Into The Spirit

by Marie Harte

  Samantha glanced at her, down at Tabithia’s glowing palms, and nodded, her eyes intense. “Star, get Bethany out of there. We have trouble. I’ll text you later. Keep Beth safe.”

  Samantha snapped her phone shut and spun in place to face the alley entrance.

  Game on, it would seem. Samantha drew trouble worse than she did, but always before it had meant one more chance to beat the loneliness down. Now? She shared a look with Aeros and felt her stomach roll. He hadn’t sensed the evil yet. What if he got hurt? Killed?

  She couldn’t think like that, she decided, and pulled as much power to her as possible. She was low, not having rested after shifting herself home, then to Trouble’s place. She’d do, though.

  Aeros stepped close to her side, his heat reassuring.

  “Get your game on, Silver-baby,” Tabithia warned.

  Derrick frowned. “Samantha? What’s—?”

  “Tabithia? What are you talking about?” Aeros demanded, face tense.

  She took a deep breath and brought her game on, front and centre. Life was a game. She could play. She’d win, too. Meeting Aeros’ stern gaze, she flung her hair back and winked.

  “Death Stalkers, big guys. Get your mojo on, Sparkie, we’re gonna need it.”

  Aeros immediately pressed his wristband, and his sword materialised in his fist. Nice. She’d not seen that before.

  Next to her, Samantha laughed and shifted to her left, where she always fought. The two of them stepped up together, both flowing with the currents of their power. The two of them meshed, flowing together effortlessly with their weaves. Sorcha said they were yin and yang, but Tabithia believed that her darkness called to Sammie’s lightness. Whatever it was, the two of them were a force so not to be reckoned with.

  Derrick tried to step in and grab Samantha, but she speared him with her don’t-fucking-think-it look, and he growled under his breath.

  “Don’t even contemplate it. While you’ve been screwed? Some of us have been kicking ass.”

  Tabithia laughed. Oh, man, was Sammie fun. “And handing it to them with a bow on top, big guy.”

  “Tabithia.” Aeros murmured.

  Tabithia gazed up at Aeros, loving the way his face darkened in concern, how his shoulders tightened before he entered a battle. She loved him. There, she’d admitted it. She loved him. Instead of telling him such a silly thing, she reached up and cupped Aeros’ jaw tenderly and caressed his chest.

  He blinked. Clearly, she’d caught him by surprise. With a softer look, he captured her hand and kissed it.

  “No getting hurt, Tabithia.”

  She blew him a kiss.

  “Well, well, well…”

  Tabithia broke the intensity of his gaze to face the Death Stalkers. Seven males—one nasty one in the middle in an arrow formation of six others. She glanced over at Samantha, and they shared a small smile. Men. They always travelled in packs. The middle one was the leader. Why they revealed such things, she had no idea, but she thanked whatever god made Death Stalkers so dumb.

  “Who would have thought, a wolf pack mixing it up with a witch and a Greek relic?”

  Oddly enough, the men facing them didn’t hide themselves. She’d run into this kind of thing only once before. With Samantha. The seven facing them were dressed in dark jeans and black, rough-looking, long trench coats over darker shirts. No doubt they didn’t have nifty toys to hide their weapons like Aeros had. These creeps also sported a five-pointed star on the right side of their jaw. That was new.

  “Sweet, you’re here to join the party? I dunno, I didn’t remember inviting any scum. Did you, Silver?”

  Samantha canted her head to the side as if curious and pursed her pink lips. “Not my style, Tabbie-cat.”

  The ugly one in the centre sneered, drawing his lip back from his too-white teeth. Completely disgusting vibes flowed from him, kinda like a beautiful pastry filled with maggots.

  “Spare us the chatter, ladies. We’re here for you, Silver. Come with us, and we’ll let your friends go.”

  The wolf nearly charged the guy. A low-toned growl erupted from deep in his chest, and Tabithia shot a worried look at him. Would he loose his beast? She’d never seen a Lykae out of his mind with his wolf in control. Now just might not be the time, though.

  Thankfully, Samantha grabbed his wrist, and his growl broke off instantly.

  Samantha winked at Tab. “Wow, second offer in days. What’s a girl to do?”

  Mr Ugly didn’t seem amused. He gave Samantha what he must have thought was a smouldering look, and, just like in the movies, said, “Come with us, or you will die.”

  Samantha laughed, but Tab saw her grip on Derrick’s wrist whiten her knuckles. The wolf was serious about protection. Next to her, Aeros subtly moved closer. Maybe he wasn’t the only one.

  “Oi, there’s a good one. Wait, wait, let me think.” Samantha tapped her brow, pretending to consider the Death Stalker’s threat. “Wasn’t that in the B-movie we watched last month, Tabbie-cat?”

  Grinning, Tabithia snapped her fingers. She knew this game. She’d take the biggest threat, while Sammie hit the stupid guys at his back.

  “Dudette, you’re right! Valley of the Stupid?”

  “Tabithia.”

  At the heavy warning tone in Aeros’ voice, Tabithia shot him a look. “Party pooper.”

  Aeros’ frown deepened, and she shrugged, but she focused her strength and shot a streak of green fire at the Russian like a dagger.

  The man screamed.

  Samantha hit the others with a blue streak of magic from her palms. A truck shot across the alley and hit two of the Death Stalkers. The vehicle crashed into them from behind, pinning them against the brick building with such force that the men shrieked like cats.

  Tab barely focused on the sound, too intent on the warlock fighting her for control. Around her, the battle raged, but surprisingly, the guy had some juice. Her mind fought for the final blow, while part of her worried over Aeros. The sounds of battle grew intense, loud, and her concentration snapped off her opponent at Aeros’ painful groan.

  As quick as a thought, the mage hit her hard, knocking her back, and blew a spell at her chest that smouldered on her skin before sinking deeper, trying to rip her chest open. A scream shuddered out of her clenched teeth, and she landed hard on her back, fighting for her life for the first time in her existence.

  The pain grew unbearable, and her thoughts lost focus on her battle. She’d not told Aeros she loved him.

  Regrets, so strong they hurt more than the mage’s kill spell, ripped through her.

  She’d die before she ever said those three words. How could this happen? How?

  Chapter Thirty

  Aeros cursed, dropping his sword with a loud clatter against the street, and dived for Tabithia. Blood flowed from her lips, dripping down her pale jaw and onto her neck. She shuddered when he tried to lift her, and he lost the ability to breathe. He eased her up and got his first glimpse of her bloody chest.

  “Samantha!”

  He bellowed the name, not caring that the fight still raged around him, not caring that the mage still spun his spell, filling the alley with flying debris. All that mattered was Tabithia’s closed eyes and clenched jaw, and the horrible wound on her chest.

  “Aeros, don’t. I need… I need to stop him.”

  “Stop him? Stop him? Fuck, Tabithia, Tabithia—”

  “Concentrate, I need to—”

  She tensed in his arms and suddenly the power drained out of her hands, and her body grew limp, lifeless in his arms. Her arm fell from where she’d been clutching her middle to land on the dirty concrete. His heart stopped. His mind went completely dark. The battle around him dimmed in comparison to Tabithia’s lifeless body.

  Suddenly, Samantha was there. She landed on her knees beside them and touched Tabithia.

  He shook his head in denial and pulled Tabithia closer, her beautiful face blurring. She was so small, so pale. His heart stumbled back to life,
flooding him with pain. Life without her? How would he survive not seeing her smile over at him, mischief in her green eyes? See her ride her motorcycle too fast? Hear her laugh? Hear her sigh his name as he kissed her neck?

  “Damn it, Aeros. Let her go now. I need to heal her.” Samantha’s words made no sense, but he felt her pushing at him, trying to take Tabithia from him. “Aeros, let her go.”

  Never. He would never let her go. He would go beyond death to fetch her back.

  “Aeros, man, let Samantha heal her,” Derrick said quietly next to him.

  Aeros managed to pull his head up from Tabithia’s hair enough to meet Derrick’s concerned look.

  “Let her aid you. Samantha can heal her, man.”

  “Please. She’s my friend. I can’t lose her,” Samantha whispered.

  He turned his head to stare at Samantha’s face. His hands shook where he held Tabithia.

  “I can’t lose her, Samantha. I will do anything, make her happier than anyone, please, just heal her.” His voice broke. Talking was painful. Tabithia lay so still in his arms. He couldn’t feel her breathing.

  Samantha grabbed his hands and shook him until he looked at her.

  “I will. Just let me have her, Aeros. I will.”

  Aeros eased back enough to allow Samantha to get closer to Tabithia. Tabithia’s wound looked deep, as if some creature had bitten a chunk out of her abdomen, and Aeros shuddered at the pain of such a strike.

  Samantha closed her blue eyes and bent her head, breathing on Tabithia from brow to breast as she settled her hands over her friend’s stomach. Blood darkened her beautiful pink shirt, he noticed. He watched closely and saw, barely visible, Tabithia’s chest rise and fall. He held himself still by clenching every muscle in his body when Samantha pressed down on the centre of the wound.

  With another long breath down Tabithia’s body from head to waist, Samantha bowed over Tabithia and began chanting.

  A slight, blue glow began misting around Samantha. Aeros held back but, when the mist began to obscure Tabithia, he tensed.

  “What the fuck?”

  Derrick grabbed his arm, holding on tightly when Aeros tried to shrug him off.

  “Hold on, Aeros. Samantha would no’ say she could save the witch if she could no’.”

  Aeros shot him a look full of rage, but eased slowly under his hand as Tabithia’s pale face flushed with healthy colour. After a long, drawn-out minute, Aeros exhaled and shook off Derrick’s hand.

  “Damn it, Derrick, the witch has a name.”

  Tabithia suddenly gasped and stiffened, then slowly relaxed. Samantha eased back on her heels. Tabithia groaned, a grimace marring her pale brow.

  Aeros swallowed past a lump obstructing his throat. When Tabithia shivered, he brushed a lock of hair off her face. His hand trembled, he noticed as if from a distance. He’d fought more enemies than he could recall, yet now he shook at how close he’d come to losing something he cared about more than any other thing in this damn world. Tabithia turned her face into his palm. His heart sped up.

  “Tabithia, my heart, are you well?”

  Instead of answering, she pressed a kiss into his palm. Her green eyes blinked open, and, with a soft smile, she looked away and up at her friend with a grimace when she moved. He tightened his hold on her.

  “Tabithia, you scared the shit out of me.” Samantha exhaled and grinned.

  Tabithia coughed, scaring him again. “Oh, goddess, I scared myself.”

  “Tabithia.” Aeros pulled her tight into his chest. He wanted to crush her to him so he could be assured she lived, but kept his touch gentle.

  Obviously not gentle enough. Tabithia squirmed and pressed against his chest. “Ouch, Aeros.”

  “Easy, she’ll be tender for a few days.” Samantha reached out and tugged at Tabithia’s long hair.

  “Uh, yeah, got the reminder, but thanks for the clarification.”

  Tabithia attempted to get up, but Aeros halted that easily enough. He wasn’t allowing her out of his sight, let alone letting her walk anywhere. Not after scaring him so damn bad. She never got hurt, not hurt-hurt. Not where he feared she’d not survive hurt. He didn’t ever want her harmed, not again. Never. His damn heart still missed several beats as it was.

  “Not a chance. You and I are going home. You to bed, me to watch you in bed.” Aeros rubbed a hand down Tabithia’s arm as he spoke, keeping his tone and touch tender.

  Tabithia grinned and turned to Derrick. “See, Wolfie? I have it all under control. Lesson one, when you need to be waited on hand and foot? Just fake an illness, oh, or a scratch, or—”

  “Tabithia, don’t scare me like that again.” Aeros stood with her still cradled in his embrace. She hooked her arm around his neck, and his heartbeat slowed to almost normal. Her head fell down on his shoulder and she exhaled against his skin.

  “I won’t,” she whispered so low he almost missed her words. His grip tightened around her uncontrollably. Had she been as affected as he’d been?

  “We’ll just catch you later,” Samantha said.

  He heard her but his concentration was on Tabithia, the way she looked up at him, as if she feared he’d disappear. She’d been the one harmed, and yet something in her expression said the casual way she’d laughed it off was merely bluster.

  “Have Tab call me when she’s better, Aeros. It’s important.”

  He glanced back at Samantha and Derrick and nodded. The attack had been well planned. If Tabithia had not been there, he wondered if Samantha would have made it out of the alley alive. One glance at Derrick and his possessive posture, and Aeros had his answer. Derrick would have killed and had killed, Aeros realised, anyone that thought to harm Samantha—even the mage.

  He would have to call the council, Dominic for certain. Death Stalkers walking around with their alliance proudly announced to the world wasn’t something he could ignore.

  Not even for the woman in his arms. And maybe because of the woman in his arms. He wanted their world to be safe. Safe enough to raise the family he’d always wanted. Just the thought of Tabithia rounded with his child had his arms tightening around her light weight.

  “They came for me. Twice. Something is up. Shit, who knows, maybe I’ve dug something up they wanted left untouched,” Samantha said.

  She gave Derrick a searching look. Turning back to Aeros, she shook her head, running a hand over her hair. “I’m sorry to drag you both into this. Take care of her, Aeros. Now and always.”

  “Always.” Aeros met Derrick’s eyes once. He’d do more than take care of her—he’d bond her. Tonight. If she was completely healed. If not, then as soon as she was herself again.

  * * * *

  “Okay, so say that again, because there must be something wrong with my hearing, Aeros. And I just know there’s not. But I thought, well, I’d give you the benefit of the doubt.”

  Tabithia stood facing Aeros across the enormous room he called a kitchen. Why he needed so much space to cook meals was beyond her. A phone, a list of Chinese restaurants, and she was golden. Right now, she was irritated. Pissed off, actually. At him.

  The feeling had been growing over the past few days, but now? She practically had hit rage state.

  His attitude wasn’t helping. He sat, looking lazy and casual, at the room-length bar. Breakfast bar, whatever. He planted his forearms on the counter and gave her a disapproving look.

  “I said you aren’t going to help Samantha any longer. Rumours are flying that she’s been attacked twice more. Both times she’s not been harmed, but you are not going to her aid. The council—”

  The rage state hit her harder, and her vision dimmed to something dangerous. She tried to pull it back. She and Aeros had spent the last two days making love in every conceivable way. They’d shared meals, long showers, leisurely, uninterrupted lovemaking, but she knew their time was limited. The outside world, her coven, her friends, her family would burst the bubble of happiness sooner or later, but she’d counted on Aeros to
stand with her and ensure this place, their time together, wouldn’t end. That they’d get through whatever hit them. Together.

  He was attempting to tell her what to do with her life.

  There was zero chance of that. Less than zero. Still, she took a breath, held it for the count of ten, and exhaled before meeting his curious gaze.

  “Aeros, you are under the mistaken impression that you are somehow in charge of me. What has led you to think like this? Me? I doubt it. So tell me. Explain why you feel you can order me”—she jerked a thumb at her chest and wished she wasn’t dressed in a frilly sundress and had her black jeans and black shirt on instead. But she barrelled through—“around? I never—will never, correction there, Sparkie, will never—take orders from you.”

  She took a breath and held up her hand at his scowl and what she knew were words she didn’t want to hear. “No, don’t speak. Just listen. For once in my life I feel good. I like being with you. I like this place. As huge and empty as it is, it’s kinda cool, but this? No way José. I have people depending on me. What did you think? We’d have amazing sex and suddenly I’d be your…what?”

  He stood so abruptly, with such an intense, dark look, she fought not to take a step back. “You’re mine. I need to make sure that you are safe, not harmed. Not hurt. You almost died in that alley. Don’t.” He slashed his hand downward in a cutting gesture and stalked towards her. “Don’t lie to me.”

  “I wasn’t going to. If you want the truth, and I assume you do?”

  He halted and folded his arms over his perfect chest. Looking sexy and angry, he nodded sharply.

  “I lost focus because of you! You got hurt, and don’t lie. You did. I saw the slice across your stomach, I saw it, and when I heard you get hurt, I lost focus. So! If anyone is to blame, it’s you! Maybe I should never go into battle with you.”

  “You will never go into battle”—he stressed the world with a low snarl—“again. Never again.”

  What. The. Fuck. She staggered back from the rage in his eyes. He was angry. Very, very angry. Suddenly, she felt unsure, exposed in ways she never let happen. Almost naked under his censure. And it was censure. He was…disgusted with her? Her throat seized up, and she staggered a step back before she could stop herself.