Abducted by Magic

by Kelli McCracken

  “I can’t think of any other reason he’d want to talk to us,” Jax answered.

  “I don’t like it.” Roark crossed the room and joined his brothers. “We can’t leave. Not until we know who killed Samara.”

  “And what if he knows who killed Samara?” I glanced at each guy in the room. “He was her boyfriend. She may have confided in him. We need to hear what he has to say.”

  Roark stepped in front of me with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. “Right now we don’t know who we can trust.”

  “Damn it, Roark,” I said, my defiance in full swing, “I have a say in this, and I think we should go.”

  “Aye,” Roark said. “You reacted just like I thought you would. The longer I’m around you, the more you remind me of Samara. You’re stubborn and defiant.”

  I stood from the bed, almost touching noses with him. “No, I’m tired of you guys speaking for me and talking about me like I’m not in the same room.”

  Roark’s nostrils flared as he locked his gaze with mine. I heard his teeth grind, but he didn’t respond. Good thing, because I wasn’t finished.

  “It’s my life you’re protecting,” I snapped, “but I’m not some relic you have to lock away in a room or heavily guard. I’m an immortal just like you, now.”

  “You carry a knife that reaps souls.” Roark smirked. “Do you not realize that being immortal doesn’t make you invincible?”

  As much as I wanted to shout how he was wrong, I couldn’t. The truth of the matter was I hadn’t given much thought to my new status. There really hadn’t been time to ask questions. Immortality meant I could live forever. It didn’t mean I was immune to death.

  I stood my ground, even though our proximity made it hard for me to breathe. “You’re right. Which is why I need to be trained so I can protect myself.”

  “You will be,” Jax interrupted, “but that doesn’t help us now.”

  “I have an idea.” Quinn rested his hand on Roark’s shoulder, urging him to ease away from me.

  When Roark complied, I felt like I could breathe again.

  “What if Katarina uses the portal to help us get there? We can sweep the house and make sure it’s safe before she comes through the portal.”

  His proposal caught me by surprise, but I was glad he’d brought it up. What good was the power to open portals if I didn’t use it?

  Jax nodded, but of course Roark would object to the idea. His posture grew rigid and he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “It’s a risk I’m not sure I want to take. Last time you tried the portal, you froze.” Roark averted his eyes from mine and refocused on Quinn. “The only way I’ll agree to this is if she doesn’t come out of the portal and one of us stays by her side.”

  I was okay with those stipulations. If it meant we could meet with Draven, I was willing to stick close to our quickest escape route. I just wanted us to make the trip. The more information we had, the quicker we could put an end to all of this madness.

  “Katarina, are you good with this?” Quinn asked.

  “I am, if you’ll be the one to stay with me.”

  “If that’s what you want?”

  I hated to choose one over the other, but right now he was my best choice. Quinn had the most restraint of the three. Jax tempted me, and Roark challenged me.

  “Yes.” I kept my gaze focused on Quinn. I didn’t want to see how my choice affected the others.

  “Fine.” Jax responded in a clipped tone. He motioned for Roark to join him near the door. “Roark and I will enter the house. When we’re certain it’s clear, we’ll come back for both of you. Katarina, will you please open the portal?”

  Nodding, I lifted my hand and summoned the bridge between space and time. Once it opened, Jax and Roark slipped inside. They disappeared into the light. Then it was just Quinn and me, alone once again.

  He gave me a sideways glance. As soon as our eyes met, he walked over to the armoire. The tension between us was palpable in more than our bond—I sensed it in the air. Was he thinking about the discussion we were having before Jax interrupted us?

  “You’re quiet, Quinn. Is something bothering you?”

  He glanced over his shoulder at me and shook his head. “No. Everything is fine. I’m just curious as to what Draven wants.”

  “Oh.” I moved from the bed and approached the window. I hated this awkward tension between us.

  His footsteps sounded behind me but I didn’t turn around. A moment later, I felt his hand on my arm. “Something tells me that wasn’t the answer you were looking for.”

  “Earlier, you were trying to tell me how I’m different from Samara when it comes to you and your brothers.”

  Fingers flexed around my shoulder as he squeezed gently. “You are different.”

  “How?” I spun to face him. “You say she gave you purpose. What do I give you, grief and stress?”

  “Yes…and no. I told you, it’s complicated.”

  Amber eyes burned like the embers of a roaring fire. The air shifted, growing warmer as Quinn stood in front of me, studying every inch of my face.

  “I can’t explain this, Katarina. There are no words to describe what you mean to us. All I can say is that you’re like blood to a vampire, energy to a witch, and fire to a dragon. You are in our blood and the very essence of what we are or ever will be.”

  His words, poetic as they were, left me confused. I shouldn’t be surprised. This whole song and dance we kept doing around the truth was on repeat and had been since day one. If I kept these powers, I would be linked to them eternally. Could I honestly spend the rest of my life with them and never have anything more than a duty-bound relationship?

  The plasma-like substance inside the portal popped and sizzled, drawing our attention toward it. A second later, Roark appeared. He spotted us near the window and narrowed his gaze when Quinn lowered his hand to his side.

  “The house and surrounding area are clear. You can come through now.”

  He waited at the opening until we reached it. Once we entered the portal, I followed him just a few steps to the next opening. He left the portal as Quinn and I stood at the threshold. I saw Jax standing near a column in the living room of Draven’s house.

  He nodded at us and thrust his thumb over his shoulder. “Draven’s in the other room. He’ll be here in a minute.”

  Not a moment later, footsteps sounded down the hall. Draven entered the room. His platinum hair was a mess and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Tension rippled through the air when he rushed toward me.

  Chapter 22

  ~Katarina~

  Draven raised his hands defensively as soon as Roark blocked his path to me. I didn’t sense any malevolence in him, but it happened so fast, I didn’t have a chance to read him. Now, all I sensed was panic.

  “I’m not going to hurt her,” he assured Roark, taking a step back toward the coffee table in the center of the room. “I just want to know who is controlling this portal.”

  “I am.” My answer gained me a frown.

  “So you really do have her powers? I didn’t believe it when I heard it, so I had to see for myself.”

  He thought Samara’s powers controlled the portal. He had no way of knowing that the ability came from my soul reaper status. I didn’t know if this was something I should divulge just yet.

  “For now,” I said. I couldn’t let on that her powers might be more permanent than anyone would want.

  Draven lifted a questioning brow. “There are rumors around the coven that the council may have to kill you if they don’t find a way to transfer her powers. Is that true?”

  Quinn touched his hand to my lower back. When I glanced at him, he shook his head. Did he not want me to answer Draven?

  “Things have changed since the last time we spoke with the council.” Quinn teased the small of my back with his thumb, but stayed focused on Draven. “We’re still searching for answers.”

  The last part of his statement wasn’
t the complete truth, but I followed his lead, keeping my immortality hidden from Draven.

  When Draven appeared as though he was going to ask for further elaboration, Jax stepped closer to him. “Were there any disturbances reported at the cemetery in the last few days?”

  “No. Why do you ask”

  “We were attacked three nights ago after visiting Samara’s grave.” Jax omitted the part where we had a full-fledged conversation with Draven’s deceased girlfriend. The mage had, from what I understood, a hard enough time letting go. He’d lose it if he found out we had summoned her spirit and spoken to her.

  “I don’t understand how that could be.” A lock of Draven’s white hair fell over his brow when he shook his head. “A dark mage is the only supernatural that can control the undead, like zombies or skeletons. What would anyone gain from this?”

  Before anyone had a chance to answer him, wind burst through the room. A light twinkled and grew more magnificent by the second. Samara appeared before us in all her transparent glory. It wasn’t until I heard a gasp that I remembered we’d hidden the connection she and I shared from Draven.

  I found him kneeling in front of his former lover. His eyes, wide with surprise and fear, didn’t flinch when she focused on him.

  “Draven?” she asked.

  Slowly standing, he nodded. “Is it really you, Samara?”

  “Yes.” A smile formed on her lips. “Goddess it’s good to see you.”

  He rushed over to her with open arms, ready to wrap her in a bear hug. The moment he circled them around her, her image shifted and he hugged himself. Confusion covered his face the moment he glanced at Samara. Then he realized what had happened. The way his lips turned downward and his eyes watered spoke of how much the truth hurt. He might be able to see Samara and even hold a conversation with her. But he’d never feel her skin next to his or have the ability to wrap his arms around her.

  I felt their pain. It ached through my body as I fought the tears forming in my eyes. So many people took love for granted, never knowing if the person they loved would return to them each day. I might not know much about their relationship, but I understood loss.

  “Samara…” His voice thickened as he gazed at her. “I’m sorry. I wish I had been there to protect you.”

  “You can’t think like that, Draven. I’m not sure anyone could have helped me. What’s done is done. We can’t go back and change things. We have to focus on protecting Katarina, along with finding my killer.”

  “Do you…” Draven’s throat wobbled as he swallowed hard. “Do you know who killed you?”

  “No. I have little memory of what happened, but I’ve been piecing things together. More things have come to me since the last time I spoke with Katarina.”

  Draven turned to me, his grief replaced with anger. “You’ve seen Samara before and no one thought to tell me?”

  Roark moved between us. His imposing figure had zero effect on Draven as he attempted to step around him. “There are bigger things going on here than you having a chance to say goodbye. In case you forgot, Katarina’s life is in danger. Forgive us if protecting her was our top priority.”

  Draven dragged his hand through his hair and released a sigh. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been able to think straight since Samara…” He paused and briefly closed his eyes. “Since she left.”

  I hated that he couldn’t use this moment to get the closure he needed. When this was all over, I would make sure he saw her again. Suddenly, the need to comfort him overwhelmed me. Was it my connection with Samara that urged me forward?

  I took one step toward him, leaving the portal behind me. Quinn gripped my shoulder and pulled me against him. The heat of his touch warmed every inch of my body to the point I struggled not to moan. When I didn’t have my guard up, he affected me the way he had from day one.

  A hint of a smile played on Samara’s lips as she watched us. Her amusement made my cheeks flush. Could she sense how I felt about her former guardians?

  “What do you remember?” Draven’s voice drew Samara’s attention to him and away from Quinn and me. For once, I was grateful for the interruption.

  “I know the person who stabbed me was a man. He was several years older than me, maybe even my parents’ age. I’m not sure if he was human or a shifter in human form, but he wore glasses.”

  I didn’t miss the way Draven winced at the description Samara gave him. She’d noticed it too. Her head tilted slightly as she looked at him. “Do you know anyone who fits this description?”

  “No one comes to mind, but I will do some digging to see what I can find. I’ll find out who took you away from me, Samara.”

  Samara extended her hand toward Draven’s face, then pulled it back. “I wish I had more time, Draven. I love you.”

  She didn’t say anything else. Her image faded, and the bright light that accompanied her disappeared. Draven’s shoulders slumped when he realized she was gone. He hadn’t even had the chance to tell her he loved her back.

  Pain showed on his face as he said to us, “I’ll let you know if I find anyone that matches Samara’s description.”

  He turned to leave the room.

  “Wait,” I pleaded.

  Reluctantly, he turned to face me.

  I asked, “Have you heard anything about Slade?”

  Draven glanced at Quinn, Roark, and Jax before shaking his head. “I haven’t seen or heard from him since Samara’s death.”

  “Are there still people searching for him?” Quinn’s words vibrated against my back when he pressed closer to me. I resisted the sensations it invoked and focused on Draven’s face.

  “Yes,” Draven said. “As far as I know, people are still searching for him as well as Samara’s killer. My mother has reached out to the other covens for their assistance. If I hear anything, I’ll be in touch.”

  “Thank you,” I told him.

  He nodded and excused himself.

  A moment later, a door closed down the hall. I waited for Jax and Roark to join Quinn and me in the portal, but the bright light we knew as Samara reappeared. Her image developed before us just above the coffee table.

  “Samara?” Jax questioned as he approached her.

  “I’ve been here the entire time, but I had to make sure Draven left before I finished what I had to say.”

  Confusion engulfed me. He was her boyfriend. Why was she hiding information from him? “Why did you wait until he left? I thought you two—”

  “I love Draven. Don’t get me wrong. The thing is, his mother is the high priestess of our coven. I don’t want anything getting leaked to the council. I don’t think Rayna would do it intentionally, but she has a duty to inform the council of any information she learns. She can’t protect him.”

  It couldn’t have been easy for her to admit what she had. In a sense, she must have felt like she was betraying Draven by keeping information from him, but I understood why she couldn’t trust anyone but us with this mission. We were the ones devoted to finding the truth. In a way, my life, as well as my future, depended on it.

  “What else do you have to tell us, Samara?” Roark asked as he joined Jax near the coffee table. Both stared at their former ward, waiting for an answer. Samara studied them a moment. It was almost as if she was having some type of telepathic conversation with them like she’d had with me the first time I saw her spirit.

  After several seconds of silence, she finally refocused on me. “I spoke with the ancestors about Slade. They aren’t sure of his location either, but they did mention a cloaking spell surrounding him.”

  The news disheartened the guardians. Both Roark’s and Jax’s shoulders slumped just as Quinn’s hand left my shoulder. It was as if they were accepting defeat.

  “Let me explain the rest before you guys get all mopey on me,” she jested.

  Roark and Jax lifted their gazes to her. I couldn’t tell what Quinn was doing behind me, but the bond between us beat with hope.

  “I think I can hel
p Katarina tap into the power she holds,” Samara continued. “If I’m right, we might be able to find him due to the guardian bond she shares with each of you.”

  “What do I need to do?” I questioned, not wanting to waste precious time. Slade needed us and I would do whatever it took to bring him home.

  When I attempted to walk toward her, Quinn gripped my shoulder again. I stumbled back against his chest and met his gaze.

  “It’s okay, Quinn. I know you guys are worried about her safety, but this won’t take long. Do you trust me still?” Samara seemed almost afraid to hear their answer. Her fear over them not trusting her was unwarranted. She’d proven herself when she had given up her life for her coven.

  Quinn looked at me, then at Samara, and nodded. Once he released me, he followed me to the center of the room. Quinn, Jax, and Roark stood in a circle as their wings expanded to barricade Samara and me.

  Just as she reached out to me, she asked, “You trust me too, right?”

  “Of course.” I didn’t hesitate in my response. Perhaps I shouldn’t after she’d transferred her gifts to me without telling me what she was about to do. Still, I didn’t resent her for that anymore. My life finally had a purpose, and it all started because of what Samara had done. Yeah, I trusted her.

  Her ghostly hands hovered near my temples. “Close your eyes, Kat. Focus on the bond you feel with the other guardians.”

  Focusing on my connection with them meant tapping into the emotions of each one. Since my conversation with Roark, I had done my best to avoid sensing their feelings. It caused too much heartache whenever I did.

  Still, I wanted to find Slade. He needed to be with his brothers. I wasn’t sure what type of bond he and I would share once we found him, but I couldn’t worry about it now.

  Tearing down the mental block I kept between the guardians and me, I focused on each of them. Love and compassion beat within them. So did confusion and anger. Other emotions were there, but more dormant.