The Secret Coin (Accessory to Magic Book 3) Read online

  And she’d never expected to have to save herself from something even more powerful than him.

  Jessica had only been a kid then. Now she was just completely useless.

  The tug on her body slackened, and for one heart-stopping moment, she thought she’d be released. With all her strength, she pushed back against that force, and the Gateway shuddered when a deafening laugh ripped across the hall.

  “So that’s what it is,” the voice roared. “You’ve been running.”

  Fuck. The bank was gone. And apparently, so were all the walls it had built around her mind. Specifically the memories that should have stayed where she’d put them—out of her head and floating through the ether.

  “Yes, Guardian. He is looking for you now. We can feel it. Very soon, he will feel it too. Then perhaps your hunter will finally do what you cannot…”

  A blazing-white bolt of agony shot through Jessica’s head, and the hold on her body released enough to finally give her mouth and lungs the freedom to do what they wanted.

  She screamed.

  All the memories of the nightmare she’d lived at fourteen speared through her awareness. The screams. The faces. Her parents barricading the front door of their apartment with the couch and the kitchen chairs and layer upon layer of protective wards. None of them withstanding the Brúkii tearing through the building and consuming every ounce of life and love and hope in his path. Everyone in that building. On that floor. In Jessica’s life.

  The Gateway’s demonic laughter crashed through her head as if it had taken the bank’s place there instead.

  Jessica Northwood didn’t exist. Lilith Gray didn’t exist. There was nothing but her memories and the physical pain and the laughter that stretched on into eternity because there was no end to the vicious cycle of it.

  No end…

  “Afortuum!”

  All of it cut off abruptly at Leandras’ furious shout.

  The next thing she knew, Jessica was whisked off her feet in the middle of the hallway. The hardness of the wall pressed against her back, and she struggled furiously against the arms pinning her in place.

  “Jessica!”

  “Let go of me!” Her hands flew in all directions, striking the fae’s arms around her, his chest, his shoulder turned toward her to shield her from whatever lay on the other side of the Gateway door, desperate to get out.

  “Jessica, you need to—”

  “I have to leave! I have to get out! He’ll find me. I had no idea.”

  “Look at me!”

  She shoved him away, but Leandras recovered quickly and lunged at her again in another attempt to pin her against the wall. With another furious scream, she drew back and let her fist fly.

  The blow cracked against Leandras’ jaw, and she barely heard his roar of surprise and pain above her own. Shaking out her hand, she stumbled forward toward the stairs. She had to get out. Anywhere but here, because however that fucking thing behind the door had found her memories and drawn them out of her like a poison so she could drown in it, she knew he had seen them too. As clear as day. And now the Brúkii would pick up the hunt again, right where they’d left off—

  Leandras grabbed her around the waist from behind and lifted her off the ground.

  Jessica was too furious to yell at him. Too terrified. She kicked against the doorway of her room and sent them both staggering back against the hallway’s opposite wall. The fae hit it with a thump and dropped her when her elbow found a solid mark in his gut.

  “Stop this!” he bellowed, snatching at her flying fists as she tried to knock him away or scramble for the stairs.

  Maybe both.

  Maybe neither.

  Jessica couldn’t breathe.

  She slammed her hands against the floor and doubled over, fighting for breath. Someone had told her once that panic attacks felt like this. Like suffocating. Like dying. Unless either of those things were actually happening right now…

  Chapter Sixteen

  As Jessica struggled to breathe, the pendant dangling between her arms let out a blinding blue flash.

  Leandras shouted in surprise and thumped back against the wall.

  ‘Holy shit! Are you fucking kidding me?’

  Jessica gasped for breath, tears springing to her eyes. She didn’t have panic attacks. She didn’t cry either.

  ‘I leave you here for four days during a binding truce, and the first thing you do is come up here to unscramble all my hard work inside your brain? You’re completely nuts.’

  A tickling pinch wormed its way into the back of Jessica’s mind, another tight pressure. The bank’s presence, yeah, but also its magic. Its ability to build the walls back up around the memories that had almost quite literally torn her apart.

  ‘Yeah, I gotcha. You’re okay.’

  “Jessica.” Leandras crawled toward her. “If you don’t say something soon, I’ll have to assume some form of intervention is required. Can you hear me?”

  The only thing she could do was choke out a groan.

  ‘Just gimme another few seconds, and I’ll—’

  Leandras’ hand settled gently on Jessica’s back, but it wasn’t gently enough to escape the bank’s notice.

  ‘Back the fuck up, fae, and let me fix this!’

  A burst of crackling blue energy burst from every part of Jessica’s body, filling her with the searing heat and numbing cold of the bank’s magic. One concentrated dart of it struck Leandras in the chest and sent him flying against the wall again. The rest of Jessica’s strength drained out of her when the bank withdrew from the driver’s seat of her body, and her arms gave way beneath her.

  She landed on the floor with a thud and groaned, her cheek smashed against the oiled wood.

  ‘You’re literally the most impossible thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. And you call yourself sentient.’ The bank tsked. ‘There. Got it all. You can thank me later. Right now, I have no problem getting rid of the crispy fae’s remains. If you want.’

  “No.” The word croaked out of her, and Jessica drew in a sharp, rasping breath. “He’s not actually…crispy, right?”

  ‘I mean…’

  She pushed herself up on shaky arms and turned to see Leandras sitting with his back against the wall, legs splayed out in front of him. The last few wisps of smoke rose from his white dress shirt despite the lack of char marks or burn holes. And he stared dumbly at Jessica, his mouth open in a small O of surprise.

  The guy was getting tossed around like a dog’s chew toy, wasn’t he? No wonder he looked like he’d just lost all his brains.

  Only now, she wondered why he had that look of blind stupefaction this time. She hadn’t attacked him again with broken magic. Or if she did, she didn’t remember it.

  ‘Nope. You didn’t. Maybe he has something stuck in his throat.’

  You fried his brains out, didn’t you?

  ‘No…’

  “Who was that?” Leandras studied her face, then gazed around the hallway.

  “Well, judging by everything you told me about that door, I’d say it was someone who’s still all gung-ho about the Age of Darkness or whatever. You know, green light and everything.”

  “No, Jessica.” The fae swallowed thickly. “It was blue.”

  “Wait. You’re not talking about the Gateway.”

  He glanced at the studded iron door. “And you are.”

  “I mean…” Frowning, she ran a hand through her hair and tried to remember everything that had just happened. Which, oddly enough, felt like it could’ve happened over the course of an entire day. “What did you hear?”

  “You. Screaming. And then someone else telling me to—” Leandras grimaced, his nostrils flaring in obvious distaste. “To ‘back the fuck up,’ if I remember correctly.”

  “Wait, what?”

  ‘Oh, whoa.’ The bank chuckled. ‘New surprises every day, right?’

  Jessica’s mouth worked silently open and closed before she could settle on the right ques
tion to ask that even remotely made sense. “You actually heard that?”

  “As clearly as I felt that extra burst that pinned me to this wall, yes. It was blue. Correct?”

  She snorted. “Yeah. It was. And you didn’t see the green light?”

  The fae merely raised his eyebrows.

  “The shaking floor. The voice. Come on, Leandras. I’m this close to losing my mind.”

  “Oh, good. It’s encouraging to know you haven’t already, but perhaps I’m on the verge of losing mine instead.”

  “Okay, hold on.” Clenching her eyes shut just to get the image of his baffled expression out of her mind, Jessica crossed her legs beneath her on the floor and took a deep breath. “I feel like we lost a lot in translation here. You didn’t hear a voice?”

  He slid his hands down his thighs and blinked, staring at the floor again. “I most certainly heard a voice.”

  “I mean before you heard me…screaming.”

  That might have been one of the most humiliating admissions she’d ever made, but what else was she supposed to call it?

  Leandras looked sharply up at her and shook his head a fraction of an inch. “No.”

  “So I’m guessing you also didn’t see anything that happened with the Gateway.”

  “Jessica, I came back out into the hall and found you standing dangerously close to that door. Which, in and of itself, occupies its own realm of concerning details. So I removed you from what I assumed was the source of your…discomfort.” He cleared his throat. “You fought me—”

  “Yeah, okay. I remember that part.”

  “And I have no qualms whatsoever about saying how surprisingly strong you are for being so…”

  She stared at him. If he said anything right now about her being broken or stubborn or clueless or stupid for having messed with her own magic in whatever way he’d assumed, as usual, she might just give the bank permission to blast him again.

  ‘Well I’m on standby, so…’

  “For being so what?” she muttered.

  The corner of his mouth twitched. “Small.”

  A wry chuckle escaped her. “Huh. I mean, I’ve been in a fight or two.”

  “Yes, I’m quite aware.” Dipping his head to rub the back of his neck, Leandras wrinkled his nose in a surprisingly childlike way, then shrugged. “I’m sure I can piece together everything else on my own, but there’s still… Who did that voice belong to?”

  “Um…” Jessica blinked quickly.

  “That’s who you spoke to as well, isn’t it?”

  “What?”

  “When you asked if he was actually…crispy.” Something between a cough and a humorless chuckle rose from his throat, but there was no smile. “It’s just you and me sitting in this hallway, Jessica. No one else. I don’t sense anyone else, and it only stands to reason you were referring to me—”

  “Okay, just stop right there. Before you hurt yourself thinking too hard about this.”

  “I’m not going to hurt myself.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “But I can admit I’m having a difficult time understanding what just happened.”

  “Yeah, that makes two of us.”

  ‘Oh, come on. The guy’s head’s gonna explode any second.’

  If it didn’t when you blasted him against the wall, I’m sure he’ll be fine.

  ‘He looks like he’s about to cry.’

  That wasn’t exactly true, but Leandras did look a little paler than usual. Again.

  ‘Seriously. Go ahead and tell him. I don’t mind.’

  “Jessica?”

  “No.” Maybe she’d been talking to them both; she didn’t really know anymore. But realizing she’d said it out loud made her look up at the fae. She found Leandras eyeing the pendant resting against her chest, which glowed a little brighter now than it had over the last four days. Her hand rose instinctually to the glass pendant, and the fae sucked in a sharp breath.

  “That jewel…”

  “It’s not a jewel, really. Just some glass.” The pendant slipped beneath the collar of her shirt.

  “I can’t believe I’ve been here for five days and never noticed.”

  “Okay, don’t beat yourself up. You locked yourself in a closet for four of those days—”

  ‘Office.’

  Jessica blinked. “Office. Whatever.”

  “She left it to you.” Leandras’ eyes widened, and now instead of staring at the pendant, he stared at the center of her chest where her shirt bulged out around it. “Tabitha. That was hers.”

  “Yeah, well, in case you haven’t noticed, she left me a lot of things.” She pushed herself to her feet with a groan, refusing to look at the Gateway.

  ‘Don’t worry about it. I’m back. You’re protected. So let’s get to the part where you tell the fae about your super special relationship with a magical bank. Then I’m sure he’ll tell you why he was in your bedroom.’

  “What?”

  “There. Right there.” A smile bloomed on the fae’s face as he struggled to his feet. “That wasn’t meant for me. Who are you speaking to?”

  She folded her arms. “Why were you in my bedroom?”

  The thought hadn’t even occurred to her, seeing as she’d been a little tied up with being controlled by the Gateway puppeteer and having her unprotected memories sifted through by what had to be the biggest sadist on both sides of that door.

  But now that the bank had brought it to her attention, yes. Leandras having burst into her bedroom after his first successful attempt up those stairs was definitely weird.

  The fae narrowed his eyes and looked momentarily at a loss for words. Finally.

  “I asked you first.”

  “Jesus, are you serious right now?” Jessica spread her arms. “Just to be clear, both of our questions have to do with my personal life. I don’t have to answer you.”

  “You’ve been speaking with someone since right after we met.” He rubbed his hands slowly together. “I wrote it off as one of your quirkier attributes. Tabitha spoke aloud to herself quite often. Constantly, in fact. And now I’m starting to think that was never it at all.”

  Great. He was comparing her to Tabitha. Granted, they were both Guardians of the bank and the Gateway, but having their similarities called out in the open like this wasn’t exactly flattering.

  “Who is it, Jessica?” Leandras stepped toward her. “Tell me, and I’ll never bring it up again.”

  ‘Ooh… You gonna make him swear a binding to that one too?’

  Shut up.

  “All right. Fine. It’s my imaginary friend, okay? Now what were you doing in—”

  “Blue light.” The fae looked down at his open hands, turned in a slow circle, and pointed at the wall opposite her bedroom. “Every time. It doesn’t belong to you.”

  Jessica froze, grimacing as she watched the train wreck of Leandras’ deductive reasoning unravel even more of her secrets. How long would she have been able to keep it a secret anyway?

  “Sentient?” He chuckled softly, then scanned the walls and floor and ceiling one more time. “Jessica, are you in communion with an incorporeal being? A…a consciousness. Something tied intrinsically to the physical makeup of—”

  “Okay, stop.” Rolling her eyes, she lifted a hand toward him just to get his wheels to stop spinning. And now she had to own up to it before he got it into his mind that she was talking to ghosts or actual spirits or aliens. “Shit.”

  “Not quite where I was going with that train of thought.”

  “The bank. Yes. It’s the bank, okay?”

  ‘Hey, that wasn’t so hard. Look at that. I think his brain’s settling back into place.’

  Leandras stood stock-still, his shoulders slightly hunched as his gaze swept around the hallway again. “The bank.”

  “Yeah. We have a thing. Nothing else you need to know, so—”

  “And I heard it.”

  “Maybe you should sit down or something. And stop smiling like that. You’re freaking me out.”


  “Incredible.” He ran a hand through his hair and laughed louder this time. “Do you have any idea what this means for us?”

  “A giant pain in the ass always talking inside my head? Sure.”

  ‘Low blow, witch. I did just shove your memories back under the rug.

  “Yeah, maybe don’t leave next time.”

  “I’m sorry?” Leandras stared at her, then the realization apparently dawned on him, and he clapped his hands together. “No. You’re not speaking to me.”

  “Oh my god.” She turned away from him to head toward her bedroom. “This is—hold up.”

  “We can use this, Jessica. We have an incredible advantage if this building can actually think for itself.”

  ‘I can do a hell of a lot more than that, bud.’

  “What is this we?” Spinning around to face him again, she shook her head. “There isn’t a we. I don’t even know what you really want.”

  A silver light flashed behind Leandras’ eyes as his smile widened again. “I want to help you.”

  “Sure. Start by telling me what the hell you were doing in my bedroom.”

  The smile disappeared, and he straightened quickly. “I…may have gotten ahead of myself.”

  “Leandras! Downstairs, you were accusing me of ruining all your plans, which don’t actually count unless the person you’re using in those plans knows what they are and agrees to be a part of it. Then you stormed up here, and not for the portal like you’ve always wanted but for my—”

  Not her room. He’d been muttering about the box. The one she hadn’t named.

  Sucking in a harsh breath, Jessica whirled around and darted into her bedroom.

  “I’ll explain,” Leandras said quickly as he headed after her. “If you’ll allow me a moment—”

  Jessica kicked the door shut with a slam and booked it toward her dresser.

  This wasn’t happening. That damn fae was sticking his nose in every dark corner of her life and turning the whole thing upside down. Why the hell was she stuck with him? She’d take Tabitha any day over this goddamn meddling—

  She jerked open the top drawer and rummaged through its contents.

  “Jessica?” He cleared his throat from the other side of the closed door.