Born in Fire

I sucked in a breath—it felt like acid was eating away my cheek. “This is helping me, not disfiguring me, right?”

“Let me work.” She blew on my cheek. “It took a combined effort of a few of my friends to trap and kill him, but we managed. It was hairy there for a little bit. He almost broke free. But my friend—a dainty little thing—rushed him with a stake. She saved the day. We covered it up and no one knew. Or else they didn’t care. I assume you are excellent at killing vampires?”

“At killing everything.”

“Yes. Your mother told me she’d teach you to fight. She was fierce. Had been training since she was little. This will feel better. Here you go.”

A cool liquid calmed my burning skin.

“I was five when she enrolled me in a martial arts studio,” I said. “She lied on all the documents. Paid in cash. I have no idea where she got the money.”

“Me. Don’t wrinkle your eyebrows, or I’ll miss and give you a hairy forehead.”

“You?”

“I was the middle man, actually. She made her potions and spells in the woods, shipped them to my warehouse for distribution, and I saw that her customers got them. It was no hassle, and since I had my own setup as well, no one was the wiser.”

“You did all that for her?”

“I got something in return, don’t you worry. She was a better healer than I am. I learned plenty, bought supplies from her—it wasn’t just goodwill. Otherwise, she would’ve cut me off. Okay, there you go. Back to normal.”

I turned to look in the mirror. Except for the singed bangs, which could be swept to the side, I looked like myself again. “Wow,” I said. “That was quick work.”

“I’ve been doing this a long time. Flesh and hair problems are easy. So is making a vampire disappear without a trace.” She tapped the side of her nose with her forefinger. “You know, just in case you sample the sexual waters and get stuck in them.” She gave me a knowing look.

Gross.

I hopped out of the chair. “Thanks.”

“And sweetie,” she said quietly, her eyes flicking sideways toward the door, “I know it doesn’t need saying, but if you want to continue living life as you know it, you’ll keep your true gifts a secret. Better to be a bastard than to be dead or under someone else’s control.”

“Maybe I won’t actually call myself a bastard, but…”

“Smart girl.” She threw her arms around me for a tight hug. “There has been so much business, I haven’t let this sink in. What a treat! We’ve stayed in the area, hoping to catch wind of you again. I wondered if it was you when I heard about a particularly effective bounty hunter, but no one at the Magical Office would tell me anything. We had no way of knowing you were still around here.”

She stepped back and smiled, staring at me with glistening eyes.

“Yes, well…” I tried to wriggle away, feeling intensely awkward.

“I wondered if I would recognize you when I did see you,” she said. “And look, here you are. I absolutely do. There is so much of your mother in you, amplified by your father’s good looks. He was a stunner. We were all very jealous when he gravitated toward your mother.”

“You were probably relieved when you found out what he was.”

“I can’t get pregnant, honey. I would’ve used him and let him go, like I should’ve done with that vampire.”

I sidestepped away. “Okay, then. That’s… I’ll get going.”

“Yes, of course. That vampire of yours is probably planning which village to pillage.”

She waved her hand as we neared the door. Magic fizzled away. She’d placed a ward and I hadn’t even noticed. Very good at finesse indeed. I’d definitely need to get some spells from her after Darius paid me.

I walked out of the room and immediately met the vampire driver, who’d followed us in after all. He gave me his usual glower. “Trying to hide something?”

“Trying to look creepy?” I passed him by, half expecting him to reach out and grab my arm. That’d get him stabbed, of course. Which he probably knew.

“We’re ready to go,” he said, following me.

“I’ll see you out.” Callie followed behind us, moving a bit slower down the stairs to the main floor.

For a brief moment, I found myself alone at the bottom with the driver.

“What were you talking about?” he asked in a low voice.

“I can still hear you, love.” Callie waved, halfway down the steps. “And I am the distance-casting winner in all of Louisiana. Not to mention I always have a spell ready to go. Castration at a moment’s notice? No problem. Keep that in mind if you decide to manhandle that girl.”

I grinned at the driver.

His eyes narrowed, but he held his tongue.

On the front porch, Dizzy was staring down at something in his hands as Darius looked on. “Callie, look at this. It seems familiar, but I can’t place it.” Dizzy glanced up and caught sight of me. He smiled. “Oh. I thought you were my wife.”

“What’s that?” Callie stomped onto the deck, pushing the driver out of the way. The poor guy was not having the best of days. “Where did you get this?” Callie asked with a sharp voice, taking the object from Dizzy. They were looking at one of the casings we’d picked up in the Realm.

I told them and then explained the spells we’d encountered.

Callie’s eyes came up slowly, soaked in wariness and fear. She shook her head slowly and angled the casing so she could study it in the porch light. “I’ve seen one similar to this. Not exact, but similar. Sometimes the police have me look at a crime scene when the Magical Office is befuddled. I found a casing similar to this at one of those scenes.” She turned it around in her fingers. “No marking. This mage wants to stay anonymous.”

“Ah right, yes. Yes, I remember.” Dizzy took the object back. “That was a horrible scene. The skin was peeled off the victim. A human.”

“What good would skinning someone do?” Darius asked.

“Why, create a lot of pain, of course. A lot of pain.” Dizzy tsked. “A mage who could create that kind of spell would also be powerful enough to capture the energy the human exuded. Pain is a great way to amp up adrenaline.”

“Adrenaline can be turned into kinetic energy, which can increase power,” Callie said. “It is a more extreme version of a dark sacrifice—something used for personal gain rather than good will to the gods.”

“Can that power be ingested?” Darius asked.

Dizzy frowned as he studied the casing. It was Callie who answered. “Not to make the magical user stronger and more powerful, no. But if that mage were trying to invoke a stronger spirit to guide and help him, then indirectly, yes.”

“A spirit…like a demon?” Darius asked.

“Could be a demon, though they are usually self-serving. An experienced magical person would avoid that route and go with something more…amiable. Something easier to get rid of, like a poltergeist or half-banished banshee, that kind of thing.”

“Half-banished banshee?” I asked.

“They’re mute, but just as powerful,” Callie said. “Happens when the person who’s sent in to banish one from its haunting area doesn’t do a thorough job. It strips the area of the racket, so if the banisher is quick enough, they can get out of town before the folk realize the banshee is still hanging around.”

“Well, that’s not so bad. I’ve heard their wail is the worst part.”

“Not so bad? Their whole function is to herald the death of a family member. When business slows down, they’ve been known to drum up their own business, so to speak. Trust me, you don’t want one of them hanging around. A town drops in number pretty quickly.”

“Is a demon more powerful?” I knew a few things about demons, but nothing about banshees. “Because this guy is definitely big on power.” I thought back to the spells I’d extinguished in the Realm. “And knowledgeable about how to construct his magic.”