Enchanted Magic

by T. M. Cromer

  “He did save me, Mother. Only last week.” Damian stepped between them and ducked a little to capture her attention, which was locked on Alastair. “Because of the spell you wrote.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Because of the love you held for me.”

  A sad look stole across Isolde’s face. “I had to save you from the Beast. He wanted you then, and he wants you now.”

  “Yes. But you can stop it, Mother. By going back to sleep.”

  Her rage was palpable as she knocked his hand away. “No!”

  They all felt the slap of her power and jerked in place.

  Sebastian’s skin began to burn, as if he’d been in the sun too long.

  “Isolde,” Knox spoke to her, and the tone held the voice of authority.

  She spun to face him with a snarl on her lips. Sebastian had the fleeting thought that she looked like a cornered mongrel.

  Knox repositioned himself between her and Spring. “If you don’t leave Mackenzie right now, I’ll fry your ass.”

  From Sebastian’s vantage point, he saw Knox draw molecules together to form a ball of electricity behind his back. Everyone who knew the man, knew he’d been gifted the power of a god by Isis, lifetimes before. That ancient magic was fused with his very soul, and he was reborn with it in every incarnation. Everyone also knew he’d do whatever it took to protect his wife, who had been his soulmate for thousands of years.

  Sebastian’s heart started hammering at such a rate he couldn’t catch his breath. Mack would never survive being electrocuted. Surging forward, he grabbed Knox’s arm. “Don’t,” he whispered. “You’ll kill her.”

  Knox’s arctic expression said he was well aware of the consequences.

  Unacceptable, as far as Sebastian was concerned. He released Knox’s wrist and moved forward until he was within a foot of Isolde. Truth be told, he was wary of getting closer.

  “Mackenzie is stronger than you,” Sebastian taunted. He didn’t know if he was doing the right thing or if she had the power to smite him on the spot, but he had to try to loosen her hold and encourage Mack to fight to return to them. “She is, and she’ll eventually destroy you.”

  Isolde’s hands curled, palms up, and fire flared to life. “Not before I destroy you first.”

  “My Mack will never let you hurt me, Isolde,” he assured her.

  She positioned her hands to attack, but surprise flashed across her face as the flames were extinguished. Her eyes went blank and rolled back in her head.

  He got to Mackenzie as she collapsed, catching her before she could fall. His knees suffered rug burns as the full weight of both their bodies crashed to the floor.

  “Goddess preserve us,” Alastair muttered as he hiked up the legs of his trousers and squatted beside them. “That took courage, Drake. Even I felt a momentary unease.”

  Sebastian almost laughed at the “momentary unease” comment. Alastair was always calm, cool, and collected in the face of any adversity. Unfortunately, this incident was no laughing matter. If they didn’t find a way to contain Isolde, and soon, they were sitting ducks.

  As he watched Mackenzie, waiting for her to come around, he smoothed back the scarlet hair from her pale face. Unconscious like this, she seemed so fragile. Of course, she’d scoff at him for even daring to think it. And yet, he knew she was strong, because she’d pulled Isolde back down.

  “Why isn’t she waking?” Spring asked, trying to fight Knox’s hold to move closer. “Will you let me go, you over-bearing tool!”

  “No. Not until we are sure she’s gone.”

  “I will feed you up a mountain of dirt if you don’t let me get to Mack.”

  “I swear to the Goddess, woman!”

  “Swear all you’d like. I’m tending to my cousin, Knox.”

  With a pained sigh, he released her.

  Spring joined Sebastian and Alastair on the floor. “Should we call Aunt GiGi?”

  Sebastian looked up to consult Damian and swore. “Where did he go?”

  “Hopefully to fire-bomb that damned garden holding Isolde’s body,” Spring said. “I’m calling Aunt GiGi.”

  She jumped to her feet and ran out to the terrace, cellphone in hand. Knox was hot on her heels.

  When they were alone, Sebastian allowed himself to express his fears to Alastair and Aurora. “This is three times today. I’m terrified for her.”

  “I know. I can feel it. Try to remain calm, son.” Alastair placed a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “If I can sense it, I know Damian and Mackenzie can as well. She doesn’t need anything else to distract her in this battle.”

  “Where do you suppose Dethridge really went?”

  “If he’s smart? To get Sabrina out of the country. Perhaps hide her in a Monastery outside the farthest reaches of civilization, where he can fortify the place.”

  “You’re not instilling confidence in me, Thorne.” In fact, the idea of Damian running away, downright terrified Sebastian.

  A gold light shone out of a widening rift to their left. The Aether stepped through and gave them both a look of such disgust, Alastair chuckled.

  “Really, Al? You thought I’d run off with my tail between my legs?”

  “You disappeared awfully fast, Dethridge,” Alastair mocked. “I mean, I always believed you were a stand-up guy, but could be that you’ve grown soft.”

  “Sod off, why don’t you?” Damian handed him a small ceramic pot with a lid. “GiGi will want this salve when she arrives.”

  Alastair accepted the jar with a nod. “Thank you, my friend.”

  “Sebastian.”

  The serious note in the Aether’s voice brought Sebastian’s head up.

  “What you did took courage, Drake. You put a lot of faith in Mackenzie’s ability to defeat my mother. It worked this time, but I doubt it will again.” Damian’s somber gaze dropped to Mack’s still face. “She’s a fighter. I pray it’s enough, but you need to be prepared for the worst.”

  “As long as I draw air, I’ll fight for her.” Sebastian traced her cheekbone. “She’d do the same for me. I know she would.”

  “Take her to her room,” Alastair said in a low, gentle tone. “When GiGi arrives, I’ll send her up.”

  Damian strode for the glowing rift. “You can relax for a bit, Drake. Isolde isn’t strong enough to return this soon. She’s expended all the energy she can by possessing your wife this close together.”

  “Then why retry so soon?”

  “Wouldn’t you if you’d been entombed for centuries?”

  Sebastian slowly nodded. “Yes. I suppose I would.”

  “Take her and go rest now,” Damian said kindly. “Also, that salve will help the burns on your face.” The portal between their residences sealed shut after he crossed through.

  “I don’t suppose I’ll ever get used to him being nice to me.”

  Alastair chuckled and helped Sebastian rise with the burden of Mackenzie in his arms. “Don’t assume it will last, son. Dethridge is unpredictable at best.”

  Chapter 15

  Mackenzie wandered alongside a river, wondering how she’d come to be here when the last thing she remembered was the arrival of her family at Sebastian’s home.

  So much for being restricted to the property boundaries!

  She smiled. The others must’ve found a way to break her invisible chains.

  “Mackenzie.”

  She turned cold.

  Preston’s was a voice she recognized, but he shouldn’t be here with her now.

  Unless she was in the Otherworld.

  “It’s okay, child.”

  With dread in her heart, she faced him. “Am I dead?”

  “Not in so many terms.”

  “Stasis?”

  “Of a sort.” He shrugged.

  “Christ, Preston, how about a straight answer?” she snapped. “I’m in the Otherworld, aren’t I?”

  “Yes. In the space that acts as a holding area. Time is suspended here, as it is on the earthly plane while y
ou’re with me.”

  She processed the information and closed the distance between them, stopping short before touching him. “May I hug you? Can I? I mean, you’re not a ghost or anything, right?”

  He laughed and opened his arms.

  Tears burned behind her lids as he enfolded her in a bear hug. Her returned embrace was fiercely tight. It felt as if he’d been gone forever, although it had been less than a year. “We all miss you so damned much, cousin.”

  “I miss you all just as much, Mack.”

  With one final squeeze, she drew back and swiped at her eyes. “Although I love our little reunion, care to tell me why I ended up here?”

  “Isis has a message for you to relay to the others. It was easier to bring your soul here while Isolde was active, rather than for me to go there.”

  “Again?” she croaked. Her throat sported a lump of fear the size of a baseball.

  “Again. The Enchantress is one determined bitch.”

  Preston’s use of profanity made her laugh, as he’d most likely intended it should. “She really is. I’m worried for Sebastian.”

  “Not yourself?”

  “I’ll come here if she wins, won’t I?” In the face of his hesitation, she shrugged. “Baz and his family have more to fear, I think. She’ll make it painful for them should she be resurrected. Not only in her attempt to steal their power, but because of her revenge toward them for imprisoning her.”

  “You’re not wrong.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Isolde herself is not necessarily evil. But an evil lives within her, and she’s unable to resist its commands.”

  “Can we separate the evil from the woman?”

  He went still.

  “What? You don’t like that idea?” she asked.

  Shaking his head, he grinned. “I’m not sure why no one has ever thought of it before.”

  “Perhaps they have and knew it was hopeless.” Mackenzie had always possessed a practical side. Throughout her life, it had allowed her to see things from multiple angles and swiftly weigh her options. “Like if they’d left even a smidgeon of the evil behind, it would grow again. Similar to cancer.”

  “Perhaps.” He stared off into the distance with a frown. “But even should we achieve the goal of destroying her demon, what about her mental state after all this time? I suspect the madness has plagued her so long, she may not recover.”

  “If we can’t bind her and have no hope of fixing her, our only option is to end her life,” Mackenzie concluded. For the moment, she ignored the relief she felt in her reasoning. Poor Damian. How horrible it must be to go to war against his own mother. To see her defeated not once, but twice in his lifetime. If she could be defeated. “We’ll need to do something before she’s out of her tomb, Preston. She’s weaker there, right?”

  “Yes and no. She was put into the garden because it was the only recourse at the time. A sleeping spell, using the blood of the Six. The most powerful on both sides of the veil couldn’t defeat her completely.”

  A shudder chased along Mackenzie’s spine. “What does that mean?”

  “Apparently, somewhere along the way, she’d syphoned magic from not just one god, but two. She was practically unstoppable on earth, and she couldn’t be brought here without her causing chaos and destruction.”

  Understanding dawned on her. “If she’d been brought here, with the type of magic she held, she’d have been able to draw more from those on this side. She could’ve basically destroyed the Otherworld.”

  “Yes. The only option was entombment. It took Isis and her small army to make it happen.”

  “And one psychic witch to innocently undo it all,” Mackenzie murmured as she looked out over the glistening water’s surface. The twinkling lights seemed peaceful, and she wondered if it would be so bad to live here. “Damian suggested I might do well to end it all.”

  “Suicide is never the answer, Mackenzie Thorne.” Preston gripped her shoulder, his fingers digging in enough to display his anger. “Never.”

  “What’s the alternative?” she cried, spinning to face him. “I can’t be her tool, Preston. I can’t!”

  His troubled expression gutted her. Everyone saw the inevitable train wreck she would cause, but not a single person knew how to slow the locomotive. Mackenzie was the engineer who would bring the magical world—and perhaps the non-magical world—crashing down upon them all.

  The air around them grew charged, but before she could ask what the hell was happening, Isis joined them with a black-haired man at her side. He was large, dwarfing the exotic goddess, who was of medium height. The man stood a good six inches over Preston’s six-feet height. His posture was militant, and his honey-gold eyes, lined with thick black kohl, were cold and calculating. His bearing screamed god, and he seemed familiar to Mack, but she couldn’t place him.

  Preston was quick to bow his head, so she did the same.

  Isis touched Mackenzie’s shoulder in greeting. “Hello, child. Preston has explained to you why you are here?”

  “He has, Exalted One.”

  “Good. Set has devised a plan, and I need you to relay it to your relation, Spring.”

  “Spring?” Mackenzie risked a glance at him.

  Set’s golden eyes warmed marginally, and he nodded his confirmation of Isis’s statement. “She is the beautiful, intelligent one married to the ignorant bear of a man.”

  Mackenzie frowned and glanced at Preston. Knox was as far from dumb as it got. His IQ was off the charts.

  “Just go with it,” Preston whispered. His eyes had dropped to the ground, and he pressed his lips in a tight line. If Mack didn’t know better, she’d think he was fighting laughter.

  “Ohh-kayy.” She met Set’s narrowed-eyed gaze. “What is your plan, Exalted One, and how may I be of assistance?”

  He smiled.

  Mackenzie sucked in her breath. She had to admit, it was as if the sun became brighter in the sky and she was seared by its intensity. It was a good thing he didn’t reside on earth, because every mortal on the planet would worship the very ground he walked on for the smallest token of his affection.

  “I gave her a scroll some months back. I will come to her in a dream and give her the full details of the plan. She will follow my dictate without question or fail, understood?”

  “Why can’t you just tell me now, so there’s no mistake?”

  Lightning swift, Set’s expression went from friendly to hostile.

  Isis answered in his place, preventing the scolding Mackenzie suspected she would’ve received from the god. “The Enchantress will have access to your memories, child. She will have access to what we have planned and find a way to subvert it.”

  Mackenzie nodded. She was the weakest link in this little chain. One firm tug from Isolde, and it would break. “I’ll let her know.”

  “Be brave, dearest. You’ll be rewarded for your sacrifice.”

  She wanted to scoff her disbelief. Wanted to scream her fury at the way her life was being waylaid by a crazy enchantress, a couple of all-powerful entities, and a prophecy. Instead, she bowed her head in acceptance. What other choice did she truly have?

  “She’s waking up!”

  Sebastian’s voice was the first Mackenzie heard, and she turned her face toward the sound.

  “Mack? Can you hear me, love?”

  Her lids felt like lead weights as she tried to force them up.

  His dark eyes were strained, and lines of worry creased his brow. When she lifted her hand to smooth his forehead, he recoiled.

  Although his instinctive reaction hurt her heart, she understood his reason. Whatever Isolde had done while in possession of her body made him a little gun-shy. “It’s me, Baz.”

  His exhalation was pure relief. In an instant, she was cradled in his brawny arms with her cheek pressed to his chest. “Thank the Goddess!”

  Mackenzie peeked past his broad shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of the room’s occupants. GiGi stood a few feet away with her
hands on her hips and a wide grin on her face. Mack returned her smile.

  “It’s good to see you back in the land of the living, child.”

  She felt Sebastian’s wince, and she eased back to apologize for all she’d put him through.

  He didn’t give her a chance. He pressed his lips to hers in a tender, lingering kiss.

  The sweetness of the gesture almost made her cry.

  After he pulled back, he bracketed her face between his large palms. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, okay?”

  She wanted to assure him she wouldn’t, but she’d be lying. If her conversation with Isis, Set, and Preston was any indication, he was in for the scare of a lifetime.

  “Where’s Spring?” she asked in place of answering. “I have a message for her.”

  Sebastian frowned and shot a look toward GiGi.

  Her cousin moved forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, her slender fingers giving the beautifully rounded deltoid a light squeeze. Mackenzie almost laughed when GiGi’s eyes took on an appreciative gleam. What had started out as a touch of comfort turned into a quick feel of a beautiful man’s muscles.

  “Focus, cousin,” Mack teased. “Spring?”

  “Right.” GiGi patted his shoulder then put her hand behind her back like she’d been burned. She gave her blonde head a quick shake and turned her attention to Mackenzie. “She’s wandering the maze with Knox. My niece has fallen in love with the gardens here. She was babbling on about the vastness and the selection of herbs the Drakes have.”

  “That’s our Spring.” Laughing, Mackenzie scooted to the edge of the mattress.

  Sebastian stopped her with a hand on her knee. “I think you should rest, love. You had quite a morning.”

  “Two possessions and a meeting with the gods. Yes.” She still couldn’t wrap her brain around the craziness of it all. Sighing, she nudged him aside. “But I have to relay what Set said.”

  “Set? As in Ra’s mouthpiece?” GiGi asked, mouth agape.

  “Hulking brute, built like a tank, gold eyes with eyeliner Captain Jack Sparrow would envy, a surly attitude, and a massive hard-on for Spring,” Mack replied. “That the one?”