CHAPTER Twenty Two
I sent an internal prayer of gratitude to myself that I’d not yet pulled the dirk free. Holding silver would be something that even the ridiculous lies I’d so far managed to fashion for His Great Lord Shiftiness couldn’t cover. I straightened and blinked at him, a picture of innocence. If all else fails, then try the truth, I mentally shrugged.
“What does it look like I’m doing, my lord? I am trying to find a way to open this drawer.”
I couldn’t fathom what the expression on his face was saying. His green gold eyes bored into my soul and I felt a small shiver run through me. “And why exactly would you be doing that?”
“Well, it’s obvious isn’t?” I answered brusquely. “The fact that we keep being targeted for attack must mean that we have something that the blue woman wants.” I certainly wasn’t prepared to give up Iabartu’s name to him just yet. “This is the only place that I can think of that is locked and where there might be something that John would have hidden away. If we can find it, then we might have a better chance of understanding what is happening and stopping it.”
“An interesting conclusion, kitten,” he murmured. Oh, great. We were back to endearments again. I just barely managed to keep from rolling my eyes before he continued. “And why,” he said silkily, “didn’t you think to mention this drawer to me before?”
“First of all,” I ticked off my fingers, “I couldn’t find you. And I was pretty sure that you’d have your hands full dealing with the death rites. Second of all, if I’m wrong and there’s nothing in here apart from a couple of shifter girlie mags, then I’d look pretty stupid. Third of all, you’ve already made it pretty clear that you don’t trust me. For all I know, you’d try to suggest that I planted whatever was in there myself.”
“I see,” he drawled slowly. “I must beg to differ on one point, however.”
I waited. Amusement glinted in his eyes but I was damned if I was going to ask him what that point was. He still didn’t elaborate further. Oh for f*ck’s sake, fine then. “And what would that be?” I finally asked.
He smiled. Was that a flicker of triumph? Bastard. “I think you’ll find, kitten, that I do trust you. And despite the fact that you’re the most annoying, unpredictable and difficult to control shifter I’ve ever come across, you do appear to have useful skills. I’m not sure I trust you enough to stay here in the countryside on your own before you manage to cause complete devastation. But I think that you’ve proven yourself enough for me to tell you that my offer to join me in London still stands.”
Join me. Not the Brethren. Oh God. Was that a deliberate choice of words on his part or did he just the Brethren as an extension of himself anyway? I swallowed and looked up at him. “Even though I might have deliberately engineered falling into a faerie ring so that I could be absent when the keep was attacked?”
“Mmmmm,” he answered non-committedly, “you’re going to have to tell me one day how you really did escape from that.”
I didn’t even know myself how I’d managed to get free, so I didn’t think I’d ever be able to tell him. “I honestly have no idea, my lord,” I answered truthfully. “Perhaps it was just an old ring and didn’t have much power left.”
“Yes, perhaps, kitten, perhaps.” He stretched out his arms and linked his hands behind his head. I was suddenly very aware of the stretch of the dark fabric of his t-shirt against his tanned muscular biceps.
Irritation exploded out of me. “Will you stop f*cking calling me that?”
“What?” he taunted, softly, eyes glinting.
“I am not a cat,” I said through gritted teeth. “I am a hamster. And my name is Mack, not kitten.”
“Well then, maybe I should just call you Hammy, instead,” he purred.
My stomach squirmed into knots. He was flirting with me. After everything that had happened, and all he’d already said and threatened me with, he was flirting. Why me? This could not happen. I’d rather face an army of ispolin than this.
“Well then, maybe I’ll call you Pants,” I snapped at him.
He laughed, and opened his mouth to say something else. Oh no, it was high time to put an end to this. “My lord, perhaps you could help to open the drawer.” And get your fingers frozen off instead of mine, I thought silently.
He cocked his head at me, with another glance that I couldn’t quite interpret, before replying with a cocky business-like air, “As my lady wishes.”
I resisted the urge to slap him around the head and stepped out from the desk. He brushed past me, and I had to try very hard not to flinch at the warm hard heat of his body against mine. I quickly moved away to nearer the door so I had a quick exit if I needed it. Humour flashed across his face again, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. F*ck. Off. If he knew who I really was then he’d snap my neck like a twig and forget all about me in an instant. I just had to keep remembering that.
He bent down to look at the drawer and frowned. “Huh, this a pretty powerful ward.”
He stood up and gazed at me, all serious now. “Did John have magic skills?”
“A few parlour tricks,” I shrugged, glad that we were off the topic of pet names for each other, “nothing like this. Not that I knew of anyway.”
He jerked his head in brief acknowledgement and then crouched down again. His very large hands reached out to the drawer, then he drew back suddenly, as if scorched. Hah! That would teach him.
“Stand back,” he ordered.
I bristled at the command but did as he asked. With a look of intense concentration on his face he pulled back his hand and formed a fist. I wondered if he was seriously going to try to punch his way through it. That would be completely idiotic. He’d rip his hand off for sure. I took another step back, just in case.
His whole body tensed and then, quick as lightning, he slammed his fist forward. There was the sound of breaking, splintering wood, and a flash of blue light. He shook his hand a few times, and I could see that it was red and beginning to swell, but he grinned at me like the cat that got the cream and stepped aside with a flourish. You have got to be kidding me. I walked gingerly round and stared down at the mess of the desk. He’d actually snapped through the ward, and the fabric of the wood itself, leaving a hand sized hole. I gaped at him.
He laughed. “Impressed much, kitten?”
I became aware that my mouth was hanging open so I snapped it shut and glared at him, trying vainly not to appear over-awed. Shit, clearly there was a good reason why he’d been voted in as the new head Alpha.
“Big deal,” I said, with far more nonchalance than I was feeling. I stuck my hand into the destroyed drawer and felt around, noting the remaining bristle of magic tremble against my touch. There was nothing there apart from what felt like a paper folder. I tugged at it, trying to yank it out, and cursed when it wouldn’t fit through the gap.
Impatient, I knelt down and pulled out the drawer, lifting out the folder. It was unmarked. I raised my eyebrows at Corrigan and showed him it, then lifted the flap. At that point, the study door was flung open and Staines and Alex came through.
“What in god’s name was that?” Staines shouted.
Wow. Talk about being annoyed at missing the party, I thought.
Alex chipped in. “Jeez, I think the whole keep felt that tremor. What did you do? Break through a…” He stopped and stared at the desk. “You destroyed a level five ward?” He looked at me for a second but I shook my head and pointed over at Corrigan. I supposed that at least I wasn’t only the one who was seriously impressed at his power.
Concern flitted over Staines’ face. “My Lord Alpha, your hand.”
I realised that Corrigan was still clutching his hand and felt a sort of grim satisfaction that at the very least he’d slightly hurt himself.
He, however, just growled, “It’s fine.”
Staines pulled out a sleek looking phone and began to jab at the numbers. “I’ll call the doctor.”
“No.” Steel laced Corrigan’s voice. “He has better things to be doing right now. Besides, I confess to a sudden curiosity at what the Cornish alpha was so keen to hide.” He jerked at the folder in my hands.
I looked down and went instantly rigid when I saw what the visible half of the front sheet displayed. It was my name. Oh f*ck. Blood drained from my face. I snapped it shut and just stared at Corrigan. “Er…..” He could NOT read this.
Alex suddenly flinched dramatically. “Something’s approaching the front.”
Corrigan’s whole body stilled. “Shifter?”
“I…uh…can’t tell.”
Staines growled and turned smartly out of the study. Corrigan looked at me, eyes narrowed. “You will wait here.” The bastard was trying to compel me. So much for trusting me.
I tried to smile graciously and inclined my head. “My Lord.”
He stalked out the door. I turned to Alex and breathed again. “Oh my God. We need to hide this, Alex, now. They’ll be back as soon as they realise no-one is there.”
“Someone is there,” Alex said, surprising me. I thought he’d just noticed the look on my face and cleverly created a diversion. “Human though. Male, I think.” He glanced down at the folder that was now burning in my hands. “What’s in it?”
“It’s about me,” I gasped. “It must say about how I’m human. Corrigan can’t read this, Alex, he just can’t.”
“Okay,” he said. “Damage control.” He took the folder and pulled out the contents then spun me around and unzipped my backpack, stuffing the papers inside. He raised his eyebrows at me as he saw the other contents of the bag. “Silver?”
“I’ll explain later,” I muttered.
Alex pulled a book off the shelf. “Spells for the Uninitiated,” he read. “This’ll do. Page 107, if I remember rightly.”
“What’s on page 107?” I asked, as I watched him rip it out and place it inside the folder.
“Love Spell,” he said, with a great deal more calm than I felt. “With any luck, Lord Corrigan will believe that your alpha was just trying to get a bit of sneaky bed action.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said flatly. “No-one would ever believe John would stoop that low.”
He looked at me, quietly. “Do you have a better idea? They’re on their way back.”
“F*ck. No. Give me that,” I snatched it back out of his hands and shoved it into the folder, just in time to see Corrigan return.
“Your policeman boyfriend is here,” he sneered.
“Nick? But…”
“Go and get rid of him.” He pulled the folder out of my hands.
I tried to protest weakly but he pushed me out the door. The weight of the backpack on my shoulders now felt constricting. Between the silver weapons and the proof of my true identity, if anyone opened it, it would seal my doom. And perhaps the rest of the pack’s too. That might work out well for Corrigan, I thought bleakly. With no Cornish pack, then there’d probably be no more attacks to worry about and he could scuttle back to London in his showy limo and forget we’d ever existed. Oh, this was all so very very bad.
Nick was already in the hall when I entered through the study. It was difficult to concentrate on why he was here with everything else that had just happened. I tried to put on my game face.
“Nick. What brings you here?”
He looked around the hall. “There were some reports of loud noises from this vicinity,” he said slowly. “Had some trouble have you?”
Most of the devastation from before had been tidied up, but one of the paintings had a great rip right through it and there were still some shards of glass from one of the lamps in the corner. At least the dead monster had gone.
“Yes, we…er…were having a party,” I gabbled. “It got a bit out of hand. Most people are away sleeping it off.” I tried to smile disarmingly at him.
He frowned at me. “Apparently it sounded more like a riot, than a party.”
“Crazy times, Nick, crazy times. Thanks for coming over to check it all out though.”
“Would you tell me if something was wrong?” he asked softly.
“Yes,” I lied, looking him straight in the eyes. I was becoming too good at this.
“Okay, then.” He paused for a moment. “Do you mind if I have a look around?”
Yes. “Ummm…”
At that moment, Tom, bless him, appeared. I waved at him frantically. He looked oddly wary of me but came over anyway. “Actually, it’s kind of late and we were going to go to bed.” I flung an arm round Tom’s waist and smiled at Nick apologetically. “How about tomorrow morning instead?”
His face went cold. “That won’t be necessary,” he said stiffly. “Call me if you need anything.”
He walked back outside. I watched him go, feeling sorry for him. In another world, that might have worked, but… The oak door slammed behind him and Corrigan’s voice came from behind me. “That was fast work.”
I realised my arm was still round Tom and snatched it away, whirling round. Corrigan’s eyes were entirely expressionless - and he was still holding the folder.
“I was just doing what you asked, my Lord.”
His gaze flicked to Tom and then back to me. “Whatever you say. Better get some rest. It’s late and we need everyone rested in case there’s another attack tomorrow.”
“And what if there’s one tonight?”
Corrigan sighed and looked at me tiredly. “I have watchers all over the keep. Do not presume to tell me my job, Miss Mackenzie.”
He walked up the stairs, with Staines behind him like a faithful dog.
“Do not presume to tell me my job, Miss Mackenzie, kitten, servant of my own bidding,” I mimicked once he’d gone. “Tosser.” I didn’t think I’d ever seen someone flick between hot and cold so quickly.
Tom looked across at me. “What the hell is going on, Red?”
“It’s…complicated.” I pulled him in the direction of the kitchen. “Come on, let’s get Alex and get a coffee and I’ll tell you.”