Impulsive Magic: A Snarky Paranormal Romance (Modern Magic Book 4)

by Nicole Hall

  Tamra had ejected her from Aecantha.

  SETH

  Keely’s scream echoed over and over in his head, and Seth couldn’t move down the trail to the village any faster. For the first time, he wished he’d practiced shifting into a form that could fly instead of cats and llamas.

  Something blocked his ability to sense her direction through the bond. He could feel Keely’s presence all around him, but nothing showed him which direction to go. She hadn’t answered after her first terrified call, and Seth’s panic increased with every minute he couldn’t find her.

  Keris had said she’d been talking to Oren, so that’s where he looked first.

  Seth found him standing in the shadows by the challenge ring, staring pensively at the combatants. “Oren, where’s Keely?”

  He sent Seth a questioning look. “What did you say to her to make her run off like that?”

  Seth spoke through gritted teeth. “It wasn’t me. Where is she?”

  Oren held up both hands in surrender. “I don’t know. She was fine one second, then she said thanks and bolted into the woods.”

  “Which direction?”

  Oren pointed, and Seth took off as fast as his legs would carry him. He considered shifting, but he wasn’t sure he had the energy for anything larger than a housecat. The bond didn’t help, but as soon as he got out of the village, her scent became clear.

  Keely! He didn’t expect an answer at this point, but he’d keep trying.

  His legs trembled as he rushed ahead, but the light-headedness got worse so he had to slow down. Damn the elders and their archaic rules. Seth pulled the protection necklace out of his pocket and looped it over his head, but nothing changed.

  He shook his head to clear the dizziness. The necklace should have prevented the elders’ magic from affecting him, but apparently, it only stopped future magic sucking. What they’d already taken remained gone and weakened Seth more than he wanted to admit.

  Seth, the elders are ready for you. Keris’ voice slid into his mind.

  Tell them to wait. I have to find Keely. She came first, always.

  Keris paused, then responded with a frustrated sigh. They won’t wait. They know you’re in the forest, so you have enough time to return, but you need to get back here, now, or they’re going to take your magic anyway.

  Seth paused on the path, gasping with exertion, as a clearing opened ahead of him. If he kept the necklace on, would it stop the effects of the spell? Only one way to find out. He wasn’t abandoning Keely to go argue with elders.

  Do what you can, Keris.

  Keris could stall if she wanted, but he wasn’t going to make his appointment. In his current state, he wouldn’t be much help for Keely either. A stone arch came into view as he stumbled forward, barely able to keep himself upright. He suddenly knew where he was. The secondary doorway. The one almost no one knew about.

  Keely’s scent ended at the arch, but the powerstone had been removed. Seth collapsed next to the disconnected portal and dropped his head. She’d gone home. His ruse had worked.

  His overwhelming fear for Keely calmed for a moment before he detected another scent he recognized.

  Lexi?

  He searched the immediate area with his normal senses, trying to preserve what little magic he had left. On the far side of the clearing, the trees warped unnaturally as if something shifted the light.

  “Come out. No point in hiding any more, Tamra.”

  She stepped into the open with a vastly different attitude and a big smile stretched across her face. “You knew it was me.”

  “Where’s Keely?”

  “She’s fine. For now. Well, probably. I did shove her pretty hard, and I haven’t checked the other side of the doorway in a while.”

  Seth closed his eyes in relief. Whatever happened to him, Keely would be safe in Terra. Grass rustled as Tamra inched closer, and his eyes shot open. One problem solved, now he needed to get out of this situation without becoming a husk or letting Tamra shank him. Both seemed equally likely at the moment.

  “You framed your sister?”

  Tamra chuckled. “No. She helped me steal the artifact. We framed you. And you’re not going to distract me by getting me to talk.”

  She darted forward, but Seth was ready for her quick movement. He threw a handful of dirt at her, and she shrieked as it made contact. In her moment of inattention, he built a rudimentary ward around himself. Not his best work, but speed had become more important than nuance.

  Tamra dusted herself off, then glared at him. “That wasn’t very nice.”

  Seth shrugged, trying to look relaxed rather than near death. “Not my fault you’re afraid of a little dirt.”

  “After years of torment from you and Oren, it’s second-nature to try to dodge anything you guys throw at me.”

  He scoffed. “Years? I haven’t even been here in over a century.”

  “Whatever. Your crappy ward won’t stand for long.” Tamra poked the invisible wall in front of her. “I’ll give you points for quickness, but…” She pushed harder, and Seth winced as the ward gave a little.

  “What’s your plan here? I may have teased you in our youth, but I always looked out for you. Why betray me?” Seth intended to stall her until he came up with a plan himself, but a part of him wanted to know the answer to his question. What was it about him that made it easy for the clan to throw him aside?

  She pulled her hand back, and her mouth tipped up in a half-smile. “You always were selfish. It’s not always about you. I needed that artifact, and you were a convenient scapegoat.”

  “If you needed it, then why do the elders think I have it?”

  “Because you do.”

  Tamra reached out and slowly pushed her hand through the ward. Seth gritted his teeth as he tried to shore it up with the bits of magic that he had left, but the ward simply arranged itself around her hand instead of deterring her.

  She stopped with her hand about a foot above him, elbow deep past his only protection. Instead of attacking, she splayed her palm up, and Seth felt a pulse of magic release from him. “Ah, there it is.” A second later, a small ring appeared, and she closed her fingers around it.

  Seth could feel the weight of the magic from where he knelt on the ground, but she quickly pulled it to her. He laughed ruefully. “You can make pocket trods. Not only that, you tied that one to me. No wonder no one could find it. I took it with me to Terra.”

  Tamra sighed happily. “Yeah, that wasn’t my best idea, but I was in a hurry. The elders tracked my magic a lot faster than I’d anticipated. I couldn’t risk retrieving it with you at full power, so I convinced the elders to take your magic as a price when you returned. Your whole focus in Terra was trying to find a way back, so I knew it was only a matter of time before you succeeded.”

  “How would you…” Seth remembered the blonde head and the whiff of a scent he’d caught in the subway. “You’ve been watching me.”

  She tsked at him. “Of course. You had my artifact. It helped that Luc is very talkative.” She fanned herself. “And sexy. I might even miss that man.”

  Seth fought to concentrate as his world rearranged itself in a different pattern. His allies turned out to be working against him, even if accidentally, and he’d driven away the one person he should have trusted above all else.

  If he ever saw Keely again, he’d be groveling for the rest of his life.

  Tamra tucked the ring into the pocket of her coat and stepped up to the edge of the tattered ward. “Anyway, thanks for staying true to yourself or I couldn’t have possibly pulled this off. Oh—” In one quick movement, she jabbed past the ward to yank the chain off of his neck. “I’ll be needing this. The ring will get me to the dryads, but I’m not expecting a warm reception. Better safe than sorry.”

  Seth gasped as the magical protection left him, and the accelerating weakness returned. Keris! Tamra has the artifact. If the elders remove the spell, I can get it from her.

  They won
’t budge. They want the artifact first. Seth heard panic in Keris’ voice for the first time in his life, and he cursed that it took him dying to realize how much she cared for him.

  Tamra gave him a finger wave, turned on her heel, and strode away. At the edge of the clearing, she spoke over her shoulder. “Good luck being powerless…if you survive.”

  The ward dropped as Seth lost the ability to maintain it. He tried to climb to his feet, to chase after her, but his muscles wouldn’t hold him. She blinked out of sight, and Seth turned to stare at the empty doorway.

  Oren had never been good at telepathy, but Seth gave it a shot. Oren, Tamra stole the artifact. Stay away from her. If you see Keely, tell her I love her.

  He didn’t get a response, but he didn’t expect one. Oren had other skills. Keris would protect the clan from Tamra, but it sounded like she wasn’t staying in Aecantha.

  Seth grimaced as he slumped next to the arch. It pissed him off that he might die—would most likely die—without explaining himself to Keely. He’d done everything in his power to separate them after binding her to him in the strongest way he knew.

  His eyes drifted closed, and he stopped fighting the magic drain in favor of dismantling all the wards and walls between him and Keely. He opened himself to the bond—filled it with all the love he had for her—and reached for his mate.

  In the darkness of his mind, he felt her touch against his cheek.

  16

  KEELY

  Seth? Keely stopped running her hands over the arch when she sensed him reaching for her. Love and remorse trickled into her from the bond, and she closed her eyes to the moisture gathering there.

  She pushed power through the bond, past the anger and guilt and self-doubt, letting them all go as she rested her head against the cool stones. Seth? Her magic came up against a thin barrier, and she didn’t hesitate in trying to shove past it. Seth was on the other side, and desperation to reach him fueled her.

  The barrier wavered, then gave, and Keely finally touched Seth’s mind.

  She laid a phantom hand against his smooth cheek, and smiled as tears streamed down her face. What did you do this time, idiot?

  Keely. Weak relief washed over her, and his hand covered hers. Tamra took the artifact and the protection. The elders are assholes. Remember the ways to break a bond?

  You’re not making sense.

  The ways to break a bond.

  Distance, emotional distress… Keely didn’t want to say the last one.

  Seth finished it for her. And death.

  No. You told me you couldn’t die. Fear stole her breath.

  He chuckled softly. I told you it was hard to kill me, but you’ll be safe. The doorway will stop the spell from affecting you.

  Keely grunted in frustration, trying not to give in to the panic fluttering in her chest. I knew that wasn’t you. I suddenly understand why Maddie turned you into a llama. Next time, talk to me.

  His voice became quieter. There won’t be a next time. I’m sorry I pushed you away instead of trusting you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, trouble-maker. I love you.

  Keely sobbed as he turned and kissed her palm where he’d cut her what seemed like a lifetime ago. The words felt like goodbye, and pain twisted inside her.

  No. Hell, no. Keely refused to believe this was how he ended. They were both too stubborn for him to die. The connection with him began to fade, and Keely opened her eyes to see the slot for the powerstone just above her.

  If being in Terra protected her, then it would protect him too. The doorway wanted a powerstone? She’d give it a powerstone.

  Keely jerked the crystal necklace Seth had given her off her neck and stared at it in her palm for a second. The woman had said it would hold all of their love, that love was more powerful than anything. Time to see if she knew what she was talking about.

  Without any idea what she was doing, Keely nudged the magic inside her and directed it into the crystal. The necklace began to glow a soft pink as more and more power surged out of Keely. A rush of dizziness made her woozy, but Keely didn’t stop the flow. She’d give the damn doorway every bit of her magic if it would open long enough to get Seth through.

  Keely’s knees began to buckle. She braced herself and slammed the crystal into the opening for the powerstone, holding tight to the image of the shimmering portal opening to her. The faint bond with Seth suddenly flared to life as a wave of magic burst across the arch.

  Using the stones as leverage, Keely reached through up to her shoulder. Her hand landed on fabric, and a thrill spiked her adrenaline. She tightened her grip and yanked as hard as she could.

  The doorway closed right after a mostly unconscious Seth landed on top of her.

  Keely lay on her back with her eyes closed for a moment as a torrent of exhaustion swept over her. Magic was hard. Her pulse slowly returned to normal, and trembling relief replaced desperate fear.

  Seth’s familiar weight rose and fell with his breathing, but he remained limp. The mate bond gave her open access all the way into him, but Keely only wanted to make sure he wasn’t still on the verge of death. She probed and found a well of magic inside him, bright and beautiful. And sensitive to her touch. The magic followed her like a trail of cake batter, slowly falling off to rejoin the rest.

  Good enough. Keely pushed him off of her, and he landed on his side with a grunt. She leaned over him and cupped his cheek, thankful to feel real, warm skin.

  “Seth?”

  He stirred, but didn’t wake up. Keely pressed her lips together and jostled his shoulder. When that didn’t get a response, she sighed and laid down next to him, resting her temple against his, then spoke softly.

  “If you open your eyes for me, I’ll let you buy me all the dresses you want.”

  Seth mumbled something, and his arm circled her waist to pull her closer. Keely smiled when he buried his face in her hair and drew in a deep breath. She snuggled closer, ignoring the sticks and rocks poking her from the forest floor.

  He made a contented noise, and Keely thought he might have fallen back asleep until he spoke.

  “My hero.” His rough voice caused shivers down her spine, and she leaned back to see his face.

  “All in a day’s work. Are you going to open your eyes?” She had things to say to him that deserved his full attention.

  His lashes fluttered open, and Keely reveled in the golden warmth. “I forgive you for your horrible decisions.” She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss against his lips. “We’ll work on the trust thing.” Another kiss that lingered a bit longer. “I love you too.”

  When she leaned forward this time, he curled his hand behind her neck to hold her against him. Keely thought she might burst from relief. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and gave in to the kiss. Heat from the bond, from him, spiraled with her own need to scorch her from the inside out. Seth eased away and rubbed his thumb along her lower lip.

  He met her gaze again. “I want to live my life with you. For you. Long-term. My future is wherever you are.”

  Hope fluttered inside her, but she had to ask. “What about Aecantha? Your parents?”

  “Oren and Keris will do what they can. You’re my priority.”

  Keely grinned. “They never gave up on you.”

  “Neither did you, no matter how hard I tried to convince you otherwise.”

  Keely shifted to kiss him again, but winced when her elbow hit a pointy rock. “Think you can stand?”

  His energy seemed to be returning as the free flow of magic along the bond evened out. As much as she wanted to lounge around with him after the last couple of days, she wanted to do it somewhere with air conditioning and no mosquitos.

  Seth rolled to his feet and offered his hand to Keely. Happiness threatened to ruin her calm demeanor. Her simple job of faking a relationship had backfired in the best way possible.

  She took his hand and stood, then slapped at her neck, grimacing at the wet feeling against her
skin. “Gross. Do you know where we are?”

  “Yeah, upstate New York.”

  Her brow furrowed. “If there’s a portal here, why did we have to travel to Texas to use that one?”

  He gestured at the quiet arch. “Because this one doesn’t have a powerstone. There’s supposed to be one on each side for the doorway to work, but clearly, Tamra’s been messing with the spell.” He tilted his head at her. “How did you get it to work?”

  Keely retrieved the crystal necklace from the slot, now a beautiful soft pink. “I filled the necklace you gave me with all our magic and jumpstarted it. That’s the end of my understanding.”

  Seth held the crystal up to the sunlight, squinting at the sparkle. “We should go back to that farmer’s market,” he muttered, handing the necklace to Keely.

  “Sure. As soon as we hike out of the woods somewhere in upstate New York.”

  Seth laughed and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. “Or we could phone a friend.”

  Keely stared at him a moment, then burst out laughing. All the emotional highs and lows of the last twenty-four hours finally caught up to her, and she ended up hiccupping hysterically as she wiped away tears.

  Seth pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back. “We’re okay. I promise.” The prickle of his magic brushed against her, and Keely dropped her head to his shoulder.

  “Fine, but I’m the one making the call. How do you even have a charge still?”

  He shrugged. “I turned it off in Aecantha. Who would I call?”

  Dru picked up on the second ring, and Keely had to hold the phone away from her ear due to all the shrieking. After several interrupted attempts at an explanation, Seth finally took over.

  Less than a minute later, Dru was on her way in Samantha’s car. Seth returned the phone to his pocket and gestured toward an almost hidden path in the trees. “It’s more than an hour’s hike to the closest town, so we should get moving.”

  Keely crossed her arms and stood her ground. “You were mostly dead not too long ago. Are you sure you should be exerting yourself?”