Arcane Solutions (Discord Jones) Read online

  To my relief, Mr. Whitehaven didn’t call us back and make me promise not to run around on my own again.

  We tiptoed past Kate’s door and headed for Nick’s truck. The drive across town was silent, but Nick spoke up as soon as we crossed Hwy 83, which was one of the Palisades’ borderlines. “This area sucks.”

  “Not everyone can afford better.” I stared out the window. It looked worse by day, with the sunlight baring the dinginess of the buildings, and the crowds of people. Teenagers hung out in groups, the boys wearing jeans that hung low on their asses, while the girls were dressed like aspiring skanks. Harried young mothers, some not out of their teens themselves, shepherded anywhere from two to four kids.

  Graffiti was everywhere, as were boarded-up shops. Homeless people shuffled along, pushing crazy-wheeled shopping carts, or sat in squalid splendor against walls, just staring into space. “God, this is depressing.”

  “And dangerous. Half of them will gut you for looking at them wrong.” When I looked at him, a sneer twisted his lips.

  “Where do you live?”

  “With my pack.”

  Rolling my eyes, I returned to scanning the sidewalks. “I mean, what part of the city do you live in?”

  “We don’t live in the city, but a few miles outside, to the north.”

  Staying quiet didn’t elicit any further information. It was irritating. “Is it a secret or something?”

  “Not exactly, but our Alpha doesn’t like uninvited guests. We’re not supposed to make it easy for anyone we meet to just drop in.”

  “Oh.” My irritation began to fade.

  Nick braked for a light and looked at me. “Humans aren’t really welcome to visit, because they get bent out of shape over us being ourselves. Our land is the only place we have where we can do that, Cordi.”

  Pleased by his opening up a bit, I went for a joke. “What, do you guys lie around all day licking yourselves or something?”

  He laughed. “You have the weirdest mind, Cordi. Some of the pack doesn’t bother wearing clothing most of the time. Others like to stay in wolf shape a lot.”

  The light changed, and he faced forward again. “I spent most of my childhood in wolf shape, before the Melding. Some haven’t adjusted to the changes. Mostly the older members.”

  “I can understand how that would be hard.” Recognizing the street we were on, I pointed ahead. “Take a left there. That’s the start of the section we were in last night.”

  “Right.” We covered the whole section tagged in blue and white without any results. Nick found a place to pick up some lunch, which we ate in his truck.

  After driving around for another few hours, he called it a day. “We don’t need to hang around here after dark, unless it’s necessary.”

  “Okay.” I was ready to go home. “You can drop me off at Kate’s, so I can get my car. “

  “Sure. Just remember to call me if anything pops up tonight.”

  “I will.” That eased the last bit of tension from him, to my relief. When we stopped for a red light, I unbelted and scooted to the middle of the seat to sit beside him. After I’d hooked the lap belt, Nick put his arm around me and smiled.

  He brought up his home just before turning down the witch’s street. “Since you’re my girlfriend, I could probably get permission for you to visit. If you wanted to.” His tone was casual, but he was watching me from the corner of his eye.

  My mind went blank for a few seconds. Girlfriend? I was his girlfriend? “Well, I wouldn’t want to like, harsh anyone’s mellow or anything.”

  With a shake of his head, he laughed. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “That I wouldn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, invading their space.” Or be uncomfortable, if they didn’t bother to dress when company came over. “Besides, I’ve never even been to a nude beach. My eyes would pop out of their sockets.”

  Pulling over, he stopped the truck behind my car while chuckling. “Well, maybe later on.”

  “Yeah, maybe later. I’ll see you in the morning.” I kissed him, and then scooted down the seat to climb out of the truck. “Bye.”

  “Bye.” He waited until I was in my car and had started the engine before leaving.

  Girlfriend. He’d said it, but I didn’t feel that warm thrill I’d gotten other times I’d heard the word. I didn’t feel like a girlfriend.

  Was it really because he was a shifter?

  Fifteen

  I made one stop, to pick up some take-out, which I ate in front of the TV. That’s also where I dozed off. An itching sensation woke me a few hours later.

  Glancing at the clock told me it was 11:37 pm. Scratching at my hair, a huge yawn escaped while I got up and shuffled toward the hall. My immediate goals were the toilet, a shower, and bed.

  My abilities had a different idea. Halfway to the bedroom, a vision took over. I stood on a dark street, under a buzzing, damaged light post. There was an anemic-looking tree a few feet away, its pitiful circle of dirt marked out by cracked, red bricks. Trash scattered and rustled, pushed about by a breeze.

  “Aw, man.” My complaint broke the quiet of my apartment, and the vision faded away. “Damn it.”

  It looked like I was heading back to the Palisades. Turning around, I went for my jacket to dig out my cell phone, only to curse again. I’d forgotten to put it on the charger.

  For once, I wished that I’d gotten a land line, but the lack of one wasn’t going to put a stop to anything. There was a charger in my car.

  With a quick detour to the bathroom before grabbing purse and jacket, I left my apartment. Once in the car, and plugging the phone in, I called Nick. He didn’t answer, so I left a message.

  Whether or not he showed, I had to go.

  ***

  Parking my car, I teleported to the dark street in my vision, and studied the blue and white graffiti. I'd returned to the area Logan had led me through the night before.

  Another flare of brightness in my mind pushed me forward, excitement beginning to build. The silver thread was so thick this time that I thought that maybe one case would be finished tonight.

  So it was a little disappointing when it ended at a small clutter of trash at the opposite end of the alley. The same alley where my previous vision had shown me the door. Going to one knee with a sigh, I gingerly shuffled through the pile until my fingers closed on something that caused tingles. Pulling it free, I rose and walked to a working streetlight to examine my find.

  The paper was parchment, covered with spidery writing in rusty brown ink. Unable to read the language used, I unzipped my left jacket pocket and tucked it away for safekeeping. Securing it and turning to head back to my car, I froze as four vampires melted from the shadows to block my way. One moved a few steps closer. “Discord Jones. My master wishes to speak with you.”

  “Sorry, I'm a little busy right now. Have him call the office and make an appointment.” I was frantically making a plan. Vampires move much faster than humans.

  “He's an impatient man.”

  “Really? You'd think a master vampire would know that patience is a virtue.”

  He scowled. “You will come with us. There's the easy way, human, or...”

  “The hard way?” I sent him flying into a wall with a shove of TK. Another vampire sped toward me in a blur of movement and I screamed as he tackled me.

  We rolled for several feet, but I managed to break free and shoved, slamming him into the other two. While scrambling to my feet, the first blurred toward me, hands outstretched and fangs bared.

  Something big and black with white streaks dropped onto the vampire, taking it to the ground. Logan's mental voice was deep and velvety sounding: Discord.

  I scrambled backwards, spotting another of the vampires rushing toward us. Flinging a hand out, I called fire from the air around him and he burst into flames. A shove sent him flying backwards and directly into one of the others.

  The tiger, bigger than a pony, was in front of me then, ba
ring gore-stained fangs in an echoing roar. His eyes were pale green. Grabbing handfuls of thick fur, I locked both arms around his neck and used my TK to loft us into the air and onto the roof above. The second his paws touched down, Logan said This way.

  Sounds of bodies landing behind us sent me racing after him, and he led me over the rooftops without looking back. All too soon, we reached the end of the block, but Logan turned and rose, wrapping thick forelegs and heavy paws around me before throwing us off the roof's edge.

  I squeaked, feeling his muscles writhing as he shifted, certain I was in for another fun time of healing broken legs. Logan landed on his feet, taking the force of our landing, one arm having secured my legs at some point.

  Arms around his neck, I looked up because he did. The two vampires left peered down at us, but faded from sight as a deep, low growl erupted from his throat.

  “You do tend to attract trouble, Discord.” Logan was fully human and grinning when I turned my head to look at him. “Must be that name.”

  “My middle name's Angel,” I said, breathy as a rescued damsel, but hey, I had the excuse of that stunning drop.

  He laughed. “Maybe you should start using it.”

  Logan released my legs, setting me neatly on my feet without letting completely go. A slight glance downward pointed out that he was nude. Blushing, I half-turned away before curiosity took complete control and my gaze wandered any lower. Letting his arm drop from my back, he moved a few steps away. “Give me a minute to dress.”

  “Sure.” I studied graffiti and brick, listening to his movements and fighting the urge to peek.

  “I'm decent. Where's your car?”

  “Uh, back that way, I think. The strip mall parking lot on Ironton Ave?” He nodded and set off, so I hurriedly fell into step with him.

  “Still searching for that book?” he asked.

  “I found a piece of it.” I patted my jacket pocket, checking to make certain it was zipped closed. “I can't read the writing on it, so I'll have my friends take a look tomorrow.”

  “You're a very determined PI.” Logan glanced at me. “Vampires scare you.”

  “Well, yeah. I do prefer breathing to not,” I admitted.

  “Yet you came out here without Nick. Again.” He sounded vaguely disapproving.

  “I did call him.” Eyes falling to the sidewalk, I debated before adding, “My boss hired him to babysit me.”

  “He wasn't acting like a bodyguard. More like an upset boyfriend,” Logan quietly observed, hands diving into his jacket pockets.

  “He's not my boyfriend. He's...I don't know what he is.”

  “Okay,” he agreed in a mild-sounding voice. The last few blocks passed in complete silence. “I think that's your oh, damn.”

  “What?” I looked up and stopped. It was totaled. Pounded into a pile of scrap. “They trashed my car? Are you freaking kidding me?”

  Logan began circling what was left of my baby. “They really don't like you.”

  “I'm going to kill them.” My shout rang off bricks and concrete, echoing hollowly into the night. “It's on, you bastards!”

  Logan touched my arm. “I'll take you home, Discord. And I'll take your car to our garage.”

  “They trashed my car.” I couldn't believe it.

  “I'm sorry.” He put an arm around me. “You're shaking.”

  “I'm so unbelievably pissed!” The car hadn't been just my pride and joy, but the first symbol of my independence. Waking up three years older and chock full of psychic talents demanding to be used hadn't been easy to deal with. It had taken a massive amount of hard work to be able to move around in public without turning into a whimpering mess or inadvertently setting something on fire. Or doing something else equally disastrous. “My poor baby.”

  He guided me back into the Palisades, and down a street whose name I didn’t bother catching. By then, my anger had faded and I was seriously mourning my car. We ended up in front of a garage bay door. It rolled up in response to his knock, another dark-haired man just inside.

  “Need my truck,” Logan said. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  The other just nodded, giving me the briefest of once-overs. Logan’s truck was an older model, dark blue single cab. He handed me in and asked for my address after taking his place behind the wheel.

  My sniffles as I fought tears were the only sound during the drive. Logan broke the silence as we arrived. “Which entrance?”

  “The second one.” Pulled out of my unhappy trance, I pointed out my building and then my parking space. “You can park there.”

  “This looks like a nice area,” he remarked, pulling into the space.

  “It's quiet. You wanna come in for a beer?” To my surprise, I really hoped that his answer would be yes. He was so calm. I needed calm.

  “Sure.” Cutting off the engine, he met me at the front of the truck and followed me to my apartment door. Digging my keys out of my pocket, I fumbled and dropped them. We both squatted down to retrieve them, putting us face to face.

  Meeting his eyes, after almost seeing him completely nude earlier, I realized he was damn hot and regretted not looking my fill. Logan offered my keys, and a tingling flashed from my fingertips to my elbow as our fingers brushed during the exchange.

  It was stronger, when he held out a hand and pulled me to my feet as he rose. Busying myself unlocking the door, I remembered feeling the same kind of sensation when Thorandryll had kissed my hand.

  But not from Nick, and he’d done a lot more than hold my hand or kiss it. I wondered what it meant. “Come on in.”

  Logan followed me to the kitchen, and took a seat after accepting the beer I offered. I cast about for something to say while joining him. “So, how old are you?”

  “Twenty-nine. You?” Spotting the trash can, he tossed the beer cap toward it, and it dropped right in.

  “Nice shot. Twenty-two.”

  Logan settled back, focusing on my face. “What was being a psychic like before the Melding?”

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t psychic before then.” I grinned when he raised an eyebrow while taking a drink. “Dropped like a rock when the Melding began, and was in a coma for three years.”

  “A coma? So you came out of it with your abilities?”

  “Yeah. From what I’ve heard, everyone who’s psychic or a witch now had the same thing happen. Most were only down for a few days to a couple of months. I hold the coma record, as far as I know.”

  He frowned. “I wonder why?”

  “Don’t know. Hey, are you hungry? I am. I can make some sandwiches or something.”

  “I don’t want to put you out.”

  “You’re not.” I got up and moved to the fridge. Within a few minutes, and with his stated preferences, I had the makings spread out on the countertop. “So, what kind of tiger are you, aside from really big?”

  “Siberian.”

  “I don’t know jack about tigers, other than the ones at the zoo are orange, black, and white. Are all Siberians black?” I spread mustard over bread slices.

  Logan chuckled. “No, it’s a rare color, like white. Rarer than white.”

  “Cool.” Picking up a tomato, I began slicing it. “That guy at your garage, is he a tiger too?”

  “No, he’s a lion.”

  Since he seemed so willing to answer, I wasn’t going to waste the chance to learn, and there certainly wasn’t a Shifters for Dummies out. “How many different kinds of feline shifters are there?”

  “Six that I know of. Tigers, lions, cougars, jaguars, leopards, and cheetahs.”

  Having finished my sandwich building, I put everything away before carrying our plates to the table. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks.”

  I sat down. “Do you know all the different species of shifters?”

  “Probably not. I know some are extinct, and there could be others that don’t have enough of a population to be much known.”

  We ate without talking much, and then k
icked back with the remainder of our beers. After a good swallow, I asked, “So what were you out doing tonight?”

  “Just walking. It’s quieter at night.” Logan grimaced. “The noise has been one of the hardest things to get used to.”

  I had to laugh. “It was a lot noisier to me when I woke up too.”

  “Telepathy?” At my nod, he grinned. “I wondered if that was one of them. Hoped you’d hear me, instead of slamming me against a wall.”

  “Yes, I heard you. And man, you should’ve seen the look on that vamp’s face.” I started laughing. “He totally wasn’t expecting squashing by tiger.”

  Logan’s grin broadened. “Most people aren’t.” He polished off his beer and rose. “I should head home.”

  “Okay.” We walked to the door, and he stepped outside, half-turning while digging his keys out of a pocket.

  There was a grin on his face again. “Just remembered something.”

  “What?”

  “This time, you forgot to faint.”

  Another laugh bubbled out. “I’ll get it right someday. Promise.”

  “I’ll hold you to it. Thanks for the meal, Discord.”

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for the backup.”

  “No problem.” With a wave, he walked away. I shut and locked the door then remembered my car.

  “Damn it!”

  Sixteen

  Since I was without wheels, teleportation was my only option for getting around, unless I called Nick for a ride. His fit the previous day, followed by his failure to return my call, and my still glowing hot anger over my car said that would be a disaster in the making.

  Teleportation it was.

  David startled when I appeared, hand flattening over his heart, the glasses he’d added to his ensemble almost popping off his nose. “Good lord, Cordi.”

  “Sorry. Do you have a few minutes?” Trixie butted her head against my shin, demanding I rub behind her ears. David’s familiar, Copernicus, demanded love too. His feathers slipped coolly under my fingers. “I've found something I need your help with.”

  Jo came out from the back, slipping rings onto her fingers. “Hey, Cordi.”