by Nicole Hall
Between them, they drained Torix until his power was barely a trickle. He lost his glamour and collapsed into the pine needles as a man in a tattered brown robe. His face was white, and his eyes were a boring green with no otherworldly glow.
Sera looked, but she could see no more magic in him. It was then she let Jake take her weight and finally let go.
15
SERA
Sera could have sworn she’d closed her eyes for only a second, but when she opened them, her face was tucked into Jake’s neck. He was sitting on the forest floor, with her curled up in his lap. She lifted her head, and Jake looked down at her. He wasn’t smiling, but the bond was going strong, and she could sense his relief mixing with hers.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” she said.
Jake laughed and dropped his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry about your keys. I had a stupid moment and thought that taking away your choice meant you were safer. I promise never to do that again. I’ll make entirely new mistakes in the future.”
Sera sighed. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t give you a choice either when I tried to break the bond to protect you.”
“You scared the shit out of me. Next time we fight a super villain, maybe give me a heads up when you’re about to do something crazy.”
“Do you get a lot of super villains in Mulligan?”
“Only since you moved back.”
He hugged her, and she winced when he hit the sore spot on her left arm. She really wanted a long soak in the tub and three days of sleep, but it wasn’t even dawn yet, and they had bad guys to take care of.
When she lifted her head, the clearing was full to bursting with sprites. Sera caught her breath. It was beautiful, like a magical snow globe. The torches had been blown down and scattered, the small cauldron was on its side, the grocery bag’s contents were spilled out and scattered on the ground, and the goblet of water was broken and empty. Best of all, the area felt fresh. Even the air smelled a little different, a subtle rotting smell that she hadn’t noticed before was gone. Now it was all pine and sweat and dryer sheets.
Her magic had returned to normal levels, and the bond she’d broken had reformed. When she examined it with her senses, it felt different than before. Last time, Zee’s magic had formed a channel. This time, it was her and Jake alone. The magic wove through them both in complicated knots, and when she touched it, it welcomed her but didn’t bend. She couldn’t influence this one. It was already made of her magic, so she couldn’t absorb or break it. Even when she lifted all her shields, it was safe and snug inside.
Jake waited patiently while she explored, but when she raised her shields, he poked her side. “We have a lot to talk about, but there’s something more pressing you should probably know.”
Sera dropped the shields again and straightened so she was sitting in his lap instead of curled up in it. “What’s that?”
He nodded toward where the circle had been. “Torix is gone.”
Her head whipped around. Sure enough, the clearing was empty of Fae, evil or otherwise. “How is that possible? He should be a husk.”
Jake shrugged. “I may have been distracted trying to settle the last dregs of magic once you passed out.”
“I didn’t pass out. I was resting my eyes.”
“Uh huh. He must have crawled away while you were resting your eyes.”
Sera stood and groaned. “Physical battle sucks. He was empty. I’m sure of it. I checked.”
“Well then, I’m not sure there’s much we can do about it anyway.” Jake joined her on his feet and stretched his arms above his head. Sera watched his shirt ride up and remembered gliding her mouth down tight abs. A hot flush raced through her, and Jake grinned. “I’m liking this new bond. It’s a lot more responsive.”
Sera felt his amusement and his answering heat. She met his eyes and closed the distance between them. He didn’t move, but his pulse picked up. She wanted to touch him, and through the bond, he urged her on. Her hand flattened along his stomach and slid up his chest. The bond did interesting things when they touched. She could feel the trail of heat left behind by her hand and how much he enjoyed it. His eyes flashed, and he covered her hand over his heart.
For the first time, Sera wasn’t terrified by the prospect of sharing herself with him. She knew he could block her with shields, like she could, but he was choosing not to. He wanted her to see him. After everything they’d been through, everything they’d both done, his faith in her remained. To him, she was a superhero, and she was starting to believe aspects of that herself.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I think there are better places to make googly eyes at each other, and I, for one, would very much like to get out of the woods,” said Evie.
Sera squealed and ran at the slim older woman picking her way across the debris. They collided in a tangle of limbs, and Sera sniffled into Evie’s dusty shoulder. She’d tried to be confident that she’d rescue Evie, but there’d been chasms of doubt deep down. After a long squeeze, Sera pulled back and ran her hands over Evie to be sure she wasn’t injured.
Evie chuckled and patted the back of her hand. “I love a good hug, but save the hanky-panky for your man over there.”
The word mate floated across her mind, and she wasn’t sure if it was from her or Jake, who was standing back to give her a moment. She refused to think Torix still had enough power to get into her head, wherever he was.
“I missed you.” Satisfied that Evie was in one dirty piece, she stepped back and propped her fists on her hips. “You and I are going to have words about all the meddling you did and all the information you kept from me.”
Evie sighed. “I suppose Zee spilled the beans.”
“I got most of it out of Ryan.”
Evie raised a brow. “Now that is interesting. I’m sorry, Sera. I never wanted you involved in all of this, but I had to try to help.”
Help always comes at a price… “Why didn’t you just tell me? Why did you let Mom try to convince me I was crazy?”
She winced. “I made an agreement with Zee. I wouldn’t tell you unless you agreed to stay in Mulligan. She wanted to train you herself. You’re half-Fae, and she wanted you here within her sphere of influence. One doesn’t break promises to the Fae, and I don’t have any control or influence with your mother. Things got out of hand.” She tucked Sera’s hair behind her ear. “I wanted to tell you so many times. Especially once you married that super-douche.”
Sera believed her, but it also still stung that so much had been kept from her about her own life. She nodded, unsure of what to say. Evie gave her one more squeeze then walked past her to Jake, who was just standing there, eating something out of a little cellophane bag and watching avidly.
“Ooo, yummy. Gummy dinos.” Evie stole a few from the bag. “So do I have you to thank for being me again?”
Jake shook his head. “No, ma’am. Sera did all the heavy lifting. I was here for support.”
“Good boy.” She patted his cheek, popped a few candies in her mouth, and walked past him to a path lit by sprites that hadn’t been there moments ago. “You’re going to want to retrieve Maddie. She’s still back in the hidey hole. Torix did a number on her, but she’s a good girl. She’ll heal.” She waved without looking back as she crossed into the trod.
Sera watched her go, then turned to Jake. “Hidey hole? Why do I think you know what she’s talking about, and what are you eating?”
Jake reached for her and linked their fingers. “Gummy dinos. I found an unopened pack by the grocery bag.” He offered her the open bag. “Want some?”
“Evil minion snacks? No thanks. What hidey hole?”
Jake shrugged. “Your loss. When you broke the bond, it knocked the air out of me—”
“I might know a little about that.”
He kissed her fingers and continued. “But I knew you’d have a good reason. I hoped you’d have a plan, but figured that was probably wishful thinking so I got the girls out of the
danger zone. You’d already flung Ryan off into the woods somewhere.”
Sera gasped. “Ryan. I forgot about him.” She dragged Jake past the remaining ashes of the oak and a few steps into the trees. There, under a thin layer of dead leaves and pine needles, lay Ryan, still coated in oily blue magic. It was almost pretty, but as much as she’d love to leave Ryan in a state where he couldn’t speak, she had a strong feeling they’d need him in the future.
It took a second to absorb the magic and break the spell. She was getting used to the momentary queasy feeling when the magics mixed, and it was passing faster each time. Ryan shook his head and glared at them.
“You guys suck as backup,” he said.
Jake scoffed. “Man, you were the backup. Sera kicked their collective asses all on her own. Gummy dino?” Jake held the bag out to Ryan.
Sera smiled at Jake over her shoulder. “I had a little help.”
Ryan rolled his eyes at them. “Yeah, okay.” He got up and tried in vain to brush off several layers of dirt, then went over and grabbed a little handful of candy. “Whatever. Next time Zee orders me to summon someone, I’m going to knock myself out until she finds someone else.”
Sera looked up at him. “Why didn’t you tell me you had magic?”
He stopped straightening his clothes, swept tousled black hair off his forehead, and stared back at her. “Why didn’t you tell us about that night with Maddie?”
She stood slowly, neither willing to break eye contact nor back down. “Fair enough.” He still had a subtle red glow, especially around his eyes, but Sera didn’t think he was consciously channeling magic. More like he was repressing it.
There was a lot more to that story, but she could sense Jake’s mounting impatience. “Are you coming with us to get Maddie or heading home?”
Ryan winced. “Probably best if Maddie doesn’t see me right now.”
“Afraid she’ll try to get back in your pants again?” asked Sera. She knew how Jake would react, but Ryan deserved a little payback.
Right on cue, Jake swung around from scanning the trees. “Say what now?”
Ryan held up both hands. “It’s not like that. It was a while ago, we were interested in each other, and we wanted to see where it would go. Completely respectful.”
Jake’s hands clenched into fists. “Did you sleep with my sister?”
“Yes, but—” Jake’s fist crashed into Ryan’s face before he had a chance to finish. It knocked him back a few steps, and Ryan rubbed his jaw as he straightened up to his full height, meeting Jake’s eyes. Jake took a step forward, and Ryan held up a hand palm out, but it was crackling with red magic. Sera stopped Jake with a hand on his arm.
Ryan looked at his hand in disgust, then lowered it. “You get one because I deserved it for not being up front about our relationship at the time, but I had feelings for your sister. Had. It didn’t work out between us, but I respected her and her wishes when she ended it. You’ll have to get used to that.”
Jake nodded stiffly, and Ryan walked away from them through the trees. He didn’t call a trod, but she had a feeling he’d be fine getting back.
Sera ran a hand through her hair. “Two down, one to go. Let’s go rescue your sister.”
Jake’s shoulders relaxed, and he led the way back across the clearing. “It wasn’t her.”
“I know. Torix said as much.”
“I wish I’d seen it. How did I not notice her changing the last couple of weeks?”
“Because he’d had her for a lot longer than that. The night after you and I were together the first time, Maddie and I went into the woods. Remember when she broke her wrist? Well, it was then, but I don’t remember what happened. I know at some point, we encountered Torix, Evie found me, brought me home, and sealed my magic. When I woke up, I had these visions of demons and monsters, and the thought of going into the woods caused my first panic attack. That’s when the nightmares started and they all ended with you dead. I tried to be strong, and Evie insisted I was better off here, but I took the easy way out and ran away.”
Jake had stopped walking at some point, but Sera couldn’t meet his eyes. She didn’t have to. She could feel his sorrow for what they’d lost and his hurt that she hadn’t even tried to contact him. They were old feelings though, muted with time, and massively overshadowed by the need to comfort her.
She held up a hand when he would have come closer. “Let me finish. I believe Torix has had control over Maddie since then. You’ll have to ask her what went down because I still don’t remember it, but it also might not be a good idea to bring it up. It’s not about you and what you missed. She was basically enslaved for almost a decade.”
Jake ignored her hand and gathered her close, then tilted her face up for a soft kiss. “I get it. We’ll find a way to help her heal.”
Sera kissed him back, relieved that he knew what she was trying to say. “We will. Together.”
Jake’s joy washed over her. “Ha, so you finally admit that you love me.”
Sera rolled her eyes. “Yes. I love you.”
“And you know I love you too.”
“Yes.”
“And one day I’m going to marry you and we’ll make gorgeous grandbabies for my mom.”
Sera rolled her eyes. “About that… turns out I’m half-Fae.”
Jake blinked. “Okay then. Gorgeous, magical, trouble-making grandbabies.”
“That sounds a lot more accurate, not to mention something that would actually thrill your mom.” They laughed, and Sera pulled him down for a long, slow kiss that she ended way before she wanted to. “Let’s go be heroes.”
Epilogue
SERA
Two weeks after nearly killing herself with magic, Sera was able to successfully put a candle out under Evie’s watchful eye, but that was about it. Her magic continued to refuse to do much more than eat other magic and be shiny. Jake, on the other hand, was getting pretty good at using it to get himself a beer from the kitchen, much to Evie’s disdain.
Turned out, Evie being legally dead also made things complicated. No one could find Zee, or knew what had happened to Torix. Sera didn’t know how to even begin to explain to the authorities that the body of Evelyn Allen they’d buried was actually a magical double meant to hide the fact that she’d essentially been kidnapped by Jake’s possessed little sister. Sera had spent most of her life trying to convince people, including herself, that she wasn’t crazy, and announcing that Evie wasn’t dead and magic was real didn’t seem like the best way to start fresh in a new town.
They’d agreed that, for the time being, Evie would have to stay in the house until they could find Zee to fix the mess. Ryan made himself scarce for a little bit, but when he did start coming around again, even he thought it was weird that Zee hadn’t responded to any of them. Especially when she’d been the one who demanded that Ryan figure out how to make Wi-Fi happen in the middle of the woods. Ryan only showed up after Maddie left to visit her parents in Europe. Jake thought it would do her good to get away for a while, and Ryan was glad to not have to tiptoe into the house.
Sera tried to reach the stone circle through the trods, but ever since Samhain, they’d led her in circles then spit her back out where she’d started. Evie said to give it time, but Sera didn’t want to wait. She loved her grandmother, but having two stubborn Allen women in the same house was a lot harder than she remembered from her teenage years. When Jake suggested Sera stay with him, Evie had nearly packed Sera’s bags herself.
Will drove by at least once a day. Sera didn’t know what he hoped to achieve, but he never got out of his car. Every time they’d caught him, he’d slowed down to stare at the houses, then sped off. Her mom said Will was hoping she’d come to her senses, but Sera knew better.
Eventually, they were going to have to deal with him.
In the meantime, every night, she and Jake went to bed wrapped around each other, and every night, she was glad she’d come back to Mulligan.
Now if onl
y Zee would answer her damn phone.
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Insidious Magic
Modern Magic - Book Two
INSIDIOUS MAGIC
Copyright © 2020 Nicole Hall
All rights reserved.
Cover designed by Germancreative
Edited by Karen Thurrell Gledhill
No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.
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For Pocket, this tech god is for you
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9