Arms and Incantations: An Action Packed Urban Fantasy Thriller (Faerie Protective Services Inc Book 10) by McKinney Robert

Author:McKinney, Robert
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McKinney Can't Press
Published: 2021-06-13T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Aden!” shouted Skaath, her voice somehow distant or muffled.

“What's wrong?” I whispered, trusting in the magic we shared to bring my words to her true.

“Aden.” replied Skaath, her voice low and controlled as if she were talking to a scared, injured animal. “Put down your gun.”

“Put down my wha-” I glanced down and froze as I saw the trigger guard of my pistol just under my chin.

What the holy fucking shit.

Then I got it.

Despite the gun in my hand I barely grasped what I was about to do. I wasn’t stuck in some pit of despair. I’d been there, done that, and knew too many others who hadn’t found a way or help in getting out.

This was magic that I’d bumped into while dealing with the Leshak and Jamie, another one of his kids, before. Unlike some of the spells used by other fae I’d encountered, it didn’t make you want to do things outside of your nature. It just put you on a kind of autopilot that was hard to shake if you didn’t notice it in time. I’d known that it could be used to make me turn away from a fight or leave my weapons on the ground.

This was another flavor of that same magic, and I didn’t like one goddamn bit.

I still had nightmares of all I’d had to endure when my free will was tampered with. I promised myself that I’d never let anyone do the same to me again, or failing that, never do it and live to tell the tale.

I looked down at my hand. Despite Skaath’s warning, I hadn’t actually put the Glock down, or even taken it away from my chin. My finger wasn’t on the trigger, though, and after moving the pistol out of line with my head, a breath that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding escaped in a rush.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Hold. I just stood there breathing for a bit until I could be sure that I wouldn’t break down into shakes, or worse, the start of a panic attack. I’d had those too, before, after moments like this. Moments where some fae bastard thought that they could take my mind and turn it into …

“Give me a reason.” I said. My voice shook, and I was surprised at how loud it was in the close confines of the bathroom.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Hold.

“Give me one good reason not to end you both, right here and now.” I continued.

“Go ahead.” replied the freckled fae boy pinned to the wall with a blade of razored ice.

“Pardon me?” I said, even as my grip tightened on the Glock in my hand.

“Go ahead.” answered his sister. “Kill us. We’ve already failed. At least then, our father would know what we’ve tried.”

I just stared at the pair for a second, trying to wrap my head around what the two were telling me. Don’t get me wrong. My own dad had been proud that I’d joined the US Army, but I knew for a fact that he wanted me to do everything in my power to come home safe.

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