Shadowlands: a New Adult Urban Fantasy Novel (The Spire Chronicles Book 4) Page 2

  Trust was hard for any hunter. I wanted to trust him, I wanted to trust everyone I was friendly with. The fact that I couldn't allow myself to, that I couldn't break through the barrier I'd set up around myself, hurt. It weighed on me. It wasn't fair. When Marcus called and I saw his name flashing on the screen, all I could feel was my heart sinking as I thought, “Did he betray me?”

  Elise was still tapping her knee, the slow rhythm doing nothing to betray her growing impatience. As much as I enjoyed our time together, I didn't trust her completely, either. The only people who could claim that privilege were Rowan, Lily, and Alex. Even letting him in had been a difficult, almost painful, experience. To let myself be that vulnerable to another person... It was terrifying.

  How could I give out my trust so easily? Every day, I saw the results of a person's trust being abused, of people being betrayed by the ones they loved and relied on the most. The thought of letting someone in only to have them stab me in the back, in the heart... No, thank you.

  Marcus had given me reasons to not trust him before — my first case with him serving as a particularly memorable example. He'd been innocent each time, however, which only made me more suspicious. Would this be the instance the shoe finally dropped? I asked myself that each time. He was a politician, but he had his own code of honor — one I hoped I was part of. If their loved ones were accused, most people would cry foul and say that person would never betray them. I wasn't most people. Hearing news like that would only make me wonder. Horrible, I know, but I couldn't shake off the doubt.

  “It would be a very bad idea to alienate the King,” Elise said slowly. “Especially one so open to cooperating with you.”

  “I'm not alienating him,” I insisted.

  “My point is: make a meeting to see him as soon as possible.”

  I wonder if she suspected the real reason behind my hesitance. I had mentioned Flavius' comment to her, but she’d brushed it off, saying the former King was only trying to get under my skin. It’s possible she assumed I wasn't stupid enough to fall for it and left it at that. I wish I shared her confidence.

  Or maybe she just thought I was being lazy. I was good at that, more so after coming back from sick leave. That was one of the reasons I had been against returning to Haven to recover. I knew it'd be a pain to get myself back into things later. I slipped into being a lazy bum easily, but couldn't slip out of it without an industrial grade forklift.

  Then again, since being sent back to Haven, I stopped the opening of the Spire, made up with my dad, gained a werewolf half-brother, stopped the poaching of werewolves and shifters, ousted a king, survived two hellfire infernos and fatal impalements, made it past getting shot in the neck, and committed to a romantic relationship. Not too bad for three and a half months of work.

  I needed another holiday.

  Of course, those accomplishments came with their own prices to pay. Lady Cassandra was killed, leaving me and Lily to mourn. Haven lost their leader. Alex lost his best friend. The tribes living in Dovesports' forests lost their friends and family. In this life, most victories were hollow. The only thing that made me feel better was the knowledge that the victims had been avenged and the perpetrators wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else.

  Except Lucas was still out there.

  I had no idea where he was or what he was up to. That demon worshipping, vampire cunt had been behind most of the travesties I'd put a stop to recently. He left a trail of death and destruction wherever he went.

  He was the reason Lady Cassandra died. I still couldn't believe she was gone. When I woke up in the morning, it took a moment for the realization to sink in, weighing my heart down with a pain even Alex couldn't chase away. It felt like I'd been in her living room just last week, listening to her critique Lily's latest culinary disaster while the younger girl moped.

  A tiny, pale hand obscured my vision. I caught it and looked down at Dorian. He wiggled his fingers and smiled, reminding me of the night I met Tamlin.

  “You remind me of my brother. He's a werewolf.” I leaned closer to him. “Are you a werewolf?”

  Elise sighed again. “Really?”

  “Well, he's not human,” I said. “And he's not a vampire. So, until you tell me what he is, I'm just going to have to keep guessing.”

  She shook her head. “Do you see what you've done, child?”

  Dorian smiled.

  “I thought you said he wasn't a child?”

  Before she could reply, my phone vibrated with a text.

  Ana Bishop: Need you at Meatpacking District.

  “I have to go,” I told her, patting Dorian on the head once more. “Got a case.”

  They followed me to the front door and we exchanged farewells... after Elise pried Dorian's arms from my torso and made me promise to book an appointment with Marcus as soon as possible.

  With December came a cold front almost unnatural for New York. I had to force myself not to use magic to melt knee-high piles of snow in front of me as I trudged through the city streets. There was a small comfort in knowing under all this snow were a pair of cute boots. Not as cute as they could have been, but hey, practicality beat fashion — the Order's rule, not mine.

  The Meatpacking District was far enough for Elise to consider living near the area without being disturbed by the “inebriated howling of savage youths” — a statement I required another moment to recover from. Seriously, people hotter than me shouldn't speak like my grandmother. Then again, pretty people can generally do whatever they want.

  The address Ana texted me was on the far side of the district, which meant I had to suffer trekking through the entire area during a dead hour that only appealed to hungover teens, violent thugs, and, well, the dead.

  As much as I enjoyed setting people on fire, I tried to avoid turning my powers on normal citizens. They could attack me, but I had to hold back. Double standards, I know. Still, it wouldn't do for the police to catch wind of a vigilante burning gangbangers alive on the streets of New York. That was how Ana and I met in the first place. She warned me to cut it out and fight people off the old fashioned way “or better yet, stop getting yourself into trouble.” It didn't take long for her to realize I was a magnet for that stuff. She did help me develop my mean back kick, though.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket again, and I pulled it out to see my dad calling. He's another man whose calls I'd been ducking. This time, it really was due to laziness. I told Alex I was putting the calls off because he wanted to know about our Christmas plans. We hadn't finalized anything yet, so it was a good excuse — and it spared me the exasperated look he'd give me if I told him the truth.

  I stared at the screen until it faded to black. Then, I texted Alex to let him know where I was going. His mother-hen streak hadn't dissipated in the slightest, and I was sincerely considering asking him to slide that stick out of his ass in lieu of a Christmas present.

  Crap. I still needed to get him a gift. And call my dad. And meet with Marcus. Lily had been calling me, too. I groaned. Fuck social obligations.

  While I was charging forward on the complain train, I made a note to bitch at Alex later. If I hadn't been brainstorming gift ideas for him, I would have noticed the group of men sneaking up on me much sooner.

  A bat cut off any chance I had to show off my back kick, but the man who grabbed me from behind gave me the opportunity to throw a kick forward, the heel of my boot planting itself into Bat-Man's — pun intended — face. He reeled back as I kicked Grabby's knee and freed myself. I took the bat and slammed it into the last figure. The third man — I didn't have a nickname for him — screamed and clutched his face, rivulets of blood streaming between his fingers.

  I hit him again to knock him out. Then I kicked his side. People who decided to commit muggings down the block from where the police were stationed deserved to be punished for their stupidity. A presence moved behind me and I whipped around, the bat connecting with another solid object. This time, I didn't have to hit him again.
>
  I did anyway.

  My pettiness cost me. While I was picking on the poor unfortunate thug — and making plans to re-watch The Little Mermaid — the third man overtook me. I had no idea when he pulled out a switchblade, but my ignorance didn't stop me from getting shivved in the arm. My leather jacket absorbed the brunt of the impact, so I still had enough strength to start going Little Slugger on his ass.

  But I didn't get the chance to, because a giant wolf leapt at us.

  I dodged to the left as the creature pounced on the remaining man. It snapped its jaws, saliva spraying over the thug's face. I was getting ready to pull him back, but instead of continuing its assault, the wolf whined and backed away, eyeing the growing wet spot on the now unconscious man's pants.

  “You really shouldn't be shifting in public, especially with the police around the corner.” I put the bat down, having no intention of hitting him with it. That wouldn't get me anything but a broken bat — and possibly a chunk of my side taken out. Plus, it was just plain rude.

  The wolf whined again and nuzzled my leg. I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to pet and coo over him like a mother with her newborn. Cute animals were my kryptonite, even if they were the kind that could swallow me up in one bite. He was, as all werewolves, much bigger than the standard wolf. At five-foot-two, I was the perfect height to make eye contact. And I would have, if my face wasn't currently full of thick, silvery fur. He was acting more like an overgrown puppy than a super deadly werewolf. I wondered if he was imprinting on me. Could I afford to feed a werewolf?

  “Okay, dude. I have a boyfriend.” I took a step back and grabbed his head. “Yes, I am aware of how weird that sounds.”

  Now that I could look at him head on, I noticed he had a subtle strip of dark grey fur down the middle of his face. It was the only distinguishing feature he had, though I suppose having pure silver fur was noteworthy on its own. He leaned forward, swiping his tongue across my nose. The saliva coating my face was gross, but I couldn't find it in me to complain as I stared into his familiar eyes.

  “Tamlin?”

  Chapter Two

  “Okay,” I said, shivering as the winter air hit my wet face. “First rule: no licking me when it's snowing because I swear you will not like me when I'm sick. I don't even like me when I'm sick.

  The wolf I was 99% sure was Tamlin whined and ducked his head, brushing his nose against the snow.

  “Two: stop being so damn cute.” I hugged him. Well, his head. His giant, wolf-y head. “You better be Tamlin or I'm kicking you in the 'nads.”

  The wolf huffed.

  “So, are you going to shift back or...?”

  He let out another whine and padded away, returning a moment later with a bundle of something in his mouth. I took the items from him and looked them over. Clothes.

  “I wasn't about to change in the middle of the street,” Tamlin said with a shiver. When I looked up, he was very human and very naked.

  “Dude.” I held his clothes up higher between us. “You are so lucky I was already holding these up.”

  “I'm surprised a bit of nudity has you freaking out.”

  Well, duh, you're my baby brother. It's not like I was raised around naked werewolves. “I'm not freaked—”

  “I can hear your heart beating.”

  “Don't interrupt me, young man,” I snipped, throwing his clothes at him. “You're shivering. Get dressed.”

  “Of course I'm shivering. It's snowing,” he said through chattering teeth. I turned around just as he was about to flash me. “You're welcome, by the way.”

  “Why are you here?” I asked instead of thanking him. My pride wouldn't let me get the words out, especially since I could have handled that guy on my own. Telling him that would be petty, though. “Did someone see you shift? And how did you find me?”

  “There's a distinct lack of screaming and people shouting 'Oh my God, a werewolf!' going around,” he deadpanned. “So, I doubt it. I tracked your scent.”

  “Okay. Why?”

  “Because this city is terrifyingly huge and your apartment is near impossible to find.”

  I turned back around to find him dressed in jeans and a thick blue sweater. I gave him an unimpressed look in reply and reached over to adjust his scarf. It was plain, also navy blue, and way too aging on him. He looked more like the type to wear stripes. Maybe add some yellow, like Hufflepuff. Wait, were they blue or black? My inability to answer meant we were going to marathon Harry Potter. Fuck yes. “Have you ever traveled outside of Dovesport?”

  “No.” He squirmed around, the epitome of a fussy child. “Dad says this place is bigger than most cities. That was the truth, right? Not all cities are this...” He held his arms out, gesturing to the city skyline glimmering in the distance.

  I nodded, releasing his scarf to pinch his cheeks. They were a bright pink against his white skin and it made him look absolutely adorable. “I forgot how cute you were.”

  He batted my hands away. “I am not a child, Morgan.”

  “You're my baby brother.”

  “I'm your younger brother.”

  I gave his cheeks one last squeeze before backing away from him with a grin. “So, why is my baby brother here all by himself?”

  Tamlin puffed out his cheeks but didn't try to correct me again. “Didn't Dad call you?”

  Yes, several times. “Why?”

  “I'm here to see you.”

  “Why?”

  His brows furrowed. “Because you're my sister? Plus, Mom thinks I should see the world a bit.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You annoyed her and she sent you to me.”

  “No,” he said, narrowing his eyes back at me. “When I annoy her, she sends me to Dad.”

  “So, you annoyed Dad.” The title still felt weird to say out loud, but this time I was sure my shiver was from the weather and not my damaged psyche.

  He sighed. “Did it ever occur to you that I was the one who decided to visit because I missed you?”

  “Yeah... no. Positive emotions aren't the first things that come to my mind.”

  “That says a lot.”

  I crossed my arms. “Answer my question.”

  “I told you: I wanted to see you. When I mentioned that to Dad, he said he thought it'd be a good idea for me to visit and experience the big city with you, and...” he trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. “Well, if I could convince you to come back to Dovesport for the holidays, then that would be great, too.”

  “The old man couldn't ask me himself?” Yes, I was completely disregarding the fact that I'd been too cowardly to ask him if Alex and I could visit for Christmas.

  The discomfort on Tamlin's face grew with each word I spoke. “Dad didn't call you, did he? If you want me to leave...”

  “No, no, no,” I said quickly before the hurt puppy — pun sort of intended — look on his face KO'd me with equal parts cuteness and pain. “I'm just surprised. And happy. Totally happy. To see you, I mean.”

  “Really?” His face brightened up. “Because if—”

  “Nope,” I said. “You're staying. Just keep the wolfing out to a minimum. As in never ever in public — even if there aren't any people around. Never know when Big Brother is watching.”

  “Oh, speaking of which,” he said with a giant grin, “Mom and Dad told me I’m going to be one soon.”

  My jaw dropped and I let out a series of random high-pitched squeaks. At his snickering, my eyes thinned into a bitter glare.

  “Totally kidding.” He was still laughing. “Your face, though.”

  I pointed to the discolored snow around the unconscious thug's body. “I'm going to shove your face into that pile of pee snow.”

  That shut him up.

  One might say bringing your baby brother along to a crime scene was a bad idea. Well, my baby brother was a werewolf that just lunged at some dude in a dark alley, so I figured he could handle this. Also, there weren't any taxis around and I wasn't going to let Tamlin wander
around New York alone. I called Alex to come pick him up, but I had no intention of waiting around for him when Ana was already waiting for me. She was scarier than most of the things I’d faced.

  We arrived at Club Liquid and were greeted by a pair of police cars, their bright red and blue lights flashing obnoxiously in our faces. Officer Kelly, an older, slightly overweight man, was scribbling in his notepad while a shaken up blonde rattled off her statement. He raised his eyebrows when he saw us before nodding toward the nearby alley.

  “What are the odds this alley won't smell like urine?” Tamlin scrunched up his face as we crossed under the police tape. Kelly was Ana's partner, so he knew me. Though why he let Tamlin pass was a mystery — one I was happy to leave unsolved.

  “It's an alley,” I said flatly. “In a city. Next to a club. At—”

  “I get it,” he said glumly. “I thought hunters investigated deaths? I don't smell any blood.”

  “Hunters investigate all supernatural, or potentially supernatural, incidents. Besides, there are plenty of ways to kill someone without spilling blood.” I paused, realizing what I'd said. “Don't tell Dad I told you that.”

  “I'm a were—”

  I let out a litany of coughs and glared at him, shifting my eyes to the half dozen policemen standing around.

  He rolled his eyes. “I've killed things before.”

  “Humans?”

  “... No.”

  “Then your point is moot.”

  We stepped into the alley and approached the tall woman speaking to a man dressed in a sequined purple dress shirt. Ana Bishop was five feet and ten inches of pure authoritarian force that put even the toughest men in her department to shame. Her skin was a dark ochre that came from birth rather than a tanning bed. She had straight black hair that was almost always pulled back into a tight ponytail and features so sharp you could cut yourself on them.