by Deanna Chase
“Right behind you.” Emerson’s deep voice preceded him as he slipped out of the shadows of the garage.
“Emerson… uh, when did you… um, I didn’t know you were here,” Hale stammered as he moved to give the man a wide berth.
Emerson scowled at his employee and raised his hand, fingers curled as if he were gripping something.
Hale’s eyes bulged and he gasped as his air was cut off while he clawed at the invisible vise clasped around his throat.
“Clearly you haven’t learned your lesson from the last incident.” Emerson inched closer, his expression stone-cold. “What’s it going to take to make sure you keep that big trap shut?” Emerson reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded Buck knife. Without so much as a flick of his hand, the knife popped open while Emerson moved toward Hale. “Maybe we need to do something about that tongue of yours.”
“Emerson!” I cried, my heart pounding against my rib cage. “What the hell—”
“Duratus!” Julius’s entire body shook in rage as he poured magic into Emerson.
The large biker seized in place, and the knife fell harmlessly to the floor, skittering under one of the large rolling tool boxes.
Hale collapsed in a heap, gasping in air.
I ran to his side, helping him sit up. “Are you okay?”
His mouth worked, but no sound came out. Then he shook his head, his eyes watering.
Emerson spelled him into silence. It’ll probably last a few days. Sterling once again floated near me. It’s one of his talents.
“Do you know where Bo is?” I asked the ghost.
No. But when you find him, he will eventually lead you to Mia.
Emerson shook Julius’s spell off and immediately unleashed two streams of dark green magic. The first one hit Julius right in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall of the garage while the other encapsulated Sterling in a giant green web. Emerson turned to his brother and roared, “I told you not to come back here again!”
Sterling’s face contorted in anger, but then the magic pulsed around his form and the ghost disintegrated right before our eyes.
I clasped my hand over my mouth and gasped, my eyes immediately locking on Julius’s. I swallowed to dislodge my heart, which had gotten caught in my throat at the sight of him. He was disheveled and appeared a little dazed, but he was whole and largely undamaged as far as I could tell.
Emerson moved to stand next to me and glared down at Hale. “Stop your whimpering and get back to work. Smithy will be here within the hour.”
Hale nodded once, picked up his wrench with a shaky hand, and stumbled over to the abandoned Harley.
I stood, rage coursing through my veins. Stalking toward him, I said, “Who do you think you are, throwing your magic around like that?”
Magic skittered across his skin as he turned his wild eyes on me. “You don’t want a piece of this, little girl.”
“Little girl?” I scoffed and jabbed my finger into his chest. “You’re a damned bully. And I, for one, am not going to let you get away with it.” My anger had taken over and forced out any shred of fear. This man had silenced Hale, banished his brother’s ghost, and worst of all, attacked my boyfriend. Clearly he didn’t know who he was dealing with. No one messed with those I cared about.
Emerson looked me up and down, glanced past me over my shoulder, and then laughed meanly. “Doesn’t look like your knight in shining armor is up to saving your sweet ass, so maybe it’s best you just give him a hand dragging himself off my land before I shoot you for being on private property.”
I glanced back at Julius and fought the urge to run to his side. He’d gotten himself up on both feet, but he was leaning over a stainless steel table while balancing on one foot. His face was contorted in pain as he used one hand to clutch his knee.
“You soulless bastard,” I said to Emerson, my tone low and full of hatred. “What is wrong with you?”
Emerson Charles turned his head slowly until he was staring me dead in the eye. The mean arrogance he’d possessed since he’d walked into the garage had disappeared and was replaced by an eerie coldness that sent a chill straight to my heart. “Don’t ever imply there’s anything wrong with me.”
“Hit a sore spot, did I?” I shot back. “Well, too freakin’ bad. Because from where I’m standing, you have some serious issues, buddy. But honestly, I don’t even care. All I want is for you to reverse that silencing spell you put on Hale and to tell me where Bo is. Then we’ll just get out of your way.” And even though I knew the council had told Julius to bring Emerson in for questioning, I meant what I’d said. I didn’t give two figs about the seething man in front of me. All I wanted was to get Julius out of there as soon as possible, make sure Bo was okay, and find Mia. I couldn’t care less about whatever else was going on.
“Bo is busy doing a job for me,” Emerson said, his expression still void of any emotion. “And Hale is my employee. If he doesn’t like the way he’s treated, he can quit at any time.”
Hale let out a disgruntled huff and shook his head, but he didn’t look at either one of us. Clearly the man was only there out of some sort of debt or obligation to Emerson Charles.
“If you’ve got a problem with our arrangement, you know where the door is, Allman.”
Hale met the biker’s gaze, then lifted his hand and flipped him off.
Emerson stood up straight, seemingly growing a few inches taller as his neck and face flamed red. All the muscles in his arms and shoulders flexed just before he lunged for Hale, his hands ablaze with fire.
Hale’s eyes widened and his mouth opened in a silent scream as he jumped back, trying and failing to stay out of Emerson’s reach.
“No!” I cried as I rushed forward, my hand automatically reaching for the knife Avrilla had given me.
Then all hell broke loose.
Hale brought one leg up, kicking out against Emerson’s attack, but the biker managed to get hold of Hale’s foot at exactly the same time ice-blue magic exploded from Julius, coating Emerson. The fire consuming his hands vanished, leaving only black smoke in its place. But it was too late. Just below the knee, Hale’s overalls had caught fire.
Hale panicked and ran toward the open garage door but slipped and fell. He immediately started rolling around, trying to snuff the fire out. But because of the grease staining the fabric, the action was fruitless. I glanced around, frantically looking for a fire extinguisher. Nothing. I couldn’t see one near any door or any other obvious place a garage should have one.
My head started to pound, and behind me, I heard the crackle of magic, followed by grunts and shouts of frustration. Emerson and Julius were in a serious magical duel, but I couldn’t worry about that. My one and only concern was Hale. We had to get him out of those overalls.
I sprinted to his side. “Hold still,” I ordered.
The fear in his eyes resembled that of a wild animal. I placed my hand on his chest, gently holding him down and said, “Trust me. You’re going to be okay.”
He sucked in a deep breath and stilled. I gripped the knife still in my other hand and immediately sliced through the denim shoulder straps of his overalls.
“Get up!” I yanked on his arm, pulling him to his feet despite the flames licking their way up to his thighs.
Then without another word, I yanked the overalls down, ignoring the heat singeing my hands.
Hale finally sprang into action, frantically kicking his shoes off as he jumped out of the still-flaming denim. Wiping his brow, he stood beside me as we both watched the overalls go up in flames.
“Are you all right?” I asked, ignoring his hot-pink boy shorts.
He nodded hastily, taking deep breaths as if to calm himself down. Satisfied he wasn’t in any immediate danger, I turned my attention to the magical showdown still happening across the garage.
Son of a…! Emerson Charles had retreated and was muttering to himself while Julius worked on freeing himself from an intricate green net as if he�
��d gotten caught in Emerson’s magical web. Each time Julius zapped a portion of the net, making it disappear, the net started to grow back. It was so fast Julius was barely making any progress.
Emerson shot a stream of magic toward a heavy spool of stainless steel chain. The spool started to turn and the chain unraveled, working its way into a spiral around Julius.
“Oh my god! Have you lost your ever-loving mind?” I yelled, already running across the garage with the knife still clutched in my hand. I didn’t have magic, or at least not any I could access without a little bit of help, and the knife was literally my only hope of helping Julius out of his bind.
There was no hesitation. And the guttural groan that came from Julius as Emerson Charles tightened the chains only spurred me on. Without any thought for my own safety, I lunged forward, barely dodging a bolt of magic Emerson flung my way, and brought the knife down only inches from his fingertips. I’d been aiming to cut off the magical stream manipulating the chain that was now squeezing Julius like a steel boa constrictor.
The knife bounced off the concrete-like magic, sending a jolt that shot straight to my shoulder and causing me to drop the knife. I fell to one knee, holding my arm and gasping air to breathe through the pain.
“You’re an annoying pain in the ass,” Emerson said, disgust in his tone.
“I’m the annoying pain in the ass that is going to kick you in the balls,” I said, reaching for my knife as I got to my feet. “And then cut them off if you don’t release Julius.” I was done messing around with this good-for-nothing lowlife.
“What did you say?” he snarled, his eyes going black with anger.
“You heard me.” I brandished the knife. “What’s the matter? Too much of a coward to tangle with a ‘little girl’?”
“You’re going to regret you ever laid eyes on me.” Emerson dropped the steady stream of magic he’d been pumping into Julius. A second later, I heard the clank of metal against the concrete floor, followed by a grunt as my boyfriend fell to the floor. But there was no time to check on him. Right then I had my hands full. Because that fire Emerson Charles had conjured earlier was back, and he was already reaching for me.
“No!” I jumped to the side, and this time instead of aiming for his magic, I went for his shoulder. What was it Avrilla had said?
All this requires is a drop of blood to keep you safe.
Better his blood than mine.
Using both hands, I let out a cry and brought the knife down.
Emerson Charles let out a roar and spun. His flaming arm hit my shoulder with such force he knocked me sideways. My left hip crashed into a stainless steel table, and my vision started to turn black.
Not exactly the safety I’d been expecting.
Pyper. Hang on, sweetheart.
That voice. A tiny ball of joy formed in the middle of my chest. Happiness. Comfort. Familiarity. I knew her.
Come on, my girl. Open your eyes.
The chill from the cold hard concrete floor seeped into my bones, and I suddenly remembered where I was and why. My lids fluttered, and I squinted up at the figure hovering over me.
She had raven-black hair and deep blue, wide-set eyes that were filled with so much love I nearly cried. “Mom?”
14
She smiled down at me. Hi, honey.
I reached up, trying to press my hand to her rosy cheek, but my hand slipped right through her image, just like it did normally did when I encountered ghostly figures.
She put her hand out, holding it up, and I did the same, simulating that our palms were touching. You need to get up. People are counting on you.
I blinked, taking in her healthy glow and her sparkling eyes, the way she used to look before she got sick… before I lost her so many years ago. “Am I dead?”
She chuckled, the sweet tone nearly music to my ears. Of course not. But if you don’t step up and take control of your gifts, your friends are going to get hurt.
I sat up, rubbing my aching hip. “What gifts? I speak to ghosts. Are you saying I can control who I can talk to and when or something?” The very idea of being able to call on my mom when I wanted was both elating and a little scary. Would I become one of those people who preferred the dead to the living?
She gave me a soft smile. No. Ghosts have a will of their own as well as limited energy. I think you already know that. And while you can ask for us to appear, it’s up to us to decide to answer or not.
“Then what do you mean take control of my gifts?” My head was pounding, and I was starting wonder if she was really here. Was I hallucinating after my fall?
You just have to unlock them. A drop of your blood is all it takes.
I stared at her for a moment, then picked up the knife again and rested the blade against my palm. But I hesitated. If she was a hallucination, then I could be harming myself for no reason… or worse. There was no telling what Emerson could do if he had access to my blood.
Time is running out. Mom glanced over her shoulder, and when she turned back, the worry in her eyes had me climbing to my feet. I winced as I put weight on my left foot, but I quickly forgot it when I saw Julius.
He was no longer bound by the thick steel chain, but he was in rough shape. Blood ran from a gash in his head, one arm appeared to be limp as if it had been rendered useless, and he was on one knee, his hand out, producing a magical shield to ward off Emerson’s relentless magic that was hammering him with blow after blow. But the shield was failing. After every two or three hits, the shield shattered and Julius produced it again and again and again. The strain was wearing on him. He grunted as he conjured another shield, but this time it only lasted for one attack.
“Goddess. Emerson is going to kill him,” I said, covering my mouth to keep from screaming.
Use the knife, Pyper. You have the power to stop this. Mom reached out, and even though she was clearly a ghost, I could’ve sworn I felt her caress my cheek.
“Mom.” I raised my hand to cover hers, but I was too late. She vanished.
Noise erupted around me, and I realized while I’d been talking to my mom, I’d been in some sort of a bubble. Now the zing of magic and the clang of tools scattering to the floor filled my senses. But then I heard the low groan of a man, followed by a sinister laugh from Emerson.
“You had enough?” Emerson asked.
Julius stared up at the biker, hatred in his gaze. Then he answered by sending a bolt of magic to the ceiling. The lights flashed once and the entire light fixture came crashing down, barely missing Emerson as the big man dove out of the way, landing on the motorcycle Hale had been dismantling.
Julius slumped, gasping for breath as he wiped the drying blood from his forehead.
But the battle was far from over. Emerson was already on his feet, magic crawling all over his skin as he moved slowly toward Julius.
“You’re a dead man,” he snarled and touched a chrome tailpipe, instantly incinerating it, leaving only a pile of ashes behind
Holy hell! Could he do that with anything? Was he going to turn Julius to dust? My hand tightened around the hilt of my knife, and then in one swift motion, I sliced it across my palm. I let out a low hiss from the burn of the blade and waited.
Nothing.
“Dammit!” I cried, tears stinging my eyes. Emerson was closing in on Julius. And even though Julius was back on his feet, magic swirling around him in a protective barrier, I was certain all it would take was one touch and Julius was history. I had to do something. Anything.
Dropping the knife, I reached for a nearby crowbar. But as soon as the knife hit the floor, I noticed the bloodstained tip started to glow. Elation shot through me. It had worked. My blood had unlocked its power.
“Pyper, look out!” Julius shouted from across the room.
In the few seconds it’d taken for me to realize my blood had unleashed something with the knife, so had Emerson Charles. Because while he’d been stalking Julius only moments before, torturing his prey, he was now headed strai
ght for me at full speed.
I dove to the floor, grabbing the knife with my cut hand. The moment my fingers wrapped around the hilt, heat shot through my veins and the pain in my hip and hand vanished. Energy strummed through me, making me feel invincible.
I jumped to my feet, the knife feeling as if it were just another appendage, as if it had always been there in my hand. And when Emerson Charles lunged for me, this time I plunged the knife straight into his chest. The biker froze, and all the magic coating his body vanished. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he went down in a heap at my feet.
“Oh my god!” I cried and let go of the knife. My entire body shook uncontrollably. Magic still coated the handle, illuminating the man’s expressionless face in the fading early-evening light. “I killed him!”
“No,” Julius said, limping toward me. He looked like he’d been to hell and back, his blood coating his face and shirt and exhaustion lining his pale face. “You didn’t. He’s only neutralized.” He pointed to the knife, still lodged in Emerson’s chest. “Look at it. There’s no blood.”
“But— Whoa.” Julius was right. There wasn’t so much as a drop of blood anywhere. In fact, his shirt wasn’t torn or bunched in any way from the penetration of the knife. I bent down to really study the dagger. There was no sign of the blade, just the hilt pressed against his shirt. I wrapped my hand around the glowing knife and gently tugged. The knife slid smoothly out of the big man, leaving zero evidence of a stab wound. I gently pressed against his chest, finding nothing but a cotton T-shirt and unbroken skin.
A low rumble came from Emerson just before his hand shot up and gripped me by the neck, squeezing so hard he silenced my startled cry.
He started to mutter something that sounded suspiciously like Latin. A spell. He was calling up his magic.
I didn’t hesitate and once more plunged the knife into his chest. His hand fell away, and the biker went limp as I fell back onto my butt and rubbed at my sore throat.
“That’s… incredible,” Julius said.