“Yeah, who wouldn’t? That guy is hot and there’s a gorgeous body under that suit I’m dying to get my hands on.”
Drake cackled and had to hold back from materialising with laughter. Instead, he watched Charlie’s reaction. After having dinner together the other night, he hoped their relationship would start changing.
She scowled. “I have a boyfriend, why would I care?”
Ah, yes the damned boyfriend again. Although he wondered why he hadn’t seen Scott around so much since the other night. Hell, Charlie had gone to dinner with him, not Scott. He wanted to ask her about it but thought better. He wasn’t sure he’d like the answer. His amusement turned to frustration. Would she ever want him the way he longed for her?
“Great, just checking. I didn’t want to mess up anything if you had something going on.” Kaz slid back to her desk. “Plus didn’t you say you and Scott were taking a break?”
He watched Charlie for a moment longer but her expression remained unreadable as he shimmered in beside her, a smile on his face.
“What are you grinning at?” She glared up at him.
“Nothing, little witch.” He placed the scroll in front of her. “Niara gave me this. I may have a clue on the weapon. I believe it might be the Srimtar.”
“The shrimp-what?” Kaz asked.
“It’s an ancient weapon. Not much to go on, but it’s a lead. Better than anything else we’ve come up with so far.”
The sound of bells chiming through the room made everyone jump.
“What’s that?” Kaz shot to her feet.
“It’s a call from the Alliance, I must go now. They’ll want to discuss this new development.” Drake backed up and checked his phone to see if they’d sent any messages.
Charlie rose. “Sounds like they want to see me, too. I’ll just go tell Nigel.” She wandered off.
Kaz sidled up to him. “Hey, Drake, I –”
“No.” He leaned back against Charlie’s desk and crossed his arms.
Her brow creased. “No, what?”
“No, I’m not interested in you in any sort of romantic way.”
“Oh.” Her smile fell. “I was only going to ask you for a drink.”
“I’m sorry, Kaz, but I belong to someone else.” His eyes trailed after his witch.
She frowned. “I thought you were just friends?”
He smiled. “For now.” One way or another he’d get Charlie to see they were meant to be.
Kaz snorted. “Good luck with that one. She’s not easy to get close to.”
He chuckled. “No kidding!”
“Ready to go?” Charlie reappeared, giving him another glare.
Drake shimmered them to the corridor leading to the Alliance’s meeting hall. He missed the contact when Charlie let go of his hand. The oak floor gleamed and the russet walls held a flag of each race of Magickind.
“What did you tell the Alliance about me?” she asked.
“The truth. I can’t lie. If someone is trying to use you then we need to be prepared.”
She groaned. “What if they think I’m too dangerous to be on the case?”
“This is our case, little witch. We’ll see this through no matter what.”
He thought he saw a faint smile on her face. “Thanks, Vlad.”
He grinned and shook his head as they headed inside.
Inside the meeting hall sat Sirius McNab, an Ashrali; Lana, a Phoenix elemental; and Jason and his wife, Cate, the Grand Mistress with her sapphire eyes, pale skin and long brunette locks. She commanded an air of power benefiting her rank. Drake had come to like the strong-willed witch in the years he’d known her. As she often said, she didn’t take crap from anyone.
Cate smiled when she saw her niece and Charlie ran over to hug her. “Hey, kid, how are you?”
“Okay, I guess.” Charlie shrugged.
Cate gave her another squeeze. “We’ll talk more after the meeting.”
Drake took his seat at the table.
“Thanks for coming, everyone,” said Jason. “Today we’re here to discuss a case led by Drake and Division agent Charlie McCray. Agent McCray’s team was killed in a bust gone wrong when a gang known as the Tears tried to trade in illegal weapons.”
“It’s come to our attention that weapon may be ancient in nature,” Cate continued. “Drake has discovered a potential lead that maybe connected to some type of orb.” She glanced at the screen in front of her. “Drake, why don’t you tell us more?”
Drake straightened, explained what had happened the day before. He felt Charlie’s unease from where she sat between him and Cate. “The Srimtar, as it’s called, seems to be the only weapon we found so far that matches what we suspect caused the warehouse explosion.”
“What is your connection to this weapon, Agent McCray?” Lana spoke up, brushing her silvery hair off her face.
Charlie shifted in her seat. “I don’t have a connection to it other than it killed my team.”
“But an outside force possessed you when Helga tried to see the day’s events, correct?” Lana arched an eyebrow, and picked at her nails as if bored by the whole meeting.
“Whatever it was, it wasn’t me. I’d never hurt Helga or Drake.”
“How did you break her out of the possession, Drake?” McNabb prompted. “It doesn’t say in your notes.”
“He used our link,” Charlie spoke up.
“What link?” Lana asked, giving Drake one of her seductive smiles.
She was lovely with her lithe body and purple eyes. They’d slept together once, but her ethereal beauty and fiery energy did nothing for him now. “We have a telepathic link,” Drake answered. “Now–”
“You never mentioned you were life mates.” He thought he saw a flash of fury in Lana’s violet gaze.
“We’re not bonded,” Charlie added. “Besides it’s none of your business what we are.”
“Perhaps you are not the best to work on this case then,” McNabb agreed. “Personal feelings...”
“Ha!” Charlie motioned to Cate and Jason. “They’re married, and they work together every day.”
The conversation droned on for the next hour as they discussed the ins and outs of the case.
“I think this venture is a waste of time,” Lana said. “You have nothing but theories to go on. If I’d known your reason for pushing this so hard was personal, Drake, we–”
Drake opened his mouth to speak, but Cate beat him to it. “Enforcers died. People trained and chosen by us,” Cate snapped. “I won’t let this go either. There’s much more to this case, I can sense it.”
Jason spoke up. “I think we should all join powers. Charlie, would you be willing to show us what you remember from that day?”
Charlie turned pale but nodded. “Okay.”
Chapter 10
Charlie shifted in her seat as Cate and Drake both took her hands. Electricity jolted through the circle of joined hands. Reliving her team’s final moments was her worst nightmare.
Relax, little witch. Drake’s voice soothed at the edge of her mind.
Shit, would everyone else be able to hear that? She’d noticed Lana giving Drake the eye all the way through the meeting and had felt a smug sense of satisfaction when Lana had realised she and Drake were linked. Good, the bitch was pissed off. Drake was her demon. That thought scared her. Maybe it was because he’d been so nice after what had happened, or because he’d saved her life again. Or maybe she’d started to warm to him.
“I don’t remember much about that day,” she told them.
“It’s okay, Charlie. Just let the vision drag you in,” Cate said.
Charlie squeezed her eyes shut, heart pounding as the room faded. She found herself back in the warehouse, lying on the floor, gun in hand.
Getting excited for the big promo, huh? Natalia chuckled.
“Nat?” Charlie said, frowning at the image of her former partner.
“Focus,” Lana snapped.
Goddess, that bitch really needed
a slap. This is my fucking memory!
Ignore her, Drake said. Concentrate on what you saw.
She clutched her gun, felt the familiar weight of it in her arms. I can’t do this.
Yes, you can, little witch. I’m right here with you.
So are you and Scott going to have your own celebration? Natalia grinned. Or are you still arguing about moving in together?
I could kill for a drink. Charlie had thought. And Scott…that’s complicated.
Come on, Charlie. You’ve been doing the long-distance thing for over a year now. You can’t keep leading the guy on.
“Ladies, I hate to interrupt the chitchat, but we have a job to do here,” Simon’s voice echoed in her ear and made Charlie’s heart skip a beat. She missed that voice, the one who’d trained her, been almost like a second father to her.
“Aye, aye, captain.” She gave him a mock salute, causing Nat to stifle a snort.
“You know how important this deal is, guys.”
“Yeah, the big one before retirement,” Lou muttered.
“Incoming,” Charlie said as the door groaned open. In walked Moret and Simon’s contact carrying the box.
Target in position. Charlie stared through the scope of her rifle, zeroing in on the box, then glanced at her scanner.
That thing’s giving off some weird energy, Nat remarked. Watch yourself, boss.
So do we know what’s inside?
Negative, Lou answered. Scanner’s readings all over the place.
Charlie so wanted to cast her senses out to scan the box’s contents but she couldn’t risk anyone detecting the team’s presence.
Opening the box, Simon told them. Be ready for the takedown. Simon flipped the lead. Blue light exploded around them with a roar of thunder.
“Shit!” Charlie squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the floor give way. Then she was falling. She let out a scream as her body hit the ground, hard. Her ears rang, her eyes blinded by the blazing blue light. Blackness pulled under as she lay there, gasping for breath.
“Focus, what else do you see?” demanded Lana.
Charlie could still feel herself lying on the floor, the cold concrete beneath her but her thoughts were only of her team. “Simon? Guys? Are you there?” She rolled on her side, vision blurred from the blinding explosion. Her ears continue to ring as she crawled, seeing Natalia’s blank eyes staring back at her. “Nat,” she choked out her friend’s name. Charlie crawled over, touching her arm. “Nat?” She glanced over and saw Lou lying a few feet away. She felt his spirit leave too.
“Grab it,” said another voice.
She looked up through half closed eyes to see Moret and his contact standing by the still intact box. Moret reached into it, then yelped when a blast of blue light sent him staggering backwards. “Fuck, it won’t let me touch it.” Then she squeezed her eyes shut and slowed her breathing. Play dead, and you might just get out of this alive.
“Damn it, Goodridge needs that orb.”
“What about them?” He motioned to the bodies of her fallen teammates. “Make sure they’re all dead.”
Charlie closed her eyes. She was going to die. She thought her family, her little brother, then Drake came into her mind.
“Enough!” Charlie wrenched her hands away then ran out of the room. Tears spilled down her cheeks as the memories came flooding back. She hadn’t thought of Scott, she’d thought of Drake. She remembered muttering his name when she lost consciousness. She slid down the wall, wrapping her arms around her knees. All her grief had bubbled to the surface again. Get a grip, Denais don’t cry. You have a job to do.
The door opened and closed. She didn’t need to look up to know who it was. She could feel him. “I’m sorry you had to relive that. If I could have–” She shot up, throwing herself into his arms. “Can you just hold me?”
Drake wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight to his chest. He ran his hand through her hair, muttering something she didn’t understand.
Being in his arms felt comforting. “I called for you,” she muttered against his chest. “I remembered. I thought I was about to die and I thought of you. Why do we always seem to come together during death and destruction? First the bombing at your club when we first met, me almost dying during that lab explosion, the revolution, now this...”
He chuckled. “You do have a tendency for trouble, little witch.”
She nudged him in the ribs. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For being there.”
“I told you a long time ago I’d always be there for you.” Drake stroked her hair.
“Bet you’d prefer someone like Lana, huh?”
He scowled. “No, I only want you.”
Suddenly his presence didn’t feel so unwanted; instead she enjoyed the feel of his arms around her. Charlie wiped her eyes. “It hurt seeing them like but I know I can see this through – we can see this through.” She pulled back. “Let’s go back in.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yes.” She reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek that surprised them both.
As she turned to go, Drake caught hold of her wrist and kissed her again. This kiss was hot, demanding. She clutched at his shirt, pulling his hard body closer. This wasn’t like any other kiss she’d felt before, she needed him like she needed the very air to breathe.
“Guess you’re okay then,” said another voice.
They pulled apart, saw Cate standing in the doorway. Damn! Charlie felt her cheeks burn. She couldn’t believe Cate had seen that. She glanced at Drake, and then headed after her aunt when she headed back inside the meeting room.
“I sensed something while we were witnessing Charlie’s memories,” Cate said. “I saw a flash of something. It looked like an orb.”
“What do we know of the Srimtar?” asked McNabb. “What power does it have?”
“Not much. Just a lot of myths and legends around it,” answered Jason. “No one knows what its true power is.”
“Most legends have some grain of truth in them,” Drake pointed out.
Charlie glanced at the data on screen.
“Why were you unaffected?” Lana gave her a questioning look. “Why did they die and you survive?”
Drake glowered at the Phoenix. “Lana.”
“What? At least I can be objective on this matter. I’m not blinded by emotion.” She glared back at him.
This bitch really needs a slap. Yet the bitch did have a point. Charlie had asked herself that same question every day.
“Moret and his contact had shields on. Did you activate your own shield, Charlie?” Cate asked.
“No, protocol states we don’t turn on our shields until after we’re announced a presence or we engage our weapons,” she answered. “As you saw, we didn’t have time for either.”
“I think I should use my powers on you. I have visions too and I know to be careful.” Cate held out her hand for Charlie to take.
“What if you get hurt too?” Charlie gripped the sides of her chair.
“I’ll be careful.”
Charlie glanced to Drake.
I can pull you out again, he said.
Yeah, but I’d rather not experience mind-numbing pain again. Charlie held out her hands to her aunt. Cate’s eyes turned bright silver and Charlie closed her own eyes. Please don’t hurt my aunt!
She waited for something to happen then felt a violent jolt. The same feeling she’d had when Helga had tried to use her power on her. Her eyes snapped open and blue light shot from her hands, sending Cate hurtling across the room.
Not again! Charlie thought, shocked to feel the presence of something else at the edge of her mind. What’s happening to me? She wouldn’t let it take her over this time. She focused on her power and tried to reach for Drake’s hand but her fingers only twitched in response.
Jason swore, static flaring between his fingers.
“No!” Drake snapped.
“What is that?” Mc
Nab rose from his seat and backed away.
“Yes, you should fear me for I am power.” Words came out sounding nothing like Charlie’s voice.
Whatever the hell you are, get out of me! Charlie snarled. This is my body, not yours.
More words came out of her mouth.
Fool, I am you. We are one and the same.
Charlie felt a rush of panic, what the hell did that mean?
Blue light exploded as the strange entity knocked everyone across the room. She felt her legs moving as she stalked across the room towards the double doors. No, stop! Charlie cried. Something tugged at her senses, like a rope being pulled. Her body spun around to see Drake. Blue light flared again.
No! Charlie screamed, trying to use every ounce of strength she had left to fight for control. The blue light shot out, hitting Drake in the chest. His head slumped forward, eyes closing. No, no, Drake! Her body continued moving, pushing open the double doors.
“Oh no you don’t,” Cate said. “Whatever the hell you are, get out of my niece!”
Charlie’s body froze as if held by invisible bindings. Charlie knew Cate must be using her GM power which allowed her to control all witches. Ha, take that! Charlie cheered. Now get out of me.
“Fool, your powers are no match for mine.” Another burst of light sent Cate crashing to the ground, and then light exploded around the room.
Everyone in the room fell unconscious – at least Charlie hoped they were. If anyone else died she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. Seriously, whatever you are, you better get out of me right now.
I am you, the voice hissed. You are me.
Charlie snorted. Right, how the heck is that possible? Her body continued to move down the hall. Where are we going?
To find it.
Find what? Light blurred. Charlie felt her body becoming incorporeal. Next, she found herself back in the warehouse where it had all begun. Her hands raised, blue light surging through the barren building.
What are you doing? demanded Charlie. She tried to move her limbs but the invading force overpowered her every attempt at regaining control.
Blue light bathed the building in an eerie glow as more words came out. Metal groaned and vibrated from the force.
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