Abducted by Magic

by Kelli McCracken

  “Don’t thank me just yet. When we start training, you’ll be cursing me.” He tipped his head toward my guardians. “In all seriousness, your guardians should start teaching you basic self-defense techniques.”

  He was right. With one attempt on my life, I should know how to protect myself. What if we were in a situation where we were outnumbered? I would only be a liability to them.

  “Nicholai,” my uncle called.

  Within moments, one of his shades floated through the wall, his form becoming corporeal once he passed. He held a knife encased in a sheath with leather straps attached. The shade pressed it in between both of my uncle’s palms. Uncle Mathias nodded his head and the shade retreated, vanishing as he passed through the wall.

  “This, Katarina is your metaphorical scythe. It will send anything it touches to the underworld. The undead, lost and forgotten souls, even those who mean you harm will have a swift journey to the Pit.” He held his hands out to me. “This is Soul Seeker.”

  I almost expected some kind of musical fanfare to accompany my uncle’s proclamation. It seemed overly dramatic, yet somehow oddly appropriate.

  Accepting the knife, I turned it over in my hands. The bone handle was smooth and polished. A jet-black stone was inlaid at the base of the handle. I rubbed my thumb across the jewel, and its color shimmered from black to red. Fire churned beneath the surface of the stone.

  “You will, in time, learn to become one with your knife. It will be your instincts, your lifeline to the underworld, and your guide. Always trust that it will protect you.”

  “How can a knife do that? It’s not alive.” I hoped this isn’t some weird magical knife that changed into a person. Wait. That was a Disney movie and my life was the farthest from the life of a princess.

  “It has a sliver of my soul inside the stone. No matter where you are, either I or another of the guards from the underworld will be there when you call. You are one of us now. We take care of our own.”

  Suddenly, working a nine-to-five behind a desk didn’t sound quite as appealing. I’d always felt a connection to the spirits I’d spoken to. Now I would have the chance to set them free—to finally bring them to peace. Knowing I could do the same for Samara convinced me that this was the right choice.

  “So do I need to hide this in my purse or something? Because at the moment I don’t have one with me.” In his world, walking around with a knife strapped to you was probably normal, but in the real world, I would be locked up.

  “Humans can’t see this. Just like they won’t see you when you retrieve your souls. That’s why you didn’t see the reaper or the shade when you were with Samara.”

  The leather straps draped over my hands. Based on the length, I figured it must strap around my thigh. I fumbled with the buckle, nearly dropping the knife when I wasn’t able to secure it.

  Quinn knelt in front of me, his hands sweeping mine aside so he could tighten the straps. Warmth traced a path from my thighs to my core as his fingers brushed my inner thigh. I forced my expression to remain calm and thought of fluffy bunnies so our bond wouldn’t betray me.

  When he was finally finished, I spun toward my uncle, wrapping my arms around his waist. Giving him a quick hug, I pulled back and met his gaze. “Thank you for this. For all of it. I’ll be back soon.”

  He looked to my guardians before settling his attention back on me. “Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment. This is bigger than all of you. None of this happened by chance. You’ve been put on this path for a reason.”

  His words left me curious, but I knew he wouldn’t provide us with any more information. The rest was for us to figure out. Soon, we would get answers. I just hoped they were the ones we wanted to hear.

  Chapter 16

  ~Quinn~

  This whole night was absolute bullshit. We should never have brought her to her uncle. We should have known better. Not that he would put Katarina’s life in danger—I knew he loved her. But a lifetime as a reaper?

  I should’ve been thrilled. If she ended up forfeiting her powers, she’d still no longer be human. Granted, the bond would be gone, but we could move forward with our relationship regardless. Not that I cared about the rules of supernaturals and humans. No one should be told who they should and shouldn’t love.

  From the corner of my eye, I watched Katarina walk down the corridor toward the exit. Her footsteps were lighter and the uncertainty of hers that I’d felt before had lessened. I’d sensed her disquiet about her current life, even before she knew what Samara had done to her. What she said earlier about not being fulfilled in her life was true. I knew from the moment I met her that she was destined for something greater.

  Hell, anyone in her situation would have crumbled under the pressure. Not Katarina. She constantly surprised me. She just met with the god of the Underworld, was told she would need to become a reaper in order to restore her gift, and she still found humor in the situation. Her joke that she would next see her uncle at the company barbecue was proof.

  Now we were headed to meet Samara’s classmate, Emma Pierce. We were surprised when Emma contacted us as we were leaving Mathias’s penthouse. We’d almost refused to see her, except for Kat. She insisted we had to hear Emma out, especially if she had information on what the coven might be planning or what had happened to Samara. If it was a trap, then we would make sure we went in prepared for the worst.

  We’d argued about it and of course Roark was the most vocal. We were already strung so tight from Katarina accepting her new role as a reaper, it didn’t take much to set us off. What finally earned our agreement was the fact that she now had an army of shades and reapers as backup.

  The guard at the door gave Katarina a nod as we passed. It didn’t go unnoticed that he ignored the rest of us. It made sense. She was one of them now. It should have eased my mind that once we were gone, she would have a new set of guardians. Instead it left me with a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  I didn’t know if I could easily sever all ties with her. She’d brought life back into our group. Losing Samara and not knowing if Slade was okay had begun to put a rift between us. Katarina had unknowingly claimed all of our hearts and brought us back together.

  When I could get a moment alone with Roark, I needed to find out what the hell had happened in that elevator. It was obvious Jax and I had interrupted something, and whatever it was, I’d felt Katarina’s bond with us waver. For the first time, I felt her draw away. She hadn’t spoken a word to us unless necessary.

  As we approached the end of the alley, the scuff of a shoe behind us had me spinning. Thankfully, my brothers moved in sync with me. Katarina must have sensed something was wrong too, because she stopped walking and spun on her heel.

  A man stood in front of us with a glazed expression, his body twitching and jerking. I had the feeling there was more going on here than someone taking too many drugs. That, and the fact the ward on the building should have repelled him, had me on high alert. Whatever he was, he was no longer human.

  He didn’t resemble the typical undead, even though his movements were similar. Could it be a coincidence that he happened to be outside of Mathias’s club at the same time we were leaving? If he was undead, he wouldn’t want to be anywhere near here. Lost and undead souls avoided this place. The only thing here for him would be a one-way ticket to the underworld.

  Just when I was about to move him out of the way, three more assailants rounded the corner, their attention locked on Katarina. This definitely wasn’t a coincidence. We needed to get out of this alley.

  Positioning ourselves around Katarina, we headed back toward the door of the club. We only made it a few steps before two women dropped down in front of us. How the hell did they just drop four stories and land on their feet? Now we had no choice but to fight.

  Not taking his eyes from the assailants in front of him, Roark advised, “Katarina, you might need to test drive that knife sooner than you thought.”

  I could fe
el her fear through our bond, but there was no time to reassure her. We needed to dispatch the six surrounding us before more arrived.

  The sound of Kat’s knife slipping free of its sheath gave me some comfort. One swipe was all she’d need to defend herself.

  I was about to shift when one of the men lunged for me. I gripped him by the shirt and flung him aside. His body cracked against the concrete building. Another took his place, before I had a chance to take a breath. One of us needed to shift and get Katarina out of here. From my peripheral, I could see my brothers were just as tied up as I was.

  If we could hold them off long enough, the guard at the door should hear the commotion. Or at least the reapers would sense Katarina was in danger.

  “Don’t hurt them!” Katarina shouted.

  “Why the hell not?” Roark growled. “They have no problem trying to kill us.”

  “There’s something different about them.”

  I chanced a glance over my shoulder, only to find Katarina studying the man Jax was fighting. Her eyes were narrowed, her lip tugged between her teeth. She no longer held the knife in front of her.

  “All right brothers, subdue,” I said. I trusted Katarina. Whatever she sensed, it must be a part of her new abilities. Even though she’d had no training yet, instinct must be guiding her.

  My skin hardened in a partial shift, just as I slammed my fist into the side of the man’s head. This would have felled anyone else. Not this guy. He paused, cracked his neck, and came back for round two.

  Jax called out, “What do you see, Kat?”

  “I’m not sure. There’s an energy I’ve never seen before buried at the heart of their souls. It feels out of place, almost like it’s holding the soul prisoner.”

  She yelped as one slipped between Roark and Jax. I hated that I couldn’t turn to see what was happening. “Kill it,” I shouted to her. “We can sort out what to do with the soul later.”

  “No. What if they aren’t meant to die yet? What if something is controlling them? I’m not reaping a soul before its time.”

  Rage flooded my system. One of the things I loved about her was now at the core of my fury. “You will if it’s them or you!”

  One of the men tried to charge past me. I slammed my fist into his chest, sending his body skidding across the pavement. As I turned to help Katarina, a shadow slipped by me. It hesitated before slipping inside the woman facing off with Katarina. The woman stopped, her body frozen in place.

  Mathias appeared a moment later with three more shades and a reaper. They quickly surrounded the four assailants still on their feet.

  “Don’t hurt them,” Katarina pleaded as her gaze darted around the group. “Can you see that something is wrong with their souls?”

  Mathias gripped one of the women by the shoulders. His piercing gaze scanned her body. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  Mathias looked to his men for confirmation. They all seemed just as confused as the rest of us and gave a slight shake of their heads.

  “Transport them to the cells. I’ll be down later to deal with them,” Mathias ordered.

  The shades swirled around the prisoners until they dissolved into nothing.

  Katarina crossed her arms over her chest and faced her uncle. “You aren’t going to kill them.”

  It was more of a statement than a question. Pride swelled inside me. This was not the same girl I met a week ago. There was no denying she was meant for their world.

  “Kat, I can’t make any guarantees, but know that their souls are safe with me. As for keeping them alive? Someone has tainted them and I have no idea what kind of long-term effects this will have.”

  If this was coven magic, oaths be damned. While protecting Katarina and the magic she harbored was our main agenda, so was protecting the interests of the coven. When the laws were made, they never took into account the fact that they could turn on their own. There was no denying that we would protect her until our last breath.

  “This was no coincidence,” I said. “They were targeting Katarina.”

  Mathias’s head snapped in my direction. “How do you know this?”

  “Their sole focus when they entered the alley was her,” Jax chimed in.

  Mathias’s jaw ticked and smoky shadows filled his eyes. “I will speak with my father. Whoever is behind this will be found. I will call a meeting of the reapers to see if they have sensed anything unusual lately. When I find whoever’s behind this, they will learn what the darkest side of the underworld is like.”

  His words caused a chill in my own soul. I’d never been to the underworld, but the rumors of where he spoke were enough to make me thankful I hadn’t. Unfortunately, this was now Katarina’s future.

  Mathias gripped Katarina’s arms. “Now, more than ever, you need to complete your training. While I trust your guardians to protect you, someone is manipulating the undead. If it’s the witches, having your power transferred will be the least of their problems.”

  While I hoped it wasn’t Samara’s coven that betrayed her, it seemed more and more likely that they had. If they were behind this, I would send their souls straight to Mathias.

  Chapter 17

  ~Jax~

  The familiar stench of horse manure invaded my nose as we approached the stables near the farthest edge of the coven property line. This was where Samara’s former classmate, Emma Pierce, had agreed to meet us. My brothers and I had debated on the safest and most private place to have a conversation. The stables were it.

  Even though we were together, I couldn’t deny that I was concerned about this impending conversation. For all I knew, we were walking into a trap. After learning someone tried pushing Kat off the balcony of Samara’s room, as well as facing the ambush at Mathias Shade’s bar, I had to keep up my guard.

  My brothers and I kept Kat between us. We blocked her body by using our wings as shields. If someone attacked us again, we’d be prepared.

  As soon as we reached the threshold, Roark motioned us to stop. “Wait here.”

  No one argued. Quinn and I wedged Kat between us, cocooning her with our wings. I couldn’t speak for Quinn, but for me, I struggled to have her this close and not explore her body with my hands. The kiss we shared at the bar hadn’t left my mind. She’d brought me back from a dark place. The guilt of losing Samara still hung heavy over me, but Kat had given me a new purpose. Soul reaper or not, she still needed us to protect her, and I would do everything in my power to make sure she was safe.

  Roark took a couple of steps inside the barn before stopping. He scanned one side, then the next. Just as he was about to turn around, his wings fully expanded and flapped. He didn’t fly away. Instead, he motioned for someone or something to move forward.

  A figure wearing a dark cloak stepped out of the shadows, close to where Roark stood. I heard him speaking in a soft voice just before the hood lowered, revealing auburn hair. When Roark pointed our way, the face looking back at us was familiar. I released the breath I’d been holding, relieved to see it was Emma.

  Once Roark motioned us forward, both Quinn and I wrapped one arm around Kat and remained at her side. She regarded both of us, undoubtedly sensing the same electrical force pulsing through the connections she shared with us. I felt it. The desire I saw in Quinn’s eyes said he felt it too. So did the way Roark grimaced.

  When we were a few feet from Emma, she stepped toward us. Roark cut off her path before anyone could object. “That’s close enough.”

  Angry eyes locked on him. “I already told you, I’m not here to hurt the girl.”

  “Forgive my brother,” Quinn spoke up. He touched Roark’s shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. “After everything that’s happened, we have to take all precautions when it comes to her life.”

  Emma nodded. “I understand, but I’m not much of a match for the three of you. You guys would crush me before I used any magic to harm her.”

  “Are you alone?” I asked, knowing it was the real reason Roark was
being cautious. Emma was right when she said she would be no match for us. Though we were the toughest and strongest supernatural beings in existence, we weren’t impervious to death. Emma could easily have others hiding in the shadows, ready and waiting to attack.

  If that were the case, I should have been able to sense them. The fact that I was half mage made it easier for me to detect magic. When someone practiced the craft, be it a spell or an ability, they left a footprint in the energy around them—energy found in every realm, including the human one.

  Once Quinn glanced at me, I knew he was waiting for confirmation on whether I had sensed the presence of others. “I don’t feel anyone else here.”

  “At ease, Roark,” Quinn advised. “Everything is good.”

  There was hesitation on Roark’s part. He didn't move away from Emma at first, but after he did, he stood beside me. He switched between observing the young witch as well as the door to the barn.

  I refocused on Emma, who took a few more steps toward us. She regarded my brothers and me before looking at Kat.

  “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I understand your unease.”

  “Do you? Because I don’t see anyone trying to kill you.” Kat’s curt tone proved that she’d had enough and her trust would need to be earned.

  Emma’s brows pinched. She glanced toward Quinn and me then settled her gaze back on Kat. “Someone tried to kill you?”

  Kat nodded. “Someone tried to push me off the balcony in Samara’s room. Then, just moments after you contacted us, we were ambushed.”

  The confusion on Emma’s face spoke volumes of her innocence in those attacks. She had no clue any of this happened. “I’m sorry, Miss West. I didn’t know anything about this.”