Spellbound by the Angui - Cipher's Kiss Book 2

by Walker, Heather

  He picked her up, but when he set her on her feet, her knees buckled. When would he kill her and get it over with? She would never get out of this room. He grabbed her behind the neck, whipped her around, and shoved her face down on the table.

  She took a fraction of an instant to realize he was lifting up her skirts. He couldn’t be planning that. He couldn’t. In a flurry of alarm, she seized the first thing that came to her hand. Her fingers closed around the Erlenmeyer flask. Superhuman power rushed through her veins as she arched her back and clubbed him across the head with the flask. The glass shattered, and his head whipped to one side. The blue syrup gushed down her arm and coated her hand.

  Nikolai fixed his smoldering eyes on her, and a horrible, animal laugh boiled out of his being. He flattened his hand on her back to push her down. Ellen gave one last heroic struggle. She craned her shoulders around and shoved her blue-coated hand into his face.

  Acrid smoke billowed from under her fingers as her nails sank into his flesh, turning it spongy and gelatinous little by little. Her own hate-fueled rage made her tighten her grip. The harder she dug her claws into his head, the more it withered and collapsed on itself. An acid stench rose from where her skin seared into his. His eyes drooped out of their sockets, his mouth smeared to one side, and his flesh dripped off the bone as his cranium folded in on itself, in a muddy disgusting puddle.

  Ellen’s rage wouldn’t let her understand the astonishing nature of what happened until his wiry frame buckled and hit the floor. For one terrible moment, she stared down at the liquefied remains of the wizard’s face.

  Did she just do that? Did she just really do that? He was dead, as sure as she was standing there. He was just as dead as Obasi Jelan. A pang of regret twisted her heart into knots. The syrup infused a subtle warmth into her hand. When she looked down at her palm, the blue steamed off and evaporated to nothing.

  She rubbed her palms together but couldn’t get that cloying, melty sensation off her skin. It spread over her whole body and wormed into her guts. That feeling rushed up her spine, and all her terror came flooding back. She had to get out of here. She had to get out of Aberdeen and out of Scotland and out of 1740. She was already wanted for one murder. Now she’d committed another, and both men belonged to the Falisa. The society would come after her for killing their own.

  She whirled for the door when a strange idea caught her attention. She snatched the book of spells and crammed it down her bodice, then rushed from the room and came to a halt in the corridor outside. Before she could move, the housekeeper came traipsing up the stairs a few yards away. Ellen swept up her messy hair and spun it up into a quick bun. The maid reached the landing and raised her eyebrows at Ellen’s flustered expression. Ellen scrambled to invent any cover story to get her out of this.

  “Mr. Wainwright is still hard at work,” she gushed. “He said he would join me for lunch later. I’m going out for a walk. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”

  Not giving the housekeeper a chance to answer, Ellen sailed down the stairs. Once she closed the front door behind her, she bolted down the street in a headlong flight somewhere, anywhere, away from here. She rushed around the nearest corner and hit something solid. Strong hands seized her by the shoulders. She shrieked in fright and yanked to free herself, tossing one way and then the other.

  A familiar voice bellowed in her face, “Ellen!”

  She froze stock-still and stared through her disheveled hair hanging in her face. Louis Kirk stood before her, as strong and sturdy and handsome as ever. She opened her mouth to say something.

  “Ellen!” he breathed, his eyes searching her face. “What are ye doing here?”

  Her throat wouldn’t work. What could she say to him that would make sense?

  The next thing she knew, they both started talking so fast neither could understand a word. She poured out the whole tale. In the back of her mind, she heard him saying something but couldn’t understand it.

  “Cipher’s Kiss…”

  “Spell…activate it…words…”

  “The wizard from Inverness…”

  “I know!” She burst out laughing.

  They both stopped to let the other one go first, then both launched in again.

  “I thought ye were gone!”

  “So did I!”

  “How did ye get here?”

  They both stopped a second time. All of a sudden, she couldn’t bear the overwhelming relief of seeing him again. He was here, standing right in front of her! She would never let him out of her sight again. She flung her arms around him, and he hugged her head against his heart.

  He pushed her off. “We have to get out of here. The Gunns are all over the place, and the constable’s after me.”

  “I know!” she exclaimed. “I mean, I have to get out of here too.”

  He hustled her down the street. “I dinnae ken how we can get out of the city. There’s nowhere safe.”

  He steered her into an alley, glancing back to check for enemies until he pushed her into a dim corner. When he came face-to-face with her again, his eyes widened to stare at her. “Och, Ellen! It’s good to see ye again. I thought ye’d gone back home for good.”

  “I guess I botched the spell,” she murmured. “I wound up here, and… Well, everything’s okay now. We just have to get out of here.”

  “We cannae take the coach like we did before, and we cannae take a ship. I already checked.”

  Ellen stared down at her hands one more time, still struggling to comprehend what happened back in that room, but at least she was out of the wizard’s clutches. He would never bother her again, but how could she ever explain to Louis what happened when she didn’t understand it herself?

  She glanced up to find him regarding her. “Are ye all right, lass? Ye’re bruised around yer neck.”

  She slid her gaze away, rubbing her hands together again. She scraped one palm down the other but couldn’t scrape that sensation of dripping flesh out of her mind. “I’m fine.”

  “Aye.” He sighed. “Now as to the matter of getting the devil out of here…”

  “Don’t worry about that.” She heard her own voice from miles away. “I’ll handle it.”

  He stiffened. “How’ll ye do that?”

  “I’ve found a way. We’ll just have to walk. That’s all.”

  He bent forward to study her face. “What ails ye, lass? I dinnae like this at all.”

  Ellen shook off her lethargy and squared her shoulders. They had a problem, and only she could solve it. This was no time to fall down on the job.

  She took his hand and fixed her eyes on his face. “I’m going to do something. For Pete’s sake, don’t ask any questions. Just do as I say, and don’t let go of my hand, whatever you do. If you do, you’ll get lost and I’ll never be able to find you again. Understand?”

  His eyes widened and his jaw fell open in shock, but he nodded. Her skin crawled when she thought about repeating Nikolai’s words, but time was of the essence.

  She closed her eyes and set her attention on Louis.

  “Hrygr Momr Örtr Hræglfírn

  Föng Lygþögr Uttumr Þrágþá

  Þromnundýrtr Hrogþírrár Ornjönði.”

  When she opened her eyes, she stood alone in the alley. Only Louis’s warm fingers in her grasp told her he was still there, invisible. Good. That still worked.

  He gasped in her ear, “What did ye do, lass?”

  “Like I said,” she replied, “don’t let go of me or I won’t be able to change you back.” She repeated the spell and turned herself invisible too.

  Louis cried out in alarm. “Lass!”

  She led him out of the alley, into the street. “Just keep your voice down,” she murmured. “Remember they can still hear you, even if they can’t see you.”

  They started walking the long trek out of Aberdeen. Louis froze when a crowd of Gunns charged past the invisible pair, but she pulled him onward. The hike did Ellen good, giving her time to settle he
r nerves after the fight against Nikolai. She still didn’t want to think about him lying dead on the floor with his face half melted off, but at least the spells he’d taught her did some good.

  Louis said nothing until they came to the open road leading across the countryside. They kept up the march until sundown settled over the land.

  “Can ye get us out of this, lassie?” Louis murmured.

  “I can reverse it anytime,” she replied. “Where should we stop for the night?”

  “I dinnae like to stop anywhere, but I suppose we have to. The soldiers’ll be watching the road. Likely they’ve got guards posted in all the wayside inns. I suppose we’ll have to sleep in a hay barn or a corn rick somewhere.”

  “Okay,” she replied.

  He stopped dead in his tracks. Ellen would have given anything to see his face at that moment, but his voice told her everything she needed to know about his expression. His words cut the still air and stabbed into her ear. “Ye dinnae have to agree with me so easy, lass. Ye cannae sleep in a hay barn in that dress.”

  “What’s wrong with my dress?” she asked. “I can sleep in a hay barn as well as you can if it means not getting caught. What’s the big deal?”

  “Forget it,” he snapped. “We’ll find an inn or somewhere. I’ll no’ have ye sleeping rough when I just found ye again.”

  She didn’t argue. They ventured on until they came to the next hamlet by the roadside.

  Louis paused outside an inn. “I’m going inside to check the situation. Dinnae move from this doorway. Do ye hear? I’ll be back, and I’ll find ye and tell ye if it’s safe.” In a heartbeat, he slipped inside.

  Ellen leaned against the wall, glad he wouldn’t let her sleep in a corn rick. She wanted a real bed and a real meal and a real roof over her head while she gathered her wits and considered what had happened at Nikolai’s house.

  In a few seconds, Louis returned. “It looks clear. I dinnae see any suspicious characters, nor any soldiers, neither. There’s one other guest staying, and he’s in his room. Change us back. We’ll get a room, and we’ll stay in it where no one can see us until morning.”

  She recited the charm backward, and they both became visible. Once again, she feasted her eyes on his face, and he beamed down at her. He lunged at her and planted a quick kiss on her mouth before he pulled away.

  He grasped her hand. “Come along. If anything goes awry and the soldiers show up, ye’ll change us back.”

  “Okay,” she breathed.

  Her heart still pounded as they walked into the room. How long would it be before she could relax and stop looking over her shoulder all the time? Would she ever feel safe again?

  Chapter 26

  Louis paid the landlord for a single room and ordered supper while Ellen sat in the coffee room. The landlord didn’t ask why they planned to share a room, and Louis didn’t offer any explanation. After he paid, he led Ellen upstairs and bolted the door behind them.

  She sat down on the bed and stared out the window, then lowered her gaze to her hands resting in her lap. She rubbed one palm against the other in a scraping motion. She stopped herself and clenched her hands together. She went back to staring out the window until she roused herself to rake one palm against the other again. She repeated this sequence again and again without noticing Louis at all.

  He studied her from the threshold. She was the same beautiful, unwavering fighter he remembered, but something had changed her. He knew better than to ask what happened, but something did happen. She didn’t just appear in Aberdeen and rush into his arms. She existed in a land beyond sight, and now she used that spell to turn them both invisible. Where did she pick that up?

  While he stood there in silence, a knock rattled the door. He opened it to let the cook’s boy bring in their supper and set it on the table. Not even the scent of succulent roast beef roused Ellen from her stupor.

  Louis locked the door back after the boy left, then crossed the room and sat down on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and peeled off his shocks. Ellen didn’t notice the bed moving under her. He pulled his shirt over his head and unbuckled his weapons and his sporran. He lay back on the pillow and relaxed while he waited for her to snap out of it.

  She didn’t snap out of it. Moonlight shone in through the window, resting on her pretty face as she sat there rubbing her hands together. Would she sit there forever? Had something broken inside her? Had this horrid country finally done to her what years of hardship and sacrifice couldn’t?

  He sat up and put out his hand. “Lassie.”

  She shot him a wild look over her shoulder and looked away just as fast.

  In those petrified eyes, he read the truth. Merciful Jesus, what happened to her? “Come to me, lassie,” he breathed. “I’ve missed ye sore.”

  “He’s dead,” she croaked.

  “Who is?”

  “Nikolai,” she rasped. “Nikolai Wainwright. The wizard from Inverness. He’s dead. I killed him.” She scraped her hands again.

  Louis froze. It made sense now. She was rubbing the blood off, the blood that wasn’t there. Then he flung himself back on the pillow and threw his arm across his eyes. “Oh, lass! I’m sorry.”

  “He attacked me. He said I was a—” Her body trembled as the tears came.

  All at once, he couldn’t bear it. He shot forward and took hold of her elbow. “Come, lass. Come.”

  This time, she submitted to his attentions. He drew her down on the bed next to him, and she rested her head on his chest. He stroked her hair out of her face and closed his eyes. “Is he the one who taught ye that spell?”

  Her voice cracked when she tried to speak. “The Cipher’s Kiss—it needs a spell to activate it. The formula alone won’t do anything.”

  “I ken it,” he murmured into her hair.

  She opened her mouth but didn’t say anything. Her back stiffened before she gathered the strength to say, “I’m a witch.”

  His eyes shot open, and he stared up at the ceiling. “What?”

  “He taught me a few spells, including that one. I found the words to the Elixir of Life in a book of his.”

  “What is it?” he asked. “What’s the spell?”

  She recited in a queer accent, “Ýrtr Ing Ærgat Lerbi Göllid Hyngningr; Gysimðnur Sivöðnu Þrimr Angr Nýrn Viþrestr; Yggthu Goglfagr Meigþryrn Errýtaungr Fikmeðmautr Gýlþíldægr.” Once she got it out, she relaxed and lay still in his arms.

  He held himself back as long as he could, but in the end, he couldn’t keep silent. He burst out laughing. Irrepressible mirth bubbled out of him and wouldn’t stop until it shook his whole self.

  Ellen’s head snapped up. She narrowed her eyes at him in unutterable hatred. “You better not be laughing at me, mister.”

  He couldn’t stop. “It’s no’ ye I’m laughing at, lass. I’m just so happy to have ye here at last, after I thought I’d lost ye for good. Ye’ll need to work on yer pronunciation a mite before that’ll work, but ye’ve got three hundred years before that happens.”

  She laid her head down again and buried her eyes in his shoulder. “Don’t laugh. It’s not funny.”

  He kissed her ear. “No, it isnae funny.”

  She lay quiet for a long time until she spoke again in a tiny voice. “Aren’t you going to ask what happened?”

  “With the wizard, ye mean? No, I’ll no’ ask. If ye want to tell me, I’ll listen. Ye didnae tell me about Obasi, either, and if ye never tell me, I’ll no’ care.”

  Before he knew what was happening, she shot off the bed and looked out the window again. “Something happened. I…I don’t know what it is.”

  He studied her profile. Something certainly had happened. He could see that. “Do ye want to tell me what happened?”

  “I can’t!” she cried. “I wish I could, but I don’t understand it myself. I never intended to kill him. I mean, I tried to fight him off, but I didn’t know that would happen.”

  He frowned. She made no sense at all. “What h
appened?”

  “He died,” she blurted out. “That’s all I can say. I…I got something of his on my hand, and when I touched him, he just dropped dead. I don’t know what happened.”

  Louis frowned and opened his mouth to ask a million questions. He wanted to interrogate her, to drill her with one question after another, but something in her expression told him not to. She had changed in Aberdeen. She appeared softer, more vulnerable now. Whatever that wizard did to her, he’d made her stronger and weaker at the same time. Louis had to protect her, not just from the Gunns and the soldiers, but from herself. He sensed it, and she must have sensed it too.

  He crawled his fingers around her shoulder. “Come lie down, lass. Ye’re worn-out.”

  She submitted and lay down, but doubt still hovered all around her. Her body touched his, but her soul and her spirit still dwelt far away where he could never reach her. He wanted to smother her with his mountainous desire, to drown her in kisses and caresses, but something in her reserve held him at a distance.

  Instead, he just lay there stroking her hair and waiting. If it went on like this forever between them, he could accept it. He had her back. At least she was with him. They would work it out one way or the other, and they were safe outside Aberdeen. One more question bothered him, but he put it away on the shelf for now.

  “I missed you,” she murmured.

  “I missed ye too, lass.” He pressed his nose to her hair to inhale her scent. “I thought I’d go crazy after…after we talked last time, and then ye disappeared and all. It’s a dream come true to be lying here with ye again. I thought ye’d gone back to yer own time.”

  He swept his hand under her chin and lifted her face to kiss her, and the passion and overpowering intensity of her presence washed him off his feet. The kiss mounted higher and higher to carry them both into that mystical world of delight. Blistering heat spread over him, and his guts tightened with desire for her.