Rapping her knuckles against her head, she muttered, “Think.”
Face after face flashed through her mind, but she dismissed them all.
Varesh was a damned fine warrior, but he would consider what she asked a betrayal. Annika wasn’t strong enough yet. Flopping down on the couch, she propped her chin on one fisted hand and stared at the floor.
“So many damned Hunters. And not one . . .”
Her voice trailed off as another face popped into mind. His silvery gray eyes seemed out of place in his dark, lean face. Those eyes shimmered with barely banked power.
There were stories that he had driven one of the instructors at Brendain into retirement, he was so damned stubborn. And he’d been an exceptional witch—so exceptional he’d passed his instructors’ level before the first year of training was out. They’d ended up bringing Agnes back to Brendain to teach him. It was rumored that the Select had tried to recruit him.
He’d chosen the life of a Hunter over the Select. Then he’d left the Hunters after less than fifty years of service.
As powerful as he was, if he had wanted to, he could have stayed with them for two or three centuries. But Vax Matthews had chosen solitude instead.
Kelsey could understand that. Warrior or not, he was still a witch. Taking lives wasn’t as easy for witches, whether they were warriors or not. It was well-known among the Hunters that witches didn’t always last long in the field.
But he was still a powerful bastard.
And he’d known Nessa.
More, he’d been approached to serve the Council. There was a possibility they might listen. Tobias would listen. Perhaps Vax would be enough to convince Andreas.
It would take an earthquake, famine, or flood to convince Niko, but if Andreas believed them, then it didn’t matter. Yeah, it was possible.
“Better than standing here and wasting time,” she whispered.
Pushing to her feet, Kelsey took one last look around the house. She could smell Malachi, a deep, wild, musky scent that made her blood burn. Slowly, she breathed it in. As it flooded her system, her heart kicked up a few paces, and her skin started to feel hot, stretched too small.
“Maybe its better this way,” she muttered.
After all, if Malachi had listened to her, she would have been placing herself in very close contact with him for an indeterminate amount of time. Definitely not the way to keep her obsession with him under control. She was going to have a hard enough time dealing with it now that she knew exactly how that hard, cool body felt against hers.
Shoving those thoughts aside, Kelsey moved to take care of the fire. Once it was out, she paused, wondering if she should leave Malachi some sort of note. And say what? Sorry I freaked you out. Please don’t tell the Council . . .
No. She’d just leave. And the sooner the better. She didn’t want to be here when Malachi came back.
For a minute, she stared out the window at the blowing snow.
Then she pulled the image of Vax’s face to mind and focused.
VAX SENSED THE DISRUPTION OF AIR ONLY SECONDS before the witch appeared. It was a subtle, controlled entrance, one only a powerful witch was capable of. Years of instinct had him reacting offensively as he rolled away from the pretty brunette in his bed.
Kylie Rossberg reached out for him, her eyes unfocused, her pretty red mouth parted, her lips swollen. Vax had only a moment to focus on her and force her mind into unconsciousness before turning to face the witch.
It definitely wasn’t somebody he’d been expecting.
But Kelsey Cassidy was a sight better than somebody he’d have to fight. Especially with a mortal lying just a few feet behind him. Planting his hands on his hips, he glared at her and demanded, “You got any idea how to call first? Or maybe go to the door and knock?”
A bright pink flush settled on her cheeks as she glanced first at Vax and then the brunette sleeping behind him. The scent of sex was heavy in the air, and judging from the look in Kelsey’s eyes, she knew exactly what she had just interrupted. “Ahhh . . . I haven’t ever seen your house, so I didn’t know where the door was.”
The talent for teleporting, or flying as they called it, did have its restrictions. A witch could whisk herself to places miles away, but she had to have a focus. If she hadn’t ever seen the place she was going, then her focus had to be the person.
Her eyes moved once more to Kylie’s sleeping body, and she winced. “I’m sorry for interrupting your . . . ahhh . . . date, but this is important.”
Grimacing, Vax looked over his shoulder at Kylie. Why in the world did he get the feeling he wasn’t going to be joining her again any time soon? Bending over the bed, he grabbed one of the blankets and flicked it over Kylie’s very naked, very delectable body.
“This had better be good,” he muttered as he grabbed a pair of jeans from the tangle of clothes on the floor.
Kelsey made a soft sound. As he led her out of his room, he couldn’t figure out if it was a laugh. Or a sob.
The kitchen was the farthest away from his bedroom, so that’s where he took her. As the distance between him and Kylie grew, the heat in his blood calmed a little. He could still smell her all over his body and faintly throughout the entire house, but a little bit of distance was better than none.
The pretty nurse was one he had been after for quite a while. She had strong internal shields, which was something he had to have if he wanted any sort of relaxation. Nothing worse than holding a woman against him and suddenly being bombarded by the emotional mess so many people carried inside of them.
Kylie had been damned resistant, too. It had taken damn near six months before he finally got her naked. And less than fifteen minutes after he had gotten her horizontal—
Bam.
Grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, Vax took a long drink, and then he moved to the sink and turned on the faucet, splashing icy water on his face. After he’d washed his hands, his head felt a little clearer, and his body a little less edgy.
Just a little bit, though. Bracing his hips against the edge of the kitchen counter, he studied Kelsey’s pale face. Hopefully, he asked, “Is this going to take long? I’d really like to get back to my . . . date.”
He hadn’t thought she could blush any brighter, but she did, biting her lower lip with small, white teeth. Her hands shook a little as she ran them through her hair, and Vax stilled as he realized how upset she was. She opened her mouth, more soft words of apology on her lips, but he cut her off quietly. “What’s the matter, Kelsey?”
Vax figured he’d heard and seen just about everything. He was pushing closer and closer to his second century, and his life was nothing even resembling normal. But as Kelsey started to talk, he decided he had been damn wrong.
He hadn’t ever heard of anything remotely like this.
Vax felt almost like he’d been slammed in the head with a two-by-four. A little disoriented. A little lost. Really aggravated. Hell, aggravation didn’t even come close as Kelsey tried to explain just who Agnes was now.
When word had gone out that Agnes had been killed, rage had run rampant among the Hunters. Agnes had been loved; nearly every Hunter that had known her had loved her. Hunters both active and retired had traveled to England to attend her memorial. Vax had gone, watched as dirt was shoveled over the polished wooden box that held her remains. Anger had burned hot and bright inside him for weeks after.
He’d known where the witch responsible was. Going after her was a temptation he’d had to fight hard to resist. Catatonic, she was no threat to anyone. Vax hadn’t heard the rumors that she had come out of the coma. Crawford must have kept that real quiet. As he listened to Kelsey’s bizarre story, he had a good idea why the vampire had kept so quiet.
Finally, Kelsey fell silent and stared at him with dark, worried eyes. She looked ridiculously pale. The smatter of freckles across her nose seemed too dark, and the haunted look in her eyes wasn’t helping any.
“You know how ridic
ulous this sounds, don’t you?” Vax said finally, rubbing a hand over his chest.
She dropped onto a stool at the island with a groan. As he watched, she buried her face in her hands. Her voice was a little muffled as she replied, “Hell, yes, I know how ridiculous it sounds. I feel like I’ve lost my damned mind. But I also know what I saw when I looked at her.”
“And what did you see?”
Kelsey’s hands fell away from her face, and she glanced up at him. “I saw Agnes. And more—I touched her, Vax.”
Shit.
Part of him was tempted to tell Kelsey that he wasn’t a Hunter anymore. This wasn’t really his problem—was it? He had left the Council’s service nearly fifty years ago. He didn’t want to be a Hunter anymore. Hell, he didn’t want to be anything but a mortal. Wanted to live out his life, grow old, and die. Preferably in less than a few centuries, but that wasn’t an option for him.
But he didn’t have to be embroiled in the mess that was a Hunter’s life. Not anymore.
He could turn her away. She needed something, otherwise she wouldn’t be here. Vax could refuse to do whatever in the hell she needed. She still hadn’t shared that bit of information, but he had a sinking suspicion he knew. He could just tell her no, get her out of his house, and go back to his bed. He could settle back down right where he had left off—inside Kylie Rossberg’s hot, snug pussy—and he could relieve all that hunger pent up inside him.
Yep, that was what he wanted.
But it wasn’t what he was going to do.
His head fell back, banging against the cabinet behind him. He closed his eyes and asked quietly, “Exactly what do you need me for?”
Kelsey waited a minute before she said anything. “I know you don’t want to be dragged into Council business anymore. But I’m kind of running out of options.”
“Options for what?”
“People I trust.”
His lids lifted just a fraction, those silvery gray eyes focusing on her face. “Hard to believe there’s nobody you can trust, Kelsey. How long have you been serving the Council now?”
Scraping a nail over the smooth granite surface of the kitchen island, she hedged, “Okay, it’s not so much an issue of trust. I need somebody with a lot of firepower behind them.”
At that, he arched a black brow and smirked a little. “Healer types don’t usually have much need for firepower, but from what I’ve heard, you know your way around fire.”
“Yeah, but I’m not a fighter, Vax.” She licked her lips and said, “The Council has ordered her execution. It’s set for tomorrow night.” As she spoke, she glanced at the clock and calculated the difference in time zones. “A little less than thirty hours from now.”
He shoved off the counter and moved over to the island, dropping his elbows down on it so he could stare into her face. Thick, raven-black hair spilled over one heavily muscled shoulder. “The Select?” he asked quietly.
Kelsey nodded mutely.
“In thirty hours.”
She nodded once more, and the helplessness she was feeling rose up inside, bringing tears to her eyes. “Vax, I’m the only witch left on the Council. Just me. And I’m too young. Hell, Niko considers me a child. Andreas thinks pretty much whatever Niko does. Damn it, even most of the Hunters still consider me a child. They are not going to listen to me when I try to tell them that the woman they are about to put to death isn’t just an innocent bystander, but one of us.”
“Malachi doesn’t consider you a child.”
Blood rushed to her cheeks. No. Right now, he probably considered her a traitor. “I already tried to talk with Malachi.”
Vax was silent for a moment, and when she glanced at him, he said, “He didn’t believe you?”
With a soft groan, Kelsey thunked her head down on the island and muttered, “Believe me? Hell, he wouldn’t even listen to me. I’d no more than said the name Morgan, and it was like his brain shut down.”
“Nessa and Mal were close.”
“I know that.” Lifting her head, she folded her arms and rested her chin on them. She studied Vax’s face as she asked, “Will you help me?”
A small, humorless smile curved his lips, and he said, “What choice do I have? Agnes was a friend of mine.” He reached out, and Kelsey stilled as he brushed her hair back from her face. Magick crackled in the air between them, hanging there for a long moment before it faded away. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you take a shower or nap for a few minutes while I deal with Kylie?”
Kelsey repeated, “Kylie?”
His lips curved again, this time into a real smile. Tapping the end of her nose with his finger, Vax replied, “Yeah. My date. Need to get her back to her house, and quick. Seems like time’s not on our side right now.”
HOURS LATER, MALACHI RETURNED TO AN EMPTY house. Although she was long gone, he could still smell her, that warm sweet scent that had driven him nuts from the first time he had met her. He prowled through the empty rooms, anger pumping inside him. That anger heated the very air around him until the rooms he passed through felt like a steam bath.
Anger—with slitted eyes he imagined giving into that anger; he pictured himself returning to England. Striding into Brendain, down to the dungeons where he knew the bitch was being held, knocking the door down, and then grabbing her, choking the life from her. Snapping her neck. Anything that involved taking her life with his own hands.
He would not, though. His rage had pushed him to the edge once before, and he had yet to forgive himself for what he’d nearly done.
But the rage wasn’t the only thing he felt.
Mal was also as confused as hell.
It wasn’t an emotion he felt often. So much of his life, he’d spent in an emotionless void. Feeling something was a rarity, not the norm for him.
He couldn’t quite figure out how to handle it, although he had finally figured out what he was feeling. And why.
Although much of what she had said was little more than a blur, Kelsey had come to him about Morgan. Had wanted him to help save her.
Kelsey was a healer, yes. But she had more warrior inside of her than she knew. She’d been willing to kill both of them just to protect their friends. That was the act of a warrior.
The whole damned mess made little sense. Even though she was a Healer, Kelsey understood their fight. Never had she protested over the execution of ferals. Even though Morgan was young, she was evil. Rehabilitation was simply not an option. For the Hunters, they’d learned it rarely was. Most of the monsters they dealt with were of the truly evil, sociopathic variety.
So why in the hell had Kelsey wanted Morgan spared?
Answers. Blowing out a breath, he decided that he had to have answers. And he did not have much time in which to find them.
Fortunately, Malachi was one of the rare vampires that did not need much time. Dematerializing wasn’t a common talent among vampires. Less common than the ability to fly, or shift to something other than mist.
Malachi had mastered all of the skills.
And dematerializing came in very useful when he had to be in England—like right now.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Seems like time’s not on our side right now.”
Vax’s words seemed to taunt her as Kelsey pressed her back into the stone wall and tried to make herself as small as possible.
It was pure instinct—and it was also completely useless.
The witch from the Select didn’t have to see her to know exactly where she was.
And they didn’t have to see inside the devastated cell to know that their prisoner was no longer in the cell. The moment Kelsey had deactivated the wards, they’d known. Powerful magicks had practically rocked Brendain’s solid stone foundation as a spell blasted through the air.
It was one that disrupted magickal energy, and it kept Kelsey from flying. If nothing else, Kelsey knew that Nessa was safe.
Vax was gone, Nessa with him. Kelsey had stayed behind with the intent of reactivating the w
ards, maybe placing a shield that would keep them from entering the room for a while, and with any luck, keep Dawn Meyers from tracking them.
But the Select moved damned quick, and the blows were coming too fast and furious.
This is why Nessa kept telling me to focus more during the combat magick lessons. It was all but impossible to focus when it felt like the earth was about to come down around her ears in shambles.
Kelsey was running out of time to figure a way out of this mess before they killed her. It wouldn’t be intentional, exactly, but Dawn was determined to get inside the cell and track their prisoner. If Kelsey stood between the Select and their prey, she’d be mowed down quicker than she could blink.
Another blast slammed into the wall at her back. It trembled but held. From the corner of her eye, she could see a shadow on the floor near the door, and Kelsey focused once more on the doorway, concentrating. The doorway erupted into flames, but it only took a few moments for the quiet witch from the Select to extinguish them.
Dawn was just a few years older than Kelsey, but she had a talent for the warrior magicks, and Kelsey had none. Those warrior magicks were the exact reason Dawn had been recruited for the Select, before she had even completed her training at Brendain.
Kelsey was a damned fine witch, but when it came to the combat magicks, Dawn left Kelsey far behind.
Kelsey’s one decent combat magick was fire, and fire was proving useless. Before the flames died down completely, Kelsey whispered, “Stone.” The stone flooring around the door took on an odd look, like it was melting. The stone flowed toward the doorway and slid up, like water flowing uphill.
Finally . . .
“Bloody hell!” Dawn hissed. Over the stone, Kelsey saw somebody, one of the shifters, preparing to pounce over the stone before the wall was completed. She flung fire toward him, jerking it back before it could burn him. Obligingly, he fell back.
Thank God none of them realize how badly I do not want to hurt anybody.
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