Broken Pentacle

by Eden Rivers

  Pulling a channel of power, he rolled out of bed, glancing frantically around the room as he searched for the threat. “What’s wrong?”

  When she handed him the note, his face shifted into a mask of anger, dark and forbidding. “No one’s been in here while we slept. Door and windows are still warded. When would someone have had access to your things?”

  “Funny. My first question was, ‘Who?’ not ‘When?’ This is personal. Damn personal.”

  She scanned the childishly pasted words again, seeking information regarding who could hate her that much. The brazen witch will die, afraid, alone, abandoned. With none to hold, none to claim, save dust and bitter longing.

  “At least it doesn’t have the flavor of a spell. I asked when, because we’re in a heap more trouble if someone put it in your pack here, in the heart of Sorren’s stronghold, rather than back at the cabin.”

  “Jaimis’s spy?”

  Zach pulled on the boxers and pants he’d discarded the night before and eased his injured arm stiffly into his shirt sleeve as he finished dressing. “I’d like to say yes, because the alternative is that we’ve got two people out there who want to bring us harm. Possibly both here, in Sorren’s private residence. But like you said, this is personal.”

  “I’m not exactly popular among witches, after going to the press and outing a bunch last year.”

  Zach shook his head and paced the length of the room, then stood and stared out the window before returning to stand beside her. “Sorren’s got his people shouting from the rooftops that you saved Eric yesterday. Said he wanted to be blessed certain you’d be free to settle wherever you want, without your own kind giving you shit. And most folks who got bent out of shape about you talking to the press lost their head of steam around the time the media declared the whole thing a hoax. The holdouts figured you’d suffered enough once they heard what happened with Jaimis.”

  “Maybe someone who participated in the Wisconsin rite, someone who’s life I fucked up beyond repair just because they tried to do a bit of good and turn back the drought?”

  “Or a pissed-off husband or wife, or a relative, who had their own world rocked when one of the witches who participated in the pentacle rite had to go underground after you talked to reporters. Possible. But a year’s a long time to hold a grudge that strong, let alone follow through and act on it.”

  “I’d like to think it’s the witch who’s been feeding Sorren’s plans to Jaimis. One hateful psychopath out to do me harm, rather than two.”

  Zach walked over to her pack and rummaged around until he found her cell. “Time to call Alec back to the fold.”

  * * * * *

  “But if we move out to one of the guest cottages, we’ll be able to dig in and defend our position without dragging you into this.” Waving the note as if it could convince Sorren, Sky got up from the leather sofa and paced across the sea of frothy white carpet.

  Zach followed, catching her around the waist and pulling her back to sit beside him in the intimidating luxury of Sorren’s great room. “My gut instinct is not to let the threat separate us off on our own. Most likely, whoever wrote it intended to set us running scared.”

  Startled, Sky sprang to her feet as the doors between the foyer and great room opened and Matt entered, his wavy brown hair tied back with a leather band, his shirt torn, and blood staining his jeans. Alec’s son was a blessed powerful witch, and she’d earned his contempt when she’d included his and Lena’s names among the witches she’d outed.

  “Alec…?” Fear skittered through her as the moments ticked by, and he failed to appear.

  Matt turned back toward the foyer. “He’s just…”

  “Taking some extra time to make our guest comfortable.”

  Alec strode around the corner, and for a moment, she thought he’d close the distance between them, bridge the gap he’d created when he tried to break their link yesterday. Instead, he stopped beside Matt. Father and son looked so alike, with their hair tied back and leather jackets covering their bloodstained T-shirts, that it was hard to imagine they’d ever been estranged.

  “The dark lord’s sedated and under guard. We left him at the gatehouse, not wanting to bring him further onto the estate. This one’s every bit of trouble we expected he’d be when we searched his police records.” Alec approached Sorren, and they clasped hands. Sky shifted awkwardly where she stood.

  “The physicians are working on a mix of psychiatric meds, enough to keep him from accessing his power, and yet still answer questions coherently.” Matt’s gaze was less than friendly. “That power dampening spell you taught Jaimis last year would be damn useful in our hands ‑‑”

  “No!” Her protest brought Zach to his feet beside her. Struggling for calm, she turned to Sorren. “That spell ‑‑ Jaimis used it on Lena, on me, on Alec! And again to subdue Eric and Nicole!”

  To her surprise, Alec closed the remaining distance between them and grasped her arm. Ignoring her struggles to free herself, he led her toward Matt.

  “I don’t believe you’ve been properly introduced.” He wrapped his arm around her back, and she stiffened under his touch. “Sky, meet Matt, my son. I understand you two didn’t get off to the best start in the past. I expect things will be different this time around.”

  After a few awkward moments, Matt offered his hand.

  “What Sky said about not teaching anyone that spell…” Zach glanced from Matt to Sorren. “That stands. Not sure she could if she tried, since her power’s short-circuited, but regardless, that option’s not on the table.”

  “Agreed. Some spells are best left alone.” Sorren gestured toward the sitting area. “Please, we have important matters to discuss.”

  In his jeans and blue cotton shirt, with his long white braid hanging over his shoulder, Sorren could have passed for someone’s grandfather. But the elder witch radiated power, and Sky moved with the others to settle back on the sofa and chairs.

  With his emotions brimming dark enough to make Sky shiver, Alec sat beside her on the sofa, and she handed him the threatening note. They might not be on the easiest of terms, but the fact of the matter was, the only way she could die “afraid, alone, abandoned” would be for someone to get to Alec and Zach first, a thought that scared the shit out of her.

  “Which is why we stay together, twenty-four seven, until this resolves.” Zach glanced up at Matt’s puzzled expression. “Sorry, Sky was mulling over the intent of the threat. I’ve known from the start that Sky, Alec, and I have to see this through together in order to come out alive at the end. As of now, that means no one runs off on any missions.”

  Expressions flitted across Alec and Zach’s faces so fast that she could hardly keep up. Whatever they had to say to each other, their defenses held so tight she couldn’t catch the discussion. But Alec’s red face indicated Zach might not be much happier than she was that he’d run off on his own.

  “I get the sense I’m intruding on private conversations here.” Matt stood and glanced at Sorren. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to check in on Serena, and then spend some time with Eric.”

  Sorren nodded and waved him away. “We’ll speak of what you found in St. Paul when I’m done here.”

  As the door clicked shut behind Matt, the air around Alec and Zach crackled with a mix of anger and erotic energy. When Zach leaned over and delivered a jab to Alec’s ribs, she tensed, waiting for all hell to break loose.

  “Ease up! I took a few kicks when we broke up that hellhole outside St. Paul.” Scowling as he rubbed the corded muscles at the back of his neck, Alec clamped down tight on his shields, closing himself off in his own private misery. “Found two teen witches alive in the abandoned property the dark lord used as base camp. Too late to save the other two from becoming blood sacrifices.”

  “What will happen to the dark lord they brought in?” She couldn’t stand for Alec to have Sorren witness his pain and latched onto a distraction.

  “This one has a police reco
rd, complete with outstanding warrants.” Sorren let a glimmer of power rise to the surface. “We’ll question him, find a balance of psychiatric drugs to nullify his powers, and turn him over to the authorities. We have the connections to make sure he continues to receive the correct meds for his schizophrenia, once he’s in the human correctional system.”

  Sky couldn’t decide whether to be impressed or frightened by the elder witch’s realm of influence.

  “Back to the matter at hand. Both Zach’s and my foreseeings indicate the three of you” ‑‑Sorren pointed at her, Alec, and Zach ‑‑ “need to pool your gifts to emerge unscathed.” He scowled, and sparks of energy danced along the staff he’d balanced against his chair. “We’ll have to hope for more foreknowledge before the spy makes her move.”

  “Her?” That got Sky’s attention. “And you’re certain it’s the spy who’s been leaking information to Jaimis?”

  “That much the Sight has revealed. I’ve arranged for the three of you to move into one of the larger suites upstairs. You’ll have room to maneuver if our scheming witch gains access to your quarters. I’ve cleared my guests to the outlying cottages, and Eric and Nicole have been moved as well. I’ll do my utmost to come to your aid when the rogue makes her move.”

  Alec stood, shoulders squared for battle. “If anything happens to Sky ‑‑”

  “On that, we’re agreed.” Catching Sky by surprise, Sorren turned to her and smiled. “Eric’s parents named me guardian, and I’ve spoken with Lena and Matt, who’ll be stepping in as surrogate parents. Eric means the world to me, and I owe you a debt beyond ordinary gratitude. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you and your friends safe.”

  “And Nicole?” No doubt she was pushing her luck here, but Sky didn’t want to see Nicole punished beyond the torture she’d already endured at Jaimis’s hands.

  “Is healing as well as can be expected. I’ve sent for her mother and baby, hostages Jaimis used to secure her cooperation. Once Nicole recovers, I’ve asked her to sign on with me to help corral the dark lords.”

  Zach snorted. “Following the age-old advice to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”

  “That and I have a soft spot for spirited witches who make rather dramatic mistakes.” Sorren glanced at Sky. “The approach has worked well in the past.”

  * * * * *

  Alec’s ribs ached like hell and fury, and his jaw stung where he’d taken a punch. Worse ‑‑ though he tamped the images down tight under layers and layers of shields so as not to share with Sky and Zach ‑‑ he couldn’t stop seeing the carnage that greeted them when he and Matt made their way into the dark lord’s St. Paul stronghold.

  Zach rejoined them in the hallway outside one of Sorren’s luxurious guest suites. The elder witch’s mansion made his old Washington, D.C., accommodations look downright rustic. As Sky paced another circuit of the hall, Alec shifted uneasily. When she finally let loose and told him what she thought of him, things were going to get ugly.

  Not that he hadn’t earned her wrath. For someone who’d spent a lifetime working toward compromise and consensus, he couldn’t possibly have made a bigger mess of things with Sky.

  Zach cuffed his shoulder. “Room’s clear. No sign of spells or traps.”

  Brushing past him, Sky headed into the suite. By the Horned God, he might as well share a den with an angry badger as stay cooped up in a room with the furious witch. Not that Zach was too thrilled with him at the moment, either. Doing his best to ignore the crackle of anger that seeped past his shields, Alec strode into the room and stripped, eager to be out of the bloodstained clothes. A swell of power surged around him as Zach made a methodical survey of the oppressively cheerful, blue and white room, setting wards at every possible entrance.

  Sky shook her head, her hair swishing against her yellow shirt like midnight on sunshine. “Seems you could have undressed in the bathroom.”

  More anger, laced with hurt and betrayal ‑‑ whereas Zach projected a mix of concern and thinly suppressed amusement. Well, fuck this.

  “Look, I saw things today that rivaled anything you and I experienced at Jaimis’s hands.” Alec stepped in front of her and grabbed her wrists when she tried to move away. “I’ve been clamping down on the images of what happened to the two teens who didn’t make it so fucking hard my teeth hurt. I figured you and Zach didn’t need to share the horror up close and personal.”

  Pausing for breath, he felt shivers of power building around Sky and wondered if he’d gone too far. Wouldn’t do to have her attempt a spell and bring part of the ceiling down on them. “I’m wrung out from using my concealment spell more consecutive hours than I’ve ever employed it before, and the fact that I took a few kicks to the ribs when Matt and I barged into that dilapidated crack house of a power stronghold isn’t helping my disposition any, either.”

  Sky twisted her wrists, attempting to free herself, and stains of pink spread from her chest to her cheeks. So be it, then. Sky can rage all she wants, for all I care.

  After the nightmare of being stuck outside Jaimis’s wards, knowing she was on the inside… Maybe hurt. Maybe raped again. Maybe tortured. That kind of hell didn’t go away on its own. She might be mad, but he held such a huge core of “pissed off” inside right now, it threatened to tear him apart.

  Zach walked up behind Sky and stroked her hair, and his, Back off and let go of Sky, message penetrated Alec’s mental defenses loud and clear. In the next heartbeat, Sky wrenched her wrists free and shoved him away ‑‑ right where he’d taken a brutal kick to the ribs from one of the dark lord’s human cohorts. Even more painful, he detected a gaping hole where he should have sensed their link.

  Nothing. Just numb, empty space where he should have felt an unavoidable connection. His link with Zach held strong, bristling with aggravation. But from Sky, an empty void.

  “You pushed me away when I needed you most.” Her voice shook with ice-cold rage. “I sat with a bloodied child on my lap, hoping Laura could piece him back together. I’d just gotten a firsthand look at Jaimis’s work carved across Nicole’s legs in intricate, bloody patterns. I faced the man who’d raped and tortured me. Even found some magic inside me I didn’t know I possessed.”

  As she spoke, the color left her face and her pale blue eyes may as well have been frozen ponds under the winter sky. Alec wanted to turn away and ease his battered body into a hot bath. Anything to avoid facing the damage he’d done.

  “We’re all on edge.” As Zach rubbed Sky’s back, he reached out to take Alec’s arm. “Go soak in the hot tub, Alec. This isn’t the time to poke at painful wounds.”

  “No!” Sky shrugged off Zach’s hand and placed her palm flat on Alec’s chest. “We’ll finish this here. Someone means to kill us. Most likely it’s a witch who’s been clever enough to spy on Sorren and avoid being detected for months. Let’s get this all out in the open, so we can focus on saving our necks.”

  Furious, Alec stepped away from Sky, avoiding her touch. “You left. With Scott dead, and who knew how many armed humans crawling the area, you took off to ‑‑”

  “I panicked.” Sky’s face crumpled. “I failed to save Scott, but killed the dark lord during my attempt. You can’t imagine what that felt like.”

  “I can’t imagine? After what I saw today, the carnage left behind from a blood rite so dark, I can’t even put the horror into words, you say I can’t imagine?”

  Zach’s dark brown eyes reflected a heap of hurt and anger as he lifted Sky into his arms. “Right, this argument is officially over.”

  “Put me the fuck down!” Kicking and raging, she struggled as Zach carried her toward the open door to the bathroom.

  “Believe me, my first inclination was to go for Alec, but I can’t carry him. And he’s already taken a beating today, so it wouldn’t do much good to wrestle him to the floor.”

  Against his better judgment, Alec followed. Warm air hit him as he crossed the threshold into the bathroom. The room was la
rger than some bedrooms, and the hot tub looked like a small swimming pool. Potted trees, planters of miniature roses, orchids, and hanging ferns filled the area with the scent of flowers and growing things. A clear glass shower filled the corner of the room, and a bamboo screen shielded the sink and toilet from view.

  Sky hung her head down over her knees as soon as Zach set her on the blue tile near the edge of the sunken hot tub. After he got her undressed and slid her into the water, Zach switched on the jets to create a sea of bubbles. About now Alec hardly cared whether the witch who’d composed the threat got his sorry ass or not, but he wasn’t so far gone that his body could resist the siren call of that bubbling, warm water to soothe his hurts.

  As Zach stripped and climbed into the water, pulling Sky onto his lap, Alec eased himself into the opposite side of the huge tub. For a while, he sat with his eyes closed and his head tipped back to rest against the cool tiles. The pounding ache in his ribs faded to an uncomfortable throbbing, and some of the tension sloughed off under the thrumming caress of the jets of water.

  “I…” Sky’s voice startled him out of his exhausted stupor. “Trusted. I trusted you.”

  Oh gods, what to say to that? Where a moment ago he’d felt an absolute absence of bonding, a psychic void, now pain singed a path between them, hot and reckless, and he had a hard time separating himself off enough to know the anguish didn’t originate within him.

  Zach brought his hand down hard on the water, sending a barrage of spray direct at Alec’s face. “You can’t destroy a link like the one we forged, asshole. Not even when you try. Sky’s been hiding, dug in deep underground like an injured fox. But you’re stuck with each other. Now fix the damage you’ve done.”

  “The damage I’ve…” Hey, buddy, you’re the one who was here to offer comfort ‑‑ and a few other things besides. Maybe you should fix… Alec pulled up short when Sky leaned forward and slapped his shoulder.