Chosen Magic (Demon Bayou Book 3)

by S Lawrence

  I wonder when I last ate? I remember one day waking in a restaurant, but that seems like a lifetime ago. The doctor in me knows I’ve had to have eaten since then, but my body doesn’t reflect that.

  Trying to stand, I can feel how weak I’ve grown and I know this time is real. I’m really locked in this warehouse, starving to death.

  I barely make it to the wall before I slide down it, unable to go any farther. Noise forces my eyes open, but I hadn’t even realized they had closed.

  True death is near in more ways than one. Theon stands inside a door at the other end of the huge room. He doesn’t bother closing the door as he starts stalking my way.

  I can feel his anger from here. Rage rolls off him like flood waters down the side of the mountain, an unstoppable force.

  “Is this the day?” I ask, although it comes out lower than a whisper and my voice sounds like a dried husk.

  He hears me though, I know, because his head cocks to the side slightly as he puzzles over the words.

  “Is this the day I finally die for good?” This time I sound stronger as my own anger begins to take hold.

  “Maybe.” He shrugs as if it is of no consequence, and I suppose it isn’t to him. “I was certain she would have shown herself by now.”

  “Maybe you overestimated my value.” I glare up as he stops in front of me.

  “I don’t think so. It is more likely she is scared to die herself.” His eyes narrow as some thought comes to him. “Or she’s not as powerful as I thought.”

  I don’t think the last is the case at all, even though I’ve never seen her use her powers, whatever they may be. He looks at me and frowns. A little hint of disgust flickers in his eyes, and I wonder what I must look like.

  Glancing down, I see blood stains on my clothes, mixed with dirt and other things. I don’t need to feel my hair to tell it is in mats, tangled and dirty.

  “Sorry if I look unpleasant, but you haven’t had me awake in a spa yet.” I push as much disdain into my voice as I can muster.

  He seems surprised by my show of defiance and then he smiles. “You’re right. Where are my manners?” He makes a show of waving his hand, although I know now he has no need.

  Suddenly, in the center of the room is a large sunken tub, and I can see the steam floating from the water filling it. The scent of jasmine and vanilla fills the air. Hundreds of plants appear and transform the warehouse into a jungle. Flowers line a path to the tub, and petals cover the floor.

  He reaches for me, and I flinch back. “Let me help you.” He sounds reasonable, and I feel the moment I break.

  He smiles gently as I reach out for his hand, but I don’t miss the hint of victory that shines in his face. This is just a different type of torture. He lifts me, ignoring the smell as he carries me to a lounge chair I hadn’t seen before at the side of the enormous tub. It reminds me of the ancient tubs in Rome. Setting me down, he starts to remove my clothes, and I can’t be bothered to feel shame.

  I rely on my clinical brain, thinking of him viewing me naked in a medical setting.

  I let him help me into the steaming water. It burns at first, but I enjoy the feeling, letting it remind me I’m still alive.

  He sits on the lounger, watching as I let myself slowly sink below the surface. I blow my air out in a stream of bubbles so I slowly settle on the bottom. I stay there until my lungs burn like fire. When I break through the surface of the water, he is gone. A table has appeared, and it is loaded to the point of buckling with food and drink. I stare at it with longing but I can’t talk myself into leaving the heat of the bath. The lip of the tub has jars filled with all kinds of soaps and shampoos. I fill my hand with one that smells like mint and rub it into my mangy hair. It will take hours to get the curls untangled, but first I focus on just getting it clean.

  I let myself float on the surface as I rinse the soap out. I grab a handful of thick conditioning butter and work it through the long lengths before twisting it up on top. A clip sits near the products; he has thought of everything.

  Grabbing a loofah, I dip it in a bowl of minty smelling body wash and scrub every inch of my body before once again letting myself float to rinse my body. I keep my head out, wanting to let the conditioner do its work.

  The water cools as I drag myself out of the tub. My exhaustion has reached a critical level but I manage to stumble to the lounger. Sitting, I reach for some bread and juice.

  Even though I want to gobble everything, I know better. My body will rebel, rejecting the food after going without for so long. I chew slowly as I try to plan an escape. Unfortunately, I feel myself slipping into sleep or unconsciousness, depending on how you look at it.

  ‘I’m out of time, Arkyn.’

  I smile as once again I picture him in my mind. I try to imagine what his voice sounds like outside my head.

  ‘Good thing we are coming then. Just stay with me, Lali, and I will find you.’

  I startle at his voice. ‘How?’

  ‘Sitara figured out how he’s hiding you. How come he’s so strong. We helped her do the same thing. We are coming, Gdab.’ I don’t know what he just called me, but his voice softened when he said it, so I’m going to assume it is something good.

  I don’t know how to tell him that it’s too late.

  Chapter 10

  ARKYN

  Her voice faded. Just slowly slipped away as she spoke. I glance at Sitara. She is sitting next to me in the SUV that Evander is steering through the maze of overcrowded city streets, and I’m glad they didn’t hear me call her lover.

  She shakes her head. Even though Citlali won’t respond with the boost from her connecting us all, sipping at our powers and if how I feel is any hint, our life forces, I can still feel her.

  “Left,” I murmur as I close my eyes to focus, trusting Evander to keep us moving in the right direction.

  We continue this way until we make our way out of the city and into a more industrial area. Large warehouses stand beside a busy port full of ships.

  “How will we find her in all this?” I ask as Evander slows down. “I know she is within a few blocks but I can’t seem to pinpoint it.”

  “It’s my turn now. Keep connected to her. Stop the car, please.” Evander does as she asks, and she squeezes my hand before stepping out. Turning, she locks eyes with me and says, “I most likely won’t survive today, so keep her safe. Find the others. Ask Diniel for help if you need it; Lucifer will know of him. I’m certain your powers will grow as each couple is completed.”

  I start to argue, but she turns and fucking floats away. Floats. Lady has mad skills. Leaning over, I grab the handle and jerk the door closed.

  “Where to?” Evander looks at me in the rearview, and I shake my head. I have no idea. “Let me get the others here. We can go building by building.”

  “No.” I think that is a real bad idea. “I have a feeling that asshole will call in his friends if he feels like he might lose this fight with her. Or he’ll kill Citlali before we can get to her.” His fingers tap on the steering wheel. He’s more impatient than I am, but I know he’ll wait. He wouldn’t do anything to risk losing one of the girls, doesn’t want any of us to suffer the way he is.

  I’m watching him as he stares out the window so I see the moment he stiffens. I follow his line of sight and throw myself across the backseat. I’ve never seen Sitara’s brother, but there’s no mistaking the man strolling down the street towards her as anything other than one of her people. He is simply more, and the stink of evil clogs the air around him.

  “Stay in the vehicle, Arkyn. You heard her,” Evander growls. “Don’t make her sacrifice be for nothing.”

  I flinch at his words and tone, but he’s right. So I stay, but my hand refuses to leave the handle. Somewhere along the way, I began to care about that woman. People I care about end up dead or enslaved.

  She stops her forward motion and waits.

  “Sitara, I was beginning to think I was wrong about you caring for the
woman. But she literally stunk of your magic. The others didn’t.”

  She remains silent.

  “You figured out how I was finding them.” He grins, and it is something straight out of Hell.

  “You searched for my magic.” Her voice is low.

  “I did. It took me a while to find it with the angel’s powers wrapped around it. Was that your idea?” She nods once, and he smiles bigger. “So you did pay attention to our hosts.”

  She nods again. And I can see his muscle twitch just under his eye; she’s pushing at his buttons. He’s so angry that he’s left his soft underbelly wide open to her attack.

  “You have nothing to say?” He takes a step forward.

  Just as he does, I feel Citlali stronger as his control slips a tiny amount.

  “Drive,” I bark at Evander. He stomps the gas, and we rocket forward. “Head east. She’s not far.”

  He turns down a side street, and the back of the vehicle fishtails as he drags his phone from his pocket. I close my eyes and focus on the woman. I hear him rattle off our general location to someone.

  “Slow down.” The car lurches as he takes his foot off the gas. “Stop!” My forehead slams into the seat back as he does exactly what I said. My eyes fly open, and I jerk the door handle, opening the door and jumping out.

  Evander is out right after, leaving the engine running. I’m running toward a large warehouse and I hear his steps pounding right behind me. I grunt as I bounce off a magical barrier.

  “Fuck.” I hear a chuckle and look up to see Evander grinning, his hand held out. “Not funny.”

  “It was a little funny.” My palm slaps against his, and he hauls me up.

  “How do we get through it?” I tap my finger against it, and it feels like I punch a stone wall again. “We don’t know her magic.”

  “True. Try to reach the woman again. Maybe she can get out… He might have only set the ward to keep us out.”

  I mull his words over; he could be right.

  ‘Citlali!’ I scream the word through our link.

  I feel her jerk to awareness.

  ‘Arkyn?’

  “I got her.” He nods and turns to watch our backs.

  ‘I need you to come to me. I can’t get in, but we are hoping you can maybe get out.’

  ‘I’ll try, Arkyn, but I’m so weak.’ She didn’t need to tell me that; I could hear it in her voice.

  I feel my heart clench. What if we rescue her and we still lose her? Sitara has all but said Citlali is my destined descendant. I might lose my chance before I ever actually get it.

  “We need to come up with a plan C and quickly.” Evander looks at me hard. “I don’t know if she has the strength to get out.”

  I try not to imagine what he might have done to her all these weeks. Nine weeks he has held her in this building or another just like it. He had her completely to himself to do whatever he wanted. It’s sad that I hope he only hurt her as a punishment for his sister. I pray to the God that abandoned me long ago that he did nothing worse. It’s little and selfish of me to think this way.

  An almost sonic boom blasts me from my wallowing and I spin, looking the direction we drove from. Sitara. Luc appears in front of me, and I step back, gritting my teeth.

  “Damn it, man, please stop doing that.” He smiles. Shit, he does it on purpose. “Really?” He only shrugs.

  I shake my head.

  “Can you get us in?” Evander reminds us of why the man appeared in the first place.

  Luc turns and places his hand a hair’s breadth from the magical ward. His power rolls over the entire area. Evander and I both stumble under the force of it while squeezing our eyes shut to block out his blinding light as he completely blasts the ward.

  The Morning Star turns night to day. I slit my eyes slightly and watch as he literally burns the ward away. The second it is gone, I’m pushing past him and rushing to the door, happy to stay upright this time.

  I can hear Evander following close behind, but the light dies and darkness wraps around us in an instant. I glance back, and he’s gone.

  What the hell?

  “I’m certain he went to aid Sitara.” So I’m not the only one that noticed his interest.

  “Citlali,” I call out, hoping she will help us find her. Silence answers me. “What if we’re too late?” I’m not really asking him but Evander answers.

  “We’ll reach her in time.” He speeds up even as he says the words.

  We split apart when we come to the end of the hall. A door flanks each side, and we turn to them with military precision. He goes right and I go left. I listen as he calls her name as my heart pounds and I race through the darkness.

  I would have passed right by her if the moonlight hadn’t highlighted her pale skin. Sliding to a stop, I fall to my knees at her side.

  “Evander,” I call and try to keep my voice steady.

  I don’t wait for him to reach me. Instead I pull my shirt over my head, covering her with it and hiding her emaciated body from his eyes. The monster had starved her. I want to rip him limb from limb or incinerate him with lightning. Maybe both at the same time.

  I ease Lali into my arms, feeling stupid for calling her that in my head.

  Sparks of electricity arc off my body, lighting up the room.

  “Calm down, Arkyn.”

  I drop my gaze down in surprise, and caramel eyes meet mine for a split second before they close once more.

  Chapter 11

  CITLALI

  It’s positively electric being in his arms.

  I want to laugh but I think I’m really dying this time. I think this is all a delusion or another illusion created by Theon.

  This is the one that will break me for good.

  If this is Theon, he hasn’t forgotten a thing. In the temple, Arkyn’s scent had wrapped around my senses. It reminded me of my trip to the Pacific Northwest, old growth forest damp with rain. So different from the rainforest I grew up in but comforting all the same.

  Home.

  My brain jerks at the thought. Sitara and my people are home, not some strange man I know nothing about.

  That’s not exactly true, girl. You know he’s important and you know he’s trying to save you, I chastise myself.

  Sitara left me with him, which is something she’s never done. She’s never asked anything of me other than for me to learn. She taught me ancient healing techniques, chants, and herbs she learned from around the world.

  My thoughts slam to a stop. Ancient. Theon has power. I am a doctor. I believe in science but I also know there are powers that humans can’t understand. Sitara is his sister.

  She didn’t teach me things she learned, she taught me things she knew, she had taught me...magic. I think about how often I hum the chants under my breath during surgeries.

  Have I been using magic all along?

  I start singing the first chant she ever taught me. I feel Arkyn’s heart beat out the drum, and my voice follows it. Just as I begin to repeat the first lines, something begins to happen.

  Electricity begins to course through my body, an electricity that has a distinctly male essence. ‘Arkyn.’

  ‘Lali?’ I’ve never been called that by anyone but I like it. ‘What’s happening to us?’

  ‘Magic.’ I don’t know how else to explain it. I struggle, fighting my way from the darkness that holds me tight in its grasp.

  I can hear a gasp and feel the sensation of falling.

  “Catch him,” a deep voice growls, and the falling stops. “What’s going on?” The voice growls to whoever he’s talking to.

  “Arkyn?” Another voice this time. “Why are his powers going haywire?”

  “I don’t know, Torryn. Just help me get them to the SUV.” Things become clear as I get closer to consciousness.

  ‘Are you bewitching me, woman?’ Even in my mind, I can hear his laughter.

  ‘Maybe you are bewitching me.’ I smile.

  ‘You’ve taken over my powers, s
o I’m positive I’m not doing this.’ His powers.

  ‘Are you like Sitara?’ He chuckles.

  ‘Oh no, sweetheart, I’m nothing near as powerful as Sitara.’ He doesn’t elaborate, doesn’t say what he is. ‘If you ever wake up, I have a long story to tell you, but I need to see those beautiful candy-colored eyes first.’

  ‘Candy?’ I wait to hear what he says next.

  ‘Like liquid caramel, warm and sweet.’ I think my cheeks are pink. Can a person be embarrassed when they aren’t even awake? The heat I feel says yes.

  The whole time we had our silent conversation, I’ve continued to hum the chant for healing.

  “You see this, right?” The one called Torryn asks. “Am I crazy? It does look like she’s literally gaining weight right in front of our eyes, right?”

  “I don’t know what to think. Luc says take them to the temple, so I’m taking them to the temple.” I can tell we are starting up the mountain as the car sways with the curves. Not too long and we’ll be safe.

  “She looks better, but he looks like shit,” Torryn yells at the driver.

  ‘Am I hurting you?’ Nothing. ‘Arkyn?’ No response.

  I crash through the last barrier and sit straight up gasping. My eyes fly around the car, skipping over the startled looks of the other people and landing on Arkyn’s ashen face.

  I’ve killed him.

  Drained him dry like a vampire.

  Chapter 12

  ARKYN

  Finally, I didn’t fail.

  I let her take it all, everything I have to give her. Willingly going to the darkness for her.

  My one and only success, and I’m okay with it being my last act. Are you listening, God? If You are or if anyone else is, give her my power, give her whatever is in me that she needs to gain her legacy. Her destiny.

  I can hear them calling me. Drawing in a shallow breath, I smell the temple. They have brought me back. I wonder if I’m back on the altar? Her willing sacrifice.