“What?” I pressed my hands against my forehead as I watched Blackwood and Izzy mobilize the parents to assist with the search. “That’s not possible—could somebody have snuck past them using a cloaking spell?”
“I don’t know, Destiny, I’m sorry. Nick and Lan are certain the door didn’t open, but Maya had to come out of the room somehow. The same thing happened in a few of the other cases—one of the mothers was in bed with her child at the time of his abduction. She kissed his cheek and rolled over to check her cell phone and when she turned back, the kid was gone.” Mac lifted his shoulders and let them drop. “Like somebody froze time and stole the kid while it was paused.”
The gold witch who had been treating Patrick sat back on his haunches and stared at Mac. “Time thieves.” Mac and I both raised our eyebrows and the man spoke again, his melodic accent unfamiliar to my ears. “When I was a boy in the Valleys, my mother told tales of an ancient coven of Welsh witches with the power to steal time itself. She said they were the most feared supernaturals in the Celtic Isles because their magic could cast a spell that would put an entire kingdom into slumber.”
“Sleeping Beauty and the purple witch,” I whispered. Long hidden memories of my mother’s bedtime stories unraveled deep in my mind. “The gods hunted the purple witches and burned them at the stake.”
“My mother said the last of them were found when she was a girl and thrown off the cliffs at Col-huw Point, babes and all.” The gold witch scratched his beard. “She wasn’t a fanciful woman, my mother, and she swore that story was gospel, right until the night the banshee called for her. It’s just a fairy story though.” The man shook his head and glanced down at Patrick with pink-tinged cheeks. “This boyo is going to have a tampin’ head when he comes round but there’s no lasting damage.” He looked at Mac sharply. “He’s going to need a proper looking over—trauma like that doesn’t happen for no reason. If there hadn’t been a gold witch here…”
“I’ll make sure he’s scanned properly,” Mac said. “Thank you.”
I tugged at the sleeve of my jacket. “Should we get him to the hospital now?”
“I’ve used a deep healing rune to repair the neurological damage—rest is the best thing you can give him right now.” The gold witch patted my arm gently as he got to his feet. “Let him sleep. Seems like he has a bit to catch up on.”
Mac gave me a tight smile and ushered the man across the room toward Izzy, speaking intently in a voice too low for me to decipher the words. I scooted closer to Patrick and examined his ghostly face for a second. Blackwood had taken most of the parents with him when he marched from the room, leaving only two behind. I shrugged my jacket off and draped it over Patrick, wishing I’d worn something larger and softer. My fingers were icy as I brushed a lock of silky straight hair off his forehead but he didn’t stir. I glanced around the room furtively for a second before as I eased myself across the floor and slithered into the corridor.
“Looking for something, Destiny?” I screwed my face up and exhaled as I turned to face the huge, handsome wolf shifter with the kind eyes. My jaw hopped as I tried to see past him to the front of the building. Teddy crossed his arms. “Blackwood closed the café and grilled all the customers before they left. Lan’s gone with him and the witches to follow any trail they can find.”
“Oh.” My fingers reached for the sleeve of my jacket and I felt a wave of vulnerability when I realized I had left it with Patrick. I tucked my hair behind my ears and twisted my stud earrings twice before I spoke again. “You’re Teddy, right?” The man tilted his head to one side in acknowledgment. I glanced around the corridor. “Where’s everyone else?”
“They’re busy.” Teddy’s gaze flitted toward the door to Nick’s art studio and back to me as the steel door shuddered with the force of somebody trying to rip it off its hinges. I folded my arms, glaring at Teddy, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “The Guild feels it might jeopardize the search if Nick participates. He has to wait here—Snow’s orders.”
“Snow’s orders?” My voice was cold enough to give Teddy frostbite.
“Amelia Snow. She’s the general of the Guild,” Teddy said. The door heaved again and the shifter ran a huge hand over his eyes. “Emotion can make us do stupid things—an undisturbed trail is vital if we want a positive outcome. Everybody needs to keep their cool—that’s too much to ask of Nick right now.”
“Yeah, fair point.” I stared at the door and took a deep breath. “Can you let me in?”
Teddy eyed the door’s creaking hinges. “He’s pretty worked up, kid. I don’t know how much control he has over his tiger right now—”
“I can take care of myself.” I yanked on Teddy’s life force for a moment to illustrate my point and he flinched but refused to unlock the door. I twisted my hands together. “Please. He shouldn’t be alone. Not now. If he doesn’t want to see me, I’ll leave straight away.” The shifter’s fingers played with the key in his pocket. “I swear I won’t let him escape, Teddy. And I’ll owe you.”
Teddy eased the key from his pocket. “I’m going to have to lock you in there with him.” I nodded my head to show I understood and Teddy slid the key into the lock. “And he’s going to try and bust out of there the minute I open this door, you know that, right? And if he gets out, Snow’s going to use my balls as earrings—just so we’re clear about the risk I’m taking here.”
“I understand. Thank you,” I said.
“Yeah. Now I see the resemblance—stubborn mules,” Teddy muttered under his breath as he turned the key and the lock clicked open. I gave him a curious glance but before I could say another word he whipped the door open. “Closing in one second, Destiny!”
I nipped inside the studio and the door smacked my ass as it slammed shut. An enormous furry paw with razor sharp claws slashed at the wall beside my head and I clenched my teeth to stop myself from shrieking. Shit. Maybe going into a locked room with an overwrought beast wasn’t my most intelligent idea. Teddy thumped on the other side of the door. His voice was muffled by the metal. “Destiny, you okay? I’m going open this door and haul you—”
“No!” I kept my hands by my side as I shouted back at Teddy. “No. I’m fine. I just need to see he’s okay.”
The tiger lunged at me and I crushed my back against the wall with my eyes screwed shut, but the huge beast brushed past me in a flurry of velvet-soft fur and majestic strength. I exhaled as I watched the tiger transform from animal to man, and for a moment, I was so captivated by the beauty of the magic that I couldn’t tear my gaze away. Fur to skin, whiskered chin to sculpted jaw, tail to—
I clamped my hands over my eyes, blushing furiously. Nick’s voice was silk over gravel. “Destiny?”
“Hi. Nick. You’re naked.” Nick peeled my fingers away from eyelids and I bit my lip. His face was a mask of agony. “I just wanted to see you were okay.”
My words were lame and limp but Nick stared at me like I might have the answer to the mystery of life. “Destiny, where is she? Where’s my baby? I need to get out of here. I need to find her. Those shitheads need to let me out of this room.” He spun away from me and picked up a huge granite slab he’d been painting for his next exhibition and raised it over his head like it was made of papier-mâché.
I sprang in front of him in horrified panic, thinking of Teddy standing on the other side of the door. No amount of gold magic could undo the damage a boulder that size would do to Teddy’s skull. I thrust my palms out. “Put it down, Nick. Put it down. Please. It’s not their fault; they’re following orders from that Snow woman. And she’s right. You go out there in this state and nobody will be able to follow the trail, you’ll bulldoze through every shred of evidence. You’ve got to let them do this right, Nickolai, okay? Please. For Maya.”
The stone crashed to the floor at Nick’s feet and he sank to his knees and buried his head in his hands. I took a tentative step forward and brushed his shoulder with my hand. Nick’s fingernails dug into hi
s scalp and I kneeled to try to make out his words. I pulled his wrists gently. “What?”
“I don’t deserve your kindness, Des.” Nick dropped his hands and stared at my face. “You were right, everything you said. I was an asshole. I took this assignment because it meant I could keep doing my art and I could get away from Lexi and the pack. And Maya had been dreaming about Ireland for so long.” Nick’s face crumpled for a second and he tightened his jaw. “Keep an eye on the witch with the black powers. That was all I had to do.”
Nick dropped his chin and met my eye with a look that made the breath catch in my throat. “I’d read about your partying and your attitude problem—gifted and uncooperative the file said. I was expecting a spoiled, self-centered little bitch with a chip on her shoulder and then you walked into The Paper Heart with Saoirse in a sling on your chest, humming some old Celtic lullaby. You didn’t even notice me standing against the wall because you were so fixated on her little face. And Maya was upset because the books on the shelf were all wrong.”
I crushed my lips together, remembering the girl’s distress at being unable to find another book the right size to complete the row. Nick dragged his hair away from his face with a swipe of his hand. “You took one of your college books from your bag and gave it to her to make the shelf even. And I knew right then the Guild had you figured all wrong.” I swallowed, and Nick shook his head. “I should have walked away from the mission right then, Destiny. Should have told them I’d made a mistake. That I couldn’t do the job. But I’m selfish and weak, and I’d never wanted to stay close to somebody more in my life. So, I stayed.”
“You lied to me, Nick.” My words had ragged edges. My heart ached to believe him, but I’d learned the hard way people could be convincing liars—even smart, kind, beautiful people. Nick opened his mouth and I held my finger to his lips. “You did. I don’t know, maybe the things you told me weren’t lies, but you kept the truth from me—how’s that any different? You’ve got a file on me, Nick.” My voice cracked. “You knew everything about me before I even knew your name.”
“I knew nothing about you.” Nick pulled my hand from his mouth and held it against his chest. “The Guild knew nothing about you—who your father is, your magic, your grades, your school record—that’s not who you are. The stupid file didn’t tell me you’d rather buy your aunt a present than get yourself new clothes. Or that you’d spend your lunch break listening to your boss’s kid obsess about the breeding season of the freshwater salmon and never once get mad at her for asking the same questions over and over. The file didn’t tell me you were smart, or funny, or that you’d blush and twist the end of your shirt anytime somebody complimented you.” Nick’s voice was a husky whisper. “It didn’t tell me you were beautiful.”
Heat flooded my cheeks and down my body like warm honey. Nick’s chest was hard and firm under my palm and I throbbed with the urge to trail my fingers over his hard abs. To watch his face as I reached lower. I jerked my hand away. “You should have told me the truth if you really gave a shit about me.”
“How could I?” Nick asked. “If I told the Guild I couldn’t do the job, they’d have replaced me with another agent. And if I told you I was sent by the Guild to protect you—”
“I don’t need the Guild’s protection. I’m joining the Free Witches.” I snapped.
“That’s exactly what you would have said, and then you’d have disappeared from my life forever because you’d know I was a fraud. And if you were gone, I couldn’t keep you and Saoirse safe.” Nick’s forehead creased. “And now I’ve let Maya get messed up in this. My baby.”
My chest heaved as grief consumed Nick again and I grabbed his face between my two hands. “Stop. This isn’t your fault.”
The sound of the lock turning in the door sent Nick bounding to his feet and he flung himself in front of me as if there might be an army of my father’s men on the other side of his art studio door. Teddy opened the door a crack but didn’t step inside. “Snow’s here, Nick. She wants to see you both immediately.”
Nick turned around to face me as the sound of Teddy’s footsteps died away and I realized with a bang that he was still absolutely, totally, distractingly, gloriously, ginormously naked. Blood rushed to every inch of my body, leaving me with an insatiable itch. Nick pushed his thick, dark hair off his face and every muscle in his tattooed torso rippled. I bolted across the room and grabbed a pair of sweats and a T-shirt from the hamper of spare clothes Lan insisted Nick keep in the corner of his studio and threw them at him before marching after Teddy. I almost resisted taking one last peek before I slipped out the door. Almost.
Chapter Thirteen
“You’re certain, Agent Blackwood? If you’re mistaken, there could be grave repercussions.” The voice drifting into the corridor from the case room was unfamiliar. I quickened my step and reached to pull the door open, but Izzy detached herself from the shadows and barred my way.
I crossed my arms and glared at the agent. “Teddy said that Snow woman wants to see Nick and me.”
“Destiny, is there anything you want to say?” Izzy’s hurried whisper made my gut cramp. She took a step closer and grabbed my elbows. “Did anything happen yesterday? Before Nick got to the parking lot?” She hesitated. “Did you make a deal with your father’s men?” I reared back in disgust but Izzy held me tight. “Please, Destiny, you can tell me. I’m on your side, I just want to help you before—”
The door creaked open behind Izzy’s back and she froze. The same voice I’d heard a moment before assaulted my eardrums. “Isabelle O’Neill, please escort the black witch inside. Immediately.” So that’s how it was going to be—the black witch. I clenched my teeth.
“Rude,” I muttered. Izzy shot me a pleading glare and a cold shiver ran over my skin. Izzy was the kind of woman who looked like she might eat hardened criminals for breakfast. If she was scared of this Snow asshole—well, it wasn’t a good sign.
Izzy loosened her grip reluctantly and gestured for me to follow her. She twisted on the threshold, just before she strode to stand with Blackwood, Teddy, and the doctor, Mac, and stared into my eyes. Her words were barely a whisper. “Just tell her the truth, Destiny, whatever that is. Please.”
I followed her into the room and saw the parents of the missing children were seated on the hard-backed plastic chairs and the agents were standing at the rear of the room. They all watched my entrance. The door swung open again as soon as I’d closed it, and Nick appeared by my side and tucked my hand firmly inside his. Despite myself, I didn’t pull away. Staring at the people holding court at the top of the room, I was going to need every ounce of support I could get.
“Agent Sarkus, approach.” The man who barked the order at Nick was one of seven men lining the front wall of the room. None of them were dressed in uniform, but everything about their stance and facial expressions screamed power and discipline. Although some had graying hair and all their faces showed the lines of age, their bodies looked fit and strong—the bodies of warriors. Nick kept his eyes on the men and lowered his chin respectfully, but he didn’t release my hand.
As we made our way between the rows of seated parents, I saw a body laid on the floor in front of the seven men. Long lean limbs, silky fair hair, my leather jacket draped over its chest—Patrick. A dark-haired woman kneeled beside his unconscious form and extended her hands over his skull. Her eyes were sealed and her lips moved soundlessly. Without warning, she seized his cranium and his entire body began to shudder and convulse.
“Leave him alone, you bitch!” I hurled the words at the woman and lunged forward, stopped in my tracks by a sudden jerk from Nick’s arm.
The woman released her grip on Patrick’s skull and turned to the seven men and shook her head. The men nodded and three of them broke away from the others and lifted Patrick’s body gently onto one of the seats. Izzy ran to the front of the room and took the seat next to him, letting the men lower Patrick’s head into her lap. My mouth flooded with the tast
e of bile and my fingers curled inside my fists as she rested her hand on his shoulder. I’d almost forgotten about the dark-haired woman until I felt Nick’s body become rigid beside me—shoulders stiff, jaw tensed.
I turned to face the ice bitch and my lips parted. The woman was beautiful—more than beautiful. Despite the web of fine lines on her luminescent skin and the strands of silver that shimmered in her coal-black hair, the woman was exquisite. I’d seen pretty people before, hell, my childhood frenemy had been a silver witch, but this was a different type of beauty. Amelia Snow was a veritable Helen of Troy with a face that could launch a thousand ships. Now, the seven gray foxes in suits watching her lovingly made sense—fairy tales were made for women as beautiful as Snow. As if she could read my mind, the woman’s cupid’s bow lips curved and, I swear, songbirds somewhere burst into song.
“Destiny O’ Neill, I’ve been waiting to meet you for quite some time, child.” Snow’s voice was as lovely as her face, but there was no mistaking the steel under her dulcet tones. She narrowed her eyes. “You favor your father in appearance.”
“Fuck off.” The words were out of my mouth before I could think better of it, but instead of recoiling, Snow burst into peels of surprisingly hearty laughter.
“But you have your mother’s tongue, I see,” Snow said.
My throat was dry and scratchy. “You knew my mother?”
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