Page 7 of A Deeper Blue
“Sounds like the same kind of people. Do they have some sort of symbol, a large eyeball on top of a column?”
“Yes,” said Azure.
“A lot of the Warlocks have that patch too. But it’s all of the guys who have been sworn in. No prospects.”
“I’m unfamiliar with motorcycle gang hierarchy, but I will assume that’s people with a higher rank.”
His chuckle boomed around the tiled bathroom. “Yes. Where did you run into your Uni-Vision warlocks?”
“I didn’t exactly. I’ve heard about them off and on for a while, but recently they attacked my sister.”
Rafe was silent, and she could hear the sound of the water hitting his body. She tried not to think about what that would look like.
“Is she all right?” he asked finally.
Azure felt unexpectedly touched. She hadn’t thought he would care about that portion of the story.
“Yeah. She’s fine.” Azure didn’t think she could add anything else without talking about Liam or any other family secrets. “But attacking my baby sister kind of fucking pisses me off, so I’m not a fan. How many of these biker warlocks are out there?”
“I really don’t know,” he said. “They’re a big club.”
“I’m on my way to Oregon,” said Azure. “And that was my train back there at the depot. I’m going to need to figure out a way to get to Portland and whether or not these Warlock assholes are going to be following me around the whole time.”
“I can get you to Oregon,” he said. “I’m heading that way anyway.”
“And if they’re after you instead of me?”
He laughed again, and Azure tried not to smile at the sound. He felt so vibrantly present. Most people were thinking of the future or living in the past. Finding someone who was locked in on now was rare.
“Little girl blue, they have hated me for years. If you don’t want that kind of heat, find a trucker to bum a ride from.”
The idea of riding in the tiny cab of a diesel truck with some stinky human made her gag. At least Rafe, once he was done using all the hot water, would smell good.
“I will take that suggestion under advisement,” said Azure.
“And put it in the round file?” he asked.
“Something like that,” she replied and shut the door loudly so that he would know she wasn’t there anymore. Once alone in the bedroom, she took off her own boots and sat on the bed, stretching her neck. Simply knowing that the Warlocks were a largeclubdidn’t do her any good. She needed numbers so she could plan effectively. She tried the second sight, but it had stopped taking requests. Her gift was sometimes like a string around her wrist, tugging her in one direction, and sometimes it was like a physical shove, slamming information into her head. Then again, sometimes it was like a movie playing out against the inside of her eyelids. She was used to all of its manifestations by now, but what worried her more than anything was when it was silent. She was never sure what that meant.
She closed her eyes and reached for the quiet place where the universe collided in her brain and tried again, but it wasn’t quiet. Instead, there was a rich deep baritone singing a love ballad.
Azure sighed and opened her eyes to glare through the wall at Rafe.
Dean Martin this time, maybe. It had been a while since she’d listened to her grandmother’s record collection, so she wasn’t entirely sure.
She couldn’t believe he’d kissed her at the bar and then tried to blame it on her being really hot. She put her hand up to her lips. Ithadbeen a delicious kiss. First kisses weren’t supposed to be that… right. Not right away. Usually, there was some sort of exploratory feeling around, but that had felt like… finding a perfect match.
Azure shook her head. She was making more out of this than it was. A bar brawling biker with zero impulse control was obviouslynother perfect match. She liked planners who she could count on. Not secretive jerks who made fun of her name.
If he didn’t know what was out there, then she needed to do something herself. She rummaged in her bag and took out her spell box, and grabbed the road map she’d helped herself to from the motel’s office. A basic revelation spell ought to do the trick. She could modify it to reveal magic wielders within the boundaries of the map. Of course, she and Rafe would also show up on the map, but that wasn’t a problem. Although, it would probably also pick up any of the Supernaturalothersthat might be around. She wasn’t particularly concerned about finding any of the others. She didn’t need their help, and she doubted very much that any shifters, pixies, nymphs, or other beings would appreciate some Fae witch and a biker turning up on their doorstep with warlocks in tow. But she would need to know the difference so she could avoid them. Azure mused on the problem. Perhaps if she added a color differentiator?
By the time she was laying out a salt ring on the map, the water had stopped in the bathroom, and Rafe had moved on to the classic folksongThe Streets of Laredo. Azure found herself humming along. It was a song her grandmother had often sung while they peeled potatoes.
“Oh, beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly,” Azure harmonized softly. “Sing the Death March as you carry me along. Take me to the valley, there lay the sod o’er me.”
“For I’m a young cowboy, and I know I’ve done wrong,” he sang the last line as he opened the bathroom door. His voice had softened to match hers, and they held the note letting their voices mingle. Azure looked up at him from her place on the floor with a smile, pleased that they sounded so pretty.
He was wearing nothing but a towel, and Azure, who hadn’t blushed since she got her period and the second sight on the same day and stopped being surprised by things, found herself flushing a bright pink. His tattoos ran up his arms and onto his chest with twisting vines, waves, and shapes merging into each other. His abs made washboards look flabby, and the sharp v of muscle on his hips made her want to trace it all the way down to his towel and then explore a little further with her tongue. He grinned at her as if he knew damn well what she wanted to do.
