by Deanna Chase
“Now can I use the Influence on her?” Phoebe gave me a pointed look.
I inhaled a deep, ragged breath and slowly let it out, willing myself to calm down. Talisen followed Phoebe’s path through the mess and stopped beside me. His cool hand cupped my neck. A tingle soothed its way through me.
“Better?” he asked, holding up a blue stone.
Blue lace agate. The calming stone. I nodded. “Thank you.”
“What the fuck, Tal?” Phoebe sneered. “That anger was helping her get a backbone.”
“Phoebs.” I held a hand up, ignoring the insult. Another witch had invaded her space. It wasn’t a surprise she was lashing out. Witches don’t play nice when other witches encroach on their territory. And I was stopping her from using a surefire weapon. “We’re not using the Influence. Give me ten minutes. I can whip up the antidote.”
Phoebe’s nostrils flared, but she clamped her mouth shut.
I brushed past David and whispered, “Don’t let her do anything stupid.”
He raised his eyebrows and glanced over my head at her. “You sure about that?”
“Tal can’t stop her. Someone has to.” I took the stairs two at a time. Light footsteps sounded behind me, and I knew without glancing back it was Talisen. Perfect. I wondered how long Phoebe and David would last before one of them attacked the other. The current score was two to zero in Phoebe’s favor.
“I could use a calming force down there,” I said, striding through my kitchen door.
“The only one I have any effect on besides you is Link. And right now he’s doing exactly what he’s supposed to. No one else is open enough to accept the magic from the agate. Calming stones are very different from healing stones. It won’t work without trust.” Talisen leaned against the counter, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
“Still. If Link loses it, you can keep him in check.” The last thing I needed was for Link to eat the intruder. Then where would we be? Knee-deep in witch guts. I slammed the cabinet door shut and placed a handful of dried herbs on the counter.
“Willow,” Tal said with no small amount of impatience in his voice.
I spun to face him. “What?”
He took my hands and gently squeezed. “Why are you being so stubborn about this? If you use the Influence on her, you’ll be able to order her to tell the truth.”
“Not you, too.” I threw my hands up and grabbed a copper bowl from the rack hanging above. “It’s not right!”
“The world isn’t black and white. Your life is on the line here. Now isn’t the time to be so worried about your morals.” He shifted to stand behind me, his breath warm in my ear. “I’m not going to lose you. I can’t. Not now, not ever. Remember that when I cross some imaginary line.” He pressed his lips to my cheek, kissing me ever so gently, then turned and took off back down the stairs.
I threw the herb container across the kitchen, satisfied when the glass container shattered on the floor. My shoulders slumped and I pressed my forehead to the cabinet in front of me. None of them understood. Not even Talisen. I’d expected him of all people to stand by me on this. Our whole lives we’d been taught our magic was a privilege. Something to be used to help people. It was not to be used as a weapon.
Power was too much like a drug. People lost control once they started abusing their abilities. Just like Maude. She’d lost every ounce of decency she’d ever had. Power was above all else for her. Even family.
No. That wouldn’t be me. I wouldn’t compromise my inner strength just to take the easier route. Mixing the antidote to the Influence wouldn’t take that long. Then we could interrogate the intruder like normal agents.
I glanced at the broken herb bottle on the floor, sighed and searched the cabinet for a fresh jar.
Exactly seven minutes later, I descended the stairs with a powerful herb tea that should neutralize the Influence immediately.
Phoebe held open a small blue wallet. “Stacy? Seriously?” She took out an ID card and peered at it. With a snort, she threw it to the ground. “Fake. Of course.”
The witch held still in her restraints but kept her gaze locked on Link. He’d crept forward, now only inches from her legs. One false move and he’d rip apart a limb. Talisen stood against the wall close to Link, and David lounged on the couch, one foot crossed over his leg.
“What’s going on?” I stopped next to Phoebe and glanced at the wallet.
“Fake credentials. Fake eyelashes. And fake hair.” Phoebe yanked off the witch’s short black wig. The woman cringed as hairpins tangled in her wispy blond hair. “No idea who she is yet.”
“This should help.” I ripped the tape off her mouth in one ruthless motion. She gasped and grimaced through the certain pain. I brought the cup to her lips.
She clamped her mouth shut and glared.
“No need to be difficult. All this will do is break the Influence hold.” I tilted the cup once more.
The glare vanished, and the witch’s expression turned skeptical as she eyed the cup.
“Oh, get over yourself.” Phoebe rolled her eyes. “You heard our argument. You don’t think we put that on just for your pathetic ass, do you?”
The witch turned hard narrow eyes on Phoebe. Her lips formed silent words.
“Son of a witch’s crow.” She was casting some sort of spell aimed at Phoebe. Before she could mouth the last of it, I grabbed her neck and poured half the contents of the tea into her open mouth.
She sputtered and spit most of the concoction right in my face.
Phoebe sprang forward, wrapping her arm around the witch’s neck in a headlock. Her other hand came up, covering the intruders nose. “Now, Wil.”
I didn’t hesitate. “Please just drink it. You’ll be yourself in a few minutes.” The tea hit her mouth and the witch started to spew. Phoebe shifted and clamped a hand over the girl’s mouth. She squirmed, struggling against her restraints.
I wiped my face with the bottom of my T-shirt and glanced back at David. He sat perched on the edge of the couch, ready to join the fray if I needed him. I gave him a small smile. “We’ve got this covered.”
He nodded. “I can see that.”
Link spun and snarled at David.
“Link! Chill out,” I ordered. He glanced at me and slinked off to sit at Talisen’s feet.
“Traitor,” I mumbled and turned back to Phoebe. The witch had gone slack in her chair. “What happened?”
Phoebe shrugged. “I think she passed out.”
I stared down at the unconscious woman in horror. “From your strong-arming her or my tea?”
She shrugged again.
“Ugh!” I knelt and tugged at the duct tape binding her to the chair.
“Stop it.” Phoebe pulled me backward. “We don’t know if it worked.”
“Phoebs, she passed out. We have to help her.”
Talisen strode over, his amethyst clutched in his right hand. “I got this.”
Reluctantly I shuffled back, giving him room.
Phoebe sidestepped and leaned closer to me. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t agree with my tactics, but you weren’t here when I stumbled into this mess. She’s powerful. Possibly more powerful than I am. We can’t risk letting her loose until we know for sure she isn’t a danger.”
I cut a sideways glance at my friend. “Looks like you handled yourself okay.”
“Humph. Barely.” Phoebe rubbed a hand over her eyes, and I noticed for the first time how stressed and tired she looked. Her cocky, kickass attitude hid a lot if one wasn’t paying attention. Clearly, I hadn’t been.
I placed a hand on her forearm. “You okay?”
She stretched her neck. “I’m fine. Nothing a good night’s sleep,” she said and flashed me a cocky grin, “or a roll in the sack wouldn’t cure.”
This time her quick change in demeanor didn’t fool me for an instant. She was exhausted. Nothing I could say would get her to back down though, so I let it go.
Talisen’s amethyst turned faintly
pink against the unconscious witch’s skin. He ran the stone along her neck and brought it up to her left temple. Leaning in, he whispered, “Heal thyself.” He rocked back on his heels and waited.
Her eyelids fluttered open. Frowning, she wrinkled her brow in confusion as she tried to focus on Talisen. “Who are you?” she asked in a raspy voice.
He ran his amethyst over her forehead, but this time it didn’t glow. “No one important.” His gaze met mine, and my heart squeezed at the trace of sadness in his eyes. He blinked and the emotion vanished. Pocketing the healing stone, he turned back to the witch. “The more interesting question is who are you?”
She shook her head as if to clear cobwebs from her brain, then spotted Phoebe. “You!” she spat. “Let me out of this chair.”
“Ha!” Phoebe laughed. “And let you try to bind me again? I don’t think so, sister. Why don’t you start by telling us who fed you Influence and why exactly you trashed our house?”
The witch clamped her mouth shut again. At least she wasn’t forming spells this time.
I pressed my palm to Phoebe’s back and guided her across the room. “I think we might have more luck with a soft touch.”
Phoebe crossed her arms and glowered. “Fine. But if she so much as moves her tongue in the wrong direction, I’m neutralizing her again.”
“So it was you,” I accused. “What did you do, press on her wind pipe until she passed out?”
Phoebe glanced up at the ceiling and said nothing.
“Jesus, Phoebs. Get a grip.”
David shifted forward, peering at the captive witch.
“What is it?” I asked him.
He got up and slowly walked toward her.
“David?” I asked again.
“I’ve been trying to place her all this time.” Pacing around the chair, he didn’t take his eyes off her. Once he made a full circle, he stopped and faced her head-on. “Do you remember me?”
What the… he knew her?
She stared up at him with wide eyes.
David crouched down to meet her at eye level. “Who gave you the Influence?”
I held my breath, afraid of what she might say. Was she affiliated with the Cryrique? I’d just formed an alliance with Allcot. If he was involved, my situation was a thousand times worse than I’d thought.
The witch blinked and a single tear slid down her cheek.
“Nicola,” David said softly. “It’s all right. No one here will hurt you.” He wrapped his arms around her and, with one swift tear, freed her hands from the duct-tape bindings.
“Hey!” Phoebe cried from behind me.
“She’s not going anywhere. David’s right there.” She could try to spell him, but it would be suicide. Vampire reflexes could stop just about any incantation. Especially one complex enough to take down a vamp.
David reached up and brushed back Nicola’s rumpled hair. “Who did this to you?”
She clutched David’s hands and shook her head violently. Was she too traumatized to speak? She’d seemed like a pretty badass witch five minutes ago. Influence didn’t usually affect personalities so drastically.
Worried, I kneeled beside David. “Are you hurt? Talisen can help.”
I gestured for him to join us, but he shook his head. “There isn’t anything wrong with her physically. The amethyst would’ve picked up on it.”
“Nic,” David soothed. “Everything’s going to be fine. Tell us who did this to you so we can stop them.”
A choked sob escaped her thin lips. She sent David a scared, pleading look and blurted, “Eadric gave it to me.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
David pulled back, his posture rigid. “Excuse me?”
My whole body went cold as I got to my feet. I knew Allcot’s deal had been too easy. Was he giving me tasks to keep me out of the way? I rounded on David, ready to tell him exactly what I thought of his father, but froze at the trace of color rising in his face. There was only one reason blood rushed to a vampire’s face. Blood lust.
“David?” I asked tentatively.
His hardened eyes focused on me, and that was when I noticed the red tinge around his irises.
“Willow!” Phoebe said sharply. “Back up. Now.”
I’d thought blood lust referred to young, hungry vampires. Not angry ones. Yes, David was newly turned, but he’d been so controlled, so sure of himself, I’d forgotten all about the struggle most vamps went through in the first months after they turned.
On shaky legs I stumbled back, grateful when Talisen’s hands clutched my arms. Link brushed up against my leg. Thank the Goddess he hadn’t shifted. I couldn’t handle another wolf-vamp fight.
Talisen was murmuring, but through my anger and fear, I couldn’t make out the words. Link? Is that what he said? I tried to focus. Yes, he was keeping Link calm with a mystical fae chant. Too bad it wouldn’t work on a vampire.
“Eadric forced the Influence on you?” David retreated and clutched the back of the sofa. The wood frame creaked under his grip.
Nicola closed her big brown eyes, tears escaping from under her lids, and nodded.
“Fuck.” The muscles in David’s arms tensed, and the sofa frame splintered with a deafening crack. “Why?”
“Damn you, Laveaux.” Phoebe glared at David.
Nicola wrapped her hands around herself and shook her head.
I steeled my resolve and forced myself forward to stand next to her. “She’s been through a lot today. Maybe we should let her rest while we figure out what to do from here.”
David’s red gaze raked over me. Another chill caused gooseflesh to ripple over my limbs. I straightened my spine. Enough was enough. This witch couldn’t be held responsible for actions she was forced to do. David wouldn’t really hurt any of us, would he?
He glanced back at Nicola, his jaw clenched. “Don’t move.” And just like that a streak of black zoomed up the stairs, making the breath catch in my throat. He was gone.
A loud, wood-splintering crash came from my bedroom. I winced, praying it wasn’t my bed, or worse, part of my tree. If he messed with my oak, he was vamp dust. I turned to Nicola and kneeled in front of her. “Are you all right? Can we get you anything?”
She licked her swollen red lips and croaked, “Water?”
“Phoebs?” I glanced up to find her glaring at us. “What’s wrong?”
She stood with her hands on her hips, feet apart. Her narrowed eyes focused on Nicola. “Were you Influenced to try to kill me as well, or was that your idea?”
“Phoebs,” I warned. Accusations weren’t going to get us anywhere.
“It’s okay,” Nicola said, her voice stronger, but still wary. “I’d be pissed as hell, too.” She shifted to get a better look at my roommate. “My instructions were to do or say anything to get the information I needed without getting caught or betraying my master. You were overpowering me. That spell was the last tool I had.”
Phoebe’s eyes went wide with disbelief. Her entire five-foot-two frame vibrated with barely contained rage. “You expect me to buy that horseshit? That little spell packed more punch than my granddaddy’s one-hundred-eighty-proof moonshine. You tried to steal my magic and, by extension, my lifeline. That spell is no one’s last resort. It takes far too much energy.”
“Whoa.” I took a step back. Who was this chick?
Nicola closed her eyes again as if struggling to form thoughts. Shaking her head, she held up a thin hand. She wore a silver ring with a ruby the size of an almond on her middle finger. With her other hand she caressed the stone. A second later it popped open, and barely a whisper of magic escaped.
Phoebe pounced, tackling me to the floor. “Ouch,” I cried as pain shot through my elbow. We landed in a tangle of limbs, her body covering me as if a bomb had gone off.
After a moment, Phoebe jumped to her feet. “What the fuck are you doing?” She stalked to the other witch and clasped a hand around her wrist. Nicola cried out as Phoebe tore the ring from her delicate fing
er.
Talisen helped me to my feet and, with an amused smile, flicked away a piece of garbage stuck to my shoulder. A half-eaten dog bone flopped to the ground. Gross.
“Thanks.” I turned. His fingers got caught in my mass of hair, and the whole tangled mess shifted, revealing my neck. He scowled, his eyes clouding with anger. Damn it all. My vamp marks were showing. Couldn’t they heal already?
He cut his gaze away and held his hand out for the ring Phoebe was inspecting. “It contains a spell, right?”
Nicola gave him a tentative nod.
Another crash rumbled upstairs. We all glanced at the ceiling. Jesus. Good thing David came from money, because anything he broke, he was replacing. With an upgrade.
“Where’d you get this?” Phoebe demanded, ignoring Talisen’s request. She clutched the ring in her hand as if she could keep any residual magic contained.
“The spell is spent. It can’t hurt anyone now.” Nicola slumped in the chair, squirming for a more comfortable position.
David had freed her hands, but her feet were still strapped to the legs of the chair. My conscience screamed for me to cut the tape away. But something held me back. Phoebe’s unease, maybe? She didn’t scare easy, and this witch had gotten under her skin.
“I can test it,” Talisen offered.
Phoebe shook her head and forced the ring into a tiny, invisible pocket in her skirt. “I’ll do my own testing.”
Footsteps beat against the stairs. David took them two at a time, landing with a heavy thunk in the living room. Before I could stop him, he freed Nicola from her remaining restraints. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” Nicola cried, backing up and stumbling on a broken lamp littering the floor.
“Cryrique.” David moved to the door. “Eadric is waiting for us.”
She gasped.
“What!” I jumped in front of Nicola. Had he lost his ever-loving mind? “You can’t take her to him. He abused her.”