by Lexi Ostrow
“I have to go in there!” He screamed into the devastating wind as a palm tree branch went sailing by, ripped off from its tree.
He dodged a fork as it lifted off the table and raced past him.
“Get your ass back here!” Elijah growled. “I can’t shift, my wolf can’t handle this current or swimming against a gator, and you can’t go after him alone. Your magic won’t work in there.”
“I know.” Jonathon wished he hadn’t dropped the gun, there would be no finding it now. “Give me your gun.”
“Mine,” Sam called, drawing Jonathon to turn around seconds before he tossed it.
The metal cracked against his wrist, but Jonathon ignored the quick burst of discomfort. “If I don’t come out, come kill us all.” The words echoed in his mind as he trudged up the steps, lifting just a bit out of the water, but not having any easier of a time at walking.
The door was already open, likely from when Deidre stupidly went inside.
“Dee!”
A crash upstairs followed by her cry was the fuel Jonathon needed. “Grigorótera,” he hissed, pointing toward his feet.
As expected, no burst of speed took over his feet because of the dampening spell. They needed to hurry up.
“Deidre! I can’t see you, but please fucking talk to me.”
“Jonathon!” Her shriek carried from upstairs. “I’ve got him trapped behind the shower door. It won’t hold much longer.” A thud followed as if Remy crashed against the glass door.
Furious, Jonathon pushed through the water only to see Deidre swim quickly at the top of the steps and jump over the banister. His heart slammed in his throat as he had to pray she hadn’t struck the hardwood floor and broken something.
Frigid water crashed against him from her landing, and Jonathon immediately stuck his hand under and felt around for her hand. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the top of the stairs. The water rose slowly but met damn near around his knees with the roof off a portion of the fucking house.
Deidre’s gasp drew one from him, but he didn’t dare look to her. She was safe. Her arm had a little blood on it, but it didn’t look like hers.
“We have to get them to remove the dampening spell. Get outside, Dee. Now!”
“No. It’s the only thing stopping more of the hex from happening.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“My hands, they’re still not under my control. It’s like the hex is trying to complete, trying to push me to a final cast, but because I’m inside now, it can’t.”
“Good god,” Jonathon snarled, looping her hand into his. “I’m getting you out of here. He’ll follow. I guarantee it.” His hand clutched around the handgun.
Glass shattered upstairs, and he cursed. Remy was free. Jonathon left his eyes glued to the top of the stairs. He didn’t hope to see the flick of a green tail, the water was high enough to cover the man in his beast form. Jonathon did hope to see the snout coming down the stairs.
“Run! Now!” His heart thumped so viciously in his ears Jonathon couldn’t hear any sound beyond his beating heart. Tunnel vision crept in as he stared at the stairs, taking two steps closer.
An open jaw flew toward him, slamming him the shoulder and knocking Johnathon sideways but not forcing his grip on the gun to falter.
“Jonathon!” Deidre shrieked.
“Get out here now!” Elijah’s familiar snarl was half-eaten by the storm and thrashing gator as Remy attempted to turn and come after Jonathon again.
“I can’t!” Deidre cried, drawing Jonathon to shoot in the water near the struggling gator without waiting for a proper sightline.
Blood spilled from Remy’s back half, and Jonathon glanced at Deidre whose hand started to cast again.
“I’m so sorry!” Jonathon didn’t so much as close his eyes as he took the shot at the woman he cared for.
She screamed momentarily.
“Grab her!”
Elijah damn near rolled sideways and grabbed Deidre by her other arm before she sunk underwater.
“Let’s go, big guy. I’ve got plenty of bullets.”
Remy seemed to hear him, turned and charged
Jonathon fired again, the bullet slamming into the water harmlessly. Snarling, he jumped onto the sofa, never touching it because of the water level but using it to stop from sinking completely, and leaped toward the stairs.
Remy didn’t hesitate to follow.
“I can’t see him. If I shoot, I might hit you.” Elijah hollered. “I’m taking Dee out. Do not shoot to kill. He’s mine to dole out justice to.”
“Yeah, sorry about that, big guy. No can do.” Jonathon fired three rounds at the water, all warning shots. “Come on, you mother fucker. I’m right here!”
The gator growled but didn’t move. He sat beneath water, low enough that Jonathon needed to get higher to see the fucker.
The human in the shifter understood the situation the gator likely didn’t. Remy knew to be cautious. This wasn’t a hunt. This wasn’t a situation he could quickly lunge in. Furniture blocked his path even if only the tops of it remained above water.
“Now is not the time to have my damn magic restricted.” Jonathon snarled and kept the gun trained on the gator as best he could as he half swam, half climbed.
His heart rate continued to border on explosive, but he wasn’t going to give up, and he certainly wasn’t going to let this asshole live to do this ever again. Justice was Jonathon’s.
The water swirled inches behind his left foot before the snapping jaws caused an echo in the tight stairwell. Jonathan jumped, startled, up a reasonable distance, and grabbed onto the wooden balcony. Tugging himself up, he worried about dropping the gun or falling over the railing more than was logical.
Water dripped off his hair into his eyes making it harder than he liked to see.
He watched as Remy opened his mouth and lunged.
“Trevors, don’t!” Elijah growled.
The gun went off. Jonathon leaned over the railing and to the left a hair and fired two more times.
Both bullets struck into Remy’s head. The weregator’s jaw never closed, he just fell back into the water, dead, with his mouth agape.
“God damnit, Jonathon!” Elijah roared and spun on his heel.
Heart still hammering, Jonathon swung his body over the railing and pulled himself onto the upper level. The water only came up to his knees here. He fell forward, hands splashing into the water as they connected with the ground.
Jonathon’s body heaved as he sobbed. Not for the death of the monster, but for the freedom. No tears slipped from his eyes, but he shook just the same. He’s gone. It’s done.
“Jonathon!” Patrick’s voice carried through the house, but barely. “We need to end this storm. The hex might be done with his death, but the storm is still going! Ivy’s taking down the protection now, we need to hurry. Both Covens are in place all over the city.”
Slowly, Jonathon’s mind stopped reeling out of necessity. Every inch of his body ached from the short but strenuous fight with Remy. It had lasted only minutes, but it drained his body, nonetheless. How had Deidre gone on for minutes struggling with the weregator alone?
Because she’s stronger than you believed possible.
Jonathon rose out of the water but didn’t walk. He could cast from within the house now.
He’d been hexed. Married. Shot to the brink of death. Shot Deidre and finally killed Remy. He would not give in to the exhaustion coursing through him until he ended the growing hurricane.
“God of water, controller of the seas, I beseech you. Halt your winds, destroy your raging rains.” Jonathon screamed into the air, the torn-off roof dumping more and more water in by the second. “God of water, controller of the seas, I beseech you. Halt your winds, destroy your raging rains.” He called again.
Nothing.
Again and again, Jonathon cried out, trying to undo the damage the only way he knew how. He was not a caster used to working with
anything but offensive magic. This went beyond him.
Suddenly, the wind stopped, just leaving the golf-ball-sized rain. It fell just as fast but didn’t crash down on him with a bruising force without the wind.
“Ílios!” Ivy’s call to the sun seemed blasted on the air.
Suddenly, the air around Jonathon heated. He realized what Ivy did. She called to the other elements to suck the moisture from the air. She was brilliant, an indisputable leader.
“God of the South! I beseech you for your heat. Dry the storm from the air.”
The exhaustion crept over him, buckling his knees until Jonathon sunk down the wall. His body was giving out, but he wasn’t ready. He could see more than feel the drops growing smaller. The bruising on his body made it impossible to feel anything gentle at this time.
“Patrick,” he coughed. “Patrick,” he added louder.
It was Tanner who appeared, bursting into the water on a god damned jet ski.
“Come on, pal. You’re coming with me.” Tanner stopped the ski at the base of the stairs. “Can you walk? Let the less tired folks clear up the weather, we’ve got backup coming.”
Jonathon liked that sound of that.
“If I walk to you, you’ll take me to Dee?”
“Absolutely, pal. Come on.” Tanner extended his hand.
Jonathon forced himself to wade through the water down the stairs. He had to check on Deidre, then he could pass out.
Twenty-Five
Sunlight.
The thought raced through her mind even though Deidre’s eyes opened little more than a sliver.
Sunlight.
The second time she thought about the obnoxiously bright sun filtering over her, Deidre’s eyes shot open. There shouldn’t be any sun.
She was in her bed, but the last thing she remembered was being downstairs – standing in at least four and a half feet of rising water. My shoulder. She lifted her fingers to her left shoulder, expecting to feel a hole. Only she didn’t. She glanced up, and the roof was in place and not a trace of liquid was anywhere in the room.
I died.
“This is death.”
Jonathon’s rare but familiar chuckle filled her ears. “No, this is a far cry better than that. Especially since we’re together this way.
Tears filled her eyes as Jonathon stepped into view. She’d never been so happy to see his sardonic smile and jet-black hair. Her heart ached at the sight of him. Deidre married him to save his life without so much a thought to Gerard, who died a year ago.
Grief ripped away at her as she thought of her ex and struggled to draw an image of him in her mind. She’d never dreamed she forget Gerard, and now she’d work twice as hard to make sure she didn’t. Nothing would taint his memory, least of all a psycho path who tried to destroy her home.
Deidre pushed off her elbows and sat, gazing around the room. She knew she’d crashed through a wall with Remy, yet everything was fine. “What happened?”
“You want the long story or the short one?”
“Short. Definitely short.”
“You took that beast on a little tour through the house. Unfortunately, you continued to cast, and I had to shoot your shoulder to get you to stop.”
“I remember that part. Or, I think I must because I touched my shoulder expecting a hole.”
He nodded. “It happened. Then, Elijah snarled at me about justice, and I ignored him and shot the fucker in the head. It’s over. All of it.”
Tears spilled over her cheeks. Hot trails ran off her chin and landed, splattering over her hands and linen. Deidre couldn’t breathe as the joy overwhelmed her. Her smile was so big her cheeks ached, and she sucked in deep breath after breath.
“He’s gone?”
“He’s gone. They’ll find the rest of them soon enough. This is going to be plastered all over the fucking news. Shit, it already has. No one will try this again. By the way, it’s the next day.” Jonathon cleared his throat. “I was able to explain about the illicit magic deals. Our angel and demon duo should be on their way to a quick booking now. It’s a shame they won’t remember it, but they’ll be put on trial for that hex, and any others they’ve brewed and sold on the black market.”
The amount of good news threatened to drown her, and Deidre hadn’t realized one could grow so worked up over positive happenings. Laughter coiled in her stomach but didn’t erupt. It was just joy. Overwhelming. All consuming. Wonderful joy.
Jonathon’s hands slipped into hers. Despite the smile on his lips, his eyes were sad. “I’m really sorry I shot you.”
“Ooh, does this mean I can tell you it’s illegal to shoot a member of the NOPD?” She blinked innocently at him.
“Not a chance. You’re a consultant.”
“Hey!” Deidre fired off a burst of green witch fire at his hand.
“Ouch!” Jonathon laughed and shook his hand to cool it down. “I’ll consider that payback, just this once.”
“Is everyone still here?” She wanted to know that they were all okay. She could assume, but that could be disastrous.
“Yes, and no. Tanner and Jay left. Lita came. Transported in the second, Ivy called her. Sam and Patrick are outside dealing with the news. They’d been fighting them off since last night. Elijah left, likely going to destroy a tree or something because I killed his criminal.”
Deidre barked out a short laugh. “He must have hated that.”
“Let’s just say I’m going to be on his bad side for a really long time. I didn’t have to shoot Remy, only, I did. I had to shoot him because he wasn’t a random criminal. It was personal, and I needed the final decision. We fixed your house first, then the rest of the city. Everything is as if the storm never happened. Except for us.”
“Whatever the Council decides, we’ll face it together.” She slipped her hand into his, enjoying the wash of affection that washed over her. “There’s something else.”
“You wanted to talk about how you recklessly bound us together?” He teased.
“Or how about knowing we were bound you tried to kill yourself?” She wasn’t teasing.
“I wasn’t. I just needed a severe enough injury to take me out of the game. I didn’t anticipate Ivy and Patrick healing me damn near instantly when Remy showed up.” He cleared his throat. “Now, about the other thing…”
“I love you.” She blurted, unexpectedly, but not a lie. “The moment you shot yourself, I knew.”
“So, not the moment you bound us together for the rest of our lives?”
Queasiness rolled through Deidre. Sooner or later, they had to talk about what she did – what she decided.
“I’m not sorry I did it.” Arms crossed over her chest, she gazed past Jonathon, out the open bedroom door to the completely dry hallway. It wasn’t lost on her that he had not said the words back.
The bed shifted under his weight as Jonathon sat down. Warm hands took hold of Deidre’s, but he did not force her to look at him. Merely started speaking.
“I’m not sorry you did it, either. I’m not sorry I did what I did, though. I took our destiny into my hands. You can be mad at me all you want, but I thought with one of us dead, the hex couldn’t complete. I know I was wrong, but at the time, I didn’t. I just knew it had to be me.”
“Why?” She looked at him, her eyes narrowing with anger, but there was no emotion across his face.
“I’m an outsider. It’s changing, but it’s the truth. You fit in here, with these people. You make a difference in a way I never could. Yes, your light dimmed for a bit in the wake of tragedy, but it didn’t burn out.” He swallowed. “I don’t shine. I get work done. I move through the paces of living, trying to get to the next step because it’s how I thought I had to be.”
She scoffed. “You’re too young to understand how you fit in the world.”
“I understand that I fit beside you.”
Tears welled up in Deidre’s eyes, unwanted and unrelenting as they began to cascade down her cheeks though she made n
o sound. It wasn’t the declaration she got from Gerard, but Jonathon wasn’t her ex. He was calmer – more level-headed – and held qualities all his own that mattered to Deidre.
“So, if you’re ready to hear what I have to say next, I think it’s important.” The corners of his lips twitched up slightly, but he didn’t smile. His hand dipped inside his pocket. “We’re still doing this backward.” When his hand came from his pocket, he held a unique ring.
A skull on one side, an open part of the band, and a large black gemstone on the other.
“It’s a black diamond. It’s a hex ring – something that’s been in my family for generations. A secret of sorts.”
“I don’t understand,” Deidre reached out to touch the ring, but she didn’t take it. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.” The sparkle alone was enough to make her worry about the magic contained within it.
He cracked a smile. “They’re a secret for a reason.” Jonathon cleared his throat and leaned forward. “I love you, Deidre. Sometime between shooting myself and shooting you, I knew it. It’s more than a little terrifying because I’ve never been in love. I’ve never wanted anything more than my career, but I want it with you. I want to put one foot in front of the other, stay in this godforsaken city, and make my life with you. I know when Remy’s jaws nearly snapped around your midsection, the entire world stopped. All I saw was you, jumping backward, narrowly escaping his jaws because I’d called your name.”
Deidre wasn’t breathing. She’d held her breath seconds ago, needing to know what came next before she took another gasp of air.
“This ring can undo what you did. We’ll always feel a missing part of ourselves, but we won’t be bound. We won’t feel connected, and we’ll be free to go our separate ways. If that’s what you want.” The last part was a whisper. “See, backward. We got married, said I love you, and now I’m offering you a divorce … if you want one.”
Deidre blinked and held her eyes closed as the wave of tears washed down her face. His words were everything he was – honest. Caring. Direct. Yet they changed nothing. A year ago, she wanted to join Gerard in his fate. Now she understood it was okay to give herself over to something new. She wasn’t betraying her late husband, she was letting the universe go its natural course of fixing her when she was ready to be fixed. There was no expiration date on grief. She knew she loved the stubborn, tight-laced warlock whose knee brushed against hers.