She was special. Too special. He didn’t want to think about that.
The dragon shifted and moved, restless, desperate to come fully awake. To claim her. A small part of his brain noted it, wondered why this woman was so important to the dragon.
For Roxy. Our treasure.
It played over his mind briefly that the dragon thought that Roxy was his treasure. That was significant … his pencil slowed. A grain of anxiety he couldn’t name slipped into the heat blazing through him. He shifted his position so that he was no longer touching her.
His BlackBerry dinged a text message. His veins began swelling from bloodlust, his cock ached for relief, and Roxy watched him with suspiciously soft eyes. He grabbed the phone from where it was next to her on the couch and opened the text.
It was a picture message. “Damn!” It was Tyler and another woman, tied up. Both were pale and terrified. The message read: “I have the kid and his mother. I’ll give them to you for Roxy. I’ll call with instructions. Screw with me and I’ll kill them.”
He wasn’t going to screw with him, he was going to kill the weasel bastard. But was it Liam? Or his dumb-shit flunky? Wouldn’t Liam demand the Tear? Key flipped the sketchbook closed and slammed it down on the coffee table.
“What?” Roxy bent over and looked at the picture on his BlackBerry. “Oh no, it’s Tyler!”
Her desire faded under the heavy scent of worry and fear. “They saw me talking to him. Right before Joel led me to their car, I was talking to Tyler.”
He was furious at himself. They’d left Vegas and forgot about the kid. Mack could have been in costume and hanging around the signing, seen Roxy and him work together to save the kid. “Get dressed.” He forwarded the message to the other hunters, quickly explaining who the kid was.
Phoenix tagged back first. Key answered, “We screwed up.”
“Roger that. Listen, the woman is the kid’s mom. Ailish and I both recognize her, her name is Paige. I’m going to get Sutton on tracking this, meet us at the warehouse.”
He looked at Roxy, his loyalties torn. “I can’t bring Roxy.”
“She’ll be okay, she’s not releasing enough power to make the others lose control.”
“Her power’s getting stronger. I don’t want the unbonded hunters near her.” Once a hunter found his soul mirror and sealed the bond, the curse broke for them. But Roxy was caught in the middle, her powers releasing now, but not yet bonded.
To him. She belonged to him! The words rang in his head and worried him. Shit, he had to focus on Tyler. He added to Phoenix, “I can’t leave her alone.”
“Bring her to my house. Ailish is here, they’ll be safe. I’ll wait while Sutton’s tracing the message.”
“Done. And Phoenix, we’re going to save that kid.”
“Fucking A.” He hung up.
Key went into his bedroom and armed himself. He strapped on his knife harness, slid another into his boot. He unlocked his weapons safe and took out a Glock 10mm semiautomatic pistol. He carried that in his hand and walked back out to the living area.
Roxy was dressed and standing there waiting. Her gaze took in the gun in his hand, and her mouth tightened, but she didn’t say anything. Her muscles were tense, she had her arms crossed over her middle, and her witch-shimmer flickered on her skin. He smelled flares of her power.
A slow burn in his veins developed barbs, irritating the shit out of him. He knew the curse was rising to a dangerous level. Maybe it’d be better to leave Roxy in his loft. There was an excellent alarm system and he could close the bulletproof shutters over the windows.
But her flickering power changed his mind; she needed to control her magic, and Ailish could help her with that. He would stay in control. The drive to Phoenix’s house was only ten minutes. “Let’s go.” He strode to the stairs and started down.
“Where?” She followed, the sound of her flip-flops ringing loudly on the metal stairs.
“Phoenix and Ailish’s house. You’ll be safe there, and Ailish can help you control the magic you’ve released so far.” He stayed a few feet in front of her, trying to avoid her scent as much as possible. He went to the door behind the staircase that led to his garage. Waiting for Roxy to pass, he closed and locked it. Then he strode to his truck and opened the passenger door. The interior light showed him Roxy picking her way across the cement.
He could see in the dark and hadn’t thought to turn on the light. It was cool and gloomy in here, and he saw her shiver as she got in. Her tank top, while sexy, was barely legal the way it hugged her breasts and had only spaghetti straps over her shoulders. It was no defense against the chill of the garage. She didn’t have any other clothes, not even decent shoes.
He needed to take better care of her. Moving around the truck, he opened his door, got in, and slid the gun beneath his thigh. Then he reached behind the seats and grabbed a Windbreaker and tossed it across her legs. “Put this on.”
“Thanks.” She slipped into the blue Windbreaker and wrapped it around her.
Key opened the garage, started the truck, and backed out. He waited until the door was completely closed before he gunned the engine and took off.
His phone rang. Key pulled it out and looked.
Tyler’s phone.
He pushed the button and answered it through the Bluetooth installed in his truck. He said one short word, “Where?”
“Inland Storage in one hour. If you’re one minute late, I’ll kill the woman in front of the kid. We have people watching, don’t try anything, DeMicca.”
Key looked over at Roxy and mouthed, “Mack?” He was almost positive but she’d know his voice better.
She nodded, her face pale and tight.
Was Liam there? A flash fire of old rage and anger threatened to erupt, but he ruthlessly suppressed the emotions. “Why do you think I give a rat’s ass what you do?”
“Because you saved the kid. I was there, DeMicca, I saw it. And this is just the beginning. Bring me Roxy or I’ll kill both of them and move on to your friends.”
Those words released more memories of being beaten and tortured. But this wasn’t about him, it was about saving the kid. “I’ll be there in an hour with Roxy. You can have her as long as Tyler and his mom are alive.” He cut the call before he told the dickhead the gory details of how he was going to die.
“I can’t believe I almost had sex with him. I trusted him. After a year of no dating, no sex, I …” she trailed off, running her hand over her face.
Key tightened his fingers on the steering wheel. Another reason to kill the man. Bile-tasting acid made his chest burn. He didn’t like the thought of Mack touching Roxy.
Or any other man.
Getting control of himself, he asked, “You what?”
“I was lonely, empty, and I guess I thought sex would help. I should have known better. And now, it’s my fault. I got Joel killed; you told me a mortal bodyguard was a bad idea, but I didn’t listen. They must have done that memory-shifting thing on him.” She dropped her hands. “After they kidnapped me, Joel was really confused. At the underground garage, he got out of the SUV, looked around, and said, ‘This isn’t the airport.’ Liam laughed and said, ‘It’s your last stop’ and cut his throat. All that blood, poor Joel’s shocked face.” She folded her arms across her stomach and leaned forward. Guilt hunched her shoulders. Her scent soured with self-recrimination and queasiness.
He reached out and put his hand on Roxy’s hunched shoulder. “Are you going to be sick?”
She lifted her head and looked at him. “No. Just stop him, Kieran. Please. Don’t let him hurt Tyler or his mom to get me.” Her green eyes were fierce, yet damp with unshed tears. “I’ll go with you. That way Mack can see me, you can even give me to him to get Tyler out. Then come back for me.”
Her utter sincerity echoed through his head. His blood boiled at the thought, and he smelled singed skin, followed a second later by a searing on his chest where the dragon’s mouth was. The creature was as o
utraged as he was. “No.” He realized he’d roared that out when she cringed back. He rubbed her shoulder, feeling the icy tension in her muscles. “I won’t risk you. But believe me, we’re going to get the kid and his mom out.”
Nodding, she leaned back.
Moving his fingers from her shoulder, he took hold of her hand. The skin-to-skin contact eased back his bloodlust and helped him stay in control. It settled the dragon down as well. In control again, he called Phoenix and filled in the other hunter about the phone call from Mack.
Roxy worried that she should have insisted on going along with Kieran to help divert Mack’s attention.
“They’ll be fine, Roxy,” Ailish said. “Phoenix is immortal, and he has wings. He’s going to fly over and scope it out first. They have other hunters meeting them there.”
She was still trying to get used to Ailish’s eyes. They were a strangely compelling silvery blue and bracketed by a fine webbing of scars. The rest of her face was lean and strong, just like her body. Being blind, she didn’t meet Roxy’s gaze, and it was slightly disconcerting. “I can’t help but worry. It’s me Mack wants.”
Ailish moved around the big kitchen, pouring out glasses of iced tea with ease. “We’ll get to work, and you won’t have time to worry.” She slid a glass across the granite counter to where Roxy sat on a tall bar stool.
Out of nowhere a voice said, “Ailish, it’s Darcy. I’m at the front door.”
“Do you have an intercom?” Roxy asked.
“She’s using magic,” Ailish said, then headed around the counter and out toward the living room. Over her shoulder, she added, “I can’t see the camera views on the house, so she’s letting me know she’s here.”
Roxy heard the door open, followed by the two witches talking. Her nerves pulled tighter. Darcy MacAlister. She was the soul mirror of Axel Locke and very powerful. She and Axel were the first two to bond their souls, discover that it broke the curse for them, and gain immortality. She turned, feeling self-conscious in her borrowed clothes. She thought about her mother, how much Gwen resented the soul-mirror witches because they’d found a way to reach their high magic, and Gwen hadn’t. What did they think of Gwen, whom they knew only as Silver? As soon as Tyler was safe, she would tell them all who her mother was. She didn’t even want to think about the possibility of Gwen being involved in Key’s creation. She’d ask her when she got a phone and a little privacy.
Both witches walked back in, Ailish first, her dark hair a contrast to the sleek mahogany with red highlights of Darcy’s hair. Both witches glowed with their witch-shimmer, making them appear unearthly.
She wished she’d seen the picture Kieran drew of her—had he caught her witch-shimmer? She glanced down at her hands, but her skin looked just milky white to her.
“Hi, Roxy, I’m Darcy.”
She jerked her head up and planted a smile on her face. Roxy knew how to deal with people; it was her job. She needed to stop doubting herself. Sliding off the bar stool, she stood up straight, shoulders back, and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Darcy. I met your …” She couldn’t think of what to call him. Mate? Soul mirror? “… uh, Axel last night.”
Darcy smiled, and her face lit up as she took Roxy’s hand. “Mate is fine.” She let go and held up a large bag with handles. “I brought some clothes. Axel said we’re close to the same size. I’m a little taller, and you’re definitely bigger in the bust.” She grinned again, then said, “There is some new underwear and a bra. Axel showed me his memory of you and I guessed thirty-six C.”
She took the bag, feeling the weight. “Thank you. I don’t have my purse or—”
Darcy shook her head, reached out and touched her arm. “Key took care of it, don’t worry. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal, and we want to help you. Make you feel safe.”
“And,” Ailish added, “you may be able to save Key. He’s been getting closer and closer to the edge, doing what Phoenix calls his frenzied drawing. Phoenix is worried that Key’s going to encounter witch blood and not be able to control himself. If he went rogue, that would tear Phoenix apart.”
“I won’t let that happen.” If he hadn’t stopped to draw her, they’d already have sealed their bond before he got the text message showing Tyler and his mom kidnapped. Sealing their bond was imperative to saving his soul. He’d done so much for her, she was going to do this for him. Just the memory of the way Kieran made her feel, so strong and sexy, warmed her.
“Good,” Darcy said. “Let’s get started on seeing how much of your power and control you have, unless you’d like to change first?”
She did feel a bit grubby in her clothes, but she said, “Work first, then I’ll change.”
Both witches nodded approvingly. Using her magic, Darcy waved her hand and pushed the tables and chairs back, clearing an area. Then she reached into her purse and pulled out four candles. “These are to help you focus on your chakras.”
She set them at the four cardinal points. “Red is for earth, symbolizing the first chakra at the base of your spine.”
Roxy felt a tug above her tailbone.
“Orange for water in your pelvis. Yellow for fire, your third chakra in the area of your solar plexus.”
She felt two more tugs, each one getting weaker as they moved up.
“And green for air, the fourth chakra behind your heart.” Darcy stood and said, “Come sit in the center, Roxy.”
She took off Key’s jacket, set it down, walked to the middle, and sank down on the cool tile floor. Immediately, a bubble of energy fizzed around the base of her spine. “I feel my first chakra.”
Darcy crouched in front of her, on the other side of the red candle. “That’s because you’re close to the earth. Focus on this red candle and try to direct the energy you feel to light it.”
Roxy stared, seeing the long, tapered shape, the white wick standing proud. The first eleven years of her life, she’d seen her mother and her friends do magic. She’d felt it moving around her, the magical energy as natural as breathing.
“Funnel the magic up, directing it through your hands.”
Darcy’s voice was becoming more distant as she concentrated, mentally calling the energy swirling at the base of her spine up and through her hand. She lifted her right hand to aim at the candle. A buzzing sensation rose through her. It seemed to stall and sputter. She pushed harder, willing her magic to work. To light the candle!
Roxy didn’t want to fail in front of these witches.
She redoubled her efforts. Harder, deeper, she concentrated until she heard a pop, then a sizzle, and the next thing she knew a flame flew out of her hand, missed the candle and—
Darcy dove to her right, leaping out of the way as the flame turned into a missile.
“Shit!” Roxy exclaimed, throwing up both hands. “Come back!”
The flame slammed into one of the dining room chairs and exploded into a raging fire.
Roxy leaped to her feet. “Oh God! I’m sorry!”
The piercing shriek of multiple smoke alarms blared through the house.
Ailish ran past her, held out her hands and doused the fire with water. The thick smell of smoke made it hard to breathe, soot burned her eyes, and the shrieking of the alarm threatened to make her brain bleed.
Darcy rose to her feet, waved her hands and the shrieking stopped.
Roxy moved to stand by Darcy and Ailish. She turned to the blind witch standing next to her. “I set your chair on fire.”
Darcy looked over. “And scorched the wall and floor.”
She was so horribly embarrassed she couldn’t think what to say. She just kept seeing the streak of flames hit the chair before it exploded into bright oranges and yellows. “Kieran said my witch-shimmer has the fiery glow of sunset. Maybe a little too fiery?”
Darcy snorted and then started to laugh. “Did you see the flame erupt from her?”
Ailish said, “Hello, blind here? But I felt the energy and heard the chair explode!” She started
to laugh, too.
Roxy stared at the two of them laughing. “But the chair is ruined. And your wall!” There was a huge plume of black staining the paint. “I really wanted to impress you both. I’ve heard so much about you. Instead, I practically set your house on fire.”
Darcy grabbed on to the back of another chair, laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.
The whole absurdity of the situation hit Roxy and she broke into laughter. She sank to the floor, tears running down her face, unable to stop laughing. “It’s not that funny,” she wheezed.
“It is!” Darcy said. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the flames erupt from your hand.”
“I almost hit you!” Then she remembered the shock on Darcy’s face, and the way she leaped to the right. “You jumped like a frog!” The fits of giggles started again.
“Damn, wish I’d seen that,” Ailish said.
They sat together and laughed until finally, Roxy pulled herself together. “I’m sorry, seriously. Darcy, you could have been hurt. And Ailish, I’ll pay to fix everything.”
“I got it,” Darcy said, sitting up and focusing on the chair.
Roxy watched as the gold lights floated in Darcy’s brown gaze, her golden shimmer brightened on her skin, and she held out her hands. She could feel magic rise; the energy creating an answering swirl in her first four chakras. As she watched, the chair repaired itself, the blackened wall returned to the light brown, and the acrid smell of smoke damage vanished. The swirling energy rushing along her spine calmed as Darcy lowered her arms. “Amazing.”
Darcy turned to her and put an arm around Roxy’s shoulders as if they’d been friends for years. “I was never in any danger, Roxy. I chose to jump out of the way, but I could have doused that flame in water. I didn’t because I wanted to see what you could do. You have power. You just need a little more control.”
There was such easy acceptance with these two witches. “I’ll practice.”
“We’ll practice together,” Ailish said. “Darcy and I aren’t going to let you get hurt by a magic accident. No need to hold back, Roxy. We’re here; we can counter anything you do by mistake.” Ailish was sitting facing them. “Including trying to burn my house down.”
Sinful Magic: A Wing Slayer Novel Page 14