Magicorum Box Set (Books 1-5)

13. Chapter Thirteen

13

Chapter Thirteen

Knox

Damn that Reggie. What a sick creep.

I want to open up his cell, race inside, and beat that Denarii’s face in. How dare he frighten Bryar Rose? There’s no time to worry about Reggie, though—I have bigger problems. Bryar Rose’s eyes are starting to roll back into her head. She grips my black T-shirt, curling her fists into the fabric. Only a few minutes ago, she did the same thing as she kissed me. Now, she’s having one of her episodes. Her scent turns acrid with panic.

At that smell, my wolf loses his freaking mind. He howls inside my brain. “Mate hurt! Help!”

“Don’t worry. I got this.”

Leaning over, I scoop Bryar Rose into my arms and pull her tight against my chest.

Reggie keeps smiling, the freak. “Eyes and lies, that one’s Jules’ special prize. Watch it now, or soon she dies.”

I’m so concerned about Bryar Rose that I don’t hear half of what Reggie’s babbling about. Not that it matters. He’s always going on about his “special connection to Jules.” Right now, I don’t need to get distracted by his crazy. “Shut the hell up, Reggie. She’s fine.” I just have to get her to her medicine.

Bryar moans against my chest. She forces her eyes to open a crack. “My bag.”

“I’ll get you there.” I stride away from the cell. Within seconds, I reach the elevator, kick the gate open, and step inside.

“Inhaler…” Bry’s trying hard to stay awake, but she’s losing the fight.

“We’ll get it. I know what you need.” I run my nose down the length of hers. “But first, I have to set you down so I can flip the elevator lever. Can you stand up for me?”

For a moment, I think about the pendant that Alec gave me. It’s an all-purpose “get out of jail” spell that I can use just once, either to fight a wizard or to cast one of their spells. Right now, I could activate it and cast a transport spell to reach Bry’s inhaler. The onyx pendant presses heavily against my chest. I’m tempted to reach for the thing when Bry starts to move.

“Don’t worry. I can stand.” Bry curls forward, trying to stand on her own. She doesn’t have enough control over her own body, though. Instead of staying upright, she tumbles forward in a jerking motion. I gasp as she hurtles toward the floor. Good thing we shifters have strong reflexes. Right before Bry hits the ground, I pull her back onto her feet, careful to keep my arm firmly clasped around her shoulders. “Not much longer.” I yank down the lever that sets the elevator in motion. With a lurch, we start to move.

I lift Bry back into my arms once more. Damn, this elevator takes forever.

My wolf starts in again. “Mate hurt.”

“I get it, buddy. But she’s not really hurt. She’s just falling asleep.”

“HURT!”

I know what he’s feeling because I have the same emotion, too. Everything about this situation is setting my shifter instincts on fire. Not only does she give off a smell of fear, but her natural scent has never been stronger. Honey, cinnamon, and sunshine. My need to protect her sends adrenaline racing through me.

At last, the elevator stops with a jolt. I boot the stupid gate open again with such force it snaps in two. Still, that’s nothing compared to what I do to the broom closet door. I kick the thing down and tear out part of the wall with it. After that, I sprint my way back to her office, and yeah, that door gets crushed in as well. Fine with me. In my opinion, this is one of the benefits of being a shifter. Doors don’t stop you.

I rush into the room and over to her desk. Bry’s black bag sits on her chair. Crouching down, I set Bry into my lap. My left hand holds her firmly against me while my right rifles through the bag. Damn, she has a lot of crap in here. I start throwing stuff out until I find a small plastic inhaler. I slip off the cover and set it by her lips.

“Are you with me, Bryar?”

Her head lolls against my shoulder. “Mmmm?”

“I got your inhaler. Now open your mouth and take a breath.”

Bryar keeps her eyes shut, but opens her mouth. The moment her mouth opens, I set the inhaler on her lips. I’ve never used one of these before, but there’s an arrow and a button, so it doesn’t seem too complex. I push down, and mist goes onto Bry’s tongue. She breathes it in and instantly seems to perk up.

Thank heaven.

That’s when the scent hits me. It’s a subtle, almost unnoticeable smell, but then again, I’m a werewolf. This close, I can catch the scent, no problem. It’s sickly-sweet, like rotten berries. And it can only be one thing: a fairy spell called Predator’s Bane, which is incredibly illegal. It’s also a spell that only works on werewolves. That’s why I know the scent. I’ve had others try to gas me with it before. It forces werewolves to instantly change back into their human form, even in the middle of a shift. The Denarii tried it on me once. I turned human and naked in the middle of a huge battle. If Alec hadn’t shown up and cast a ton of kill spells, I’d be dead right now.

But why give Bry doses of Predator’s Bane? She’s human. It doesn’t affect her…or does it? Bry insists the stuff helps to her “wake up,” as she calls it.

My wolf starts freaking out. “Medicine bad.” He’s clawing inside me, trying to break free. “Protect mate. Medicine bad!”

Bry moans in my arms. I curl her closer to my chest. My mind races through every kind of magic that could be related to Predator’s Bane.

That’s when I remember it: the Slumber Beast spell.

It’s a curse that Az told me about. Centuries ago, the Shifter Council would give it to criminals as punishment. The Slumber Beast spell makes your animal fall asleep every time you start to shift. But with magic draining away, no one could cast the spell any more, so the Council moved on to other punishments.

And Bry isn’t a criminal, so what’s happening here?

The answer appears in a flash. Suppose some fairy cast a Slumber Beast spell on Bry. If that’s true, she’d freeze whenever she started shifting into her werewolf form. But if she took some Predator’s Bane, then she’d instantly become human again. No more shifting, no more Slumber Beast spell. Bry would wake up.

I shake my head. It’s all too extreme to be real. Only a handful of folks even know about the Slumber Beast spell. And I’d never even heard about Predator’s Bane before the Denarii sprayed some on me.

Bry opens her eyes to the barest of slivers. With shaky movements, she goes to take the inhaler from my hand. It’s some kind of reflex, but I hold it away from her. She frowns. “Knox, I need more medicine.”

At this point, I’ve got two choices. First, I can give Bry the medicine and pretend nothing happened. Second, I can ask to see her irises. If her eyes are glowing with a golden light right now, then she is a werewolf. The difference between the two options is this: how much do I want to know if Bry is a were?

The moment the question enters my mind, the answer is clear. If Bry really is a werewolf, then I absolutely must know the truth. I lean in closer. “Look at me, Bry.”

Her eyebrows raise, but nothing else. “I’m trying.”

“No, I need to see your eyes.” Nervous energy twists through me. “Please.”

Little by little, Bry forces her eyes to open fully. What I see knocks my world over. Her irises are golden.

Bry really is a werewolf.

A line of memories falls into place. Back at the cabin, Bry wore a tank top and shorts in freezing weather without so much as a shiver. Werewolves always run warm. Plus, she’s always sniffing and tilting her head, which are total wolf moves. And when Bryar Rose began to pass out, my wolf went nuts inside me. Her animal must have been fighting to get free, and mine could sense it.

Speaking of my wolf, he’s none too happy. “Mate has wolf.” I feel him clawing inside me, wanting to blab everything. “Tell her now.”

Great. My wolf wants me to announce to Bryar Rose that she’s a shifter only seconds after she almost passed out. “Give me a minute, buddy. She still thinks she’s a Sleeping Beauty life template. This isn’t going to be easy.”

Bry nuzzles into my shoulder. Her eyes are at half-mast now, but they are definitely still golden. I can’t believe it. She’s really a werewolf.

“Tell mate now.”

“Bud, I’ve got to take this slowly, or we’ll scare the hell out of her.”

A long moment passes. Finally, my wolf grunts his agreement. That’s as good as I’ll get at this point. When I talk to Bry again, I take care to make my voice really gentle. It isn’t easy, especially because my wolf isn’t the only one who’s worked up at this point.

Bry moves to take the inhaler from my hand. “I need more medicine, Knox.”

“Not yet, I need to take a look at the inhaler. Is that okay?”

“Sure.” She curls into my lap and rests her head against my shoulder. “I shouldn’t take more than three or four puffs a day anyway. I took a ton before we left for LeCharme this morning, just to be safe. Something about you…” She yawns. “It brings out the worst in me.”

I angle the device for a better look. It’s got one of those pharmacy labels on it. “They call this Narconium. Never heard of it. You know what it is?”

“It’s a fake label for humans. The medicine is something my aunties make for me out of fairy dust. It’s the only thing that helps with my episodes. Otherwise, I’d freeze.”

“Your aunties.” Rage boils up my spine. Those crazy fairies have been in on whatever scam is being pulled on Bry. It’s an effort to keep my voice level. “Your aunties give this to you.”

“Sure. They don’t have a lot of magic. It’s nice of them to cast it for me. It’s one of the few times they ever use magic at all.”

“You know anything about Predator’s Bane?”

“No.”

“How about fae attack spells on shifters? Ever hear how those work?”

“Why would I?”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Everyone knows the spells that fairies use when they attack. Then I think of those scheming aunties and the brochure in her bag. If Bry is in a Magicorum Teen Therapy Group, that means she was home tutored. Maybe those aunties of hers controlled her social life too. Bry wouldn’t learn anything that could be really useful. My blood runs hot, and my body aches to shift.

I force myself to stay calm. “How much do you know about other magical races?”

She opens her eyes again. Still gold. “Why are you asking me all this?” She reaches for the inhaler. “I should keep taking the medicine until I’m wide awake. It could be dangerous.”

“You’ll be all right.” I brush some strands of hair from her cheek. “Just tell me how much you know about other magical races.”

“Not much. Most of my tutoring is about manners, history of human society, that kind of thing.”

“So you can marry that Philpot.”

“I’m not getting married.” She gives me a sleepy smile. “Are you jealous, Knox?”

I shouldn’t get flirty, but with Bry, I can’t help it. “Maybe. I mean, I’ve kissed you and all. My wolf thinks you’re my girl.”

She yawns again. “That was a great first kiss, even if it was in a creepy elevator.”

Those words take my breath away. I’m her first kiss? Bry’s aunties have basically hidden her away. Sure, she’s not stuck out in a cottage in the woods like it says in the Sleeping Beauty story, but she might as well have been. Bry’s certainly stuck to the whole “growing up isolated” part of the tale. Where do I even begin to explain all this?

My wolf is a step ahead of me. “Help mate.”

The second his words ring through my mind, I know what he means. I need to settle her wolf, and without that damn Predator’s Bane.

“Look, Bryar. I can help you wake up without the medicine. Can we give it a try?”

“Will it hurt?”

I run my nose along hers. “No. It won’t hurt.”

“Okay.”

“Give me your eyes again.”

We lock gazes once more. As a warden, I’m an alpha wolf. That means I could lead a pack if I wanted to…but I haven’t wanted to. Still, I have the alpha’s power to connect to other wolves. So far, it hasn’t had a ton of uses. But right now? I’m thrilled I have this skill. Keeping my gaze locked with Bry’s, I picture my energy flowing around and through her. Suddenly, I can sense her wolf’s heart beating a mile a minute inside her. Her animal is beautiful and strong. A fighter. My chest aches with longing to call her animal forth into physical form. I hold back, though.

First things first, and what I need to do right now is calm Bry’s wolf. I speak to her in my mind. “Calm. Peace. You’re safe.” After those words, I give the order to Bry’s wolf to retreat. Her animal is cautious, but it obeys.

Bry tilts her head. It’s such a wolfy movement. I can’t believe I didn’t suspect she was a were right away. “I’m safe.”

“That’s right.”

Bry’s eyes lose their golden glow. She’s all human again. “How did you do that?”

I set her on her feet. If I keep touching Bry, I’ll be tempted to call her wolf again. “That’s a tough question to answer.”

“Tougher than the Denarii? Come on, that was pretty terrible.”

I step back and take a few seconds to calm my head. This is one of the worst things I have to tell anyone. Not only is Bry a werewolf, but she’s about to lose her animal. Unless she shifts by the time the sun sets on her eighteenth birthday, her inner wolf dies.

Her eighteenth birthday is tomorrow. Damn.

There’s so much I need to tell her, but I have to give it to her slowly. “I’m so sorry.”

“About what? Answering my question? Honestly, what could be worse than Reggie?”

“What I have to tell you? Yeah, I think it might be worse.”

“Look, you don’t have to worry about me and my episodes. Once I turn eighteen, they’ll be over. That’s when the spell from Colonel Mallory the Magnificent will end.”

Every muscle in my body stiffens. “That’s right. Everything changes when you turn eighteen.” How many lies have people been telling this girl? And why are they hiding so much from her?

“What’s wrong, Knox?”

I shake my head. There’s nothing for it but to just tell her. She has a right to know. After all, today is Friday. Tomorrow is her birthday. If she doesn’t shift, her wolf will die before sundown. “You better sit for this one.”

A voice sounds from the smashed-in doorway. It’s one of the security guards. “Excuse me, Knox?”

I glare at the guy, but I’m not really looking at him. Rage streams through me. I can’t believe we’re being interrupted. Not now, of all times. “You got a question, you need to find Alec.”

“But we can’t find Alec, and it’s not really his problem anyway.”

My mind starts to think through the haze of anger. I know this guard. He’s a total whiner with a bad haircut. Elle maced him in the kisser once. Alec and I watched it on video replay like twenty times.

“Is it a problem in LeCharme?” I ask.

“Why, yes, sir.”

“Then it’s Alec’s problem.”

“No, it’s the problem of your new employee there. The intern who works in this office. Miss Bryar Rose.”

Bry steps forward and straightens her suit. “What seems to be the trouble?”

“Well, I don’t mean to interrupt you and Knox…”

I don’t like the tone in this scumbag’s voice. “Get to your point,” I warn.

“Fine. There’s a man on the first-floor sales area who’s causing trouble. Says he’s Philpot Herbert Utrecht the Third. Claims we have his fiancée hostage, and if he can’t speak to her right now, he’ll call his cousin on the NYPD.”

I turn to Bry. “Is this true?”

“Philpot is a little possessive. And yes, his cousin is on the NYPD.”

The guard shifts his weight from foot to foot. “I tried to find Alec, but he’s not around. And when it came to the interns, he ordered us to speak only to him or you.” The guard squints at Bry. “Have we met?”

Bry steps back to her workstation and starts typing away. “Nope, never.” She angles her body away from the guard.

I wave the guy off. “We’ll be down shortly to handle this situation. You aren’t needed anymore.”

The guard sets his hands on his hips. “What if this Philpot gets dangerous?”

I glare at him. “If Philpot causes trouble, then Bry and I will kick his ass.”

That seems to convince him. The guard stares at the shattered door. “I’ll tell maintenance to bring up a fresh door.”

“You do that.” I have rage issues, so this isn’t the first door I’ve smashed in. I point toward the exit. “Really, you can go.”

That seems to do the trick, and the guard walks away. Once he’s out of earshot, I turn to Bry. “Are you sure you want to do this? I can go down to the lobby and see him alone.”

“I don’t want to, but I need to.” She grins, and it’s like my birthday and Christmas rolled into one. “Maybe it’s when you calmed me down instead of my medicine, but I can’t remember ever feeling this good. It’s like I fit in my own skin.” She blushes, which is adorable. “That must sound crazy.”

“Hey, I’m glad to help.” And by “help,” I really mean to help get rid of Philpot so I can tell Bry the truth. She doesn’t know she’s a werewolf, and she’s never shifted. Worry coils through my stomach. Her eighteenth birthday is almost here. If she doesn’t shift by then, her animal will die.

No question about it. Once we get rid of Philpot, I’ll let Bry know the truth.

We walk side by side toward the main elevator bank. I try to focus on how to confront this Philpot loser, but I can’t stop thinking about the fact that Bry is really a werewolf.

What if my wolf is right? Could Bry be my mate?

A weight of sadness settles on my shoulders. I’m a warden. We don’t have mates. And even if we did, I couldn’t risk the mating ceremony with her. No one’s lived past that. Plus, what kind of ass would I be to lock someone as amazing as Bryar Rose into my crazy life? I roam the world hunting Denarii. She deserves so much more than I could ever give her.

No, I’ll let Bry know who she is, and then, I’ll let her go.

With that decision behind me, I focus on facing the dead man who claims to be her fiancé.