"I don't want to—"
He was interrupted by the door opening so hard it slammed against the opposite wall. Corinne stood in the doorway with a specimen jar in one hand.
I sat up and shuffled back against the wall.
"What do you want?" I asked, when Blake apparently had no words to greet her with.
"You might think I betrayed you—" She started.
"That's exactly what I think," I snapped. "Have you told them every detail about us and our lives?"
She shrugged unapologetically. "What was necessary for them to know."
"You arranged for me to bond." I fixed her with a steady look.
"Yes. I told them where I was dropping you off and they arranged the rest." Her expression was so cold I almost couldn't recognise her.
"Why?" I asked. "Can't you have all the little babies for them?"
She flinched. Apparently I hit a nerve.
"I can't have children, or I would. Paranormals don't deserve to die out. We can't afford to be selfish right now. The future of—"
"Fuck the future." I flung off the blanket and got to my feet. "You can't possibly think this is okay?"
She stuck out her chin and thrust the specimen jar toward Blake. "Someday you'll understand."
"What is this for?" Blake took the jar and peered at it as though it might explode in his face. After what we'd seen, it wouldn't have surprised me if it had.
"Lucinda wants you to bond Rebecca," Corinne said coolly. "I convinced her you wouldn't force yourself on her, so she relented and gave me that. I'm sure you won't have any trouble filling it." She shot me a sarcastic smile.
"How do you propose to get his cum inside my sister?" I asked. Even if Blake wouldn't force her, others might.
"You let us worry about that," Corinne told me. "Your mother can be very persuasive. Failing that…" She shrugged.
"This has nothing to do with Rebecca, or breeding paranormals," I said sharply. "You want to punish my sister because of me. Because of things you think I've done."
"Your sister is wild and out of control. Bonding is a last resort. If she lashes out at anyone after that, she will have to be taken care of."
"She's not an animal," I growled.
"She's a shifter," Corinne replied. "A hybrid. You've seen first hand how some of them are little more than beasts. Your sister is one of the worst. A failure."
"I've also killed," I pointed out.
"But you're able to keep yourself under control," Corinne pointed out. "Blake and I both witnessed that."
My mouth twisted. "And if you hadn't?"
She didn't reply.
"The day we met. You knew I was coming, didn't you? You and Blake were placed there to pretend to help me escape?"
"It wasn't entirely coincidence," she agreed. "But Fitz was out of control. We were sent to take charge in case he decided to kill you before you could shift. Or worse."
"Gods forbid he managed to get me pregnant and spoil your plans," I said bitterly.
"Believe it or not, we don't want you broken. We'd prefer your complete cooperation. That would be best for all concerned. You could get a great deal of pleasure out of it."
"Believe it or not, I do realise there's more to life than sex." No, really, it's true.
"There doesn't have to be," she said in a tone that would have sounded reasonable had she been talking about anything else. "Lie back and enjoy the ride." She actually looked wistful.
"Because you wish you could do that?" I frowned. That didn't jive with the kickass woman I knew. Or—thought I knew. Hells, she could be the kind of woman who wanted to be barefoot and pregnant, fawning over some guy who went to work in a bank every day. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it wasn't what I wanted for myself.
Her expression tightened. "Just use the jar. I'll be back in half an hour to collect it." She turned on her booted heel and slammed the door shut behind her.
"We really need to get out of here," I said. And get Rebecca and Kane out with us, before it was all too late.
Blake sighed and turned the jar over in his fingers. "Yeah. Yeah we do."
23
"Come on." Blake waved me over to the bed.
I eyed him, but took the few steps closer. He lifted up the blanket and climbed inside before moving over to make room for me. Something in his eyes made me slip in beside him. He tugged the blanket over us, but left a big enough gap to let in some light.
Tongue between his lips, he unscrewed the lid of the specimen jar.
"You can't really mean to—" I stopped short when he peeled back the lid. There, taped underneath was a small, black stone. "That can't be…"
"It's not the same one your mother took," he whispered. "It looks like a piece of it, or a smaller version."
I leaned back. "If that's the case, whose magic is in there? Or is Corinne up to something else?" I wouldn't rule out my mother's involvement either. Or my father for that matter.
"I don't know. The question is, do we try to use it to give you your power back?" He picked at a corner of the tape with his fingernail.
"The bigger question is, can we trust Corinne or not? One minute we can, then we can't. I don't know what to think now." I liked roller coasters as much as the next person, but not like this.
Blake scratched his head. "She's risked a lot to get this stone to us."
"She said to use the jar," I murmured. "Anyone listening would think…" I might have been clutching at straws here. I wanted to believe she was on our side, if only for Blake's sake.
"She was still in on the bonding," I said finally.
Blake's teeth flashed white in the under-blanket gloom. "She might not have had a choice, but she would have known it was something we wanted."
"That's true." I sighed softly. "There was no reason for her to reveal herself to Zeta when we would have chosen that for ourselves. We did choose that." I placed a hand on his rear and gave it a playful squeeze.
"Yes, we did. Now, are we going to try this?" He pulled away one side of the tape and left the stone to dangle.
"Maybe you shouldn't touch that," I advised. "It might suck away your magic instead." I wished I could assume that wasn't the intention. Why suck Blake's magic away though? Unless they knew which side he was on.
I shook my head slightly and reached for the stone. Whatever the intent was, I wouldn't let him risk himself for me.
Tentatively, I placed the tip of my little finger on the stone. For a breath or two, nothing happened. Then, with a rush of heat, a trickle of magic surged into my finger. It travelled into my palm and up my arm. From there, it spread around my body like a familiar warmth I hadn't known I'd missed until now.
I could feel it calling out to all the natural elements in the environment around me. I felt Kane in the room beside us. The bond with Blake strengthened, when I hadn't even noticed it having been weaker.
The stone went cold.
"I have my magic back," I said in wonder. "The amount I had before I was ever near the bigger stone." Maybe Corinne sucked it from the other stone somehow. I hoped so, that would mean it was mine to begin with.
Blake grinned. "She should be back soon. Then we can get out of here." He screwed the lid back on the jar and tucked it under the pillow. "No offence to your sister, but my cum is all for you."
I laughed softly. "Just as well." My laughter faded and I snuggled into his arms. "Should we just try to get out now? No offence to your cousin, but I'd prefer to be long gone from here. If she's going to keep pretending she's on their side, it's better if we don't involve her any further."
"Yeah, that's true." Blake looked thoughtful. "Maybe you should hit me over the head and run."
I frowned. "You want to stay?"
"No, but I want you to be safe." He pressed a soft kiss to my lips.
"I'm not leaving without you," I said firmly. "All for one and one for all, or whatever the musketeers said."
"Okay, you win." He sounded relieved. "Is Kane ready
?"
I felt through the bond. Kane was sleepy, but trying to stay alert.
"He'll have to be. Let's hope we can leave without having to kill anyone." As long as we snuck, we might just manage it. If not…
We'd cross that bridge when we got to it.
"All right." Blake took my hand and helped me back out of bed.
His hair was messy in the most adorable way. Mine was probably messy like I'd spent the last decade without a hairbrush. This was no time for vanity, I reminded myself, while I patted it back into place. What? A girl has to have some pride, even if she looks like she went backward through a bush.
Blake unlocked the door and eased it open. Lucinda must have assumed it was enough to keep me in. If Blake was on her side and I had no magic, she might be right. With magic, I could pick that bitch in a heartbeat. The lock, I mean, although let's face it, "bitch" applied to Lucinda as well.
The corridor outside our room was dark. No one stood outside Kane's room. In theory, it was easier to lock a shifter in, but that depended on the shifter. Nash would have clawed the door out of the way without a thought.
I felt through the bond for him and the others. They were getting closer, but were more anxious with each passing minute. I sent thoughts of being fine and Blake being fine, too, but it did nothing to assuage their fears.
Men.
Blake put a hand on the lock to Kane's room. The click as it unlocked echoed through the corridor. It couldn't have been that loud, but it seemed deafening.
I flinched and pressed myself against the wall while Blake eased the door open.
Kane leapt out and swung a fist at Blake's face. He connected hard enough to knock Blake back a few steps.
"You fucker," Kane growled. "We should have known you're on Zeta's side. I'm going to knock your fucking block off." Before he could advance on Blake, I grabbed his arm and held him back.
"It's okay, he's with me," I whispered as loud as I dared.
Kane froze. "I heard him downstairs. Him and his cousin."
"They were pretending," I said quickly. "Like you were pretending to sleep."
Kane frowned, but his body relaxed slightly. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure of Blake," I said firmly. "The jury is still out on Corinne. Come on, we need to get out of here before anyone comes."
Kane nodded. "Sorry, mate. I just assumed…"
Blake rubbed his jaw. "Yeah, it's okay, mate."
"You two are starting to sound like Leo," I joked.
"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not." Kane took my hand and we walked silently toward the stairs.
"Better than getting all bossy like Nash." I smiled.
Kane snorted softly. "Nah, I'll leave all the leader-ish things to him and you."
"Me?" I started to say something else but stopped to listen. "I think I hear someone." Considering the amount of noise we had made already, that likely went both ways.
"It might be Corinne," Blake whispered.
It might, but it might also be someone else. I doubted my parents, sister, and Macintosh were the only people in the building. Just because I hadn't seen or heard anyone, didn't mean they weren't here. Gods, there could be rooms of witches locked away.
"They're getting closer," Kane said.
"Can you shift? You could get out of here now. Or at least check the coast is clear."
"I can try." He let my hand go and without a sound, shifted into his adorable—I mean kickass—owl form. His clothes fell to the floor. I grabbed up a shirt and his underpants, while Blake tossed his pants, socks and shoes back into his room. We couldn't very well leave them lying around to be found.
He flapped through the darkened corridor and landed on the top of the bannister leading downstairs. If he was an actual owl, he would have had my blessing to leave a big poop on the fancy timber railing.
Hells, as a shifter, he had my blessing, but he didn't do it. Of course not, he had more class than the people holding us here.
He shuffled his wings and sent a warning through the bond. Whoever was coming, it wasn't Corinne.
Shit.
"Time to go invisible." I grabbed Blake's hand and formed a bubble around us. He could do that for himself, but I might lose him in the darkness.
"I know you're here, Peyton." Lucinda's voice drifted up the stairs just before she appeared. "I'm disappointed your guard turned out to be such a failure, but I anticipated that. He can't keep you both invisible for long, you know."
I let out a soft breath. So she had no idea I had my magic back. I could just reach out with a tendril and give her a shove…
She moved away from the stairs.
Bugger.
"It's unfortunate you chose to break the promise to stay and do your duty," she went on. "I should have raised you better." She stopped and seemed to sniff the air. Was it possible she was also a hybrid of some kind? The thought didn't occur to me before, but I was almost certain she wasn't.
"You don't need to respond, I can hear you thinking."
I was very certain no paranormal had that kind of ability, outside a bond, and we definitely weren't bonded. Well, outside the parent slash child bond, but that was diminishing by the moment.
I tugged on Blake's hand and pulled him closer to the stairs.
"You failed to make your owl invisible," Lucinda pointed out.
I hoped she missed him in the dark, but evidently I was wrong.
She drew in magic and threw a ball of it toward Kane. It struck him and knocked him backward in a shower of feathers.
"Kane!" I shouted before I could stop myself.
Lucinda spun and aimed the magic right at me.
I dropped into a crouch and the magic sailed over my head.
"That was too close," Blake said in my ear. Before I could stop him, he rose out of the bubble, fully visible for anyone to see.
"Leave her alone," he growled. He drew his own magic and went to throw it at Lucinda. Before it even left his hand, she blasted him square in the centre of his chest. He was knocked back off his feet. He hit the wall hard and slid to the floor with a thud.
"You bitch!" I cried out.
"Well, well, well." Lucinda circled slowly. "You have your magic back. It seems I have more than one traitor in my midst. No matter, she'll end up like her precious cousin."
I glanced toward Blake and bit back a sob. He lay still.
I rose and let the magic go. "The only other one who is going to die here is you," I said, my tone dangerously cold. I forced back tears. I couldn't lose focus now. Blake might be dead, Kane too, but I had to deal with Lucinda.
"You can't kill her," a new voice spoke from the top of the stairs. I hadn't heard Rebecca approach, but she was here now.
"Says who?" I asked icily.
"Says me," Rebecca replied. "I won't let you." She curled her hands into claws and started forward.
24
I took a step back. It was a lucky thing I did, or I might have been stepped on by Rebecca's enormous feet.
No, I'm not big-feet shaming my sister, she shifted into what I assumed was her chimera form. Her head was now that of a lioness. Another head that looked like a goat stuck out her back. Her tail looked like a series of snakes, whipping back and forth.
She looked pissed. No, that was an understatement, she looked like fury itself. And every drop was directed at Lucinda.
"Let me guess, you didn't want me to kill her because you want the honour?" I asked. "I'm not sure that's the answer. We could take her back to the Paranormal Council and they could—"
Rebecca swiped a clawed foot at Lucinda's midsection.
Lucinda ducked away and threw a ball of magic at her elder child.
"Or not." Now I wanted to be seen, in case Rebecca accidentally clawed me. I sensed she didn't mean me any harm, but she almost hit me with her swaying tails once or twice. All of her attention, however, was on Lucinda.
I considered helping her, but at that moment Blake groaned. That was followed immedi
ately by a heavy thud right above my head.
"Looks like the cavalry has arrived."
The thud was followed by a scraping and tearing on the roof. The ceiling started to break apart and rain down plaster on our heads.
Half a breath later, a dragon nose poked through a hole in the ceiling.
"Oh, hey Nash," I said lightly. "You're just in time."
He snorted softly and ripped the hole wide enough to let Dyson and Leo drop down beside me.
"Peyton, darlin', I was wondering where you got to. Remind me never to ride on the back of a dragon again." Leo gave me a quick hug and Dyson did the same a moment later.
"Where's Matt?" I asked at the same time Dyson asked, "Where's Kane?"
"Matt is alerting the council," Leo said.
"Kane was near the stairs." Torn between looking for the owl shifter and checking on Blake, I settled for the latter when the guys ducked past Rebecca's tails and hurried to search.
By now, Lucinda was backed up against a wall. I guessed I was right, she wasn't a hybrid. Right now, she just looked like a scared woman. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
"Rebecca, listen to reason," she called out in a thin voice. "What would your father think?"
"He seemed to think the same as you did," I said. I kept my distance from Rebecca, but stepped closer to Lucinda while inching toward Blake. I poked around in the bond in the hope of rousing him a little more. "Why should we give either of you mercy?"
Blake's eyelids flickered.
"We are your parents," she insisted. She tried a different tack. "Your father wanted the best for you. He spoilt you, I suppose, but you know he adores you."
"He has a shit way of showing it," I replied. I flinched as the ceiling behind me collapsed a little further and Nash dropped to the carpeted floor.
Lucinda's eyes flicked between the hybrids.
"This is Nash," I said conversationally. "He's not happy about your behaviour either. He'd prefer not to bite your head off, but he will if he has to. Right, honey?"
Nash bobbed his head.
"I…" Lucinda swallowed. "Nash is not his real name—"
"I don't care what his real name is," I said firmly. "He can call himself Bob Down if he wants to." I understood then. Lucinda was one of the people who arranged for hybrids like Nash and Matt to be raised the way they were. They ran from her and others like her. It must be taking everything inside Nash not to shred her like cooked chicken. He wouldn't though, unless it was a last resort. He was better than that. Better than her.
Logical Magic (Academy of Modern Magic Book 3) Page 15
