Page 40 of That Mafioso Magic
Shi paid him little attention as most of hers was focused on Sage. The pride gathered and began to leave and others made sure to crowd around Shi as she walked out of the office carrying Sage to the car.
“You, let’s go,” Nadia said, gesturing for me to follow everyone else. “You ride in the back with Shi and Sage.”
“All right,” I said. I gathered the grimoire and walked toward the car. The door was held open by another female that had a Glock 19 in her hand. They were all armed to the teeth and I knew they had probably killed someone or at least fired at someone at one point in their lives. They looked so comfortable with the weapons. I climbed in next to Shi and lifted Sage’s head and rested it back onto my lap. The door was closed behind me and Nadia and the other female shifter climbed into passenger and driver’s seat with Nadia behind the wheel.
I looked out the window to see Xavier locking up the office before getting into his own car. All the other members of Sage’s pride got inside their cars and we were a mini caravan pulling out of the parking lot. I looked down at Sage. He was sweating so profusely, it looked as though he’d been doused in water. I took the handkerchief out of his pocket and began to wipe his forehead and face off. He arched against us and whimpered, the grimace on his face letting me know he was in pain. I frowned and looked at Shi, who was also frowning. I didn’t know why, I couldn’t explain it, but I hated seeing him in such a state. I didn’t like that he was suffering and I swore I felt something through whatever was linking us. I felt tense, uneasy, and it wasn’t just my worry for Sage’s survival. I couldn’t put my finger on it.
God, this was crazy… we barely even knew each other, but I felt connected to him as if we’d always known each other. I continued to monitor him the whole ride back to his place and when we pulled up to a huge skyscraper, all chrome and glass, I had to marvel at its architectural beauty. As we entered the garage, I did feel something magical travel through me like a ripple of energy. It was hot and I shook from the sensation.
“What was that?” I asked Shi.
“The reason I wanted to bring him back home. It’s protected from anyone who would do him harm. They can’t cross the threshold. Now that you’re here, you can fortify it, make it even stronger. Make it so that no magic, not even your own, can penetrate,” she said.
There was a spell in the book for that, and something I could do on my own. I nodded. “I may need some ingredients for that spell.”
“We will get you whatever you need,” Shi said.
Once parked, I eased Sage’s head off my lap and climbed out of the car as Nadia held the door open for me. Together, they both got Sage out of the backseat, tending to him with so much concern and compassion and love. There was no mistaking that. Everyone else climbed out of the cars and surrounded us as we made our way to the elevator. Their protection game was on point, that was for certain. The elevator required a retinal scan and handprint to operate which Nadia provided. The doors closed and we were on our way up, non-stop to the penthouse. Nadia told me it was Sage’s private elevator.
When the doors opened, we were in Sage’s home and my mouth dropped open at the sheer luxury of it. Shi walked out of the elevator still carrying Sage, and Nadia gently pressed her hand to my back, urging me to follow. I had to pull myself together and catch up to Shi, who quickly made her way to a set of double doors. Along the way, I looked around at what I could. Sage’s home was beautiful. From the art on the walls, to the murals painted on several walls, to the furnishings, it made my own home look like some hovel. Which, if I was honest, wasn’t hard to do.
Nadia opened the cherrywood double doors and Shi walked inside. I followed. It was Sage’s bedroom, and what a grand bedroom it was. My little one-bedroom studio fit inside this damn room. There was a four poster, California king sized bed in the middle of the room raised on a platform, two steps high, and on either side were cherrywood nightstands. He had a sofa and two chairs in the room beside the fireplace. One wall was nothing but floor-to-ceiling windows. He had a huge seventy-five-inch TV mounted on the other wall.
Shi laid Sage’s body on the bed and stood over him, both she and Nadia sharing worried glances. I joined them, making sure not to trip on the two steps toward the bed. I checked his pulse, which seemed to be slowing to an abnormal rate, and I knew why they looked so worried. Something was happening to Sage and I wasn’t sure what it was.
“I’m going to stay by his side and watch over him,” I said.
“You’re damn right you are. We both are,” Shi said. She turned to Nadia. “Can you get us something to eat?”
“Sure, I’m hungry too.” Nadia nodded, then gave me another look that convinced me I was probably going to be dead meat if Sage didn’t survive. Perhaps I was wrong when I said that I had their trust. They let me do what I could because I was probably the only person they knew who could help Sage. Didn’t mean they had to like me. I decided not to worry about it. Their job was to protect Sage, and I was going to help.
I took a seat beside the fireplace and opened up my grimoire and began flipping through the pages to the spell I could use to fortify this fortress. It was going to be simple enough, but I needed three ingredients. I looked up at Shi and she was sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing Sage’s leg.
“Shi?” I asked.
She turned to me. “What?”
“Do you have any roses on hand?” I asked.
“No, but it’s something simple I can get. Do you need them for the spell?” she asked.
I nodded. “That and some dirt that his place was built on and blood from Sage.”
“How much blood?” she asked.
“Just a few drops,” I said as I read over the spell once more.
“You should see if you can include yourself in the spell,” she said.
I looked up at her then. “Why do you say that? I don’t live here.”
She climbed off the bed and approached me. Her very presence was intimidating enough. The fact that she was a powerful shifter only added to her badassness. “Because, whatever is going on between Sage and you, I think it’s only best that you’re protected as well. Just do it.”
Truth was, I really couldn’t argue with her logic. I nodded and she walked away.
“I’ll be back,” she said, then left the bedroom.
I put the grimoire down and walked over to the bed, looking down at Sage. He twitched every once in a while, but at least the sweating had ceased and he didn’t look to be in as much pain as he had before. I lifted the bandage to check on his wound and gasped when I saw that it was completely healed. This was a good sign as far as I was concerned. The spell, as they say, was working its magic. I, on the other hand, was exhausted, having been awake for over twenty-four hours. Just looking at Sage’s bed made me wanted to climb in with him. Perhaps, I would. After I performed the spell, of course.
