The Nightshade Guild: Mage You Look Read online

  Mage You Look

  The Nightshade Guild Series

  Book Three

  Abigail Kade

  Mage You Look

  ©Copyright 2021 Abigail Kade

  Published by: Celtic Hearts Press, LLC

  Cover by: B Creative Designs

  Formatting by: Celtic Hearts Press, LLC

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  A grumpy Mage, a cute delivery guy, and a baby Queen hide out from the entire paranormal world in a cabin high in the mountains. What could go wrong?

  Turns out, I shouldn't have asked.

  My name is Finnegan Padrick. You know, the grumpy Mage. A call has come from the Nightshade Guild for me to help protect the Elvin Queen after her parents were killed, and I'm completely lost. What the hell does a half Fae Mage hermit know about babies? When my adorable delivery guy, Henry, notices all the baby things I've ordered, he starts talking... and talking. His happy chatter about kids, and insistence I need his help should annoy me, but I'm feeling just the opposite. He's adorable, remember?

  I want to get to know Henry better. To be honest, I don't know much about him at all. I have to keep the little Queen safe above all else, but I also need to keep Henry in the dark about our world and it's dangers. When we're ambushed by some rogue shifters trying to steal the baby, we have to run to survive. That's when I find out Henry isn't who... or what... I thought he was. One minute I'm wondering if I can trust him and the next he's the one keeping us all alive. Safety has to be our first priority, but once we're safe, I plan to get some answers, and maybe get a little up close and personal with the guy who's brought sunshine back into my gloomy world.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Acknowledgements

  This is for all my fabulous MM Romance readers who have followed me on my fun and fantastic author journey. Love you all!

  This is also for all of the MF readers who may be trying an MM book for the first time. Welcome to your new genre obsession!

  Chapter 1

  Finnegan

  The sunset over the ancient Blue Ridge mountains was a thing of splendor no matter how many times I’d witnessed its wonder. This evening, the sky was heavy with clouds that promised snow soon, so the vivid colors before evening were muted. The light was easing into a cold dusk when I finally shifted my gaze to the road leading up the mountain to my cabin. I’d heard a familiar sound and knew my visitor would be here soon. Nerves, which I would never admit to, led me to seek the comfort of the trees nearby. I reached out with my senses and felt the quiet power flowing around me. It was the end of winter and I felt the forest’s roots vibrating with the anticipation of spring, just waiting to burgeon forth after this last snowfall.

  I felt renewed from the forces surrounding me, bringing me closer to fully recharged after returning from Galiela with the princess this afternoon. Lucky for me, she’d been tired when we’d arrived and gone down for a nap almost immediately. Nothing I had ordered for her had come yet, so I’d made a pallet of soft quilts on the floor and surrounded her with pillows to keep the sweet baby secure. From the sounds coming up the mountain road and the brief flashes of headlights through the bare branches, I knew my delivery would be here very soon. And he would be here too. Henry. Just the thought of his blond curls and bright blue eyes made my belly flip. I was almost five hundred years old, and I had a crush on my delivery guy.

  I’m such a sap.

  Light flakes of snow began to fall softly on my cloak, and as I pulled my magic back to me, I felt the cold whirling around my legs. There weren’t any breeches under my kilt today to ward off the cold. I usually enjoyed the feeling of air swirling around my bits and pieces, especially the tingle from a chilly breeze. Still, it was getting colder every second—time to head inside and prepare for my company.

  As I thought about my delivery and the person who was bringing it, my stomach fluttered with nerves once again. Henry was adorable, handsome, flirty, and sweet. He was also very, very human. Being a Mage of the Nightshade Guild, guardian of the paranormal races, there was no way I could get involved with a human, no matter how much I felt drawn to him. From the moment we’d met, when he’d taken over grocery deliveries for the small local store a year ago, I’d wanted to know everything about him. I’d never ordered more than once every few months for staples up until then, but now, I had a standing weekly order, and last week I’d hired him to bring all the things I’d need for the baby as soon as possible. I very rarely left my mountain or the forest surrounding it, so it was a logical choice. That was all it was. All it could be.

  Serving as a Mage of the Nightshade Guild was an honor. I took my responsibility seriously to honor those who had been lost. Thousands of years before, a group of Mages had come forward to try and curtail the destructive magic and disarray in the world, but some thrived on the chaos and didn’t want peace. A group of Mages banded together to try to bring order to the world. In a simple but deadly attack, those who didn’t want the world to change poisoned the group with poison from the nightshade. None of the Mages survived the attack, but it was finally enough to shake the magical community. Mages from throughout the realms had banded together to fight back against those trying to take control. They chose the strongest among them and followed the new rules passed down. That was the birth of The Nightshade Guild in honor of those that were lost. As a member of the twelve chosen, it was my duty and honor. I couldn’t let desire get in the way.

  I lived at the top of this mountain, owned the whole thing, actually, because I loved my peace and solitude. With the house at a four-thousand-feet-high elevation and uninterrupted views for over sixty-five miles, I could feel the magic pouring from the ancient land and all of nature surrounding my home, my sanctuary. It didn’t often snow here in the Western North Carolina mountains, so when it did, it was news. Henry had called earlier to ask if he could come tomorrow because of the weather, but I explained I was babysitting my niece for a while and needed everything as soon as possible. He’d agreed immediately, gushing about how exciting my adventure would be with a baby in the house.

  He didn’t know the half of it. My little charge wasn’t my niece; she was the Elvin Princess Ameria, holder of all magic since the untimely murder of her parents two months ago. Since the assassination, the Nightshade Guild members were charged with keeping her hidden and safe until somebody found the assassin. From shifters to vampires and everything in between, every paranormal race was scrambling to get possession of her because whoever held the princess ruled all magic. Each member of the Guild w
as keeping her for a month, then passing her to the next. A moving target was harder to catch.

  This was March and my month. Granted, I had known for two months that this day would come, but I’d hoped somebody would have solved the murders by this time and I would be off the hook.

  That didn’t happen.

  So, I’d made my last-minute order of everything I found online listed as must-haves for a one-year-old baby. I just hoped I’d be able to do this. Show me anything in nature that needed fixing, and I could handle it with a blink of the eye. But a baby? Yeah, not my specialty. Nothing scared me normally. I was a Druid Elf. Six-foot-six of muscle and magic, but babysitting scared the hell out of me.

  The sound of Henry’s truck struggling up the last steep section of my driveway finally spurred me to leave the porch, moving through the living room to check on the baby who was just beginning to squirm. She’d be awake soon and probably hungry. I’d have to help unload everything quickly so he could get down the mountain safely before the worst of the storm hit. I didn’t need him interacting with the princess. She was already showing remarkable powers, and a human learning about her magic was the last thing I needed.

  I walked to the front door, opened it, and waved Henry toward the carport through the snowfall. He pulled his ancient truck under the shelter and turned off the engine, which gave off a death rattle and chug of smoke from the tailpipe before finally falling silent. The rusty hinges of the door echoed under the roof of the carport, followed by an even louder slam. Then, as always, Henry started talking without even a word of greeting.

  “Good gods, Finn. You better be glad I like you because the drive up here in this mess was a nightmare. Heck, it’s a nightmare on good days with clear roads.”

  My heart raced, and my balls tingled when I heard him say he liked me. I knew it was a modern expression, but I loved hearing him say it anyway. Sweet woodlands elves, I was pathetic.

  In fascination, I watched his blond mop of curls bounce as he strode to the back of the truck, lifting a blue tarp off the boxes inside and throwing it to the other side out of the truck bed while still talking.

  “That gravel path you call a drive up this mountain is getting slushy and slipperier every minute. I hope I can get down without sliding into a ravine. My parents would kill me if I died.”

  He snorted at his joke, then turned in my direction before stopping cold. Henry had gone still, so I shook out of my reverie and noticed he was looking behind me with eyes wide and a smile that could brighten even this gloomy evening.

  “Hello, beautiful! Where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?”

  Henry bounded up the stairs from the carport to the front door, pushing me aside in the process to get to his objective. I was a big guy, and Henry was no more than five-foot-eight. Being able to move me so far so fast meant he was much stronger than he looked. When he approached the doorway, I saw that the baby must have followed the sounds out here and crawled to the door to investigate. She could have been hurt by any number of things on the way to the door. I was already failing at this shit. Great.

  When Henry approached her, I was worried she might get upset being around a stranger and zap him. Nic, the Guild Mage who had taken care of the baby last month, had told me she could create storms and direct lightning when threatened. That would be a disaster. I tensed, ready to rush in and pick her up before he could get to her, but I didn’t have to worry. When she saw Henry, her face lit up with the biggest baby smile. She sat back on her diapered butt and raised her chubby arms up, opening and closing her hands with a giggle.

  “Oh, yes, ma’am. You want me to pick you up, beautiful? Your wish is my command, your highness.”

  Henry swept the giggling baby up into his arms, holding her high above his head, then back down to give her a kiss on a slobbery cheek. Even though she seemed to love him at first sight, all of this was very suspicious. She was my responsibility, and already I was letting a stranger just come in on the first day and manhandle her. It was time for me to get my head out of my ass and do my job.

  I stomped toward them and took the baby from his grasp, moving away from him to a safe distance. I wrapped her in my cloak to keep her warm from the plummeting temperature, then settled a serious stare on the human. Yes, he was gorgeous, and yes, I liked him more than most, but I had to get a few things straight.

  Henry’s eyes went wide at my uncharacteristic behavior. He took a few steps back until the railing of the porch was at his back. When I finally spoke for the first time since he’d arrived, the gravel in my voice told him my mood. He tensed all over, and his gaze darted from mine to where my cloak hid the baby.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Henry? Do you just go around manhandling infants without permission?”

  He relaxed a bit, lowering his shoulders and no longer looking like he was ready to run at my question. He waved a hand in my direction and explained. “Don’t be silly, Finn. I love babies. I helped raise my siblings, so I’ve had a lot of practice. I’m sorry I didn’t ask, but she was crawling out the door with only her tee and diaper. I didn’t want the little princess to get splinters in her hands or knees from the rough boards out here.”

  As much as that made sense, I still had even more suspicion now. With the way he referred to the baby, he’d given himself away as a threat. I growled low in my throat, causing Henry to gaze around for an escape again, but there was no getting away. I stalked him into the corner made by the porch rail and front of the house and confronted him head-on.

  “How do you know she’s royalty? Has someone gotten to you? Who are you working for?”

  Chapter 2

  Henry

  Geez, Finn needs to rub one out and chill.

  The big handsome hunk of Druid was sexy even when he was accusing me of being some kind of enemy. I got it. He was doing a job. A job I wasn’t supposed to know about, actually, which made it even more important that I explain all this away as soon as possible. I was absolutely zero threat to the adorable baby he held under his cloak. Innately he had to know I wasn’t a threat to the princess, but his dedication to her protection was admirable. It made me like him even more. And damn if this protective streak wasn’t sexy as hell.

  Not that Hell was sexy. It wasn’t. Not at all.

  You’re rambling in your head again, Henry. Get a grip.

  Speaking of grip. I’d love to get a grip of Finn’s ass as he pounded…Focus, you idiot!

  Finn was burning holes into my head with his menacing glare the longer it took me to answer. I had to get my shit together and do what I did best. Talk fast.

  Taking a chance, I reached up to put a carefully placed hand on his chest. Damn, he was tall. I had to tilt my head back to catch his gaze. If he could look in my eyes, he might see my sincerity. In a carefully even tone, I started to spin a believable story that wasn’t altogether false.

  “Finn, I can tell you’re upset, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. I treat all little kids like royalty. It’s a habit from taking care of my brothers and sisters. They were all princes and princesses. It’s just what I say as a habit. If you don’t want me to, just say the word.”

  I willed him to believe me. Every word was absolutely true, sort of. I had helped raise my younger siblings. I had loved every minute. Well, except for diapers, those were not fun. And think of the devil. I sniffed between us.

  “Whew, uh, I would be more than happy to talk about this, but I need to get all this unloaded before the weather gets worse, and you need to unload a little girl’s diaper.”

  Heaven love him; Finn looked like I had shot him.

  “You do know how to change a diaper, don’t you?”

  He pulled his cloak aside and picked the baby up enough to get a whiff of what she was packing. His gag reflex hit almost immediately. I grabbed the squirmy bundle from his arms when his face turned an unattractive shade of green. Against his very red full beard, it was not a good look. I could tell he was definitely about t
o hurl, just from the smell. Catching another whiff, I surmised. “Smells like she’s trying food now instead of just formula. Real food, in the beginning, smells like death and landfill.”

  I couldn’t help laughing as Finn ran to the end of the porch and gagged into the snowy bushes.

  Soothed from the previous tension in the air by my laughter, the baby laughed with me, kicking her chubby legs and giggling. With her curly hair and rosy cheeks, she was beautiful. It was a shame such a sweet creature should be in the middle of so much danger. I couldn’t let anyone know I knew, especially a Mage, but I could help a little from the sidelines. No one had to know.

  “Finn, do you know anything at all about babies?”

  Recovered from his retching into the snow, Finn lumbered back across the front porch, head sheepishly lowered. This was the Finn I knew best. The protective growly guy from earlier was hot and all, but this shy giant was my favorite.

  “I…I don’t really know much, no. You know I don’t have much use for technology, but I went online and read some articles. I guess I can manage.”

  The clueless giant needed my help. I had been warned not to get involved with this situation, and all my people had been told to stay clear of any signs of taking sides. We were supposed to be the paranormal version of Switzerland, but how could I walk away now? I was already involved. What was a little more going to hurt, right?

  “Listen, where is her diaper bag? Get it and I’ll change her. Come on. All this can wait. The stuff is out of the worst of the weather, so it should be fine for now.”

  Finn rubbed his hand over his beard, which I knew from experience meant he was thinking and probably looking for a way to say no. The baby was getting squirmy in my arms. Her situation was definitely getting to her. We didn’t have time to deliberate.

  “If we wait, it’s going to be full dark and even more dangerous for you going back down. We should get this done. I don’t want you getting stuck.”