And he loved his Carly. Risa might not understand it, but she respected it.
Linc rubbed his hand up and down her bare arm. “We need to get moving. Got a vehicle stashed. It’s a mile though this tunnel. We’ll take that to a place I know.” He looked down at her. “You saved our asses back there.”
“Glad it worked. Last night I couldn’t summon enough magic to blow out a candle.”
“Probably means the spawn is weakening, needing to go into hibernation.” Sutton stood and rolled his shoulders. “One thing’s for sure though, he wants you dead, Risa. If we had any doubt that thing is evil, I’m sure of it now.”
Ram examined the wing. “It’s not pretty, but the bleeding stopped.” Holding up his arms, he added, “I’m going to hike on ahead. Bloodlust.”
Risa eyed the swollen veins pulsing beneath his skin. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. Without you we’d be flame-broiled. But I have to get some distance.” He turned and jogged down the tunnel, vanishing in the blackness.
She shivered, the lantern light hurting her eyes and exhaustion weighing her down. The souls stirred, creating tiny pops in her mind.
Not yet. Hold it back. Fear shuddered into her. What if this time her mind cracked entirely?
Too late, she couldn’t change it. She’d used her shield magic, the souls would launch their screams, and she’d be at their mercy. She just hoped she could get to a private place. Alone. Where no one would see her like that.
~ 7 ~
Linc followed the newly paved road through the gates.
“What is L.C. Academy?” Ram asked from the passenger seat of the Suburban.
Passing the sign placed in the drought-resistant vegetation, Linc glanced in the rearview mirror to see Risa holding Sutton’s injured wing to keep it from rubbing the ceiling.
Hot, possessive anger blasted him, and he frowned. The sight of Risa touching another man’s wings pissed him off. What the hell? This had to be an aftereffect of her magic flooding him when they’d been in her shield. He jerked his gaze away, focusing on answering Ram. “Last Chance Academy. It’s a school for kids who have nowhere else to go.” That was all he wanted to say on the subject. Instead, he recalled how Risa’s magic felt sliding all over him inside that shield.
Fucking awesome.
He’d gotten hard right there in the hallway with the wall of sure death coming at them. Even now, his dick twitched at the memory. Yet when he’d kissed her, it’d started hot until her magic had suddenly pulled back and she’d withdrawn.
What the hell had happened?
“Doesn’t look like anyone’s here,” Ram said. “Appears brand new.”
“It’s not open yet.”
“What’s your connection?”
A public parking lot led to the offices, on the left stood the infirmary, and behind that the classrooms. On the right were staff quarters and the dorms. The grounds also held an Olympic-sized swimming pool, athletic field, track and gym. He ran his gaze over it all in satisfaction. “Investment. Best place I could think of to go to ground until we get this shit figured out.”
He pulled around the back of the staff quarters into the parking garage and shut off the Suburban. “We’re going to the staff residence. We’ll use the underground tunnel.” Piling out, Linc hit the button to close the bay door. He led them into the fully equipped laundry room that went into a large kitchen, where they were enveloped in the smell of fresh coffee.
Hilary Seyer stood at the industrial stove, spatula in hand, looking slightly rumpled in a pink T-shirt, gray sweatpants and flip-flops.
“You didn’t have to come over here.” He strode up to her and kissed her cheek. He’d only let her know they’d be here so she wouldn’t be alarmed when she arrived in the morning.
“I don’t take orders from you, now do I?”
“No, ma’am,” Linc answered. Her dark eyes were sharp as ever in her barely wrinkled face. She might be in her fifties, but he suspected age was too intimidated by her to try any of its crap on her.
“Lincoln, do you know that one of your friends appears to have sprouted wings?” She frowned. “Oh dear, one of the wings is injured.”
He tilted his head toward the other man. “This is Sutton West. And yes, I’m aware of his wings.”
“Hello, Sutton. Do you need anything for that wing?”
“No, ma’am, but thank you.”
“That’s Risa Faden and Ram Virtos.”
“Risa, Ram.” Hilary nodded, then turned back to the stove. “The coffee is ready, there’s iced tea in the fridge, and I’m making grilled cheese sandwiches.” She glanced over then shoved the spatula at Linc.
He took it automatically.
Hilary walked to Risa. “Come, I’ll show you to a room where you can rest.” Pausing in front of her, she added, “Or do you need a doctor?”
The witch had zero color in her face, her cheeks appeared hollow and her eyes bruised with dark circles. White-knuckled, she held on to a counter. Damn, she didn’t look well.
“She doesn’t need a doctor,” Linc said.
Hilary narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t ask you, young man.”
The flicker of anger in Hilary’s tone shamed him. “She’s a witch. A doctor won’t be able to help her.”
The older woman focused on Risa. “How can I help you?”
“I’m okay. I just need a place to be alone. Anything is fine.”
Risa’s thin voice pricked his guilt. “Put her in the guest suite on the top floor, far away from the rest of us.” The first floor was all communal space, the next three floors staff apartments, and the top floor had four suites for VIP types that might be persuaded to invest in the kids and the school.
“Nice,” Hilary muttered. “Come on, Risa, we’ll get you settled.”
Hell. He’d been thinking of her safety in keeping her far away from Ram and Eli, once the other hunter arrived. “I just meant—”
“Get those sandwiches off the griddle and eat.” Hilary took Risa’s arm, led her across the spacious lounge area with the big-screen TV, and into the elevator.
He forced himself to concentrate on the damned sandwiches, or he’d get a lecture on manners and wasting food.
“Why does she act like your mother?” Ram asked, as he searched through cupboards until he found mugs. He filled three of them with coffee and handed them out.
Linc plated a couple sandwiches each and put two more in the oven in case Risa or Hilary were hungry. “She’s not my mother, she’s my business partner.” Hilary was nothing like the woman who birthed him.
He glanced at Sutton, concern for the man’s injured wing mixing in with worry about Risa. “How long until Carla gets here?”
“Soon, less than an hour.”
If Risa didn’t feel better by then, Carla would know what to do. After taking a quick bite of his sandwich, he swigged some coffee and pulled out his phone. “Texting directions to Eli.” Done with that, he shoved the phone into his pocket and picked up his plate and coffee. “Follow me.”
He led them out of the kitchen, through a large living space and down the shorter of two hallways. They passed a book-lined library with several private cubicles, and into a room that buzzed with electronic equipment.
“Holy fuck,” Sutton said, turning to slide his wings through the doorway. His eyes gleamed as he surveyed the room, taking in the wall of monitors showing the entire academy. “Dude, this place is secure.”
Damn right. Linc knew how easy it was to grab a kid. The students would be safe here. “This is Vegas, and you never know what some of these kids may have gotten into before we’re able to help them.” Why was he explaining this? “What I want you to do is code into our system with the thumb and palm prints of you, Carla, Ram, Eli and Risa. Possible?”
Sutton handed Ram his almost empty plate, shoved a chair out of his way to give his wings room, and dropped to his knees. He started typing codes, pulling up menus. “Hell yeah, I have everyon
e’s but Risa’s. Scan it into your phone for me, and I can do it. Jesus, I think I have a boner.”
Linc laughed. “Carla will be here soon.”
* * *
Ram ran at inhuman speed, whipping around the mile-long track so fast, the buildings, rocks and vegetation blurred. Electrical sparks flew from his fists as he pushed his body harder. Faster. This was all he knew—harsh training to beat back the sick cravings growing inside him.
Witch blood.
Don’t think about the witch in the building he’d just left. The way her power had felt washing over him in waves of cooling bliss when Risa cast her shield. It’d be so easy…
No. The thunderbird tattoo on his chest sizzled around the lightning bolts. Those were new—one for each of the two times he’d made love with Ginny. The bird hated Ginny, would probably kill her if he could.
It wanted Shayla as their mate.
But Ram didn’t. He only wanted to find the witch, to see if the two of them could figure out the solution to the thunderbird creating electrical buildup, before it fully awoke and turned him into a pile of ash through what mortals called spontaneous human combustion. They believed the bird had done it generation after generation to whatever person he’d been born into, but they didn’t know why.
He needed real answers.
He rounded the end of the track, estimating he’d run seven miles, when his phone vibrated against his hip. Slowing to a jog, he pulled it out and saw the caller.
Unknown.
His blood pressure spiked. Easing into a walk, he put the phone to his ear. “Ram.”
“I wanted to make sure you’re still alive.”
“You keep jerking me around like this, it’s not going to end well, Shayla.” He needed to be in control when he saw her, or he’d kill her.
“I’ve never trusted any man, especially a witch hunter.”
“I’m not your therapist.” He paced around the track, struggling for self-control. “Look.” He dragged in a breath of air tainted from the dust kicked up by the speed of his run. “We really don’t have much choice here. We’re going to have to trust each other. You don’t want to mate with me, do you, Shayla?”
She hesitated.
Fuck. “Shayla?”
“I don’t want to become an infertility witch.”
She’d made that clear, but maybe, deep down, she wanted what her cousin Roxy had—a soul mirror. His head throbbed, while the tattoo rippled in his skin. The bird wanted Shayla.
Ram wanted Ginny.
And Shayla wanted him…if she could find the key to her infertility curse.
Weren’t they all just a fucked-up love story?
He looked down at his free hand in the darkness. No sparks. Guess the bird had reined in the electrical pulses for a while. “Shayla, you ran from me right from the start. You never wanted me.” She hadn’t trusted him.
“I don’t know what I want anymore. Every time you get physically close to me, it creates an ache in my schema and my chest. I don’t…” She trailed off and sighed. “My schema is a birthmark where my magic lays dormant. It’s on my inner thigh.”
“Roxy told me,” he said softly, feeling an answering ache in his cock. He clenched his jaw, hating the visceral reaction that wasn’t him, but the bird. “She also told me what happened the night you were taken by the rogue.” How could he not feel sympathy for her? That bastard had cut off her schema. Shayla should have died, but Roxy got there in time to save her. The pain had to have been vicious. Ram didn’t want her hurt, he just wanted to be free.
“My schema healed.”
He stopped walking, lifting his gaze to the soft night. “Shayla, you and I, we aren’t the real deal. There’s something wrong in our soul-mirror connection.” What he felt for Ginny? That was as real as it got. “It goes back to this thunderbird. Do you think he was your familiar in a past life?”
“Probably. But there’s more. Another missing piece. That’s what I’m trying to find.”
He froze, every cell of his body tensing. “What piece?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m trying to get what I can out of my mother’s witch book without actually awakening my infertility magic.”
Understanding snapped into place with stunning clarity. “That’s why you keep luring me close to you then slipping away. You’re triggering just enough magic, maybe getting a power boost from the bird.”
“That’s not all,” she added, her voice gentle. “I think it eases your bird. I’m trying to keep you alive too, Ram.” She sucked in a breath. “I’m not the evil bitch you and your friends think I am. I’m just trying to survive and figure this out.” Her tone grew heavy. “In some ways, you’re my only friend. The only one who understands what it feels like to… Never mind.”
“Like if you let your guard down for even one second, evil will take over and win?” He felt it too. Along with surprise that she actually did care about him.
She sighed. “Exactly. The other witches don’t want me near them, except Roxy.”
Her utter loneliness tore through the anger he’d been holding on to since that day he’d walked into the apartment and unknowingly crossed her path, setting off this whole nightmare. “We can be friends, Shayla. Work together.” He shifted his gaze, scanning the area. “What have you found in your mother’s witch book?”
“She trusted the wrong people. Talked to witches, and they told rogues where she was, and the rogues killed her.”
Anger blasted through him. “Demon witches?”
“No. Earth witches.”
Hell, now her fear and refusal to trust anyone except her cousin Roxy made sense. “You won’t tell me where you are.” How could she? He was close to going rogue himself. So desperate, he’d either kill her, or mate her and unleash the infertility magic she didn’t want.
“I can’t. But I’ll tell you this. I think the piece I’m looking for, it’s a man. My mom called him Lasting Man. Not human, not hunter.”
“Hybrid?” Or something else?
“Roxy told me what’s happening in Vegas with the demon hybrid. I don’t know. Maybe. But that’s all I know until I can get more from Mom’s witch book.”
“What about another witch, Roxy, could she read the book?”
“No. Roxy tried, but infertility magic in the witch book somehow blocks anyone else but me.”
Shit.
“I’m going to go to New Mexico.”
“Why there?”
“My mom searched there, I think. Maybe going there will help me unlock more in her witch book.”
“If you’d let me closer to you—”
“I can’t. I just…I can’t trust myself. Or you.”
Ram closed his eyes, knowing exactly what she meant. The pull between them even on the phone was strong. Yet it felt unnatural and forced, not the sweet, aching attraction Ginny ignited in him. “Be careful. And, Shayla?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t think you’re a bitch.” He had been blaming her in some way for the thunderbird tattoo and the whole mess. Now he realized she was as trapped as him.
“Thanks for that. I’ll call you if I find anything.” The line disconnected.
Ram put the phone away. The bird was calm, his hands barely tingling. The electricity had eased. Huh, talking to Shayla had soothed the creature.
His thoughts shifted as he heard a car approaching the school. Must be Eli and Carla arriving from California. He raced across the academy grounds to the parking structure. Damn, he missed Ginny so much, he actually wanted to see her brother just to hear any tidbit Eli’d have about her. He had it bad for that girl.
The door to the staff dorms opened, and out spilled Sutton and Linc. The car slid to a halt, and Sutton ran to the passenger side, pulling open the door. He helped Carla out of the car and into his arms.
Ram allowed himself a second of relief. Carla should be able to heal Sutton’s wing. Turning his attention back to the car, he sucked in a breath and got a lungful of sun and ra
in, the scent of an angel. The rear door behind the driver’s seat opened, and Ginny Stone stepped out.
Rage and joy slammed through him. Rage that Ginny was here, right in the same city where a demon had spawned. He held himself perfectly still, locking his muscles in place. And joy…oh fuck, raw, pulsing need and happiness to have her near him.
He couldn’t touch her, didn’t dare. But he could drink in the sight of her. Ginny’s long brown hair flowed around her, and she wore a T-shirt and flowered skirt that revealed her long sexy legs.
The need to touch her clawed through him. The memory of Ginny stripped down to only her skin with the morning sun pouring over her as he kissed and tasted her before sinking his cock balls-deep into her ignited a firestorm inside him. Hot, painful lust seared his body. Ram used discipline and endless physical workouts to keep himself under control. But with Ginny?
His formidable control ruptured, leaving him at her mercy. “Ginny.” Her name slid from his mouth.
She lifted her chin. “I’m not leaving.”
“It’s not safe.”
Her aura flared and vanished in an instant.
Eli cleared his throat. “It’s not safe for her in Glassbreakers either.”
Icy fear shot through Ram. “What happened?”
Ginny glanced around at the others, then back at him. “Later.”
It had to be her father, the ancient, powerful angel, Vigilance, who wanted to rip Ginny out of her life here to serve him for eternity. The celestial bastard planned to force Ginny to ascend. But that wasn’t all, once Vigilance had Ginny with him, he’d destroy the very heart of her.
Ram couldn’t let that happen. She was his angel. He’d do anything to save her from that fate. Including die.
~ 8 ~
She ached to be held by him, but Ginny Stone determinedly kept her hands to herself as she followed Ram’s stiff back into a long, two-story school building on the academy grounds. Normally she’d be interested in the grounds of the school, but right now?
Ram consumed her. She hated not being able to touch him.
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