Lion's Claw: Spirit Sorceress: Book 2 Read online

  I asked curiously, “How does it work?”

  She replied, “Fire magic can make it truly invisible, by bending the light around it. Air magic on the other hand, will work a lot like your mesmerizing ability does. If a human looked at the sword, it will convince the human it isn’t there. It’s very subtle, and won’t put them in a trance or anything, they just won’t notice it. It will also be clearly visible to supernaturals that are resistant to mesmerizing. Actually, the spell would have to be on the sheath, so if you pull it out it will become visible so to speak. What are you offering in return if I do this for you?”

  “Will money do? Or I can owe you a favor, unless you have something in mind already?”

  She replied with another question, which was exasperating, “What kind of favor?”

  I shrugged helplessly, “Anything I can do, except that I wouldn’t violate my morals and can refuse if asked to.”

  She raised an eyebrow, “What can you do?”

  I frowned, I really didn’t want everyone to know what I was. But if I was going to work with Tina and her daughter in the future, I’d need to share at least the basics, even if I continued to hide the tenets. It went against the grain but…

  “I’m a spirit sorceress. I can gather information and even read past lives.”

  She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then her eyes widened.

  “Follow me,” she ordered in a rather excited tone, and went into the back.

  I took a deep breath and followed, the woman could be intimidating, and after yesterday’s ass kicking I wasn’t going to underestimate what a witch was capable of. Especially in her own home. I followed her through the stock room, and through a door that led to the basement of the shop.

  I looked around wide eyed, now this was what I’d been expecting of a witch. She had a circle and pentagram on the floor, with various symbols around it. One wall had six rows of shelves, maybe six inches deep and all along the wall, all filled with jars of various herbs and magical ingredients.

  She led me over to a bookshelf against the far wall with eight books, and pulled an oversized leather book off of the shelf, it was the size of an encyclopedia, but looked ancient. She put the book on a lectern and started to flip through the pages. Then she stopped and looked up.

  She waved me over, and I walked close enough to see the book. It had cramped writing in German, and many arcane symbols.

  “This is an old spell book in my family that goes back many hundreds of years. Back then it was common to leave key parts out of spells, and pass them down through the family from mother to daughter. The idea was if an enemy got a hold of, or copied the book, the spells would be useless or even harmful to the practitioner, without the last bit of information. Unfortunately, my great grandmother died in the late eighteen hundreds when my grandmother was still a young girl and hadn’t yet passed on the secrets.

  “Since then, we’ve been able to restore a lot of that knowledge through experimentation, but some spells continue to elude us. This one for instance, is titled Gesundheit-Tiefgang, or in English, Health-Draught. It’s a potion that can cure almost any disease, but the main ingredient, as well as how to prepare it and when it must be added, is missing.”

  She frowned in deep thought, “There are others as well. If you can recover this information, I will not only make your sword sheath undetectable to humans, I’ll do your knife sheaths as well. And owe you a favor besides.”

  I took a deep breath, “It is possible, souls often choose to be reborn in the same family, especially the supernatural. For example, a great grandmother, becomes the daughter of her great granddaughter. But you would need to give me permission to read you, and if that didn’t work, your daughter as well. Chances are one of you existed in your family before, when the information was still known, but it’s far from a certainty. Understand I wouldn’t care, or judge, but I would know everything about you, and all of your secrets. That’s the price of my power.”

  She asked, “You can’t just pull the specific information?”

  I shrugged, and thought of how I’d pulled information from customers last night, just their names, what they wanted, and if they were ready for another drink. But that wouldn’t work for this.

  “I can in certain circumstances, but usually only for the current life, and something fairly recent. To read past lives I need to… fully connect with the souls, not just skim.”

  She nodded in understanding, and I was shocked when she said, “Very well, I give you permission.”

  Wow, she must have really wanted this information. I reached out with a thread of elemental spirit magic and connected to her soul. She was even scarier than I’d thought, as her life passed through my mind. Thing was, only to her enemies, which made me feel a lot better, not to mention safer down here in the center of her power.

  Then her past lives filtered through me, thousands of them, going back to the days of cavemen. I searched for the information, and I found it. Elsbeth, from the fourteenth century in Germany. She knew the secret ingredient for all the family’s potions, or the missing spoken words for the spells. I could have in that moment, unlocked those memories, and returned them to her current incarnation. Doing that however was contrary to the tenets, she couldn’t have those memories until she died.

  However only directly, telling her about it wasn’t against the tenets. It seemed like it was splitting hairs, but it was important. Knowledge and memories weren’t the same.

  I smiled, “The missing ingredient is silver, added after the potion starts to boil, and before the third incantation. If you give me a pen and paper I can list spell names, and the missing parts.”

  She nodded and led me back upstairs, and into a regular office connected to the stock room. She handed me a pad and paper, and then held her hand out.

  “The sword, and your knives. I’ll work on those while you do this. And… thank you. I know I’m paying for it but, it doesn’t seem enough.”

  I smiled, it hadn’t been that hard, and more than worth her good will and what I was getting out of it. I handed her the sword, and pulled the boot sheaths out and handed those over as well. I imagined I could put them around my waist, or even get a strap to put them on my thighs. I liked boots, but it would be nice not to have to wear them all the time.

  She left for her ritual room downstairs, and I took a seat in front of her desk, and started writing it all out. I was only a little surprised it all came out in German, a language I could apparently both speak and write now. Although I imagined modern German had drifted a bit since the fourteen hundreds. It seemed like a worthwhile skill, maybe I should soul read an interpreter? I also knew quite a bit more about how witch magic worked than I’d had before…

  Chapter 3

  I looked into the mirror doubtfully. I’d resisted going all out, but it was a nice steakhouse, and I didn’t want to wear jeans either. I’d decided on a casual cotton teal strapless sundress, with dark blue, light brown, and white designs on it. It hugged the top of my body, and then flared out into a loose flowing skirt once past the hips. I thought I looked great in it, I also worried I was overdressing again even in this, for Jared of course.

  Still, it was a dinner, not a construction zone, so I resisted the urge to change… again. Plus, I really didn’t have any more time for it.

  The sundress came down to just above the knees, which was more than long enough to conceal my knife sheaths. I’d be taking the sword with me, but I’d probably leave it in the car. I doubted I’d be getting into a fight during dinner, but if I did at least I’d have the knives, and the sword wouldn’t be far. The sword didn’t look bad with jeans or shorts, and a shirt, but with a dress it looked ridiculous. Humans wouldn’t see it, but I was sure the pack would along with the other vampires.

  Plus, I didn’t want to insult the pack by going so obviously armed into their territory. Yup, that was it, nothing to do with not wanting to look silly in front of Jared. Not at all.

  I also had on a p
air of creamy light tan open toed sandals with three inch heels.

  I felt like a nervous school girl before her first dance. I firmly reminded myself it wasn’t a date, but the butterflies in my stomach disagreed. I told my stomach, and other lower body parts, that Bob and Ted would be there, and possibly others, and to calm down.

  They didn’t listen.

  At least I wasn’t thirsty for blood this time, so I’d be able to maintain more than the thin modicum of control I’d exhibited yesterday morning. I’d have to take care of that tomorrow though. I didn’t get three days between meals like most baby vampires, for me it was just two. Still, that wasn’t too high a price for being as powerful as a fifty-year-old vampire already.

  I was going to be late if I didn’t stop fidgeting, so I left the condo and raced down the stairs. A part of my mind noticed as I went down nine floors in just a couple of seconds, straight to the underground parking garage, that the skirt didn’t blow any more than my hair did. I was still perfectly put together as I unlocked my car, got in, and drove out onto the streets.

  I pulled into the parking spot five minutes before eight. I could already feel Jared in there, and Bob. I didn’t feel at all disappointed when I failed to sense Ted’s spirit. I got the idea he hated vampires, and with him it was more personal than simply magical instincts. I also felt about twenty other werewolves in there, which admittedly made me a little nervous.

  They might not be able to feel my vampire magic, but they’d be able to scent me right away.

  I slipped my katana under the passenger seat, and got out. I was a hundred and sixteen years old for Inari’s sake, I held my head up high and headed for the door. Granted, all those years hadn’t given me much experience in dealing with others outside of my parents. I’d only been a part of the real world for just under a week, but my timidity and penchant for constantly worrying myself when it came to Jared had started to annoy me.

  My newfound bravery got me inside and halfway toward his table when I saw him and Bob sat with one other person. She laughed at something Jared had just said, and had gorgeous curly strawberry blonde hair. Her face made her look like a cover girl model, and although I couldn’t see her whole body, I could see clearly she was blessed in areas I was not.

  I wasn’t ashamed of my body, it was athletic, limber, and no one could doubt I was a woman. But really, the voluptuous women around me were a constant hit to the ego. I had curves in the right places, it’s just that the curves weren’t nearly as… pronounced.

  I finished walking over, with a smile on my face. I even kind of meant it, I wasn’t that insecure, but how dare he bring a date to our non-date?

  I said, “Hi,” in shock as Jared jumped up and pulled out my chair.

  Yup, shocked to swoon in just a second.

  I sat and he pushed the chair forward a bit, it was odd.

  Bob grinned at me, “You clean up well little vampire.”

  I felt rather pleased at that, and froze when Jared brushed my shoulder when he returned to his seat.

  Jared said in a gentle rumble, “Glad you could make it Miku, this is Reah, our mystic. She’s Ted’s daughter.”

  Reah’s voice was sweet and pleasant, was there nothing wrong with her?

  She said, “I hope you don’t mind, they told me about you and I was curious, so I made uncle Jared take me with.”

  I immediately relaxed. Was I really that shallow?

  I smiled, “Not at all, it’s nice to meet you. So… they talked about me?” I asked with a grin as I glanced at each of them.

  Bob nodded and his lips twitched, “She couldn’t believe that there could possibly be a vampire as short as you.”

  Reah snorted, “She isn’t that short.”

  I shrugged, “I kind of am, three inch heels tonight.”

  Jared snickered, “We told her how you didn’t feel like, or act like, a vampire, just smelled like one.”

  I nodded sagely, “I already explained that, it’s my broken nose.”

  Bob chuckled but denied it, “It’s more than that.”

  I wasn’t sure about that, I’d like to think some of the vampires wouldn’t be that way if they were able to block the magic like I could, but then I thought about Eustice’s attitude toward them and admitted to myself they might be right, at least partially. It didn’t matter anyway, no one else in the coven could block their own elemental air magic, or the wolves earth magic.

  The waiter came over, and we all ordered steaks and loaded baked potatoes, the only differences were in the choice of cuts.

  Jared said in a more serious voice, “So, Legends. It will take about ten days of work with a ten-man team. We’ll need to tear down the rest of the bathroom walls and pull up the tile, and in the main room we need to pull out all the damaged drywall and furniture. That will probably take the longest, then we can put in new walls, floors, fixtures, and all that. Will you be available every weekday for probably the next two weeks from eight until six?”

  I nodded slowly, “I think so, if not I can have it covered either by Eustice or one of the security team.”

  He asked, “Can we start Monday, and are you sure?”

  “The day after tomorrow works. Yes, I’ll have to steal time from my other job, but that won’t be an issue. If there’s an emergency, like I said, I can get someone else to do it. I’ll make them play nice.”

  Reah laughed, “That would be a trick. So how does that work, I can smell you’re a vamp, yet my inner wolf doesn’t want to tear you to pieces. They said you’re a sorceress too, and that makes a difference because?”

  I replied in humor, “It’s good to know I’m safe from dismemberment. My sorceress magic shields me, so it prevents your fire and earth from mixing with my air. Kind of like a wall. It isn’t physical, it only stops magic.”

  I was actually kind of glad the young woman was here now, because I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I’d been earlier. I also didn’t feel overdressed despite Bob and Jared’s jeans and t-shirts, because Reah was wearing a nice skirt and blouse.

  Yes, I felt the intense attraction to Jared, and his yummy scent, but without the need for blood it was easy to control. I also started to wonder if this was a date again, since it hadn’t taken very long at all to work out a schedule for Legends. Then again, people don’t normally bring their niece on dates.

  Jared asked, “So you said you were turned by a rogue? I assume you got away since you’re a part of the coven now?”

  I nodded, “He died trying to take back the coven here. I imagine you knew the jerk, James?”

  Jared frowned, “Yes, knew of him. I never met him though. Until you I’ve only dealt with Eustice. Only… stories.”

  “Whatever you heard, it’s probably true.”

  Jared nodded and asked with an innocent questioning lilt, “But Ceara is better?”

  I froze for a moment. Had he invited me to dinner merely to get information on the coven? To take advantage of the one vampire that might let her guard down around him, namely me. I felt my stomach twist as the depths of my naivety came to light, of course this wasn’t a date. I was such an idiot, of course it wasn’t.

  He had no idea we were soul mates, had no way to know it, and even if he was attracted to me, which he probably was, because we were soul mates, he most likely wouldn’t ever consider dating a vampire. It probably hadn’t even occurred to him. I resisted the urge to read him, and finally put myself out of my misery. Just so I’d know for sure, either way.

  But I didn’t.

  There wasn’t anything wrong with what he was doing either. He was alpha of a pack, and the vampire nation just had a huge shakeup, and its queen of sorts had just moved into his city. Of course he was interested in information, his job was to keep his pack safe, and he couldn’t do that if he was ignorant.

  He’d no idea he’d just stomped on my heart.

  I snorted in amusement, or gave it my best shot at least, they didn’t seem to notice my demeanor had changed, which was a bit of
a relief.

  “Of course she is, James was a criminal, and had no respect for life. His chief enforcer was a psychopathic serial rapist and killer. Ceara has… is, cleaning up our operations, and doesn’t allow things of that nature at all.”

  I hoped he didn’t expect details, because that he wouldn’t be getting. I didn’t see the harm in sharing broad general truths however. It wasn’t unreasonable, and it wasn’t his fault I was having a meltdown. Then I wondered if I was overreacting, couldn’t he have invited me here for three reasons just as well as for two? I was a mess. I knew I was more confident than this, in everything else anyway.

  The steaks arrived, rare, bleeding, and they smelled absolutely delicious. We all dug in then, and didn’t speak for quite a while as we inhaled our meals. Me because suddenly I wanted to be anywhere else, them because they were werewolves, and that’s pretty much how they ate all the time.

  Bob nodded, “We just wondered, because Ice was in charge of a lot of that, and seems to still be in charge.”

  I shrugged, “He was under compulsion. He was the only one out of James’ three top vampires that were cleared.”

  I didn’t bother to say the other two died before any kind of trial could be brought.

  Jared asked in a doubtful and rather disapproving tone, “So that makes what he did okay?”

  I frowned at the judgement in his tone and said coldly, “I tried to kill Ceara, so I’m glad she’s in charge and not you. Compulsion means they didn’t have a choice. A judgement of innocence means they wouldn’t have done it had they not been under compulsion.”

  Half of the din in the restaurant stopped, only the human conversations and sounds of eating continued rather obliviously at the sudden high tension in the room, and I felt the regard of over twenty werewolves at my back. Well, I guess they didn’t like me talking in that tone to their alpha. Too bad for them.