Lover Behind Enemy Lines Read online

  Chapter Two

  WHEN I went downstairs—a power nap, shower, and change of clothes later—I found Taka and Ginger lounging in the living room. The scent of something delicious being cooked drifted from the kitchen, and it made me smile. Taka was a great cook, but since Ginger had moved in, he was on a constant mission to outdo himself with at least one meal a day. Something profound about Taka had changed since he’d found love. A deep-rooted restlessness in his gaze had quieted down. His black eyes radiated contentment now. It made me happy, because we’d been friends and teammates for about sixty years now. But if being with the man you desired made that kind of difference, I kept wondering what doing without him could do to a dreamcatcher’s heart. And that thought scared the living breath out of me.

  I felt Aashi’s summons and walked into her webs room, which was off the corridor next to the living room. As soon as I opened the double doors, a breeze of magic power wafted over me. Its embrace was warm and comforting, and it brought some peace to my tired mind.

  “Son of my heart and sword of my cause, you are troubled.” Her voice resonated through the room though I couldn’t yet see her.

  My gaze sought out the source of the words. I rested my focus somewhere beside our weapons table. She materialized there, wearing a delicate summer dress made of white linen and feathers weaved in her long black tresses. Her appearance was a sweet reminder of home, with the tanned skin and delicate bone structure. Her eyes were of an abyssal black, with thick lashes and very well-defined eyebrows. There was something youthful and ancient about her expression, all at once. When she moved, she seemed to glide like a leaf in the breeze. The gauzy spiderwebs covering the corners of the ceiling and the walls shivered with her every move.

  She walked closer and reached out a dainty hand to caress my cheek. “Share your troubles with me,” she said softly and smiled.

  I eyed the sofa and armchair that rested on the other side of the room from the weapons table. “Maybe we should sit.”

  She nodded and walked to her favorite spot—the armchair. I sat on the sofa and stared at my weapon—the tomahawk—as it rested on the table. The connection between us pulsed with strength and vitality. It had been my heart’s companion for so many years now. Would I let it down, too, along with my teammates and my spirit mother?

  Aashi reached out and touched my knee. “Talk to me, Claw.”

  “I’m tormented by doubts.”

  “That much I can feel. Doubts about what, though?”

  I looked into her eyes and felt an overwhelming desire to share my plight. But then I couldn’t. Maybe she’d be overly protective and get rid of the threat to the unity of our team—maybe she’d erase Nathan’s memories just as a precaution. She wouldn’t hurt him otherwise. Aashi wasn’t allowed to harm any human being, nor influence one’s will in any major way. The ancestors, our ultimate authority, had great power over all of us, Aashi included. She could only manifest in specifically designed webs rooms, give us counsel and gifts the ancestors approved of. She had great power, spider magic and otherwise, but her actions were limited. And our actions were limited too. The worst we could do against another human being was to deprive them of their freedom; like we did with casters we apprehended. They were cared for in protected asylums that contained their death magic powers. From there, they would never again be able to summon spaga servants—ghouls or sentients—to do their life-force-stealing bidding. Volunteer dreamcatchers cared for them there and assured their residence and security in the facilities. For a moment I wondered if that would be where I’d end up if my feelings got the best of me.

  “Is there a way to determine how old a soul is?” I finally asked her.

  “I can determine that in a person, of course.”

  “What about another way?”

  She smiled. “You mean one that wouldn’t involve me?”

  I nodded as shame heated up my cheeks.

  “Would this soul have had a long lifetime, like you?”

  “No.”

  “A returned soul, then. One can determine maybe how many lives the soul has lived, or who it was in one lifetime or another. But no matter how old a soul is, it has no conscious recollection of its prior lives. You know this already.”

  “I do. But it’s my recollection that is the issue here, not another’s.”

  “You suspect you’ve run into a soul you’ve met before?”

  I nodded.

  “There are spells that can be used. But if you cast them on this person, they could fracture their current sense of self. Whoever they used to be in another life, it’s not who they are now. Not really. And it’s not someone they could ever be again. The soul changes with each life it leads. That is, after all, the whole point of living many of them.”

  “But there are some similarities, surely.”

  Her gaze glazed over for a moment. “There can be many similarities. But the sense of self differs. Their lives differ, their experiences, and their responses to things.”

  “Or people,” I added, seeing where she was going with this.

  “Whoever you think you’ve found, it’s not them. Their current sense of self is not the one you knew from some other journey among the living. And it’s not fair to who they are now if you ruin them in order to seek the one who was there before.”

  I tasted bitterness in the back of my mouth. Of course she was right. I would be a monster to ruin Nathan in the search for who I thought he used to be. That person was dead, even if his soul walked the earth again.

  I wouldn’t give up. “Could I find out without them becoming aware of it?”

  Aashi shrugged. “That can be done. But what good will it do you?”

  “Would any of the feelings of that past life come into play in a current one? In any way?”

  “That I can’t say. Some connections transcend time and space, like between soul mates or twin souls. Sometimes the nature of the tie between them changes, but there is always a connection there.” She sighed and leaned back in the armchair, taking her hand away. “I wish you’d just confide in me.”

  My stomach squeezed tight. “I wish I could. But I can’t. At least not yet.”

  “You doubt yourself and your loyalty to me.”

  “Sometimes,” I admitted.

  “It’s proof of loyalty that you would question yourself, Claw. Don’t you see that?”

  “It would depend on what answers I find to those questions.” The words left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.

  “If you feel it’s time to leave us, then just say the word. Your memories of a dreamcatcher’s life will disappear. You will have the means to start a new life as a regular person and my blessing. You know all of this.”

  “I do. But I don’t want to leave you. At least not until I’m sure what my heart yearns for.”

  Not until I knew if and how I could get through to Nathan. I needed my resources as a dreamcatcher to do that. I needed them to save him from his sister’s influence, at least. Then I’d consider quitting my role in the team, if I proved myself to be an unworthy warrior.

  “You can use this powder.” She reached out. A satchel materialized in the palm of her hand. “Sprinkle it in your palm and blow it on the person you want to find out about. If you’ve ever met this person before—in any other life of theirs—their face will become that of the person you used to know for a few moments. They won’t remember anything about it, though. You’ll know what it is you desire to know.”

  I took the satchel and nibbled on my lower lip for a moment. “Thank you.”

  She smiled a sad little smile. “I trust you.”

  “I trust you too, spirit mother.” I got up to walk toward the door. As I turned the doorknob, feeling her dismissal, I added in a whisper, “But I don’t trust myself.”

  THE plan was to use the powder on Nathan and hopefully find out that I was wrong: that his soul wasn’t that of my first and only true love; that it was all a trick of my old and tired mind. I knew in my heart th
at any plan based on hopeful thinking could only result in failure. But that didn’t stop me from hoping that I was wrong. I told myself I could walk away from the troubling feelings Nathan inspired in me if he proved to not be who I thought he used to be. But that was hopeful thinking too.

  My phone pinged with a reminder. I had a team leaders’ meeting to attend to today. But I wouldn’t be able to stand not knowing what troubled me. So I went up the stairs, unlocked the door of Nathan’s room, and went in.

  He stirred on the bed and aimed that scrutinizing gaze at me. “Missed me already?”

  “What if I did?”

  “You could free my hands and then do something about it,” he said in a small voice.

  I smiled and sat on the chair by his bed. “I’ll blow some powder in your direction. I want you to know it won’t hurt you in the least.”

  “Excuse me if I don’t trust a fucking thing coming out of your mouth.”

  “I don’t blame you. But if you don’t trust me, you’ll make it very difficult for me to get you out of the trouble you’re in.”

  “And why would you want to get me out of it? You’re one of the guys who got me in trouble to begin with.”

  “Actually, you got yourself in this situation.”

  “And you’re keeping me in it,” he shot back.

  “No argument there.”

  He searched for something in my gaze. “What are you really after?”

  “I wish I knew for sure,” I replied with more honesty than intended.

  He snorted. “And how would you be able to help me, if you can’t seem to help yourself?”

  “Good question. This powder will hopefully make some things clear.”

  “Let’s just assume for a second that I believe you’re not trying to drug or kill me with that.”

  “That’s the truth.”

  “Assuming that—what exactly would that be useful for?”

  “If I told you the truth, you might not believe me.”

  He regarded me for a few seconds. “The way I see it, we’re stuck here. Unless we find a way to trust each other, I’m a prisoner indefinitely. Not that the accommodations are that rough, but I don’t envision myself living the rest of my life handcuffed to a bed. Especially if there’s nobody joining me in it.”

  “I agree with you, though I’m ignoring that last part. But how could we trust each other?”

  “You know who I am,” he began and waited for my nod before going on. “I’m the son of an influential witch family. I know of a spell we could use to find out if the other one is telling the truth or not at all times.”

  “And I’d need to trust you to cast it on us,” I observed.

  He grinned. “Exactly. But you’re in a position of power, and showing me that trust would help along the connection the spell would create.”

  I thought about it for a moment. “You do remember we have a human lie detector in the house?”

  Angelo, Drew’s better half, was able to tell when someone was lying. It was one of the ways his considerable life force had manifested even before becoming a dreamcatcher.

  “I do, actually. Have him test my sincerity in this. Have your people look up the spell, in fact.”

  “Say we do this. Say we allow you to cast this spell on the two of us. Then what?”

  “Then I’ll give you the information you’ve been asking for since I got here. And you’ll give me some information of your own.”

  “Would your spell include a compulsion to answer any question posed by the other person?”

  “No. It would simply tell us if the other person is lying or not. It would be a bridge of trust between us—something to build on. Without it, we’re at a stalemate. And I get the short end of that stick, so that’s why I’m looking for a way to cooperate that would grant me some level of personal security.”

  “I wouldn’t hurt you.”

  “See, that’s exactly the kind of thing that would mean a lot more if I knew for sure it was true.”

  “But you admit to the possibility that it’s true even now,” I concluded, studying his face.

  He looked at me for a moment, then looked away.

  “But if you can believe that one of us is telling you the truth, that won’t mean that the rest aren’t hiding some nefarious intentions.”

  He stretched his legs. “By you, you mean my generous hosts?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s true. One of you could be telling me the truth as you know it about something, while others could plan to harm me. Which is why it’s even better that you’re the gang leader here.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  He smiled. “Everyone looks to you when decisions are being made. I’ve noticed that.”

  “And if I was—as you call it—the gang leader? Then what?”

  “Then you telling me the truth as you know it would mean it’s the actual truth. It’s unlikely that lower ranks would plot behind their leader’s back.”

  “Is that the only reason why you’d like to cast this spell on me?”

  “If I wanted to play you, I’d say it’s not the only reason even if it was. You’ve shown some interest in me by feeding me and everything. So if I say it’s not the only reason and mean it, what difference does it make?”

  “Sound reasoning. The very fact you said it makes you come across as honest. Which would be the whole point if you were playing me, of course.”

  “Of course. This is why we need to use that spell. It’s called Napeva’s Tooth. Have your people look it up and get back to me.”

  I stashed the satchel of magic dust in my pocket and got out of the bedroom, then locked the door. I had to find Taka, and depending on what he found out about this spell, then I needed Angelo’s human lie detector skills. After making sure Nathan and I both knew when the other one was telling the truth, I could use the powder and share my findings with him. A long-dormant childish part of me allowed the spark of hope to ignite. Maybe my fears and dark thoughts wouldn’t come into play. Maybe it could all go well for me. But I pushed down hope’s wings and grounded myself steadily.

  I found Taka and Ginger where I’d left them—on the couch, in the living room. They were watching an anime on Taka’s laptop, from the sound of it.

  Taka hit a key on the laptop and the noise stopped. He looked at me over the edge of his screen. “What’s up?”

  “Could you please look up a spell for me? It’s called Napeva’s Tooth.”

  Ginger frowned. “That sounds vaguely familiar.”

  Taka’s fingertips flew over the keyboard. He was probably searching the database he had put together that contained all the sacred texts in the dreamcatchers’ archives plus any and all mythological and magic-related information from everywhere.

  “It might take a couple—” Taka said, but his laptop pinged. “Or not. Ley line magic spell that links two explicitly consenting subjects in a truth spell. If either one of the two lies to the other, they will show physical signs on their arms and experience a sharp pain—similar to having teeth pulled—that can’t be cured by any remedy but the casting of Napeva’s Mercy. Let me look this one up too. Okay, here we go. Napeva’s Mercy is a ley line magic spell that breaks the link between two explicitly consenting subjects who have entered Napeva’s Tooth. The two spells are five centuries old and were created by Napeva Tapani, a famous Indian interrogator.” Taka’s brows rose. “Well, I can see why he had such a success rate. Pain like pulling teeth must suck balls. Why do you need the info on this?”

  “Our houseguest suggested we enter such a connection. That way we could establish a bond of trust between us and get out of this stalemate situation.”

  “I’m not sure it’s wise to enter that kind of magic binding with a man who’s linked to a caster.” Ginger frowned. “I’ve been strangling that black cord between him and his sister regularly, but there’s still some connection there. And Nathan’s pool of life force has been increasing massively since the connection weake
ned. She was using him as a source, somehow. Her own brother.” He shook his head while wearing a sad expression. “But because of how much life force he has right now, any spell he would cast would be so powerful that only he could counteract it. Simply entering the connection with him is a massive show of trust. You’d be at his mercy regarding the counterspell.”

  Taka’s gaze became stormy. “And I’m not sure I want you unable to lie to him,” he muttered. “You can’t be considering it for real. Right?”

  I walked to the sofa they were lounging on and sat on the armchair next to it. “We have to start somewhere.”

  “Why there?” Taka insisted.

  “I can’t explain my reasons yet. I will as soon as I’m sure of everything. But in order to make sure, I have to do this. Do you have the words of the spell on file?”

  “I do. I’m printing it for you in a second. Are you sure this is the best course of action?”

  “I am sure. Thanks, brother.”

  Taka nodded and got up from the sofa. “Meet me upstairs in a couple of minutes and I’ll have the words printed for you. Be right back, baby,” he told his lover and went upstairs.

  Ginger seemed to consider me for a few seconds. “There’s an energetic connection between you and Nathan Gallagher. An old one, almost like a ghost.”

  My heartbeat sped up. “Is there?”

  “Yes. I’ve seen it. I told Taka too. So whatever connection you have to Gallagher, you can tell Taka about it. I insist you tell him, in fact. It’s driving him crazy that you’re shutting him out.”

  I sighed. “He’ll think me crazy if I share my ideas.”

  “You’re underestimating him if you think that.”

  “I’m probably afraid of speaking my mind about this for fear it might come true.”