The Mage's Wrath

“Would you like a—”

“No,” I cut in curtly, before the woman behind the booth could finish.

I didn’t want a newspaper. I only read the human news when I felt like torturing myself with boredom.

Leaning against the brick wall of a quiet convenience store, I had expected the question for a while now. I’d been lingering in this spot for over half an hour next to a street booth that sold newspapers, chocolate bars, and a bunch of other crap I didn’t have time to indulge in.

I’d contemplated it. Food was my weakness. But I already had a pocket full of packaged candy I’d swiped from Rainer’s early this morning.

The pretty cashier’s thoughts were screeching at me. Her disappointment was loud:

‘He didn’t even give me a second glance... God, Amber was right, I’m undateable.’

Some people’s minds were more distracting than others. And she was the former.

She’d been pretending to busy herself with a crossword as she contemplated a way to open a conversation with me. She was too nervous to take the first step and ask my name.

I couldn’t help but notice her curly blonde hair sweeping over her bare shoulders and her flowy floral top hugging her curvy figure.

But I wasn’t interested.

I didn’t have sex.

Or date.

The thought alone made me shudder. Once, I’d have given anything to be tied. To be claimed—more than just sex. After a night of debauchery, I had wanted to be... wanted for that day and all the days afterward.

That naive dream crafted by a stupid boy had died. It’d shriveled up and rotted when I’d laid my heart out. In return, I’d had it stomped on until all the feelings I’d been holding morphed into red-hot anger.

I’d forgiven Lucas for a lot—more than I should. Lucas had been a cold bastard, but he’d changed. I had to acknowledge that. But I’d never forget how much that hurt.

A decade ago, I’d confessed that I felt for Lucas more than just passing sex.

Did Lucas turn me down? Laugh in my face? Insult me?

None of the above. Nope. Lucas became even more handsy. At the time, I felt elated, thinking that my feelings had been returned.

Until Lucas failed his mental assessment and lost his agent status, he had not sought me out once. We didn’t speak about emotions, mainly because Lucas had none. But I would’ve been there for him. After having everything taken from him—three years of work to get to his position—gone so quickly—I understood how shitty that must have been. Even for a cold guy like Lucas, it would’ve cut deep.

When Lucas didn’t contact me, I realized how much I’d been used. It’d driven me mindless. I’d drunk myself into a stupor and wallowed in my misery but never approached him again.

Not a call or a text message.

I’d been heartbroken, but I kept my pride. If Lucas wanted to forget, then so would I—or so I thought.

The last I heard from the grapevine was that Lucas had begun working a desk job and had a girlfriend. I erased him from my mind. Until Azrael got the jump on me, and I was thrust back into Lucas’s orbit.

Somehow, I ended up with Lucas back in my life. It was difficult. Even after nearly a decade, the feelings I’d shunned for so long sparked whenever I caught Lucas’s gaze—or held his wife. Once. I hadn’t made that mistake again.

Asha haunted me. I felt for her. Deeply. The first time I’d ever looked at a woman and wanted... more. Lucas and she infected my mind together. Tied up with a pretty bow and a perfumed paper that had written:

Think about us. How gorgeous we are. How we fuck every night. Your only lover is your right hand. You’re pathetic for pining after a married couple. Asha doesn’t want to have sex with you when she’s getting railed every night by that beast in Lucas’s jeans.

You’ve seen it.

You know it’s impressive.

Look what it did to you—you can’t think of anything else. You’ve been getting off to the thought of it for nearly a decade.

Now that was pathetic.

I groaned softly.

The cashier glanced at me, smiling curiously.

Despite my involuntary celibacy, I was rethinking my stance on intimacy a lot these days. I was at a point in my life where I’d begun looking to my friends to fill the void of loneliness that gripped me most days.

Stranger things had happened.

Friends. I’d never had those before, and now, I could confidently say I had a few. And they were all nuts.

It was... nice.

I wasn’t the crazy one for once. Next to them, I could even be considered normal. I didn’t have fangs, my gift didn’t cause my magic to go haywire, and I didn’t hear voices from the beyond.

Well, I heard them. But only if I was nearby when they spoke in Reid’s head. Creepy buggers.

Fortunately, Reid had begun attending appointments with a psychologist who worked with vampires specifically. Yeah, apparently, they have those. For the last three months, Reid had been on and off medication to try and stop the deranged voices he heard. They’d quieted significantly since we closed the other side, but they were still there, lingering, pulling him into insanity.

I didn’t know what kind of medication Reid was taking, but it quieted the evil whispers significantly, which I was glad for. I hated how it felt to hear them. So wrong. They always gave me an urge to cover my ears.

They knew when I was listening. And didn’t appreciate the audience. If they ever escaped the hell they were locked in, I knew with every fibre of my being that they would rip me apart if given the chance.

I shivered. ‘Filthy Telepath.’ That’s what they called me with deep loathing.

I shook off the unease. I was free. Allowing myself to be shackled by fear would have me back in a cage. I’d been alone for a long time. Dinners every other weekend and board game nights once a month weren’t enough.

I needed something more.

Maybe I should try to connect with someone? It was worth a shot.

I looked at the pretty cashier. She stared back with hopeful baby blue eyes. I envisioned taking her home to my apartment for the night. Did she want to be wooed? Or was she looking for a quick hookup?

What would I rather do?

Before I could decide if I desired the fantasy of her blonde hair splaying across my dark sheets and her pink lips panting my name, my head snapped to the side.

My gaze fixed on the building beside the one I leaned against.

‘Sterling! Get your ass moving!’

It was a nice fantasy.

A quick wink to the pretty cashier caused her cheeks to flush pink.

“Your sister—Amber—is jealous of you,” I told her. “You’re gorgeous. Take it from me. Ten out of ten. I was about to ask you out, or at least for your name. But I’ve got somewhere to be.”

No, I wasn’t. I’d contemplated it but ultimately would have backed out. But she needed the boost. I might be aloof and distant, but I possessed a heart and didn’t like hearing her break herself down for the last half hour.

And I wasn’t lying when I told her she was pretty. She was.

I knew the look she wore familiarly. Shock. How did I know her thoughts? That’s what she was thinking in a rush of panic and awe.

“Really?” she asked, overlooking my mind-reading to focus on my admittance that I found her attractive. “You were going to...”

“Maybe I’ll come by tomorrow.”

“I don’t work tomorrow. Wednesday. Noon in the afternoon until eight o’clock.”

I opened my mouth to tell her I’d be there then. But I shut it, thought of my words, and only spoke when my rationality had taken my mouth. “I’ll come back for a paper.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

She thought giddily, ’He’s so hot. Take that, Amber! I can still snag ‘em.’

“If I don’t come back,” I told her quickly, “it’s not you. I have a demanding job.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh... I...”

A gentle smile rose on my lips but fell quickly as I stepped toward the nearby alley.

“Are you leaving?” she asked me hastily.

“I have to be somewhere.”

“Can I give you my number?”

“Leave it under the newspaper stack. I’ll come by for it when you’ve closed up.”

I turned and then shifted back around to face her with a wince. I didn’t want to lead her on. “I’m going to be transparent with you. I’m dealing with... a lot. If I don’t call, it wasn’t you. I’d be lucky if you agreed to go out with me.”

She swallowed hard. Her cheeks were flushed. “Thank—I... I’ll leave my number...”

I’d debate if I’d return for it later.

But at the very least, even if I never saw her again, some of my words got through to her.

She was more confident as I left, humming a happy tune in her head, ecstatic that she had something to rub in her jealous sister’s face.

Hurrying down the narrow alley I’d been scoping out, I heard another shout for me to hurry.

I broke into a sprint, opened a metal door, and ascended a set of paint-chipped stairs. I gripped the cold railing and took two at a time, reaching the second storey with sweat clinging to my lower back and sticking my black T-shirt to my skin. It was a bit warm for a jacket, but I needed to conceal my gun.

An office building. I walked the quiet halls with soft footfalls—empty of naïve humans who could make trouble for our work.

Jumbled thoughts, voices, and multiple pairs of footsteps approached quickly.

‘Fucker’s fast.’

‘I promised I’d fix the dishwasher. Shit. Shit. Shit. Rowan’s going to kill me.’

‘Nae. Yléa thál aenath. Sílir nira vátharín illya.’

The latter stray thoughts gave me a headache. I’d never heard Sylfénar before. It left a shiver ascending my spine. When they’d ruined the creature’s façade as a human to lure its victims, it must have dropped the act and reverted back to speaking Fae.

I paused and debated my next move.

I should hurry and help them. That was what I was supposed to be doing—stopping the creature from escaping after it had been purposefully chased here. I didn’t know where exactly. That’s why I’d stood outside for so long. I’d been waiting for a sign to act.

They were getting closer.

So, I should take out my gun hidden beneath my jacket.

But what I had in mind would be a lot funnier.

‘Sterling’s going to get his ass kicked. Where the fuck is he?’

I snorted as I slipped into a narrow hallway. Right here. Slowpoke.

It wasn’t long before the action reached me.

When the chaotic footfalls were about to reach my hiding place, I flung my foot out with a grin. A shoe hooked on my boot, sending the unfortunate owner tumbling to the floor.

The wooden planks took the brunt of the guy’s fall, thudding so loud I winced in empathy. It probably hurt like hell. My boot was covered in ichor—blood blacker than a hungry vampire’s pupils. It’d flown that far.

‘Sílir vasha illyar shílen.’ The thought was hazy.

They needed to shut this creature up for good. Its thoughts were a vile, sticky syrup settling over my mind, lingering and making me nauseous—like when Reid’s whispers were at their worst.

“Nice job!” Reid exclaimed.

“Just doing my civic duty,” I drawled as I stepped out of hiding.

“Thank you for that. I was about to pass out.” Reid’s fair hair was a mess, and his pale cheeks were flushed from exertion. He hunched as he caught his ragged breath.

The shiver always accompanying Reid’s presence danced over my sweaty skin as a caress that stirred my fight-or-flight awake. But it didn’t bother me. If anything, I liked it—pure danger in its natural form.

With deep royal blue eyes, whitish-blonde hair, and a disarmingly warm smile, Reid looked like an angel. As a vampire, he was a perfect predator.

Luckily for us—and everyone else in the world who’d be unfortunate enough to be alive if Reid began his villain arc—Reid was a friendly neighbourhood vampire, spending his nights protecting the city, not trying to rule over it like the rest of the Kimberk lineage.

“It took you long enough,” Kane growled.

I grinned cuttingly. Kane was so tall that his form caused the fading sunlight coming through the wall of windows to shadow as he sauntered past me, sword at his side—unsheathed and deadly sharp.

Kane stood over the fallen Fae’s form and he lifted the weapon, poised over his head for a killing blow.

The creature twitched, muscles jerking like a dying spider. Its eyes snapped open—red and wrong.

When its gaze fell on the risen sword, the silver of the blade gleaming, it snarled, flashing its jagged, blackened teeth.

“Nira thál aenath. Sílir lérya illyar. Thael sylfénar illyar elvaren ilya. Sílir vynae illyar.”

The words left the air heavy with dark promise as Kane brought the sword down. Even if I didn’t understand the meaning, the words weighed in the air like a curse. Probably threatening our lives. Or our teeth. The creature had an obsession with stealing its victims’ molars after it had skinned them alive.

“Want to come for dinner?” Reid asked me casually.

I paid no mind to Kane hacking at the Fae. I shrugged noncommittally. “I may. What are you making?”

I frowned as Reid laughed.

‘Rude to ask what someone is making before agreeing to come over,’ Reid thought with a fond smile. ‘If I said pizza, would you refuse?’

“Yes,” I answered aloud. I was lying. I would’ve come even if Reid told me we were having raw cabbage paired with orange juice for dinner. A nightmare I’d had before, disgusting.

Reid chuckled. “Honestly, I hadn’t thought about what we’re having. I need to fix our broken dishwasher, and it’ll probably take a few hours. Most likely take-out of some kind.” His gaze fell to Kane, and he grimaced. “Need some help, lover?”

“No,” Kane grunted.

When I looked at Kane, he shared a similar expression to Reid’s. Kane had taken a dagger from his belt and was in the process of cutting open the Fae’s chest with practiced quickness. A steady stream of black blood pooled on the planked floor and covered Kane’s fingers holding the hilt of his blade.

Taking its heart was the only way to stop it from coming back—so yeah, the gore was necessary. Still... gross. Sylfénar Fae were shapechangers. They were their hearts. It was the only thing that didn’t shift when they took a new form. Milton had theorized it would be their best bet for ending this creature. We’d been researching tirelessly for a way to put a stop to the influx of murders taking over the downtown for the last two months.

I turned my attention back to Reid. “You’re supposed to know what you’re making before you invite someone over.”

“You don’t have to come,” Reid said, laughing again. “I thought you’d want to celebrate after catching this guy.”

We’d been hunting the Fae for weeks.

It had heinously killed a dozen women before we’d caught it. Countless sleepless nights and evenings had been spent scouring nightclubs—the creature’s hunting ground.

We’d ended up using Hannah as a honeypot to draw the creature out. Kane hadn’t liked it, but it was her, Rowan, or Asha. Hannah knew magic and trained with Milton. She could handle herself. And it worked. She’d been approached; our magic runes invoked to glow when an otherworldly creature came close had gone haywire. She had made an excuse not to let the Fae lure her away like it did to its other victims.

After we pinpointed who it was, we watched the fake man closely for a few days to discern what it was and make sure it didn’t kill again, and it took a few tireless hours to make a plan to send it back to its realm. The books weren’t detailed on what happened to a Fae once its heart was removed. They ordinarily went back to their realm to regenerate. Our hope was that playing twisted doctor would end the thing forever.

“Is seven okay?” I asked Reid.

“If you want to see Sera, make it six. Rowan has her on a new schedule. No more staying up until midnight with us.”

“I’ll bring dinner,” I said after a pause.

“I’ll tell Rowan.” Reid’s gaze flicked to Kane. He watched Kane toss the heart with a wet splat as it hit the thick glass of a nearby window, leaving a black smear. “Check his pockets, Kenneth. I want to know what he was doing with all those teeth.”

A scoff came in reply, but Kane followed the order and, with bloody fingers, began to rifle through the dead Fae’s jeans.

“I have to give you a heads-up...” Reid said to me in a soft tone. “Lucas will be there. I haven’t asked... Are you two okay? I don’t sense any animosity, but maybe I’m wrong.”

“We’re fine.”

“Okay.”

I swallowed. “Will Asha be coming?”

“Yeah,” Reid said, smiling curiously.

My heart beat faster. I blamed it on the handful of bloody teeth Kane lifted, showing Reid—there were at least a dozen sets of molars. Kane let them fall from his palm.

The teeth hit the planked floor with soft taps.

I’d bring Thai food tonight.

Lucas hated it.