Corrigan Rage (13 page)

Before she could register my presence, I moved up and locked my arms around her body, pulling her off the mage. Surprisingly, she didn’t resist. In fact, I rather had the impression that she was relieved to see me. It didn’t change my concern for what direction her anger had taken her in, however.

‘I might have known that yet again you’d be at the centre of all this,’ I said in her ear, keeping my voice low.

The Arch-Mage was right on my heels. ‘What exactly is going on here?’ he demanded, staring from Mack to the mages on the ground and back again.

Mack took a breath to answer. I thought the black robed mage she’d had locked down was going to beat her to it but the Arch-Mage held up a single digit and pointed instead to the group of pale-faced mages who were standing to one side as if they were at a stadium arena. He jerked his head at one of the older ones.

‘Mage Slocombe, pray tell, exactly what has transpired here?’

I had to admit that I was rather impressed at the cold tone the Arch-Mage managed to muster. I had thought, up till now, that he had rather disliked me, tolerating my presence instead of enjoying it. Hearing him speak to this weasel-faced mage, I realised I’d been very wrong.

‘Err...well, Your Magnificence, the vampires arrived out of nowhere, demanding that we take back some statue. They said that it was all her fault.’ The way he said’her’ had me bristling in anger. There was no doubt that he was referring to Mack. I kept a tight grip on her, ostensibly to stop her from attacking him. Truthfully, it was stopping me from punching him in the face too. ‘That she’d stolen the original and put something in its place. The Dean struck her so that she bled and the vampire leader could test her blood to prove that it had been her but Mage Thomas didn’t think it was, er, appropriate for him to have done so and he attacked.’

If I’d been worried and angry before, it was nothing compared to what I felt now. What kind of school was this where teachers allowed vampires to suck on their students? The idea of Aubrey – or someone else – tasting Mack’s blood made me boil with rage. It didn’t help that it appeared the unconscious mage who’d come to Mack’s defence was Thomas – the one the Arch-Mage had implied would be a good match for her.

‘I see,’ said the Arch-Mage slowly. ‘I had rather hoped that the Lord Alpha and I were going to be able to defuse the situation before it got to this. So where are the vampires now?’

Against my chest, Mack’s body jerked. Her head snapped round from side to side. She obviously hadn’t realised that the vampires had vanished. Out of everything that was happening, that probably pissed me off the most. The poor excuse for a school head whom she had knocked down was one thing, but to turn your back on your real enemy was something else entirely. She knew that Aubrey was dangerous and yet she hadn’t even realised that he’d left. She should have known better than that.

The Arch-Mage met my eyes, silently conveying to me with one raised eyebrow – and a gleam of satisfaction - that this Dean was one of the thorns in his side. ‘Fine,’ he intoned. ‘Have the Dean escorted to his office and Mage Thomas to the infirmary. Mage Slocombe, if you would be so kind as to retrieve the statue and place it in the academy safe until we can work out what to do with it, then that would be most appreciated.’

I supposed I should be grateful that he wasn’t palming the damn thing off to me. Still, I did feel some sympathy for Mage Slocombe. Whoever he was, he appeared terrified at having to touch the Palladium.

‘I must protest!’ interrupted the Dean. ‘I have done nothing but keep order here and attempt to sort out the situation that she has created.’

Instantly worried that Mack was going to do something stupid, I used my Voice to keep control of the situation.
Stay calm.

I am fucking calm,
she instantly answered.
It’s everyone else that’s going nuts.

She actually had a point there.

‘Your Magnificence,’ the Arch-Mage said in a very quiet but very dangerous tone of voice. I almost grinned. I’d like to try this one out on the Brethren some time.

The Dean, the object of the Arch-Mage’s attention, merely looked confused. ‘Huh?’

‘When you address me, Dean Michaels, you will show me the respect that I deserve and use my title.’

For a split second I thought he wasn’t going to back down. Then his head dropped. ‘I apologise, Your Magnificence.’

I exhaled silently in relief. In a mage on mage fight, I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

The Arch-Mage sniffed. ‘Very well. Lord Corrigan, if you would be so kind as to come with me to the Dean’s office, we can reach some kind of solution for what to do with the Palladium now that the vampires have decided to dump it back with us after all. We appreciate your continued support in this matter.’ I just bet he did. He gave me a stern look as if daring me argue. ‘I believe you can let Initiate Smith go.’

This might be his show but I wasn’t taking orders from him. ‘I will just have a few words with her first,’ I said, stamping my own authority on the situation. ‘Then I shall be happy to join you.’

He nodded briefly in agreement. He did, after all, have other things than me to worry about. The other mages picked up their silly robes so they could walk back inside. A few at least lifted up Thomas’s body and carried him in while Mage Slocombe used some kind of magic to lift the Palladium into the air. For an object with supposedly no power, a lot of people were very afraid of it.

It wasn’t until every single person, the Arch-Mage included, had disappeared inside and the doors had shut behind them that I released Mack.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she asked, spinning round and confronting me as if I’d been the one to pick a fight.

‘The Arch-Mage needed a bit of help,’ I explained calmly. ‘The vampires were threatening to return the statue that you’d so stupidly swapped, and he thought that I might be able to exert some influence upon them and help rid them of the wraith problem at the same time.’ Or something like that anyway.

Mack was too focused on her own situation to pay much attention. ‘That I’d so stupidly swapped?’ Her eyes were beginning to glow with anger. ‘You should get your facts right. All I did was give them what they’d wanted in the first place. I took back a completely different statue and gave it to the sodding Arch-Mage so that he wouldn’t have a mutiny on his hands within the Council.’

‘And that worked out so well, didn’t it?’

‘Fuck off. I’m not responsible for other people’s actions.’

I watched her carefully. No, she wasn’t. But I wanted her to learn that she had the power to affect them. For some reason, I wanted her to know what it was like to be in a position of responsibility. I wanted her to know what it was like to be me. ‘And yet somehow you remain at the root of them,’ I said quietly. ‘I swear, kitten, sometimes you are more trouble than you’re worth.’

She grumbled at me and turned away, leaving me behind as she stomped inside. I scratched my head in irritation. Mack had done a good deed by helping out the mages with their silly statue swap, whether it had ended in tears or otherwise. However, if she didn’t stop enflaming every single touchy situation that arose, I’d never get Staines and the others to accept her. And I really, really needed them to. I stared at the spot she’d just vacated as the stark realisation hit me. It wasn’t that she intrigued me or that being in her presence made hot, heady desire overtake my senses. It wasn’t that she stood up to me in a way that almost no-one else did or that she was braver and stronger than anyone else I’d ever met. In fact, the problem wasn’t Mack at all. It was me. I’d fallen in love – and I had no idea what to do about it.

I found the Arch-Mage in what was apparently the Dean’s office. The Dean himself was nowhere in sight, which could only be a good thing. The thought of the man who’d willingly allowed a damn vampire – and Aubrey no less – to drink from her was almost too much to bear. I could hardly make a move against him though. Not only would it destroy any hope of positive relations between ourselves and the Ministry, it would make me look like a hypocrite after lecturing Mack on responsibility. The art of diplomacy appeared to mostly require saying nothing. Achieving that was sometimes harder, and more of a real battle, than wading in and actually fighting was. I wished I’d thought to mention that to her before she’d marched off. Typical. Why couldn’t I have thought of that particular point before?

‘That man,’ I said, forcing my arms to remain by my sides, ‘put Mack’s life in danger. She’s a student here. She came in good faith. And he threw her to the bloodsuckers like she was a piece of meat.’

‘I agree,’ he said, surprising me. ‘I’m sorry you had to witness it.’ I rather had the sense that he was struggling with diplomacy too. There was the faintest tinge of red to the tip of his ears that implied his own anger. It wasn’t directed at me though.

‘Let me guess,’ I said drily, softening somewhat. ‘The Dean is one of those mages who’s of a more traditional bent?’

He sighed and looked in my direction. ‘He is. He also has designs on a higher office.’ His mouth twisted. ‘Any tips you’d like to give?’

‘Get a strong circle of advisers around you who aren’t afraid to tell you when you’re being a dick,’ I said frankly. ‘And when you’re doing the right thing, you’ll not only know about it but they’ll make sure everyone else knows too. The right people can encourage almost anyone to fall into line.’

‘You make it sound so easy.’ Fatigue lined his face.

‘If he’s that much of a thorn in your side, why haven’t you simply gotten rid of him?’

‘Because he has his supporters too,’ he answered. ‘And I needed a good reason before I could give him the boot.’

I cocked my head and regarded him with some interest. ‘It appears you have that reason now. Could that be why you were so keen for Mack to come here as a student in the first place?’

A faint smile tugged at his mouth. ‘It was an added bonus, shall we say. Don’t get me wrong though – that young lady has magic. And magic in the wrong hands is a very, very dangerous thing. She needs this training.’

‘I won’t allow her to be here if she’s going to be in danger.’ I glared at him. I didn’t enjoy the idea that my kitten’s bad temper had been manipulated for someone else’s ends.

The Arch-Mage’s smile grew. ‘Somehow I don’t think what you allow or don’t allow is going to stop Miss Smith.’

I took a deep breath. Diplomacy, I reminded myself. Diplomacy. ‘You’re probably correct in that. In fact, she’ll probably do the exact opposite of what I order, no matter what it is.’

He laughed. ‘I wouldn’t take it personally. She’s still trying to sort out who – and what – she really is.’ He gave me a suddenly curious look. ‘Do you know?’

‘What she is?’ I shook my head. ‘Not a bloody clue.’ Not that I’d tell him if I did.

‘You like her though. That much is obvious.’

I chose not to answer that. This honest tete-a-tete was starting to make me feel uncomfortable. What I felt about my prickly kitten was not for public consumption. ‘What are you going to do about the Dean? He can’t stay here. Not unless you’re prepared to free Mack from her obligation.’

‘He will be taken care of. I can promise you that.’

There was an unmistakable promise in the Arch-Mage’s tone. I relaxed slightly and glanced at the small wooden statue, now sitting innocently on his desk. ‘What are you going to do about the Palladium?’ I asked instead.

‘Ha! What am I going to do? My dear boy, you have your pronouns mixed up.’

My eyes narrowed. ‘What do you mean?’

‘The question is, what are
you
going to do about it?’

My brows snapped together. ‘You asked for help with the vampires. I rather think that’s unnecessary now, don’t you?’

‘But,’ he said, his eyes gleaming, ‘you still haven’t actually helped. After all that trouble I went to in order to cover up your incursion into the Tower of London too. You still owe me, Lord Corrigan.’

I pushed back my hair. ‘And here I was thinking we were getting on so well.’

‘Oh but we are, dear boy. We really are.’

The amusement in his expression was almost too much to bear. ‘Any suggestions then? Magical objects aren’t really my area of expertise.’

‘It’s not the statue itself that’s causing the problems,’ he pointed out.

‘It’s the wraith.’

He nodded.

‘Tryyl is very strong. Your magic couldn’t bring him down. I couldn’t even touch him.’

‘I’m sure you’ll find a way.’

I gritted my teeth. ‘He only wants the statue. Just give it to him. It doesn’t do anything. It’s not going to hurt anyone. Once he has it he’ll probably crawl off to whichever hole he sprang from in the first place.’

The Arch-Mage smiled. ‘There. You already have your answer.’

‘I don’t know where Tryyl is.’

‘If you carry the Palladium around with you for long enough, then I’m sure he’ll show up.’

I folded my arms. ‘He’ll also try and kill whoever happens to be around. But I suppose as long as they’re not mages, you don’t really care about that.’

‘You care about your shifters, I care about my mages. We’re one and the same, Lord Corrigan.’

I eyed him. Actually, I didn’t think we were. I wouldn’t use other people to get what I wanted, no matter how well intentioned my desires were. ‘If you say so,’ I dismissed. ‘I’ll take your Palladium and return it to where it was found.’

‘Perfect.’

‘But I want Mack to come with me when I leave it there.’

His eyebrows shot up. ‘Is that wise?’

‘I’m going to need back up in case Tryyl shows up. Unless you’d rather send a group of mages with me...?’

‘You can have Miss Smith. I do expect her back in one piece though.’

Satisfaction settled in my chest. A little away trip with just each other for company would do us lots of good. Some time alone and I could work on a charm offensive. I could show her that I was more than just the Brethren Lord.

The Arch-Mage smirked at me as if he were imagining my thoughts and plans taking a particularly sleazy slant. I snapped back into a quick scowl. ‘He might still come here anyway. Tryyl, I mean. He might not appreciate that you’ve even handled the Palladium. I wouldn’t be surprised if he still wants a piece of the vampires as well.’