Black Magic - An Urban Fantasy Colleciton Read online

  River leaned in to kiss his lips in appreciation. He didn’t need to confirm that he was right; they both knew it. They’d just spent nearly two weeks in the Alliance offices, living in a single upstairs room with the other Alliance members, as they conducted some secret discussions and agreed upon a proposal for a new law.

  Over the last six months, most of the hard work had been done, but those two weeks without privacy or intimacy had drained them and pulled their bond so taut that River knew it would snap – or they would – if they didn’t reconnect soon.

  “Can I come in now?” Tameron asked, in a huff. He sounded so disapproving that River wanted to scream at him.

  “Fine.” He only gave in reluctantly, then turned onto his back and smiled as Vanos rolled onto his side, to wrap his left wing around both their bodies. It blanketed them as well as any duvet could, while offering intimacy, comfort and the ability for their bodies to breathe in the stifling heat of the room.

  The door squeaked as it opened, reminding River that he still had maintenance to carry out on the garage interior. They’d spent a few days, after the first creature meeting, removing all the car related items and moving in his furniture from the house. Once they were suitably moved in, they had no time for decorating or mending the small issues, as the Alliance came into fruition and demanded most of their time.

  “Can you two not keep your hands off each other?” Tameron sneered, as he walked into the room and leaned against the wall, folding his hands over his chest. “I heard you going at it all the time back in the Alliance house and now you’re at it again?” he complained.

  River laughed and snuggled into the warmth and softness of Vanos’ wing, while facing Tameron. “We weren’t “going at” anything in the Alliance house. There was no privacy to do anything there,” he argued, though it hadn’t help the matter of their strained bond any. “But our sex life is nothing to do with you, so what do you want?”

  Tameron raised an eyebrow and huffed. “I see your mating didn’t improve your temper,” he muttered, while inspecting his nails.

  Vanos growled, while his hand trailed the length of River’s forearm, until he wound their fingers together. “Our mating is also none of your concern. Nor are our physical needs,” he snapped, his fury rising as it always did when Tameron was near.

  River caressed the back of his hand, trying to calm him down. Vanos always got overprotective whenever the vampire was close, because he knew Tameron desired him, but there was no way for him to do his usual and kill anyone who so much as sniffed in his direction. “Get on with it, Tam. I’m tired,” he confessed, so wrapped up in Vanos embrace that he could hardly think of anything else.

  “The humans have replied to your letter. It came into the Alliance house, just as I was leaving,” the vampire explained, pulling a letter from his jacket pocket to toss towards the bed.

  Grabbing it from the top of Vanos’ wing, River ripped open the envelope and skim read the full page letter. “They’ve accepted our request for a meeting, but they have conditions. They want us to choose a human representative to speak for us and they’ve supplied a list of volunteers they approve of. People who have no ‘creature’ DNA,” he revealed, with a frown. “They’ve created their own group to reach out to any creatures willing to enter talks. But their demands are ridiculous; any dangerous creature must be tagged and have their DNA logged in a human database,” he explained, with a sniff.

  He wasn’t impressed with the letter, but it meant they were open to discussions and that was all that mattered. Finished with the brief, to the point, note, he placed it back into the envelope and dropped it onto the bedside table.

  “Is that all it says?” Tameron asked, pushing off the wall to stare at him eagerly.

  “Basically.” He nodded and rubbed his tired eyes. “The last four months have done us some good, to be honest. There’s not one of us in the Alliance who would agree to their terms and no one in our community wants a human representative to speak for us, without one of us there to make sure our needs are met.” He didn’t see how they had any other choice.

  “So what now?” Vanos asked, his voice thick and deep right by his ear. The sound made him shiver.

  “We refuse. And we build defences around our land,” River decided, since the Alliance had already agreed to build an extensive wall around their city, to keep humans out, if they refused to accept their claim to the city. This was their home, because this was where the rift between worlds had torn and they all hoped it may open again, to give those who wanted the chance to return home.

  Tameron nodded and turned to leave, his hand on the door handle. “Is there a message you want me to pass on to the Alliance?” he wondered, waiting for his reply with a tension in his shoulders that spoke volumes.

  River knew what the problem was; building this wall could provoke a war with the humans. But, right now, they couldn’t worry about that. “Tell them to start preparations for building the wall. Then tell them that the Trespassing Law will be passed,” he answered, with a heavy heart.

  With the humans unwilling to allow them to speak for and govern themselves, River was left with no other choice. He had become the unofficial leader of the creatures, due to his heritage and abilities being so much greater and so different to anyone else. With the help of the prophetess’ claims and the time of his birth, he was the only one in their community with a true connection to the rift between worlds.

  Now, he would put in place the most important law that they’d hesitated over passing, until they heard back from the humans. The Trespassing Law would make any human who ventured inside their city wall prey. Any human who risked entering their land would be hunted and legally killed by any creature who discovered them. And they would make signs to warn of that, so that there was no legal recourse on the humans end, to prevent them from safeguarding their enclosed world.

  The long term plan was to gradually claim the surrounding cities, as their community expanded with newborns and any creatures who came from the outside world, seeking refuge.

  Tameron left with a nod and a smile of approval. The Trespassing Law was his idea and would now be enforced by all creatures, without hesitation.

  With his absence, River felt a sense of calm return to the room. He turned to snuggle into Vanos’ chest and wing, preparing for a long nap. “You think I shouldn’t do this?” he asked, feeling a prickle of unease in his mate.

  “No. I know you must,” he disagreed. “I worry for the humans. In a year, we will have enough beings to take over the next city. As we grow, the humans will become more aggressive and I believe a fight will come to our door,” he admitted, his voice so full of concern that River nudged closer.

  “I won’t let it come to that. As long as we’re smart and careful, we can outsmart the humans,” he promised, turning to kiss his lightly haired chest. “If we train our young and make sure they respect the Alliance and our Laws, we won’t have trouble. Humans will learn the hard way that we’re not going to be trod on. We will stand our ground and protect our own.” He was adamant about that. If the humans didn’t listen, men like Tameron would make them listen.

  Vanos sighed deeply and kissed his forehead.

  “Are you upset with me?” River asked, afraid to look up and see disappointment in his big black eyes with that now permanent green glimmer.

  “No. My little mate, I am so proud of you,” he whispered, dipping his head to kiss his eyelids, one after the other. “You have gone from a frightened, defensive young boy to a strong leader and blindingly beautiful adult. I could not be more proud of how you have grown,” he confessed.

  River smiled and looked up, glad to see Vanos staring back at him. They met halfway in a long, deep kiss. “And you blind me,” he responded, lost in the depth of those eyes. “You destroy every sense, because you’re so utterly overwhelming.” A kiss cut him off, just in time, before he began rambling
again. It was the only curse he suffered; the inability to keep his mouth shut, when overcome with love for his true mate.

  Not that he would ever complain.

  He was so lucky to have Vanos at all that, even if he developed an unfiltered sieve between his heart and mouth, he would never regret it. Vanos deserved to know how deeply River loved him. And how much he craved the eternity they would share together.

  A FAIRY’S MIGHT

  BY LAURENCIA HOFFMAN

  Imagine a world without expectation

  Where love is born in each creation

  Any natural creature could breathe the same air

  Even the ogres felt at ease there

  All manner of Fae, Unicorns, Griffins, and Fawns

  Peacefully co-existed in the place I called home

  United in magic, the kingdom was a wonder

  So wondrous that it filled the hateful with envious hunger

  One day, I returned, and could scarcely believe my eyes

  Praying that the sight I witnessed was a cruel lie

  No more was the place in tales of old

  Where species of any kind were free to roam

  Beneath fire and ash, the beauty was gone

  Who could commit this evil, do such a wrong?

  Where once I stood and swelled with pride

  I kneel and weep for all the good that had died

  Why, I ask, into the void, were all my hopes and dreams destroyed?

  Where once was light, there now is dark

  And to my doom, I shall embark

  Live or die, I prepare to fight

  For they shall see this woman’s might

  I STILL MISS SOMEONE

  NICOLE THORN

  Fitz

  I didn’t know I still had it, nor why it was crammed into a book I hadn’t read since I was a little boy. I shouldn’t even have the stupid book. She read it to me a million times when I couldn’t fall asleep. It got to the point where I couldn’t sleep without it. I needed her voice in my ear and my head on her chest. Sometimes when I closed my eyes, I could still hear it. But this in my hands, it was just paper. It didn’t mean anything. It wouldn’t soothe me.

  Seven years ago, just about. It still stung like that very first morning I woke up and discovered she was gone, taking with her the child that she told me was mine to protect. To love. Silly me for thinking that I could forget her by shoving the Polaroid into a book.

  It had lasted longer this time. The last time I thought about Jemma, had been on my sixteenth birthday. So I’d made it a few months, a few months where I pretended I wasn’t as broken as I knew I was. It was why she left me here. She could see it in my eyes. I was a broken little boy, and she had a brand-new child to care for. One that could give her a fresh start.

  Willow. Willow. Willow. The name had become burned into my head. We’d picked it together. I thought at the time that this…Willow would be around. I was supposed to be her protector. Jemma asked me to take care of her like she was my little sister. The girl would have been about seven now. If she were here, I think I would wrap my hands around her neck, and squeeze until I heard a snapping sound.

  The little monster stole from me, and she was living my life. Off on some farm I was sure. Running free and happily, with not a care in the world. I could picture her in my head. I imagined she looked like Jemma, because I couldn’t picture anything else. Smooth dark skin and hair to match. I wanted to take her by that long hair, and smash her head into the ground. She took everything from me, and I bet she didn’t even know what she’d done. Even if she did, she wouldn’t have cared. Why should she mourn the lost boy left behind so that she could have better?

  What I wanted to know was if Jemma mourned. Did she think about me at night? Were there times where she would wake up and remember the little boy that used to crawl into her bed when he got scared? Did she look to the door when she heard a noise, expecting a version of me that was long dead?

  Did she still love me?

  I sat on my bed, staring at the picture as it rested in my book. Owl at Home. It was a book for a very small child, and I should burn it. I couldn’t bring myself to. Instead, I kept looking at the picture, as if I were waiting for it to change. Jemma was kissing my cheek, and my face was scrunched up. I had to have been six years old at the time.

  We were happy. Even with her stupid husband in the mix. He never liked me, and I’d always hated him. He didn’t matter; Jemma was all I ever saw. From the moment we’d met, she’d taken care of me. I really believed that she would be in my life for the rest of hers.

  I used to be excited that I would have a little version of her in my life. I was more than willing to be Willow’s protector. We were family. But then that family went and found their way without me. There would be no days where I’d take her hand and walk her to school. I wouldn’t teach her how to protect herself, tell her stories, sing her to sleep. I’d wanted all of those things, once upon a time. I’d wanted to be everything for her, because I wanted the love I knew she would give me.

  Now I wanted her heart to stop beating.

  A knock on my door made me close my book, shoving it under a pillow. “Come in.”

  My father walked in with a smile. “You’re up early.”

  I smiled back at him, forcing it to the point of pain in my chest. “Couldn’t sleep. I think the new doses are fucking with my brain.”

  Since I was a shifter and more rare than I could explain, I needed to be tested. Dad ran the base like a well-oiled machine, and I was a part of it. As his adopted son, I had the responsibilities of any heir being trained. I was the only one, so I did what I had to do. Right now, we were testing the molecules in my blood. I had to start taking stuff to make more blood, and it left me woozy.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Dad said, entering my room.

  I stood, walking to my dresser to pick out some clothes for the day. “Is there a reason you’re up this early?”

  With a sigh, he said, “Yup. We have a new person coming in. A little human girl. Her parents were killed in a car accident, and her arm got snapped in two. A little vampire blood and she’ll be all fixed up.”

  I tossed my old shirt in the corner and pulled a new one on. “How old?”

  “Five I think. Young enough.”

  Young enough. “Did you need me for anything?”

  “I do, actually. I’ve set up another training session. Today with a woman named Annalise. Just some hand to hand but she’s a toughie, I’ll warn you now. She likes to work you up so that the fire in your belly will make you work at it. I think you’ll have fun. Have you reviewed your last sessions?”

  We would record all of my sessions, so that I could review what I did well and what I needed to work on. We were all trained, but I was the only one who got one on one sessions. I was just more important than the rest. If I died, it would devastate my father, and he would be without another shifter to learn from. Though I was sure he couldn’t have cared less about that.

  “I did,” I said as I put on new jeans. I sat on my bed to lace up my boots. “Several times. Is there a reason I have a new trainer?”

  “Gary died,” my father stated without anything to his voice.

  “What?” A lump formed in my throat at the information. Gary was a good man. Better than most here. He was kind to me when I was a bastard to him. And he was one of the few people that didn’t talk down to me.

  “Rudolph did it,” Dad said. “He said Gary made one of Rudolph’s girls hurt her leg when training. You know how Rudolph is. I’m sure Gary didn’t mean to hurt her, but it was easier to let him do what he will than to fight about it.” He paused and gave me a funny look. “Are you upset?”

  I laughed and it hurt my stomach. “Yeah, I’ll mourn him forever. I’m sure the man will still pop into my head a decade from now.” I
forced the smile until Dad wasn’t looking anymore, and then I let my face fall.

  Gary was a very good man.

  Better than I could ever be.

  We started walking and Dad put his arm over my shoulders. I was getting tall, and he often joked that I’d get taller than him soon. I’d just broken six feet, so I doubted I’d get much taller. I was also lanky as hell. My hair was a curly mess. I looked every bit the teenager that I was.

  “Oh, good news,” Dad said, pulling me to his side. “I heard back from some of my men in the UK. They think they found another shifter.”

  “That’s great,” I said. “Are they going to try and bring them in?”

  “I’m hoping so. They think she’s married. We’ll try and get the both of them to come. A safe environment will be worth it to them, I’m sure.”

  Of course. When the alternative is being hunted by men that would take any demon or shifter and sell them to the highest bidder. It was why I never left base. Dad said that a million people were waiting to find and hurt me.

  “And someone might have tracked down the hybrid.”

  My heart stopped. “The hybrid?”

  I must have sounded confused, because he tried to explain. “The one we made. You were so young when it happened. Sorry,” he laughed. “I’m always so knee deep in it that I guess I’m a little surprised you don’t know more. But I suppose I didn’t mention it to you because I had no reason to.”

  I just nodded at him. He hardly ever brought it up to me, but I knew it was a constant search. The hybrid was myth now, and we weren’t even sure she was alive. Well, I was. Some stupid part of me believed I’d somehow feel it if she wasn’t on this earth. Like it would resonate in my soul. Maybe it would bring me silence.

  I realized then that they didn’t even know her name. I was the only one that did. Something in me told me to keep it to myself. For myself. I picked it, so why should I share? Willow. It still echoed in my head. I didn’t tell. They shouldn’t know.