Sorcerer: Betrayal: Power of Air (Book 4) (9 page)

Granted, it was mostly their fault for jumping to
conclusions and not listening, but I also knew this was their club and they
wouldn’t back down, at least not until they figured out who I was.  I held up
both hands, and then pointed outside.  Then I held Sierra’s hand and walked
outside, with about ten vampires on my heels.

Sierra looked at me with a huge grin, and winked.  She was
obviously enjoying herself.  I just shook my head helplessly and laughed at the
absurdity of it all.  It was kind of funny how much trouble a sixteen-year-old
girl could cause.

Friday, June 10
^th
, 2016, 10:22 PM

“Listen up guys, I’m,” and I was cut off again.

Vampire one, who had blood on his face from Sierra’s punch,
said, “I don’t give a crap who you are, you come in to our club, try to take
our patron against her will, and then wouldn’t leave.  You aren’t welcome here,
and before you go, we’re going to leave you with a painful reminder.”

Things were about to get very ugly.  No one was really out
here with us, there was no line to get into the club despite how early it was. 
I considered wrapping them all in air, throwing them against the wall, and
gagging them with air so I could finally introduce myself.  I imagined most of
them would crap their pants when they figured it out.

I also wanted to give them a piece of my mind for allowing a
sixteen-year-old, young woman into the club.

But before anyone could do anything quite so drastic Amy ran
out yelling, “Stop!”

Everyone turned toward her and she said out of breath as her
four friends followed her out, “He’s my brother, I snuck out to come here.  I
didn’t want to leave with him, but if you touch him I’ll call the cops.”

Of course, that wouldn’t happen, they’d mesmerize her if
they had too, assuming I’d let them.  Well, it was nice to know that even when
I annoyed Amy, she still didn’t want me beat up.  She must have seen them all
following me out, and had come to rescue me.  Which was as sweet as it was
amusing.

One of them asked, “How old are you.”

She looked uncomfortable for a second, and admitted,
“Sixteen.”

They all looked pissed now, and vampire number one was from
happy with me, but I knew he was regretting that he jumped to conclusions at
this point.

He said, “Fine, none of you are welcome back here, leave
now.”

Sierra laughed, but looked at me contritely when I squeezed
her hand.  With one last glare the vampires went back into the club.  A part of
me was disappointed they didn’t know who I was yet.  I was sure they’d learn of
it, eventually, and I’d wanted to see their faces as realization dawned.

I asked, “Where are you girls supposed to be?”

One of them waved, I had to reach for Sue’s name, I’d never
met her, “My parents are away.”

“Well, let’s go then, back to the Metra I assume?”

Sue nodded and we set off.  Amy looked really annoyed, like
I’d ruined her night.  In a way, I suppose I had.  Still, she was banned from
Spirits, so mission accomplished.

I’d definitely gotten spoiled with my commute, four or five
seconds compared to the hour it took us to get to the Metra, and out to the
stop where the girls left and made their way to Sue’s home, where they were
supposed to be the whole time.  It was mind numbingly boring.  Once we were out
of sight I used my power to take us back home, where I finally got to unwrap
that dress…

This was new.  I realized I was dreaming again, and pulled
into Aitheria’s realm, or mind, or whatever this place was.  This time it
looked like the pack’s backyard.  The grass, fence, tables, chairs, it was all
there, but made of clouds and twisting swirls of air.  I was sitting on a lawn
chair, and Aitheria was curled up on my lap, her head against my shoulder.

There was nothing physical or sexual about it, despite there
being no clothes in sight, but it was intimate, and the connection between us
was bright, strong, and obvious in this place.  I still wasn’t sure of the
significance of it, and I wouldn’t ask either.  Hopefully I’d find out, or
figure it out, soon.

“Ria?  Anything specific?”

She shrugged and her voice sounded like a choral wind, “Not
really, nothing I couldn’t have told you in the physical world anyway.  Zale is
not the only elemental scouting Chicago for us.  So far, I’ve kept us shielded
from them, and they haven’t gotten lucky yet.  But it’s just a matter of time.”

I knew what she wasn’t saying, she also wanted me to herself
for a while, which I didn’t mind.  She’d been with me my whole life, I’m not
sure what I’d do if I ever lost her.

“Too many for you to fight?” I asked hesitantly.

She scoffed and fierce winds blew my hair around, “Not likely. 
It will be harder of course, but the real danger is in one of them escaping.”

I caressed her back absently and buried my face in her hair,
it felt like cuddling with a gentle storm.  I got distracted for a moment by
the dancing clouds in the sky.  For the millionth time I wondered what this was
all about, with Ria, with having enemies, and the elemental in my core, but
wondering didn’t help me figure it out this time either.

I felt closer to Aitheria than ever before, connected in
some significant way.  I wondered if it was because of her showing her true
form to me, all the way down to the core of her soul, or if it was because I
had grown in power since the last time I shared a dream with her.  Maybe both?

It was frustrating not having the answers.  At the same
time, I was also very relaxed as she traced her hand against me, which felt
like warm breezes in the shape of her hands.  We didn’t speak, she wouldn’t, or
couldn’t, answer my questions, and we already knew everything about each other
that could be spoken of.  We just… relaxed, and enjoyed each other’s presence
for a while.

Saturday, June 11
^th
, 2016, 7:01 AM

I was feeling a little guilty as I appeared in the home I
grew up in.  I was also wanting more coffee, but I figured it would be easier
at this time of day, before my uncle went to work.  I walked into the kitchen,
invisible, while my aunt and uncle were making breakfast.  I was also radiating
gently mesmerizing thoughts, a don’t notice me aura, just in case I screwed up
the invisibility and silence.

Guilt.

But I knew I wouldn’t make a habit of this, and they would
be safer for what I was about to do.  I took a few moments to watch them.  A
bitterness rose up when I saw how relaxed my uncle was, happy even.  He never
appeared that way when I was around, at least, not to my senses.  Yet, he was a
good husband, and a good father to Amy, the man just didn’t like me.

They were chatting a little sleepily, but happily, as I
walked over and used my power to make sure they didn’t feel me slip the rings
off, and to bamboozle them into not noticing they were gone until I returned.

I wrapped myself in air and took myself to the next
destination.

I knocked on the door, the early sunlight was warming my
back, and it was unseasonably cool for June.  It was going to be a beautiful
day.  Jenna opened the door and smiled.

“Come in, have a coffee.”

I sighed in faux sadness and accused, “Evil temptress,” as I
stepped into the house.

She cackled gleefully as I followed her toward the kitchen,
which degenerated into helpless giggles when she saw Mike’s confused and
worried face.

She said with humor, “You know the rules.”

I nodded and went over to the coffee maker and pulled a mug
out from the cabinet above.  The rules were that I wasn’t a guest in this
house, I was treated as family, which meant do it my damned self.

Mike handed me the rings as I sat down and sipped my coffee,
the stuff of life.

He shook his head, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.  Some
witch I don’t know is going to put a spell on me?  That… sounds like a really
bad idea.”

I looked up at him, because the shock value was going to be
awesome and I had to see his face.

“But, you know the witch, she’s friends with Jenna,” I said
in blasé and bored manner.

Mike choked on a bite of eggs, while I looked at him
innocently.

Jenna shook her head and then gasped, “Tara?”

It was my turn to be surprised, she’d stolen my punchline,
“How?”

Jenna rolled her eyes, “She’s the only one I know that runs
an occult shop in the city.”

Mike and I exchanged sheepish looks.  The detective and sorcerer
of air hadn’t considered that tidbit.

“Well, I hadn’t had enough coffee yet,” I defended myself.

She patted my head, like I was five, “That’s okay.  So what
exactly will this spell do?”

“It’s a personal alarm.  If you’re around any supernaturals
that want to do harm, it will let me know about it.  It isn’t invasive at all
as it pertains to you two, and it won’t actually save you on its own, it’s just
a warning system really.  Tara doesn’t do dark magic.”

Which really meant she just didn’t curse or sacrifice
people.  I couldn’t help but remember her pulling lightning from the sky,
holding it in her hand, and then roasting two witches.  Light magic doesn’t
always mean puppies and rainbows.  It just meant she doesn’t use magic to twist
or pervert life.  Death is a very natural state.

Mike grunted, “Fine.”

I knew by that response that he would have liked to take his
chances with his wits and his gun, but that his pregnant wife was enough
incentive to make him go along with it.

I finished my coffee and stood up, “Got a busy day off
today.  I’ll should have these back by the end of the day easy, earlier if
possible.”

I rinsed the mug and slipped it in the dishwasher, and Jenna
gave me a fierce hug before I left.  One thing was certain of, even if I did
feel a little guilty about putting them in possible danger, neither of them
seemed to agree with that thought.

The kitchen back at the pack house was empty as I appeared
in the corner.  I smiled as I grabbed another coffee, and then went out to join
my family for breakfast…

The jeweler looked a little nervous as he unlocked the door
at ten to let us in.  Things had snowballed and it had turned into a much
larger group than just me and Aiya.

First, Sierra wanted to spend all day with me, since we both
had off work.  I’d no objections to that plan.  Then Todd had objected to me
buying an ankle bracelet for who he believed was his mate, Aiya may have not
acknowledged it yet, but as far as Todd was concerned if Aiya had to wear a
piece of jewelry the rest of her life, he was going to buy it.

Then Carrie and Selene chimed in, they might as well come
along to save time so they could go straight to Tara’s place after and get it
over with.  I was suspicious of their proclaimed motive, I knew werewolves
didn’t wear jewelry, it would break during a shift, but they were still women. 
I had a feeling this was all about window shopping for what they couldn’t have. 
Especially since it was relatively weak excuse, the travel time to pick them up
here and get them to Tara’s shop was about ten seconds from the city, round
trip.

Derik of course, couldn’t have his wife, and both his
mystics go off without at least one protector, so Gerald and Katie volunteered
to come along.

All in all, our two person shopping trip turned into the
eight of us entering this poor man’s store like an invasion.  Six of us were
apex predators, and I was sure the man’s hind brain was trying to trigger his
fight or flight response.  He seemed to relax a little when we all looked away
from him and started to browse the jewelry.

I left Aiya and Todd to pick out hers, and Sierra was glued
to my side as we went to the diamond earring section.  I had no idea how she
walked so gracefully while being pasted to my side, but she managed.

The case was full of earrings, and of course the one karat
diamond earrings caught my eyes right away, but those seemed a little big for
everyday casual use.  But what the hell did I know?

I asked the jeweler, “I’m looking for diamond earrings for
my sixteen-year-old sister, and… a colleague,” yeah, I wasn’t strange at all, bringing
my mate along to shop for jewelry for two other women.  I couldn’t imagine what
the man was thinking, “What would you recommend?”

The man asked, “What price range?”

I shrugged, “That matters less than the idea they’ll be
wearing them all the time, I don’t want them to stand out as strange, or be
mugged, at the same time I want something that looks good.”

That mugging concern was more a worry for Amy.  God help the
human mugger that went after a vampire, even a baby one.

The jeweler started to look nervous again, I guess my
requirements and the herd of people was still freaking him out a little.  I
resisted the idea of relaxing him a little, using power in everyday dealings
would be a slippery slope.  I didn’t want to become someone who manipulated
humans constantly to smooth the way.  Of course, I wouldn’t be having this
problem if six werewolves weren’t in the store with me.  Still, I resisted,
maybe I’d get a better price this way.

The jeweler cleared his throat, “I’d have to say a quarter,
or half karat diamond studs would be appropriate.”

Sierra was no help at all.

The quarter karat diamonds looked… puny.

“Let’s go with a half on both pair.”

The jeweler asked, “What kind of clarity are you looking
for?”

Clarity?  Hell.  I reached out and pulled all the
information I could find on precious stones as it related to jewelry.

Things went a bit more smoothly after that, and I picked out
a couple of pairs.  We still had to wait a bit, since Aiya was taking her time
choosing.  I couldn’t blame her, she’d be stuck with the thing for a long
time.  I was also right about Carrie and Selene, it was obvious they’d only
came along to do some window shopping…