Steal the Light (Thieves) (19 page)

“If we use the coven…” I began.

“Not a chance,” Sarah said firmly. “There is no way Emily will put her people in danger. She tried to forbid me from having anything to do with this.”

“She was very negative.” Christine wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I would have expected a witch at her level to be a little more open to new experiences. It made me glad I’m a solitary. I don’t think I’d like someone telling me who I can and can’t call. I’m totally bringing up this experience at the next meeting of the Junior League witches.”

I wanted to ignore her. I really did. I just couldn’t. “Junior League witches?”

“It’s a small group but growing,” Christine said. “Slowly.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and got back to the point. “We need a power source, and all we’ve got are two mid-level witches, a werewolf, a vampire, and a human who might actually have a negative magical center, no offense.”

I shrugged because she was right. I was crap when it came to spells. They tended to do the exact opposite of my intentions. Note that I say intentions because I got all smart-alecky once and tried a reverse spell to give myself acne when I was trying to clear up my skin. Apparently magic was smarter than I gave it credit for and only Proactiv saved me.

As for Neil and Daniel, while they were supernatural creatures, they possessed no real magical power. Daniel’s only magic was the ability to make his bite really pleasurable and to get humans to do his will, and I didn’t think that would impress Brixalnax.

“So we’re going to have to scrap this whole plan,” Sarah said.

The doors opened again, and Dev walked into the room. Just watching him walk made my pulse increase, and then I felt guilty knowing Daniel was right there. It took me a moment to realize that Sarah was still speaking.

“We’re just going to have to figure something else out. Halfer left his number. We could just call him and explain the situation…”

“Wow,” Christine said, staring at Dev. Her eyes were round as she looked him up and down. I tried to feel some amount of jealousy as he was the guy I was dating, but I couldn’t muster it. He was smoking hot, and it was ridiculous to think people wouldn’t notice.

“You think he’s hot now.” Sarah’s voice was bitter. “You should see this idiot when he tries a glamour.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Dev gave her a charming smile. “I would like you to know that my bouncers have been told to admit you to Ether anytime you like. First drink’s on the house.” She continued to frown, and Dev amended himself. “All your drinks are on the house?”

Christine shook her head and walked up to Dev, her eyes filled with a reverent wonder. “That wasn’t what I meant. Though you are extremely attractive, I wasn’t talking about your sex appeal. I was talking about the magic that is just pouring off you.”

Dev grimaced. “I’m sorry about that. I can’t really control it when I get…excited. It just kind of happens. I’ll give you a little demonstration.”

Dev walked up to one of my father’s houseplants. It was a small ivy plant that looked like it needed a bit of attention. He passed an open hand over the sad plant and it…well, it kind of exploded, but in a good way. The vines grew a good foot in any direction and the color was a lustrous, deep and shiny green. It reeked of life and health and, for a moment, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. He hadn’t been kidding when he said his grandfather was a Green Man.

“See, I meant to make it grow an inch or two.” He frowned down at the plant. “I really have a control problem.”

“I can imagine that makes for disappointing encounters,” Daniel said with a wry smirk. “If your timing is as bad…”

I shot him a “shut the fuck up” look. The last thing I needed was a boy fight. Just looking at Daniel made my heart ache, and I turned away.

Dev was nonplussed. “Oh, I find it just makes me work all the harder. I haven’t heard any complaints yet. Certainly none recently.”

“Seriously? We’re up against a lord of Hell and the two of you are comparing penises?” I didn’t expect or want an answer, but I was hoping to shame them into compliance. I turned to Sarah. “Will he work?”

“Absolutely not,” Sarah said.

“Absolutely,” Christine answered at the same time.

I looked at the two and waited for a consensus.

Sarah folded her arms across her chest in a defensive gesture. “He’s too much of a wild card. He said it himself. He can’t control it. What happens if he loses control in the middle of everything? We can’t trust his power. He’s a complete loser when it comes to magic.”

“Well, I didn’t put it that way,” Dev defended himself.

“Look, you said we didn’t have enough power. You said we couldn’t even try to do the spell because we needed an energy source.” Christine put a hand on Dev’s shoulder. “Well, here’s the energizer bunny and he doesn’t have to control himself. We simply pull the magic off him.”

“No, I won’t do it,” Sarah said flatly.

I understood why Sarah was looking for any way out of working this magic. It was terrifying. We would be calling an old, powerful demon who was probably going to be pissed off at us. I understood her reluctance, but I didn’t have time for it. “It’s all right, Sarah. You don’t have to say anything else.”

She let out the breath she’d been holding, and I saw a wave of relief pass over her face. “Thank the goddess, Zoey. You’ll see…”

But I was already moving on. I turned from Sarah and focused on the more amenable witch. “Can you do it?”

It seemed to take everything Christine had to not jump up and down at the prospect. She just sort of vibrated as she stood there. “Oh, yes! I won’t let you down, Zoey. I have been preparing for this all my life. I can’t tell you how ready I am. As long as I have my battery here, it’ll be a breeze.”

“Hey—” Dev looked slightly offended at his relegation to nine volt status. “Nobody asked me if I wanted to be the power source for a demon calling.”

I gave him my best “army sergeant” look. “Do you want to be a member of this crew or not?”

“Member of the crew?” Righteous indignation filled Daniel’s voice. “Who the hell brought him into the crew?”

“Anything you say, boss.” Dev gave me a little salute. He turned to Christine. “I’m at your service. You just tell me what to do, and I’ll make it happen.”

“He is not a member of this crew,” Daniel stated, as though stating a thing made it true.

“Zoey, you can’t seriously be thinking about doing this without me.” Sarah stared at me, her voice rising over all the other voices.

She looked shocked and hurt, but I couldn’t consider her feelings. I hated the fact that I was hurting people I cared about and endangering everyone, but I had to steel myself and get this done. There would be time for guilt later. This was one of those times when it sucked to be a leader.

“I’m doing this, Sarah. You can’t talk me out of it. I’ll understand if you want to leave.”

The boys continued their debate, seemingly oblivious to anything else.

“I’m going to be working with you, Dan.” Dev had that face I was starting to understand he got when he realized he’d done something wrong and needed to make it right. “You should get used to it. Look, man, I’m really sorry I’ve been kind of a dick tonight, but I just got defensive when you walked in and looked at Zoey like you owned her.” He put out his hand in a friendly gesture. “We got along really well last night. I hope we can put tonight aside.”

Sarah looked at Neil who was suspiciously quiet throughout the exchange. He sat on the couch, watching the drama unfold with rapt attention. “Neil, tell Zoey she can’t do this.”

“Oh, I wish I could, princess.” Neil didn’t take his eyes off the men. “But I’m far too busy waiting to see if Daniel is about to kill Dev. I’m thinking yes, but it could go a whole different way. Is there any popcorn?”

“Stop it!” I was sick of the arguing. I was ready to call the damn demon myself if it meant an end to the chatter. “Dev, stop baiting Daniel. Daniel, stop looking at Dev like he’s a late-night snack. Christine, go and get ready. It’s getting close to midnight, and we need to get a move on. Neil, make yourself useful. We still need that chair from the living room. Sarah, I’m sorry you’re upset, but I have to do this with you or without you. I’m not exactly sure if your soul is on the line, but I know mine is. I need to do anything I can to give us the best shot at pulling off this job.”

Sarah turned to Daniel. “You have to stop this. You have to tell her she can’t do it.”

Daniel laughed and it was a good sound, an almost human sound. “I know I might pretend like I have some control, but nobody tells Z what to do. She’s going to do it, and I’m going to do what I always do—stand by and hope it doesn’t all go to hell. Besides, I’m with her on this one. My soul, if I have one, is on the line, too.”

Neil stood beside Daniel. He looked very young as he stood his ground, and I was reminded that he was barely twenty years old. “I’m sorry Sarah, but they’re our friends. We have to help. I know I don’t bring that much to the table, but if they’re here fighting for their lives, I’m gonna be here, too. I’d do the same thing for you. You guys are my family.”

I knew what I was doing was wrong even as I did it but a certain ruthless practicality had come over me. The boys stood behind me forming a sort of wall, and Sarah was on the wrong side of that wall. I needed her with us even if it meant she did something she didn’t believe in. Those of us who lead a particular type of life know that there are times to throw out your morals and beliefs in favor of saving the people you love. Someone tried to kill me last night. This morning they came after my father and Neil. It was only a matter of time before they got around to Daniel and Sarah and maybe even Dev. If I sat on my ass because I didn’t want to do black magic and someone got killed, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.

“Look, Sarah,” I said with all the empathy I could muster. “I realize that you don’t want to do this, and that’s all right. You don’t do black magic. I get it. I understand we’ll probably fail, but I don’t want you to feel guilty if it goes wrong. You did everything you could. You tried your best to warn us.”

There were angry tears in her eyes as she looked at me. She glanced back at Neil and Daniel, and I saw the minute she realized I had trapped her and there was no escape.

“You can really be a bitch sometimes, Z,” she said bitterly.

Yeah, I was definitely getting there. At the rate I was going, I might just lose my soul all on my own.

Chapter Thirteen

Magic, when done properly, has something for every sense.

There’s a certain smell that comes with each spell. I’m not sure if the experience is the same for each person, so I can only speak from my own encounters. Love spells end up leaving a faint smell of vanilla in the room. Prosperity spells smell a little like freshly mown grass.

There’s also a feeling that washes across your skin. Usually it’s a pleasant tingle, like someone brushed your arm gently with their nails. You shiver slightly with the pleasure. There’s a light crackle or pop when a spell goes right and some people swear they can taste the air around them. You can also see the remnants of a spell, whether its smoke or the faintest glow around an object.

Magic has an effect in the physical world that cannot be mistaken. The point is, you always know when magic has gone right.

I knew something was wrong when my every sense went crazy.

It started all right. Sarah placed Christine and Dev in their proper spaces around the circle. They formed a triangle protecting the circle within. She started burning the herbs and incense. Neil complained about the stench, but one threat about hexing his man parts and he decided to win the quiet game. Daniel managed to look disapproving while attempting to not spare me a glance. Everything seemed normal, or rather as normal as it could be when calling a lord of Hell. The ceremony began. After what seemed like an eternity of invocation, I began to wonder if it was going to fail. One minute Sarah and Christine were chanting in some language no one had spoken in a thousand years and the next…

Brimstone assailed me. It was so thick in the air, I gagged on it. It smelled like all the bad things in the world had gotten together and sunbathed on an August day in Texas. After the smell came the awful crack that threatened to burst my eardrums, and worse, the feeling of a thousand bugs crawling under my skin trying to find their way to the softer parts of me. I would have scratched through several layers of skin if I hadn’t been blinded by the lightning that found its way into my father’s living room.

“Son of a bitch,” a low voice growled.

“Don’t move, Dev.” I could hear the tension in Sarah’s voice. “I think we should stay in position. Consider it an added protection. Right now we have a magical connection, and that might help strengthen the circle.”

I steadied myself and managed to open my eyes. Dev held his place as Sarah asked, but he looked ashen, as though being a magical battery had taken its toll. Sarah trembled, her normal grace seeming to desert her. Only Christine looked satisfied. There was a slight smile on her face that made me uneasy. It was easy to see her ambitions went way beyond learning a couple of spells under my dad’s tutelage.