Chapter Text
It all started the day Elaine went home early from school. When she wasn't there in Spanish class, I got worried. The teacher said she had a stomach ache and went home early, but I knew Elaine, knew that it must be really bad for her to have missed the only class we have together this year. She never stayed home, not when she got a concussion because her focus slipped during shield training, not when her whole arm was covered with burn marks, not when we were so exhausted we could barely stay awake. When we broke up into groups to do worksheets, I grabbed the hall pass and left.
I was rounding the corner to our house before I realized I was nearly home. Justin would've been furious, lecturing about how you always have to be aware of your surroundings, constantly checking for who around you might be armed or for trace magic. Justin would've been right.
Leaning on an all white sports car was the man who I'd caught tailing me a dozen times over the past few days. Walking home from school, on runs with Elaine, when I went out to the corner store for a bag of chips after dark. He'd never spoken to me, didn't seem to be trying too hard to be subtle, and had kept his distance, but now that I got a closer look at his face I realized maybe he was more dangerous than I thought. Nobody's allowed to look that good.
I also noticed that he had a big curved sword in the passenger seat of his car, what looked like a gun tucked in the back of his way too tight jeans, and that he was wearing a pentacle necklace identical to my own.
Uh oh.
"Hey kid, we should talk," the mystery definitely not human stated.
"I'm not a kid," I snapped, "and I have to get home. I don't have time to chat with nosy PIs."
"I'm not a PI, Harry, and you're gonna want to chat before you get in there. It's not pretty."
I felt my heartbeat start to race as my alarm about Elaine became fury over what he might've done to her. She and Justin were my only family now, and like hell was I going to stand by for whatever had happened.
Before I knew it I'd swung a punch at his gut. I'm still growing, and I knew I wasn't as strong as some, but Elaine and I had started training the day Justin adopted us and it wasn't just fireballs and shields. I knew how to throw a solid punch, and I knew a punch like that should've knocked his breath out. It should've made him double up so I could break his nose with the next one. Only he didn't double up, and when I started to swing again he caught my wrist in a grip that couldn't have been human.
I looked up at him, readying a fireball that would be big enough to kill him, furious enough not to care if I burned myself and his car and the whole block down as well. Without thinking I met his eyes, and we fell into a soul gaze.
I saw him, and I saw his demon. I saw how he fought it, and I saw him losing. I saw our mother.
Oh.
When the soul gaze ended and I came back to myself, I realized I was crying. I looked up, and saw that my brother was crying too, and that he'd wrapped me into a hug.
"She said she loves you," he said.
"She told me the same," was all I could think to reply.
"We really need to talk," he said again, and I nodded, still too stunned to think clearly. My brother. I saw our mom, saw her smile with my Sight, and learned that I have a brother too.
I realized we were walking, and I let him lead me to a bench at the park close by. I still wasn't sure what to say, so I was quiet as he explained that he was a White Court vampire, and that Mom escaped when he was young. He told me he didn't realize who I was until he saw my necklace, didn't realize that he'd had a brother. He explained that he'd heard about a warlock summoning Outsiders, and been sent to deal with it or call in the White Council. He explained about the Laws. Then he told me that he'd seen Elaine go home a couple hours ago, felt a lot of magic coming from the house, heard a lot of screaming, and then it was quiet.
He explained that he feared the worst, but that he was pretty sure they were still alive. He said he'd be my backup when I went in. He grabbed weapons and some gas from the car before he followed me to the house.
It was awful. Elaine tried to trap me and Justin tried to enthrall me and the whole living room was covered in blood.
When it was over, my brother bundled me into his car and I slept.
***
The next couple months passed in a blur. We were on the run since Thomas's father kept trying to kill him, and he wasn't always subtle. We worked well together, and with Bob to help advise us we learned fast. Wards, tracking spells, charms to detect poisons and protect our minds. Potions to keep my wounds clean and the swelling and bruises down. Thomas sparred with me and ran with me and made sure I could use and clean all of his guns. I longed for a real home, a real lab where I could build on a threshold and have equipment more sophisticated than Thomas's knife.
After narrowly living through the third entropy curse, I had had enough.
"This isn't going to work. We need allies. We can't keep running like this, not if your dad is so intent on killing us."
We were pretty sure nobody had figured out our relationship yet. In public, and especially around the supernatural crowd I played his totally enthralled boyfriend. It was easier than trying to explain the truth.
"We've been over this, no vampires since they'll kill me and enthrall you. No White Council since they'll maybe kill you and definitely send me back to father dearest. Only the fae would keep us both alive, but I think Lea has made her point about why we should keep away from them. All the other nations are only interested in protecting their own, and the freeholding lords tend to be aggressively neutral. There's nowhere we can go, nowhere that'll let us stay together."
"So we'll get a mortal to back us. With a little regular income and an actual threshold I think we could make it work."
"How? It's not like cops are going to be much help, and I know you don't want another Child Protective Services fiasco."
A month after we burned Justin, my social worker recognized me at a Denny's. She accused Thomas of kidnapping, me of arson and murder, and was making such a big fuss that Thomas had to really let his Hunger out to calm her down.
After we escaped, Lara passed along that her accusations had turned into Chicago PD charges. It took weeks for her to make them go away.
"I'm not a child, Thomas, and I know we don't want cops involved."
"Then what do you want? A sugar daddy isn't going to be able to give us the kind of security we need, and neither is anyone with any kind of political influence."
"So we don't look for money or political power, we look for strength."
***
I knew we didn't look like much. Neither of us had slept much in over a week, and I could tell my leg had started bleeding again. I had my spelled backpack with Bob, some supplies, and my most valuable notebooks slung over my shoulder, staff in my left hand, blasting rod in my right. Thomas was in his usual spot when we expected trouble, half a step back and slightly to my left so he'd be covered if I needed to raise a shield. He had guns on each hip, and his sword slung across his back. He always added more weapons when he was nervous.
"They say you don't hurt children," Thomas said as we stepped into a dimly lit club. "They say you're waging war to clean up the streets too." I could tell he'd found who we were looking for, though my eyes hadn't adjusted yet to the lack of light.
"Some people claim that. And who would you be?"
The man who spoke was quite obviously in charge. He was impeccably dressed in a dark grey suit, with just a hint of a Chicago street accent and dark, almost black hair. Two goons on either side of him, also wearing suits, had guns drawn. They weren't yet pointed at us but clearly the goons sensed trouble.
"Mercenaries from out of town," Thomas lied. We'd agreed that he should talk. I slowly started gathering power in case the goons decided to shoot, and he slung an arm around my waist. I leaned into him, it was a practiced motion. "We're looking for more stable work, hoping to settle down. We like what we've heard about you, and are hoping to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement." Thomas flashed his best smile at the man.
"I see, and what exactly are your qualifications? Skills? References? You, and especially your…friend look entirely too young to be ex-military." He paused, then mirrored Thomas's smile, only it looked more predatory than friendly. The lights started to flicker. "What are you running from that you can't face alone? Mercenaries in my experience don't settle down. They go into hiding or get themselves killed."
"We're good enough with a gun or a blade," Thomas shrugged, "And we can throw a punch."
"Or a car." I muttered under my breath. Thomas squeezed my side in warning. From the way his eyes flicked to me, I think our guy Marcone heard me.
"We may be of most use to you as consultants though. Defenses for your home and office. Dealing with unusual threats, like the kidnappings that were happening by the park in Chinatown."
"Were?" Asked one of the goons, still pointing his gun at us. It had been a hell of a time tracking the thing down, but convincing the troll that there was easier prey elsewhere now that a Wizard was in town was a piece of cake once we found him.
"Were." I cut in. Thomas squeezed my side in warning again. "And we can help you make an actual move against Bianca too. She's your only real competition in the prostitution game these days right? But I'm guessing all your guys come back dazed and looking high when you try to get information on her? Can't remember a thing?"
I was certain we had his interest now. Marcone's breath had caught slightly at the mention of Bianca's name, and we knew that Marcone had been trying to track down the missing kids for weeks by the time Lara passed the CPD files on to Thomas.
"You still haven't said what you're running from," Marcone said, "and I'm not seeing why I'm who you want to work for. What is it you want?"
Thomas took a deep breath. "My father is trying to kill us. Why is a longer discussion that I'd rather not have in such a public venue. All we want is a stable place to live and a regular paycheck. We can handle my father ourselves, but not on the run like this."
Marcone sat back and seemed to be thinking. His eyes kept flicking back and forth between our faces, and I had an uncomfortable feeling that he recognized us somehow.
"We may be able to come to an arrangement, if you can answer two questions to my satisfaction. Why do you think I'd employ a minor in my operation, as a consultant or otherwise, and why should I not detain you for kidnapping, Mr. Raith?"
Crap.
The lights flickered again, and this time I felt it coming. Double crap.
"Down!" I called, shoving Thomas down. I slung up a shield as I started rummaging through my backpack. Goons started firing, and honestly I couldn't blame them. They were already on edge, and between the kidnapping comment and the sudden moves they definitely thought we were a threat now. Triple crap.
I found the crystal I was looking for, and activated it. I was so shaken after the first entropy curse hit that I wouldn't talk to Bob about anything else until he helped me design something that could keep one off of us. He grumbled and it took us months but it worked perfectly.
I put all the will I could spare into making the sphere as big as I could, while maintaining the shield. I was sweating, and starting to tremble, and Thomas grabbed hold of me again keeping me upright.
I realized that he'd been talking the whole time and that the guns were no longer firing. Easily a couple hundred bullets surrounded us, all flattened by the impact with my shield. Ricocheting bullets had shredded the surrounding tables, and people were trying to evacuate out the back door.
I dropped the shield, and put the last of my will into making the sphere of the entropy curse barrier reach to the parking lot of the club. I dropped off to sleep, Thomas still holding me but now crouched over me as well, explaining what I'd done and why they shouldn't kill us.
***
I woke up in a bed. There was an IV in my arm and a gentle weight on my belly. I didn't hear any breathing or machines, so I figured I was likely alone and not at a hospital. I opened my eyes.
Sure enough, it was my backpack on my belly, with Bob still inside it. I looked around, and saw it was a guest bedroom of sorts. No cameras, no people, just the bed, a chair pulled up close, and a dresser across the room. It looked like the door had a deadbolt, and a solid one. Interesting.
I pulled a skull out of my backpack and said, "Wake up Bob, what happened?"
Orange lights flicked on and he yawned loudly.
"Hey boss, hold still, you've been out for most of the day. Let me check you over."
"Most of a day? Where are we? Where's Thomas?"
"Ya that's what I thought. I told you not to try to juice up the crystal didn't I? You were a smidge away from making that your death curse, boss."
"What!"
"Now that you've got a sexy new sugar daddy around you really need to work on controlling the size of your spells. It's not healthy to run yourself dry all the time."
"Start from the beginning Bob. Where's Thomas?"
"Shacking it up with the new sugar daddy probably. He was looking pretty hungry after he had to drop all Marcone's guys to keep them off you. Eventually he got one to run and report what was happening outside your dome, and they got a lot calmer when they realized that everyone was alive and what kind of destruction was going on outside. After the dome went down, Marcone insisted you need real medical attention and not our 'homeopathic nonsense', so you and Thomas got brought to one of his homes. There was a bit of a threshold coming in, but not a strong one."
"Right. Ok I need to find Thomas. Am I all clear, doc?"
"Well you shouldn't try to do magic for at least another day or so, and Mr. Mafioso nearly flew into a tirade over the state of your leg, but you're all patched up now, boss."
"Ok. Thanks Bob. Time to sleep again then, no talking unless it's just Thomas or I in the room."
His lights winked out. Right. Time to find Thomas. I packed up my backpack, tore out the IV, and started walking. I'd run tracking spells on him so many times over the past few months that it was just a whisper of will to pick it up again. I let my pentacle necklace gently tug me through the halls of what turned out to be a sprawling mansion until I came to a door with two goons parked outside.
They looked surprised to see me. And wary. Maybe they thought I could call down all that destruction as well as shield from it. I guess technically I could.
I didn't look either of them in the eye, just said, "They're expecting me," and pushed into the room.
Thomas was looking at the door as I entered, and I saw a reflection of the relief I felt to see that he was ok.
"Harry," he said as I walked over to sit next to him, "I'm glad you're up. We were just finalizing the terms for our contracts."
I studied his face, trying to see if Marcone was willing to offer the kind of stability we needed. I hoped so.
"And?" I asked cautiously.
"And as impressed as I am by both your skills and those of Mr. Raith, I'm not convinced that employment as a mercenary is the best way to ensure the safety of a child."
I felt my face heat up and Thomas's hand gently squeezed my knee. I took a deep breath and replied, "I'm not a child. I'm emancipated. I don't need a parent and I'm perfectly capable of working."
"I'm sure you are, but what about an education? You should be in school still at your age. If not that, then surely there are apprenticeships? Others who share your…unique talents?"
Standing behind Marcone was the same bodyguard who had spoken earlier. He snorted. I glared at him.
"Half those idiots think they should behead me, and the other half are so scared of even a hint of conflict that they'll talk themselves in circles for years before reaching a decision about what to do with me." I took Thomas's hand from my knee and held it. "All of them would make Thomas go away, which is unacceptable. If you want us you have to have both of us, and we're not going to negotiate about that."
Marcone's eyes flicked between us again and his face looked thoughtful. I tried not to squirm in my seat.
"What happened to Justin and Elaine?" Marcone asked, and I felt my throat close up and my eyes start to water. Thomas's thumb started making soothing circles on my knee and I took a deep breath like I'd been practicing with Bob. Control.
The light bulbs in the room all popped, and the phone on Marcone's desk made a sound like parts inside were melting. A small fire started and I cursed, reaching out at the same time as Thomas calmly doused the fiery phone with his glass of water.
So maybe my control wasn't that great.
I took another deep breath and very quietly said, "The bastard got what was coming to him. She didn't."
My breath was still shaking, and my hands had started trembling too. Thomas's hand kept stroking my knee and the room was quiet as I pulled myself together.
When I looked up again, Thomas was glaring at Marcone, his guard dog was glaring at Thomas, and Marcone was looking at me with an expression that was difficult to read. I was careful not to meet his eyes.
After a long moment, he seemed to come to a decision.
"Very well. We can leave negotiations of our business relationship for tomorrow. I'm sure you'll want to discuss the terms privately. Be welcome in my home as guests until such a time as you choose to leave. Will you take dinner with us?"
I was startled both at the particular wording of his invitation and at the realization that the question was directed at me. I hesitated, looking at Thomas, but he squeezed my knee gently in encouragement.
"Uh sure, I guess. I'm pretty hungry."
"Excellent," Marcone said standing up, "Right this way then."
We followed him through several hallways to a small dining room. It looked nicer than anywhere I'd ever eaten, with four place settings, a tablecloth that might've been an antique, and several plates and spoons and forks at each seat. My eyes bugged out a bit and Thomas gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. Right. When in doubt follow his lead. This wasn't nearly as fancy as some of the Raith dinner parties he'd described.
We sat, Thomas next to me, the bodyguard next to Marcone, and a woman came in with trays of food. Apparently Marcone ate family style. I tried not to be too obvious about it, but after using as much energy as I had both on the crystal and in the days before I really was hungry. We'd had a hard time getting enough for me to eat with being on the run all the time, and all the gas and motel stays racked up faster than you'd think.
Plus the food was great, probably the best meal I'd ever had. Dish after dish was laid on the table. Baked ziti, chicken parmesan, meatballs, crusty bread, something that looked like fish. They even had a caesar salad, and when he saw it Thomas nudged me until I took some. Brothers.
I lost track of the conversation around me, but at some point ice cream was brought out and I realized they were talking about me.
"...always eats so much?"
"Yes, I've been assured it's normal. Between the energy he uses for magic, the unusually rapid healing you've seen, and just being a teenager it's quite a lot."
"I see. And this resource is willing to train the boy?"
"Yes. He has also helped us identify threats like your troll problem, and his medical knowledge is extensive, especially when it comes to wizards. He's grown four inches since we met, and I've been informed that he could easily grow another foot before he stops."
I looked up at that and grinned. "Maybe I'll finally win a wrestling match then, a shrimp like you would have no chance."
Thomas grinned back at me. "Not a chance, you know I'd snap you like a twig."
I snorted and almost lunged for him before I remembered that we had an audience and that these dishes looked particularly breakable. I sheepishly looked back across the table, and Marcone and his guard dog rose.
"Well, it's been a long day, I'm sure you both are tired. Mr. Raith, Mr. Dresden, it was nice to meet you. Mr. Raith I think you can find the way back to your suite? There'll be coffee and food here in the morning, so don't be shy when you wake up. Good evening."
We nodded our goodbyes, and with that they left.
"Are you still hungry?" Thomas asked when the door closed again, "The kitchen is right through there. They asked that you refrain from entering so you don't break the equipment, but there's plenty more if you want."
"Nah. Tomorrow's good enough."
"Right then. Back to bed then. I'm sure our new employers will have plenty more questions tomorrow, and I know I'll feel safer once you've started laying down wards. I had Bob take a look around while you were out. He said it looked fine to start, not a huge threshold but that'll change if we stay here. No gaps, no obvious thin spots for Ways, and it sounds like the property is personal only, no business. The staff list is a little long for my comfort, but at least I didn't recognize any of the names so it's probably mortals only."
By this point we'd arrived back at our suite, and I realized that the accomodations were more extensive than I'd realized when I passed through earlier. My room and what I assumed was Thomas's room both connected to a lounge area, with big comfy chairs, some bookshelves, and a nice looking fire place. There was also a bathroom connected, which looked fully stocked with a range of toiletries.
I made an impressed grunt and Thomas raised an eyebrow.
"I'm just surprised that's all. After bringing that entropy curse with us I wasn't exactly expecting the red carpet treatment."
"And that, dear brother, is why we decided to let me do the talking."
"Right. Still not sure how exactly you pulled that off. He was practically drooling over us in that office, is he why you look so well fed now? You were about to go full lust demon last I saw before passing out."
"No, I watched over you until the doctor they brought in was done with you, and then Marcone insisted on knowing why I was so twitchy. I explained the problem, we worked out how I could safely use the services of his brothels and how it would fit into our agreement, and I fed. You really were out for a lot longer than usual. You should try to rest, it'll probably be a big day again tomorrow."
I yawned. "Right. Goodnight then." He pulled me in for a quick hug, and we turned in.