Alchemist's Kiss Read online

  “Nothing good.”

  Archimedes raised a dark eyebrow. He was used to Icarus' ways, and knew the sharp tone indicated irritation. He also knew that Icarus would elaborate when he was ready.

  Cora, on the other hand, had no patience for his ways. “Explain, Icarus. This is our fight, too.”

  “I specifically recall telling you to remain here where it was safe.” he countered, his cup rattling on the plate as he slammed it to the table.

  She leaned forward, her dress, a pale yellow today, baring the tops of her creamy breasts. “I do not recall asking for your dictate, Icarus Kane.”

  “It's dangerous for you, Cora. We've discussed this. The Hand draws the evil to you.”

  “I have accepted the danger. You trained me yourself. Why can you not trust that I can care for myself?”

  Archimedes, sensing the tension that grew between them, put his cup on the table and shook his head at both of them.

  “Squabbling amongst ourselves won't solve our problems.” He looked between them with narrowed eyes. “We are strongest together, remember?”

  Icarus' eyes were locked on Cora's even as Archimedes spoke. She was far too lovely a creature for magic, he'd always thought. Her hair was sunset, her eyes the color of the Gwydir Forest where he'd lived as a boy. Even now, as angry at her as he was, he had to use every ounce of his strength not to touch her creamy skin. She pursed her Cupid’s bow lips and scowled at him.

  “Don't look at me with your blue bonnet eyes and think you'll change my mind, Icarus Kane. I will not see you die because you're too stubborn to accept my help.”

  “No one is dying.” Archimedes' voice was stern. They broke their stares to look at him. “Tell us the truth, Ic.”

  Icarus knew he was lucky to have friends such as these. He'd saved them both once upon a time, and they'd both saved him in return. He'd been set on a dark path before he'd found Archimedes dying in a London back alley. Without his friendship, Icarus had no doubts he might have turned his magic on himself in a few months’ time. Cora had appeared to him as a vision on the hill at Gettysburg. The sunlight winking off the red of her hair and calling to him. He'd been tired of it all by then, and she had renewed his purpose. He'd sensed a power in her even then, and the fact that she owned the diabhal laimhe could not be by chance.

  “I am worried.” he admitted at last.

  Both sets of eyebrows went up. He was not a man beset by worries on a normal day. He looked away from their eyes and down at his hands.

  “When we returned to London after the war I began to feel another magic near.”

  “That long?” Cora's gasp was quiet. “Is that why you shut yourself away from us?”

  “In part.” Icarus poured himself another cup of tea and sipped it as he leaned back. Now that he'd begun his tale he knew he would have to finish it. “After Gettysburg I was....”

  He trailed off and the room was silent except for the ticking of Archimedes' clockwork.

  “After Gettysburg I threw myself into training my protégé.” He smiled at Cora briefly. “But I was tired. Tired of magic and demon-hunting. Tired of death.”

  Archimedes nodded, and Icarus could see that, he, too, recalled the senseless violence of the American Civil War. They'd traveled to the states in pursuit of a demon, and had gotten caught up in the death and destruction of the battle.

  “Soon I began to feel something when we would walk the streets of London. Some invisible eye that watched me from afar. Another wizard.”

  “But London is your territory!”

  He smiled at Cora's outrage. It was true that he'd claimed the city of London as his own when he'd expelled the dark wizards living there and had taken the city under his protection.

  “Indeed.” Archimedes sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. The gold of his metal arm winked in the firelight. “There aren't many wizards with the power to confront you.”

  “Not many.” Icarus agreed. Because he'd been bonded to his magic on a soul-deep level, he had more control over it than most. Spells and alchemy came easily to him, and his magic was eager to do his bidding.

  “Whoever it is, they've been sending the demons into London.” Cora stirred a bit of cream into her coffee and frowned at Icarus. He hated to see the lines crease her forehead as she worried over it all. “They were controlling the ones we saw last night. Whoever this Master is.”

  “I believe so.” Icarus leaned his head back on the chair as it continued to pound. He'd become increasingly weak as the other wizard's presence had become more and more pronounced. Every time he used the power of the rune on his palm it took his body longer and longer to recover.

  “But you've discovered something.” Cora drank deeply of the coffee, and he could feel her eyes on him. “We've not been out at night in months, but last night you insisted that Belch Alley was the place to be.”

  “Tell us what has you worried, Ic.” Archimedes' hand was warm on his forearm. He raised his head to look at his friend.

  “I believe I have discovered the identity of the wizard we've referred to as the Master.”

  Cora put her cup on the table and patted her lips with her lacy napkin. “Well spill it then, Icarus. We haven't all day.”

  He sat forward, and from their worried glances he knew he was as pale as he felt. He trembled with the effort it took to appear nonchalant.

  “The wizard in London is my father.”

  ***

  I couldn't bring myself to speak. The pain in Icarus' gaze was all consuming.

  “Your father?” Archimedes took the words from my tongue. “The bastard who branded you?”

  Icarus downed his tea with the singular intensity only he could manage. “The same.”

  He turned his face to the fire, but I could see the lines of worry and pain around his eyes. That was my Icarus. Filled with sorrow hot enough to burn, but oh so cold on the surface.

  I turned my cup on my plate. I longed to go to him and wrap him tight in my arms and offer him the comfort he needed. Needed, I reminded myself, but did not want. Icarus cared nothing for the niceties and softness of pity or grief. He would turn from me, scoffing if I offered. The great Icarus Kane needed no coddling.

  I felt bitterness twist my lips. I loved the man, Heavens help me, but he vexed me to no end.

  Thankfully, Archimedes continued on with the questioning of our resident wizard and alchemist extraordinaire.

  “I thought the bastard was dead?”

  “As did I.' Icarus rubbed his hand and I knew the burn of the rune must be excruciating for him. It always awoke fiercely when he was in emotional turmoil.

  “And yet you believe him to be the man we seek.”

  I turned my eyes to Archie. The first time I'd seen the man I'd swallowed a cry of fear. He was a beast, at least in appearance. His face leaned toward cruel, saved by the gentleness in his wide eyes. Nothing to rival the angelic beauty of Icarus, but handsome nonetheless. He encompassed the settee, his girth comical on the small piece of furniture. His legs were long and muscular, encased in enough tweed to clothe several smaller men. His eyes were narrowed on Icarus, a frown twisting his full lips. The telltale tick of his clockwork matched the tick of anger in his jaw.

  “I recognized the signs almost at once.”

  “But you didn't want it to be true.” I guessed.

  Icarus raised his eyes to me. Gods, the pain. Searing and roiling in his cobalt eyes I felt it in my own heart.

  “No, Cora. I did not.”

  Our eyes were locked. It was a dance, this thing between him and I. We sparked fire, could burn the room to cinders between us, but something kept us apart. A wall between us that I could not knock down, and one he refused to dismantle. He, true to our history, looked away first.

  “I had hoped I was wrong. Imagining things that existed only in my nightmares. But last night proved me wrong. Victor Kane is very much alive, and he's come to London.”

  “What does he want, Icarus?” I put my cu
p on the table and rubbed my hands together, suddenly feeling a chill sweep over us all. The fire in the hearth crackled, sparks shooting up into the chimney as the curtains fluttered in the breeze.

  Blue eyes narrowed, and Icarus shot to his feet. He breathed in deeply, and it was only then that I recognized the smell of roses on the air.

  “Speak the message.” Icarus commanded.

  Archie had moved more quickly than a man of his size should be able to do. He placed his hands on the back of my chair, his stance protective. I grasped for the diabhal laimhe, the twisted metal warming to my palm. Archie's hand squeezed my shoulder, and I kept The Hand obscured.

  My son.

  Icarus blanched at the words. Twin spots of red appeared on his cheeks as he visibly forced himself to relax. His hand, I realized, was still clenched in a tight fist.

  I have missed you, my son.

  Archie hissed out a breath and his grip grew tighter. I resisted squirming from the pressure and clenched The Hand more tightly.

  “Speak, Victor. London belongs to me.”

  Icarus' voice was infused with magical power and anger. I shivered as the physical weight of his words caressed the bare skin of my neck.

  I have come home, Icarus. But I am not here for you. Or for your city.

  “Leave London while you can, Victor. I'm no longer the boy you tortured.”

  I shivered at the words. Though Archie and I knew Icarus' childhood had been filled with painful secrets, he alone knew the depths of the darkness he'd survived. The ticking of Archie's clockwork sped up as he tensed.

  The smell of roses intensified. I swallowed a gag as it rolled over us. Underneath the scent of roses was the squalid stench of dark magic.

  You are the man I'd hoped you would become, my son. We will meet again soon.

  The wind died down as quickly as it had come, and Icarus staggered. I jumped for him, clutching him tightly as his legs gave out. We went to the floor in a heap, his head resting gently on my shoulder. He was shaking, his body wet with sweat. I tensed for his usual derision at my nature as he shook off my help, but in this moment he clutched me tightly against him.

  I smoothed the hair back from his forehead and laid my cheek there. My eyes locked with Archie's as he moved about the room, reinforcing the magical wards that protected our rooms.

  “Dearest Cora.”

  I smoothed my hand over Icarus's hair, the light curls springing up between my fingers. I quieted him with a gentle kiss against his curls.

  “All will be well, Icarus. You are not alone.” I reminded him with a whisper.

  “I'm a fool, Cora. A fool.”

  “No.” I could not help but to revel in the feel of his arms around me. The smell of lavender and smoke that clung to him and then to me.

  He pulled back, the color returning to his cheeks as Archie returned to the room and stoked the fire. Icarus looked first at Archie's broad back and then at me. “I cannot win.”

  Archie turned to us, and he gripped Icarus' forearm with his human hand. “You aren't fighting him alone this time, Ic. Cora and I are with you.”

  “I've resigned you to your graves.”

  I shook him lightly. “I was wrong, Icarus Kane. You are a fool.”

  His eyes narrowed at me as I glared at him.

  “Together we are strong. Far stronger than your father, or any other wizard who thinks he can take London from us.”

  “Us?” Icarus laughed, the derision returning. “You're novices at best.”

  “New to magic, yes.” I reached into my bodice and removed diabhal laimhe. “But we were trained by the best wizard alive. And we have weapons.”

  Archie grinned at Icarus. “She's not wrong, Ic.”

  “My father is not just any wizard. He was the Grand High Master for many years. We will be lucky to live through the night.”

  “See?” I tweaked a curl with my fingers. “You're coming around already. A moment ago we were already dead.”

  “Can the Covens send backup?” Archie asked. “This is a breach of your territory, which you hold by rights.”

  “Perhaps.” Icarus moved away from me, and I resisted the urge to pull him back. “They won't take kindly to Victor's return.”

  Though his face was pale, and his eyes still filled with dread, Icarus was returning to normal. I wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing.

  “We're with you, Icarus.” I tipped his chin with my finger so that his eyes met mine. “To the very end. So let us help you.” I narrowed my eyes at him, “Or so help me you'll regret it for every minute of the rest of your life.”

  I thought for a moment he might smile. I hadn't seen a real smile from him since we'd returned to London. His lips lifted and he leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on my cheek. “Thank you both.”

  Archie held up his hands and laughed, as if warding off a kiss of his own. “A handshake will do, old man.”

  We looked at one another, sobering. A very dark wizard was in London, and we were all that stood between him and our beloved city.

  CHAPTER TWO

  I paced the floor of our rooms, my mind racing. Icarus had secreted himself in his laboratory shortly after his father's message had arrived, and neither Archie nor I could draw him out. I'd knocked at three for tea, and he'd taken the tray and closed the door in my face.

  I measured the staccato clip of my boot heels on the floor and counted the taps. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to focus on the aether. I was rather good at connecting with the magical field of energy that surrounded everyone and everything, and The Hand helped me narrow that focus. I searched every particle of the aether within my reach, looking for some kind of information about Icarus' father. I jumped when a hand landed on my shoulder.

  “Has he emerged?”

  I shook my head and smiled at Archie. He was wet from the rain, having just returned from the postmaster. He'd sent out an urgent telegram to request an audience with the Grand High Master of the High Coven.

  “Was Machiavelli accommodating?” I asked with a smirk. The Grand Master's raven was less than fond of Archie, and often tried to defecate on him.

  “Why the Covens can't get a regular telegraph I'll never understand.” Archie slipped off his tweed coat and bowler and slapped the water off in irritation. “The bloody bird might decide to detour to Wales.”

  I laughed and handed Archie a towel from the pile the laundress had only just brought up. He scrubbed his hair dry, leaving it a mess as he took the chair by the fire. “Has he emerged?” he asked again.

  I shook my head, glancing at the door to Icarus' study. The VansMueller Hotel had been his home long before he'd met us, and we'd taken up all the rooms on the top floor of the building, opening them up to create a large living space for us all. The only room we hadn't been allowed to touch was Icarus' laboratory, where he kept all of his alchemy equipment. The door was carved deep with symbols designed to keep out everyone but Icarus, and I'd only seen the interior on those rare occasions when Icarus was in a sharing mood.

  “I hear him muttering from time to time, so I know he's alive.” I joked. I bit my lip and took the chair across the fire from Archie as he steamed from the wet cold of the London spring. “He won't do something stupid, will he?”

  Archie raised his eyebrow. He was more approachable than Icarus, more open and gentle and caring on the surface. I'd often wondered why it was Icarus, and not Archimedes, who held my heart.

  “Icarus is not known for his blatant stupidity.”

  I smiled. “No, he's not.” I met Archie's eyes. “But he is self-sacrificing. If he thought he could save us by getting himself killed he'd do it.”

  “Worried about me, Cora?”

  I looked over my shoulder as Icarus closed the door to his lab and leaned against the frame. He was so handsome it made my breath catch in my throat. He grinned at me, his hands tucked into his pockets.

  “A bit.” I wasn't one to lie, especially to him. “I know how loyal you are.” I frow
ned. “You're smiling.”

  “Yes.”

  “I haven't seen you smile since America.”

  “That is worrying.” Archie tapped his bowler against his leg. “You appear the cat who's caught the mouse.”

  “I may have made strides in locating my father.”

  “LAGHAIRT”I guessed.

  He nodded. “The Lizard. Yes.”

  “A bar in the East End.” Archie said as he rubbed his chin.

  “Perhaps not.” Icarus moved away from the door to stand in front of the fire. “I've come to the conclusion that Laghairt is a who and not a place.”

  “The Lizard is a person?” I gripped The Hand as the aether rippled around me. Magical currents tickled my nerves.

  “Cora?”

  I couldn't speak as voices whispered in my ear. My palm burned where The Hand touched my skin, and my vision was obscured by bright white light. I tried to make sense of the words, but the volume continued to increase until I cried out in pain as they threatened to burst my eardrums.

  “Cora!'

  I flinched at the sting of a slap against my cheek. My vision cleared and the voices died, first to a whisper and then to silence. As my vision focused I looked into the blue eyes in front of me. Icarus had grown pale, and he held me gently, his fingers rubbing over the stinging in my cheek.

  “You slapped me.” I accused.

  “What happened?”

  “You slapped me?”

  His mouth tightened. “Cora.”

  “The aether.” I said begrudgingly. “When you mentioned the Lizard it caused a ripple that brought voices and light. I couldn't see or hear anything but the light and the voices.”

  “What the hell, Ic?” Archie sounded angry as he moved to stand beside me, his human hand on my shoulder.