Magic Hunter: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Vampire's Mage Series Book 1) (14 page)

W
ith her dress
hitched up around her waist and Caine’s body pressed against her, it took a few moments to register what was happening.

Josiah gripped a can of iron dust, and before anyone could stop him, he unleashed a spray.

With Rosalind wrapped around him, Caine’s muscles tensed. The dust burned the aura off his skin. It must be excruciating pain. His heart beat against her, strong and rhythmic—at least she’d healed him.

Rage contorted Josiah’s face. “You’re not going to control my mind again, incubus. I look forward to watching you burn.”

Rosalind unlocked her legs from Caine as he lowered her to the ground, and she tugged down the hem of her dress. “Josiah. You found us.” She tried to steady her voice.

“Rosalind. I came back to tell you about my progress. I’ve been on the phone all night, begging General Loring to consider your case, and I think he was starting to listen.” His voice cracked. “And then I track you again, and I find you with your legs wrapped around a demon, letting him use you as his plaything. There I was, like an idiot, telling General Loring that you were pure. That you were going to get an exorcism.”

All at once, her encounter with the sybil came flooding back to her. Caine’s kiss had been a distraction, but it didn’t erase the fact that she’d just learned her life was over. There was no way to get the exorcism she so desperately needed.

“Josiah—” she began.

“I told you to stay away from him. I should’ve seen what the other Hunters told me. You’re nothing but a whore.”

The disgust in his voice sent a flash of anger through her. This wasn’t just about Hunters and demons, about good and evil, about fighting for what was right. Caine, for all of his arrogance and obnoxiousness, had been on to something: Josiah wanted control over her body.

She crossed her arms. “The incubus needed healing.”

“He’s a predator, you idiot,” Josiah said. “He’s using you.”

“He’s helping me, and I stabbed him in the chest. Anyway, why do I need to explain myself to you? For one thing, you broke up with me, and for another, you were supposed to be acting as my Guardian—not my stalker.”

“He’s an animal.” Josiah took a step closer, flecks of spittle flying from his lips. “You should never have been anywhere near him, but you couldn’t resist throwing yourself at him.”

“I’ve been stuck with the demons out of necessity.” Fury ignited in her heart. “That’s what happens when the Brotherhood wants to throw you in one of their interrogation rooms. You end up fighting for your life and joining forces with the demons.”
Seven hells.
She’d just officially declared herself on the side of the demons, to a high-ranking representative of the Brotherhood. Was this really happening? She was still hoping to wake from the world’s longest nightmare.

Josiah stepped closer. “I should have known your softness was something other than compassion. It was merely your repulsive, corrupted soul, drawn to the other abominations like a bitch in heat.”

She wasn’t scared of him. Right now, loathing overwhelmed her. “I should have never let you convince me to do what we did, Josiah. If my soul has been corrupted, it was because of your influence.”

“What we did saved lives,” he spat. “
Human
lives. Thousands of them—though I can see you don’t actually care about those.”

“I need you to tell me if it’s true.” She searched his face. “Are the Brotherhood burning people?”

Josiah’s eyes bulged, and he enunciated each of his words like he was talking to a particularly dim child. “They’re. Not. People. The animals deserve to burn, and so do their accomplices.”

Horror burst through her mind, and her knees nearly gave way. The realization that she’d been fighting on the side of sadists hit her like a punch to the gut.

And now, they were coming for her and Tammi.

Caine stepped in front of her, blocking her with his arm. “She’s heard everything she needed to hear. Get out of here before I relieve you of your heart.”

Red tinged Josiah’s face, and he jabbed a finger at Rosalind. “You think this freak is going to look after you? That he’s not just using you like a disposable toy?”

She had no idea what Caine really thought, but that wasn’t the point. She belonged to no one—not to the demons or the Brotherhood. As anger roiled in her chest, she pushed past Caine. “I don’t need people looking after me. And just so you know, I’m stuck with this witch’s soul. I’m corrupted, just like Mason always said, and I’m going to stay that way. So the Brotherhood will have to hunt me down, but when you run back to the General Loring like a loyal little dog, you tell him he better stay the hell away from Tammi.”

Rosalind wished desperately that Caine hadn’t been covered in dust, or he’d be able to use his magic to make this all go away. He could have hypnotized Josiah into forgetting all about Tammi.

What had Caine called her?
A staggering hypocrite.
She was beginning to see his point.

Josiah’s hand twitched by his weapon belt. “You want me to deliver a message to Randolph Loring from the demon’s whore.”

She cocked a hip. “Call me whatever you want, but you can tell Randolph I have the power of a psychotic mage in my body, and I’m not afraid to use it.” At least, part of that was true.

She was declaring war on Randolph Loring, and her mind buzzed with an intoxicating mixture of thrill and terror.

Josiah’s mouth
tightened with barely controlled rage. “You think your evil possession is enough? It didn’t work out so well for Miranda.”

Caine stepped forward again, and she tensed with irritation. She could fight her own battles. She knew how the Brotherhood worked better than he did, but Caine’s body was suddenly alert.

“The Brotherhood found Miranda?” Caine asked, his voice a growl.

Rosalind shook her head, trying to keep up.
“Wait. Who the hell is Miranda?”

Josiah’s eyes bored into her. “Interesting. Apparently your new lover didn’t want to mention her.”

Caine’s voice was glacial. “I suggest you get out of here before I tear your spine out through your throat.”

Josiah’s nostrils flared. “You can threaten me all you want, but none of you will last long. The Brotherhood have been slaughtering demons like you for millennia, and we’re stronger than ever. The angels will glory in your demise when the smoke from your body reaches the heavens.” He glared at Rosalind, and the vein throbbed in his forehead. “I look forward to getting my hands on you in the interrogation room, and when Miranda burns, I hope to light the match.”

In a fraction of a second, Caine’s hands clamped around her Guardian’s neck, and Josiah’s eyes bulged.

“You will stay away from Rosalind and Miranda, or I’ll make you wish for death.” The wrath in Caine’s voice chilled Rosalind to the core. “Perhaps I should grant you that now.”

With a hammering heart, she watched as Caine tightened his grip around Josiah’s throat.
Caine is going to murder him.
For a moment, she almost wanted to watch the life seep out of her former Guardian. After all, Josiah would report all this information to the Brotherhood, feeding them her location, and Tammi’s too. It would bring the Brotherhood down on them like a plague of locusts.

But she couldn’t stand by and watch him die. She’d cared for him once, and he’d cared for her, too.

A horrible, garbled sound escaped his throat.

“Caine.” She grabbed his arm. “Please stop.”

Caine’s eyes met hers, and he loosened his grip. Josiah gasped for breath, stumbling back—right into Aurora. The vampire lifted him by his collar, baring her teeth before she yanked his cell phone from his pocket. She crushed it in her fist. “Run along, and we’ll let you live, for now. You’re a soldier, aren’t you? You should know when to retreat.” Growling, she hurled him out of the park, and he landed on the pavement with a loud thud.

Josiah slowly pushed himself up from the ground, shuffling over the pavement without sparing a glance. Even he knew there was no way to take on an incubus, a vamp, and an angry-ex girlfriend at the same time. As he slunk away, his shoulders slumped. She almost felt bad for him. At least, until she remembered what he’d said about looking forward to interrogating her and burning people.

Tammi’s face had gone pale. “So I guess a reconciliation with the Brotherhood is out of the question.”

Rosalind’s chest tightened. “Honestly, we’re screwed. I’m so sorry I got you into this, Tammi.”

“You’re not screwed,” Caine said. “As long as you’re willing to work with Ambrose, you’ll have his protection.”

Tears pricked Rosalind’s eyes. She’d just declared herself on the side of the demons. “I don’t know that I can do… whatever it is that he wants me to do. And what about Tammi?”

“I’ll tell Ambrose she’s your assistant. She’ll get a salary.” Moonlight skimmed over Caine’s skin. “We’ll work out the details later, but right now we need to hide the both of you before Josiah alerts the Brotherhood. I would use magic to get us home faster, but that twat glitter-bombed me.”

“Let me handle the teleportation.” With a determined look on her face, Aurora stepped out of the park—and directly in front of a car. A blue Toyota screeched to a halt, and Aurora flashed her fangs, smacking a hand on the hood. “We need a ride.” She glanced at Caine, jerking her head at the car. “Get in.”

Caine rushed over to the car, with Rosalind and Tammi close behind. As Tammi hopped into the back seat, Caine pulled open the door, beckoning Rosalind inside. An empty car-seat took up the middle, and she had to squeeze in on his lap.

The woman in the driver’s seat turned to them, her dark eyebrows furrowed. “Um, are you all vampires?”

Aurora slid into the front seat, slamming the door shut. “Just me. Take us to the end of Hardy Street.”

“Please take us there, Ma’am,” added Rosalind from the back seat. Her bare feet rested on a collection of discarded sippy cups.

The woman frowned. “Call me Marisa. Now, I don’t mind working with vampires. In fact, I run a demon-human ally group to improve inter-species community relations. But I will not drive if you’re not wearing a seatbelt.”

Caine’s arms folded around her. “She’ll be fine. Trust me.”

“Seatbelt,” she repeated, her voice stern.

“Yes Ma’am.” Caine reached around, pulling the seatbelt to strap the two of them in.

“Marisa,” the woman corrected.

As the car took off, Rosalind leaned into Caine. She could feel his heartbeat through his clothes, and his warm breath against her neck. She resisted the urge to nuzzle his throat. She had no idea if that kiss had actually meant anything, but she was probably stupid to even consider the possibility. He
was
an incubus, after all, and he was obviously deeply untrustworthy.

Tammi let out a long breath. “I’m going to need to process everything that just happened. I don’t suppose I can call my Thorndike counselor about this. I’m just a little confused about what the fuck is happening with my life.”

“You and me both,” Rosalind said. Her mind still reeled from that awful encounter with Josiah. While Caine’s warm body was a welcome distraction, she couldn’t stop her thoughts from running wild. For one thing, she’d just learned that the Brotherhood were as bad as the demons. And then there was the valkyrie fight, the kiss, the threats from Josiah…

Exhausted, she rested her head against Caine’s shoulder. “Imagine if my parents had never done this to us. We’d been living happily in Maremount still.”

“You would have been living happily. I would not.”

“Why not?”

“That’s a long story. Some time I will tell you all about Maremount.”

“Now that I’m apparently on the side of the demons—” Her voice broke. “I should probably learn about my homeland.”

Caine took a deep breath, and she sensed something was roiling through his mind. “If you’re on the side of the demons, do you still think we’re evil?”

She gazed into his pale eyes. Did he actually care what she thought? “I guess the idea of good and evil isn't as clear cut as I once thought it was. I’m sorry I called you an abomination. That’s what Mason used to call me, and it just popped into my head. I don’t know why. He’s a complete asshole, and you’re not an abomination.”

He let out a sigh, his breath warm against her skin. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, his voice barely audible.

Whatever he meant by that, now wasn’t the time to get into it. “Also I’m sorry about the stabbing thing.”

“If it gets your legs wrapped around me again, I might risk another stake to the heart.”

She almost smiled, but something else whispered through the back of her mind.
Miranda.
Both Josiah and Caine seemed to know who she was, and Caine actually seemed to care about her.

Unable stop herself, she touched his chest, feeling his body’s heat through his shirt. “Caine. Who is Miranda, and why did Josiah say he wanted to watch her burn?”

His muscles tensed. “It’s complicated. I don’t want to get into that now.”

His constant evasions irked her. “Will you at least tell me what Ambrose wants with me?”

“Yes. We’re pulling up to my house.”

“Hardy Street!” Marisa said. She pulled over by the empty green field.

After thanking Marisa, Rosalind stepped out of the car, her thoughts whirling. Whoever Miranda
was, both Caine and Josiah seemed to find her important, and they weren’t letting Rosalind in on their secret.

S
till barefoot
, Rosalind paced the warped wooden floor inside Caine’s house.

It only took a few seconds for Tammi to find his whiskey decanter. She poured herself a glass. “I was an art history student. Less than three semesters till graduation.”

“I know,” Rosalind said. “Everything is a disaster.”

Tammi took a sip, then wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “Maybe we need to move to France or Vietnam or something.”

Aurora leaned on a granite counter in the open-plan kitchen. “You both are starting to spin out. Do you need a snack or something?”

Rosalind
was
starving. But it wasn’t just her hunger—her mind was a raging storm, and she could hardly concentrate on one thought at a time. “What I need is for the Brotherhood to drop my case and to leave Tammi alone.”

Tammi knocked back her drink. “I don’t blame you. I blame that stupid cult. Your ex-boyfriend is an
asshole.
”

Aurora rifled around in the cabinets. “The two humans are losing it. I’m making them a snack of food.”

Rosalind’s fingernails pierced her palms. “We need a plan. Caine, what exactly is Ambrose’s grand plan?”

He leaned back, stretching out his arms on the sofa’s back. “Ambrose’s plan is for us to take on the Brotherhood. With the combined auras of two powerful mages, we can find a way to get past their security systems.”

Dread whispered through Rosalind. He wanted her to
take on
the Brotherhood?

Aurora sliced through the top of a tin can with a knife, spilling juice all over the counter. “Have some faith in Caine. He’s a brilliant military strategist. Ambrose made him a Duke.”

Tammi ran her fingers fretfully through her hair. “Is there another plan? Like, one that doesn’t involve provoking the wrath of an ancient society of lunatics?”

Rosalind stared at Caine in disbelief. “Just the two of us are supposed to topple their security systems.”

Aurora dumped a pile of mandarin slices onto a plate. “You’re more powerful than you know.”

Caine ran a finger over his lower lip, studying her. “We break into the building, and then we free the captives, so the sadists you once worked for don’t burn them to death. Aurora can tell you all about their torture techniques.”

Seven hells, the torture.
She couldn’t let this happen to more people, not after what she’d done with Josiah. Maybe this was her chance to atone. She knew what it felt like to burn now, and couldn’t subject others to the same fate—not if there was something she could do about it. “I’ll do it. I’ll help you free them.”

Caine let out a long breath. “Good. And now I have to teach you magic. We haven’t got much time.”

Rosalind stopped pacing, folding her arms. “Before what? Is there a specific deadline?”

“I have a good friend in there,” Caine said. “Two, actually. And I don’t want them to die.”

“I don’t really want Rosalind to die,” Tammi said. “Do I get a vote in this?”

“No,” Aurora said, spearing mandarin slices with toothpicks.

Two friends.
At least one of them had to be Miranda, but she didn’t need to ask about that now. And the other—she could only hope the other was not an incubus too.
Oh gods, what if the demon I interrogated was Caine’s friend?

All at once, a wave of guilt slammed into her. She’d been trying to keep the memories at bay, but she couldn’t hold them back anymore.
I’ve done terrible things.
She slid her hands over her face, and her chest heaved with a sob.
Such a simple set-up for an interrogation. A chair, cinderblocks, cloth, and water.
She suppressed the urge to be sick.
It could have been Caine.

Caine clenched his jaw. “There’s no need to cry. You’re supposed to be a warrior, and I’ll make sure you don’t die.”

Josiah had looked her straight in the eye and told her she needed to hurt the incubus. He’d sworn the demons were planning a massacre to rival the Boston Slaughter, and that the only way to stop it was to break the monster’s will. Josiah had said it was her duty to force the incubus to confess everything he knew until the Brotherhood could stop the carnage. It was the life of one monster sacrificed for the lives of thousands of innocent people. Simple math.

But half the stuff Josiah had told her was a lie. She wanted to smash his smug face in.

She lifted her eyes. “That’s not why I’m upset. You don’t understand. I’m not a good person.”

Confusion flitted across his features. “What are you talking about?”

She was half tempted to confess everything. “I thought demons and mages were all evil. I never would have agreed to the things I did if I’d known the truth. Maybe some demons deserve to die, but it’s not like we took the time to find out.” Every second they stood here was another moment wasted. “Why are we wasting time? We need to get in there now before anyone else gets hurt.”

Tammi raised her hands in the air. “You’ve officially lost your mind.”

Aurora handed Rosalind a plate of mandarin slices and raisins, each speared with a toothpick. “You can’t just go in there now. You sound like a nutter. Have a sodding snack and a nap, or you’ll be no good to anyone.”

Caine caught her eye. “The whole building is rigged with iron dust. That means I can’t use my magic until we disable the sensors. There are scanners to block our exit, and machines rigged with stakes.”

He was right. With all the defense systems at the entrances and the ID scanners, no supernatural creature could gain access to the building.

At Aurora’s insistence, Rosalind forced herself to eat a raisin. “And how do we disable all that?”

“We have a plan,” Aurora said. “I learned about the building’s design during my escape, and I’m guessing you can fill us in on what we don’t know.”

Caine shrugged. “Basically, I want to blow up half their building and disable their dust.”

“Why do you need magic for that?” Tammi gripped her plate of speared fruit. “Why not just use explosives?”

“Too messy,” Aurora said. “We might kill the people we’re trying to free. We want to save all the captives we can.”

Rosalind swallowed a mandarin. “How do we make sure no one from the Brotherhood gets killed?”

Caine furrowed his brow as though this question was absurd. “We don’t.”

Rosalind closed her eyes. “I don’t want to kill people. That’s the whole point.”

Caine eyed her. “Am I wrong in thinking that just yesterday, you were trying to kill a vampire?”

“Yes, but not everyone in the Chambers deserves to die.” She shot an uncertain glance at Aurora. “I know you were tortured, and you have every right to want to hurt the people who did that to you, but most of the novices don’t know about that. Most of them just thought we were stopping demons from massacring humans.”

The vamp glared at her. “Caine can hypnotize the novices to leave the building. Then the two of you need to blow up the front entrance, the great hall, and the offices. All of this means you need to take off your stupid ring and start learning Angelic, like you should have started yesterday.”

Rosalind froze, the full implications rolling through her mind. On the side of the demons, she’d have to abandon the only thing keeping her remotely sane—though, given her whirling emotions, maybe it wasn’t doing its job so well anymore.

She closed her eyes, trying to lock her terror into her mind’s vault. Her atonement would depend on her ability to master her fear. No longer hungry, she set the plate on the table. “Let’s get started now.”