Blind spot, p.1
Blind Spot, page 1
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © September 2023 by Jami Gray
All rights reserved.
Blind Spot - Arcane Transporter
Celtic Moon Press
ISBN: 978-1-948884-71-6 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-948884-72-3 (print)
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Cover Art: Deranged Doctor Design
www.derangeddoctordesign.com
Contents
Acknowledgments
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Arcane Transporter Books
Kyn Kronicles Series
The Collapse: Fate’s Vultures
PSY - IV Teams Books
Also by Jami Gray
About the Author
Miss you, Mama Z and Matt, may your next ride be just as wild as the last one.
Acknowledgments
This series has been such a fun ride and I couldn’t do it without you my dear readers. So thank you for coming back for another round with Rory and Zev.
My endless love and gratitude to my Knight and Knights-in-Training - Ben, Ian, and Brendan.
Special shout out to my besties - Ang, Diane, and Camille - for being living examples of kick-ass women no matter what speed bumps you hit.
Hugs to all!
Jami
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One
A playful breeze twirled through a cloudless blue sky, tumbled over the immaculate green grass, and ruffled the collection of black skirts and dress slacks before drifting away to leave another crisp November afternoon in its wake. Unfortunately, it couldn’t ease the pall of grief that blanketed those gathered around the private family plot situated in the middle of the memorial gardens and surrounded by a thick hedge, a nod to the illusion of privacy. The somber priest’s attempt to provide comfort to the mourners was accompanied by sporadic soft trills and chirps from winged watchers who hid among the orange and yellow leaves that still clung to the branches of the nearby trees.
But comfort was nowhere to be found. Not for those gathered to pay their last respects to Maximiliano Vasquez, scion of a beloved Arcane Family, and definitely not for the tall, raven-haired woman sitting painfully still. One hand was fisted in her lap. The other was held in a white-knuckled grip of a gray-haired, haggard-faced man who cradled a smaller, sobbing woman to his side. Christina Velasquez, Arcane Council member, watched from behind her oversized sunglasses as her beloved nephew’s casket was slowly lowered, her face an emotionless mask. For those who didn’t know her, the mask could easily be believed to be hiding the same grief riding Max’s parents.
But I knew the council woman, and it wasn’t grief hiding under that thin façade, but an ice-cold anger. Hiding behind my own dark lenses, I studied the crowd from my spot off to the side and noticed echoes of that same emotion lingering in a few other faces, as well. My gaze drifted over my great-aunt Sabella’s carefully composed features and tight shoulders, only to land on the dark-haired man at her side. Sunlight glinted off another set of dark lenses, but his were unable to disguise his intimidating glower, which added an arrogant edge to his aristocratic face. Of course, Emilio Cordova had reasons for that arrogance, as did my great-aunt. Both were the heads of their respective Families and staunch supporters of Councilwoman Velasquez, personally and politically.
As for me, I wasn’t there as one of Max’s closest and dearest or Christina’s lackey. I was there as Sabella’s driver and doing my best to remain as unobtrusive as possible. If I could have gotten away with it, I would have waited for her at the car, but she’d insisted I accompany her to the graveside. I only gave in once she promised not to make me sit next to her.
My reticence had nothing to do with attending a funeral of someone I barely knew. Saying goodbye could take many forms, and if this was how Max’s loved ones found their peace, more power to them. My reluctance stemmed from what would be construed by the other attendees if I took a seat next to the notorious matriarch who led one of the original, inherently powerful Arcane Families. The last thing I wanted anyone thinking was that I intended to walk in Sabella’s gilded footsteps.
Thanks, but no.
Even if DNA was a harsh bitch to dodge, I had my own path to forge. Granted it was still more of an unpaved access road, but given time and deep-seated stubbornness, I would make sure it was my legacy that filled me with pride. Not a birthright that was colored by fear and fawning sycophants.
That didn’t lessen the curious glances sent my way every time I stepped out with her. Like right now. The weight of them was an itch against my skin, but thanks to recent practice, instead of scratching at the invisible judgement, I let my attention drift over the collection of Max’s friends and family, then beyond the questionable privacy offered by the hedge border.
Located in an older neighborhood of Phoenix, the memorial gardens had offered space for community members until the population outpaced the available plots. Now, the only way to claim a spot here was if your family had planned decades in advance, and Max’s family had called the valley home for a very long time. That didn’t mean the somber gardens didn’t get their fair share of visitors, but gatherings like this, were a one-off.
In fact, I clocked a couple sitting quietly on a bench near a gurgling fountain that was surrounded by an artful combination of flowers, rocks, and urn-filled niches. Beyond them, off among the rows of flat headstones, another person knelt and set aside a fresh bouquet of bright flowers before carefully removing the dried-out blooms.
Off to the side, another semi-private garden housed a miniature mausoleum. A shadow detached from the narrow doorway. After a heartbeat, then two, the figure resolved into a man. A shiver rippled down my spine, and I had no idea why. Nothing about him should have triggered such unease. He was too far away to make out much other than that he was of average height and build, and his hair was covered by a hat that shadowed his face.
Our gazes seemed to connect, and my breath caught for a long indeterminable moment. Only when he turned and strolled away did I remember to exhale. I watched him walk away, his shoulders straight, his head up, and hands in his pockets, as he disappeared behind a hedged wall.
Chills peppered my arms. Who the hell was that?
I nearly jumped out of my skin when fingers curled around my arm.
“Rory, are you okay?” Sabella’s question was quiet, in keeping with our surroundings.
I blinked and looked around to see that the mourners were slowly leaving the graveside. I managed a small smile as I covered her fingers with mine and gave them a comforting squeeze. “I’m good.”
Sabella was no one’s fool. Her sharp hazel eyes narrowed as she turned toward where the mysterious man had disappeared, and stared for a long moment before turning back to me. “Who was that?”
My shoulders rose and fell, shrugging off my disquiet and her question. “I don’t know. Someone visiting a family member, I’m guessing.”
A frown tugged the edges of her mouth down, but before she could ask anything more, we were interrupted.
“Sabella, are you heading over to the Vasquez’s?” asked the dark-haired woman who was using Emilio’s arm to maintain her balance as she navigated the grass with her thin-spiked heels.
I wasn’t sure she really needed Emilio’s help since I couldn’t remember ever seeing Maribel Ortiz wear shoes with heels shorter than three inches.
“Yes,” Sabella answered then waited until the couple came to a stop at our side. I must have sighed, because she flicked me an amused glance and patted my arm. “Don’t worry. I won’t stay long.”
“Stay as long as you want,” I said. “I can wait for you at the car.”
“Actually, you can’t.” There was a gentle snap to her response, though not enough to stop me from opening my mouth to argue that as her driver my place was behind the wheel, not mingling with people I didn’t know. Before I could start, though, she cut me off. “Your presence was specifically requested, Rory.”
Hmm, that didn’t sound ominous at all. “By?”
“Mateo and Olivia.”
Ugh. More council members meant there was no polite route for refusal. I set my teeth. “Fine, I’ll go in with you.”
Now that she got her way, Sabella was all gracious smiles. “Good.” She turned to back to Emilio and Mari, who were watching our exchange w ith ill-concealed amusement. “Will you two be there, as well?”
Emilio inclined his dark head. “Yes, but like you, we weren’t planning on staying long.”
“I bet Locke gets to stay with the car,” I muttered under my breath, earning a poorly disguised chuckle from Locke, who stood behind Emilio, and a frown from Sabella.
Emilio shook his head but continued as if I hadn’t commented. “Unfortunately, we have a dinner engagement we were unable to reschedule.” Whatever he saw on Sabella’s face had him quickly adding, “A business dinner, Sabella.”
“That’s one way to phrase it,” Mari drawled. “I’d call it a bloodless come-to-Jesus conversation with over-priced chicken and asparagus.”
I raised an eyebrow in silent query to the curvy lawyer.
“Emilio might have to play nice, but since my only concern is the Cordova Family’s interests, I don’t have to,” she explained.
Ahh, that explained the anticipatory glint in her dark eyes. “Who are you taking a bite out of now, Mari?”
She shot me a grin that flashed white teeth. “Salient Tech out of California, and it’s not a that big of a bite, just a nip or two to remind them why they want to keep their fingers out of Emilio’s pies.”
A nip or two would mean they would leave the table with bloodied nubs. I didn’t envy anyone who went up against Mari. She might look cute and cuddly, but she was all shark when it came to her clients. That was why she earned big bucks from Emilio and was worth every hard-earned penny I gave her.
“I’m sure Emilio’s pies will be in good hands.” Heat hit my cheeks as I realized how that sounded. I didn’t need Locke’s amused snort to reinforce my embarrassment. I shot him a narrow-eyed look before apologizing to Emilio. “Sorry.”
His lips quirked. “I have to agree—my pies are quite safe in Mari’s hands.”
Gods save me from male amusement. Speaking of which… “Have you heard from Zev today?”
Emilio’s attention sharpened. “Not today, but when we spoke yesterday, he indicated he might be out of pocket for a couple of days.”
“So the lead panned out?”
“He didn’t share details, but it sounded like it,” Emilio said.
“That’s good,” I murmured. And it was.
Zev Aslanov did double duty as Emilio’s right-hand man and my other half. Dark, dangerous, cynical, and ruthless, he made my head hurt and my heart smile, which strangely made him perfect for me. We’d been together just shy of a year, and during that time, we’d navigated mad scientists, dead bodies, jealous exes, misunderstandings, lost memories, and mercenaries intent on taking out one or both of us. Yet somehow, we were still together. I still wasn’t sure how a small fish like me who swam in the shallows of the Arcane’s elite had managed to gain, and keep, the attention of one of the biggest predators out there, but that was my life now. As the Cordova Family Arbiter tasked with dispensing both justice and vengeance for his Family, he was feared almost as much as he was respected. That was why he’d spent the last week or so hunting the one behind Max’s death and why Locke was shadowing Emilio.
“It would be nice if he could bring us a name,” Sabella added, her attention focused on the dispersing mourners behind Emilio and Mari.
“Or better yet, a body.” Emilio’s tone was dark. “And it doesn’t have to have a pulse.”
Yep, Christina wasn’t the only one stewing about the wizard who called himself the Heretic Key. The high-level Key crawled in the depths of the dark web, offering nearly untraceable death curses for a hefty price. Numerous victims who were tied to prominent Arcane families had been lain at his feet, but the Council Hunters, including Zev, had spent years chasing shadows with no success. After the Heretic’s latest strike, Zev was more determined than ever to drag the Heretic out of the darkness and into the unforgiving light.
Mari leaned deeper into Emilio in silent warning as a small group of mourners passed by, a couple exchanging nods of acknowledgement with Sabella and Emilio. Others were soon to follow, so our little pack also turned and began making our way to where the cars were parked. I let Emilio, Sabella, and Mari lead the way as I fell in with Locke.
The subtle press of power from the crowd slowly swallowing us woke my own power, and it slid smoothly into place, holding back the press of magic. I didn’t bother reigning in my Prism, not when the discomfort of being surrounded by various unfamiliar magic users kept the primitive part of me on edge. That feeling wasn’t helped by the unmistakable amount of sidelong glances coming my way. Besides, an innate defensive ability wasn’t worth much if it didn’t kick in at a whisper of potential threat.
“You okay?” Locke’s question was low enough to stay between us.
“Yeah, just hate being an object of curiosity.”
“Cut ’em some slack, Rory,” the air mage teased. “It’s not every day they get to be up close to a unicorn.”
I shot him a frown before letting my face smooth back out. “Unicorn?”
“Would you rather I call you a dark horse?” He continued to poke at me. “You come out of nowhere, play a part in taking down not one, but two, Families, catch the eye of the one Arbiter everyone goes out of their way to avoid, and then Sabella publicly claims you as family. But the absolute topper? You come out as a Prism. Did you really think your presence wouldn’t cause a ripple?”
“A ripple, I could deal with, but it’s been months since Sabella’s revelation.”
Ahead of us, Mari, Emilio, and Sabella came to a stop as they spoke with a couple of people. Locke and I stopped short, giving them privacy. I angled to face Locke, putting my back to those moving through the gardens.
Locke tucked his hands into his pockets but kept his attention on the crowd. “Maybe that ripple would have disappeared if you moved in their circles on a more regular basis.”
“Yeah, no thank you.” I fell quiet as a group passed behind us. When they were out of earshot, I said, “Besides, you’d think they’d’ve moved on to other things by now.”
The humor faded, leaving his voice serious. “Like Max’s death?”
At my faux pas, heat spread under my cheeks. “That didn’t come out right.”
A muscle jumped in Locke’s jaw as he continued to watch the mourners leave, and seeing that telling tic it hit me.
“You knew him.” It wasn’t a question.
His gaze dropped to me, and even though I couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, I could feel the weight of his gaze. “Yeah, I did. Him and Devon both.”
Yeah, I’d really put my foot in my mouth. I dared to reach out to squeeze his arm gently in a feeble attempt at comfort. “I’m sorry. Neither one deserved any of this.” Not the young, handsome successful Max or his bubbly, brand-new fiancée who hadn’t survived the wreck that cost the couple everything. All because of a jealous, petty asshole who couldn’t find his spine if it was handed to him.
“No, they didn’t,” he agreed in a hard voice. When our trio resumed its trek, Locke waved me forward, ending the conversation.
We were silent until we reached the parking lot, where cars were now lined up at the entrance as they waited for the officer who was holding back traffic.
Emilio stopped with Mari on one side and Sabella on the other as Locke and I came up. “Where are you parked?”
I tipped my head over to the right. “Over there. You?”
“We’re over here.” Locke waved toward the front of the lot. “Do you want us to walk you over?”
I shook my head. “No, thanks.” I took in the faint lines of tension around Sabella’s lips and the slight slump to her shoulders. If I hadn’t known her so well, I would never have noticed the tiny tells. “Why don’t you wait here with them, and I’ll bring the car around.”
