MAGIC IN DISGUISE
AGENTS OF A.S.S.E.T. 3
KATIE SALIDAS
CHAPTER THREE
Grey dropped her by the gate to her
apartment complex and sped away. She wasn’t sure if she should envy or feel
sorry for the guy. Sage might be on house arrest, but Grey was truly in prison.
Being tethered to Ava wasn’t something she’d wish on her worst enemy.
Though her fate hadn’t been much better.
She unlocked the gate, silently praying her domestic situation – as Ava had
called it – would be drama free, and took the path toward her building.
A small win – after the crushing defeat
she’d had back at ASSET – would be a welcome change. Her day had not gone as
planned at all.
Sage looked down at her palm. The black
mark had grown again. She nearly made a cardinal sin of asking “How could things
get worse?” but stopped before the words tripped off her tongue. Still, just
thinking of tempting fate was enough.
Right on cue, Sage spotted Josh banging on
the door as if he meant to bring it down. She sprinted to the apartment,
cursing her luck.
“Matt! Open this door!” Josh demanded.
“You can’t go in there right now.” Anxiety
kicked her heart into overdrive, testing her Terra immortality. A normal human
might have stroked out. She wasn’t that lucky.
Josh had never looked so angry and scared.
A vein throbbed near his temple. He glared at her, eyes glistening on the edge
of tears, and gnashed his teeth so hard Sage could hear the soft grinding.
She had his attention, but words caught in
her throat, refusing to pass the safety of her lips. How the hell does someone
tell a regular human guy that his
boyfriend has been turned into a vampire? The phrase sounded ludicrous. The
truth, not so much.
The harsh reality of those words had
far-reaching implications neither Sage nor Matt had had time enough to
comprehend. Why did it have to fall to her, then, to be the messenger? Damn it! Sage could hardly stand to be
in the room with Matt in her current condition. The seed painfully craved the
magic animating their bodies. And Josh… Humans and newly turned vampires don’t
exactly mix well.
“I’m losing my patience, Sage.”
“I know. I’m…okay. He’s fine.” Understatement of the year there. “I’m
fine. We’re all fine.” She’d have struggled less for breath if she’d run a
marathon. Her chest ached as her heart threatened to punch its way out. “How
are you?”
“Either step aside, or I go through you.”
Josh balled his fist. He wouldn’t strike her. Even if he did, she kind of
deserved it. More than likely he’d beat his fist bloody trying to take down the
door. “I want to see my boyfriend.” His voice cracked with strained emotions.
“Let me explain. No. Wait. Let me sum up.”
Sage took hold of the handle, placing herself between the door and her very
psychotic-looking friend. “He had an accident. But he’s alive-ish. Probably not
ready for visitors at the moment.”
“What are you trying to say?” Tears began
to trickle from the edges of his puffy eyes. “Spit it out. Truth.”
“You can’t handle the truth.”
“Stop it with the stupid movie quotes!” He
reared back with his fist balled tight.
“I don’t know what else to do.” She faced
him head-on. If he wanted to let loose his fury, so be it. “I can’t let you see
him right now. For your own safety.”
“Zack?” Josh dropped his hand and let out a
growl. Sage knew the sound well as she’d made it plenty of times herself –
defeated anguish. “It was that damn vampire you invited into our home, wasn’t
it? You promised you’d keep Matt safe from your new…crazy! Where’s a stake?
I’ll kill the bastard myself!”
“Okay. First of all, keep your voice down.”
She looked to the apartments across from her building. No lights in the windows
yet, but they were bound to earn a few noise complaints if he kept this up.
“Second…that’s my job, and a stake isn’t going to solve your problems. Third…
Zack saved him when I failed to do it. You owe him. If you want to be mad at
someone, take it out on me. Go ahead. Rail away. I deserve it!”
Josh’s breath came in stuttering waves. He
balled his fist again and sent it straight at the door with all the power of
his rage, bloodying his knuckles against the wood.
“I’m sorry.” She couldn’t blame him for
acting out. She’d been beating herself up for days since it had all gone
horribly wrong. “I truly am. I don’t know how to make things better. But we’re
trying to get him through this.”
“Is he in there, with Matt?”
The door opened behind Sage. She nearly
toppled backwards but caught herself in the doorframe.
“Unless you would like to make a donation,
listen to killer here.” Zack kept his voice low enough to avoid the neighbors
hearing, but quiet did not diminish the seriousness of his words. “Your man is
safe and under my care. Should you choose to enter this apartment, you do so at
your own peril. Baby vampires aren’t trustworthy around humans.”
“You…violated my boyfriend, monster!”
“Yes,” Zack replied with unusual calm. “You
next?”
Of course Zack couldn’t be the adult here
and calm Josh’s fears. That task again fell on Sage. And she’d already failed
once at diffusing the situation. “Stop it, both of you!” She maneuvered within
the doorframe so she could give both men the stink eye for acting like jerks.
“You want someone to hate, Josh? I’m right here. It’s my fault what happened,
and I’m doing my best to make it up to everyone.”
“How did this happen?” Josh’s nostrils
flared like an angry bull, ready to charge.
“I was the target of a power-hungry kitsune
with a djinn in her pocket,” she admitted. “Matt was the bait.”
“And Killer went in guns blazing with no
backup,” Zack said, eagerly throwing her further under the bus.
“Thanks. Didn’t feel crappy enough. Why not
drive the knife deeper before you twist it,” she grumbled.
“As you wish,” Zack replied with a devilish
smirk she’d love to smack clean off his smug face.
“And the kitsune creature thing?” Josh
asked. “Whatever the hell that is? What did you do to it?”
“She’s been neutralized. Along with the
djinn,” she replied confidently. If nothing else, she got that part right.
“They will not be a problem again.”
“And you?” Anger still tightened Josh’s
jaw, but his words came out with a surprisingly softer tone. “Are you okay?”
Sage lifted her hand to show him the
consequences she’d endured. “Had a bit of an accident myself.”
Josh gasped.
“Don’t worry. ASSET is helping me sort it
out,” she reassured him.
“Does it hurt?”
“A
lot.” She refused to sugarcoat that fact. He wouldn’t take her admission as
weakness like the other guys.
“And she can’t touch anyone magical now
without killing them. Something of a backfire with that amulet she broke,” Zack
filled in the gaps Sage had intentionally avoided revealing.
“Not funny.” She’d only told the vampire
enough to prevent further questioning, never once admitting it was the Weapon
of Magical Destruction she’d been carrying. Per ASSET, that was strictly
classified information. Still, she had a sneaking suspicion he knew the truth.
Zack’s currency had always been information.
“Poetic, though, isn’t it?” Zack giggled
mischievously.
She’d have words with him in private later.
Sage hadn’t been home five minutes, and already he was pushing her buttons. “I
know you’ve always wanted me to put my hands on you.” Sage pointed a finger at
his crotch. “How about now?”
“Rain check?” His impish smile never
faltered as he quick-stepped backwards into the apartment, putting himself just
out of harm’s way. “Would you look at the time? Junior should be waking from
his nap, and he’ll want a snack. They throw such temper tantrums when they’re
hungry.”
Josh cleared his throat. “How long do I
have to wait to see Matt?”
“Let me make sure he is fed and washed and
cleaned his room,” Zack answered. “Maybe, if he’s been a very good boy, we can
arrange a little play date for you two kids. How’s the tenth of never?”
“Keep with the baby talk, and I swear I’ll
smack that stupid grin right off your face,” Sage grumbled at Zack’s over-the-top
impression of a doting parent.
“You owe me, remember?” Zack waggled a
finger at her.
“One swift kick in the butt,” Sage snarked
at him. “Yep. And I’m ready to pay up.”
“She loves me. It’s just all this stress
getting to her,” Zack assured Josh. “New parent troubles and all. She’s busy
all day, and I’m here slaving away with the newborn. We’ll work through these
issues, I’m sure. Love will out, as they say.”
“One more word, Zack. Just one.” She
narrowed her eyes threateningly at him.
“Love you, too, baby!” Zack blew her a kiss
as he backed away and closed the door before she could stop him.
As annoyed as she was at Zack’s antics,
Josh matched her with anguish. He didn’t need to say anything; it was there
etched into the lines across his forehead and the slight quiver of his lips.
“I’m truly sorry. Hate me if you need to,
but please understand I tried to save him. You know how much I love Matt. He’s
family.”
“I don’t know what to do.” Josh hung his
head and turned away. “How can I have a relationship with him this way? What if
he…? What if I…?” Hunched over with defeat, he paced the small patio in front
of her door. “I don’t know how to deal with this.”
“You have love.” She reached out and took
Josh’s shoulder, reeling him in to face her.
They were both in pain. She desperately
wanted to hug him, so they could share in a good ugly cry, but she was
responsible for his anguish. She had no right to pretend her pain equaled his.
She swallowed her emotions. Brave face
time. Make him feel all will be well. That’s what Josh needed. “There is no
reason to make rash decisions right now. He needs time to adjust, and so do
you. Think of it like one of your business trips. You’re gone for months
sometimes. Now the shoe is on the other foot. You can still call him. Talk to
him when he’s up and moving. You’ll see. He’s still the same Matt you love.”
“How long do I have to wait to see him? To
hold him?” Josh shrugged free of her grip and turned to kick the concrete
staircase that led to the upstairs apartments. “I miss him so much already.”
“Remember that. Remember how much you love
him. Because no matter what has changed him, he is still the same guy. He will
still love you.”
“But he’ll love blood more.” Zack’s voice
came muffled through the thin walls.
Sage growled loud enough for the neighbors
to hear. She definitely owed Zack a swift kick in the pants for that ill-timed
comment.
“Don’t listen to him,” she assured Josh.
“Love is powerful. You’ll see. He’s just got to learn control.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
It broke her heart to see Josh in such
pain. They were all helpless to do anything but wait and see how Matt managed
his newly enhanced state.
“If that jerk in there can manage to
control his urges, so can Matt.” She put as much conviction in her voice as she
could. “He’s ten times the man Zack is.”
“I want to believe you.” His chin quivered
as he took a steadying breath and gulped down the air.
Sage admired his control. Even if Josh
didn’t feel he was controlling himself, she recognized the immense strength he
was employing. She’d been a blubbering mess for days after it all went down.
“A week ago, I didn’t know vampires
existed. A week ago, you said you’d keep your work away from our home. And
now…” Josh jabbed a finger toward her apartment. “This.”
He had her there. “I got nothing. I failed
us all. I have apologized, and I will continue to apologize for all eternity.
But, even if you have lost faith in me, don’t lose faith in Matt.”
“Faith,” Josh scoffed and turned on his
heel. “I don’t know what that word means anymore.” He walked away without
another look back, leaving the fate of his relationship in the air.
As if Sage didn’t have enough to deal with.
No way was she telling Matt his boyfriend might not want to continue dating him
as a vampire. So much for the power of love.
