by Linsey Hall
Shit.
I hadn’t thought of that.
I was still trapped. He was no longer crushing me into the wall, but I was good and stuck.
“Hang on.” Declan’s low voice came from my right. “I’ll break his arm off.”
“No! He’s historic.”
“He’s crushing you.”
“Well, that too. But there’s got to be a better way than breaking him.” My mind raced, finally lighting on an idea. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do. I’m going to retract my nullifying magic.”
“Control it, you mean?”
I knew what he was saying. He wanted me to practice repressing the magic so I could learn to do it all the time. So we could be together without him being sick. He knew I wouldn't stay with him as long as I made him ill.
“Whatever,” I said. Now wasn’t the time to discuss it. “Once I’ve retracted it and he comes back to life, he’ll be pliable. Yank his hand off me, and I’ll freeze him again. Then we can slip away.”
“Fine. Good plan.”
I drew in a fraction of a breath, then called on my nullifying magic, trying to suck it back into my body. It wasn’t the same as fully repressing it, but it was sort of similar.
It took a moment, and a bit of effort, but finally I could feel the magic flowing back into me like a mist. I gathered in up inside me, envisioning it as a ball that I shoved down deep.
The gargoyle growled, the first sign of life, and the pressure on my chest disappeared as Declan yanked the gargoyle’s arm back. Quickly, I reached back with my free hand and touched the gargoyle’s stomach so I could feed the nullifying magic back into him.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Declan struggling with the gargoyle. His face was red and his brow creased. I was damned strong myself—supernaturally so—and I hadn’t stood a chance against the gargoyle. Declan and the beast were both so strong that it was insane.
I sucked in a breath and fed my magic into the gargoyle, trying to force him to absorb the nullifying magic that would turn him to stone. I felt it flowing through him, until finally, he froze.
Declan dropped his hands, panting. “That was close.”
I didn’t remove my hand. As soon as I stopped feeding the magic into him, my hold on him would cease. He could very well come back to life.
I looked at Declan. “Why don’t you go scout out an entry? Once you find one, I’ll get away from this guy as fast as I can. Hopefully the nullification will hold for long enough that I can get away from the trigger.”
I figured there had to be a radius of space around the gargoyle that would trigger him to come alive. If I could move fast enough, I could hopefully avoid it and him.
Declan gave me a look that made it really clear he wasn’t fond of my plan. I knew him well enough by now to say that leaving me to get smashed again was low on his list of faves.
“You know it’s the only way.”
His scowl deepened, somehow making him more handsome—which annoyed me—but he nodded and began to climb. I kept my hand pressed to the gargoyle’s chest and my magic flowing as I watched Declan.
We were at a flat section of wall where there were several windows. One of them had to let us in. I could feel protective magic grow as he checked each one, until finally, he managed to open one. His muscles strained as he pushed against the protective magic that kept the window closed. If he weren’t so freaking strong, we wouldn’t have a chance.
Finally, it opened. He looked down at me and nodded.
I gave the gargoyle one last look—and a final blast of nullification magic—and climbed up the wall as fast as I could. I was probably about seven feet away from the gargoyle when I heard his growl.
Shit!
My magic had faded.
I scrambled faster, glancing back to see the gargoyle lunge upward for me, one big arm outstretched. Next to me, Wally appeared, sitting on top of a windowsill. He leaned over and blasted a fiery red blaze at the gargoyle.
I didn’t waste my chance. As Wally barbecued the stone monster, I climbed as fast as I could, trying to get far enough away that I would no longer trigger the spell that brought the stone beast to life.
“You’re good.” Declan’s soft voice came from above.
I looked up. I was almost to him, thank fates.
A quick glance below showed that the gargoyle had frozen once again, this time in the reaching position he’d been in when he’d tried to grab me a second time. His stone form was blackened from Wally’s fire, but otherwise he was unharmed.
Wally looked up at me from the windowsill, his fiery red eyes glued to me. You’re welcome. I take payment in the form of heated cat beds.
“Fair enough.” I nodded at him. “Soon as I get Mari back, I’ll hop online and order the finest.”
Online? Wally’s whiskers twitched. You can’t get the fires of hell online.
“You want a cat bed that’s heated with the fires of hell? Electricity isn’t good enough for you?”
He gave me a disparaging look and didn’t bother responding.
“You’re right, pal. What was I thinking? Crazy of me.”
He nodded, then disappeared.
“I don’t know what he was saying to you,” Declan said. “But I think you should listen. That cat is useful.”
“He wants some hellfire for his bed.”
Declan frowned. “That’s a tall order.”
“No kidding.” I peered into the window, spotting an administrative office that was stuffed full of books and binders. A computer sat on the desk, nearly buried beneath an avalanche of loose paper.
The window was only open about eighteen inches—probably because the spell made it weigh about five hundred pounds. I tested it, trying to lift it a bit more, and it didn't budge an inch.
Declan shimmied through and landed gracefully on the floor. I followed, my approach silent, and crouched behind the desk. My eye caught on a pamphlet lying beneath the chair. Colorful blocks indicated that it was a map of the museum. I snagged it and opened it.
French.
My French was terrible.
Declan leaned over my shoulder to inspect the pamphlet, then pointed at a small blue block in the corner on the lower level. “There. It says that it’s the angelic collection.”
“It’s four floors down, on the main floor.” I perked my ears, listening for any noise. “There must be a skeleton crew of guards here, since the museum won’t open for hours yet.”
“Probably more magical security, as well.”
I rose to my feet, silent and slow. He was right. There was no telling what would fill this museum. We’d need to be careful.
Together, we exited into the main hall. It was a narrow, unadorned space. The walls were simply painted, and it was impossible to tell how this space had been used before the church had been converted into a museum with administrative offices.
Fortunately, this floor was totally empty, as was the staff stairwell that we found about ten yards down the hall. We moved silently toward the ground floor, exiting out into an alcove that held the bathrooms. I could feel magic prickle on the air—definitely protection charms—but I couldn’t identify them.
I debated using my suit for invisibility, but decided against it. Too dangerous if Declan couldn’t see me, and I could always flip the hood up quickly if necessary.
We’d reached the entry to the main hall—a soaring space with a multi-tone marble floor—when a voice rang out. “Attention, aux intrus!”
10
“Attention, aux intrus!”
I spun around, spotting a security guard standing behind me. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his hands sparking with flame.
Not your ordinary museum security guard. But then, this was no ordinary museum.
The guard hurled a fireball at me, and I dived left, hitting the ground hard and sliding on the marble.
The damned fireball zoomed around and freaking followed me.
It plowed toward me. At the last secon
d, I rolled left. The fire plowed into the ground next to me, grazing my thigh.
Heat and pain flared.
Shit.
I called on my shield from the ether. Declan already had his out. He charged the guard. The tall mage threw another blast of fire at Declan. The fireball was the size of a dinner plate. When it slammed into Declan’s shield, his approach slowed.
Crap, this guard was strong.
I surged to my feet and charged, following behind Declan. The guard threw two more fireballs at us. I raised my shield just in time, and flame crashed into it, making my arms shake and nearly sending me backward.
I sprinted forward. Declan was in the lead, and he didn’t stop running. He picked up the pace and smashed his shield into the mage, who went flying backward.
I sprinted up beside them, just in time to see Declan grab the mage and put him in a sleeper hold. The man slumped to the left, unconscious.
Panting, I crouched down. “Nice work.”
“Didn’t want to kill him. Guy is just doing his job.”
“Trying to kill us.”
“Which is part of his job.”
“Fair enough.” I grabbed the cuffs that were pinned to the guard’s belt. “Aren’t these handy?”
Declan gathered the man’s wrists, and I snapped the cuffs on. Then I undid his tie and gagged him.
“I’ve got him.” Declan stood and hoisted the mage over his shoulder. The guy had to weigh at least two hundred pounds, but Declan picked him up like he was a feather and carried him to a small closet. He stashed him inside.
I stood and turned to inspect the foyer, my muscles tensed and ready to fight. Had another guard heard? Would there be more coming?
But this place was huge.
Depending on how many guards there were, they could be off in wings where they didn’t even hear the shout of “Attention, aux intrus!” After a few seconds, when no one else showed up, I figured the coast was clear.
Quietly, I approached the entrance to the main hall.
All of the exhibits led off this massive, three-story open space, but there was no way we’d be able to just waltz through.
That was too easy.
I didn’t trust easy.
I crouched low and inspected the walls, eying the wooden trim near the floor. It was ornately carved, so much so that it was almost impossible to see the imperfections. But I spotted them and grinned. Tiny holes were drilled every twelve inches, and a few of them glowed with a bright red light.
“See?” I pointed. “Lasers.”
“Like in human museums.”
I frowned. “I bet they really burn you though. A simple alarm system, sure. But supernaturals would go the extra mile.”
I looked up, searching for more laser holes positioned higher in the room. “Can you see any above floor level?”
Declan searched the area for a while, then finally shook his head. “If there are any, I can’t see them.”
I looked at him. “That closet you stashed the guard in. Was it a cleaning closet?”
“Yeah.”
“Hang on.” I ran back to it.
The guard was still unconscious when I opened the door, but I found my target. A bottle of blue window cleaner. I snagged it, then returned to Declan.
He eyed it. “Smart thinking.”
I grinned, then turned to the huge room. First, I sprayed the cleaner at the floor. It hissed when it hit the lasers, and they sparked red, fine little lines that were now visible in the mist.
“Test complete.” I raised the bottle and sprayed upward.
Nothing hissed.
I sprayed slightly to the left, then the right. Then even higher.
Finally, there was a faint hiss and one single laser line appeared, about six feet over our heads. I looked at Declan. “Can you fly in that space?”
He frowned, considering, then nodded. “As long as there aren’t many more laser lines, we should be okay.”
“Can I hitch a ride?” I raised the bottle. “I’ll spray.”
“Anytime.” He held out his arms, and I climbed into them, clinging close.
His wings flared behind his back, and a tiny little thrill raced through me. I looked up at him, catching sight of the paleness of his face.
Damn it.
My nullification magic.
I gripped the spray bottle tight and tried to ignore the distress that filled me. I hated that I made him feel that way. Even worse, he was determined to silently ignore it, which was all noble and lovely.
How was a woman supposed to resist that?
No woman could be expected to.
Slowly, I drew in a breath and tried to call upon my nullification magic. But instead of sending it outward to use it, I called it inward. I tried to shove it down deep to a place in my soul where it couldn’t leak out and hurt Declan.
He stiffened slightly, then looked at me. “Are you doing that?”
“Doing what?” For whatever reason, I didn’t want to admit it.
“You’re repressing your magic.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I can feel it.”
I shrugged. “Still don’t know.”
“Thanks,” he said.
My shoulders relaxed, just slightly. It was one thing for me to try to make this step toward more. It was another thing to discuss it out loud—while breaking into a museum, for fate’s sake, as if this was the place I wanted to explore my deepest feelings and personal growth.
I appreciated that he recognized that. I wasn’t even fully committed to trying this with him. But there was no harm in at least trying to repress the nullification magic. It wasn’t impossible like I’d thought, so it was worth exploring.
“Well, get going,” I said, eyeing him.
He nodded, then took off into the air, slowly and delicately. I could feel the strain it took to fly at a specific height, but Declan managed it.
I leaned outward and sprayed the cleaner, trying to get it to travel as far as possible so we could see if lasers were in our path. Occasionally, the fine mist would hiss and crackle, and Declan would deviate.
My muscles tensed with every new laser I found, until I felt like I was wound so tight I would snap. At one point, we reached a sticky situation where a laser burned the edge of Declan’s wing.
He winced and clutched me tighter.
“You okay?”
“Couldn’t be better.” The strain in his voice made me frown.
I sprayed and sprayed, feeling like the lamest part of this team with my window cleaner.
By the time we reached the other side, I was desperate to be on solid ground. Declan hovered in the air, and I sprayed the floor, finding it clear. The baseboards here were simple—not ornately carved to hide the laser holes—so it’d be safe throughout the whole room, probably.
Declan set me down, and I stumbled away on shaking legs. “Thank fates that’s over.”
Declan nodded and walked toward the entrance that marked the angelic collection. I followed him, and we both stopped in the archway, inspecting the room beyond.
Massive paintings filled the space, some over ten feet high and twenty feet wide. They were all ornately done, with the kind of moody colors that always seemed to accompany angel artwork. Well, moody except for the golden sky, which was always heavy with clouds and bright with gold light streaming through.
Magic sparked around the entrance to the room, and I hesitated. “There’s another protection charm here.”
“I feel it.” Declan raised a hand midair and hovered it at the threshold to the other room. He winced. “Burns.” He retracted his hand and inspected it, then showed me. “Not red.”
“Just pain, then. No damage.” I sucked in a deep breath. “Better get it over with.”
I stepped into the room—or tried to, at least. My foot stopped at the threshold.
“You have to push,” Declan said.
“Ah, just like the wall in the alley that leads to G
rimrealm. But with added pain.” I tilted my head. “Someone should tell the Grimrealm folks that pain is a possibility. I’m sure they’d love to upgrade.”
A smile quirked the corner of Declan’s mouth. “I’ll leave that up to you.”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on it. Never.” No more time to waste. I braced myself, then threw myself against the invisible threshold.
The pain burst against my skin, a horrible burning sensation that nearly made me shriek. It felt a hell of a lot like the fire that blasted through my veins when the fire veins curse got bad. So now I got to enjoy burning up from without and within.
Wasn’t I a lucky girl?
It was incredibly hard to break through, and I shoved with all my might. Declan’s strong hands pressed against my back, and he pushed me through, giving me the extra bit of strength to tumble through and onto the floor.
The pain faded almost immediately.
I turned to see Declan plow through the force field and land in a pile next to me.
I rolled over to face him, still aching slightly. “Thanks for the shove.”
He nodded, sitting up slowly. “Why didn’t you use your nullifying magic?”
“Don’t want to waste it. With the way the curse is weakening me, I don’t want to use magic unless I have to.” Also, I felt a bit bad not feeling the fire if Declan had to. Which was dumb.
Of course I didn’t say that. What was I, crazy?
Declan stood and reached for my hand. I let him pull me to my feet, then turned and inspected the room.
The painting was obvious as soon as I laid eyes on it. It sat at one end of the long gallery, dominating a wall all by itself. At least twenty feet tall and ten feet wide, it was a monster piece of artwork.
I walked closer, my eyes devouring the painting. An angel fell from the sky, looking for all the world like Lucifer, though I knew it was our man, Acius.
“That’s him,” Declan said.
I stopped in front of the painting, inspecting it. The angel was falling toward a building that was built onto an island. It sat in the middle of a dark blue sea, the fortress on top looking like an impenetrable place. Though the building was made of pale, sun-bleached stone, it somehow managed to look miserable.