Natural Mage (Magical Mayhem #2)(94)

“Didn’t need to, did we?” Steve smiled. “Don’t get me wrong, if she wasn’t with that elder, we surely would’ve let her in on the fun. But as it was…” He spread his hands. “Roger sends his regards. He was happy to help, and he hopes you keep this situation in mind should we ever need something.”

“Ah. A forced trade.” I rubbed my eyes, not really able to deal with this right now. “And how are the vampires so different from the shifters?”

Emery huffed out a humorless laugh as Steve said, “That’s not very nice. For one, we’re cuddly when we change. Much furrier and nicer to look at.”

“That’s true, though I doubt you smell any better when you get wet,” I said.

Emery choked on his laugh this time, half turning away to wheeze out more guffaws.

A flare of green followed by a wave of shifter magic, weak in power, preceded the dog’s alteration into a thin, lanky Red. He stood and quickly cupped his privates, thankfully worried about propriety. “I told him not telling Reagan was a mistake,” Red said with a know-it-all air. “She’s going to be pissed.”

“Women are always pissed about something.” Steve glanced down, and I followed his gaze before I could stop myself, only to instantly shift it when I got an eyeful. “I better get going. The cold isn’t kind to my bells and tackle.”

“She’s not an ordinary woman,” Red muttered. “I’m not going to take the fall for this. I’m going to tell her it was your call.”

Steve hooked a thumb Red’s way, his smile almost infectious. “He’s awfully jittery, isn’t he?”

A younger guy wearing basketball sweats with buttons down the pant leg for easy removal jogged over and handed Steve a pile of sweats.

“Hey, is anyone driving?” Emery asked, looking around.

“Yeah, you need a lift?” Steve rolled back on his bare heels as he shook out the hoodie. “Of course you need a lift, what am I saying. Sorry about that. I’m always a little slow after fast changes. Come on, we’ll get you wherever you need to go.”

“But what about…” I pointed at the fallout of the battle.

“We’ll get someone on that,” Steve said. “We’ll use a cleanup service and bill the vampires.” Steve laughed again, though I didn’t get the joke.

Fatigue dragged at me after I collected my stones and phone. Emery slipped his hand into mine. Softly, he asked, “Can I stay with you tonight?”

I leaned against his arm. “Yes. Reagan can deal. We need to stick together.”

“I agree. This was only the force they had stationed in this part of New Orleans. We’d be naive to think they aren’t gathering in a temporary headquarters somewhere. They’ll have more. The question is, how many more?”

Red drifted in next to us. “That’s what I would have told Reagan if she hadn’t stood me up. In addition to calling in big numbers, I’ve heard that they are hiring anyone willing to work for them.” He glanced around warily. “If you ask me, they know what they’re up against, and they’re rising to the challenge. You might be more powerful, but they have the numbers.”





39





After one of the shifters dropped us off at Reagan’s house and we took a slow, touchy-feely shower, Emery and I sat at the kitchen table, staring at my phone.

I’d called my mother. She hadn’t answered, but a reckoning was coming.

Up until that point, she’d assumed everything was fine. That I was busy training, we hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the Guild (which had been mostly true up until recently), and life was bumping along. I wasn’t a good liar, but luckily, Veronica, Callie, and Dizzy were excellent. When I accidentally set off alarm bells, they covered for me beautifully.

Well, I was about to ring the alarm gong. We needed help that only my mother could (hopefully) provide.

She was going to be so pissed.

My phone vibrated against the table.

I glanced up at the clock on the oven. Eight-oh-three. Fifteen minutes after I’d called. Fifteen minutes before she had to get her popcorn and TV ready for her favorite show.

Hopefully, she hadn’t figured out how to work the DVR, and the conversation had an expiration date.

Emery nodded slowly, offering support. I could see my wariness mirrored in his eyes. He’d met my mother. He knew the score.

I picked up the phone with chin held high and pursed my lips, ignoring my shaking hand. I opened it, then wiped away the dirt that showered the table top.

“Hello?” I asked in a calm, steady voice.

“No, you may not marry that boy. I don’t care that he came back; you barely know him. And while we’re on the subject, no, you may not live with that boy. He is to stay in his own residence until you have dated him for at least a year, do you understand me? Are you practicing safe sex? You’re not stupid, so I assume you are. But do you remember the talk we had? Sex is not the same thing as porn. Those are different. You need to show him what—”

“Mother, Mother, Mother!” I leaned back in my chair, immediately rattled. “Would you stop? What are you— How—”

I had to stop and regroup. All I’d been through, and this woman could shake me up like a canned soda.