“All things are impossible until they aren’t,” he said, his gaze trained straight ahead. “When I was growing up, the idea of flight would have been impossible. The thought of being able to capture moving images or use technology to see where you are or where you’re going would have been deemed witchcraft. Now you have all of that on a rectangle that fits in your pocket.”
“That’s not the same thing,” I answered. “This is magic.”
“And one hundred years ago, all of that would have been magic, too. The truth is that none of us knows what the future holds, not even The Brothers. I do know one thing, though. They wouldn’t be expending all of this energy if they weren’t worried about you. In my vast experience, people are only worried about what they’re afraid of.”
I laughed bitterly. “The Brother’s aren’t afraid of me, Abram. They just can’t find me.”
“Oh, believe me, they’re terrified,” he said. He pulled to a stop in front of me, looking deep into my eyes. “And who can blame them? You’re the most perfect creature I’ve ever seen. Everyone sees it. It’s on their faces as you walk by. It’s on their lips when they speak to you. And it’s in their eyes as they look at the lucky bastard who gets to call you his own.”
“I’m the lucky one,” I said, grinning up at the most handsome, kindest man I’d ever met.
“Agree to disagree,” he said, and he leaned in to kiss me.
As his lips grazed mine, my phone rang. “Damn it,” I muttered against Abram’s lips. I broke the kiss and pulled the phone out because I knew I had to.
Ramsey was on the other end. “We’ve got trouble,” he said.
“We always do,” I answered. ‘What’s wrong?”
“Charlie left,” he said.
“So?” I balked. “He’s probably just getting some air. He’s been expectedly moody lately. He’ll be back.”
“No, no, no. I’m not articulating myself clearly. Listen to me, Char. Charlie’s body left. But he wasn’t himself. He was…different.”
“Oh God,” I stammered.
“What is it?” Abram asked.
Beads of sweat moistened my forehead. “Mandrake is on the loose.”
“That’s not possible.” Abram raked his fingers through his hair. “His power is like mine…like mine used to be. Connected to the moon. It’s broad daylight.”
“That hardly matters.” Satina’s voice sounded in our heads.
The world shimmered, and a visage of her appeared in front of us. She was beaten bloody and bruised. I flinched at the sight of her.
“We barely got out of it alive,” she said coldly. “Cindy happened to be in the other room when that psychopath emerged, or she’d be dead for sure.”
“But the moon,” Abram answered. “This shouldn’t be happening.”
Satina lifted her hand to stop him. “I scanned him as he was beating me bloody. He did pull from the moon…from the moon on the other side of the world.”
“What?” I threw my hand up to my mouth. “How is that possible? What does that mean for us?”
Satina shook her rattled head. “It means, Charisse, that things just got a lot worse.”
Chapter 23
“Worse?” I asked, my body tightening at the thought. “How is that even possible?”
Satina clicked her tongue. “Mandrake just pulled at the moon’s energy from clear across the globe in order to take control of Charlie’s body. We’re not safe night or day. That’s how it’s worse. It also means that The Brothers have given him a pretty hefty power upgrade.”
“An upgrade?” Abram’s jaw clenched. “He was powerful enough before.”
“Well, he’ll be damn near impossible now,” Satina answered. “Trust me. I just got through tangling with him.”
“This means Charlie really is gone then?” I asked, a dread climbing up into my heart that threatened to completely incapacitate me.
“It’s worse than that,” Satina said, her expression revealing one of her rare flickers of remorse. “Charlie Prince still exists inside his body. He just has no control over it. And he seemingly never will again—not until the exact moment he dies.”
“Dies?” I asked, my heart jumping.
“That’s the thing, I’m afraid,” she said, her visage spreading her hands. “I’ve seen The Brothers employ this sort of tactic before. The human body isn’t designed to handle energies of that level. It’ll burn through him, from the inside out. Mr. Mandrake will be given a new body, I’m sure, providing he comes through with his end of things and kills you. I doubt they’ll be as generous with Charlie.”
“We can’t just let him die,” I yelled in breathless anger. “What’s this all been for if that happens?”
Abram gave my hand a little tug. “Pull yourself together, Charisse. It’ll be okay.”
I jerked it away from him. “No! I am done, goddamn it! I am finished with being calm and strong, and whatever other garbage I’ve been pretending to be while my brain is exploding in my skull. Everything is not okay,” I screamed. “And I will not pull myself together, because together, people don’t get things done, Abram. Together, people come to terms with what they can’t change. They make peace with losses that they label as acceptable, and they live the rest of their lives thinking there was nothing they could do to stop any of it from happening.”
I pushed Abram. I wasn’t sure why I did it. It wasn’t his fault. If anything, he had been more at my side than anyone else through all of this. But I was angry. I was scared, and I needed to take it out on someone.
“I’m not interested in any of that,” I continued while Abram stood stock still, scowling. “And I’m not interested in either of you telling me that he has to die, that there’s no way of saving him. We’re fucking superheroes. If there isn’t a way, then we make one. If there’s a wall between us and what we want, we punch a hole through it. It’s what we do. It’s what we’ve always done.” I looked at Abram with fire in my gut. “And it’s what we’re going to do now.”
“Okay,” Abram said, looking down at me. “Okay, Charisse.”
Satina pointed at him. “Don’t you dare give that woman false hope, Abram.”
“Enough, Satina,” he said.
“Not enough,” she shot back. “You know as well as I do that we’re past that.”
“Satina,” he said through clenched teeth.
“The power is too much. He’ll be dead by midnight.”
“Satina.”
“Even if we pull it out of him now, the power’s done irrevocable damage to Charlie’s body. There’s no way for us to save him, and I’d have hoped at this point you’d have more respect for her than to allow her to wallow in this very mortal, very twenty-first century-type of self-indulgent immaturity.”
“Satina!” Abram might be without his powers, but the roar he unleashed made me second-guess it. “This isn’t your fight. This isn’t even your world anymore. If you want to give up hope, then by all means, do it somewhere else. As for me, I’ve seen this woman do things that people smarter than you would deem impossible. So you’ll forgive me if I’m not in a rush to bet against her.” He wrapped my hand in his again, warmth spreading between our palms. “Because, in my experience, she wins more than she loses.”
I stifled a smile. “Okay,” I said. “What do we do now?”
“What I was going to tell you to do anyway,” Satina said, her voice lower. “Whether he can survive it or not, Charlie can’t be allowed to run freely in the city. Too many people will die. And the same can be said for my father. He’s intent on making a point to The Brothers, in making your death a production bolstered by the blood of the innocent.” She swallowed hard. “Now I never claimed to be an angel, but I’ll be damned if I’ll allow my family legacy to be marred by something like that.”
“So take him out,” I answered in steely tone. “I’ll deal with Charlie.”
“No,” Satina said.
Abram glowered at her. “Satina, don’t—”
&nb
sp; “No, Abram,” Satina said. “It’s not like that. If you’d like to play the infinitesimal odds and bet on Charlie surviving, then I won’t stop you, but that man shouldn’t be your first priority. He might be as juiced up as one of those new-age ball players everyone is so happy to build up and tear down, but my father is on a mission. He’s killing people every minute. I can feel it. I’m not powerful enough to stop him. Even if I was, I’m not sure I’d have the constitution to do what’s needed. But you can.” She nodded. “And while you’re doing it, I have a plan to deal with Charlie.”
I opened my mouth, but Satina cut me off.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill him until you tell me to. What I have in mind is a bit more inventive than that. I’ll just need a dab or two of your blood to get my magic flowing.”
“But you’re not actually here,” I said, blinking at the hologram.
“Just dab it on my finger.” She held her shimmering hand out, and I did as she asked. She closed her eyes and muttered something in what sounded like Latin. “Be careful,” she said, opening her eyes. “My father is not to be taken lightly, and he’s not to be—”
“He won’t see daylight,” Abram said.
Satina blinked hard, and pain flashed across her face.
“I’ll try not to make it hurt,” I offered.
“Just do what you have to,” she said, without much emotion on her face or in her tone. “Let me help you along.” She leaned forward and blew, and the lock of her hair I’d taken before leaving the hotel flew out of my hand and took to the wind.
It lifted higher than the breeze could have ever taken it. It wasn’t long before I realized that I was looking at magic itself. The hair drifted to the top of a nearby building and shimmered, making sure I could see it before it disappeared like a signal flare over the water.
“That’s where he is, isn’t it?” I asked. But when I turned around, Satina was gone.
“Come on,” Abram said, ushering me toward the building.
We rushed through the door and up the stairs, readying ourselves for what was to come.
My mind was heavy with worry, but I pushed it aside. I couldn’t carry it and still do what I needed to. Besides, I was a strong woman. I could do this.
Couldn’t I?
I pushed open the door.
For whatever reason, the wind whipped like a hurricane up here. I walked out onto the roof and screamed, “I’m here!”
I was done with hiding.
“No need to shout,” a voice said as Abram settled behind me.
Light shimmered in the distance, and Satina’s father appeared on the ledge.
He had a woman with him. His hand was around her throat, and she was gurgling and rasping. He held her over the edge, her feet dangling helplessly in the air.
“Oh my God,” I muttered.
“Not quite a god, but close,” Satina’s father said. “How’s my daughter, anyway? You will send my regards, won’t you?”
“Over your dead body,” I shot back.
“Nice to see you again, too,” he said. “I was so hoping we could put an end to this.”
And then he threw the poor woman over the edge.
Chapter 24
My throat tightened as the woman slipped from Satina’s father’s grasp.
“Edwin,” Abram yelled. “What have you done?”
But his voice sounded a hundred miles away. All I could focus on was that woman: the beating of her heart and the terror in her voice as she mumbled a prayer, falling story after story.
“I’ve got you,” I said softly, not really sure what I meant by it. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know by whose hand. All I knew was that I had to save her.
I was the only one who could.
Closing my eyes, I was suddenly with her. I fell right alongside her, my eyes connecting with hers.
She couldn’t see me. Or, if she could, she didn’t betray it as she continued praying.
“Save me,” she stated over and over again. “Save me. Please save me.”
It occurred to me we were falling slower than we should have been. But it wouldn’t be enough. I still needed to find a way to stop the crash at the bottom.
Power ran through me, but, unlike before, this power was smooth and light. It didn’t drain me like other times. This force empowered me. It made me stronger.
I reached my hand out to her and felt the spark of something very special pass between us.
She gasped as though she felt it, too.
The wind quickened as we neared the ground, but I wasn’t concerned. I could feel it, which meant that I could control it. And, if I could control it, then I could fix this.
I focused myself and used the wind. It picked up even more, but this time, because I willed it. Harder and harder, it pressed against us, funneling itself directly at the two of us, creating a force.
Soon, with enough concentration, that force became strong enough to slow us to a safer speed. We drifted to the earth below like a feather on the breeze.
As the woman was gently lowered to the concrete, her eyes went wide. “Thank you,” she said, looking around for some unseen hand.
“You’re welcome.”
And then I was gone. When I opened my eyes, I was back on the roof.
Edwin barreled toward me with something in his hand. It was clear and long, shaped like a dagger of some sort. Except it wasn’t metal. It was made of…of glass.
“The slipper,” I yelled, ducking out of the way just as he tried to dig it into me.
The air sparkled and crackled right above me. I smelled burning rubber and charred flesh, holding my breath to keep the stench out.
“Charisse,” Abram called in the background.
This time, he wasn’t miles away. He was right there, right beside me.
Right where he belonged.
“Get back,” I yelled, still leaning backward.
I threw my hand toward Abram, expelling energy that knocked him away from Edwin and me. He didn’t need to come here. He would be dead if even one thing went wrong, and that would kill me, too. Even if I survived this.
I pulled myself back up, watching Satina’s father as energy pooled around the Glass Slipper. It was almost bright enough to light the sky. As he moved it between his hands, I could see what was so special about it.
It came from The Brothers themselves, and it was meant to kill me.
“What have you been up to?” Satina’s father asked, his eyes bearing down on me. “Did you use that pesky little magic of yours to save that woman, or did you just watch her splat against the pavement? I can’t tell which kind of naughty you are yet.”
“You’re about to find out,” I said, letting my own power flow through me, sparking in a deliberately dramatic fashion. “Come closer. I’ll whisper it in your ear.”
I threw my hand forward, unleashing a torrent of energy.
The slipper sucked it all up, taking it harmlessly into itself.
I froze, watching as my stolen energy seemed to make the damn thing glow even brighter.
“I’m impressed with you,” Satina’s father said. “Really, I am. I pegged you as the type of girl who’d fold at the first sign of a slaughtered girl. Half expected you to come beat down my door, begging me to put a blade in you and end the horror. But no. You were satisfied to watch other people die in your place.” He shrugged. “For the day, at least.”
“This is no one’s fault but yours,” I said coldly.
Fire scorched my insides as rage ran through me. Energy crackled around my fingers—a sight that seemed to give Satina’s father no shortage of glee.
“You haven’t given me enough?” he asked, glaring at me from beneath his eyebrows and tapping the slipper against his leg.
“Something like that,” I said, driving my hands downward. Crouching to my knees, I sat my palms flat against the roof and let my energy surge through it.
Obeying my unspoken command, it flowed toward Edwin. I watched as his eyes grew wide
, but recoiled when he jabbed the slipper into the roof.
I cursed under my breath, but that wasn’t the end of it.
Stupidly, I thought the slipper would just suck the energy up like before. But Edwin had something infinitely worse in mind.
With a flick of the horrid weapon, the energy turned tail and ran.
Only it didn’t go to me.
It rushed toward Abram. My body tensed, and I bolted toward him, but it was too late.
The power—my power—coursed through his all-too-mortal body, lighting him up like a bug against a zapper.
He jerked violently before crumbling to the ground.
But this wasn’t ordinary energy. I had fueled it with all the hate, all the anger and rage, that had been bottled up inside of me since all of this had started.
This wasn’t intended to stun or hurt.
This energy was marked to kill.
Abram’s face grew red and still as blood poured out of his nose and eyes. Foam fell from his mouth, and the tips of his hair started to gray.
He was dying, and it was my fault.
My God. Please no.
I nearly tripped as I scrambled toward him, but Edwin cut me off.
He was inches from me, the slipper nearly grazing my neck.
“I really thought it would be harder than this.” He grinned. Pulling the slipper down to my gut, he jabbed it into me.
The entire world went away.
There was no New York, no rooftop, no Edwin, not even an Abram anymore.
There was only pain.
It roared through me like a predator that had finally found its prey, like a lion with its teeth wrapped around the neck of a gazelle.
It had me now, and I wasn’t letting go.
But neither was it.
“I don’t do easy,” I growled at Edwin, struggling to find coherence enough through the pain to actually form words.
It was horrible, perhaps the most awful thing in a life filled with other terrible things. But I couldn’t give up now.
Abram was past medical attention. He might be dead already. The only chance I had was to survive this. I had to make it so he might make it. I had to brave the slipper so that I could fix what I had done to Abram.
Charmed by the Beast: an Adult Paranormal Shifter Romance (The Conduit Series Book 3) Page 15