Fury Rising (Fury Unbound Book 1)

  Jason stared at the floor, unmoving and silent as I gave him the news.

  “Hans is on the way down to the police quarters to find out exactly what happened. Eileen’s mother is…not coping well, I think.” I leaned out to take his hand in mine but he pulled away. Tam gave me a quick shake of the head and I withdrew.

  Jason glanced at Tam, then motioned toward the door. “Give us some privacy, Kae.”

  Tam blinked, but said nothing.

  “Of course,” I said stiffly, stung by the sudden rebuff. I left the room without another word, trying not to slam the door on my way out. By the time I reached the counter, I was running a mixture of emotions from sorrow to anger. I paused, trying to get my temper under control. The old adage Don’t shoot the messenger appeared to be alive and well. But as I gathered my things to leave, I forced myself to stop and reason. Jason would need his sister and even though I was pissed, I wasn’t going to walk away without doing everything I could.

  I quietly let myself out, securing the door behind me. I shoved the key in my pocket and trudged next door to Up-Cakes. Shevron was in the corner, hovering over a tiered cake stand that she was filling with muffins. The store smelled like I had died and gone to lemony-heaven.

  She glanced up as I shuffled over to her. “Hey, Fury—” She stopped, setting down the tray of cupcakes. “What the hell happened? You look like you just lost your best friend.”

  I shrugged, feeling the chip on my shoulder all too keenly. “Shevron, I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but Eileen’s mother just called a few minutes ago. Eileen was killed by one of the sky-eyes.”

  Shevron blanched. “Oh, great gods. How horrible.” She swept around the counter, whisking me toward the back. Over her shoulder, she called to her store clerk. “Liza, watch the front?”

  When we were in her office, Shevron closed the door and motioned for me to sit down. “Does he know yet?”

  I nodded. “I told him.”

  “Do you know what happened?”

  “The rudimentary facts, but I sent Hans down to find out whatever he could. Obviously, I couldn’t go. The Devani are calling this a ‘regrettable accident.’ ”

  “Regrettable accident, my ass. Those freaking drones are dangerous for aerial shifters. This has happened more than once.” She paused, then tilted her head to the side. “Something else is bothering you. I’ve known you too long for you to hide secrets from me.”

  “How can you always tell?” I did a good job of hiding my feelings, but Shevron and Tam could always see through me.

  She reached over and ran her fingers through my hair. “You’ve come a long ways from that frightened little girl Jason found on the doorstep in front of Dream Wardens. You’ve been through a lot and I’ve watched you handle everything life threw in your path.”

  I let out a long sigh. “Okay, but it sounds petty and you’re going to think I’m an ass.”

  “Tell me anyway.”

  “After I told him what happened, Jason wouldn’t talk to me. The only thing he did was to order me to leave. He’s in there with Tam right now. I know he’s hurting but it felt like a fucking slap in the face.”

  Shevron was a pale woman, her hair far blonder than her brother’s. Her rounded face was jarred by the dark blackberry lipstick she wore, and her makeup was one step away from haute-couture odd. But her eyes had the same discerning gaze as her brother’s, and the family resemblance was very apparent. Now, it felt like she was looking directly into my heart.

  “You know, Fury, grief does strange things to people. They act out in ways you’d never expect. You did, when we first met.” Shevron was blunt. That was one of the things I loved about her.

  My stomach flipped and I pressed my lips together. I had developed a tough exterior when out in public, but in private I had to let down my guard. Keep too much energy bottled up and it would implode, especially when working with shadow magic. Magic tended to backfire when emotions were repressed, and the last thing I needed was for it to come blasting out at the wrong time, at the wrong target.

  “Jason isn’t thinking right. Plus, remember, we’re shifters. We’ve lived a long time compared to you. Hawk-shifters, in particular, are notorious for being able to control our emotions, to look at any given situation and follow the threads back. We’re aligned with the element of air, which means we are ruled by intellect and thought. But grief can bring the strongest of us to our knees, and in this regard, Jason has always been more emotional than is good for him.” The soft smile on her face was the last straw.

  “Aw, damn it, Shevron. I feel like a heel for getting angry.” I slapped the table, wanting to lash out at something.

  “What else is going on, Fury?”

  I shook my head. I really didn’t want to go into it any further. “Don’t you need to go over to see Jason? He’s going to need you and the last thing I want to do is to make things worse.”

  “Tam is with him. Now, tell me what’s stewing in that fiery heart of yours?” She smiled, and I had the feeling she knew the answer already, even though I wasn’t sure what it was.

  I closed my eyes, breathing softly. As I sorted through the tangle that my thoughts had become, I realized there was something I was hiding from myself. A feeling…of…relief? What the hell was that about?

  “Oh hell,” I blurted out as I opened my eyes. I didn’t want to look at her. But the elephant in the room was loud and big, and I couldn’t avoid facing it. “I don’t know how to say this.”

  “Then just say it.” She waited patiently.

  I stared at the wall. I couldn’t look her in the face. Finally, I swallowed my pride. “Maybe…just maybe…I might have a crush on your brother. Or at least I did till he kicked me out a few minutes ago.”

  She nodded, taking her time. After a few beats, she asked, “Do you think it’s more than infatuation?”

  I blushed, so embarrassed I wanted to crawl under the table. “I don’t know. I mean, I really liked Eileen and I never would have interfered in their relationship. But…”

  “But the fact that she’s gone means the field is open?” There was no judgment, no anger behind her words. I nodded again, waiting for her to read me the riot act. She pursed her lips, then leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. “Tell me about it.”

  Now that the gate was open, the words came spilling out. “More than once, I’ve had the fantasy of what it would be like if she was gone…or if he had…”

  “If he picked you instead of her?”

  I pressed my lips together, nodding.

  “You never fantasized her dead, did you?”

  I jerked my head up. “Of course not. No, never. I like Eileen…liked…”

  “Then you didn’t set the sky-eye after her?” She held up her hand as I bristled. “A stupid question, but to illustrate my point. You need to realize that you had no part in her death.”

  “No,” I answered slowly, beginning to understand.

  “Good. Therefore, any connection between your fantasy and Eileen’s death is accidental. You didn’t wish her dead, or cast a spell, or anything like that. You didn’t want her to die any more than you want my brother to be broken-hearted.”

  Exhaling deeply, I let go of the knot that had formed inside my heart when Eileen’s mother had called. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Take it a step further. You care about Jason, but you stay out of his relationship precisely because you do care about him. Then his girlfriend dies and you find yourself thinking there might be a possibility…right?”

  I blushed. “This is why I feel so bad. How can I be such a fucking ass? How can I be so angry at him for asking me to leave when I know he’s hurting?”

  Shevron stood and took off her apron. “Honey, everything you’re feeling is natural. Don’t beat yourself up. You aren’t rejoicing in Eileen’s death. If you were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” She held out her hand and pulled me to my feet, drawing me i
nto a hug.

  “I really did like Eileen. I envied her, yes. It’s not easy being a Theosian. We’re always bound to the Elder Gods, and so often, we live lonely lives. Humans envy or fear us, the government is always looking for a way to use us, and…it’s just…it can be lonely. But I never wanted anything like this to happen.” I closed my eyes as I leaned against her shoulder.

  Shevron took me by the shoulders, forcing me to meet her gaze. “You listen to me, girl. And yes, you are a girl compared to my age. The day your mother walked through the Sandspit pregnant with you, she altered your destiny. The rogue magic transformed your DNA. You were meant to be human, but you were mutated in the womb. You carry both paths within you, honey. You’re a minor goddess. You belong to Hecate. Do you know what that means? You’re one of the Divine! Embrace the dark magic in your soul, and revel in it. Quit trying to avoid your nature. Quit trying to play down your talents so you can fit in.” She paused, then added, “Do you remember the cards that the Oracle drew for you at your birth?”

  “How can I forget? My mother continually reminded me. In fact, she had a poster of the reading made when I was very young. It hung over my bed for the longest time.”

  “What were they, again?” Shevron knew very well what my birth-reading was, but I answered anyway.

  “The Wheel, Death, and the Queen of Wands.”

  “Right. The Wheel of Fortune: Change happens. If you try to hold it back, the Wheel will run over you, but take control and you’ll rise with it, stronger than before. Death: Transformation is occurring, with no escape. So embrace it. And the Queen of Wands: The queen of flames is the mistress of action. She is fury embodied, and passion and power. It’s time to stop shying away from who you’ve become. You became Fury the night you faced the Carver. Claim your name. Revel in what you are. That’s the only way you’ll ever be happy, regardless of what happens with my brother.”

  What she said hit home with a thud.

  Shevron led me back out to the main shop. “Liza, will you pull together a box of maple bars, éclairs, and donuts? A baker’s dozen. I’m going next door and I may not be back for the rest of the day, so you’ll have to watch the shop. Family emergency.”

  As Liza prepared a box of pastries, Shevron turned back to me. “Go wash your face. And remember, I’ll be there with you.”

  She winked, and—feeling like the little sister again—I headed for the restroom, where I splashed cold water on my face.

  Shevron had always had my back. While Jason had done his best to make sure I went to school, was fed and clothed, and he tutored me in my magical lessons with Hecate, it was his sister who had tended to my emotional needs. She had guided me through puberty, helped me when I had boyfriend problems—though I always skittish around men. Basically, she became my role model. As much as I had loved my mother, Shevron had taken over and done a better job. She was born to nurture.

  I splashed another round of cool water on my face, then brushed my hair back, staring at myself in the mirror. “Remember who you are,” I whispered.

  Directing my thoughts to the matter at hand—maybe Hans was back with information on Eileen’s death—I returned to the front where Shevron waited for me. Without another word, she picked up the pastry box and we headed back to Dream Wardens, to see how Jason was.

  Chapter 7

  Tam and Jason were sitting on the sofa when I unlocked the door. Hans hadn’t returned yet. Shevron silently walked over to Jason’s side and sat down, merely offering her hand. He took it for a moment, gazing at her. Then, with a sigh, he let go.

  Tam reached over and patted my knee as I dropped into the chair next to him. If he had been anybody else, I would have slapped his hand away, but for once I welcomed the reassurance.

  Jason cleared his throat. His expression was a blank slate. I couldn’t tell what he was feeling. “I didn’t mean to chase you out, Kae. I just needed to process, and Tam…he’s good at helping me do that.”

  Then it hit me. Tam had removed some of Jason’s immediate shock. I sidled a glance at Tam, wondering if he was okay. Taking on the emotions of others wasn’t easy, and it was a magic I knew I could never handle having. But he seemed calm and collected.

  “Not a problem.” I felt stiff and awkward, suddenly. My talk with Shevron had only served to make me more uncomfortable. To my relief, at that moment the door opened and Hans let himself in.

  We all turned, waiting. Jason tensed.

  Hans slumped onto the sofa. “Well, it was a sky-eye, all right.”

  Jason let out a soft breath. “How did it happen?”

  “The Devani wouldn’t tell me anything except that she was flying around the top of her building this morning. The drone zoomed in, she ‘flew’ at it and the drone protected itself. I swung by her apartment, and one of the neighbors confirmed how it happened, though she said the drone was the aggressive one. She saw it happen.”

  “Damn it to hell. Isn’t it enough that the Devani are always suspicious of everything? Gods, I wish those freaks would go back to Elysium.” I really hated the ultra self-righteous henchmen the Corp-Rats had roped into service as the security force for the country. The Devani came through the World Tree, more spirit than men, with wings that made them look like some sort of winged-shifter mutation. They had no sense of self, really, and did whatever their masters ordered. The Devani lived by strict codes, and were more alien than human. The Conglomerate—the grouping of five corporations that ruled the nation—had become more and more militant, and they gave the Devani more and more license.

  “The Devani make me twitch,” Shevron said. “I don’t trust them and I never have.”

  “I have never trusted them,” Jason said. “In the two hundred–plus years I’ve been alive, I’ve always believed they have an ulterior motive.” He let out a sharp sigh. “So, did you find out anything else, Hans?”

  “The neighbors were far more cooperative than the cops. They said the sky-eyes buzz the building every morning. Usually Eileen waits till a little later to go flying, but she met one of the neighbors on the stairs today and said she had an early meeting and wanted to get in some air time before she went to work.”

  “We warned her time and again to stop flying in the city. It’s too dangerous.” Shevron stiffened.

  “That’s what her neighbor said. Her name is Jessica, by the way, an elderly woman. Anyway, Jessica warned Eileen to be cautious, but she said that Eileen insisted she could avoid the sky-eyes and that she had to fly. She said something about it keeping her sane.”

  “Yeah…Eileen really would have loved to live out in Bend or some small town like that, but we were going to wait till we got married and then talk about it. Damn it, I wish I would have given in. She wanted to get married this spring, and I told her to wait.” Jason hit the cushion next to him, his eyes smoldering.

  “There’s no guarantee that something wouldn’t have happened. The Fates cut the cords when they will,” I said, then shut my mouth. I hated that he felt guilty over this, but there was nothing I could say that would make it any easier.

  “Her mother is going to be sorting through her things tomorrow. The building already rented out her apartment starting next week,” Hans said.

  “Figures. Greedy Corp-Rats.” Jason frowned. “I’m so glad that her mother wasn’t there to see. Terabet isn’t strong enough to handle something like that.” His face was ashen, but he managed to keep it together.

  “Oh, and while I was still at the station, the Devani asked why I wanted to know. I told him I was checking for you because you were too broken up to come down yourself.”

  After a moment’s pause, I sucked in a deep breath. “There’s something else, though I don’t feel this is the best time to bring it up.”

  “Please, change the subject,” Shevron said. “I think we need to let discussion over Eileen’s death sit for a little bit until we’ve assimilated it.”

  I glanced at Jason and he nodded.

&
nbsp; “All right. This morning, Hecate told me that she’s been assigned to a case. Apparently, somebody broke into the World Regency Building last night and stole an artifact from the time of the Weather Wars. The Thunderstrike…it’s a magical device that can amplify elemental energy, especially that of storms. Hecate has contacted Lightning Strikes. The Fates have put her in charge of finding the device and whoever stole it. So, yours truly is on the case.”

  Jason let out a low whistle. “An artifact? Weather magic? Crap.”

  “Yeah, and you know World Regency is going to get slammed. They are trying to claim they found it and were just hiding it until they could contact authorities. Which is, of course, bullshit. We’ll see if they get away with it. I wager that by the time Lightning Strikes gets done, the head honchos will be out of business and in prison, waiting execution. But be that as it may, somebody is behind the theft and the Fates insist we have to find out who and get the disk back.”

  Tam’s expression froze. “This sounds like a slippery slope.”

  “That’s not all. Speaking of slippery slopes, tomorrow I’m being sent over to the Arbortariam to speak with Jerako, one of the Greenlings. Hecate wants me to tell him about theft. And you know what that means.”

  Tam stiffened. “Holy Mother. Yeah, I know what that means.” He paused for a moment. “You know, it might behoove you to take me along with you. I’ve never met one of the Greenlings, but I know about them and I know the proper etiquette.”

  Shevron raised her eyebrows. “You’ve never met a Greenling? I would have thought that your race interacts with them on a regular basis.”

  Tam shook his head. “No. The Greenlings are reclusive. They are seldom open to communication and are entirely devoted to Gaia. Fury, I hope you realize what an honor this is. Even the gods are honored when the Greenlings agree to a meeting.”

  “Well, the fact that I’m being sent in as the bearer of bad news doesn’t make me feel very secure. And I’ve already got one strike against me in that the Greenlings dislike the gods, for some reason. I’m just hoping they don’t kill the messenger.” I didn’t mean to sound flippant, but Tam bristled.