Page 24 of Fallen Reign (Sins of the Father 1)

“Consider it a gift,” Dionysus said, cocking one eyebrow at Florian. “Your dryad friend here will find them especially interesting.”

Some minutes later, after saying our grudging goodbyes, I finally pulled on the pouch’s drawstring, too curious to contain myself any longer. My heart fell into my shoes when I saw the five kidney-shaped lumps waiting in the pouch’s dark recesses.

“Beans?” I said. “He gave us beans?”

“They’re magic beans,” Florian told me at the apartment, after giving the five lima-looking motherfuckers a proper examination. “These are pretty rare. Very useful.” He shook them like a handful of dice, holding them up to his ear so he could listen to them rattle. “Blessed by Dionysus himself, it sounds like.”

I groaned, throwing myself into my bed. “And I suppose that if you threw them out the window, we’d find a magic beanstalk leading up into the clouds by morning. Then you and I can go climb it, kill a giant, and steal a goose that lays golden eggs. And a lady who’s also a harp, or something. Raziel can come play her. It’ll be a party.”

Florian glowered at me like I was the dumbest person alive. “Don’t be stupid. That sounds ridiculous. This is real magic.”

I grabbed my pillow, pushing it over my face as I groaned. Maybe if I pushed hard enough I’d suffocate. That’d solve the problem of paying the rent pretty nicely. Forever.

; 21

My heart raced as I stared through the car window, watching the house for signs of Monica Rodriguez. I was in a ritzier part of town, me in the passenger seat, Quilliam J. Abernathy gripping the steering wheel with two leather-gloved hands, his engine shut off.

“You’d think that a less flashy car would have been the right choice for this,” I told him.

Fine. The leather seats were comfy, and the interiors smelled clean and warm from the little pot of air freshener on the dashboard – spiced vanilla – but the thing was way too snazzy and unsubtle for a stakeout.

Quilliam sniffed and turned up his nose. “On the extremely slim chance that someone recognizes me, I’m not risking the possibility of being caught driving something – pedestrian.”

“You don’t have to worry. No one will ever recognize you with those ridiculous sunglasses on.”

This was after dark, mind you, significantly past midnight. The jury was out on whether death witches even slept regular hours, but Quilliam had a point. Monica was only human, after all, just another flavor of mage. It was better to take her out under cover of darkness, with less chances of attracting unwanted attention at night.

What choice did I have left but murder, really? We’d considered Florian’s talents for making coin. Now it was up to me to pull my own weight. And Florian didn’t have to know about this one. I was fine with carrying the burden of killing the brujas on my own.

Still, I had to stop thinking of it as murdering the Rodriguez witches. I was just stealing an artifact. Leonora would kick the bucket, but not before taking Monica down with her. Their blood wouldn’t be on my hands. Sneak in, snip the Obsidian Rose off its bush, then sneak back out. Done and done.

“We’ve waited long enough,” I told Quill. “Time to make a move.”

“Right,” he said, unlocking the car doors. “Good luck.”

I blinked at him, then frowned. “I thought you were coming with,” I hissed, hearing the mounting urgency in my own voice. The inside of Quill’s car lit up with the pale golden glow of the glyphs on my skin.

“What? I promised no such thing. I’m not getting a cut of the fifteen K you’re getting from Leonora, am I?”

“So I’ll give you a cut,” I said, testing the waters, knowing that he wouldn’t bite.

Quilliam raised his nose. “Do I look like someone in need of money? I’m independently wealthy.”

I leaned in, narrowing my eyes at him. “Then why are you so invested in this? In me?”

He shrugged. “This is a test. Have you thought about that? Maybe I’ve got more work for you, and I want to see if you’ve got the chops.” He tipped his glasses down, glaring disapprovingly at my chest. “And don’t get so damn emotional, especially in there. You’ll blow your cover.”

I pouted hard even as I fought to tamp down my anger, and the light of my sigils faded. “I can’t do this alone.”

“You can, and you will.” Quill groped around in his jacket for a moment, then pulled out a silvery contraption. “Here. Use this.”

I took the piece of cold metal, frowning. “Please tell me these aren’t just regular garden shears. Tell me they’re enchanted and that they’ll protect me from death magic. Something. Anything.”

Quill glowered at me. I felt like we were caught in some never-ending frowning contest. “It’s just a pair of shears. Should make the job easier. Plus you’re only trying to steal the damn thing, not vandalize the poor woman’s rose bushes.”

The car’s interiors glowed again. “She won’t care because she’ll be dead!”