by Jami Gray
This was like pulling teeth. “So, what exactly?”
“Do you remember what happened when you were fighting with the Soul Stealer?”
“You mean when my long lost twin made her appearance?”
He gave a short nod. “I don’t understand the details, but I know I was able to create an image of you, make it real enough to inflict damage on the Stealer.”
She remembered how startled she was when the doppelganger popped up. The image moved like her, fought like her, and if she hadn’t been on the ground on the other side of the Stealer, even she would have believed it was her. It was complex magic and hurt her brain to think about. “Could the Stealer see me? The real me, I mean?”
His answer was slow in coming. “I’m not sure. I don’t think so. Cassandra explained it to me like this—if someone expects something or someone to act in a particular way, and if I can create a realistic illusion, their belief that it’s real, makes it so.”
“Really?” Magical philosophy always gave her a headache, and it was no different now. “Okay, so because it expected me to fight it, it reinforced your illusion until the real me disappeared from its view?”
“Something like that.”
His response sparked another question. “Were you able to do this because we were walking between worlds?” The space where the colorful tapestry existed, where they traveled to track Cheveyo, existed on a plane between the mortal, or waking world, and the otherworld of magic. It was an alternate plane of reality, one most humans had no access to, but the Kyn, because of their nature, had no problems navigating.
He shrugged. “Probably.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Have you tried doing the same thing in the waking world?”
He nodded
“That smack at Rio’s and the other time at the Chavez’s, that’s how it manifests on this plane, right?”
He slid her a look. “You tend to speak before you think. It seemed the easiest way to get you to stop before you said too much.”
Right, or not, she didn’t have to like it. “I’m not a child.” The feel of phantom fingers stroking over her sensitive breasts, made her breath catch.
“Trust me, Raine. I’m highly aware of that.”
And that fast, the heat was back. Damn, maybe his newfound abilities had some positive benefits. An erotic shiver worked its way over her. “I’m not the only dangerous one here,” she said softly.
His answer was a very male smile.
Ignoring the wild fantasies traipsing through her mind, she focused on the conversation at hand. “Is that all of it?”
“No.” The single word was harsh.
“What else?”
Instead of answering, he switched lanes taking the turn to Tala’s house. Finally he asked, “What did you see when we were tracking Cheveyo?”
Uncertain what he was looking for, she thought back. “Your magic is like mine. There are small flecks of black in your color.”
“I’m not surprised.” His tone was so matter-of-fact she couldn’t help but stare. “What do you think it means?”
“It’s a sign of the magic the scientists twisted in me, and whatever was in that injection you were given.” Wasn’t it?
“Maybe.
“What do you mean, ‘maybe’? What else could it be?” Frustrated nerves made her voice harsh.
“I have my own theories.”
“Like?”
“What if what happened to us didn’t twist our magic, but unlocked something else?”
“Again. Like what?”
Obviously, he could hear the panic she was trying to keep at bay, because his tone gentled. “You and I aren’t purebloods. We’re both a mixture of Kyn bloodlines. Purebloods are few and far between. Each younger generation is mixed more and more. What if the mingling of the bloodlines created new forms of magic?”
“We would’ve had signs of it earlier,” she argued.
“Would we? Maybe the trauma of having our natural shields ripped away triggered it. Kyn have depended on their natural shields for centuries. It’s what helps us function in the mortal world. Without them, our magic is wild, unpredictable.”
It made a terrifying sort of sense. “Evolution of magic.”
His voice was grim. “Every living thing evolves. Magic isn’t exempt.” He pulled the car into Tala’s driveway. Shutting the engine off, he turned to her. “I think we’re the next step in the chain.”
Her mind raced, and the clicking of the engine filled the silence. If what he said was true, what did it mean? She and Gavin were comparatively young by Kyn standards. Their magic had years left to develop. There were Kyn out there who’d lived hundreds of years, Mulcahy being one of them. Why hadn’t any of the older Kyn come to this conclusion before?
Maybe paranoia was just raising its ugly head, but she couldn’t shake the feeling she and Gavin were on the edge of something much bigger than even she could guess at. If so, it meant their career as lab rats may be far from over, and it wasn’t just the humans they’d have to be wary of.
Her throat was dry. “How far have you gone with your magic?”
His green eyes were steady. She wished she could be as calm. “Not too far. I need someplace quiet and safe.” He paused. “How far have you gone?”
She dropped her gaze and focused on her hands fisted in her lap. “Obviously not far enough.”
Taking a deep breath, she stared unseeingly at the empty drive outside Tala’s cabin, thinking. If he was right and they were the next step in the Kyn evolutionary chain, she’d be an idiot not to see how far she could stretch her magic. He kept quiet, letting her work it through, which made her strangely grateful.
The heat of his hand as he laid it over her clenched fists broke through her spinning thoughts. “We may not be able to wait until we’re home,” he warned.
His words made her breath stutter in her chest. She unclenched her hand and turned it until his palm pressed against hers. “I know.” She took a deep breath. “I think we need to go back to where Jeremiah disappeared.”
His brow furrowed and his grasp tightened. “You think that’s wise, considering what happened to you last time?”
She shrugged. “We’re missing something. If we go back, maybe I can find some trace of Jeremiah, even if I need to push a little deeper.” He opened his mouth and she cut him off. “You’ll be there to keep me from going too deep, but we need to know.”
His searched her face. Letting go of her, he turned the key in the ignition and put the car in reverse. “You’re scared,” he muttered without looking at her.
Her normal flare of anger didn’t come at his words. There was no denying the truth of them. Attempting to track Jeremiah’s magic could just as easily kill them as work. “Yeah, I am,” she admitted. “So if you can come up with something better, let me know.”
He gave her a small, tight smile. As he steered the car to the clearing, the sense of standing on the edge of some great cliff came back in a gut-clenching wave. Her only solace was this time she wouldn’t fall alone.
Chapter Eighteen
Back at the spot where Jeremiah had disappeared, Raine tried to ignore the chill of the winter air. It joined forces with her nerves, causing a rash of goosebumps to erupt. Even with her barriers in place, there was something creepy about this spot.
The sunlight filtering through the bare branches did little to erase the gray shadows twisting in between the dormant trees. Strange, she never really thought of forests in Arizona. They weren’t as thick, or as old, as the ones back home in Portland, but she could feel the thrum of natural magic lying in sluggish trails under the frost encrusted ground. Uncertain of what she would be facing, she reached for her magic.
She spun a delicate tendril out into the forest, a cautious greeting to the slumbering power. For a moment there was no answer. Then like a shy child, the natural magic reacted, weaving gold strands over and around her silver light. The sleepy forest choose to share its winter wonderland with her
and her sense of self began to blur as she was drawn into the primitive magic.
She tumbled with the wind across the pristine beauty of a fresh carpet of snow. The quiet murmurings of frost filled her ears, as it laid its delicate lace patterns across branches and stone. The sharp sting of the air caressed her as it wound its way down the mountain, while the ever-changing, bell-like tones rang from the streams of snowmelt.
Under the onslaught, she let the natural magic share what it wanted, taking a brief respite from the outside world and the fears and worries that existed there. This wild peace was difficult to find, and she wasn’t about to offend the ones so graciously sharing their bounty with her.
All too soon, the shy magic slowed and awareness of her surroundings fell back into place. With the added benefit of the wild magic, she could make out the ragged edges of dark shadows lurking farther back in the trees. She took a step toward the unsettling gloom, only to feel the psychic tug as the natural magic unwound and curled away, leaving her bereft.
Turning she reached out and a hand grasped hers. The brief ache faded under the light of the silver and blue bond she shared with Gavin. Keeping him close, she watched the natural magic recede, leaving the surrounding forest a little less bright, a little more ragged than before.
Blinking, she looked at him. “Even the magic doesn’t want to mess with whatever this is,” she whispered and waved a hand where the shadows gathered, their darkness more pronounced than when she had first arrived.
With a small tug, Gavin pulled her closer. “It has a choice, we don’t.”
“True.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s get this done.”
He gave her hand a firm squeeze before letting go. Curious after their earlier conversation, she allowed her vision to split. An ever-changing play of light wreathed the real world as magic rode the air around them, blurring the forest and glade into watercolor-like scenery.
The minute Gavin lowered his barriers between the real world and his magic, Raine felt it. It started in the center of his body, a glow like a far off campfire. As he began to raise a protective circle, the campfire grew in strength.
Never would she tire of seeing the world stripped of its protective shell. When she was small, her mother shared tales of how the Fey existed in a world where the magic ran free and wild before the coming of iron and man.
Watching Gavin’s magic burn as he wove the steel blue through nature’s golden glow gave her a glimpse of those far away days. Even tied as close as she was to him, she could barely make out the murmur of his deep voice. He brought both magics together in a silent flash of light.
When her vision cleared, she was standing inside an undulating wall of blue and silver, interspersed with gold. No longer shrouded in the bright flares of magic, Gavin appeared more defined, sharper to her psychic eye.
Her lips curl in appreciation. She may not know much about how witches drew their power, but she knew enough. It took a great deal of strength to raise such a solid circle of protection without the benefit of a grounded power source. The fact he had done so effortlessly meant whatever power had been unlocked a force to be reckoned with.
There wasn’t much room in the circle, just enough so they could step around each other without bumping. A movement outside the protective barrier caught her eye. Snagging his wrist, she pulled him back the circle’s edges.
With her blade in hand, she stood between him and whatever lurked on the other side. Through the translucent wall she watched shadows snake over the forest floor. Narrowing her eyes, she stepped closer. Something was in those shadows, something she couldn’t make out. If she was just a little closer—
“Stop.” Gavin’s low command was reinforced when his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back. “You can’t cross the circle. You’ll bring down the barrier.”
His words cut through the strange compulsion. “There’s something in those shadows.” Her voice came out on a low growl. Startled, she turned her attention inward. Her cat was riding uncomfortably close under her skin.
“What?” He must have picked up her suddenly racing pulse.
“Something’s messing with me.” Pressing back into his solid form, she hoped the touch of his body would help ground her. Maybe stop the strange urges pushing at her.
His arm tightened and his magic poured over her in a warm wave. The unknown tension lessened. “Better?”
Doing an internal check, she found her leopard had slowed its pacing and was finally settling. The threat of a sudden shift receded. She uncurled her nails from Gavin’s arm and relaxed, lowering the blade in her other hand. She gave the half-moon marks in his skin a stroke of apology. “Thanks.”
“Be careful when you’re under.” His chest vibrated against her back.
Tilting her head back, she pressed a quick kiss to the underside of his jaw, touched by the concern in his voice. “I always am.”
He looked down at her and an unfamiliar gentleness softened the lines around his mouth as he cupped the side of her face. Leaning down, he took her lips in a warm kiss. When he was done, he chided, “Try harder this time.”
She stuck her tongue out in answer. As if she went looking for trouble. More like trouble found her.
He let her go and stepped back, giving her space.
She studied the weirdly dancing shadows outside their barrier. Time to get to work. “Ready?”
He nodded, his face grim.
Taking a breath, she made sure she anchored herself with their shared bond then dropped behind her barriers until the undulating magic filled her vision. Blue and silver hit the protective wall of power, causing small sparks of iridescent flames, which bled into the overall color.
She considered the circle’s magic. The key would be to get past the protective edge without tipping off whatever it was lurking in the trees. Somewhere in this glade were traces of Jeremiah. She just had to find them and follow.
First, she would have to mute her psychic presence. Watching the rippling power, she began to recognize a usable pattern. Inspiration struck. She reached through their bond. “Gavin?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you resurrect my twin?”
His surprise echoed through their bond and he took a moment to answer. “I can, but if you get into trouble I won’t be able to hold it.”
She got that. “Okay. Will you be able to shadow me and hold the image at the same time?”
“Probably, but not for long.”
“Hopefully I won’t need much time.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, her identical twin stepped toward the edge of the circle, luring the seething shadows close.
Praying his illusion would hold, she slipped into their bond and made her way to the point where their combined magic met the protective barrier. Letting her presence flow into the power, she concentrated on riding above the wave. She held her breath. Here was where she would be the most vulnerable. Shifting from the protective circle into the existing web of the forest’s magic, she risked exposing not just herself but Gavin as well.
“Move!” His mental push sent her scrambling into the uncertain web.
Trusting him to watch her back, she began searching for Jeremiah’s trail. Relying on her memory of her first attempt, she glided closer to a group of young ash trees. She snuck a glance back and noted the sentient shadows stayed focused on her doppelganger. Her twin was busy sending psychic probes at various points of the barrier. Raine turned to the task at hand, resuming her search.
Something flickered at the end of her vision. Yet when she looked at the fluctuating magic, it remained unchanged. She held still, hoping to catch the anomaly once more. Within moments, it flickered again. Slowly she brought it into focus. There, in the magical web, a small inky blot winked along the threads. There was only one way to follow.
She snagged one of the marred threads. Ice-cold flame set her world afire. Unprepared she was sucked under so fast she couldn’t react. Those searing flames licked over her, hungry and
voracious, using her as dry tinder. With no choice, she could only hold on to herself as the chilling menace took shape and plunged her mind into a morass of confusing memories.
She wasn’t Raine, but a wolf fighting for his life. Yet no matter how hard the wolf fought, he couldn’t stop the agony roaring through his body. As the frigid fire etched into his bones, the man’s spirit who lived deep within the wolf screamed.
As if that was the signal they were waiting for, the seething shadows swarmed him.
They clawed and ripped bits and pieces of his life into shreds. He couldn’t find anything to fight, nothing to hurt, to rend or tear. There was only the never-ending freezing fire and the malevolent shadows engulfing him. His struggles weakened, as the mighty wolf failed to find the strength to continue the fight.
Despair rose. There was no way to escape alive. Man and wolf pushed the despair back by pure force of will. They were Red Thunder Pack and nothing could shatter their need to protect, not even death. They had to warn their alpha they were being hunted.
Raine felt the moment the wolf gave the man control, even as unearthly flames set their blood boiling. Trapped inside Jeremiah’s memories, she watched as he lay on the forest floor the shadows pressing closer, morphing into ghosts of the familiar dead.
Chindis—the ghostly remnants of those taken before their time. The identification whispered through his fading conscience. No one mentioned how terrifying it was to be torn limb from limb, your spirit shredded by those you once knew.
Man and wolf were in agreement. They would be nobody’s servant, not even in death. Hard as it was to block out the barrage of agony, and the futile attempts of his dying body to escape, Jeremiah and his wolf took refuge in one last piece of magic. If they were lucky, they might take a few of the chindis with them.
Raine was buried so deep in Jeremiah’s memory she couldn’t escape. The shifter’s magic gathered and held until the end was imminent. Like a flash bomb, the magic exploded. Ghostly shrieks raked at her ears as the magic scoured over her soul and burnt the wolf and man to nothing, leaving her spirit trapped in the past.