by Jami Gray
Keeping his face expressionless, he murmured, “Only if I have bail saved.”
His dry comment got a fierce grin, which soon faded. “How do you want to handle this?”
‘This’ being the obvious trap Hadley laid out for them. Without knowing the details of what the trap entailed, it made things beyond tricky. It didn’t help that Hadley was playing with a stronger, deadlier unknown partner.
“Let me go in first.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. “Hear me out. She’s using Danny as bait. Up to this point, everything she’s done is to get to you. Giving her exactly what she wants isn’t how we take her out. We need her off balance. You said it yourself, she’s a great tool, but not good at thinking on her feet, so let’s make her improvise.”
Tala’s mouth shut, but he could see she was thinking it through. “I don’t like sending you in when we have no idea what traps she’s laid.”
Neither did he, but… “Since her main goal seems to be taking you out, I’m thinking the traps are tailored for you, not me. It gives us a slim opening to turn her magic back on her.”
Her eyes narrowed. “That’s a thin line of hope, Cheveyo.”
“Maybe, but it’s better than nothing,” he argued.
Instead of answering, Tala nudged her horse’s flanks and began moving back up the canyon.
Cheveyo smothered his sigh and sent the paint to follow. For a few minutes, the only sounds were the sharp clicks of the horses’ hooves against the loose rock and the muffled thumps as they moved onto softer ground.
Tala twisted in her saddle. “If you go in, go in with Raine playing sidekick.”
It wasn’t the reaction he expected, but her logic made sense. “I can do that.”
She shifted back around and her voice drifted back, “You may not need her, but better safe than sorry.”
In less than hour, Tala slowed her horse. “We should go in from here on foot.”
He tightened his legs on the paint, who obediently came to a halt. He slid off, and, together, he and Tala hobbled the horses. When they were finished, he followed Tala through the woods.
The tree line broke on a ridge overlooking a tiny meadow. Because of the lack of cover, they were forced to move to the overlook’s edge on their stomachs. Lying side by side, they studied the clearing. He recognized the familiar rounded roofline of a hogan built on the far edge. A thin line of smoke curled from the roof, but there were no other signs of life.
When Tala began to gather her magic, Cheveyo stopped her with a simple press of fingers to her arm. She looked at him, eyebrows raised.
He lowered his head until his mouth was near her ear, wanting to ensure their voices didn’t carry. “Let me, she may recognize your energy.”
Tala nodded, and he didn’t hesitate. Using the lightest touch he could, he sent his magic out to merge with the soft breeze already dancing along. Using nature’s patterns to disguise his own, he began the delicate work of identifying where Hadley anchored her spells. He hit the first one on the closest edge. Its simplicity almost made him miss it. The magic was woven in a fine strand strung along the inside edge of the clearing, set to vibrate a warning if tripped. Easy enough to get by undetected if he wanted.
He kept going.
The next one lay just outside of the hogan’s entrance. While he recognized the presence of the spell, the particulars of it were harder to determine. Layer upon layer of magic created a protective barrier. Not only that, but it made trying to detect what lay inside impossible. Sneaking in was definitely out.
He turned, met Tala’s gaze, and shook his head. Her face hardened. In silent agreement, they made their way back to the protection of the forest, and a fast and furious discussion ensued.
Based upon the layered spell, it was a given Hadley was working with a complex magic normally outside her reach. Tala didn’t want him waltzing in, but when he pointed out how limited their and Danny’s options were, she finally relented.
“I don’t like this,” she snapped, her voice low. “Swear to the gods, Cheveyo, you get yourself killed, and I’ll bring you back and kill you again.”
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her in tight and hid his smile against her hair. “I love you too, awéé.”
She leaned back against his hold and cupped his face. “Stay safe.”
He took her lips, pouring his commitment and love into a heated rush of a kiss. When he raised his head, her eyes were shiny. “I will come back.” He brushed his thumb over her lush lower lip. “Your promise you will stick to the plan.”
She swallowed, and her voice was choked, “Promise.”
But there was more in her dark gaze, something he recognized because it lived in him as well.
A promise of retribution should anything go wrong.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cheveyo and Tala made their way down toward the clearing, being careful to stay just outside of the view of the hogan. No sense in making it easy for Hadley. Hidden behind a screen of trees, Cheveyo thinned the barrier he held between him and Raine, and sent out a summons. Hopefully, he didn’t catch her in the midst of her own drama.
“You rang?”
There hadn’t been time to explain much when he demanded her help with Hollis, and considering how their last, real conversation ended, he didn’t fault her for the wariness in her mental voice. “I’m about to walk into a trap.”
His comment was met by a moment of stunned silence, quickly broken by the hard bite of, “Why?”
He didn’t waste time and shared the highlights with Raine, ending with his promise to Tala.
Raine’s response was immediate. “At least someone over there is thinking straight.”
Ignoring her comment was his only choice. “Can you and Gavin hide the connection, so Hadley doesn’t pick up you’re there?”
Silence stretched through their link, an undercurrent of concern lapping at his mind. Not much, but enough to clue him in.
He was stepping out onto the minefield of what she and Gavin were trying so hard to keep quiet, but the time to spare feelings was long past. “Raine, can you and Gavin repeat what you did to me or not?”
“Yessss.” Her caution was obvious in the drawn out word. “But you do understand it won’t just be me in there. I need Gavin’s help to create the illusion.”
Yeah, he got it. He didn’t like it, but there wasn’t much about this entire situation he did like. “Understood.”
“Do you?” There was a sharpness to her question.
“Yeah, I do, Raine.” Time to put it all on the table. “I know what you two did to save me.”
A tense silence stretched, filled with unspoken fears and worries.
“Peace, Raine,” he soothed. “Unorthodox as it may be, it kept me alive, so I’m thankful.”
“It’s not normal.” Her answer was barely there.
He didn’t bother hiding his chuckle. “Yeah, well, what of our world is normal?” He didn’t give her a chance for a comeback. “Can you two repeat it?”
Instead of answering, Raine sidestepped his question. “Your assumption that Hadley is in league with Leo means there’s no telling what kind of magic she’s going to be flinging about.”
“Which is why I want you on standby.”
“You want me to mess with her magic.” Resentment flared along the edges of her statement.
No one liked being considered a tool, especially not this woman who already considered herself an outsider with the unusual world of the Kyn. Yet Leo’s past machinations proved inherently lethal, and Cheveyo had no intentions of being taken out of the upcoming fight.
All of these thoughts made his response gentler than their weight. “As a last resort.”
“You trust us?”
And there was the heart of it all. He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
Raine’s mental sigh came through loud and clear. “You do realize it would be simpler to bring this to an end before it gets to that point?”
> Maybe taking Hadley out first was the best option, but, even now, all his suspicions were just that—suspicions, with nothing concrete behind them. Nothing they could use to sway the Council or the other Southwest leaders. Which meant making a judgment call was just shy of playing god. And that was crossing a line even he wasn’t ready to break. “Worried about the danger?”
“Not from some psycho-witch with a hard-on for you.” It was an expected answer, but then with cold, merciless practicality, she added, “But from Tala or Natasha if we don’t get your ass out of there in one piece? Yeah. Neither Gavin nor I want to die for you, Cheveyo.”
He was torn between offended pride that she would think it would come to that and black humor. “Not asking you to, girl. The only reason I’m inviting you in—”
“Is because you promised The Wicked Witch of the South,” Raine cut in. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Fine, we’ll make sure the connection stays invisible. How soon are you going in?”
“As soon as you stop bitching at me.”
“Good, means I have enough time to make some popcorn to share with Gavin while we play audience to your showdown.”
He choked on a laugh.
“Cheveyo.” Her tone softened, losing the sarcastic edge. “Be careful.”
Breeching the first ward left the merest vibration in its wake, but when Cheveyo lifted the old blanket hanging in the doorway and stepped across the hogan’s threshold, every internal warning system went on red alert.
He stood still in the only opening as his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit interior, his magic hovering around him in a protective cloak. He couldn’t do much about what lay in wait, just ensure that whatever it was didn’t slip past his protections.
The one room structure left no place to hide, and although no one jumped out of the shadows, he remained leery. Something was here.
The fire stove squatted in the center, its long pipe chimney disappearing through the hole at the roof’s center. A camping lantern, sitting off to the right, provided most of the light. Enough to see someone lying on their side, back to the door, on a sleeping pallet against the far side.
“Danny?” Cheveyo called out softly as he stepped farther inside.
A soft groan from the bundle on the floor brought Cheveyo the rest of the way. Trap or no trap, he wouldn’t leave his friend. Bracing a knee against the ground, he kept his touch gentle as he encouraged the person on the ground to roll over.
When the light spilled over the features revealed, Cheveyo sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, gods, Danny, what did she do?”
Danny’s eyes were swollen shut, one cheek was so bruised Cheveyo worried it might actually be broken. Blood lined Danny’s mouth, difficult to tell if it was from the cuts on his lips or from something more serious indicating serious internal damage.
Cheveyo carefully pulled back the blanket, and the violence continued. Deep cuts lined Danny’s arms, his familiar flannel shredded. The T-shirt underneath was torn and bloodstained. If this was Hadley’s work, then she used more than simple fists and knives to create such damage.
For a moment, Cheveyo froze, afraid to touch Danny for fear of adding to his pain. There didn’t seem to be a spot left untouched. Uttering a sharp curse, he twisted around, searching the hogan for anything that he could use.
Seeing the pot on the fire stove, he rose and confirmed it was water. Probably to pour over the smooth rounded river rocks piled at the stove’s base for a makeshift sauna. Using the edge of his T-shirt, he brought the pot over and set it beside Danny.
A bit of frantic searching turned up a ceremonial knife. He put it to use cutting an extra blanket into makeshift cloths.
When the wet cloth touched Danny’s face, he groaned and one of his arms rose weakly to bat at Cheveyo’s hands. Realizing the swelling was so severe that Danny couldn’t open his eyes to see who was at his side, Cheveyo spoke up. “It’s just me, Danny.” He caught Danny’s hand in a gentle grip. “I’ve got you.”
Danny’s mouth worked but nothing came out.
The hair on the back of Cheveyo’s neck quivered and the urge to call out to Tala rose in a suffocating wave, but he fought it down. Just because he couldn’t see any threats, didn’t mean they weren’t out there. He couldn’t risk them both.
First things first, he needed Danny aware so he could figure out what happened.
Using another strip of blanket, Cheveyo soaked it in the water and then waited for it to cool before dribbling the moisture into Danny’s mouth, all the while keeping up a running monolog of comfort.
Eventually, Danny managed to hold Cheveyo’s wrist in a weak grip and get out a rough rasp. “Cheveyo?”
“Yeah, Danny, it’s me.”
As if his confirmation was all Danny was waiting for, the older man began struggling to sit up.
Cheveyo scrambled to keep him in place. “Stop, Danny. You need to relax, man. You’re in no shape to be moving about.”
“Got to leave—” Danny gasped, his struggles fading fast. “Can’t stay here. Not safe.”
Danny’s fear was palatable and left Cheveyo’s jaw clenched as his anger clawed at his control. He laid a wet strip of cloth over Danny’s eyes.
“What happened?” He blocked Danny’s hands as they rose to touch the cloth covering his eyes. “Leave it, it might help the swelling.”
Danny’s hands fluttered uselessly before he turned his head blindly toward Cheveyo’s voice. “Hadley called.”
Seeing how difficult it was for Danny to talk, Cheveyo tried to fill in the blanks. “She asked you to come here to help her?”
“No, sent her here to meet me,” Danny corrected before a harsh cough left him groaning. Cheveyo propped up his shoulders until it passed. When he laid Danny back down, the older man continued, “Said she was attacked by a wo—wolf.”
Right, because Danny would drop everything to help Hadley, especially since he had no idea about the geas laid on Teagan or the mirror spell directed at Tala. It wouldn’t be a much of a stretch for Danny to believe a wolf attacked Hadley, especially considering how pissed the wolves were at losing their previous alpha. “And when you got here, was Hadley hurt?”
Despite all the swelling and bruising, Cheveyo still caught Danny’s frown. “Wasn’t Hadley waiting for me.”
The unexpected answer stilled Cheveyo’s hands for a moment before he continued his ministrations. “Do you remember who was?”
“Doesn’t make sense,” Danny muttered.
“Right now, not much does.” Cheveyo lifted the damp cloth from Danny’s eyes, relieved to find some of the swelling gone. Then he replaced it with another one. “If it wasn’t Hadley, who was it?”
“Andrew.” Confused anger mixed with disbelief.
That wasn’t the answer Cheveyo expected. His hands stilled as he tried to keep his shock from his voice, “Andrew? Tomás’s Second did this to you?”
Before Danny could answer, a whisper of warning blew across his spirit, and a noise from the hogan’s entrance brought him to his feet as he spun around. The quick move left the world wavering for a second before it settled.
Tala stood in the doorway, backlit by the fading evening light. “Cheveyo?”
“Why are you here?” he growled, furious she wasn’t heeding their agreement to stay back until they could lure Hadley into the open.
She came farther inside, her eyes widening as she caught sight of Danny behind him. Instead of answering him, she rushed in and dropped to her knees next to Danny. She tilted her head back. “What happened?”
Cheveyo sank back down by Danny’s side. “He was attacked.”
An unusual reluctance filled him to say anything more, and the strange whispering in his head continued. Danny’s story just didn’t make sense. Not to mention Cheveyo’s skin was threatening to crawl off his bones. Something wasn’t right but damned if he could figure out what was wrong.
Before he could reach out to Raine to see if she could pick up on anything, Tala huddled over Danny. “W
ho did this, Danny?”
“Tala,” Cheveyo voice was a low whip of command. “Why are you here?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she snapped back, glaring at him. “Danny is mine, Cheveyo.”
“We had an agreement.”
Her eyes narrowed as she straightened and leaned in close. So close the image of her face wavered then steadied. “This is not the time or place for an argument. Either help me heal Danny or get the hell out of my way.”
The niggling warning grew in strength, pressing against the inside of his skull, like a beetle trying to bore its way free. The sense of wrongness grew, but he couldn’t figure out why. Cautiously, he nodded his head.
Some of the tension left Tala, and she went to place her hands on Danny’s chest.
Cheveyo moved until he was sitting at Danny’s head, his attention centered on Tala. He waited for her to draw on her magic, but when no familiar brush of wind swept juniper and desert emerged, he frowned.
Dark, chocolate eyes turned to his. A sickening sense of foreboding hit him, and following an instinctive warning, he struggled to keep his reaction hidden. The smile she gave him carried a cold edge, one he wasn’t familiar with. She held out her hand. “Ready?”
He nodded just as a sharp, cutting pain swiped across his skull, but he hid his wince.
When he went to lay his hand in hers, Raine’s voice screamed across his nerve endings. “Don’t touch her!”
His hand hovered in midair, unable to close the distance.
Tala frowned, her gaze sharp. “What’s wrong?”
He fisted his hand and dropped it back into his lap. Her question circled in his head, gaining strength until the voice was no longer hers, but his. “What’s wrong?” It echoed, and he followed the echoes until he found the hidden link between him and Raine.
He stood before the shimmering air where nothing seemed to be. He touched it. “What’s wrong, Raine?”
“Illusion.” The one word rippled between them until the edges of it tore at the magic woven around him.