Fury Rising (Fury Unbound Book 1) (11 page)

“There’s no guarantee that something wouldn’t have happened. The Fates cut the cords when they will,” I said, then shut my mouth. I hated that he felt guilty over this, but there was nothing I could say that would make it any easier.

“Her mother is going to be sorting through her things tomorrow. The building already rented out her apartment starting next week,” Hans said.

“Figures. Greedy Corp-Rats.” Jason frowned. “I’m so glad that her mother wasn’t there to see. Terabet isn’t strong enough to handle something like that.” His face was ashen, but he managed to keep it together.

“Oh, and while I was still at the station, the Devani asked why I wanted to know. I told him I was checking for you because you were too broken up to come down yourself.”

After a moment’s pause, I sucked in a deep breath. “There’s something else, though I don’t feel this is the best time to bring it up.”

“Please, change the subject,” Shevron said. “I think we need to let discussion over Eileen’s death sit for a little bit until we’ve assimilated it.”

I glanced at Jason and he nodded.

“All right. This morning, Hecate told me that she’s been assigned to a case. Apparently, somebody broke into the World Regency Building last night and stole an artifact from the time of the Weather Wars. The Thunderstrike…it’s a magical device that can amplify elemental energy, especially that of storms. Hecate has contacted Lightning Strikes. The Fates have put her in charge of finding the device and whoever stole it. So, yours truly is on the case.”

Jason let out a low whistle. “An artifact?
Weather magic
? Crap.”

“Yeah, and you know World Regency is going to get slammed. They are trying to claim they found it and were just hiding it until they could contact authorities. Which is, of course, bullshit. We’ll see if they get away with it. I wager that by the time Lightning Strikes gets done, the head honchos will be out of business and in prison, waiting execution. But be that as it may, somebody is behind the theft and the Fates insist we have to find out who and get the disk back.”

Tam’s expression froze. “This sounds like a slippery slope.”

“That’s not all. Speaking of slippery slopes, tomorrow I’m being sent over to the Arbortariam to speak with Jerako, one of the Greenlings. Hecate wants me to tell him about theft. And you know what that means.”

Tam stiffened. “Holy Mother. Yeah, I know what that means.” He paused for a moment. “You know, it might behoove you to take me along with you. I’ve never met one of the Greenlings, but I know about them and I know the proper etiquette.”

Shevron raised her eyebrows. “
You’ve
never met a Greenling? I would have thought that your race interacts with them on a regular basis.”

Tam shook his head. “No. The Greenlings are reclusive. They are seldom open to communication and are entirely devoted to Gaia. Fury, I hope you realize what an honor this is. Even the gods are honored when the Greenlings agree to a meeting.”

“Well, the fact that I’m being sent in as the bearer of bad news doesn’t make me feel very secure. And I’ve already got one strike against me in that the Greenlings dislike the gods, for some reason. I’m just hoping they don’t kill the messenger.” I didn’t mean to sound flippant, but Tam bristled.

“Don’t joke. You may know your history, but do you truly realize just how much power the Greenlings possess? They tore the cities to rubble when Gaia woke up and brought her wrath to bear. They’re living extensions of the planet. They aren’t mere plant spirits or walking shrubs or talking carrots. They source their power directly from Gaia.” He paused, leaning forward till he was staring at me nose to nose. “Tomorrow, you had
better
show respect or you’ll find yourself out on your ear, and Hecate will whip your ass. And that whip you wear on your leg is nothing compared to hers, I’ll wager.”

I straightened my shoulders. “Tam, chill. I have
no intention
of being rude or snarky to Jerako. I don’t know what you think I do when I’m out on a case, but trust me, I always take my assignments seriously.”

Tam’s eyes sparkled with magic as he muttered something and slid back in his chair. “I’m sorry. I just… You’re one of the Theosians and sometimes the minor gods take themselves all too seriously. I know you aren’t like that…it’s just… Fury, I don’t think you realize just
who
you are going to be facing. I’m trying to save you some trouble.”

“We’re all a little on edge,” Shevron said, interrupting. She opened the box of pastries. “Which is why I brought these. They won’t solve anything, but let’s take a moment to breathe and eat. Jason, you too—even though you may not feel hungry, you need the energy.” She held out an éclair—one of his favorites—and he silently accepted it.

Tam and I stared at one another for a moment before he offered me a tentative smile and reached out. I took his hand and the tension began to evaporate as he entwined his fingers through mine. A warm glow began to infuse my hand and I realized he was playing fast and loose with his energy. I gently squeezed his palm, then let go. Tam was a sensuous, passionate man, but I knew better than get mixed up with the Fae.
Especially
the Bonny Fae.

“I want a muffin,” I said, glancing over at Shevron.

She handed me one. Hans asked for a doughnut, and Tam, a cinnamon roll. We sat there in silence, eating and breathing. After another moment, I yawned. It was barely three p.m., yet I felt like I had been up for hours.

The sugar took the edge off my temper. “Tam, I’m going to call Hecate and ask if you can come with me. You’re right. It would be good to have someone there who understands the Greenlings better than I do.” With that, I offered the peace branch, and Tam accepted it gracefully. I moved away from the group, popping the last bite of the muffin in my mouth before I dialed Hecate. As usual, I had to leave a message for her—the gods didn’t spend most of their time in the temple.

“How are you, really?” Shevron was holding Jason’s hand when I returned. When they were sitting together, it was easier to see the family resemblance.

“My fiancée is dead. How
should
I be? My heart feels like it’s been stabbed through. I need to visit her parents. I’ll call them tonight. The Cast will gather later for her memorial.”

A group of hawks was called a
Cast
, and so were a group of hawk-shifters. Eileen had belonged to the same Cast as Jason and Shevron. The pair had been engaged for twenty years. Hawk-shifters weren’t impulsive like werewolves or big cat-shifters. And none of them were affected by the moon’s phases, unlike lycanthropes, who were extremely dangerous and a whole different breed. Over the years, growing up with Jason and Shevron, I had gained a sizable insight into the world of hawk-shifters, and it was both intimidating and impressive. They valued intellect over emotion, and tended to take the long view. But I had never seen them deal with the death of another Cast member.

“What do you want us to do about the shop?” Tam finally asked.

Jason shrugged. “Nothing will bring her back. Open as usual tomorrow, I suppose.” He looked over at Shevron for confirmation.

She nodded. “Keeping busy is best.”

My phone rang and I glanced at the screen.
Hecate.
I moved off to the side to take the call. After quickly explaining what had happened to Eileen, I asked, “So, can Tam come with me to meet Jerako?”

“We’ll talk about that in a moment. I’m sorry about Jason’s loss. But have you seen the news?”

“No, we’ve mostly been focusing on Eileen’s death.”

“A massive tornado hit Bend two hours ago. The town hasn’t weathered a tornado since the World Shift—it’s not usual weather around here. An eerie green glow was spotted in the area where it originated. A farmer saw it about thirty minutes before the storm struck. I had a talk with the Fates and they concur. This is no ordinary tornado. A member of Lightning Strikes will meet you tonight—I need you over in Bend in three hours. She will meet you at the Casa Café Shop. Her name is Tigra, and she’s the one I talked to about the weather disk. She’ll be able to ascertain whether weather magic was used to raise the storm. She’s a weretiger, so walk softly.”

I blinked. “Weretigers are volatile, aren’t they?”

“Yes, so watch your step. And take someone with you. I don’t want you going alone. But we have another issue. An informant relayed the information to me that an Abomination was spotted over on the south side of town, down in the Bogs. So I’m afraid it’s going to be a late night for you. Please check out the report after you talk to Tigra. You should be able to pull the Abom up on your inner Trace.”

“What about Tam? Can I take him with me tomorrow?”

“Yes, that’s actually a good idea. Jerako might respond better if he’s along. I didn’t even think about the fact that you work with one of the Bonny Fae.” With that, she signed off.

I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. As I tried to steady my breathing, Tam slipped up behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. I leaned into his touch as he slowly began to siphon off some of the tension.

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” I murmured.

“It gives me pleasure,” he whispered back. “I’m sorry you felt shut out today. Jason was ready to lose it, and he didn’t want to break down in front of you.”

“I just wish he hadn’t made it sound like I wasn’t welcome.”

“You could never be unwelcome around him…
or me,
” Tam murmured as he brushed his hand over the back of my neck and another knot eased. “Was that Hecate?”

“Yes. She gave permission for you to go with me. But there’s another problem.” I returned to the group. “Bad news comes in threes. Two more issues have come up.” I told them about the tornado and the Abomination. “Hecate’s ordered me out to Bend to meet with a member of Lightning Strikes tonight. I need a ride—I don’t have a car. Hecate wants me to take someone with me. Then, after I return, I have to go after the Abomination in the Bogs.”

Shevron was about to say something, but Jason cut her off. “Don’t even think it. You have Leonard to think about.”

Leonard was Shevron’s fifteen-year-old son. I had been living with Jason and Shevron two years when she gave birth to him. Len’s father had run off shortly after Shevron announced she was pregnant. Since he wasn’t a hawk-shifter, the Cast had pretty much ignored him. Instead, they focused their attention on helping Shevron open her bakery and looked after Len until she could find a good nanny. But being a single mother was hard, no matter how much help you had.

“I’ll go with you,” Jason added. “I could use a chance to get out of the city. A trip out into the country might do me some good, let me clear my head. Let me wash up and we’ll head out.”

I glanced over at Shevron, and she nodded her encouragement. I gathered my things.

Tam touched me on the elbow. “Are you all right?” His voice was soft and washed over me like a calming breeze. He was draining off more of my fear and worry, and I didn’t have the strength to protest.

“Yeah. Thanks, by the way. I know what you’re doing, and I don’t understand how you can take on so much pain and manage to remain so calm.”

“It’s my nature. We can feed on pain and transform it into something delicious.”

That was a new one to me and sounded almost vampiric, but I let it go. Some things were better left untouched.

“Listen, can you do some digging while we’re in Bend? Check the net. See if anybody in the UnderCult has been in the market for weather magic gadgets. I want to get an idea of what might be going on among the arcane magicians, especially those who refuse to register with the Guild.”

The Seattle Magician’s Guild required membership of every magus and witch who lived within the city limits. Not everyone joined—since I was running off-grid, I hadn’t, and luckily, nobody who hired my services had asked to see my membership card. But most who declined were penny-ante hucksters, and the city turned a blind eye on them. The guild was primarily focused on restraining the magicians who
could
cause a lot of trouble—the ones who had real power and few ethics.

“I’ve got some contacts in the Junk Yard. I’ll work through them. Easiest that way.” Tam motioned to Shevron. She approached, a wary look on her face. I knew she didn’t trust the Fae in general, but she was always polite to Tam.

“I drew a lot of the initial pain off of your brother, but it will return. He has to walk through it in order to heal, but at least the shock is tempered for now.”

She inclined her head, touching the center point of her brow with her index finger, a sign of gratitude among the Cast. “It’s true, we hawk-shifters are more analytical than most other shifters, but we aren’t immune to emotion. I thank you for helping.” She stopped as Jason entered the room again. He had brushed his hair and put on a clean shirt.

I gathered my things and grabbed the box of chocolates out of the bag, stopping suddenly as I found an envelope beneath them. I opened it to find myself staring at a cash card marked for three hundred cash.
Hecate.
She had overheard me talking to Queet.

Suddenly, I felt a wash of gratitude that I was under her yoke. Feeling a little better, I pocketed the money. Calling out, “Queet? You there? Let’s go. We’re heading to Bend,” I popped another chocolate in my mouth. We headed to the parking garage down the street where Jason kept his car. I had a feeling by the end of the day, the candy box was going to be empty. It was just that kind of a day.