Disloyal Souls: Immortal Brotherhood (Edge Book 8) by Jamie Magee
It was hard to know if she was sensing Saige’s vim lingering with his, or his hard earned freedom. Both had taken him back to who he was centuries before.
“You can’t trust her, whatever she promised you. It’s a lie.” Adair pleaded.
Talon reached his hands for her arms then adjusted his weight as he searched for honest words that would soften the blow. “She’s gone, it’s over.”
Now Adair was the one struggling to speak, her mouth opened, but no words came out for seconds, and then, “How? How can you kill someone as powerful as her?”
The doubt in her eyes said it all. On one hand, she was sure Talon was mistaken, on the other, if Ambrosia was gone, then Talon had made a dangerous barter with someone. She wasn’t thrilled with either.
“Haunts, I suppose.”
Adair’s fixed brow and hard stare implored him to make sense.
“I can’t tell you what I don’t understand.”
“Then you can’t tell me she’s gone.”
“That I can tell you for sure.”
Adair threw her hands in the air to point out the madness of this conversation.
“Look,” Talon said. “I’ve had a long life. A lot to regret. I’m haunted by mistakes I’ve made. I knew they were bad ideas when I made those mistakes, but did it all anyway. Those linger in my nightmares. There are others, people I sense that I’ve always called haunts. I sensed them at my last moments. They took over, and I watched as they fought her, and when she perished I felt the stolen vim swarm through all of us.”
“Stolen?”
“I really wish you would give me time to understand what happened before you start to break it down.” It was hard for Talon to keep a tender tone. He never liked to be challenged, under any circumstance.
“I don’t live life on your long-sighted immortal clock. This is huge. I need more than ‘a haunt killed your mother.’ More than your mother stole vim, what vim?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say it was from her family.” He curled his upper lip. “It tasted like her. She was not one powerful person, but several in one. It was an illusion.”
“To what end?”
“That’s what I don’t rightly know.”
“You know something,” she accused.
She wasn’t wrong. There were several quandaries swimming in his mind. People he needed to get some serious intel on. But it wasn’t something he was ready to discuss.
“I know I just told you that I killed your mother. That would break anyone to hear, and after all you’ve been through...I need to know where you are at right now.”
Adair swayed her head her eyes were glassy. Talon could sense her anger, the sensation of abandonment, along with relief.
“Finley has always been my mother.”
Talon glanced away. “I’m sorry for your loss, Adair. Sorry about how fucked your life has been. I’d change it all if I could.”
Real tears fell down her cheeks, each and every one them might as well have been a dagger in his heart.
“I’m not sorry,” she said trying to control her emotions.
He knew she was, but pressing the matter would get him nowhere.
“I don’t know much about her, but if you ever have questions you can come to me. I won’t close this door.”
“I want her behind us,” Adair said squaring her shoulders. “I want you strong.”
He tilted his head. “I’m good.” When she didn’t speak, only stared at him like he was the greatest mystery she had ever crossed, he spoke again. “How was your first coven meeting?”
Adair jolted back into the reality they were both in now. “I thought Jade was bad,” she said with an absent stare. “There was so much ancient blood in the room, even more that I could see.” She squinted. “Dead witches were there, I know they were.”
“What did they cackle about all night?”
“For a while, it was about how long it was taking Jamison when he was with you guys. Then they started to go over what was on the table for a vote.” She hesitated. “They planned to lock Reveca up and throw the key away.”
Talon almost smirked, that was the covens’ constant go to plan. The only discerning part of this go ‘round was that Jamison had suspended magic and called every witch in, not just the local ones. “All were in favor?”
“You’re asking about my vote? They didn’t even look at me much less care what I thought. But no, there were some who were against it. I don’t know who they were, but they argued taking her out of play would end the Rapture that had already begun. The other side argued it would end the second Reveca approached a dark god for a barter.”
“That is where I see gray. Did they say what she was up to? What her reasons were?” Talon asked.
“It all had to do with the hit she demanded on Scorpio.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Why do they care? She’s killed thousands if not millions of immortals over the years.”
“Yeah,” Adair said with a wince of her eyes. “They mentioned that too, but they shut up before I could get a good read on their jive. I guess the only way Reveca thinks she can take out Scorpio and whatever chick he’s shacking up with is by using a dark god.”
Talon didn’t say a word. He’d heard this in one form or another from various directions, it still didn’t add up for him.
“They’d rather watch Scorpio try to kill her than let Reveca stop him.”
“How did it end, who dismissed you?”
“Jamison was still gone when I left, so was Saige. I don’t know what happened. It was like they all got some supernatural message at once. The best I got was Thelma Ray sayin’, “I told you this was already taken care of. That boy ain’t no fool.” Adair shrugged. “They all left after that. We stayed for a bit, but the air got thin, the house pushed us out.” Her voice rasped. “I thought---we thought it was over for you, that Jamison didn’t want me to see it.”
Talon reached his arms out, and Adair willingly fell into his embrace. “We’re good. It’ll work out.”
Adair shook her head. “It won’t.” She pulled herself back together with a quick shake. “This whole city is upside down.”
“They always are when we go to war with the law or another gang out in the open. Both are happening now. It will settle.”
“It’s more than that,” Adair reached for her phone and glided through her texts. “I don’t know if it’s because Jade is MIA or because Reveca is off doing her own thing, but the witch side of the city has lost their marbles.” She showed him the phone. “Half those are texts of prosperity and protection the other are curses.”
“Who the fuck is cursing you?” He’d be damned.
Adair waved her hand telling him to focus. “It’s just the cackle of the hoard. Someone pisses off an everyday Joe, they’ll cuss them, maybe post some random rant online. You piss a dime store witch off, and she’ll hex you.”
Talon was at a loss. He’d heard Reveca curse about wannabe witches his whole immortal life. But in general, he kept company with high-powered witches who were far too concerned about karma to waste their power on getting even over some bullshit.
“It only works because the one receiving the hex believes in it, they start to blame all the bad in their life on the hex, they focus so much on the bad that they attract worse. There is no magic in the act; it is how the universe works in general. Whatever is in your vim is coming right back at you, full force.”
“Hex’s are nothing to fuck with,” Talon warned.
“The real ones, no. The ones done behind closed doors that call on dark powers are a serious threat. That is not my point,” she took her phone back when she realized Talon was too focused on her to read a single text. “My point is that this influx of shit hasn’t happened since before electricity came around, back then it was letters were passed around.”
She pressed her lips together and searched her thoughts before she went on. “The creepy part is that witches who have been around a bit are getting let
“Pen and paper, this is creepy?” he teased.
“It is when it comes from someone you thought wasn’t an issue anymore,” Adair explained.
“What do you mean? Peace was set.”
“No, death was set. None of it is verified or anything. Most think someone just decided to fuck with an enemy and now it’s gotten out of hand. The issue is when the cats away the mouse will play. No one would pull this shit if Reveca were out and about.”
“Jamison and Saige have far more to do with the witches than Reveca ever has. She keeps to us and our business.”
“Maybe so,” Adair said with a lifted brow. “But the first thing any wannabe witch is told is to not fuck up, or Reveca Beauregard will make them regret the day they thought they had any inkling of a witch in them.”
“You act like she’s been gone for years. If she had as tight of a grip on these witches as you think she does, then she should be able to have an effect even if she’s not seen for a few days. Hell, five years ago she rarely left her room, much less went on rides through the city.”
“It feels like years to the witches. No one has seen her since King came ‘round. I mean don’t get me wrong, she’s left here, she’s even had a battle on the streets of the Quarter when she was trying to help her niece, but all of that was capped.”
Talon moved his head side to side. “I don’t speak witch. Capped means a bullet in my outfit.”
“I mean the coven has masked her. I kinda thought they did before last night, but now I’m sure. Someone even said she could not reach out to a dark god, even if she dug deep and found the magic, they’d never see her.” She smirked. “That kind of magic, hiding a soul from an almighty power, it will for sure make a mortal or two forget they ever saw her strolling down the street.” She lifted her chin. “Blackwater was the last clear sighting of her if I were to ask any witch walking the street. Some say he killed her, not the other way around.”
Talon leaned against the table and crossed his arms. “The last thing I’m going to do is send anyone out to squash rumors witches are cackling about. For all I know, this is another move Akan has made to make us all confused and scattered. I don’t know how much I can buy of all this. Everyone here is very clear on the last time they saw her.”
“Here, yes. The power here is different than the rest of the city. Reveca’s blood is in this ground. Literally, I’m sure. She protected this ground to the point where it is holy, no power will work here unless she gives it way.”
“That is not surprising.”
“Do you think it’s surprising she doesn’t give a fuck that witches are running amok, even without a lick of power in their blood enough of this could stir up some serious trouble.”
“No, it doesn’t surprise me,” he said with a sigh. “It won’t surprise Judge or any of the other members of the inner circle.” He slowly looked over her. “You’ve only known the best of Reveca.”
When Adair leaned back in mild shock, he laughed. “Right, she has her moods. What I’m saying is you have not seen her saturated with power, focused on one enemy. She’s not herself when that happens.”
“How do you fix it?”
Talon clenched his jaw. “Love her through it, forgive her when it’s over.”
“When it’s over?” Adair repeated. “Love her through it?”
He nodded sagely. “If you bail on someone when they need you the most, you should have never been at their side in the first place. We’ve all seen this before. If anything, this bout should be easier.”
“I don’t think you’re grasping the state of the city. Finley can’t even leave the shop, it’s slammed with people looking for protection from this madness.”
“Let her do her thing, I’ll send some boys to watch out for her. I’ll even put a call into Jamison and tell him to check his people. As fucked as it is, Adair, King is here this time. He’ll shut Reveca down, get her right.”
Adair pursed her lips before she spoke. “Maybe so. All the more power to him. That’s not my point. We have issues here now. Something is at unrest, it will not wait for King or Reveca to shake themselves out of whatever phase they are in. We are living in a mortal world. We need to work on mortal time.”
“Not changing the name of the game now. I told you what I could do and would do. If you want to help me, help this MC, it would serve us better for you to figure out where Gwinn and Bastion are, and how to get them back.”
Adair’s expression deflated a bit. “Jamison told you the truth. They might as well be on a deserted island. No one can reach them. If they do find a way out, they can’t come back to the Sons or Akan.”
“I’ll worry about that when I can see with my own eyes, they are whole. Jamison’s A-Okay is not mine. A warrior caged is a bad idea on any day. This coven had the brilliant idea to cage two of my most lethal; both have been through too many dramatic shifts lately to deal with this insult to their freedom.”
“You don’t get it,” she swayed her head. “I don’t think the coven put them anywhere. To hear the coven talk—your warriors put themselves there.” She sighed and muttered, “Right,” when it was clear Talon was not buying the ‘it ain’t me’ excuse. “Listen, either way, the kind of magic used to keep them safe is hashed with twists and turns. We think the spell means no Boneyard, it may think it means nowhere the dust of the Boneyard has ever landed. That could be anywhere. Akan’s territory? Who could guess where that is? Finding them is not going to be the issue, if I had to guess, I’d tell you they were in plain sight right by where their guards think they are hidden behind an illusion. It’s possible they are in a parallel dimension. Maybe a protected pocket.” She swayed her head. “I can’t rightful pull them out until this is all resolved.” Adair cursed. “I heard in the room last night it wasn’t Jamison that did any of this, but one of them. Those witches may gossip, but I didn’t get that vibe when I heard this. They were almost scared of this.”
“One of them? They just decided to take a vacay?”
Adair locked eyes with Talon. “They are all powerful. Gwinn told me Shade had no idea how much power he had. I’ve heard of Thrash’s bloodline. For all we know, their own self-preservation kicked in on some unconscious level.”
Talon’s lip curled into a snarl. It wasn’t aimed at her, but at this twisted shit he was walking through.
“We’ll see,” Talon’s money was still on Jamison setting this all up, even though his gut told him Adair could be more right than she ever realized.
Bottom-line, Jamison wasn’t taking any spell off of anyone until Akan was taken care of. On a normal day, that would be done before the sun set. Akan surely knew that, why else would he set the board before the Sons ever knew they were playing against him?
“Say, um. This time travel Voyager business,” she tried to ask nonchalantly. Talon gave her a once over. “You understand it much?”
“I understand that people assume more than they know and because they do I have to keep my daughter hidden and protected.”
“Someone let Akan out,” Talon said. “It’s as simple as that. The men keeping guard are as loyal as a century is long. It would have taken some serious magic to vanish anyone before their eyes. My money is on Jade.”
Adair had no objection.
“So Jade, a powerful witch, in sync with this Voyager business set an enemy free. Akan was a lousy fuck who annoyed me before. Now what is he?”
“Are you trying to ask me if he is Mr. Black or whatever? I heard the same rumor you did. This gangster drug pusher was taking over the city.”
Just the idea that a fucked rumor like that was going around had Talon’s blood boiling.
“No one is taking over shit. I’m trying to ask you why would Jade help him. And who is to say that she didn’t help him more. Give him a peep show of the future so he knew how to counter us.”
Adair’s eyes shifted as she worked over the scenarios. “Finley would know more than me. She’s not quick to say anything a
“I don’t like that he’s seen any of it,” Talon grumbled.
“Then do what you’ve never done before. Don’t hold back.”
Her words slapped his subconscious and sent a chill down his spine. There was a lot he’d never done before, but yearned for.
“If you find yourself responding or acting on autopilot stop and think if there is another way to get where you want to be.”
Talon’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He’d halfway typed out a fuck off text back when he stopped himself from hitting send.
“Alrighty, little one, we’ll see if you’re on to something with this. No more predictability.”
Talon erased his message and then typed in a time and place.
“Get some rest,” he said as he gave her temple a quick peck. When he reached the door, he hesitated and looked back at her troubled expression. “I really am sorry for your loss. Whatever you need, just ask.”
Adair nodded shakily then gave him a weak wave, sending him on his way to take back his kingdom.
Chapter Two
Scorpio’s body was heavy, draped in the chains of gravity. He always hated coming back into his flesh. One moment he was free, all seeing, and the next he only had one window and the sounds of others far away to gauge the world at large. This time he fought from returning for less selfish reasons. His lover had developed serious trust issues over the life of the battles they’d fought, but he never imagined how much she had hidden from him.
It was understandable and frustrating all the same. He wanted to know his Throng, to have the reward of sensing and protecting them the way he was born to do. It was his natural. Knowing Talon and Toril had been enough for a long while. It wasn’t anymore.