Abducted by Magic

by Kelli McCracken

  It wasn’t hard to miss the pain etched on his face. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and responding, “Samara didn’t make it.”

  Samara.

  Her life faded in my arms and I didn’t even know her name. Tears streamed down my face as guilt gnawed at my belly. I crossed my arms over my stomach and bent over. My eyes squeezed shut as if that would erase the horrible images.

  Why hadn’t I done more to save her? Help was so close. I could have left her on the sidewalk for a minute and ran inside the bar, or tried to call from my phone again. Something. Anything. She was dead and I had done nothing to prevent it.

  I don’t know how much time passed before the tears stopped falling. The man sat there watching me, his amber eyes filled with anguish. She meant something to him. Was she a girlfriend? Sister?

  “It’s my fault.” The words tumbled from my lips without thought.

  The man jerked in his seat as if I’d slapped him. His relaxed posture turned rigid. The kindness that I felt emanating from him earlier had now been replaced with animosity.

  “What did you do to her?”

  I shrank back against the couch. My heart slammed against my ribs. He could do whatever he wanted to me and no one would know.

  Heat coursed through my veins. Each nerve ending felt like it was on fire. I cried out as the pain in my head intensified. The lights in the room began to buzz and flicker. My hands gripped my head, afraid that it would split in two.

  Warm hands covered mine as a soft voice spoke into my ear. “You need to breathe. Slow, deep breaths. In and out.”

  I struggled to follow his instructions, but the pain was like an electrical current jolting my body. Shattering glass filled the room.

  “Katarina, look at me.” The sound of my name on his lips stopped me from submitting to the darkness that was consuming me.

  “Katarina.”

  My eyes opened. His warm amber gaze greeted me as his forehead nearly pressed to mine.

  “Breathe.” He inhaled a deep breath and then released it. He nodded his head, encouraging me to do the same.

  Following his lead, I took a steadying breath in and released it. I continued to drag in deep lungfuls of air until the pressure inside me began to ease.

  His eyes searched mine, his thumbs swiping the moisture off of my cheeks. Being this close to him sent a different kind of warmth through my body. I felt a tug inside drawing me toward him, like an invisible thread connected us. My grandmother would say he was my fated match. When two people share a spiritual connection, they are considered soulmates.

  I never believed that there was one person out there for me—one person who I could connect to on a higher level. That would make the universe cruel. There would only be a one in a million chance of someone finding their soulmate in their lifetime. I didn’t believe in fate or destiny anymore. Believing only brought me pain.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. His lips were so close to mine that it would only take the slightest movement for mine to meet them.

  Whoa. I cleared my throat and pulled away from his touch, unsure why my thoughts were leading me down that path. I was never into one-night stands and definitely not with a guy whose motives I was unsure of.

  “How did you know my name?” After all that just happened, that was the first thing that popped into my mind?

  “I checked your driver’s license.”

  “Oh.” I swallowed and averted my gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what just happened.”

  He stood and resumed his position in the chair across from me. “I think your emotions escalated into a panic attack. It’s understandable, considering everything that you’ve been through.”

  That did make sense, but this had seemed like more than a panic attack.

  “Maybe I should go see a doctor. I could have a concussion.” Or worse bleeding on the brain. Whatever just happened to me wasn’t normal.

  “You don’t have a concussion. I checked you earlier.”

  Why did I feel like he was keeping something from me? When I’d first opened my eyes, his emotions were like an open book. Now I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

  “Are you a doctor?” I asked.

  “No. But my brothers and I have had enough head injuries to know how to check for one. I can have a healer look at you once we figure out what happened to Samara. Why do you think it was your fault?”

  Just hearing her name sent my pulse racing. I clutched the blanket in my lap, willing myself to remain calm. Shame filled me. What would he do to me when I voiced my guilt? I was alone with a stranger, someone who deeply cared for the girl who had died because of me. There was no punishment he could inflict that would be more than the guilt I already felt.

  My gaze fell to my hands. The blood on my sleeve like a scarlet letter.

  “Because I did nothing. I wanted to get help. I even tried calling from my phone. She wouldn’t let me leave. She knew she was dying and she wouldn’t let me help her.” I dragged my gaze up to meet his. “Why would she do that? I could have saved her.”

  He stared at me for what felt like an eternity, as if he was trying to read my soul. Who knows, maybe he was. I may not have been in touch with my connection to the spirits in years, but my intuition never failed me. Had I listened to it when Samara was dying, things might have ended differently. Maybe this was my punishment for denying who I really was.

  A tingle of awareness spread through my body. His golden aura pulsed around him. The color mirrored his eyes. I was positive he meant me no harm, otherwise the color would be tinged with black. But I wasn’t naive enough to ignore the power that emanated from him. If I crossed him or someone he loved, he could destroy me.

  Breaking eye contact, he blew out a breath and scrubbed his hands over his face. He actually looked relieved at my confession. Had he thought I’d actually been the one to harm her? That would explain his initial reaction.

  “If you knew Samara, you would know that she never did the expected.” A soft smile lifted his lips at the memory of the girl he obviously cared for. “She never did anything without a reason. If she truly believed she was dying, she had no choice but to keep you there with her. It was her obligation.”

  “I don’t understand. What obligation?”

  “How much do you remember about that night?”

  My hands trembled as I swiped the moisture from my cheeks. I fought the urge to curl up on the couch and close my eyes to the horror I’d seen, but I owed it to Samara to remember what I could. I smoothed my palms over my pants and took a steadying breath.

  “A lot of it’s still foggy, but I know I was out with my friends. I had just left to go home. Looking back, I realize I shouldn’t have walked out alone. If I had waited for my friend, she would have been able to get help.”

  The man leaned closer to me. He reached out like he wanted to comfort me, but pulled his hand back.

  “Samara came out of nowhere. At first, I thought she was drunk. Then I saw the blood. There was so much... She told me that her guardians would help me and that I should listen to them. Do you know who her guardians are? I think maybe I’m supposed to tell them what happened to her.”

  He dragged his fingers through his hair, his eyes glossy with unshed tears. My heart ached for the loss he was feeling. I wanted to ask what his relationship was to her, but I didn’t want to pry.

  “I’m Quinn, one of her guardians.”

  It wasn’t the answer I’d been expecting. He was too young to be a guardian. And what did he mean ‘one’ of them? How many more were there? Was he married? He didn’t have a ring on his finger, but that didn’t mean anything. Why did the thought of him having a wife feel like a knife to my heart? I didn’t even know him.

  I watched him walk to the window, his hands braced on the sill as he stared out into the night.

  “There is a lot that you don’t understand and much more that you won’t. I will tell you as much as I can.” He turned, looking as if he bore the
weight of the world on his shoulders. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but right now I need you to try. Not only because it was Samara’s last wish, but also because, whether you believe it or not, we as her guardians are now sworn to protect you.”

  “What is going on? Do you think whoever killed Samara will come after me? And what do you mean by we?” I shivered at his announcement. Not once had I considered that someone might think I witnessed what happened or that Samara told who hurt her.

  As if sensing my distress, Quinn quickly crossed the room and knelt in front of me. He’d opened his mouth to respond, when the door suddenly opened. A man with broad shoulders and muscles that strained against the sleeves of his shirt filled the doorway.

  His lips were pressed into a thin line. An intense fire burned in his eyes. His heated gaze focused on me before finally settling on Quinn.

  He said, “I hope you’ve figured out what happened to Samara, because the council is out for blood.”

  Chapter 4

  ~Quinn~

  Roark stalked across the room, like a predator hunting his prey. I stood, putting myself in between him and the girl. Roark’s anger was palpable. I could sense him spiraling out of control the closer he moved. It was obvious that the council meeting had not gone well.

  “Roark, you need to take a minute and get it together. “

  I had finally calmed Katarina. We didn’t need her emotions raging out of control again. Who knew what could have happened if I hadn’t gotten through to her? I was sure the surge of energy she’d produced hadn’t gone unnoticed by the council. A human with that much power inside was dangerous.

  “What I need is to know what happened to Samara, and how she,” he pointed in Katarina’s direction, “got her powers.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at Katarina. She sat on the couch, arms wrapped around her legs, knees tucked under her chin. Her eyes were wide with fear as she stared at Roark. We’d failed at protecting Samara, but I would be damned if I let anything happen to Katarina.

  Her gaze slammed toward me in question. Roark and his big mouth. I hadn’t gotten around to telling her that she now contained the magic of a powerful witch and held the fate of a coven in her hands. That’s not exactly something that you just blurt out.

  I turned back to Roark and narrowed my eyes. “You need to watch what you say.”

  “I asked a question. I want an answer.”

  “Roark, stop.” I did my best to block his path. “You need to calm down and let me explain.”

  Seeing her fear of Roark ignited something inside me. She did things to me, things I didn’t understand, things I couldn’t and shouldn’t feel. Like how her skin felt under my fingertips. How the thrum of her magic drew me closer. The sheer effort to pull away from her stunned me. The possessiveness must be an effect of the guardian bond. There was no other explanation.

  When Roark tried to pass me, I pushed him to the side, not enough to hurt him, but to keep him from approaching her. Judging by his lack of self-control, I was thankful that I was the one she’d awoken with. If Roark’s animosity had been the first thing to greet her, who knew if he would have been able to get her to regain control.

  Instinct had me reaching for her. The need to comfort her again overwhelmed me. Instead, I retracted my hand and addressed Roark. We still had so much to explain before the council demanded to meet her. We needed to prepare her, and Roark’s temper was wasting precious time.

  I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed, trying to convey through our bond that he needed to trust me right now.

  “Samara promised Katarina that we would take care of her. Are you going to honor her last wish or continue to be an ass?”

  Roark dropped his head and blew out a harsh breath. I felt the tension release from his shoulders before he raised his head and placed his hand over mine. He gave a slight nod before he turned to Katarina.

  “I’m sorry for scaring you. All I want is answers. No one is giving me anything. I keep getting the runaround.”

  I could only imagine what the council put him through. He shouldn’t have had to face them without backup. My stomach knotted at the fact that half of my brothers were missing at a time when we needed each other the most.

  At least we knew where Jax was. I wasn’t happy about it, but at least he was safe. Not knowing where Slade was deepened the chasm in my soul. Losing Samara and possibly my brother and not being able to do a damn thing about it right now was tearing me in two.

  We would have to deal with it later. Katarina was our top priority. She needed our help and protection. Slade wouldn’t want us to abandon her for him.

  I motioned for Roark to take the chair I’d abandoned earlier. I filled in the empty space next to Katarina. My gaze landed on her and I gave her a reassuring smile. She released the hold on her legs and grabbed the blanket, tucking it around her.

  “What did the council say?” I asked.

  Roark rubbed the back of his neck, then leaned forward in the chair. “Nothing helpful. I allowed them to frustrate me. Their lack of concern over what happened to Samara pissed me off more than anything. One of the members had the audacity to say they weren’t surprised she was dead, considering her reckless behavior.”

  “Maybe Samara was onto something. Holding a seat of power seems to have boosted some of their egos and destroyed their ability to empathize.”

  Once we removed Samara’s magic from Katarina and secured her back in the human realm, we would investigate Samara’s findings. Her death coming on the heels of her missing friends could not be a coincidence.

  “At least most of the other council members showed their empathy, including the high priestess. She had Samara moved to the Transition Room where her body would be preserved until the burial ceremony. Rayna also assured me they would find out who killed Samara, and she would be the one questioning the girl who found her.”

  As the high priestess, Rayna was responsible for the entire coven. She would be the one to make sure Samara’s power was transferred to the next chosen witch. I glanced between Roark and Katarina. Uncertain as I was about the events of the day, I felt bad for her. At the same time, something about the way she looked at me, eyes wide, chest rising and falling, made me want to scoop her in my arms and tell her it was okay.

  I couldn’t. She was too vulnerable right now and I didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was. I was still a stranger to her. Anything I felt right now was connected to the bond. It was unnatural for a human to be linked with us. It was understandable that we would react differently than we had with Samara.

  Together, Roark and I needed to piece together what happened and find a solution for Katarina so she could go back to her life—hopefully with no memory of what happened here. Aside from our duty to protect her, we also had to protect the coven from the outside world. Samara had wanted the rules to change. She’d wanted the humans to know that we existed.

  We’d seen what happened when humans were confronted with something they didn’t understand. Fear made them act irrationally. Showing them our world could throw everything into chaos.

  There was too much at stake. After carrying Samara’s lifeless body back from the scene of her death, then delivering her to the council, avenging her had consumed me. It was all I could think about. Samara deserved justice, but I needed to set my emotions aside and think rationally. Seeing Roark’s hostility enforced that. Too many mistakes could be made if we didn’t think with clear heads.

  Roark stood and began to pace, his arms folded behind him. The spot where his wings were hidden twitched. I prayed he could keep it under control. I couldn’t imagine how Katarina would react if he released his wings right now.

  “Tell me what you’ve learned, Quinn.” He opened his mouth to say more, but my glare had him swallowing his words. I knew through our bond that he wanted to ask how I knew Katarina wasn’t the killer. I was grateful that he heeded my unspoken warning.

  “Katarina was leaving a local
bar after celebrating with some friends when Samara stumbled from an alley and fell into her.”

  “I thought she was drunk.” Katarina’s voice pulled at me as she spoke. When I peered in her direction, she hugged her chest, her lip trembling.

  “What happened next?” Roark turned his back on her, almost as if he couldn’t bear to look at her as she spoke of Samara’s last moments. I also knew he was gauging if she was lying.

  Lying sparked emotions in humans and supernaturals. He was good at reading them, another reason why he had to concentrate on what she was saying.

  “I tried to get help, but Samara wouldn’t let me. She said there wasn’t enough time and asked me to stay. She knew she was dying.”

  Roark’s hands fisted at his sides. I could tell he wanted to smash them into something. It was difficult not to react to what she said. I was at peace with the knowledge that Samara hadn’t died alone. Yet I knew she had been afraid. We didn’t see the vulnerable side of her often, but she had one. We all did.

  I masked the pain tearing through me. We all knew Samara was reckless and we’d all warned her more than once to get her shit together. In the end, she understood why we worried about her. Now, it was too late to do anything about it.

  Katarina swiped her hands over her arms as if to warm them. At one point she winced and stopped to check a spot on the backside of her arm. I wasn’t sure if she was hurt or struggling to tell us the rest. “She begged me to make a promise. I did, but it was to pacify her. I had no idea what I was agreeing to do.”

  “Go on,” I told her.

  Her throat wobbled when she swallowed and met Roark’s eyes. “She said it was time. Then, she said something under her breath. My wrist began to burn.”

  She pulled her sleeve back to examine her wrist, then stopped. Her mouth fell open when she discovered the tattoo, the same one Samara had, the one that matched ours, binding us to her as her guardians. She brushed her fingers over the inked pattern, then held her arm out to us. Her panicked gaze swung from Roark and then back to me. “How did I get this? Did you do this while I was unconscious?”