Death Match (A Magic Bullet Novel Book 2) (19 page)

I held up Leia in a lame effort to deflect the next breath of fiery air. What I wouldn't do for a pink bubble right now.

Dragon Mage's mouth opened wide and a fireball unfurled, streaking toward me like a heat-seeking missile. If I had to go down, I liked the idea of going down in flames. It was more my style.

I stood with my feet firmly planted, my knuckles white from the tight grip on the yantok's handle. The heat warmed my skin as the fireball drew closer.

Then it took a sharp turn upward, lighting up the sky above the stadium like a firework.

"What the...?" Why didn't it hit me?

Hide
, a familiar voice demanded.

There was only one person who could get inside my head that easily.

Reed appeared behind me, his gaze pinned on the lady in red leather. "This is over," he said.

Red sparks danced around Dragon Mage's hand. She seemed to think otherwise.

"How did you change its course?" she asked, preparing another effort.

"You might be able to create fire," he said, and opened his palm to reveal a small, dancing flame. "But I can control it." He blew on his palm and the flame went airborne. Before it reached Dragon Mage, he snapped his fingers and the flame dissolved to ash and dropped to the ground.

Her fists tightened. "You're one of the chosen."

I knew what she meant. Not all of the Nephilim had Reed's gifts. Some were telepathic. Some controlled fire. Some moved like the wind. He seemed to have inherited every power move in the Nephilim playbook. They could fight fire with fire, but the one who controlled it certainly had the advantage.

"What are you doing over here?" I asked. "You're supposed to be protecting the prince."

"He's safe," Reed said.

Dragon Mage stiffened. "The prince is unharmed?" She peered across the stadium for a better view of her co-conspirators. "Where are the Ghuls?"

"Probably terrorizing the city," Reed said. "Which is why I called Protectorate Headquarters and issued a code white."

Dragon Mage didn't stick around to ask follow-up questions. She unleashed her red sparks and a wall of flames shot up between us.

"Reed, we need to stop her," I said. "Can you turn that wall of fire into a lasso or something?"

The whirring sound of a helicopter cut short his pursuit. When Dragon Mage reached the top of the stadium, the helicopter was there waiting for her. A ladder dropped down and she grabbed the sides with impressive grace. The helicopter flew off before she even made it inside. We watched her image shrink to a tiny red dot and then disappear.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Quite an exit."

"Yeah, well. Some people are all flash and no substance."

"Maybe a little substance." He waved his magic hand and extinguished the wall of flames before turning his attention to me. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." The ends of my hair were smoking, but otherwise, I was still intact. "Is the prince really safe?"

Reed nodded. "The Ifrits were a huge help and Flynn rallied a group of djinn to his side. Once the connection to Dragon Mage was broken, the Ghuls were more brawn than brains."

The Ghuls would have had no chance against the summoning and shifting powers of the other castes combined. "How did Flynn convince them to help? Prince Simdan isn't exactly the most popular djinni."

"Maybe not, but Flynn sure is. He looked like a deranged pirate leading his men aboard an enemy ship."

Flynn would have really liked that description of himself.

"What made Flynn go hero all the sudden?" I asked. "Did someone offer a reward?" Flynn was usually out for himself and that was the extent of the list, although Tessa likely made the cut now. Tessa with her inexplicable yoga skills, heart-shaped face and curly, cinnamon-colored hair. What did she see in Flynn? It had to be the bad boy thing. There was no other explanation.

"No reward," Reed said. "But I heard him calling for you. He seemed to think you were there."

So Flynn thought he was rescuing me. I didn't know whether to be thankful or annoyed.

"Where's Prince Simdan now?" I asked.

"His surviving bodyguards whisked him back to court."

"Farah and Mix?"

"They're great. Farah seemed to be enjoying herself in the melee." He extended a hand. "Now let me take you back to Lana for another checkup."

I pulled back. "Are you nuts? That poor woman's seen enough of me to last a lifetime."

"Maybe she has," he said, "but I haven't." He wiggled his fingers. "You've got to make this human body last, remember? Let's take good care of it."

I wasn't sure whether it was the aftershocks of the fight or what, but I let him take my hand and guide me down the steps to the interior corridor. My legs wobbled slightly, but I kept my balance.

Farah and Mix found us there. I could tell by the spring in her step that Farah was still basking in the brawl's afterglow.

"This was the best Colony Games ever," she sang and ran over to embrace me. "And you're still alive. Bonus."

"Singed hair is not a good look for you," Mix said and broke off a piece of charred hair. It disintegrated in his fingertips.

"You should've seen the look on Prince Simdan's face when he realized he was under attack." Farah tried to imitate his fearful and pained expression. "I wanted to snap a quick picture with my phone, but Mix wouldn't let me."

Mix glared at her. "The man was nearly torn to pieces by hundreds of Ghuls. Do you really think a picture would have been appropriate?"

"He's completely fine," Farah argued. "I just wanted to preserve the moment so the next time he was an ass to Alyse, she could flash him a reminder of his most vulnerable moment."

"You're very thoughtful, Farah," I said.

"I'd like her to see the healer," Reed said.

"We can get her there." Farah leapt between us and looped her arm through mine.

"Farah, I think Captain Reed would like to take her." Mix cleared his throat awkwardly. "I mean, escort her."

"No one needs to escort me," I said. "I'm perfectly capable of walking."

And then my legs betrayed me and I slid into darkness.

W
hen I awoke
, Lana's gray eyes peered into mine, assessing me.

"Still with us, I see," she said.

"If I'm going out," I said, "it's in a blaze of glory."

"Indeed." She took a step back. "You must rest now."

"Isn't that what I've been doing?" I was sprawled on a hospital bed, my legs covered with bandages.

"You've regained consciousness," Lana said. "Only now can the body and mind truly heal. You suffered burns on your legs."

"Well, they don't hurt," I said. "More magic ointment?"

"More like drugs," a voice said. "Morphine to be exact." Reed moved toward the bed, a worried expression on his angelic face. "How do you feel?"

"I'm good. What did the council do? Were we disqualified?"

"They said we won by default," Reed told me. "We had all our players when the match stopped, but the Ifrits only had three."

"I'm down to one yantok," I said.

"I'm sure Pinky can get you a replacement."

At the mention of Pinky, my heart stilled. "Is she okay? Is she awake?"

He shook his head somberly. "But Farah and Mix are waiting outside." He scowled. "And Flynn."

"You can't have too many people in the room," Lana scolded him. "This is a healing facility, not a dance club."

"I'm sure you can make an exception just this once," he told Lana sweetly. Damn if Captain Fabulous couldn't be downright charming when he wanted to be.

Lana squeezed his cheeks. "Anything for you, Grayson." She released him and opened the door. As my friends spilled into the room, Reed's hand left mine.

Farah rushed to the bed, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Are your legs okay?"

I glanced at Lana. "Are my legs okay, Lana?"

"They'll heal, thanks to me." She narrowed her eyes at Reed. "No thanks to you and your reckless flames."

"Reckless?" Reed repeated, aghast. "Those flames kept us from being killed by a mage, not to mention devoured by a giant blue Minotaur."

"If it's any consolation, he wouldn't have eaten us," I said.

"It's really not," Reed replied.

Farah proceeded to inspect me for further damage. "So the yantoks worked pretty well, huh?"

I smiled weakly. "I guess you could say I used the force."

"I've already ordered a replacement yantok," Farah said, waving her phone. "I asked for expedited shipping."

"Okay, enough chatter," Lana said, breaking through the small crowd. "Everyone out now. Visiting hours are over. My patient needs to rest."

"Sleep well, Alyse," Mix said.

They formed a dejected line and marched sullenly out the door, except for Reed.

"What are you still standing here for?" Lana demanded. "You think you're not under my thumb because you're a captain?"

He looked at me. "Detective Thompson was here earlier, when you were still out of it. She'd like to see you when you're up for it."

"You can text her that information," Lana said. "Now go."

"You go first," Reed said. "I'll follow you out in a second."

Lana huffed but she complied.

"Feel better," he said.

"I already do."

Reluctantly, he moved toward the door. As I watched him go, part of me wanted him to turn back and demand to stay. But Captain Grayson Reed was a Boy Scout and Boy Scouts followed orders. I closed my eyes in resignation and heard the click of the door.

Someone banged on the outside of the door and I heard Lana's muffled voice. My eyes flew open and Reed was beside my bed, grinning.

"I thought you left," I said.

He shrugged. "I locked the door instead."

"Why? Is this where you shove a pillow over my face and snuff me out?"

He smoothed my hair back from my forehead. "No, it's where I do this." He leaned down and kissed me gently, like Prince Charming awakening Sleeping Beauty.

I peered up at him. "Are you sure about this, Reed?"

"Not even remotely," he replied and grazed my cheekbone with his finger.

Lana pounded on the door and I could picture her wrinkled face red with anger and exertion.

"You should open the door before she has a heart attack," I said. "You don't want her blood on your hands."

His expression clouded over. "No, there's already more than enough on them."

"No thanks to me."

He gave me a fierce look. "Don't do that," he said. "Don't you dare blame yourself. I knew what I was getting myself into."

I shook my head sadly. "I don't think you do, Reed. Where I go, trouble follows. Ask Mix and Farah. They'll tell you. Hell, even Flynn will give you an earful. I'm not the Nephilim's type of girl. I lost my job, I'm human, and I have a salty attitude." Not to mention the fact that my enemies would soon be looking for me, once they got wind of my downfall.

"I'm a Protector," Reed said. "My entire life is devoted to helping those in trouble." He smiled. "And you're human now, so you qualify for my assistance."

"But I'm not human," I told him. "Not really."

He crossed the room to unlock the door. "It doesn't matter what you call yourself, Alyse," he said over his shoulder. "You're still the same soul on the inside."

And that was precisely what worried me.

O
nce I was fully recovered
, I met Detective Thompson on a bench in Wissahickon Valley Park at her suggestion. No raised eyebrow from me. Clandestine meetings had been my way of life until a few months ago.

"Thanks for coming all the way out here." She handed me a coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.

"Thanks, I don't really drink coffee, though."

She stared at me like I'd announced my candidacy for president of Mars. "I'll never understand djinn."

"I don't know that it's a djinn thing," I said. "More of an Alyse thing."

"I'll never understand you, then."

"Join the club. It's bursting with members." I moved to set the unwanted coffee cup down on the ground, but she snatched it back.

"You don't waste perfectly good coffee. I'll save it for later." She took a sip from her own cup.

"Why meet here?" I asked. The location was scenic with miles of wilderness stretching the length of the park, but it was a hike from Center City.

"I think I have a tail," she replied. "I managed to lose them on the Schuylkill Expressway."

"Any clue who would want to follow you?" I could think of a half dozen people right off the bat and I didn't even know all the cases she'd been involved with before my arrival in town.

"I'm looking into it." So Thompson was going to remain tight-lipped. She still didn't completely trust me. I wondered what it would take, how Reed had earned her faith and full cooperation. Maybe I needed a halo.

"Any more information on X-caliber?" I asked.

"Captain Reed says not to worry about an influx. That it was an isolated incident." And there was her show of faith again, a bright beacon in the middle of a dimly lit forest.

"If I were you, I'd still want to keep it from turning up anywhere else, but Reed's right in that it wasn't designed for mass market distribution." It was designed to create a power vacuum in the colony. It didn't mean they wouldn't try to use it down the road to destroy more innocent lives.

"Somebody went to a lot of trouble to get you in the games," Thompson said.

"It was a surefire way of luring Prince Simdan to a very exposed, very public venue, far from his fortified compound." And they knew about my cuffs, which meant my enemies could, at any moment, descend upon the city in search of me. I wouldn't enjoy a decent night's sleep until my cuffs were off.

"Failed coup or not, the crime syndicate still made a fistful of money from bets on the matches," she said.

Instinctively, I thought of Joey Eagle. "More than a fistful." It was still a financial win for the Dragon, if not a political one. "Any progress in the conspiracy?"

She secured the lid on her coffee cup. "No. Nobody's talking."

I wasn't surprised. The Dragon was an expert at covering his tracks and cleaning up whatever evidence he didn't want found. If you were on his team and you were caught, it was because he'd discarded you, not because he'd made a mistake.

On the other hand, he made a mistake with me. He assumed I'd be killed in his bid for power, yet here I was. And now I knew the identity of his mage. I wasn't an agent anymore and I didn't have my powers, but it didn't mean I lacked the investigative skills. Those were as much human as they were djinn. And there was a trail now. It was faint, but it was there and I was going to follow it.

"I want the Dragon," Detective Thompson said, as though reading my thoughts.

"I thought you wanted the Ghuls."

She smiled. "Any reason I can't have both?"

I shrugged. "There are no glass ceilings in my world." Or, if there were, I crashed right through them. My djinni self may be stuffed in a human cage, but I would find a way to bust myself out. Eventually.

“What kind of spell did Dragon Mage use to control all those Ghuls at the games?” Thompson asked. “That’s some pretty potent magic.”

It was. And scary too.

“The closest thing I’ve seen is when djinn are bound to an object and bend to their master’s will.” So if the master ordered no shifting or drawing attention to themselves until a certain time, they obeyed.

“So the Dragon commands an army of Ghuls thanks to some kind of hive mind magic?” she queried. She looked as unhappy about the prospect as I felt.

“I’m not sure.” I needed more information before I could be certain.

"Well, how did the Ghuls end up working for the Dragon in the first place?" Thompson asked. "That many Ghuls under his thumb. He must have had help."

I'd been having similar thoughts. The Ghuls weren't a cohesive bunch. There was no clear leader, not even within the colony. Someone with knowledge or connections delivered those Ghuls to the Dragon’s doorstep and managed to do it quietly enough for no one to notice until the damage was almost done. It was bad enough not knowing the identity of the Dragon. I didn't like the idea of a silent player in the mix.

"Who stands to gain if Prince Simdan is out and the Dragon is in?" I asked. If anyone was up on her supernatural politics in the Mid-Atlantic Colony, it was Detective Thompson.

She shook her head. "Other than the obvious parties, I don't know."

"I'll speak to Prince Simdan," I said and inwardly shuddered. I didn't enjoy his company under any circumstances. "See if he has any ideas." Despite my intense dislike of our royal leader, he was a resourceful djinni with vast connections. He wouldn't have been able to hold onto power this long without them.

"This is colony business," Thompson said. "Wouldn't you rather spend your time trying to find out who cuffed you?"

I smiled. "Any reason I can't do both?"

My phone vibrated and I plucked it out of my pocket. My pulse accelerated when I saw the name on the screen.

"Give me some good news, Oscar."

"Pinky's awake."

Thank the gods.

R
ushing
in my human form was not even close to rushing in my djinn form. There was the brisk movement of legs, doors to open and close, the turning of a key, traffic to maneuver through. At least Detective Thompson kindly offered to drop me off in her police car so I had the bonus of flashing lights and curbside delivery. My resentment aside, I arrived at Pinky's room as quickly as humanly possible.

Although her skin was paler than usual and her eyes lacked their sparkle, Pinky was sitting up in bed with about five pillows stuffed behind her. Her hair had been brushed and neatly braided.

"Hey, mentor," she said and gave me a wan smile.

"You pulled through," I said. "Good job."

Oscar was nowhere to be seen, but Serena sat in a chair on the other side of the bed. I wondered if she knew he'd contacted me.

"I heard you guys won," Pinky said.

"In a sense."

She nodded slowly. "Is Dragon Mage dead?"

"Unfortunately, she lives to fight another day." If she knew what was good for her, she'd steer clear of me, though. Human or not, I'd find a way to bring her down.

"So do I," Pinky said. "So I guess I can't complain." She drew a steadying breath and shifted her weight in the bed. "How did you beat her?"

"I had help." That seemed to be my new normal. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. On the one hand, not dying was pretty nice. On the other hand, I wasn't used to needing other people. It made me feel exposed. Vulnerable. I hated that part of it.

"How did the yantoks work out for you?" she asked with a crooked smile.

"Luke didn't make it, I'm afraid." I bowed my head.

"No surprise there. You lose weapons like I lose pennies."

"You need a change purse. While we're on the subject of fighting," I began, choosing my words carefully. I didn't want to upset Pinky in her weakened state. "I think we should slow things down a little. Find a way to manage that burgeoning power of yours so it doesn't kill you."

"Smartest thing I've heard out of your mouth," Serena said.

"
Mom
," Pinky scolded. "She only tried to help. It wasn't her fault I got wrapped up in the games."

"No." Oscar's voice floated through the open doorway. "It wasn't Alyse's fault. It was mine."

Serena rose to her feet, her face flushed with anger. "I told you to leave and not come back."

"Mom, I'm really thirsty. Could you ask the nice healer lady if I'm allowed to have water?"

Serena knew it was a ruse, but she dutifully left the room, giving Oscar a menacing glare as she brushed past him. No doubt he would rue the day he ever pissed off Serena Edwards.

"I allowed this to happen," Oscar said, moving beside the bed. "You're one of ours and I allowed myself to be manipulated."

I knew he meant Gina. I wondered if Pinky knew.

Her brow creased. "I wanted to make you proud. Instead, I nearly died. Pride is stupid."

Gently, he patted her hand. "Not entirely. It can serve a purpose."

"What's next?" Pinky asked. "Do I get punished for failure or something?"

Oscar's brown eyes widened. "No, of course not. You acquitted yourself nicely."