Chasing Steel: Capturing Magic Books 1-3

by Jessica Sorensen

  What if I—

  As I place my hand on the doorknob, the door opens.

  “Okay, well, that was easy.”

  I rush in, grabbing Maxton and pulling him in with me. Then I slam the door shut right as a hound tries to pounce on us. It ends up hitting the door, and the entire vehicle shakes like thunder. I hold my breath, waiting to see if the door will hold. Thankfully, it does.

  I release a deafening breath as I turn around, expecting one of the guys to be there, because how else did the door open? When I peer around the living room and kitchen, though, I don’t see any of them. I also notice that the place has returned to its normal state, all signs of the party long gone.

  “Hello?” I call out, crossing my fingers that Maple was lying, that she didn’t turn in the guys for the destruction of the arch.

  When my only response is the growling of the hounds outside, my stomach drops.

  “I don’t get it,” I mutter, scratching my head. “How did the door open up if none of them are here?”

  “They probably put you on the security’s access list,” Maxton says from behind me.

  I twist to face him. “I highly doubt that. They’d have to trust me a freakin’ ton to do that.”

  He rolls his silver eyes then glances around at the instruments in the room, the kitchen, the golden albums covering the walls. “So, you’re naïve. Good to know.”

  “Hey!” I protest, crossing my arms. “I’m not naïve, dude.”

  “If you say so.” He doesn’t look at me, but I detect the slightest trace of a smile.

  “You think you’re funny?” I question, trying really hard not to smile myself.

  He just shrugs, wandering into the kitchen and examining the glass countertops with the water fey inside.

  Normally, I’d be annoyed by what he said, but considering he’s been a servant to an evil creature for who knows how long and now he’s suddenly free, I’m going to let him off the hook. Besides, it’s kind of fascinating watching him be fascinated with everything. So, instead of going toe-to-toe with him like I would with East or Asher, I just silently observe him.

  He looks similar to Asher, with dark hair, only his is chin-length. He also has on a shirt, which Asher rarely does. He’s a bit thinner, too, but that might be because he’s been locked up in a cave, though I know Asher has been taking him food. And they have the same eyes now that Maxton’s are silvery instead of black. His are more haunted, though. Or, well, a different kind of haunted than Asher’s. Then I see his wrists and the dried blood covering his flesh.

  “Oh my gods, what happened to your arms?”

  His gaze drops to his wrist as he lifts one of his arms. As he does so, I get a glimpse of his sliced open skin, the fresh wounds still trickling out blood. “Asher had me chained up, and I had to wiggle my arms out of the metal cuffs to get out …” Smashing his lips together, he tugs down the sleeve of his shirt. “Anyway, yeah, I got out, and I’m free, so it doesn’t even matter.”

  I feel bad for him, because it does matter.

  “I’m sorry,” I say.

  “Why? It’s not your fault.”

  “It is that you’re here.”

  He rolls his eyes. “No, that’s my father’s fault. And mine for being what I am.”

  “That’s not true,” I say softly.

  He just shakes his head and turns away from me, focusing on the countertop. “What’re these things in here? And why are they trapped in here?”

  Okay, so I guess we’re doing the whole subject change thing.

  “They’re water fey,” I explain as I wander over to the kitchen.

  “I know, but …” He glances up at me with a frown on his lips. “Why do my brother and his friends keep them locked up in here?”

  “I … I honestly don’t know,” I tell him.

  He seems bothered by it, and I wonder if it has to do with his father keeping him as a prisoner.

  He gives one more glance at the counter then lets out a quiet sigh and looks at me. “Do you know where my brother and his friends are?”

  Now I’m the one to sigh. “Well, if Maple was telling the truth, then they’ve been arrested for the destruction of the arch.”

  He cocks a brow. “You mean, the one your powers collapsed?”

  “That’d be the one.” I sink down onto the sofa with a weighted sigh. “I’m not really sure what that means, though, since I don’t really know much about this planet either.”

  He hesitates then takes a seat across from me. “We should probably start figuring a way to get them out of whatever prison they’ve been sent to.”

  Worry stirs in my chest at all the possibilities of where they could be. Back in my world, when you got arrested, you were locked up in an electric cell and had to constantly endure being zapped by electricity. Like I said, though, I know hardly anything about Steel.

  “I completely agree with you, but I really have no idea where to start.” My worry increases as I realize the truth of my words.

  I literally have no clue where to start to save the guys from wherever they are. It also scares the hell out of me that I’m so worried about them.

  East was right when he predicted I’d get attached. I did. And that scares the sneaky troll babies out of me. My initial instinct is to fight it, to protect everyone from the curse, but Asher said that the curse might be able to be broken …

  I swallow hard as reality nearly swallows me. I think it’s finally hitting me, that thing that I thought would never be possible.

  I could be free from the curse.

  Free to feel whatever I want.

  Free.

  Free.

  Free.

  “If we can find out where they are,” Maxton says, drawing me from my thoughts, “we can get them out.”

  “How?” I ask eagerly.

  “With your powers—”

  The doorknob to the front door clicks.

  Shit, did the hounds figure out how to open the door?

  Maxton and I leap to our feet and rush for the hallway. Then I snatch ahold of his hand and pull him toward my room—

  “I can’t believe this shit!” East growls out with more rage in his tone than I’ve ever heard. “That stupid, obnoxious faerie. We should’ve killed her instead of focusing on capturing her.”

  I freeze as a waterfall of relief cascades over me.

  “We needed to capture her,” Arrow reminds him, his voice cracking with more emotion than I’ve ever heard. “We need to know what Harlynn is.”

  “Yeah, well, we should’ve found another way,” East snaps. “We never should’ve used her as bait. We’re going to hell for this. And we should.”

  “I know,” Arrow mutters, guilt overflowing from his tone.

  Giving Maxton a reassuring look, I let go of his hand and make my way back to the living room, wondering where Asher is since I haven’t heard him say anything. The worry that perhaps he’s still in prison starts to cross my mind when I hear him speak.

  “We deserve worse than hell,” he says, his voice weirdly hoarse. “We—I fucking failed her. I promised her that nothing would happen to her—that we’d protect her—and I did the exact opposite.”

  Silence encases them as I’m guessing they all have a pity party for themselves, which is stupid since I’m fine. And that’s exactly what I tell them as I step out of the hallway and announce my presence.

  “Will you guys quit sulking? I’m perfectly fine. Although, I’m a little offended that you thought I wouldn’t be able to escape Maple.”

  They’re standing near the sofas, and their attentions snap to me. Like I’ve said in the past, it’s kind of a lot to take in when all three of them are looking at me, and that’s under normal circumstances. Apparently, when you add the doom that I might have been captured by a crazed faerie/genie who’s working for a nutjob, power hungry genie, the intensity in their gazes … intensifies.

  And for a moment, that’s all they do—just stare at me.

  �
�Um … Are you guys okay?” I ask. “You all are just staring.”

  That seems to snap them out of their trances.

  East is the first to move toward me, crossing the room with long stride. When he reaches me, I’m unsure of what to expect. Then he grabs me, pulls me against him, and wraps his arms around me.

  “We are so, so fucking sorry, sweetheart,” he whispers, hugging me tightly.

  I loop my arms around his waist, aware that my movements are a bit shaky. It’s the hug. I’m not used to hugs, let alone hugs like this. It’s like he doesn’t want to let me go. Ever. And that in itself is frightening, partly because a small piece of me doesn’t want him to let me go.

  “You don’t need to be sorry,” I assure him. “Our plan didn’t work. It’s quite common. At least, that’s what I hear. I, on the other hand, rarely fail.” I move back and flash him a cheeky grin.

  He doesn’t return it. And it might be the most fucking weirdest thing I’ve seen all day, which is saying a lot since, while I was at the party, I saw a twenty-eyed demon creature eating a bowl of eyeballs, and I’m pretty sure they were his own eyeballs.

  “I swear I’m okay,” I try to alleviate his worry. “I was able to escape Maple without so much as a scratch. I even managed—”

  East kisses me. And without a drop of faerie wine in me, my mind is crystal clear about what’s happening. Not that I was drugged up the other times he kissed me. No, I knew exactly what was going on and fully wanted it. But I can also feel my self-conscious without the fey wine humming through my veins.

  I’m kissing East, and it feels so good, but Asher and Arrow are right there and can see how much I like it.

  “East,” I murmur between kisses while grasping his sides.

  “Just one more,” he whispers.

  He brushes his lips against mine one time before slanting back. His eyes are a cloudy grey, the shadows extremely prominent. He quickly closes them, takes a deep breath, and then opens his eyes again. The shadows have faded, but tension still ripples through his body.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him cautiously.

  “You’re seriously asking if I’m okay? After Maple took you … After we …” He shakes his head, turning his back to me and yanking his fingers through his hair.

  His wings are out, but they look strange; dull, grey, cloudy like his eyes were moments ago.

  “What happen to your wings?” I ask, extending my hand toward them.

  “Don’t touch them!” both Asher and Arrow shout, leaping toward me.

  I jerk back. “Why not?”

  “Because it means it’s too close to the surface,” East mutters. “I’ll be right back.” With that, he strides toward the hallway.

  It dawns on me then that I totally left Maxton in the hallway and that he hasn’t made his presence known yet. I don’t want East to spot him and freak the wild faeries out.

  “Uh … guys,” I start, but I’m too late.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” East slams to a halt in front of the entrance to the hallway.

  Asher and Arrow exchange a look then hurry over there.

  “Maxton …” Asher shakes his head, then his eyes darken. “So the lockdown has been lifted, I take it.”

  “We need to get Harlynn out of here,” East says, glancing at Arrow. “Go. Get her someplace safe.”

  The last time they decided I needed to be someplace safe, East picked me up and threw me at Arrow. Then he took off before I could even attempt to escape.

  Nope. That is so not happening this time.

  Squaring my shoulders, I push my way past them and stand in front of Maxton.

  “Will you guys chillax?” I cross my arms. “No one needs to get me someplace safe because Maxton isn’t going to hurt me.”

  Asher shakes his head with his gaze fastened on mine. “Need I remind you of what happened the last time you were around him?”

  “No, I can remember it clearly,” I reply. “Because I was around him like a handful of minutes ago when he helped me escape about a hundred of those hound robot things. And I should probably also tell you that they killed Maple. But only because I hit her over the head and knocked her out.”

  Asher’s eyes morph into smoky clouds. “What?”

  They all look so confused. And worried. And I can tell they’re one step away from making sure nothing happens to me, even though I’m probably the safest I’ve ever been in this moment.

  “Yeah, it was pretty wild.” I try for a smile, hoping they’ll join in with me. They don’t. “Dude, you guys are very riled up.”

  “We’re very riled up?” Asher gapes at me. “Of course we fucking are! We literally failed every part of our plan and didn’t know where you were for hours!”

  My brows dip. “It’s been hours? Wow, it didn’t feel that long.”

  Asher continues to stare at me like I’ve lost my damn mind. And maybe I have. Who the hell knows anymore?

  “How can you be so calm about this?” Asher wonders confoundedly.

  I lift a shoulder. “Because I’m fine, Maple’s probably dead, Maxton’s free from your father’s control and he knows a lot of stuff about me, and you’re all not in prison, so that’s kind of an added bonus. It’s almost as good as half of an extra credit point on a test.”

  “A half of an extra credit point?” Asher says flatly.

  I shrug again. “Okay, maybe like three-quarters. But definitely not a whole point.”

  Asher blows out a breath then shakes his head, the tiniest of smiles materializing on his lips. East chuckles, his wings now sparkling again—I’m definitely going to veer back around to that whole it remark he made. Even Arrow visibly unstiffens.

  “You’re so damn crazy sometimes,” Asher tells me then reaches out, grazing his knuckles across my cheekbone.

  “I’d argue with you, but with how well I fit in with you guys, you’re probably right,” I quip. “Because crazy loves crazy.”

  At the mention of love, my heart falters.

  Love.

  Love.

  Love.

  Why did I use that word? I’m such a dumb, crazy troll.

  Fortunately, no one freaks out that I’m actually falling in love with them, which I’m so not. I just like them. Yeah, okay, a lot. But that’s okay. Liking is not loving. I liked Jason, and he’s living the life right now.

  No one’s saying anything, though, and it’s getting kind of awkward. I’m about to open my mouth and probably say something equally as stupid when a loud siren blares from somewhere.

  I throw my hands over my ears. “What the hell is that?”

  “That is the siren that lets the world know prisoners have escaped,” Asher explains.

  “I’m guessing that’s you guys?” I shout over the blaring.

  He nods. “Yep.”

  “Which means we need to get the hell of this world ASAP before they put another damn lockdown on it,” East says then reels around and takes off toward the front of the vehicle. Then he pauses halfway, turning around and looking at Asher. “Are we good to take off now?” he asks then stares at Asher, as if trying to silently convey a message.

  When Asher glances at Maxton, I put two and two together.

  East wants to know if we’re taking Maxton. If we should trust him.

  Maxton attempts to steadily hold Asher’s gaze, but sort of fails, his gaze fleetingly dropping to the floor.

  I don’t know what Asher sees in those eyes that look so much like his own. Whatever it is, though, he turns toward East and says, “Yes, we’re good to take off.”

  Harlynn

  I think I probably hold my breath until we get off the planet. I keep worrying we’re going to get stuck there again. Honestly, I’m getting really tired of Planet Steel. So much bad stuff happened while we were on it. Although, a lot has changed and some of those changes might not be all bad.

  I think anyway …

  I’m still trying to figure that out.

  “Okay, we’re official
ly off Steel,” East announces as he returns to the living room where Arrow, Asher, Maxton, and I are sitting in awkward, nervous silence. The moment East announces we’re off Steel, though, everyone visible relaxes, apparently all having the same worry as I did—that we’d get stuck on the metal planet made of steel and gadgets.

  Instead of joining us on the sofa, East wanders over to the bar and pours himself a drink.

  “Now we just need to figure out where the hell we’re going.” East caps the bottle of wine, picks up the glass, and heads over to the sofa. “Because, until we can pick a destination, we’re just going to be stuck wandering around the galaxy.”

  “Galaxy?” I mutter aloud.

  This is my second time flying out of a world, and it’s almost as weird as the first time.

  East smiles at me as he crosses the room and sinks down on the sofa beside me. Arrow is on my other side, and Asher and Maxton are sitting on the sofa across from ours.

  “Yes, galaxy,” East muses, reclining back and draping his arm around my back. “It’s adorable how confused you sound about that.”

  “I’m not confused,” I tell him. “I’m just not used to this whole flying thing. And that’s not weird since I’ve only traveled one other time through the galaxy.”

  “I know, but it doesn’t make it any less adorable.” His wing slides behind me then.

  I chew on my bottom lip as I discreetly glance at Asher and Arrow. I’m not even fully sure why. I just keep thinking about all the kissing and touching I’ve been doing with all of them and how Asher kind of told me it was okay to do it.

  Talk about confused. I wonder if East would think this confusion was adorable.

  “What’re we going to do about the tour?” Arrow asks abruptly. “With everything going on, it seems extremely risky for us to be out in the open.”

  “I think we might have to put the tour on hold for now,” Asher says, crossing his arms, his thinking face on.

  I don’t like this—them putting stuff on hold because of me.

  “Don’t cancel your tour because of me,” I say. “I can just hide out on here or you can take me back to my world.”