by Anya Bast
“Damn it,” she said aloud as one of the doormen approached her. “Damn it, damn it, damn it!” “Can I help you, miss?” the doorman inquired.
Just then a motorcycle pulled up outside the hotel. It wasn’t a Harley like Theo’s. It was a red crotch rocket. The kind of bike that would make Theo sneer. But it looked fast. Fast was good.
How different could a crotch rocket be from a Harley? Okay, probably a lot different. Anyway, she’d only driven Theo’s Harley for a short time. That hardly made her an expert at maneuvering a motorcycle.
But this was an emergency.
“No,” she answered the doorman, her eyes all for the bike, “but he might be able to.” She walked with purpose to the cycle’s owner, who’d just dismounted. He took her in with one appraising, appreciative sweep of his eyes. It was these times in her life she was glad men seemed to find her attractive.
The man was in his midthirties, probably monied. Good-looking in an ordinary way. Sandy blond hair and brown eyes.
“I have a huge dilemma and need to rent your bike.” She shoved the wad of bills at him, with the sinking feeling that this was never going to work. “Can I use your bike for a few hours?” She shoved her purse at him, too. “Here’s my identification, my credit cards, everything. You can hold on to it until I return.” He flipped through the bills, his eyes widening. “There must be close to ten thousand dollars here.” She nodded, surprised herself at the amount Stefan had given her. “Just for a few hours, I swear.” “You even know how to drive one of these things?” Well, kinda. She nodded and looked up him, infusing her smile with all the sweet, angelic innocence her blond hair, blue eyes, and peaches-and-cream skin conveyed. She’d gotten away with so much in her life because of the way she looked. . let this just be one more thing.
He waggled the wad of bills in her face and grinned. “That’s a lot of money, honey, but the bike is worth a whole lot more. How do I know you’ll bring it back?” She gazed down the street and twisted her face in anguish as the limo’s brake lights illuminated and the vehicle turned a corner. Gah. Every moment she stood here was another moment Stefan got farther away. It might even be too late to catch him now.
Sarafina dragged her gaze back to the motorcycle owner. “You don’t. Please, sir, it’s an emergency.” He considered her for a moment. “Keep your money.” The man handed her the wad. “Name’s Eric and I’ll tell you what, honey, climb aboard and I’ll trail that car you’re following so closely with your eyes. I could use a bit of excitement in my life.” God, anything! She needed to find out where Stefan was going, even if that meant dragging a non-magickal along for the ride.
She nodded. “Yes, okay, let’s go.” She was practically dancing on the sidewalk in her anxiousness to get going. “Follow the limo that just left here. Not too close, though. You can’t let him know we’re behind him.” “Hey, I’ve seen movies. I know how to do it. Climb on.” Eric threw his leg over the cycle and she got on behind him. He handed her his helmet. What a gentleman. “Put this on.” Once she was secure, Eric took off with a jolt that made her scream with surprise and grab on tight.
He let out a holler and took off down the street at a speed that made Sarafina cling to his back for dear life.
TWENTY
STEFAN TOOK THEM QUICKLY OUT OF THE DOWNTOWN area and straight south for about an hour and a half. Several times Sarafina figured Eric would tire of the novelty of this experience and want to return to his comfortable hotel, but he never seemed to lose his enthusiasm for the hunt.
Apparently, luck had been with Sarafina when she’d approached this man. The only tricky part was that Eric was a non-magickal — a civilian. Sarafina only hoped she could keep him from being exposed to anything that would make his reality shift and his head explode.
Once they got off the highway, following the limo had become much more difficult. Eric handled it with the aplomb of a CIA agent, staying just far enough behind to keep an occasional eye on the rear bumper. It was peculiar to see such a symbol of power and prestige backdropped by rusty trailers and prefab houses.
Deep in the heart of the country, the limo pulled onto a narrow, overgrown lane, an entrance to what appeared to be a large piece of land. It seemed they’d reached their destination. She tapped Eric’s shoulder and asked him to halt the bike at the entrance. He brought it to a stop and dismounted.
“Now what?” Eric turned to her, his blue eyes lit with eagerness.
“I need to take this next part solo.” He motioned at the small driveway. “You mean go in there all by yourself? That can’t be safe.” She smiled. “I can take care of myself, but thanks for your concern. And thank you so much for the lift.” She offered her hand to shake. “I can take it from here.” He took her hand, shook it, but then held on to it. “What’s your name?” Oh, shit. She understood the look in this guy’s eyes and that the slow drop of his gaze meant he was wondering what she’d look like naked.
She hesitated, but he’d driven her all the way out here. This was no time to be rude. “My name’s Sarafina.” “Would you agree to have coffee with me sometime, Sarafina? Maybe you can tell me all about your mysterious self.” “That’s so sweet, Eric, and I think you’re a fabulous guy—” “But?”
“I’m not in the market to have coffee with anyone right now.” “I don’t see a ring, but there’s a man, right?” He finally released her hand.
She shrugged. “Maybe.” Sarafina glanced at the driveway. “I have to go, Eric. Thanks again.” He rolled the bike over to the bushes and hid it in the depths of the greenery. “Oh, no, honey, I’m not leaving you. You go on in there and do what you need to do.” He settled down under an oak tree. “I’ll be here when you get back.” Relief swelled a bit since she actually had no idea how she was going to make it back to Louisville. Finding out what Stefan was up to out here in the middle of the Kentucky countryside had trumped that concern.
Thank God for Southern men.
“Eric, you’re a good guy.”
He winked. “Maybe so good I can get you to forget this man who is preventing you from having coffee with me.” He settled back with a sigh and closed his eyes.
She laughed and shook her head, disappearing down the overgrown lane.
It was a long lane.
Panting, she finally made it to the end where it opened up into a clearing. She was also now highly unhappy with her choice of skirt and heels. Of course, she’d imagined herself basking in the air-conditioning of Duskoff International all day, not slapping mosquitoes in a field near the meandering Ohio River.
Sunlight glinted off the top of a vehicle in the distance. Keeping to the tree line, she mounted the slope of the hill hiding the bottom half of the car and found a building.
A gleaming, shiny building right in the middle of the clearing.
It wasn’t a house; it was more industrial than that. Yet there was nothing to tell her exactly what the structure was meant for. The building was bland, nondescript, and very out of place here in the tranquil surroundings.
It was high afternoon, inching toward twilight. High afternoon was the hottest part of the day and Sarafina’s hair was limp and lay plastered to her head. She slipped off her shoes and let them dangle from her index fingers as she padded through the cool grass toward the building. The few windows there were had coverings over them, but there was a door at the back of the structure.
Of course it was locked. Stefan wasn’t going to hide a building way out here and not lock the doors.
Stymied, Sarafina turned in a circle, wondering what she could do. She was so close to finding out what Stefan was up to. She was right here, if only she could take a couple steps closer.
Trees surrounded the building. In the distance, down the bluff, was the river. She couldn’t get into the building, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t more to find around the building. Perhaps a search of the land would turn something up.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER SARAFINA HAD SEARCHED every last inch of the property and had no
thing to show for it but bug bites. Stefan’s limo was still parked outside and no one had come in or gone out.
Twilight had long since faded into night, taking the warmth from the air and leaving only chill. It was time to go back to the mouth of the lane and hope Eric hadn’t left. She’d return to the hotel and try something else.
Sarafina pushed a branch away and turned to head to the lane, her heart heavy with defeat. Just then she glimpsed something she’d missed before. It was an opening under a hill and an outcropping of rocks. Some branches had been placed in front of it that seemed unnatural, as though deliberately laid there to hide something.
She pushed them away and uncovered the small mouth of a cave. Standing in a spill of moonlight that bleached the color from the overhanging rocks, she considered it. Someone had hidden it on purpose and judging from the way her spine was tingling madly, it was something very important.
There was only one way to find out.
Going spelunking hadn’t been on her list of things to do today. Yet this might be her only chance to explore it. She slipped her shoes back on. Then, crouching down, she made her way through the entrance, praying there were no spiders or snakes.
On the other side it was high enough for her to stand. It was cool inside, quiet, and completely dark. Extending her hand, she lit a small fireball in her palm. Her magick was nice that way; she didn’t even have to pack a flashlight.
Graffiti decorated the craggy rock walls, and a few empty beer bottles littered the sandy floor. The air smelled faintly of pot. Perhaps that was why the branches had been covering the entrance; maybe the former landowner had been trying to discourage teenager interlopers.
Another small opening led off into yet another room. Shining her bit of fire within, she saw there was a warren of rooms going back farther and farther. Somewhere deep inside one of the caverns, water dripped.
It seemed like an ordinary cave. There were lots and lots in this region. Kentucky, in particular, was known for them. And yet. . there was something else here. Something more. She could feel it, sense it, breathing here somewhere deep in the dark.
She shivered, her heartbeat quickening. A presence entered the small room with her, alien body heat emanating out and warming her. Though she could see no one, hear no one, she knew it.
Oh, God, she wasn’t alone.
Sarafina turned to leave and ran into something hard. Her fire extinguished. She screamed, but a hand clamped over her mouth before she could fully voice it.
“It’s me.”
Theo removed his hand from her mouth and she hyper-ventilated for a moment before she could speak again. “Theo, what are you doing? Can’t you make a little noise when you’re sneaking up on someone in a dark cave? You scared at least five years off my life!” “Making noise would defeat the purpose of sneaking, wouldn’t it? I wasn’t totally sure it was you until you ran into me. It could have been someone else with your pendant. Anyway, consider it payback. You scared some years off my life, too, chasing you all over the country.” She touched the pendant he’d given her. “It works, I guess.” “Yeah.” His breath eased across the skin of her cheek and he pulled her against him. “Fancy meeting you in a cave in central Kentucky.” He nuzzled her hair for a moment before stepping back a little.
“You saw the limo, right? You must know why I’m here.” “Yeah, we met Eric down by the road. Everything he had to say was very illuminating. Of course, most of it was about how hot you are.” There was something in his voice that shouldn’t be there. It was dry, brittle, a bit sarcastic.
“Ha! He waited for me. What a guy.”
Silence. Theo didn’t respond, but his body stiffened. This time his silence spoke louder than words.
“You’re jealous!” The realization washed over her like cold water, waking her up and making her gasp. “You were jealous when you thought Darren was interested in me and now Eric—” “I’m not jealous.”
She laughed. “Yes, you are, Theo. I know jealousy when I hear it. Listen, buddy, you have to let me know you’re interested in me before you have any right to be jealous of other men.” He pulled her up flush against him and lowered his mouth to hers. “And those couple nights in bed? They didn’t prove my interest in you?” “Sexually, maybe.” Her breath hitched in her throat. “They showed me you want to fuck me, and you’re conflicted about it, nothing more.” “Yeah, I want to fuck you.” He let his lips brush hers. “I want to keep you in bed with me all night long, make you come so many times you can’t see straight.” Oh. .
Sarafina swallowed hard and steadied herself in his grasp. “So what’s stopping you?” Her voice came out breathless.
“I forget.”
He nipped at her lower lip, sending a wave of gooseflesh over her body, then crushed his mouth to hers, hot and hungry. Theo parted her lips and slid his tongue inside, making a low sound in his throat as though she tasted good. It made her shiver.
When they broke the kiss, Sarafina was breathing heavily and a little shaky on her feet. “Uh, when we get to a hotel or somewhere with a bed — actually a couch will do, even a futon — remind me to remind you that you forget.” He laughed, a low rolling sound. It was the first time she’d heard him do it, and it filled her with a deep joy. “I won’t need reminding.” Outside the cave she heard movement. Footsteps. She stiffened.
“It’s okay. It’s probably Darren or Thomas.” “Thomas came down?”
“We pulled into the airfield right as your plane was lifting off. Once we figured out where Stefan was taking you, we all hopped the first plane to Louisville. From there we followed the pendant. We were only a few hours behind you.” Theo followed her through the passageway and back into the night air.
A hand grabbed hers and helped her to stand. She came face-to-face with Darren. Thomas stood near him. Once Theo was through, he put a hand on her waist and drew her away from the water witch.
“Anything in there?” Thomas asked.
Sarafina shook her head. “I thought there was something, but maybe it was my imagination. I think I just creeped myself out.” “That’s Stefan in the building, right?” asked Darren.
“Yep.”>
“Anybody else in there with him?”
“His driver and the two bodyguards in the limo were the only other people in the car. He didn’t stop to pick anyone up. Bai was in the airplane with us—” “What?” Theo and Thomas said it both together.
She nodded. “And boy do I have a lot to say about that. Anyway, Bai popped off before we landed. Bottom line? I don’t know, but there’s three more warlocks in there besides Stefan for sure. Bai may or may not be in there with them.” “I think we should go find out,” said Darren.
“I think we should go haul Stefan’s ass back to Gribben,” Theo added.
Thomas rubbed his chin. “The thought had occurred to me, too. No time like the present. We can take three bodyguards and a limo driver.” “And Bai?” asked Sarafina. “What if Bai jumped back to his supposed master’s side and is in there right now? How many witches did you bring with you?” Thomas grinned at her. “Scared, Sarafina?” “Hell, yes! And if you-all had any sense at all, you would be, too.” Darren began to walk back toward the clearing. “Let’s do it.” The other men followed.
“Just like that?” Sarafina hurried after them. “Right here, right now?” “Thanks to you, we have an excellent opportunity,” said Thomas, pulling his cell from his pocket. “We have the element of surprise. I’m not about to waste it. Let’s take him down.” He talked low to someone on his cell and then snapped it shut. “They’re sending the motorcycle guy home and will meet us at the building in two minutes.” Oh, goodie, a magickal smack-down. Sarafina trudged ahead, looking forward to this quite a bit less than the boys.
* * *
THERE WERE NO WARDS ON THE BUILDING, SO THEY just strolled right in. The steel door broke against Theo’s foot easily, after being softened a bit with a charm. In the back, Thomas did the same thing. The plan was to meet in
the center, trap everyone in the building between them. The witches they could handle.
The only wild card was Bai, whether or not he’d pop back in.
The interior of the building was dark and oddly bare, yet the dry, bitter scent of myriad herbs hung in the air.
“They’re spell-casting,” Theo muttered to himself. “This is earth magick, but there’s another note in the air.” Darren inhaled deeply. “Demon magick.” Theo took a step forward, his hand securely in Sarafina’s. Damn, he did not like her in here. “What the hell—” Something exploded at the back of the building, down a set of stairs leading into the darkness. Jack and Adam, both fire witches, stepped in front of him, blue flame licking eerily along their arms and torsos to light the way.
Theo had a charm of his own to use. He lit a small white orb that floated in front of him to illuminate the darkness. Then he gestured to Sarafina, who held fire in her hand to light her way, and they progressed down the stairs.
He didn’t want Sarafina to be a part of this confrontation. It would be her first as a Coven witch and she was still so new to her power. It was true that after a few hard bumps in the road of her training, she’d finally gotten the hang of defensive magick, but she lacked experience. Tension sat in his shoulders and back at the thought of her in a battle.
Yet in a battle with Stefan Faucheux, as much as the protector in him might want to shelter her, he couldn’t hold her back. He couldn’t stifle her and make decisions for her. Anyway, Sarafina had proved time and again that she was more than capable of taking care of herself.
None of that was going to stop him from watching her back like a hawk in here, though.
The stairs let out into a long corridor that fed into a circular area with many more hallways. The smell of the herbs was growing more pronounced the farther they went into the structure. It seemed like they were headed in a downward direction, too, down into the earth. Theo could feel the resonance of it, thrumming through his blood and making his tats tingle.