ImmortalIllusions: The Eternity Covenant Book2

by Immortal Illusions (lit)

  Hugh grunted in agreement. He reached for another water bottle, and it nearly disappeared in his massive, powerful hand. “Raine will obey me. I’ve raised her to know her place, to believe in what the Covenant stands for.”

  “Did she believe what you told her today?”

  “She was doubtful that you really supported her. She’s smart, Kerr. But she understands you think Salazar the leader of the conspiracy, and she can put two and two together. I explained if you agreed too readily, Salazar would be suspicious and remain guarded with her.”

  “He would. That old dog has been around longer than a thousand years, I would swear my life upon it, but I can’t get anyone to own up to what he really is, or who he was before he became Ramon Salazar.” Kerr noticed some of the other knights coming closer, as if to listen. “Walk with me, Hugh.”

  The big man fell into step with him and they went into the extensive gardens that comprised the back portion of land at the Hudson Valley stronghold of his order. When they were well beyond the hedgerows and out of earshot, Kerr began again to speak.

  “She knows to contact you and keep you updated?”

  “I told you, she’s obedient.”

  “She’s still tainted.”

  Hugh stiffened at the comment but didn’t argue. Kerr often wondered how deep his feelings for the ill-fated child ran. It appeared to him that Hugh saw her for what she was, a reminder of his own failure, and that his harsh discipline in her raising was as much for him as it was for her. She had turned out far better than expected. Certainly not good enough to become a knight, but she embraced the tenets of the Eternity Covenant and the role of the Wardens as good if not better than some of the most-committed believers. Could Hugh have some familial affection for her after all? She was a blood relation.

  It bore more study, but another time. Kerr decided to shift the conversation, bring it to the point he wanted to drive home. He needed Hugh’s total cooperation and buy-in for this to succeed. Salazar had boxed him in. He had no other options at this point. “After Ramon asked you to leave the negotiations, he laid down some extreme terms. He wants to limit exposure, or so he says. We will not be kept in the loop, nor will we be apprised of if, or when, the artifacts are located. Or what happens to them once they are found. Only when the objectives have been acquired and the operation is complete will we be brought back in.”

  Hugh’s massive fists clenched and unclenched, the only sign of his displeasure. “That’s standard protocol under the circumstances. Raine will—”

  “Raine is not enough.” Kerr swallowed the sudden burst of rage. Hugh did not deserve his ire. “And standard protocol does not apply. Our mystic still foresees the battle between Seth and Horus, and the destruction of the dimension. It’s like the old days, Hugh. I’m afraid as High Warden, my hand is forced. We must take drastic action.”

  The knight stopped walking and turned to face him, staring down with a penetrating, unblinking gaze. “My sword is yours to command.”

  Good. All was as it should be. “Even if Ramon Salazar is not in the thick of the conspiracy, we have a mandate to uphold the tenets of the Covenant and to protect those who know not of the danger they face because of the hubris of Gods and the chaos of magic.”

  “What would you have me do that I do not already do?”

  “We must plan, like we did in the old days, when the Eternity Covenant was new, and many were actively seeking its downfall.” He glanced at the setting sun and tuned into the energy of the dimension. The shredding lines, the thinning, sent a shiver of anticipation through his blood. Time was slipping away. In one respect, Jack Madden was correct, he had a savage aspect. One that tied him in close to the natural energies, giving him advantages others could only dream of. “We’ll return to my home in England tonight, and see what we can do to fix this mess.”

  Chapter Five

  Pain tore through her. Awareness sliced without mercy through the bliss of unconsciousness.

  Raine fought to stay below the surface, deep in her own dark waters of the void. Above was a dangerous and brilliant sun, shining in colors she smelled and tasted, while alien sensations burst inside of her. She was at once fire and then ice, and back again, until the two blurred together into an indescribable fury.

  Something soft and alluring beckoned to her. Come out, it whispered. Come out and play. You’ll have fun, it promised. Devious, wicked, this spirit danced on the edge of perception, calling her to the rocks. And she followed.

  The contrasts of energy became too much. She was pulled full-force into the rocks. Consciousness erupted across her brain. Rays of light poured through her, oxygen filled her lungs, and Raine bolted awake to a blinding array of life and the world around her.

  The deafening roar was her own voice, shrieking with inhuman tones, a mix of pleasure, pain, fear and intoxication. A wicked, speaking shadow of a man sat beside her. He smelled sinful and delicious and she wanted nothing more than to devour him whole.

  “Easy does it, Raine,” whispered the voice.

  She struggled upright, tried to get her bearings. Bring her world into focus. Taste the brilliance of the creature speaking so seductively. She opened her mouth to speak, only to realize her throat was burned raw. “Water,” she croaked. The world continued to dance in a fantastic blur. “Drink.”

  “Not yet. You’ll get sick if you try.” A gentle hand touched her and the world slowed. An arm settled around her, a blessed anchor holding her fast. The body beside her was strangely cool. “Close your eyes. Get used to being awake in this state.”

  This state. Magic. Sorcery.

  The words shook loose from clouds in her mind, falling down like meteors on the battered landscape of her consciousness.

  Jack.

  She tried to pull free, but he wouldn’t let go. The effort cost her, sending the world back into the blinding rush. “I’m useless.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  She stiffened. Well, at least he didn’t candy-coat the truth. “Then why did you have Seth do this to me?”

  He laughed lightly. The easy motion of his body rolled against her, anchoring her to reality. She wanted to touch him again. Stroke that silky skin of his until he was flames beneath her hands. Gods damn her. This sucked. She couldn’t seem to stop her libido from hijacking her brain. “You have no idea what you’ve done, Jack.”

  “I always know what I’m doing. Until you learn to master them, the esoteric energies will master you.”

  She groaned. “Great. Just great. How am I supposed to do my job? I can’t stay like this forever.”

  “I can fix it for you, Raine. If you let me.”

  Bargains. More and more bargains. You kept agreeing to them, and then you realized you’d traded away your soul for a bag of beans. Raine risked opening her eyes and immediately regretted it. Wherever they were right now, the sun was shining like the fires of hell. “What do I have to do?”

  “I have a necklace made of hematite. Rather stylish, and an excellent grounding device. Consider it a magical anchor. All you have to do is keep it on.”

  “That’s it? Wear a necklace?”

  “That’s it. You’ll need to swap it out every so often. The stones can only contain the energy for so long before they become overcharged. Does that sound so bad?”

  “What’s the catch?”

  “No catch.”

  No catch? Was he lying to her? She couldn’t tell. It was a safe bet to assume he was playing some angle or another, but at this point, Raine didn’t care. She needed a control she no longer seemed to possess. If all she had to do was wear some stupid stones, what did it matter?

  “Do it.”

  She caught his scent as he moved. Sultry, sinful, all Jack. Heat pooled low in her belly. Thoughts fled in favor of a barrage of overworked sensation. Through the haze of lust, Raine was at last able to identify what had grabbed her about Jack when they first met. They had chemistry. In spades. And nothing could suck more, because no one could be worse for
her then him. Regular Raine could resist something as banal as chemistry. But this new creature? What would she do, given half the chance? Before she could even fathom the answer, more sinister questions crept into her brain. What did it matter, really, if she gave in and indulged her sweet tooth for him? Who would know? Who would care?

  Raine squeezed her eyes tighter. Focus. On the job. On control. Not on Jack. Never on Jack.

  Something cool, smooth and heavy settled around her neck. The maddening sensations and crazy thoughts detangled themselves and retreated. Jack’s fingers brushed the sensitive skin of her neck leaving a trail of flame in their wake. She shivered at his touch and he chuckled, then rested his hands upon her shoulders. As he leaned against her she realized they were on a bed. He melted into her, warming from her heat. The sultry energy cocooned them both. When had a man ever felt this good? They were fully-clothed, barely touching. Gods help her if it ever went further. Gods help her because she wanted it to go that far, and further.

  “This could be fun for both of us, Raine.” He spoke softly into her ear, so close he could kiss her if he chose. “If you allow it to be.”

  “I’m here to do a job,” she whispered, fighting the urge to rub against him and purr. “So are you. We don’t need distractions.”

  “The best parts of life are usually the distractions.”

  He released her and the air cooled her where his body had touched. The disappointment hurt. Chemistry. So damn dangerous. She was screwed. So screwed. She sighed. “I feel better.”

  “Open your eyes.”

  She did, cautiously, expecting the same kaleidoscope vision. This time, the world stood still. The sun she thought was blinding was nothing more than softly glowing lamps. She sat on an overstuffed, silk-covered canopy bed with a dragon and floral motif carved into the heavy dark wood. The room looked like a cross between a Pier One Imports fire sale and an opium den, and was colored mainly in hues of scarlet, crimson, gold, and black. Before her, balcony doors were open to the cool Manhattan night.

  How long have I been out?” She shifted so she was further away from him. The necklace was great for holding the magic at bay but did nothing to diminish the strange power of Mad Jack.

  “Hours. It’s almost midnight. Feeling better?”

  She nodded and gave an experimental stretch. Nothing happened, so she tried climbing off the bed. Next, she took a few steps, pleased her body still worked as it should. “Now what?”

  He leaned back against at least one hundred plush cushions and looked at her as if contemplating a decadent dessert. He wore a dark cobalt shirt again, and well-fitted leather pants. Very well-fitted. Turning away from him would only provoke his curiosity, so she continued to face him, even though her pulse picked up and her libido began to wander again. To the lean cut of his body, down to that tapered waist, and what treasure lay below.

  “Now we go on a date.” His lips curled into a lazy smile full of sensual promise. His entire being seemed to radiate sex, pulling on her like a magnet.

  That voice of his. Deep, smooth as polished glass, laced with sin and just the hint of a British accent. “Go to hell.”

  “I’m serious, Raine,” he said, sounding anything but. “We have work to do tonight.”

  With Jack squarely in her sights, all the other objectives began to drift. “Where am I?”

  “My evil lair.”

  He shifted against the pillows. The shirt pulled against his leanly muscled chest. A body built like that promised gentle strength and stamina to last all night long and then some. Her nipples tightened with the thought. It was getting way too warm in this room. Where the hell was the breeze? It was October, wasn’t it? “Where are we going?”

  The smile faded from his face. Hatred glittered hard in his eyes. “A far more evil lair. And not nearly as nicely decorated.”

  Raine crossed her arms. His sudden change caught her off-guard. All the heat rising inside of her wasn’t ready to back down. She needed a moment to gather herself. “Are you always this obtuse?”

  “Don’t you have any appreciation for the buildup?”

  Oh yeah. She appreciated the buildup. No two ways about it, his chemistry was killer. “Bottom line, that’s all I care about. Fancy dances and pretty words don’t do shit for me.”

  “I have a lot of pretty words, and even prettier dance moves. You might enjoy a few.”

  He sat forward and his silver hair spilled over one broad shoulder, moving like liquid moonlight. Raine couldn’t help but stare. The combination of masculine elegance and unearthly sensuality were a potent cocktail. Her hand strayed to the smooth round beads tied close around her neck. She fingered them like a lucky charm and they heated beneath her touch. She was three steps away from reciting baseball scores. “Bottom line, Jack.”

  “You’re a hard sell. Good. I like a challenge.” He swung off the bed and got lightly to his feet. “We’re going clubbing. Then, for dessert, we’re going to do a little B&E.”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve found an artifact already?”

  “I wish. I did find the primary fence for the lot of the artifacts, though. Would you believe, it’s one of my favorite shopping stops, too? I had no idea the goods were so close to home. I must be slipping.”

  His latest revelation helped cool her heels and her desire a little. Her curiosity, and her suspicions, took the lead. “How’d you do it? The Covenant retrieval specialists couldn’t get that far and they worked for months.” What was he up to?

  “I’m plugged into unsanctioned channels.” He prowled across the thick Oriental rug. “I found the importer months ago when I helped Gideon and Meg with the first artifact. Since then, backtracking to the actual fence has become a little hobby of mine. They don’t have the artifacts, but they have enough information on them to really get the op rolling. Mystical retrieval always works better with a little magic, and a whole lot of field grade intelligence.”

  A man who moved that way should be locked up, she thought, following his every step. Those hips had a license to kill. In bed, she bet he beat his legend by ten lengths, maybe more. Would it hurt so bad to find out? Even just once?

  The electric thoughts charged her body.

  She squeezed her eyes shut hard, took a deep breath. Then another. Control, Raine. Control. She opened them again to find him staring openly, his eyes heavy-lidded. Her pulse quickened.

  Uncle Hugh’s accusations weighed on her, and the fact that Jack was searching while the Covenant was desperately trying to retrieve the artifacts made them sit even heavier. She used it as armor against his potent effect. “Sounds like you were hunting them for your own gain.”

  A slow smile spread rich and thick like cream across his elegant face. She wanted to lick him clean.

  “I was after them for my own gain. If you’re going to work the black market effectively, you need to buy and sell. I’m always looking for items of interest. How do you think I’ve become so fabulously rich?”

  The honesty threw her. Like everything else about him. “You were well-compensated in your settlement with the Covenant. You know what that looks like, Jack?”

  “Probably like a conspiracy.” His smile turned dark. “Like maybe this is all an elaborate scheme on my part to gain power and use it against the Covenant?”

  Jack grunted a deprecating laugh. “For it to be a conspiracy, it has to be hidden. My plan of revenge is no secret. Why else would I bargain for a magical surrogate and unrestricted access to all files and archives?”

  So those were his terms. “What do you hope to prove? Everyone knows you didn’t kill Caroline Beaumont, or steal the Staff of the Neteru.”

  “True. But no one knows who perpetrated the crime. The investigation was crushed.”

  Jack digging up the past was strangely nerve-wracking. It shouldn’t bother her, but it did. She touched the beads again for reassurance, finding satisfaction in the ready calm they offered. So he wanted to find the truth. That wasn’t bad. What he’d do with the tr
uth was another matter entirely.

  “I’ll ask again: where are we going tonight?”

  “So many questions.” His expression lightened, creating a distance between them. “We’re going to an auction tonight.”

  “Auction?”

  He nodded. “Three half-breed children. Magical batteries, for sale to the highest bidder.”

  “Tell me you’re joking.” Anger stormed through her. Beneath the sword tattoo, her forearm ached. “Tell me we’re going there to stop it from happening.”

  “No and no. We want it to happen. It’s our ticket inside. My affliction isn’t unknown.” His body stiffened for a moment with the memory. “Given my pitiful situation, I had no trouble getting an invite. You, on the other hand, will need to pass the test. The cover I gave you will get you the interview, but after that it’s all on you, babe.”

  He looked so cavalier leaning against the black lacquered armoire. She wanted to smack him. She wanted to head into the night and stop the insanity. Most half-breed children never made it out of the first few hours of infancy. Those that did usually held untapped potential. That made them valuable to the all the wrong people. And Jack complaining he was a huckster? What a joke. Even with his powers bound, he was a force in the magical world. He still had a good amount of juice left. “We have to stop that auction.”

  “We don’t. Someone else has that on their to-do list. When it all goes down we’ll have a very small window of opportunity to grab the one laptop that houses all auction records and hack into what I hope will point us in the right direction and give us the edge we need.”