The Ravenous Dark, page 13
"You should take a break, Adolphus," she advised. "You look spent."
"Well, I'm not," River snapped, pushing the sweat off her face defiantly. "I'm just getting started." Bailey's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "Fine, I've been trying to get the spell to work for three hours."
"Three hours? Gods, River. What were you thinking? You know your magical stamina is dependent on your physical stamina. We haven't sparred or trained in weeks."
River's chin jutted out in ire. "Evidently it's not that dependent."
The she-wolf glared. "What if you had passed out and someone other than me had found you? What then." She ran her eyes over River's slim figure. "You've been missing meals too. Don't think I haven't noticed. You're so wrapped up in finding a way to unleash your lycan side that you're neglecting every other part of yourself."
"Well, forgive me for wanting to feel whole for once in my life."
River's words cracked as she clenched and unclenched her hands at her side. Her eyes turned toward the rolling mirror placed inside the perimeter of three candles. River sighed, and at once, the tension in the room abated. Her restless hands went dormant.
"Sorry," River apologized, swinging her gaze back to Bailey as she pasted on a worn smile. "It's just… I thought I had it this time. The past couple of weeks, I dogged the Circe clan to get my hands on some of the old Gamayun clan's grimoires and spellbooks on summoning—"
"The Circe clan got their stuff?"
River lifted a shoulder. "Most of it, I think. They finally let me at them a couple of nights ago, and between my notes and the scroll I swiped from the Agron clan—"
"Wait. What?" Bailey crossed her arms. "The scroll you swiped from the Agron clan?"
River's cheeks darkened. "I'm going to return it. Okay? I needed it because of…."
"Carnage magic?" Bailey asked skeptically, hiking her eyebrows high.
They had cased all the clans upon arrival, documenting their magical affinities and Godly patrons. Carnage magic was only one of the Agron clan's fortes.
River's emotions ballooned. The defensiveness of her anger leached into Bailey's space, but she didn't buckle to it. Bailey threw up her mental walls and took a deep breath against River's empathetic projection.
"No, not carnage magic," River answered in a huff. "Chaos magic." Bailey groaned. "Please don't lecture me. I needed to try something different, and I thought if I combined the Gamayun's summoning spells with a little bit of chaos magic, I could write a spell that might finally work."
A bitter laugh tumbled out her mouth, and then River was walking back to her mirror. She sank to her knees and blew out the nearest candle. As it flickered to smoke, the other two miraculously followed.
"You know what the worst part was?" River didn't bother to turn to face Bailey or rise from her hunches. "I saw the wolf inside of me."
Goosebumps broke out over Bailey's skin. Excitement drew her a few steps closer. "Holy shit, River, that's amazing! What did you look like?"
River rose to her feet and faced Bailey. A glimmer of happiness shone through her exhausted demeanor. "All black, baby. Like a starless sky."
Her happiness faded and a light chill swept through the room on the back of her oscillating emotions. Bailey crossed the distance between them and enveloped her in a hug.
River laughed quietly and sank into her friend's embrace. "I was so close," she confessed, squeezing her tighter. River's slim frame trembled against her. "But I couldn't summon it all the way. Something’s missing, something I'm not seeing."
Bailey gently guided River back, resting her hands on her shoulders. River's head bowed. A couple of sniffles sounded that made Bailey's heart clench. Bailey averted her eyes and counted to ten, allowing River enough time to collect herself. The unnatural chill left the room, replaced with a sort of staleness as River corralled her emotions.
"You good?"
River nodded and stepped out of reach. After a few deep breaths, she met the she-wolf's gaze.
"Are you still going out tonight with Irina?"
Bailey hummed and gave a nod. "I'm headed out soon to meet her and Deval and William."
"Good." River cleared her throat. "I'm glad."
Just like that, weeks of tension cropped up again around them. Neither acknowledged it, pandering to the silence as it grew between them as they looked for safer ground to tread. Bailey despised the distance growing between them. Once, they were thick as thieves. Kindred spirits. Sisters. But River couldn’t break whatever curse held her lycan-half prisoner.
And that was the crux of the matter.
The closer they came to breaking River's curse, the more they pulled apart because, in the end, it was River's journey to take. Bailey had always known it would happen, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Grudgingly respect it, yes. But like watching her friend struggle? Never.
Bailey grappled with giving River her space. How was she supposed to untangle herself from the person who'd been her other half for the better part of twenty years? How did she let go?
A smile trudged up Bailey's face despite the ache growing in her heart to calm the tension between them. River smiled tentatively back, her shoulders dropping in relief. River returned to cleaning up her supplies in silence, and a wave of emotion caught Bailey by surprise.
The end was in sight. River was sure to break the curse here. Bailey felt it in her gut. But then what? What happened next? Without the search for a cure to keep them together, would they go their separate ways?
Bailey released a shaky exhale. She was afraid of losing River and becoming a lone wolf.
She could go back to the Adolphus pack after all was said and done, but she didn't want to. It was a truth she’d only recently realized. Bailey might not like the Dark Court or its occupants, but it was bigger than anything she'd experienced back in Branson Falls. And for that reason alone, she loved it.
If only I can get a certain member of the Dark Court to love me back….
Bailey swallowed thickly. She needed to be realistic. There was a chance she wouldn't be able to sway Ronan and convince him that joining their souls was the right decision. If that was the case, could she afford to lose the only other person in the world that gave a damn about her?
Bailey's throat bobbed with uncertainty. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth.
"You know I'm proud of you, right?" River stopped her tidying to cast Bailey a surprised look. "I mean it. What you did tonight? Combining magic like that and creating something that could, at the very least, show you your inner wolf. It's fucking incredible. You're incredible."
The apples of River's cheeks became swathed in a dusty rose.
"Thanks."
Bailey nodded, though River didn't see. She was already back to the task at hand, scooping up several discarded papers from the floor.
"I know you've been going at it solo for a while, but if you need my help in any way, let me know." Her tone changed to one of stern affection. "And if you're going to be doing spell work for three hours, we need to go back to the gym and get you on a better eating schedule."
River grimaced and slowly turned away, shaking her head. "I know, I know. I promise I'll do better." River glanced briefly over her shoulder as the miscellaneous items in her possession crinkled. "But as it stands, I've got everything under control. Thanks for the offer, though, B."
Bailey's smile held up until the moment River returned to her clean-up.
"The clans barely trust me as it is because I'm a witch. Bringing someone else into the mix would sabotage all the time I spent working on them," River explained.
"Yeah, I totally understand," Bailey rushed to say, shoving her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket that hung open.
And she did understand. They'd lost leads before for similar reasons. Bailey slowly backed up, her movement either undetectable or ignored by her best friend.
"I guess I'll leave you to it. I need to head out."
"Sure thing," River replied, not bothering to turn as she stacked her belongings on some random table. "Maybe I'll see you later?"
Bailey tensed. "Yeah… maybe."
She left, heart in a vice, despite her best efforts to reassure herself that everything was perfectly fine.
But then her search proved fruitless in the Cellar Bar.
And again, at the Wildings' favorite haunt, the old fighting pits.
Bailey begrudgingly headed down to the Styx. There would be no shortage of debauchery going on to celebrate the full moon. If she was lucky, a Wilding or two might be down there.
She slowed her descent, observing the crush of bodies filling the massive hall turned gambling paradise. Ludicrous outfits were out in full force, but Bailey wasn’t surprised. She knew more about fashion than she ever thought she would, and on the lower floors of the court, Avant-garde reigned supreme.
Avant-garde might be a stretch.
The twins from the Hermetica clan were adorned in matching mists of magic that draped the cosmos strategically across their bodies. A couple wore their best BDSM ensemble, complete with black latex and handy tool belts filled with naughty supplies. Bailey scrunched her nose at a man who strutted through the crowd dressed only in blood, his member proudly erect.
The Dark Court loved hedonism, but in the Styx, it was taken to a whole new level. Anything was permissible in the darkest corner of the court. Murders, orgies, the casual plotting of ruin and fame—nothing was off-limits, which was why Bailey entered the crowd on high alert.
Hands brushed against her body as she methodically searched the crowd. Her view from the staircase provided her with little advantage due to the number of elaborate headdresses worn.
Bailey gritted her teeth and bore the continued onslaught.
There was little use in fighting off the lecherous horde, not when they'd re-double their efforts if they found a challenge in her refusal. That didn't mean the majority of the pervs didn't end up on the receiving end of her thunderous glower.
A bolt of lust hit Bailey from behind, stopping her in her tracks as a gasp tore through her. Her lashes fluttered close as the sensation rippled through her body, and then a dainty arm was wrapping itself around her waist.
"My, my, you're all wound up," a voice purred in Bailey's ear, filled with velveteen constants and vowels. A warm body slithered up her back as the surrounding air pulsated with desire. Unbidden warmth drenched her panties as fingers sank tantalizingly past her waistband, skimming the flesh beneath. "Why don't I help you with that?"
The impulse to relax into the feminine hold and surrender to the pleasure of being teased held Bailey hostage. She was frozen, legs trembling, and breath rushing past her lips in a juvenile fashion, as if it was the first time she'd ever been touched.
A half-groan, half-growl tumbled out of her mouth, causing the lust demon lightly caressing her to laugh darkly.
"I've been watching you, little wolf. You're so much warmer than everyone else here." The demoness wound around Bailey's body to face her, hand trailing across her. She looked positively angelic in a simple white slip dress, save the pair of oxblood horns peeking out from her halo of blonde curls. Coiling sweet perfume wafted from her. The demoness licked her lips. "I'm Astrid.” The French lilt to her voice was pure sin. “Why don't we—"
"No."
The demon blinked as Bailey took a jerky step back, bumping into a couple whose bodies resembled ice blocks. They made no utterance of displeasure, seemingly too caught up in the goings-on of the gambling hall to care.
A pretty scowl severed any lust-fueled influence the demoness held over Bailey. She breathed a little easier and pinned her gaze somewhere over the demoness' shoulder rather than her eyes. Never the eyes, Bailey reminded herself sternly. One careless glance was just asking to be put under complete control of their unique flavor of demonic persuasion: desire, despair, or wrath.
"Why not?" Astrid demanded.
"Because I'm not interested."
Astrid's mouth twitched, her ire drifting to dark amusement. "Is that so? I bet if I got between your legs right now, your quim would tell a different story."
A flare of heat consumed Bailey in angry, shameful denial and sinful temptation.
"Shit, B, and here I thought you had other plans tonight for the full moon!" An arm slung itself over her shoulder. Bailey glanced to her left in undisguised relief to see Franklin sporting a tipsy smirk.
"Sorry to disappoint, but my other plans still hold. You said to meet you tonight to get my cut. Here I am."
Franklin's arm dropped from her shoulders as she shook her head. "Cock tease," she joked before reaching into her blouse and fishing out a wad of bills. "What will poor Astrid do now?" Franklin asked, her gaze swinging momentarily to the irate demoness before returning to Bailey.
"Hopefully, go fuck herself."
An indignant snarl launched out of Astrid. She took a menacing step forward. Heat slashed through the air, causing those within a five-foot radius to gasp in shock and delight. A few patrons buckled to their knees, caught unaware by the demoness's show of power.
Bailey bared her teeth, returning the snarl as she fought off the quiver that staved between her thighs. "Get lost," she ordered. "Before I make your horns my new toothpicks."
Astrid's heady anger only increased, but the demoness shuffled back a step and then another. "We're far from finished, she-wolf. You're mine."
Bailey turned fully to Franklin in clear dismissal and found her dilated eyes watching her with keen interest. "If you're going to piss off demons, you might try to go after the ones without horns."
Bailey flushed and scanned the crowd. Astrid was gone, but the coiling sweet scent of her perfume seemed imprinted in her sinuses.
"Yeah, sorry about that," she mumbled and rubbed discreetly at her nose.
Franklin waved off her apology. “Once a Wilding, always a Wilding. We’ve got your back when you need it, B.”
Bailey smiled. The space left by the demoness was soon filled with meandering patrons as Franklin began counting off the bills in her hand. The owl shifter handed over close to a quarter of it to Bailey.
"There you go, twenty-five percent like we agreed."
"We agreed on thirty."
"Yes, and then you pissed off a high-ranking demon," Franklin informed her coolly, tucking the remainder of the money back into her bra. A happy smirk stretched her lips. "So, you think you're going to make it back in time to catch our party? Things get wild, no demons necessary."
Bailey heaved her shoulders up, then down. "No clue. I'm already running late, but chances are low," she said honestly.
Franklin's humor waned. "All right," she said, slinking back into the ever-growing crowd. "See you tomorrow." With a mocking salute, she waded into the sea of bodies.
Bailey sighed and shoved her earnings into her front pocket before backtracking to the staircase. She was itching to blow off some steam, and a long run in her wolf form would do the trick. Bailey gave the crowd a once-over. Several sets of eyes tracked her movement. It took all her self-control not to hike up her shoulders and barrel the rest of the way out.
Play it cool, Hart, she commanded herself, forcing her posture to relax and worm through the gaps of people.
A shoulder rammed into her.
The unexpected hit sent her careening into a group of vampyrés who promptly shoved her away. Her apology was engulfed in a wicked cry of laughter from behind as she regained her footing. Shooting a glare full of daggers over her shoulder, she scanned the crowd for the perpetrator. Crisp green eyes locked on her. Bailey's forthcoming sneer halted as the man's eyes flooded with black and then winked at her.
"Keep it moving," a courtier complained.
The press of bodies, warm and cold, knocked into Bailey from either side, herding her forward. She moved mechanically with the throng's flow, reluctant to take her eyes off the demon even though his back was now to her. A sense of foreboding erupted over her skin.
The Dark Court was filled with predators, and as one herself, she knew when she was being stalked. Bailey glanced right as she neared the grand staircase. There were no noticeable—
"Arh-woo!"
Her head whipped in the other direction, catching sight of a smirking male with curling horns several feet away. Her breath caught as she turned her gaze forward. Do not engage. She curled her hands into fists. This isn't your territory. All you have to do is get to Irina and—
"Hey!"
Bailey barely kept upright as a body slammed into her blindside. A curvy brunette with eyes black as pitch blew her a mocking kiss.
"Oh no, I didn't hurt you, did I?" The demoness and her friend cackled as Bailey fought to rein in her temper and stabilize. At least this pair doesn't have horns.
"Nah," Bailey ground out. "We're good."
The curvy demoness unleashed a savage smile. "Are we though?" The sickly-sweet tenor of her voice immediately put Bailey on edge. A flash of silver in the demoness's hand was Bailey's only warning before she struck out.
Bailey jerked back, but the congested hall was to the demoness's advantage. Pain sliced across her abdomen.
"What the fuck," she barked, shoving back against the dense crowd. The demonesses jeered at her retreat. Her assailant licked the blood off the short blade. Bailey cursed again as her system flooded with rage.
Don't engage.
Panting, she pushed around the pair. The demonesses' high-pitched laughter and taunting followed her.
Bailey inhaled and exhaled in long, steady streams to calm herself, but her anger persisted. What the hell was that about? She gently probed her wound to assess the damage. The cut wasn't deep, but it stung like the devil. She pressed her forearm along the length of it. A heavy-laden sigh fell from her lips, and her anger simmered down to irritation that made her grind her teeth. She would need to change before meeting up with Irina and the others now and clean her wound.
"Leaving so soon?"
Bailey stopped. She was only a few steps away from the grand staircase, but she couldn't ignore the person behind her. "I was never planning on staying." Bailey turned.
Astrid pouted. The two demonesses she just encountered, and the demon who howled at her stood behind her. "But the night's young. Why not enjoy the festivities?"
