The gravel under her feet sounded like firecrackers as she moved, and suddenly all hell broke loose.
Chapter Three
Low growls, yelling, and shrieks echoed around the crumbling buildings surrounding her. Dani dropped to her knees when something hit the wall above her head. She had no idea what it was and was more terrified to guess what the warm spray that splattered against the side of her face could be.
As quickly as possible, she crawled on her hands and knees along the ground. Rocks bit into her palms and knees, but she was in survival mode and knew she needed to get out of there. She backed into a corner, stood up, and pulled off her heels to make running easier, because running was her only option at this point. She had no natural defensive ability, and the panic that threatened to take over was gaining weight against her ability to think clearly.
The shadows undulated with movement, but she couldn’t make out what any of it was. Something exploded against the stone next to her, launching her into a run. With a terrified scream caught in her throat and blinded by panic, she darted around buildings, dodging anything that crossed her path.
Something wrapped around her middle, forcing the wind out of her with the pressure. “Human’s aren’t allowed here,” the voice snarled in her ear as she fought against the arm crushing her back against a large male body. “Unless you’re here for me to play with?”
Dani spotted a flash of glowing red out of the corner of her eye. Turning her face to look at the man behind her, she faced a creature she’d never seen before in her life. She tore away from him and stumbled back a couple steps.
“Look at you all lit up for me to catch. Run, little human—it’ll be more fun.” The shadowed creature took a step toward her, but before he took a second step, a large figure tackled him to the ground.
“Run!” Whatever it was who saved her shouted at her in a voice that sounded inhumanly deep as invisible hands gently shoved her in the opposite direction. He said something else, but she couldn’t understand him through the panic overwhelming her senses.
Fear clogged Dani’s throat as she staggered back, bumping into another wall and bouncing off it like a pinball. Her legs felt like rubber. The sights and sounds going on around her overwhelmed her senses and muddied her thoughts. “Rigel, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Alnilam, Alnitak, Mintaka, Saiph, Hatsya, Tabit.” Dani started repeating the names of the primary stars of Orion over and over as she backed away, but it didn’t have the calming effect she usually counted on. Covering her ears with her hands didn’t block out the frantic sounds around her, as panic had convoluted her mind into a tumbling spiral of sensations she couldn’t decipher any longer.
* * * *
Maddoc turned the corner, a ball of energy in his hand. He’d known that this night was going to end up in a fight, which is why he and Gavin had warded the entire cemetery to keep any humans out. That was the last thing they needed was someone with a cell phone “outing” the preternatural communities tomorrow on YouTube. Supernatural municipalities and control would be the last of their worries if they were all running for their lives from paranoid masses. While the days of pitchforks and torches had passed, current technology was infinitely more dangerous.
A flash of twinkling lights in his peripheral vision caught his attention. What the fuck? A woman dressed up as a fairy was crouched down against a tombstone, her eyes closed and hands over her ears as she rocked back and forth muttering what sounded like a spell over and over. What the fuck curse is she creating? He lobbed the energy in her direction with the intent of smacking the spell right out of her.
“Maddoc, no!”
Trusting his brother’s warning, Maddoc pulled his mystical punch the instant before it hit the woman. It hardly brushed her but he watched as she snapped back like she’d taken a full hit, smacking her head back against the stone behind her. Her body inched its way down the wall as her knees buckled, her eyes closing as she crumpled into a silent heap on the ground.
Maddoc reached the woman the same moment that Gavin did. He hadn’t thought before reacting to what he thought was someone creating a curse, but he should have given more thought before throwing out that kind of energy.
“Dammit, Maddoc, she’s human.”
“How would I know that? And more importantly, how did she get past our wards?” Maddoc was immensely relieved his brother had warned him, because he could have killed her if she’d taken the full blow of his power. Still, he didn’t understand why she reacted so violently to his spell. He’d pulled it in enough time that she shouldn’t have felt anything more than a slight residual breeze over her skin.
“I have no idea. Something is really messed up here tonight. She was moments away from being a demonic snack for Rahovart when I spotted her. We need to get her out of here before he gets out of the spell I wrapped him in.”
“What would Rahovart want with her? He usually doesn’t do more than courier souls to hell.”
“Someone has obviously made a pack with Satan for her soul on a silver platter. He had plans to play with her first, Maddoc.”
Whoever put a price on her head meant business. Being a demon’s plaything would make her wish she was dead long before Rahovart decided to finish with her. “There must be a switch for these lights. She’s a neon beacon for danger lit up like this.” Maddoc slid his hands over the woman’s hips, tracing the thin wires that lined her skirt. “Fuck it.” He waved his hand over her skirt and, with a word, shorted out the electricity that was making the little lights sparkle.
The shadows dropped back over them as her eyes flickered open. She slowly looked back forth between him and Gavin. A cute little wrinkle marred the skin between her glazed eyes as she blinked over and over.
“You’re going to catch flies if you don’t close your mouth.” The teasing comment was out of his mouth before he thought of it. It was something their mother had used to say to them when they were kids. She blinked at him and her mouth shut with a click of her teeth, but she didn’t stop flicking her gaze between the two of them.
“You’re such an asshole, Maddoc.” Gavin thumped him in the arm and then reached for the woman in front of them. “Let’s get you out of here, sweetheart.”
Gavin scooped her up into his arms, and the woman flopped against his chest. It wasn’t the normal swooning action he’d seen by women before, and a true shiver of unease rippled through Maddoc. He’d hate himself more if he’d permanently damaged an innocent.
“Good idea. We need to figure out how she got in here.” Maddoc hadn’t missed the endearment his brother had used, and true to their nature, he completely agreed. The woman looked like she didn’t know her name at the moment, but there was no ignoring the instinctual need he was feeling. We should drop her off at an emergency room or somewhere she’d be safe while we call the police to help her. Neither idea sat well with him. She needed to come home with them so they could ensure her safety. There are still a few questions we need answered.
A shriek cut through the air, and the woman covered her ears again, muttering the same words she’d been saying before. Only now it didn’t sound like a spell, more like a litany she’d memorized. “What’s she saying?”
“Sounds familiar, but I’m not sure. Let’s get her home and calmed down, and we’ll see if that helps.” Gavin cupped her chin and tilted her face up, but she wouldn’t remove her hands and her eyes were now squeezed tightly shut. Maddoc shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. It was big enough that it almost completely covered her, leaving her legs beneath her knees showing.
“I’ll lead.” Maddoc stepped in front of Gavin and the woman and pulled at the energies surrounding them as he centered himself and prepared to defend them. Contrary to what he was expecting, they didn’t have to face any aggression as they swiftly made their way through the maze of mausoleums. As quickly as the battle had flared to life, it appeared to extinguish at the same rate.
They met up with their cousins as they neared the gates. T
hey’d been separated from Padrig, Katie, and Conner almost the moment the fight broke out and Maddoc felt a bit guilty for not even thinking of them once he and Gavin discovered the woman.
“What is going on tonight?” Padrig snapped as he ran his fingers through his bright red hair and paced back and forth. “It’s like the entire world was about to go mad and then suddenly everyone retreated.”
“You three okay?” Maddoc asked, tempering the energy he’d pulled together and letting it ground back into the earth beneath his feet. Katie wrapped her arms around his chest and gave him a hug, nodding against his chest. Maddoc returned the hug before pressing a light kiss to her temple. “We’re fine, Katie.”
“I’m relieved to see you two.” Conner looked past Maddoc and frowned slightly at the bundle in his arms. “We were about to come looking for you. Whose body you carrying?”
“A human that got past the wards,” Maddoc turned, keeping an arm around his youngest cousin. She might be a woman now and one of the strongest magi of her generation, but he’d never stop looking at her like a kid. “How’s she doing, Gavin?”
“I calmed her as best I could, but she seems to be a bit comatose now.”
“You two are like bulls in a china shop sometimes.” Katie stepped closer to Gavin and hugged his arm before looking at the woman in his arms. “Yeah, you zoned her out completely. At least she probably won’t remember anything now. We can leave her at a café. Worst thing that will happen is she’ll come to in a drunk tank, but she should be safe.”
“No.” He and Gavin spoke at the same time.
“We need to know how she got past the wards.” Gavin continued. “You were supposed to be guarding the gates. How did they get past you?”
Katie looked like Gavin had just slapped her. “Don’t blame me for your shitty spell, Gavin. Obviously you and Maddoc did a half-assed job and the ward didn’t hold. I was concerned when I heard the pandemonium and went to help Padrig and Conner. I didn’t see either of you.” She glared at them both and stomped away.
Padrig shot them a disgusted look and followed his sister. Conner remained, shaking his head. “What are your plans for her, and how can I help?”
“Thank you, Connor.” Maddoc wasn’t certain why Gavin had snapped at Katie like that, but thankfully she didn’t hold a grudge long. He’d get her something in a day or two and she’d be back to normal. Family. They drive me nuts sometimes. “For now, can you make certain that Katie and Padrig get home safely? We need to figure out what went wrong here, and I don’t want any of our family hurt by something we didn’t expect.” Guilt bit its unforgiving teeth into Maddoc’s memories. He understood their distrust of this woman. He and Gavin had brought a woman into their family long ago, and she’d tried to destroy them all in an attempt to lay claim to everything that Maddoc and Gavin owned.
A man of few words, Connor slapped him on the arm before heading after their cousins. Maddoc glanced at Gavin, who gave him a curt nod indicating that he would follow. This way they could keep the woman between them, cutting down on unnecessary questions by passersby, but most importantly, he could keep her safe.
Maddoc opened the back door of their SUV and Gavin slid in, taking care not to jostle the woman more than necessary. “Do you think she’s in shock?” Gavin slid along the seat to the other side, settling the woman in his lap with her shapely legs stretched out along the backseat.
“Maybe.” Gavin folded back the coat he’d wrapped around her, exposing her face as Maddoc tucked his coat in along her legs. “Turn up the heat when you get in. I don’t like her color, and she’s starting to shiver.”
Maddoc quickly shut the rear door before getting in the driver’s seat. As soon as he started it up, he cranked up the heat and aimed all the vents toward the back. Gavin was slightly rocking the woman as he rubbed her back. A cold shiver of envy crept along Maddoc’s senses and he banished it. He had no right to feel that way. She was practically comatose because he’d attacked before thinking and injured her. Focusing on the road and not the backseat, he pulled out and raced home. They could help her there, and then once she was better, they’d take her back to wherever she came from.
* * * *
A drop of sweat trickled down between Gavin’s shoulder blades as the heat billowed at him from the vents. Ignoring the discomfort, he stroked the back of his finger along the softest skin he’d ever felt in his life. He wasn’t a believer in coincidence. Nothing happened in this world without a reason, but it wasn’t always a good thing. This woman could be a danger to him, his brother, and their entire family, but there wasn’t a force in this universe that could have convinced him to leave her there. Even Maddoc, who was the more cautious and skeptical of the two of them, had instantly thought of protecting her as well.
The woman in his arms shivered but then settled, breathing a slight bit deeper than she had been a moment before. Her color was still much too pale and had a gray tinge to it that he’d rather not see there. Despite all that, she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever laid eyes on—a fact that had caused him to hesitate when he’d rounded the corner and spotted Rahovart stalking her. He’d felt like every cell in his body had lit up like the lights in her skirt, and the split second it had taken to clue into the precarious situation, she’d almost been attacked.
“Her breathing has evened out slightly, and she isn’t shaking as much.” Gavin didn’t look up at Maddoc as he spoke. His brother was acting very strange, but Gavin understood the disconcerted emotions that were bouncing between them. People often spoke of the secret language of twins, and he and his brother were no exception. Gavin thought that due to spending the first months of existence as the same person gave them a unique insight into their sibling. Often he and Maddoc didn’t have to verbally communicate when a few glances at each other to confirm their own thoughts was enough. They followed the same paths, shared the same thoughts, and shared everything, including their women. But all those nameless, forgettable females paled in comparison to the delicate creature in his arms.
“Are you sure nothing happened to her before we found her? You don’t think I…”
“No.” Memories of their sister’s still body and glazed eyes still haunted both his and Maddoc’s memories to this day. That Maddoc thought his power had injured her was inconceivable. “You had already started to pull the punch before you let it go. It might have brushed her, but unless you’ve started playing with negative energies, which I know you haven’t, it wouldn’t have done this to her.”
“Is Katie right? Did we make a strategic error when we created the wards?”
There had been a time when that kind of mistake would’ve been inconceivable to them, but history had taught them both a brutal lesson in humility. Gavin had been going over the spell they used in the back on his head, and he couldn’t figure out where they’d made a mistake. “No, you know that as well as I do. Those wards were secure, which means that something or someone very powerful managed to let her in.”
“What if she was a kind of Trojan horse? An innocent-looking human sent into the middle of a war. Perhaps we’re rushing this. Maybe we should drop her off somewhere.”
“Now you are sounding like Katie.” Gavin didn’t believe that the woman in his arms wasn’t anything more than in the wrong place at the wrong time. The question was how she managed to get there and why she had a demon after her.
Maddoc met Gavin’s gaze in the rearview mirror and gave him a sharp nod of agreement. They both took pride in the trust they had in their family, both adopted and biological. “If she hasn’t snapped out of it by the time we get home, we’ll bundle her up and make her feel secure.”
“Do you know what she was muttering? You were closer.” Gavin remembered hearing her saying something and thought perhaps it would give them a clue into what happened.
“I couldn’t really make it out, something like Bellatrix, Albus, Snape, Minerva. She kept repeating them over and over. “
“You lying asshole.
” Gavin would have smacked his brother in the back of the head if his arms hadn’t been filled with a beautiful woman. “After all the comments you made about my taste in reading material… I knew you read those books, too.”
Maddoc sheepishly glanced into the rearview mirror. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.
“Yeah, right. Those are characters from the Harry Potter books, Maddoc. Seriously, you really thought she was casting a spell?”
“It seemed reasonable at the time.” Maddoc looked back out the windshield as he shrugged one shoulder. “We were in the middle of a fight at the time, if you remember.”
“Too much doesn’t add up.” Gavin adjusted the jacket so it tucked up under her neck. From this angle he had a generous view down the front of her dress, and was starting to get disgusted with himself for the desire to take advantage of the opportunity offered him. “She shouldn’t still be out cold. Are you sure you didn’t hit her?”
“You saw me pull the strike at the last second. What if it’s medical? Maybe she’s diabetic or something. Did you see any identification anywhere on her?”
“Shit. I scooped her up and didn’t notice anything.” Gavin untucked the jacket. She was a beautiful creature with lush curves that fit perfectly against his body. His cock twitched under her soft ass when he noticed the beautiful swell of her breast along the neckline of her dress. He would love to run his lips along her skin, but considering her condition at the moment, he really needed to reign in his thoughts. He slid his hand over her sides and around her waist, searching for a pocket or something. “There’s a small bag at her waist.”
Magical Redemption Page 3