thought regretfully as we followed Micah to the door. Evan was only a couple of steps behind me, but his presence made my skin tingle by sheer proximity. I faltered slightly, almost tripping over my feet as my heart told me to turn around, while my head told me to keep going. I was glad I didn't turn back to him when I saw who awaited him in the lobby.

The woman who stood there was out-of-this-world beautiful. An inch or two taller than me with a tightly toned frame, she had hair that hung in a glossy, black sheet to her elbows. She looked past us, obviously fixing her attention on Evan. Clad in a long, yellow dress, made from a silky material, with a plunging neckline that would have appeared inappropriate on anyone else except her, she seemed strangely enthralling. Perhaps, I decided, she was on her way to a function, but as I closed the gap between us, and her attention turned towards me, I noted the otherness about her, as well as the ferocity in her eyes. This was a full-blooded demon and she appeared to recognise me, not quite disguising her surprise before her face took on the same impassive look all the demons seemed to wear.

"Darling," she said, brushing past us and winding her arms about Evan's neck. His hands settled on her hips and she kissed him on both cheeks, taking her time about it as her lips brushed his skin in a way that chilled me to my core. "I didn't know you had visitors. Shall we go somewhere more comfortable since this is pleasure, and not business?" She spoke loud enough for us to hear her emphasis. Without a backwards glance, she sidestepped Evan and walked with obvious familiarity towards his living room as he followed her path with his eyes.

With a tight feeling in my chest, I simply turned, pulled the door open, and left, abandoning Astra, who had to hurry after me. Behind us, the door slammed shut.

Chapter Seven

Slipping through the unlocked, red-painted, front door of Annalise and Beau's narrow, two-story house on Oak Street, I edged my way through the standing crowd. In front of the two dozen or so gathered werewolves stood the family we were honouring on this full moon. Sitting on the couch, Annalise beamed with the essence of motherhood as she gazed down at her baby, her blonde curls falling and catching in the baby's tiny hands. Behind them stood Beau. He rested one hand on Annalise's shoulder as he craned over her, clearly besotted.

"I don't think he's ever going to let her out of his sight," said a familiar, low, voice against my ear. I glanced up and gave Gage a smile as he edged his way into the narrow space next to me.

"Which one?" I asked.

Gage huffed and beamed. "Neither."

I took a moment to look around me, and noticed that while the small assembly faced the new family, they all seemed engaged in small talk. Then, it struck me that the celebration was a very low key one. All the same, I was glad for taking the time to stop at my house and change my clothes into clean jeans and a pretty, pink top. "Did I miss anything? Did the speech happen already?"

"Nope. Just the snacks. You should never arrive after a pack of wolves if you want to eat."

I had to laugh. "Fair point."

"The ceremony starts in a moment."

"And then we’ll learn the baby's name?"

"Yep. Where've you been all day anyway? I came by your house to see if you wanted a ride, but you weren't home."

"After my visit to
Étoile, I had to run an errand," I said. That was an understatement, given the day I'd had. Astra and I had only returned home barely an hour ago, and she took off almost right away, insisting that she had enough power for one more shimmer. I wanted to ask her who she thought Evan's visitor was, but later thought better of it. After an awkward moment or two, I simply thanked her. In return, she laid a hand on my shoulder, gave me a sad, little smile that told me she could see right through me, just like her sisters could, and vanished.

"For hours?"

"Hours and all the way across the country too."

"Witchy business?"

"Yep, but I can't tell you."

Gage's lip twitched, giving me the smallest glimpse of his annoyance. "Why not?"

"I'm still not entirely sure what I was doing. Whatever it was, it was secret."

"I hate secrets. Sure you can't tell me?"

I lifted a shoulder in an apologetic shrug. "Sorry."

"Never mind. It's not like I tell you everything either."

I feigned mock shock as I let my mouth drop open. "No shi... way," I corrected myself, remembering there was a baby present, even if she was unlikely to repeat any curse words. Still, striving for a clean mouth around children was probably a good thing to start earlier rather than later. And if there were any accidental slip-ups, I figured I would blame them on her Uncle Gage. "I could do with a ride home though," I added. After a day of sucking up my energy to travel thousands of miles, not to mention, drawing on Astra's power to boost my own, I was thoroughly drained. Using the last little beat of power I had to get to Oak Street in time, I knew that I could probably have driven there, but would have been unable to find a place to park.

After seeing the street outside packed with vehicles, and the spilling crowd within the small house, I knew my decision was right. Searching for a parking space would mean missing the most important event of my social calendar. As it was, with my power depleted, there was no way I could shimmer home; and walking didn't sound like a lot of fun either, never mind the added safety issues.

I may not have been one hundred percent certain of what I delivered to Evan today, but I knew enough from Étoile to feel I should have been on alert. Whatever the package contained, Étoile was sure other people wanted it. So if anyone figured out that I participated in its transport, I could become a target. Not only that, but I still had the heebie-jeebies about finding the dead werewolf on my porch. No, a ride with Gage was the most sensible decision; and a little, whiny part of me really hoped he would say yes, thereby saving me from a long walk in heels or begging another guest to take me home, which would have been out of anyone else’s way. Perhaps I was being presumptuous? I didn't know how the naming ceremony would work out. What if Gage decided to go wolf and preferred to spend some time doing the nature thing in the woods rather than taking me home?

"No problem," Gage said, barely skipping a beat, his attention diverting to his sister's family. "Tonight will be an early one anyway."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Problem solved. "Not like the wedding, huh?"

Gage grinned. "Oh, boy. Not like that at all. Now, if you'll excuse me. I gotta do the packmaster duty and welcome the new cub to the pack."

The ceremony took little more than an hour. Gage gave a traditional speech, welcoming the new addition, before Beau took over and kindly asked Gage and me to be the baby’s guardians, which both surprised and delighted me. The baby lay cradled peacefully in Annalise's arms the whole time. When her name was eventually announced, we all applauded: Selene. Finally, we all trooped past, greeting the baby traditionally, i.e., placing two fingertips to the mouth before passing them to her forehead. To me, it felt like a kiss, and was entirely appropriate, so I simply copied everyone else when I was asked to join in. When the last pack member finished greeting her, a cork popped and glass after glass of champagne was passed around, the celebratory spirit now high in the air.

"She's so tiny," I whispered, stroking her fine wisps of hair as Annalise passed her to me. Nestled in my arms, she wriggled and stretched before nuzzling against me. "I'll be a good guardian to her, I promise."

"Can you imagine being responsible for a little cub like this one day?" asked Annalise.

"No."

"Me neither, yet here she is. Who would have thought it, huh?"

"She's perfect. I'm really happy for you." I gave little Selene one last kiss to the forehead and returned her to her mother. My arms felt empty without her little, warm body nestled in the pink blanket. "I'll never let her down," I promised.

"That's exactly why I picked you to be her guardian. Of all the creatures I know, you and Gage have firsthand experience of what it's like to be alone. And I trust you'll never leave my daughter that way."

"You can count on us," said Gage, slinging one arm around me and passing me a glass. He gave me a squeeze that felt a little like being crushed by a bear. "I'm going to spoil my niece."

"Not too much," Annalise grinned, turning to greet someone as she passed. "I have to circulate, but let's catch up soon. I can't believe I cut your vacation short! And then your welcomed home by the dead wolf. You need a real Wilding welcome. I'm so sorry I couldn't come out there to help."

"We had everything covered, sis." Gage leaned down to murmur in my ear as Annalise turned away to the next person to exclaim over the baby, "We need to talk."

"Sounds ominous." I looked around at the happy party. Everyone seemed in good spirits and I was almost pleased that we had such a festive event to focus on, rather than the dead werewolf. Plus, I noticed, Kitty was there, talking to Ryan, the guy she dated a while back. It looked like they were flirting. A big part of me wanted to brush every worry to one side and enjoy the party, but Gage sounded tense. "Now?"

"It's as good as any other time," Gage answered, releasing my shoulders and grabbing my hand instead. He led me through the crowd, out the French doors and onto the patio, closing them beside us. "It's about the dead wolf," he began.

"Did you discover something?" I asked, my interest piquing right away.

"One of the pack finally found someone who could identify him. His name is Kevin Wyatt," Gage told me. "And I was right… he wasn't from around here."

"So where was he from?" I asked, feeling just as perplexed as I was when I found him on my porch, "and how did he end up here?"

"That's the thing. I don't know how he got here yet. Just who he was and where he's from."

I raised my eyebrows to prompt him for more information.

"Canada," Gage said. "Some little out-of-the-way town called Rockford."

"Canada? So, he caught a plane? Or did he drive here?" Even as I asked the questions, I felt sure he traveled by neither method. For one, there were no reports of abandoned cars around here, and Wilding was a tightly-knit community. An unfamiliar car that appeared abandoned certainly would have been noticed and reported. "Yeah, okay. Stupid questions. So, he... hiked? Went furry and ran?" I hazarded a guess. "Is that even possible?"

"He could have. It's not unknown, especially if he went furry, but I don't think so somehow. His clothes fit him well and he still had his wallet, even if there was no identification. Plus, it's kind of awkward to carry that stuff as our wolf-selves. No, I think he came here some other way." Gage gave me a pointed look as slowly, it began to dawn on me.

"You think he got magicked here?" I asked, my scepticism leaking out.

"Fastest way to travel, right?" Gage didn't need my confirmation; he knew that for sure. The first time I saw him as a wolf, I shimmered myself the hell out of there, not
knowing for certain it was he; and fast as he was, he still couldn't beat me home. Of course, he managed to surprise me anyway, being quite adept at not revealing his true two-natured form in the early days of our friendship.

"Sure, but a wolf can't do that. Even if he knew some spellcraft, I don't think he could create that kind of magic himself; and surely not without a..."

"Maybe he had some kind of talisman, like the one I have? The one with witch magic," Gage cut in. It was the first time Gage had mentioned the talisman since I handed it to him. Legend claimed the talisman was imbued with magic by a witch who was in love with a wolf. It was designed to protect the wolf clan against witches when they needed it, dating back to the old days when they warred frequently with each other. When I found the talisman, we had valid concerns that Noah Wilde, the wolves' packmaster, intended to use it as a weapon. As far as I knew, after I gave it to Gage for safekeeping – mostly because the damned thing's magic gave me a headache - he hid it and no one knew where. Certainly not Noah. Definitely not I.

"I guess. I've never heard of a device that could be used to transport someone; and I've been reading a lot of the Council archives as I encounter them. I think if he got here by magic, it's more likely that a witch spelled him. That can definitely be done."

"So, he's working with witches?" Gage gave a shake of his head. I got the impression that he was not only as bemused as I about the mysterious appearance of the man, but also not convinced the wolf was working in conjunction with a witch.

"It's not exactly unheard of," I pointed out. The irony that a witch and a werewolf were discussing this didn’t escape me. "The legends
insist that our two races worked together hundreds of years ago. Plus, hello… The two of us." I waved a hand from him to me.

"Yeah, okay. I'm just a little puzzled how he ended up dead. There's nothing visible on his body that suggests an attack. He wasn't shot, strangled, assaulted, or beaten. It's almost like one minute he was alive, the next he wasn’t. We thought asphyxiation, but there's no evidence of how. There's no strangulation marks or bruising to his face."

"Poison?"

"Maybe. There's another possibility, of course..." Gage trailed off with a pointed look.

I didn't need to say it, but I did anyway and the word came with a sigh. "Magic." The same idea had occurred to me, but I didn’t enjoy being the one to say it. After all, I once killed someone by magic, although it was self-defence. I tried to not beat myself up about it. Eleanor Bartholomew was a steamroller in my life: crushing her enemies as per her whims. If I had to choose between me or her, I'd pick me in any scenario. But I couldn't focus on the past, I had to think back to the moment I realised the werewolf was dead. "I didn't feel any magic on him, but he was cold. He could have been there an hour or two before I found him." Frowning, I tried to think it through sensibly, but I kept stumbling onto one snag that I just couldn't work out. "Say a witch did transport him by a spell. Why go to all the effort to do that? I mean, that's powerful magic to send someone such a distance, if he were being sent south from Canada, and for what purpose? That scrap of paper with my name on it must have been some kind of message. Someone thought I should have it. So why did a witch leave him dead on my doorstep and steal the message? It doesn't make sense, Gage. None of this does."

"Maybe he thought he was delivering a message, but the real message was his corpse?" Gage suggested, although he didn't look convinced.

"So why carry the letter? No, I think it's more likely someone wanted whatever he was delivering..."

"Or just didn't want you to have it," Gage interrupted and I nodded. "Maybe we're looking at this wrong. Maybe a witch magicked him to you, so you got that message; but someone else knew about the plan and intervened, killing him and stealing it?"

"He protected the letter with his life. Could it have been that important?"