Dead Man's Deal Part 3

As the energy exited through my hands, I sent in a second wave. This was the painful one. Each broken bone was set back to rights, causing a sickening echo of snaps and clicking through his body. Bronx groaned loudly as the spell took effect, causing him to arch off the ground while trying to pull away from my hands. I rose up on my knees and pressed down, holding him in place. The spell needed additional time for the bones to properly set and harden again.

The second phase lasted less than a minute, but there was nothing I could do about the pain, leaving both Bronx and me covered in sweat and breathing heavily. The energy flowed back to my hands and I sent the final wave through. This one knit together any cuts in his skin, stopping any additional bleeding while urging his body to speed up the process of creating fresh blood to replace what he'd lost. There weren't many cuts and the final wave returned to me after only a few seconds.

I fell backward, sitting on my a.s.s on the cold concrete, trying to get my breathing to even out again. I was exhausted, but Bronx's life was no longer in danger from his wounds. I looked down at my friend. He breathed evenly without the sickening rattle and squish I had heard before.

"What the h.e.l.l did you do to me?" Bronx asked. He had yet to move and I was glad for it. He needed time to recover. You didn't walk away from a troll beating even if you were a troll.

"Heal you."

"Then why the h.e.l.l do I still feel like s.h.i.t?" he growled.

I laughed, my head dropping back so that I could stare blindly up at the ceiling. There was nothing but blackness broken by dirty light filtering through a grime-encrusted skylight. "The spell fixed broken bones, stopped bleeding, and mended organs. You're still badly bruised and battered. Time needs to heal that. I don't have the energy in me to fix it all."

"You didn't have to do it," Bronx murmured.

"Yeah, I did." My eyes fell shut as the memory of his beating rose back to the forefront of my mind. He wouldn't have been touched if I had protected the house like Reave had ordered. f.u.c.k. Bronx wouldn't have been in this mess to start with if I had killed Reave two months ago when he first threatened me with exposure.

But I was clinging to the idea that I wasn't a killer. Warlocks were mindless, empty killers who thought nothing of taking a life. Witches were heartless killers. I chose to leave the Towers. I chose not to be a killer.

Simon's laughter picked that moment to rattle through my brain like the Ghost of Christmas Past. I had killed Simon, but it had been self-defense. Right? I had to kill Simon or he would have killed me.

"Gage?" Bronx said, jerking me from my thoughts. Silence had stretched between us, but I didn't know for how long. Had he been talking to me, waiting for my response? I had to let these doubts go. f.u.c.k you, Towers. I wasn't one of you. And f.u.c.k you, Simon Thorn. I hoped you liked your new job as ferryman to the dead.

"I had to heal you," I said, my voice picking up strength as I returned to our conversation. "It was either leave you to die or carry your fat a.s.s to the car. Do you know how hard it is to find a good tattoo artist to work in our part of town? Not that easy."

Bronx chuckled. His normally deep voice was even deeper from the pain that lanced through his body. I rose and offered him a hand while bracing my legs to help pull him to his feet. It took a couple tries and we were both puffing heavily when it was over, but Bronx was standing without help. The troll was roughly triple my weight. There wasn't much I could do if he couldn't walk to his car on his own.

I waved my hand in the air, dispersing the last of the cloaking spell before bending down to scoop up my jacket. My back protested and my knees were stiff from sitting on the cold floor. I needed to get back to the gym. I had been trading off my usual trips there in order to spend time with Trixie before going into the parlor. Maybe it was time to find a little balance. I was beginning to think that I needed to be in shape if I was going to keep up with Reave and his band of thugs.

"Now what?" Bronx asked around another wince of pain as he hobbled toward the door.

"Home. Shower. Bed," I listed, keeping pace beside my friend. "We'll deal with tomorrow when tomorrow comes."

"Not Trixie's?"

Trixie's place felt like some distant dream, an oasis in the wasteland my night had become. I would have given anything to see her and settle in her soft arms, but I shook my head. "Home."

Trixie didn't need to see me when I was in this mood. She would have argued otherwise, but our relationship was still too new for me to be dumping the weight of my past into her lap while I grumbled the last of the night away. She would try to help me forget and move on, but the only thing that would help me was sleep. In sleep, there were no memories to haunt you and no doubts to chase you. There was just the cool bliss of nothingness.

4.

A SOFT CHIME tinkled through the parlor as the front door opened. At the same time magic p.r.i.c.kled lightly across the bare skin of my forearms. Someone had activated the antiglamour spell upon stepping into the shop. The feeling pa.s.sed, but I picked up my pace as I walked from the back room to the front lobby. I set a worn clipboard on a stack of papers and glanced at the surveillance monitor to see Trixie crossing the lobby. The elf in human disguise smiled at me as she moved around the front counter and stepped into the tattooing room.

To the world, she appeared as a lovely brunette human with soft features that included brown eyes, lush lips, and a heart-shaped face. But I was able to see the real her through the glamour she wore as protection. The s.e.xy elf with acres of blond hair and crisp green eyes still managed to make my d.i.c.k twitch when I saw her for the first time every day. She had only recently started to tone down some of her outfits now that we were officially dating. Bronx joked that he had told her to cool it or I was going to kill the next man who looked at her, which wasn't too likely but wasn't impossible either. I wondered if she had only dressed like that to catch my attention, but shoved the thought aside. My ego wasn't that big.

Today she wore a somewhat sedate outfit. A black halter top hugged her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, revealing the perfect expanse of her back complete with a sparkling b.u.t.terfly wings tattoo. Her snug jeans rode low on her hips, revealing a narrow strip of her stomach and belly b.u.t.ton, which contained her newly acquired belly-b.u.t.ton ring. Yet another thing to make my d.i.c.k twitch. She had exchanged her usual belly-b.u.t.ton ring for a red gem that winked in the overhead lighting.

Trixie's throaty chuckle caused me to jerk my head up while a surprised blush lit my cheeks. She had caught me staring. f.u.c.k, she was lucky that I didn't have to pull out the mop to clean up the drool. What this woman saw in me I didn't have a f.u.c.king clue. Brown hair, brown eyes, and barely her height when she was in heels, I wasn't that much to look at. My body wasn't bad. All lean muscle, the result of frequent trips to the gym, but you wouldn't know it under the baggy T-shirts and faded jeans I wore. Maybe it was my charming personality. Not. f.u.c.king. Likely.

"Seen enough?" she teased.

I closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms tightly around her so that I could feel every inch of her soft body pressed against mine. Of course, that meant she knew exactly how happy I was to see her, but I didn't mind. We were still early in our relationship. If we weren't s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g like rabbits every chance we got, I'd be worried. Her mouth found mine as if drawn to me, her lips already parted. She tasted of strawberries and something sweet and intoxicating that was uniquely her. Her hand drifted down my back, bunching in my T-shirt so that it pulled up my back as she held me close. A soft moan slipped from her throat and I was ready to go. The parlor was empty. The counters could be resterilized.

Someone called my name in an angry and plaintive voice. I jerked my head away from Trixie, breaking the kiss but not releasing her. I heard it again and groaned as my d.i.c.k throbbed in frustration. We weren't alone. This time, Trixie blushed as I stepped backward and looked down at the forgotten cat carrier in her hand. She had brought Sofie in to work with her.

"Sorry, Sof," I muttered, walking to the opposite side of the room in hopes that the distance would get my hard-on to pa.s.s. Her only response was a soft growl while Trixie set the carrier on the floor and unzipped the opening. Trixie brought the cat into the shop a few times a week so she had a little variety in her day. Trixie's apartment was smaller than Sofie's previous home with an elderly woman named Mae. It also didn't include a balcony, limiting Sofie's time outside. I didn't mind since she spent most of her time lounging on the gla.s.s counter or sitting in the front window, watching the people walk by.

"I still can't believe you let her put you in that thing," I said as the large Russian Blue jumped from the floor to the tattooing chair at Trixie's station. The cat gave a little shudder and rubbed against the arm of the chair a couple times as if to put mussed fur back into place.

"It's not bad so long as you don't distract her when she walks in," Sofie grumbled, sitting in the middle of the chair.

"Sorry about that." I flashed Trixie a smile that wasn't at all apologetic. She shook her head as she turned and shoved the cat carrier in an empty cabinet.

I walked over and scratched the cat's head in greeting, trying to once again suppress the thought that Sofie was a witch and not some weird talking cat. You didn't rub the head of a witch. Sofie never complained and I had heard her purr a few times, but I didn't want to think too hard about any of it.

"I'm worried that you're not getting enough exercise; getting a little soft around the middle from letting Trixie put you in that carrier."

Sofie growled and took a swipe at me with a lethal set of claws. I jerked my hand back, but she caught my middle finger, tearing a thin red line along the side.

"Hey!" I yelped. "I know a couple good vets who can take care of those claws."

"And I know a couple good ways to make you a soprano," Sofie threatened. I stepped back over to the counter I had been standing at earlier, sticking my wounded finger in my mouth.

"Gage!" Trixie sank gracefully onto her stool. Sofie jumped into her lap and curled up while Trixie proceeded to stroke the witch/cat. "You know better than to tease a woman about her weight. Sofie is the perfect weight." Trixie lowered her head and rubbed her forehead against the top of the cat's head while cooing at her. Under those noises, I could hear Sofie purring.

"She knows I was teasing!"

Trixie looked up and frowned at me. "That's no excuse."

My eyes fell shut as I swallowed a sigh. Sofie was a witch. She had been born human, and despite the fact that she walked around as a cat, she was still a witch. It seemed wrong to treat her as a cat, but Sofie didn't balk at any of Trixie's attention, which was more than a little disturbing. Maybe Sofie had spent too much time in the form of a cat and it was starting to affect her sense of self.

"You didn't stop by last night," Trixie said softly.

I opened my eyes again, watching as she lifted her head from Sofie. Her expression was filled with questions, but she didn't say anything else, leaving it up to me as to whether I would tell her anything of my adventures with Bronx and Reave's little organization.

The sigh I thought I had swallowed rose back up and escaped me. I would have to say something since I wasn't completely sure that Bronx would be in to work that night. He would need time to heal and it was very likely that he would still be feeling like s.h.i.t when the sun set.

"Things didn't go too well. I wasn't in the greatest of moods when we were done and I didn't want to drag that over to your place last night," I said with a frown. "Also, Bronx might not be in tonight. I'm going to call him in an hour or two to check on him."

"Not in? How bad did things go last night?"

Leaning against the counter, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at the floor. While the lobby had a nice old hardwood floor, the main tattooing room was covered in this c.r.a.ppy yellow linoleum that was cracked, chipped, and lightly stained with splatters from dropped ink containers. "I was sent to protect a fix-production house." Trixie gasped and I clenched my teeth and chanced a peek up at her. Pixies weren't directly related to elves, but it was my understanding that they were at least seen as some kind of distant cousin-a lot closer than humans were believed to be. "I relieved them of their supply in the process of protecting the house."

"Thank goodness," she breathed, her shoulders slumping in her relief. But they stiffened again as her mind traveled along the next natural conclusion. "Is that how Bronx was injured?"

"Sort of. We got out of the house fine, but Reave decided that I needed to be punished to make sure that I didn't try anything like that again."

Trixie's brows furrowed, meeting over her pet.i.te nose as she looked at me. "So Bronx was hurt?"

"Reave knows that the best way to handle me is to threaten the people I care about. I'll take whatever beating that he can dish out, but I break when he threatens my friends. I guess we all have to have a weakness, right?"

Trixie opened her mouth to say something, but never got the chance. Sofie jumped out of her arms and back onto the tattooing chair between Trixie and me. "Absolutely not!" she snapped. Her tail flicked back and forth as she paced along the chair. If she had been human, I think she would have smacked me.

"You are a warlock, Gage! You do not have weaknesses. You do not allow ordinary, weak-minded thugs to control your actions through threats. You take care of them and continue on your way."

I gave a little snort. "This coming from a witch trapped as a cat for the past several years."

Sofie primly sat in the middle of the chair, facing me. "My condition has no bearing here. You are a warlock!" Her chest puffed up as she added that last bit, as if it was supposed to instill some kind of latent pride.

I shrugged. "I'm not a warlock. I never finished."

"You became a warlock the minute you were taken to the Towers. Doesn't matter if you finished."

"No. I'm not a warlock. I don't kill."

I didn't know it was possible, but Sofie managed to arch one little cat brow at me in mocking question. f.u.c.k. Simon was haunting me.

"That was self-defense," I said slowly through clenched teeth.

"You're saying that you didn't go there intending to kill him?" Sofie pressed. While it didn't show now, I could easily imagine the smug expression on her human face.

I looked away, glaring at the wall. I could argue that I didn't go across town looking for Simon because I had been looking for answers from my old tattooing mentor Atticus Sparks. But deep down, I had always known that it would all lead back to Simon and that matter came down to killing him before he killed me.

"Does Reave know about me?" Trixie asked, breaking into my train of thought.

I jerked my gaze over to her and stiffly nodded. I wasn't going to lie to her in an effort to leave her feeling safe when she wasn't. It would be better if she at least knew to look over her shoulder on occasion, not that I wanted to add to her worries. She was already looking over her shoulder in expectation of seeing another elf hunting her. We might have earned a reprieve from her people, but neither one of us trusted it.

"I won't let him touch you," I said.

"Why? Because you'll kill him?" Trixie's words were soft and gentle, possessing a wealth of sadness for me and this life I was trying to live.

I pushed away from the counter and walked over to the doorway so that I could look across the lobby and out the front picture window to the street beyond. Shoving my hands into my short hair, I leaned my elbows against the doorjamb and stared at nothing.

"No, he won't touch you because I'll do as he asks until I think of some way to take care of this problem."

Trixie slid her arms around my waist and laid her head against my spine. I flinched. I hadn't even heard her move from her seat she was so quiet. "And sell out your morals and beliefs in the process. Things like that damage the soul."

"Who says that I've got any soul left to damage?" I teased, but dark truth underlay that comment. I was already missing a piece of my soul. Simon had stolen it and I failed to get it back before killing him. After all the decisions I had made, I was beginning to wonder if I wasn't missing more than that one piece.

"Your soul is beautiful, Gage, if a little tarnished." I didn't say anything. I wanted her to believe this if only so that she would keep her arms around me for a little longer. "This Reave deserves to die for what he's done to the pixies and everyone else he's hurt. I won't mourn him if you decide to get rid of him. Just don't kill him with magic. You've already lost one year."

I closed my eyes against that horrible reminder. That little fact woke me up from a deep sleep on more than one occasion, scaring the s.h.i.t out of Trixie during the few times I had slept over at her place.

Magic had some strange rules. There had to be a little give for everything you got-particularly for the big things like killing someone. For the most part, you simply moved energy that already existed in the air, directing it to do your bidding. But killing someone with magic was another matter. You were ending a life, removing a big source of that energy from the earth, and that unbalanced things. The price was that you lost one year of your own life for each person you killed with magic. And it wasn't one of those c.r.a.ppy years off the end. No, you could be twenty-five, healthy and happy in the prime of life, and fall dead while walking down the middle of the street with no warning. You'd be dead for exactly 365 days and then wake up as if nothing had happened; a.s.suming that those around you were nice enough to preserve the body so that it could start up again.

I had killed Simon with magic. He was dead and I owed magic one year of my life. I didn't know when it was going to happen, but I was terrified that it would happen before I could help Trixie solve her problem with the Summer Court. I was terrified it would happen before I could get Bronx free of Reave. I was terrified that it would happen and the Towers would discover my body helpless and unprotected. I was terrified of Lilith, who was waiting for me with a chunk of my soul on the other side.

Forcing my eyes open, I drew in a slow, steadying breath before dropping my hands down to cover Trixie's where they rested on my waist. "It'll be fine. I'll find a way to deal with Reave before he even thinks about bothering you."

"It's not me that I'm worried about," she said against my back.

Turning, I smiled at her. "I'll deal with Reave before he even thinks about bothering Bronx again."

Trixie made a sound of disgust as she shoved away from me and returned to her workstation. It wasn't what she meant and we both knew it, but at least my comment succeeded in removing the concern from her eyes.

"Do you have any appointments?" I asked, redirecting her thoughts.

She glanced up at the clock on the wall and shook her head. "Not for another hour and I've already done the prep work."

"You mind keeping an eye on things for a little while? I've got a couple things I want to check on downstairs."

Trixie gave a little wave of her hand as she sat back on her stool, leaning against the counter behind her. "Go for it."

"Thanks." I flashed her a quick smile before I turned to look down at Sofie. "You care to join me in the dungeon?"

"Fine with me," the cat replied, jumping off the chair to follow me. "I've been waiting to see your stash of goodies for a while now."

I gave a soft chuckle as she trailed me down the narrow hallway to the back room. I closed the door behind her, but didn't lock it. Trixie wouldn't enter unless it was an emergency. She knew of the dangers a.s.sociated with my private storeroom.

"Hang back until I call you," I said as I knelt and pulled up the trapdoor in the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sofie give a little nod as she sat a few feet away, her tail softly swishing across the floor.

The bas.e.m.e.nt was one of the reasons I had chosen this building when I decided to open up my own shop. After living several years with Sparks, I had been eager to get out on my own and a part of it had been because I thought I could set up a secret place to practice a little magic. I had been stupid. It was only recently that I discovered that Gideon had always known about my secret spot, though I was hopeful that he didn't know about everything it contained.

I paused while descending the stairs as a thought struck me. If Gideon was no longer the guardian who kept an eye on me, I would need to close this spot down or whoever was a.s.signed as my parole officer would drag me in before the council in a heartbeat. I'd have to get rid of everything, or get Gideon to help me hide it better.

The warped wooden stairs creaked under my feet as I continued to the dirt floor. I walked to the center of the pitch-black room and blindly reached up, feeling for the beaded metal cord that hung from the only light. I had been in the bas.e.m.e.nt a thousand times, knew it blind, but my stomach still churned the first few seconds after entering. I had already checked it once when I first arrived at the shop, but it was only after I turned on the light and saw that nothing had been touched that I started to relax.

Lifting my right hand, holding the open palm toward a symbol spray-painted on the far blank wall, I murmured a few words and directed a little energy toward it, disarming the protective spell.

"It's clear," I called, leaning toward the stairs and the opening in the ceiling.

A second later, Sofie poked her head in the opening, peering down before delicately descending the stairs on silent paws. She stopped halfway, the hair on her back standing on end. The cat gave a little shake, settling her fur back while narrowing her eyes on me. "Goodness," she said, sounding a bit breathless. "You've got some powerful magic down here."

I smiled a bit stiffly at her. This was the first time I had allowed another witch or warlock to come into my secret dungeon. I felt the heaviness of the energy too, but I had grown accustomed to it after so many trips. I even felt it when I was on the main floor, but only slightly. I wondered if Sofie did as well.

"I've got some dangerous items down here."

Sofie started to come down the rest of the stairs, but abruptly stopped when her eyes fell on the black symbol that covered the only blank stone wall in the room. Every muscle in her body had gone stiff and I could almost hear her heart pounding in her chest. "That's a very strong protection spell." Her voice was tight and barely above a whisper, as if she was afraid that the slight sound would awaken the dormant spell.

"Like I said, I've got some dangerous items down here." Sofie continued to stare at the wall, unable to move. "Sof, I wouldn't invite you if I couldn't properly shut down the spell. You're safe."