Three Mages and a Margarita (The Guild Codex: Spellbound, #1)

by Annette Marie

“Who are you?” What was it with these people? I wasn’t a damn trespasser. They were more territorial than teenagers in a Wi-Fi hotspot.

“Two Manhattans, and make it snappy, girl.” Her sneering tone was too much for me. “Are you having a bad day?” I shot back. “Or are you always a hag?” Aaron choked on his drink. I knew I was losing it, but my temper was pulsing and I couldn’t remember the definition of “self-control.” “Excuse me?” the woman gasped. “Please. It’s an amazing word used by civilized people everywhere. You should try it sometime.” Her mouth opened, then closed. I folded my arms and waited. “Two Manhattans, please.” I slammed a pair of martini glasses onto the mats, then turned around to check my phone for the recipe. I needed to handle my temper whether these jerks were rude or not. At least I wasn’t losing any tips.

When a guy snapped at me to hurry, I shorted his vodka and told him I’d water down his drinks until he learned some manners. An old man leered at my boobs and asked if I could add something special to his drink, so I poured an ounce of bourbon and filled the rest of the highball glass with grenadine syrup. “Sweet,” I said with an overly girlish smile. “Just like me.” He scoffed at the glass. “Give me a real drink.” “You got what you asked for.” “But—” “Next!” He left the pink atrocity on the bar and stalked back to his table.

“I’m not … sure.” Nasty people. Weird gang stuff. Alarming meeting mottos. Dangerous part of town. There weren’t many pluses here. “I’ll start you at fifteen dollars an hour.” My eyes popped wide. Uh, okay, that was a plus. “Your schedule will be Tuesdays to Saturdays from four to twelve,” she continued. “Cooper covers the bar on Sundays and Mondays … though I may call you in if he’s out for the day and you’re available.” I pursed my lips. Four to twelve worked perfectly with my college schedule. Another plus. “You can eat whatever you’d like while you’re on shift and non-alcoholic drinks are free. As long as you keep it reasonable, you can have a few other drinks too.” Okay, now she was seriously tempting me. Great pay, great hours, and free food. “Will it be a problem if I’m, er, extra firm with difficult people when—” “Oh, not at all,” Clara said happily as though my question had been a hearty, “Ay, I’ll take the job!” She dug into her pocket and pulled out a folded stack of bills. “Here’s your pay for tonight. Can you work tomorrow? Sundays aren’t normally your shift, but Cooper is sick and it’ll be a quiet night for you to learn your way around and get more comfortable.” “Um.” I blinked rapidly. “That sounds … good?”

According to the internet, the Crow and Hammer had been in business for over fifty years, but its online presence was limited to a few restaurant review sites with no actual reviews, and one business listing. No internet presence meant no desire to attract new customers. Clara had called it their “safe place” and mentioned something about a membership. I still couldn’t figure out what would attract such an eclectic mix of people from all ages and walks of life to the same club, but maybe it was an invitation-only sort of deal. That would explain why they hadn’t even bothered with a Facebook page. But what if it was an illegal organization hiding behind a pub front? A criminal gang … with elderly members, businesswomen, girls my age, hot guys, goth cooks, and bubbly AGMs who gave new employees welcoming hugs. Something didn’t add up, but the big question wasn’t what the Crow and Hammer really was. The question was whether I wanted to work there.

“Do you know the first rule of the guild?” I shook my head. “It’s ‘Don’t hit first, but always hit back.’” “Oh. That.” I frowned. “Didn’t I hit first?” “Liam didn’t hit you, but you were defending yourself. With enthusiasm,” he added amusedly. “Where’d you learn to punch like a pro?” “I took a few years of taekwondo in high school.” Justin had dragged me with him while he was training for the police academy, but I hadn’t kept up with it. “If that’s the guild’s first rule, what’s the second?” “Rule number two is, ‘Don’t get caught.’” “Don’t get caught at what?” “Anything.” He smirked. “You can’t get in trouble if you don’t get caught.” My eyes narrowed. “Clara told me this guild is on the up-and-up.” “We are.” He grabbed the laptop he must have gone outside to get before sneaking in through the kitchen. “Following the letter of the law and following the spirit of the law are two different things.” “And which one does the Crow and Hammer follow?” “Whichever is most convenient at any given moment.”

“Sharpie? You named your sword Sharpie?” “We’re supposed to be incognito, Tori. What if someone overheard me talking about my Fiery Deathbringer or Warblade of Murderous Doom?” “They’d probably think you were talking about a video game.”

“I can light the room on fire easily enough, but if I want to create a concentrated band of flame, I need a switch.” “Any switch, or only Sharpie?” “A sword similar in size and shape to Sharpie would be functional, but we work best with the switches we’ve trained on.” “Magic is complicated,” I informed him dryly. “Try talking to an Arcaner. That’s complicated.”

No one on the planet was as invested in saving my butt as I was, and I didn’t like counting on someone else to be there when I needed them only to find myself alone.

“Sorry I didn’t hold it together so well there.” “It’s fine. I understand.” I let my head thump gently against the wall. “You may have noticed I don’t control my temper all that well either.”

“So,” I announced. “Can we talk about the elephant in the room?” “Which elephant is that?” Kai asked. “The ‘why did six mythic goons attempt to kidnap Aaron’ one. I’d kind of like to know, seeing as I owe one of them a good punch to the face.”

Kai’s aura of competence didn’t allow stupid fears to exist in his vicinity.

“Uh, hello?” “Tori isn’t here right now. Please call back when she’s had more sleep.”

“How are you doing?” he asked. “Heard about your escapade over the weekend.” “How does everyone know already?” I grumbled, stashing my purse and new hot-pink umbrella in the office. “You guys gossip like seniors at a bingo hall.”

“Conflict surrounds you. You’re caught in the midst of a violent change, and deception lurks in the shadows, calling the conflict ever closer. Your past stands in the way of your future, but though you’ve walked this far alone, others are waiting to join you. Even greater change awaits you, but its form”—she lightly touched the Eight of Swords—“will be shaped by the fear that rules your heart.”

“Tori, what question did you ask the cards?” I swallowed hard. “What comes next for me.” Sabrina and Rose exchanged a long, mysterious look that made me even more nervous. “Ah,” Sabrina muttered. “Um, well, you should know the cards don’t determine the future. They reveal the path you’re currently following, but you have the power to shift your destiny. Change your heart and you will change your path.”

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” “No, I’m just …” I took a shaky breath. “He used a spell … ori torqueo something … and it … really hurt.” “Oh,” Sin murmured. “I’m sorry, Tori. That’s an illegal spell. He shouldn’t have had something like that.” “Well, it’s not like he’s a law-abiding citizen.”

I threw in the proverbial flag at midnight and watched the guys duke it out one more time on the most difficult track. Ezra won, again. “I thought you couldn’t drive,” I told him as we high-fived. “I can drive just fine.” He grinned. “I just can’t tell how far away the other cars are. Not a problem in a video game—especially when I’m in the lead.”

“The Crow and Hammer has a poor reputation. We’re casual, disorganized, irreverent, and disobedient. Our ranks are filled with outcasts and former rogues. But every member of this guild brings something special to the table. We have some of the strongest mages, the most skilled sorcerers and alchemists, and the rarest psychics in the city. And none of us tolerate losing.” “Don’t hit first,” Ezra murmured. “But always hit back. And we hit damn hard.”

“Aha!” “What?” “Nothing,” I said brightly, hopping off my stool. “I’m going to clean up in the back.” “You’ve never been this excited about cleaning before,” he observed with squinty-eyed suspicion. “What are you really doing?” “Cleaning.” I slid away from him. “You know, scrubbing … things. You wouldn’t like it.” “Uh-huh.” Standing, he followed me. “You look guiltier than a kid with an empty cookie jar.” “You’re imagining things.”

More shots rang out as Aaron and I sprinted up the bridge. Why did they have so many freaking guns? They were mythics! Where the hell was the magic? I’d really prefer fireballs and ice shards to bullets right about now!

“I can’t believe everything that happened.” Sin smirked gleefully. “You saved Aaron’s life again. He owes you big time. Make sure you rub it in his face as much as possible.”