“Did you see the look on his face?” Preston asked, pulling the chain on the floor lamp and turning the light on. He was wearing sandalwood and patchouli scented pheromone blocker that blended right into the oils, candles, herbs, and incense that covered my working space. In his lap sat the fattest ball of blue yarn that I’d ever seen and he held bamboo knitting needles in his hands silently weaving his string into a pattern that felt more like sorcery than anything I did.
“Yes,” I nodded, shrugging off the robe to reveal my normal outfit. A band tee I had snatched from one of my bear brothers because it fell perfectly above my knees and a pair of shorts hidden underneath. The shirt gave me plenty of room to hide whatever I needed, and the shorts kept my junk in place. A ball falling out was way worse than someone seeing one of the half dozen knives I wore for various purposes.
“Did you enjoy the show, cousin?” I asked.
“More than I thought I would,” he nodded. “Are you really going to send him an invoice? Doesn’t that fall under blackmail or something.”
“No, I’ll only double what he owes. Maybe it is blackmail but what he asked me to do can land him in a Moonscale prison for a while. He’s getting off easy.”
“From the sounds of it, he won’t be getting off for a while.”
“He has a han---”
Something exploded inside my ears. For a fraction of a second, I thought my wolf and crow were battling it out inside their joint inner sanctum like they did when I was a kid. My crow screeched and wolf snarled. Every bit of magic inside me stood up shielding my fleshy form and Preston from the shattering. Only there were no windows in the tiny storeroom turned magic lair.
“Mori!” Preston said as the last bits of glass raining down tinkled in the background.
We both raced for the door, but I reached the steps first. Elven legs and all. His sire was only half-elf, and I was a half-elf and a bird. I was always going to be faster on my feet. I scrambled down and heard the roar of the bar from the alley before I ever rounded to the side to go through the staff entrance. It was a Tuesday night and not many patrons were stuffed inside yet. About a dozen or so drinkers and two bartenders yelled shell-shocked things because they couldn’t get out of the bar.
“What the fuck?” Raiel roared through the busted window.
“That’s what I was going to ask,” I said, bringing out my black feathered wings and hovering over the glass.
“What the fuck happened, dude?”
Raiel was a new bartender, but I’d known the elf-lion for years. Elven shifters who I wasn’t related to were few and far between and I made a point to try to be friendly with them.
“The world hummed and then they blew,” a short woman who smelled distinctively like a hare said, tucking a curl behind her ear.
“Magical attack,” I said, putting it together quickly.
“I’d say,” Mori ran out into the street from the alleyway with his brother on his heels.
“Are you okay?” I asked, turning to face him.
He squinted up at me and nodded. The question on his face was clear. Were the fuckers after me or him? My money was on myself but Mori’s frantic thoughts pouring over the family link had a point. He was a high value magical target too.
“Cri? Why can’t we get out?” Raiel asked.
“My shields. Give me a minute to calm down.”
“Crilus!” It was Morvan’s voice that reached my ears from somewhere below. I searched the throngs of people the glass implosion had brought out until my eyes landed on the dragon with the personality of a golden retriever.
“Morvan!” I called back his name unsure of what I could possibly do for him right now.
“Are you alright?” he shouted.
“I’m fine--- Crowd control?” I asked not wanting to use my abilities to push them back. They’d all have migraines from me seeping into their subconscious minds come morning if we did things my way.
I landed, perching on one of the big black postal boxes the Moonscales used to collect official mail. Mori hopped over the glass to join me. I almost shrugged his hand off, not wanting my shields to bite him but decided against it at the last minute. Together we were stronger. Preston had already disappeared. He was probably searching for whoever did this but they weren’t here. If they had been here in the flesh Mori and I would’ve felt their presence.
“I think you have your first assignment, cousin,” I smirked despite how my heart thumped against my ribs.
“Don’t be so excited. Battle isn’t as pleasant as you think.”
“It’s not but it sings in my blood, cousin,” I whispered.
“Then tell your blood to shut the fuck up.”
