Grayson
This is awkward. Bloody awkward. I stood in the doorway of the broom closet, peering at Tucker. The man looked as though he’d just had his life ripped from his hands. Normally, his eyes were a deep honey color. Now they began to bleed red, the way a vampire’s did when bloodlust got to be too much. As he sucked in heaving breaths, his body seemed to grow bigger. His muscles strained and bulged while he braced his hands out at his sides and held on to the wooden shelves behind him. He bowed his head, and dark locks of his hair fell into his face. Flames spread from his shoulders down to his hands, lighting up the small space like it was midday.
My heart raced in my chest. He was clearly on the edge of breaking. I knew I shouldn’t push him, but part of me just couldn’t help it. He made it so easy. I tilted my head to side and crossed my arms over my chest, then leaned up against the door frame. “Bad day?”
The shadow of the phoenix rippled over his face. His eyes turned from honey to red and back again. “Don’t.”
I held my hands out and shrugged. “Don’t what? I didn’t do anything.”
One little snogging session with her and he’s got his nickers in a bunch. Girl must be magical in more than one way. I looked him up and down. “What’s got your feathers ruffled?”
He surged forward and smacked both his hands on the wall beside my head. “One guess.”
“Haven’t the foggiest.” With my vampire speed, I ducked under his arm and started walking out into the courtyard. “Hangry, perhaps? Did Polly forget to bring his crackers?”
“Grayson!” He shouted my name so loud I had to turn around.
“Yes?”
He reached into his pocket and then launched whatever it was at my face. Before it smacked into my eye, I lifted my hand and snagged the sharp metal from the air. They jingled in my hand when I turned to look at them. “Keys?”
“Yeah, you’re driving.” He stalked out into the courtyard and straight past me. The snow around him instantly melted away. He was throwing so much heat off of his body. The continual flakes didn’t even touch his head. Instead, they evaporated around him, sending little puffs of steam up into the air.
“Excellent.”
“Chitty chitty bang bang, chitty chitty bang bang, we love you. And, oh, anywhere we go…” I belted the song as loud as I could to break the silence in the small bus.
Nova sat directly behind me and had put her earbuds in a long time ago. But when I glanced into the rearview mirror, I saw Tucker in the back, his eyes glowing red and never wavering from my head. Clearly, my plan is working. Perhaps too well. Halfway back, Zinnia sat with her head resting on the cold glass, as she read from a thick book with a worn green cover. Her lips moved as she read, within a few hours she was more than halfway through the tomb. Magic shimmered in her hair and around her fingers lighting up the pages. I didn’t even think she realized she was doing it at this point. But when Tucker had ordered the others to give her a shot of their own magic, I knew instantly it was going to be too much. Only problem was how would it come out now? “Bang bang, chitty chitty bang bang.”
When I went to check my mirror on the right side, Ashryn was bent so close to my face I flinched away. “What in the bloody hell are you doing?”
Her long sandy hair fell onto my shoulder, and her lilac sent filled my senses. The black puffy vest she wore over her long-sleeved white shirt rubbing against her leather pants was the only sound she made. “Grayson, I suggest you desist this wailing, or I will be forced to reach past your baby fangs and remove your tongue from your head. Thank you.”
Ashryn stood up straight and walked back to her seat and sat down quietly with her back stiff and gaze forward. My jaw dropped open. The elf had barely said a word to anyone this whole time. Yet she took it upon herself to threaten me. Not the person I expected that from. Then suddenly, the mood in the small bus lightened, and they all broke out into fits of laughter. Even Tuck gave a half-smile. After a few hours of driving in silence, it was good to hear even a bit of laughter after what we’d been through earlier with Poseidon.
I winked at her in my mirror. “Right you are. I’ll be sure to, how did you put it? Desist my wailing.”
Ashryn was quietly beautiful with a small pert nose and high cheekbones. She was long and willowy. At times when she was around the other queens, it was easy to forget she was there. She was always so silent and calm. But when she gazed at me through the mirror with those forest-green eyes, there was wisdom, I didn’t quite know where it came from.
“Yeah, Gray, I think you hit notes only werewolves would hear,” Zinnia teased while she shoved her book into her backpack. Then she moved up closer to sit next to Nova behind me.
Nova plucked her earbuds out. “I couldn’t even drown him out with my music.”
“Brutal.” Zinnia snickered.
Nova rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it.”
I gazed out over the empty roads covered in snow. “Yeah, well, we are the only miserable gits driving in the mess, and I just thought a little music would do our morale some good.”
Tucker rose from the back of the bus and sat in the bench seat opposite Nova and Zinnia. “Raise our morale by torturing us to your tone-deaf rantings. Chitty Chitty bang bang my head up against a wall.”
“Glad to see you’re in higher spirits, boss. No one likes a silent parrot,” I teased.
Tucker scoffed. “About as much as anyone likes a little leech stuck to their ear.”
“Speak for yourself.” Driving into Philly, I could see the snow-covered city. “But just to make you all feel better, I’ll turn the radio on.”
I flipped the switch and turned up the volume, expecting for music to blare though the speakers on the bus. What I got was something else altogether. The DJ sounded exhausted as she read the news. “In other news, hundreds of thousands have been left without power as the storm continues on. Measurements of well over six feet of snow have come up all across New Jersey and New York. The state water company encourages all of us to try to keep our homes as warm as possible to avoid pipes from bursting.” Then I heard her slam the papers down on the desk. “Really? Try to keep the houses warm? We have no power, people, and the freak storm shows no sign of stopping. I haven’t left the studio in 48 hours. Screw this.” The station shut her down, and a slow song came back on.
I flicked the radio back off. “Well, that’s enough of that. I do wonder something.”
“Oh yeah?” Tucker leaned forward into the aisle so close I could see him out of the corner of my eye.
“How are we driving and no one else can get through?” It was true while I drove I noticed the path ahead of us was clear, but on both sides of the bus, walls of snow rose up from the ground. There was no one else on the roads, not even emergency vehicles. The whole of New England was buckled down for the duration.
Tucker nodded toward Zinnia. “Care to tell him what you’ve been doing?”
“I’ll tell him what I’ve been doing if you tell him what you’ve been doing.” She whispered back to him.
“Well, someone tell me, because we’re almost there, and I need to know if we’re going to get through or if we’re hiking in six feet of snow. I, for one, would prefer not to do that.” I turned off the highway, and again the bus was able to move through the snow.
Tucker chuckled. “I believe I’ve been melting, and Zinnia…”
“I’ve been removing with wind. Turns out Tabi’s powers have come in handy.”
I smirked. Soulmates are stronger together. “Well, I thank you for that.” I wanted to scream I told you so. Instead, I kept my mouth shut as I made the last turn down Fairmont street where the Eastern State Penitentiary stood.
Nova shot to her feet. “Stop!”
I slammed my foot down on the brake, and the bus slid forward on a sheet of ice. The back end flew straight up into the air, sending us tumbling. As we flipped upside down, I saw Tucker turn and brace his legs against the ceiling. Zinnia flew up from her seat, and he
hooked his arm around her waist and caught her before her head smacked into the ceiling. Behind Nova, Ashryn twisted her body upside down and braced herself to hold Nova into the chair. The ceiling of the bus crunched and groaned as we skidded across the ice-packed snow. Glass shattered on all sides of the bus like it’d exploded from the outside in.
I leapt over the driver’s seat and threw myself over Nova, covering her from the broken glass. The metal of the bus crumbled in on itself as it scraped against the street. The smell of gas smothered the air.
When the bus came to a stop, I held still. “Tucker?”
“I smell it.” He whispered. “Everyone slowly move to the back door.”
I took one step toward the emergency exit at the back when the engine wheezed and clicked. Then…pop!
We shot up off the ground in a ball of flames.
Chapter 21
Zinnia
Flames spread up the sides of the bus and across the floor, which was the ceiling now that it was flipped upside down. The seats melted from the heat, and Tucker stood towering over me with his hands out to his sides, as if he was holding the bus up.
Sweat poured off of him, and he gritted his teeth. “Everyone to the back door.”
The flames peeled back from the door like a curtain. I looked up at Tuck. “Are you doing this?”
“Trying to. Combustible flames are more difficult to manage.” His body shook from head to toe.
I reached out and grabbed Nova and Ashryn and shoved them toward the door. “Everybody out. We don’t have much time.”
They scrambled to the back door. Ashryn stopped and grabbed the metal leaver to release the door but quickly jerked her hand back. She held her hand out to us. The skin across her palm was bright red and bubbling up. She hissed in a sharp breath. “Too hot.”
“I’ve got this.” I pushed past them and reached for the handle.
“Zinnia don’t—” Gray reached past me to grab the bar.
I shoved my shoulder into his side, knocking his hands away. “Don’t touch it.”
When I wrapped my hand around the handle, I felt how hot it was, but it didn’t burn my hand. I opened up my magic and covered my palms in it, using every bit of it to protect my skin. Silver glittered over my skin, and I yanked the handle. Metal groaned against metal as the lock slid to the side. My pulse raced, and I took a step back, then lifted my leg and kicked the back door wide open. Cool air rushed into the bus and blew my hair back from my face. I turned back and gabbed Nova’s arm and yanked her toward the door. “Go now.”
She tumbled out into the darkness, then I waved Ashryn forward. “You next.”
“I’m sworn to protect you, my queen.” She cradled her hand to her chest and stood still as stone.
I rolled my eyes and flicked my hand forward. Tendrils of my magic wrapped around her waist and legs like ropes. I yanked back, and her feet went out from under her as I tossed her through the door. I narrowed my eyes at Grayson. “You wanna give me a try?”
He held his hands out in surrender. “Not a chance.” He darted past me.
Tuck stood in the center of the bus with his arms spread wide. His black t-shirt was sweat-soaked to his body. The muscles in his arms strained and shook as he struggled to hold the fire off. Billowing flames pressed against the invisible boarder he held in place. Black smoke seeped inside. “Go, I got this.”
There was no way in hell I was leaving him behind. He may have been a phoenix, but every supernatural had their limits, and I didn’t want to find out what his were.
I fisted both my hands in his shirt and yanked him to me. “Not a chance. We do this together.”
He nodded, and his wings shot from his back. “Together.”
“One…” I forced the elemental magic from my body. It brushed up against the wall he’d created with his own phoenix power. I could feel how close he was to losing his hold on it all. I knew I wasn’t strong enough to hold it all on my own, but if we did it together, we might get an extra two seconds to get out. “Two…” I stepped in closer and pressed my chest to his and met his heated honey gaze.
“Three!” He wrapped his arms around my waist and pumped his wings, diving for the back door. I threw my hands around his neck and held on as we shot out like a bullet into the snowy light. The walls of magic we’d been using to hold the fire at bay dropped instantly, and the bus exploded up into the air, knocking us sideways. Tucker turned his shoulder and threw his back to the ground, breaking my fall. We skidded across the ground and smacked into a snow bank. Air whooshed from his lungs, and he sputtered and coughed.
I lay there for moment, looking up into the pitch-back sky, watching the snow fall onto my face. The smell of burning rubber, gas and Tucker’s woodsy scent surrounded me. My head was cradled in the crook of his arm. I turned to my side to look down on him. “Are you okay?”
He pressed his eyes shut, and his brow furrowed as he groaned. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
The snow around us crunched down with every step the others took toward us. Tucker coughed into his fist and rolled to face me. “Thanks.”
Our noses were almost touching. If I titled my head only an inch forward, I would be able to press my lips to his. I wanted to do it. I wanted to celebrate the fact we survived an explosion in the best way. I didn’t move. “Anytime.”
His lips pulled up into a breathtaking smile. “You want to get blown up with me anytime?”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “That’s not what I meant.”
He reached up and wound his finger in a lock of my hair. “You are amazing, Zinnia Heart.”
Grayson slid to a halt and hunched over us. “Bloody hell. Are you alright?”
Great timing. I rolled to my back and sat up slowly. Wet snow soaked into my jeans, and my skin instantly cooled. When I glanced to the side, I could see strands of my hair standing out from my head. Lovely…“Yeah, I think I’m okay.”
“Me too.” Tucker sat up. His face was covered in black soot and sweat. Flakes of snow clung to his dark hair.
“What happened?” I looked back to where the bus crumbled into a burning heap of nothing.
Nova came up behind Grayson. “It was the spirits.” She looked up at the ominous brick face of the prison. “They liked it.”
A throbbing started in my head, and I pressed my hand to it. “They liked blowing us up? Why?”
“Because they can, Zin…because they can.” Nova reached down and grabbed my hand, then hauled me up to my feet. “We’ve got to get moving. I can feel them rushing toward us.”
Tucker lumbered to his feet, then nodded toward the front of the prison. “Think this is the first time anyone has ever broken into a prison before?” He looked over his shoulder and then spun in a circle. “Where’s Ash?”
Shit, did I throw her too hard? Panic sent my heart shooting up into my throat. I too spun in a circle, searching for her. When I looked up at the high brick walls, I spotted Ashryn tip toeing across the top of it. She held her arms out as though walking on a tight rope. That wasn’t the most amazing part of it all. On top of the wall, there was at least three feet of slow, which she didn’t sink down into, not one bit. I raised my eyebrows and watched as she danced over it like a ballet dancer. Then she bent her knees and dove over the back side and out of sight.
I stumbled forward. “What’s she doing?”
A sly smile cracked across Gray’s lips. “My guess would be breaking and entering. She’ll have the front door open in no time.”
I nodded and took a step back. “If you say so.”
The outside of the penitentiary was made of grayish brick that was covered in years of unkept filth. If I hadn’t known what lay behind those walls, I might’ve thought it was a castle. Behind the outer wall stood a large tower with openings all around it. In the past, armed guards would’ve stood in that tower shooting down whomever even dared to leave.
I followed behind Grayson and Tucker as they made their way over to the huge double doors. When I glanced ov
er my shoulder, I spotted Nova hanging back away from the rest of us. “Be right behind you.”
I turned away from them and walked over to where Nova stood kicking at the snow on the ground. “Hey, what’s up?”
She didn’t meet my eye. Instead, she shook her head. Her pin-straight white blond hair fell over her face. “Nothing.”
“Listen, Ashryn is about to open that door, and if you don’t give me a heads up what’s wrong, I can’t help you.”
“You ever wonder why this is one of the most haunted places in the country?” When I shook my head, she met my eye. “It’s because these spirits are so evil they know if they move on to the afterlife they’ll be punished…so they stay here, torturing the living. The more aware someone is of their existence, the more they will act out.”
“So, what you’re saying is you’re like a…”
“A freaking magnet to them all.” She shook her head and sucked in a breath.
I turned and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “Remember that hit of magic Tuck made you give me before?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, I’ll use it however you need me to. We just have to find the door to the underworld and get through it. Right?” I began walking and brought her with me.
“Right.” She sighed.
Once we stood next to Tuck, he eyed her closely. “Everything alright?”
I dropped my arm from around Nova’s shoulders and stepped up to the door. “Just fine. What’s happening? Are we almost in?”
“Best be out of here before the authorities arrive to put that fire out.” Grayson motioned to the bus.
“I think six feet of snow will be holding them up just a bit.” When the locks on the other side of the door creaked open, I looked up at the doors and stepped back.
They swung open only a couple feet, then Ashryn popped her head out and waved us through. “Come on, let’s go.”
I followed Tuck through the door. When we were all on the other side, Ashryn shoved her shoulder into the door and slammed it shut. Though this was now a tourist attraction, goosebumps broke out over my arms. I walked over to a shelf full of maps and plucked one up. “Here, let’s figure out where we have to go. Nova?”
Wicked Magic (The Royals: Witch Court Book 2) Page 11