Abducted by Magic

by Kelli McCracken

  Chapter 11

  ~Katarina~

  I followed Roark through the heavy oak door, Quinn close behind me. It was like stepping onto the set of a movie. The mixture of sounds overwhelmed me. Growls and high- pitched squeals accompanied who could only be described as a giant singing karaoke at the far end of the room. His head nearly touched the twelve-foot ceiling. As he swayed to the music, beer sloshed out of the biggest mug I’d ever seen.

  Thankfully, my brief stay with the coven enlightened me to the fact that monsters were real. As soon as the thought entered my mind, I corrected myself. Not monsters. That was how Roark thought of himself. Even though his gargoyle form could be frightening to others, all I saw was raw beauty.

  With his hands on his hips, Roark scoped out the room. I wondered if this was considered happy hour in the supernatural realm. The place was as packed as the bars back home on a Friday night. A variety of, I didn’t even know what to call them—species, cultures, or supernaturals—were crowded into the room.

  I thought I would have more time to people watch, but the slight pressure of Quinn’s hand at the small of my back had me moving forward. Roark did the hard work of clearing a path toward the bar. If I could call the work hard. It seemed like no matter where he went, his presence dominated people. As soon as we passed by, the crowd filled back in like we were never there.

  A slight tug at my core told me we were headed in the right direction. I rubbed my hand over my tattoo as it warmed against my skin. I guessed I didn’t need Roark to find Jax. I could use my bond as a guide. Kinda handy if I happened to lose them in a crowd. After taking another quick glance around, I realized this wasn’t the place that I wanted to test it.

  I knew I was getting closer when my chest tightened and the familiar ache returned to the pit of my stomach. Tears welled in my eyes.

  Jax.

  I found myself pushing Roark aside as I approached a man at the bar. His chin was tucked to his chest, a glass half-full clutched in his hand. I inhaled through my nose and released a breath, along with the pain that almost doubled me over.

  He had suffered alone for too long.

  Guilt consumed me even more than his pain. He was alone because of me. Quinn and Roark had been stuck babysitting me when they should have been consoling their brother.

  “Lass, let me handle this.” I barely heard the words Roark spoke over the roar of voices in the room.

  Lass? Were they Scottish? I thought I’d caught a hint of an accent before but it was so faint that I couldn’t be sure. There was so much I still had to learn about them.

  Roark leaned his hip against the bar, his hand cupped Jax’s shoulder. “Brother, it’s time to come home.”

  Jax didn’t so much as flinch. He sat as still as a stone gargoyle. The only thing moving inside him was a tsunami of grief and rage. If it wasn’t for his unapproachable demeanor, I would wrap my arms around him. It didn’t matter that I was a stranger. We were more than that now. The tattoo on my wrist confirmed it.

  Roark’s grip tightened as he leaned toward Jax. “Brother, we are all hurting. But you need to pull it together. I know you have the mark. Samara may be gone, but we have a new ward who needs our help now.”

  Jax lifted his head and swallowed the rest of his drink. I jumped when he slammed the glass on the bar, shattering it. A gasp slipped past my lips when he lifted his pitch-black gaze to Roark.

  His lips peeled back from his teeth as he growled, “I will leave when I am ready, brother.”

  And that was all the attention he spared for Roark. In the few seconds it took him to tell Roark to fuck off, the bar was wiped down and a new drink placed in front of him.

  Quinn positioned himself in front of me, obstructing my view of Jax. I peeked around Quinn’s shoulder. The whole black eyes thing freaked me out. What the hell was going on? I thought we were here to offer support, not perform an exorcism.

  “Shit, Roark. This isn’t good. He’s lost complete control.”

  I squeezed Quinn’s arm to get his attention. “Why do his eyes look like that?”

  “Jax is what we call a half-breed. His mother was a gargoyle and his father was a mage. While each of us can control an element, Jax can also wield magic.”

  “His element is earth, right?” When Quinn nodded, I laughed to myself. I never would have imagined that all of my grandmother’s teachings would benefit me now. Even though I didn’t embrace that lifestyle anymore, I still remembered everything I’d learned.

  “So how does the fact Jax is half-breed affect his eyes?”

  “His father practiced black magic. Since Jax came into his powers, he has always had to battle the balance between dark and white magic. It’s only a problem when he has an extreme spike in his emotions.”

  “Like now, I can feel his grief and anger.”

  Quinn nodded. “We should have come for him sooner. Until you stepped out of the pool and completed our bond, our connection to Jax was limited. We’ve always had our brotherhood bond, but when we have a ward, it’s strengthened.”

  “So what do we do?”

  A slow smile spread across his lips and his eyes turned a burnt orange. Now the shift in his eye color made sense. Fire was his element so of course flames would burn in his eyes. Was this his sign of extreme emotion? What had I said to cause that?

  Roark grunted. “I’ll tell you what we can do. Either I punch him or Quinn burns him. We have to find a way to snap him out of it.”

  I pressed myself between them. “There is no way I’m going to let you hurt him. Hasn’t he been through enough?”

  Roark shrugged. “We’re fast healers. It will only hurt him for a moment. He’s in deep and we need to pull him out. He needs something else to focus his emotions on.”

  “Why does it have to be pain?”

  “What do you think we should do? Kiss him?” Quinn’s voice held cynicism. I didn’t miss the way he glared at Roark, but I didn’t have time to decipher the hidden message. Jax needed us, and kissing him was a hell of a lot better than torturing him.

  “I’ll do it.”

  Two sets of eyes narrowed on me.

  “Like hell you will,” Roark snarled.

  I turned to Quinn, since he was the most sensible of the two. “It’s just a kiss. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

  Quinn cupped my cheek, his gaze sympathetic. “I appreciate the fact that you want to help, but right now he doesn’t have control. We can’t risk any harm coming to you.”

  With his hand on my cheek and the way he stared at me, I had a hard time focusing on what he said.

  “You both are right here. If anything happens, then you can burn the shit out of him. I trust you.” I glanced over my shoulder to Roark. “Both of you.”

  Something flashed in Roark’s eyes. I would have thought it was desire, but this was Roark. He ran hot one minute and cold the next. I was a burden he was now stuck with indefinitely. His sense of duty must be a real pain in the ass.

  Quinn jerked his head at Roark before he dipped his head to mine. His fierce gaze locked me in place. “Are you sure that you want to do this?”

  I drew my lip into my mouth and bit down. I needed all of them if we were to get through this. I couldn’t allow Jax to suffer anymore. Besides, I’d been told that I was a pretty good kisser.

  The fact that I planned to wager my safety on the compliments of some past dates showed how desperate I really was.

  The magic whispered through me in approval. I may not know how to wield it, but a prickle in my gut told me to trust it. Before I changed my mind, I bobbed my head. My body suddenly felt flushed and my shirt clung to my skin. Had someone turned the heat up in here? I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants as I approached Jax.

  When I extended my hand toward his arm, his head snapped in my direction. Oh lord, I was about to pass out. His eyes terrified me. They were a never-ending pool of darkness. If I wasn’t careful, they would drown me.

  Without thinking, I grabbed his hal
f full glass of liquor and swallowed the amber liquid in one gulp. I let out a strangled wheeze and began to cough. It was like liquid fire from my mouth to my stomach. What was he drinking? Gasoline. Why couldn’t it be something refreshing, like beer?

  Warmth flooded my body as the alcohol relaxed my muscles. I cradled his cheeks and his stubble scraped my palms. I leaned in, then pressed my lips to his and closed my eyes. His lips were warm under mine and completely unresponsive. I darted my tongue out, dragging it along the seam of his mouth. Still nothing. I was about to pull away when I heard a loud snap and a cold breeze swept over my body. Goosebumps rose on my skin just as Jax’s fingers threaded into my hair.

  His mouth opened and his teeth clashed against mine. His tongue darted past my lips. Quinn and Roark’s shouts behind me were muffled when Jax’s wings folded over me, pressing my body against his. He swiveled on the stool and spread his legs. His thighs gripped my hips, securing me in place.

  He angled my head so he could deepen the kiss. Fire shot to my core and I squeezed my legs together as pressure built within me. His grief and rage still battled inside him, but now something new rose to the surface.

  Desire.

  He devoured my mouth. This wasn’t the kind of kiss I was used to. Sloppy and awkward, or sweet and gentle were the norm on my dates. This was raw and angry. I should have pulled away. I should have been afraid, but I craved more. The bond between us urged me closer. I climbed up on his lap and wrapped my legs around his waist. My hips rotated against the hard bulge in his pants.

  One hand stayed anchored to my head, while the other roamed all over my body. His fingers slipped under the hem of my shirt. I moaned when his hand cupped my breast. He brushed his thumb against the silky fabric of my bra. My nipple hardened in response.

  Holy hell, he took us from zero to ninety in the space of a heartbeat. I never went this far on a first date and definitely not with someone I barely knew. It had to be the bond. There was no other explanation for my behavior. Every nerve ending heightened to a level where I thought electricity would explode from my skin.

  His teeth drew blood when he nipped at my bottom lip. Tugging it into his mouth, he began to suck. This was insane and hot. I was making out with a gargoyle. His wings cocooned us in our own private haven. The bond between us pulsed as it inched me closer.

  I groaned when he dragged his mouth away from mine. His lips swept down my neck, only stopping when he reached my shoulder. The scrape of his fangs against my skin sent a shudder through my body. My belly cramped as the darkness surged inside him. Was he about to bite me?

  My magic sparked to life. I cried out as it twisted the bond between us. It stretched so tight I thought it would snap. My instincts roared against the destructive force.

  No!

  The magic thrummed in agitation. It slammed against the darkness raging inside Jax. My pure energy blanketed his corrupt soul. My gut told me if I let him bite me now, the demon would take over and he would be lost. I couldn’t let that happen.

  The kiss was supposed to snap him out of it, not drag him deeper. My hands gripped his hair and yanked, as I tried to stop him from doing something neither of us would be able to come back from. I should have let Roark punch him.

  My lips caressed his ear. “Jax. Come back to me.” I smoothed my hand over one of his leathery wings in an effort to soothe him. “I need you. Samara still needs you.”

  He tensed and froze, his teeth no longer against my skin. He released a breath and buried his face against the curve of my neck. His chest rose and fell against mine, and both of us gasped for air. He slowly leaned back, his inky black eyes now emerald green.

  Confused, like he had just woken from a dream, his eyes searched mine. I lifted my hand and swept the hair off his forehead. The strands were now damp with perspiration. Before I could retract my hand, his fingers wrapped around my wrist. He studied the inky swirls that bonded us, then pressed his lips to my skin.

  “Thank you.” He sighed as he rested his forehead against mine.

  I slipped my arms around his waist and held on, afraid that if I let go, his demons would consume him again. I had no idea how long we embraced. It wasn’t until strong arms lifted me off Jax’s lap that I finally realized his wings had retracted.

  Stormy eyes met mine. Roark’s brows dipped low, as he scanned me from head to toe. His once neat hair was now tousled, like he’d raked his hands through it a hundred times.

  I placed my hand against his cheek and swept my thumb over his worried brow. “I’m okay. Jax didn’t hurt me.”

  His eyes closed in relief as he leaned into my palm. For the first time, Roark’s vulnerability brought tears to my eyes. When he focused on me again, he tipped his head away from my hand. His mask slid back into place and the moment was over before it had even begun.

  Without a word, Roark passed me to Quinn, shoved his way through the crowd, and stormed out of the bar. Despite the fact he’d rescued me from the fall, it felt like he hated me. In a span of a few days I’d turned his life to hell. The bond between us complicated our emotions.

  Did he wish that I was the one that died, instead of Samara? Why couldn’t he understand that I didn’t ask for any of this? In light of everything, I tried not to be a burden and I’d even helped bring Jax back to them.

  I shouldn’t care so much about what he thought of me. This situation was only temporary. Once we figured out how to transfer the powers, he could go back to his lonely, broody life.

  I lifted my gaze to Quinn, grateful that his feelings didn’t mirror his brother’s. A different kind of emotion radiated from him. Twin flames flared in his eyes, creating a slow burn in my belly. What was this bond doing to me? I almost had sex with one guardian in the middle of a bar, and the other had me craving the same thing.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “You can put me down.”

  His gaze drifted to my lips before he finally released my legs. His arm banded around my waist as I slid down his body.

  “Thank you, Katarina.”

  “For what?”

  He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and brushed his lips against my forehead. “For bringing our brother back.”

  Jax stood from his seat behind me. As I stepped aside, Quinn reached for him and yanked him into his arms.

  When they broke apart, Quinn said, “You had us worried.”

  “I was worried.” Jax dropped his head and fisted his hands on his hips. “The battle has never been this difficult. Every time I tried to climb my way to the top, it sucked me back under.”

  “You know you can’t isolate yourself from us when you feel your control slipping. We’re stronger together.”

  “She’s gone because of me. If I had listened to her…” He shook his head and pounded his fist against the bar in frustration.

  I covered my hand over his fist. If he had only stayed with me, instead of running here, he would have known the truth. “Before she died, she wanted me to tell you that she was sorry.”

  He let out a sharp breath as his gaze fell to our hands. “She had nothing to be sorry for.”

  “I skimmed through some of her journal earlier. She blamed herself for your lack of trust in her.”

  He uncurled his fist, then flipped his hand, threading his fingers with mine. His other hand swept my hair off my shoulder. “Did I hurt you?”

  Heat flooded my cheeks at the reminder of what we had done. My lips were still swollen from the way he’d ravaged them. “They thought physical pain would snap you out of it. I didn’t want to see you hurt anymore.”

  He gripped my chin, forcing my gaze up to his. “You were right. I would much rather have your lips on mine.”

  I resisted the urge to lift up on my toes and finish what we’d started. As if sensing my discomfort, Jax winked at me before turning his attention to Quinn. “Let’s go find Roark so I can get caught up on what I missed. Seems a lot has happened in the last few days.”

  A flutter swirled in my belly as a voic
e whispered in my head.

  You must face the past. It’s the only way.

  I had no idea if this was the magic talking, Samara, or my own crazed mind, but I couldn’t ignore it no matter how much I wanted to. From the moment I’d arrived at the burial, I knew my past had come back to haunt me. Literally.

  I held my hand up to stop Jax from leaving. “Before we go to the elders, can we stop somewhere on the way?”

  It was time to introduce my guardians to my grandmother…and to the real me.

  Chapter 12

  ~Katarina~

  At some point, I dozed off in the car and woke with my head on Jax’s shoulder. When I glanced at him, he smiled and winked. How hadn’t I noticed his dimples? Probably because I was too busy sucking his face earlier to pay attention.

  Roark hadn’t said a word the entire drive—or at least while I was awake, he hadn’t. He sat behind the wheel with his gaze fixed straight ahead.

  Familiar scenery flashed past the windows. It meant one thing. I was almost home. All I had said was I needed to see my grandmother. With no questions asked, we all hopped in the car and began the long drive.

  I had no idea why I was afraid to talk about my family. If anyone would understand, the three men surrounding me would.

  Quinn twisted in his seat and passed me a bottle of water. “Why do I get the feeling that this is more than a social call?”

  Looked like now was the time to explain. When I twisted my hands in my lap, Jax settled his warm hand over mine and gave a reassuring squeeze. I glanced up and met his comforting gaze. Peace washed over me, dispersing some of my anxiety. Was that Jax or his magic soothing me?

  “Honestly, I’m surprised that you agreed to take me to my grandmother’s. Especially for the fact that witches and supernaturals are supposed to be a secret.”

  Quinn smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. He swung his gaze to Jax and then back to me. “You forget that Jax can wield magic. Which means that he can wipe her memory of it all before we leave. If it was a matter of you just needing her comfort and the familiarity of home, how could we deny your request?”