Dark Illusion

by Feehan, Christine

  But they saw your kindness.

  I don’t want anything to happen to them.

  As opposed to me? he teased.

  I am well aware you can take care of yourself.

  Even though she sounded snippy, he felt her underlying worry. She didn’t like him putting himself in the hot zone. Blue, take the others and get to safety.

  The cat hesitated. With you.

  He didn’t want the cats with him. Not yet. He was used to working alone. He wanted them always to protect his lifemate, but if he said that, she’d fall out of the sky in indignation. He needed to stay in her mind to ensure she remained safe, just as she was.

  It would make this battle much easier for you if I had my feet on the ground, Julija pointed out. Your attention can’t be divided.

  She was very astute, or she was more adept at reading his mind than he realized, and he had to be careful when he conspired with the cats to keep her safe. He turned to the four shadow cats. All eyes were on him.

  He signaled toward Blue and then pointed toward the sky where Julija was hovering. It took a moment and then the cat swung toward the others, clearly communicating. Isai hoped they got it.

  Take position on the bluff about a mile from here. I will need you to tell me where they are. He swept his arm toward the bluff. Three of the four shadows slipped into the fog, sliding around and over boulders. Only Blue remained. Looking at him. Watching. Very still.

  Isai wasn’t prone to arguing. He had a choice of freezing the animal right where it was, or letting it come with him. He shrugged and began inching slowly down the mountain, moving with the fog, his mind firmly entrenched in Julija’s.

  I’m good now. In cover. On the ground. You can do your thing without worry.

  He would always worry. He would always need to know she was safe. Do not go to sleep while you wait for me. Contemplate on where Iulian might have gone. He wanted her mind on something other than the fact that he was going to kill her brothers.

  He broke off his connection with her and reached for Comet, Phaedra and Belle. Guard her with your lives.

  The moment he felt their affirmations, he took to the air, not bothering to hide his trail through the fog. There was no drifting with it. No pretense. Mages didn’t force him into hiding, they hid from him.

  Below him, the mages were spread out, each finding their way up to the spot where Julija had been sitting. The last they’d seen of Isai was when he’d made his dive to save Phaedra from a bullet.

  He would have had Blue call to the young shadow cats with them, but Julija’s two brothers had them leashed. That meant he couldn’t attack them from a distance in the air, not if he wanted to keep the cats alive. He turned toward the first of the three mages traveling with her brothers. Julija had identified him as Terry. The man was halfway up the side of the steep pass. Isai sent the entire side rolling down on him from above.

  Big chunks of granite broke off in rolling boulders, sweeping everything in their path with them as they rushed down the mountain, picking up speed. Terry, warned by dirt, debris and the shaking of the ground, looked up, trying to peer through the fog. The largest boulder hit him dead center, crushing him under it as it rolled over him. Isai dropped down to make certain he was dead or dying.

  The body was mangled, dirt covering most of it. Shockingly, although half of his face was gone, the other only had a few specks of dirt and grass. He was dead, his eyes staring up at the fog in a kind of horror.

  Isai took to the air to hunt Sam. Sam had felt the movement of the earth and heard the boulders, the sound like a clap of thunder. He dropped low, crouching, using a natural overhang to protect himself from a slide. He was in a good position to defend himself. He was ready, his hands up as he cast a spell. Isai watched intently as the mage wove a protection spell around himself. He listened intently.

  I call upon the power of the moon

  Sky above

  I call upon your energies

  Both small and large

  I call to the wind to surround me

  Protect me from that which cannot be seen

  Moon surround me with your light

  Let that which would do harm be destroyed

  I call to the four directions

  Envelop me with your powers

  Protect me as I fight.

  Above, below and from either side. Isai shook his head. Sam was supposed to be a very experienced mage, yet he’d left a loophole. He had given himself protection from every direction, including above, but he’d been specific, using the sky. Isai dropped down, as light as a feather, standing on the overhang. The one Sam thought protected him.

  He paced across the entire overhang. It was very thick, much like the roof of a cave. It felt firm. There was grass and even some small bushes and saplings growing in it, the roots holding it in place. Each featherlight touch of his foot removed the roots and loosened the rocks holding the dirt.

  Sam looked up as dirt rained down, small particles of almost dust. Realizing he hadn’t completely protected himself, he had to make the decision to step into the open or remain in the enclosure and once again throw up a protection spell. His hands went up.

  Isai stood in the middle of the roof, right above Sam, and jumped. The structure collapsed instantly, burying Sam under all the debris. The weight of the dirt, rocks and brush was enormous. Sam was driven to the ground, buried, with only his eyes showing. His mouth and nose were covered in the massive mound of dirt. He looked at Isai frantically, but he couldn’t weave a spell and he couldn’t breathe. It took only a few moments, but it was a hard way to die.

  Isai left him there and found Andrew about twenty feet away. The fog had remained thick, which surprised him. He wasn’t the one maintaining it anymore. He couldn’t care less if the mages saw him or not. He was almost bored, used to going up against humans, mages and vampires alike. These mages knew they were hunting a Carpathian, yet they took no precautions against him.

  You are going to get yourself killed. You may have all the experience in the world, but when you underestimate your enemy, you will lose every single time.

  Now he knew who was maintaining the fog. He had recognized all along that the streaming whirls of droplets were feminine, but now they stung his face and neck, sending shocking charges of electricity through him.

  You little demon. He didn’t know whether to laugh or head back to the bluff to teach his wild mage a lesson. He was afraid the lesson would go badly for him immediately. Worse, he was feeling the cats’ amusement as well. Who knew shadow cats could find humor in situations?

  Someone needs to wake you up. Not to mention, you’re an old man and may have slowed down, especially since they locked you away in that prison . . . er . . . monastery, you call it?

  Andrew lay prone in the grass, rifle to his shoulder, finger stroking the trigger of the rifle. Isai, from his vantage point above Andrew and just behind him, waved toward the grass and dirt. Immediately, the earth responded the way it did to all Carpathians. The particles began to fill the rifle. Dirt and grass packed themselves in thickly while Andrew looked through his scope first up toward the steep pass where Julija had been sitting and then sweeping each side slowly in an effort to find a target.

  Suddenly Andrew looked down at the barrel, frowning. He reached out to brush a leaf of grass from it, his entire body over the barrel of his weapon. The rifle went off, the barrel exploding. Metal ripped apart, shrapnel slicing into his neck and face. The blast of hot gas engulfed his face, burning his skin, bursting through one eye. He screamed and rolled over, away from the hot metal, unaware that it was sticking out of his flesh.

  Isai closed his fist, and Andrew couldn’t get air to his lungs. He gasped. One hand went to his throat as if he could remove the fingers he felt there. There was nothing to pry loose. His good eye bulged out as he tried desperately to breathe. Isai was patient, allowing the necessary time to pass until Andrew was still, lying on the hillside, staring up at the night sky with one wide-open
eye.

  My brothers have separated. Avram is closest to you. He has the female cat with him. She is looking right at you, and Avram has hunkered down just near the rocky section of the ridge. He looks to be building a spell, Julija warned.

  Thicken the fog so he cannot see. Isai took a careful look around him. He knew Blue was close. The cat was determined to protect him whether Isai wanted his protection or not. It wasn’t easy to spot the shadow, up high, just above his position.

  Blue. Can you make your way down to the little female? Is it possible for you to communicate with her? Comet and Phaedra are her parents. She is not your littermate, yet she is of your blood. I do not want to kill her if it is possible.

  Six cats were a lot to care for. They would need blood nightly and they would have to be very disciplined. They had been given Carpathian blood already, which meant they would grow even stronger, more difficult to kill. If he didn’t take them under his wing, he would have no choice but to destroy them. He wasn’t certain if it was entirely ethical to keep them alive, but he felt the cats deserved a chance at a decent life.

  Blue sent him the equivalent of a shrug. Before Isai could give the order, the cat was already moving, picking his way down the steep slope, angling toward the ridge. He disappeared immediately into the thickening fog.

  Do not expose yourself to danger. Avram is there. He will not hesitate to kill you, or try to reacquire you. Just talk to her. See if she is willing to come with us.

  There was no answer, but Isai felt the cat’s assent. Communicating with the shadow creatures was different than the paths he forged with Julija or his brethren. Still, he understood them.

  He moved away from Andrew’s body and began to circle around, coming at Avram from a different direction. No doubt Avram heard the blast as the rifle exploded, accompanied by Andrew’s loud, horrific screams. The mage would expect any assault to come from that direction.

  “Julija. This is your only chance. Come to me. If you don’t, I will summon Barnabas and his hounds. They will track both of you. That Carpathian cannot protect you from all of us. Even now, Vasile has completed the circle of power. You are caught within it.”

  Isai, I have asked Phaedra and Comet if Barnabas is close and they say no. He has not yet arrived.

  Isai didn’t like the fact that her voice was shaky. She was truly terrified of Barnabas. More so than she seemed to be of her brothers. They had to be dangerous mages, coming from the lineage they did. Their DNA makeup was more mage than Carpathian. So much so that they were unable to sustain themselves in immortality. Without their sister, there would be no centuries of longevity. They needed her.

  They will not kill you.

  That is my fear. I would much rather be dead than go back with them. And certainly not with Barnabas. I will not let him take me alive.

  Isai pulled up sharply, turning his head toward the bluff where his woman waited. You will know that your lifemate will always come for you. Always. We have not had time together, but that knowledge must be already stamped into your very bones. It matters little if these people get their hands on you. Even without me, you can defeat them. You are powerful on your own, Julija. Far more than they are. Believe in yourself and always, believe in me.

  She worried him. Her father, stepmother and brothers had drilled into her from the time of her birth that she was less than they were. They’d done a good job, making certain she had no idea what her true lineage made her.

  He softened his voice. There are few, if any, like you in the world. I am privileged to call you lifemate.

  He felt Julija’s smile. It burst through him like the brightest star in the universe. You make me happy, Isai. You do. No one has ever said the kinds of things you say to me. I can’t recall ever receiving a single compliment until you came into my life. I do believe in you, and I promise to try to begin believing in myself.

  You are maintaining the fog by yourself. He began moving toward Avram once more.

  The fog is an illusion.

  The fog is real. You are creating and maintaining the fog because you are Carpathian. The spell you used wasn’t necessary, he insisted.

  I’m not taking chances with your life. She sounded a little snippy.

  He smiled because he liked her snippy. As he neared the ridge, he stepped very carefully, easing his body forward. He felt the light tentacle and dissolved instantly. The tentacle thrashed, reaching out to capture whatever had brushed against it. Finding nothing, it retreated, settling back into its hole much like an eel might.

  Can you counter Avram’s traps? Mostly, he was concerned for the cat. He could get rid of the traps, although it would take time to unravel them. He wanted to put distance between this place and wherever he would settle for the day.

  He felt Julija’s presence as she reached out to feel for the strains of magic. Be very careful, Isai. The entire area there is a minefield of traps. He’s using a blanketing spell, creating allies with the insects. He will continue to use them, growing them in strength and size as he has the time.

  Counter it. Take it down. He wanted Julija to realize she could use her Carpathian gifts with her mage talents and do anything she needed to do.

  Avram is considered one of the best at these kinds of blanketing spells.

  Perhaps he is. Perhaps he is the best of all mages. You are both mage and Carpathian. You will remove this spell for your lifemate. He decreed it, using an implacable tone.

  She muttered something he didn’t catch. The words floated through his mind, making him want to smile again. Not words really, her little attitude. She was talking to herself, and her sentiments about her lifemate weren’t necessarily flattering. She did that for a few minutes and he realized she was gathering her courage, trying to overcome her feelings of inferiority, of weakness. She repeated his words to her several times and as she did, there was that strength he knew she had, filling her. He felt determination pouring into her. Next was laser-like focus.

  I call to those covered by darkness

  By your own will I set you free.

  Let your wills be regained as I command

  Through my will so mote it be.

  She took another deep breath as she now had Vasile’s full attention, his understanding that she was fighting him on a level he hadn’t expected. She had to believe in herself the way Isai believed in her. She couldn’t hurry. She couldn’t make a mistake. She just had to remain calm and do what came so naturally to her.

  I gather that which has been shattered

  All remnants do I retain.

  I return you now to Mother Earth

  So that it is her power that stands and reigns.

  Each piece is a part

  All elements bind.

  By universal power

  I propel you now to connect and bind.

  Thunder rolled across the valley. Lightning zigzagged through the sky, looking as if it was tearing it open. Colors broke through the dark velvet background of the night. Green and purple shimmered in the sky. The aurora borealis brought to life over the Sierras. More colors flickered through the star-filled sky.

  He felt the power of her spell. No—the power of the wielder of that spell. Magic warred with magic. The valley and peaks shone with it. Reverberated with the strands as they were peeled back, reluctant layer after reluctant layer. Each one of Avram’s strands were shredded, ripped apart, as Julija’s magic prevailed. He could see the black layers infused now with color. The sparks of red and pink ate through the black, leaving holes and then thin strips that floated aimlessly through the sky.

  Blue? Isai was on the move, rushing through the magic grid, now torn apart. The colors were incredible, as strands still clashed in small places, Avram desperate to revive his fading spell. There was power in the colors alone. Julija’s magic wound around each remaining strand of Avram’s and slowly strangled it. The colors were brilliant, sparkling, almost too bright to look at as they consumed the black of her brother’s spell.

  Is
ai found the battle beautiful to watch. He could see the feminine power engulfing the masculine one, refusing to relent even when Avram chose to make a stand, pulling his magic back to the immediate area surrounding him. Julija’s magic continued to attack, no less strong, bringing each layer of her brother’s magic down so that it withered and fell, leaving Isai and Blue a clear opening to reach their targets.

  She is receptive but worries for her mate. Vasile has him and will retaliate against her by killing him.

  That brought Isai up short. Julija? Did you hear that? We cannot allow that to happen. They have deliberately separated the cats and will kill the other if one escapes. I will have to free them simultaneously.

  How is that possible? You cannot be in two places at the same time, she objected.

  No, but you can battle your brother, keeping him occupied to give me time to free the male. I’m sending Blue to him now.

  Isai, have you assessed Vasile’s magic? Blue could get caught in his trap.

  Blue says no, he is part of Vasile’s magic, so he can see the traps clearly.

  That is so. Just tell me what you want me to do. Julija’s assent was clear in Isai’s mind, confirming that she thought the shadow cat could reach out to the male cat Vasile held.

  While I am engaging Avram and freeing the female cat, you throw some of your attitude at Vasile. Do not let him think you can best him. I want him countering your every move. I want him full of himself, believing he can best you and willing to show you.

  That won’t be difficult. He has a big ego.

  You have to keep him fully focused on you, Julija. If he realizes his brother is gone and so is the female cat, he will retaliate against the male. You are the male cat’s only chance. Tell me if you think you cannot do this.

  I have spent most of my life annoying Vasile. He has spent most of his trying to prove to his mother that I am very, very far beneath him.

  Isai couldn’t wait to meet Vasile. He inched closer to Avram. The man was average height, and very slender. Almost thin, but not quite. Isai had come across a great many men with such a build and many were extremely strong. Watching this one, he doubted if that was the case. This man relied on his magic for everything, including lifting. He was very pale, and now he was sweating. Isai smelled fear. The fear wasn’t of him—but of Julija. Like Isai, Avram recognized that she was the wielder of tremendous power.