Pain shot up my side. I sucked in a breath between my teeth as I shifted so that Henry could reach the wound. Fucking Audrey Sable. Thinking she could kill me in my own home. If there was one person I was going to torture to death before the end of the year, it was her.
“Boss,” Henry began as his gray eyes shifted from the wound and to my face. “It’s deep.”
I forced out an irritated breath. “Then get Sam.”
He inclined his head before barking the order to some of the guys still lingering in the hallway outside. Boots thudded against the wooden floorboards as one of them raced towards the front door. Another wave of pain washed over me as I draped my arm over the back of the chair next to me. Without saying anything, Henry leaned down and pressed the ball of fabric to my bloodstained skin again.
Henry had worked for me for many years, and he was one of the few people whose loyalty I never doubted. He was one of the first people I had hired after I decided to screw over the city-state of Eldar and become a dark mage instead of following their pathetic path of holding hands and singing while bunnies farted rainbows, or whatever they did during their bloody graduation ceremony. Sharing power equally? That had to be the dumbest shit I’d ever heard. Power comes from hard work and cunning. It has to be earned. Not just given to anyone in the name of fairness. Because guess what? Life isn’t fair.
“Do you want me to send out a team to hunt her down?” Henry asked as he continued pressing the now red cloth to my wound.
“No,” I growled. “I’ll deal with Audrey fucking Sable. I am going to personally make her beg for her miserable life before I give her the privilege of dying at my feet.”
Henry nodded in acknowledgement.
I stifled another wince as I reached out to grab the glass of whiskey still sitting on the table. Bringing it to my lips, I downed the whole thing. The liquid burned pleasantly as it disappeared down my throat. A soft thud sounded as I set the glass down next to my half-finished dinner that had now gone cold. Oh, I had such plans for Audrey indeed. As soon as my wound was healed, I would end our drawn-out war.
“Boss,” came a voice from the corridor. “He’s here.”
Before I could reply, two people strode across the threshold. One of them was the guard who had called out, the other was the person I had sent for only a minute ago.
I frowned. “That was fast.”
Sam Foster strolled across the floor with a carefree look on his face while his gray eyes took in the state of my dining room. “Yep. I was already on my way here.”
After a nod from me, Henry straightened and moved aside. He raked a large hand through his brown hair as he withdrew to allow Sam to approach me. Henry was a mountain of a man. Tall and muscular, he towered over the skinny blond guy who sauntered over to take his place. But Sam didn’t look the least bit worried. And there was a good reason for that.
“Why?” I asked as Sam frowned down at the bleeding hole in my side.
“That looks painful,” he said instead.
“Yeah, I had a little disagreement with some cutlery.”
“I see the cutlery won.”
I let out an involuntary huff of amusement. Mirth sparkled in Sam’s eyes as he grinned at me while plopping down on the chair that Henry had just vacated. His pale brows furrowed slightly as he studied the wound up close.
“I assume this is why you had planned to send for me,” he said.
It was more of a statement than a question, but I still nodded in reply.
“Since I was gonna come here anyway, I’ll give you the usual rate instead of the rush rate.”
I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or shake my head, so instead I just snapped my fingers at Henry while saying to Sam, “I appreciate that.”
While Henry disappeared out the door, Sam touched his hands together and then drew them apart. Shimmering magic of a turquoise blue color appeared between his palms. Keeping his eyes on my wound, he held his hands above the bleeding hole. A warm sparkling sensation spread through my side.
This was the reason why Sam never had anything to fear from his fellow dark mages. While the rest of us killed each other indiscriminately, no one ever laid a finger on Sam Foster. Because he was a healer. And between our battles amongst ourselves and Eldar’s attempts to return us dark mages to the proper path, injuries were a rather common part of our lives. Healers in general were rare, and since no one was ever allowed to keep their powers after graduation, powerful healer mages were practically nonexistent. Which meant that a dark mage healer was worth more than the entire city-state’s treasury. So… no one touched Sam.
“You said you were already on your way here,” I prompted while Sam continued healing me.
“Yeah, we need to have a meeting,” he said without looking up.
“We’re having one right now.”
Tearing his eyes from his work, he met my gaze. “No, I mean all of us.”
“What for?”
“It’s better if I explain it to everyone at the same time.” When he saw me about to protest, he shook his head. “Callan… I’m serious. This is important. We’re all in danger. More than we have ever been in before.”
I heaved a sigh. “Fine. When and where?”
“Six o’clock tomorrow evening. Peter Essington’s mansion.”
A huff of laughter escaped my throat. Of course we were meeting in Essington’s old place. He was a dark mage with the ability to cast wards. Or at least, he had been before another dark mage killed him three years ago. But his house still stood because it was warded against magic, which meant that it was the only place we could meet where none of us would be able to use magic to attack the others. Clever. And highly necessary.
“Boss,” Henry said as he returned with a thick pile of cash.
Jerking my chin, I motioned for him to give it to Sam. It produced a small thud as Henry set the stack of money down on the table next to Sam, who continued working on my wound.
“Alright, six o’clock tomorrow evening at Essington’s old place,” I confirmed.
Sam nodded. “Good.”
Silence fell while he finished up his work. Once he was done, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. I shifted my arm and twisted my torso from side to side, testing it out. No pain. No loss of movement. Only a thick scar was left as a reminder of where Audrey’s dagger had punctured my skin.
Blowing out a satisfied breath, Sam rose and scooped up the pile of cash. He flashed me a grin while running his thumb down the edge of the bills.
“Always a pleasure doing business.” Lifting his hand in a salute, he swung around and strolled towards the door. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, and Callan?” he tossed over his shoulder while he walked across the threshold. “There will be no violence at the meeting.”
His blond head thankfully disappeared out the door before I could reply. Because if Audrey was going to be there, I was making no promises.
