by Melody Raven
Heather stumbled back as she stared at the flames. The high heels of her boots caught on some of the rubble around them and she stumbled to find her footing, but didn’t fall.
Served her right for wearing the skintight black leather skirt, red blouse, and ankle boots to a murder.
Claire couldn’t help but smile as the fear passed over Heather’s face. “Looks like we’re not as alone as you thought.”
Just like that, Heather’s face was stone cold again. “Please. We were never alone. My men will stop anyone from getting inside.”
As if on cue, shots rang out, much louder than the dull roar of whatever fire there was.
“Looks like we’re going to speed things up.” Heather knelt next to the bowls and picked up one long silver dagger before she turned to Claire.
It took everything to keep from scooching away. “No long, drawn-out Latin chant? No pentagrams? This is almost anticlimactic,” she said nervously.
Heather shook her head as she approached. “This isn’t that kind of spell. I’m not that kind of witch.”
Closer and closer. Claire’s heart felt as though it was about to pound out of her chest, and for the first time since being taken out of that stupid field, defeat started to set in. Even if she could move her arms, there was no way she could make a run for it. And Heather wasn’t just a powerful witch—she was also bat shit crazy. If there was any hope of getting out of this, Claire needed magic. A lot of magic.
But then Heather was kneeling next to her and raising the knife. Panic took over and Claire reached up, just stopping the descent as she grabbed Heather’s wrists. Heather grunted as she tried to pull back, but then the struggle abruptly stopped. She let out a pained gasp as her eyes rolled back in her head and her breaths quickened. Claire looked around for what was happening, but then she felt it. The jolt was almost electric, but not. It was like sticking her hands in a fire that didn’t burn. Raw energy rushed into her and it felt... amazing.
“Time to go,” said a voice in the distance. No. Not from a distance. Because two arms wrapped around her and started to drag her through the ruins.
Claire blinked as she came back down to earth. She saw Heather lying unconscious right before she was pulled around a corner.
“Feel free to help any time,” said Jackson as he adjusted his grip.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to be your knight in shining armor. Or tight black t-shirt armor. I totally didn’t plan for heroics today, but this is definitely a hero’s outfit.”
He was not helping her to feel less confused.
“Come on, get those feet moving before dark one back there wakes up.”
“I can’t feel my feet.”
Jackson abruptly stopped. “Fuck. You really want me to be all heroic, don’t you? Fine.” He bent down and hooked one arm under her knees as he lifted her fully into his arms as though she weighed nothing. She wanted to be embarrassed that she needed to be carried but she was just grateful that she didn’t have a knife in her chest.
“Claire, you have to promise me something,” said Jackson as they reached the night air, which was fully lit up from the nearby flames.
“Anything.” He had just saved her life, after all.
“What just happened back there with Heather Harris.... You can never tell Sam. You can never tell her what you are.”
“I think they’re gone.” Sam looked out over the lit-up clearing between them and the remains of her family home.
The heat from the burning pine tree behind her beat down, one more thing making her feel the ever-present need to move. They needed to get to Heather before she had a chance to rush to finish the job. She glanced at her phone, but there was no word from Jackson, who had run inside during the firefight.
Firefight was a bit of an exaggeration. Derek’s plan for the distraction had worked like a charm. Once she’d started the fire, the dead tree had gone up in seconds. Even with the recent rain that protected the rest of the forest from going up in flames, there seemed to be no moisture left in the bark. And then when the three guys ran out to check, they were in full view thanks to the light while Derek was well hidden as he took aim.
She knew Derek could handle himself in a fight. She’d seen him in action. But as he took aim and carefully and methodically took his shots, Sam had a whole new appreciation for him, mixed in with the tiniest bit of fear.
For the first time, she understood Claudia’s resistance to letting him into the inner circle. This wasn’t an enemy she would want to have.
When the first shot rang out, Sam had covered her ears and braced herself for a drawn-out fight, but everything was over in maybe a minute. Derek hit one of the guys and he went down, but was still alive. It seemed to hit his side, but from this distance Sam figured Derek was aiming for the heart. She wanted to close her eyes and look away but she needed to be there and aware for Derek. The second man held out his hand palm up toward them, which stopped the next bullet from hitting, but the second he lost focus and started to look at the bleeding man next to him, Derek took his shot and this time hit the shoulder.
And that was all it took. The remaining uninjured man started to pull the man on the ground as all three retreated.
So now the only thing left to do was go in and get Claire.
Derek once again switched magazines in his gun. How many of those things did he carry on him? “I want you to stay behind me.” He raised the gun. He looked as if he was ready to fire at any moment, and it was strange to think that they might be confronting Heather like this. It felt as though she had been sucked into some strange parallel dimension where everything was upside down. Claudia had almost died, her sister might be trying to kill her best friend, and her boyfriend had just shot three sentries.
“Let’s get this over with,” said Sam as they started for the ruins. Derek led the way, and instead of walking straight across the clearing, he stuck to the sides where they had more cover from the shadows. Even though the sentries had run off, that didn’t mean they were gone. Their magic didn’t work on her or Derek, and her magic might not work on them. Claudia made sure her men were protected. But that was before she knew her men weren’t her own.
Except for the bone-numbing terror, the walk to the charred ruins was painless. It appeared that the sentries really had gone. They reached the section of the wall where the back door used to be. Derek stepped in first before he motioned with a tilt of his head that she could come in.
The room was lit by the tree that was still burning outside. Sam figured the fire would start petering out soon enough, so maybe they should be rushing.
But they didn’t need to go anywhere. Because Heather stepped right in the room to meet them.
“You’re late,” bit out Heather as she slapped her hands together to brush off the dust. “Your newest little pet has already been rescued.”
Derek leveled his gun at Heather. She looked harmless, but he’d already had a taste of what her magic could do. “Get on the ground and put your hands behind your head.”
Unsurprisingly, she didn’t do what he said. Instead, she looked at him and pursed her lips. “Awww. You brought your beast. I have missed looking at him. You two should be thanking me. If I remember correctly, I played in integral part in your fairy tale.”
Derek kept his face blank and his hands steady. She was trying to goad a reaction and he wasn’t going to bite.
“You almost got him killed.”
“A few times,” pointed out Derek. “Now on the ground and hands up.” He took a step forward to prove his point.
Heather tilted her head and let out a laugh. “You two might get past the sentries. They can’t use their magic on you, and I’m sure they’re not as good with their, umm, Glocks as you are.” She winked at Derek. “But they’re small potatoes. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been and this is the only chance I’m going to give you. Turn back now and you can live.”
“You have to be kidding,” said Sam.
“No! I have a vision, Sammy. And that vision is all of us at the top. You, me, Mom. We’re going to be on the throne, where we belong. You’ll see.”
“No. I already see. I figured out why you took Claire.”
Heather shrugged. “She fit the parameter of the spell.”
“There were others. Easier targets. Targets that wouldn’t pop up on Claudia’s radar. But you took Claire because she got away. Because your pride was wounded. All this has ever been about is your pride. You feel like Claudia is insulting you. You feel like we should respect you more. Trust me, Heather. You think you’re an all-powerful enigma, but I’m your sister. I have you figured out.”
“You’re nothing! You have no control over yourself. Even with Claudia, what’s the last spell you actually pulled off?”
“We have a pretty nice bonfire going on right now. She didn’t seem to have trouble with that. I’d say a considerable improvement.”
For the first time, Heather seemed surprised. “You did this?” she asked Sam.
“I don’t want to hurt you. Come with us and I’ll make sure Claudia shows mercy.”
Heather shook her head. “You,” she said, directed at Derek. “I thought Claudia was overreacting, but she was right. You’re getting in the way of everything. But you’re not going to stop this. I’m walking out of here, unharmed. And you don’t want to know the hell I will rain down on you if you try to stop me.”
He glanced over at Sam. He didn’t want to shoot an unarmed woman, but he knew that if Heather walked out of here, more people were going to die. It wasn’t a possibility but a near certainty.
“Heather, please. This isn’t what we do. This isn’t who we are.”
“Then allow me to introduce the new Heather.” She raised her hand right at Sam and Derek couldn’t take the chance any more. He pulled the trigger but was too late. The room collapsed in and a supporting beam slammed into his back and had him flat on the ground.
Derek blinked through the pain as Heather turned and ran.
Out of the darkness stepped Abigail Harris, with tear-streaked cheeks. “I’m so sorry,” she said as Sam ran to his side.
Derek groaned as he pushed himself up and looked around, but Heather was long gone.
“What the hell, Mom?” snapped Sam as she set an arm around his shoulders and helped him up.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated as she shook her head. “I couldn’t let you.”
“Do you have any idea how many people she’s killed? What she did to Claudia?”
Abigail fell against the wall, her white shirt and skirt immediately ruined as more debris fell free. She was visibly shaking as her head fell into her hands. “I know but... I couldn’t let you kill my daughter.”
Sam looked at her phone and let out a sigh of relief. “Jackson messaged. He’s got Claire. She’s safe. But Heather....”
Derek took Sam’s hand in his. “Don’t worry. We got Claire out. That was the goal, remember? We’ll deal with Heather later. One step at a time.”
She nodded, but he could probably tell she was freaking out. Derek seemed to know exactly what she needed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She tried to see things from his point of view. This wasn’t defeat. They came to get Claire and they did. They lived to fight another day.
Except when he looked over Sam’s shoulder, Abigail wasn’t crying anymore. She was staring right at Derek, and Sam had a feeling they’d have more obstacles than she thought.
“You know I have a very nice apartment that we can meet at next time.” Sam pulled on her black boots over her dark wash jeans. Once the zipper was up, she glanced around. She’d had a blouse on when she’d come into the room with Derek, so it stood to reason that it was still there....
“My place is closer to work,” said Derek from the bathroom as he started running the sink.
Oh! There was her shirt, on his dresser. “My apartment has a bed that you’ll actually fit on.”
“I thought you said my bed was cozy?” he called.
“Your feet hang off if you lay straight!”
Derek padded out of the bathroom, now wearing sweatpants. “What can I say? I’m good at fitting into tight spaces,” he said with a wink as he held his hand out to her. “Time for your lesson.”
Sam took his hand even as she shook her head. “Come on, Derek. I don’t have time for this. Claudia’s sending a car to pick me up right now.”
“No. You promised you’d let me teach you some basic defense moves. We’re doing it now.”
“I literally have to be downstairs in a few minutes. The lesson is going to have to wait.”
But Derek wasn’t about to let her get off easy. “Okay. Let’s do a basic. What do you do if someone comes up from behind you?”
Sam shrugged. “That’s easy. Elbow him.”
Derek set an arm around her neck and pulled her back against him in a mock chokehold. “Try to elbow me,” he said into her ear.
Really? In the bedroom? This place was way too small for roughhousing. Sam sighed and tried to imagine herself in a life-or-death situation. Not too difficult considering just twelve hours ago they were facing off against Heather.
Sam curled up an arm and angled it back, gently touching Derek’s ribs. Instead of releasing her like she expected, he tightened his grip until her air was completely cut off and she gripped his forearm as she waited for him to stop proving his point.
He let her go and she sucked in a deep breath. “What the hell?”
She tried to pull away, but he never fully released her. “Elbows are expected. They’re not that effective and they’re sure as hell not as painful as the things I can do to your throat. So you need to be unexpected. Instead of pulling away, face me.”
“What?”
“The second you feel the arm, you have a fraction of a second to react. The attacker is expecting you to run, to elbow, to kick, to try to get away. So instead, use that split second to turn in to the guy and go right for the eyes and throat. He’ll have no time to block you, and as soon as you land the blow, you’ll have enough time to escape.”
Sam rolled her eyes as she did what he said and turned in his arms until she faced him, her breasts pressed firmly to his chest. The intimate position wasn’t lost on her. “Are you telling me to run?” she asked softly. She really wanted to continue the lesson, but damn she wanted to kiss him too. Decisions, decisions....
“You can’t win a war if you die during a battle,” said Derek even as his lips got closer, belying his words. “Sometimes you need to run.”
Their mouths just touched when her phone started to ring. Sam winced as Derek let her go. “Your car is probably here.”
“Yeah.” She fell back. She berated her body as she grabbed her purse and verified that it was her grandmother’s driver who messaged. Really, she’d just had two amazing orgasms. The fact that she still wanted to stay with Derek was just plain greedy.
“Tell Claudia I hope she feels better soon,” said Derek weakly.
Sam snorted. “I’m going to pass on that. For one, she’ll know you’re lying. For two, she’s probably back to normal already.”
“The benefits of magic.”
“The benefits of magic,” agreed Sam as she crossed back to Derek and set a hand over his chest. “Of which you are now privy to because you kind of have a hookup in the magical community.”
“Hookup in more ways than one.”
She smiled up at him. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Never. Are you going back to your place after your grandmother’s?”
“I was planning on it.”
“Change your plans. Come back here.”
“Aren’t you going to be sleeping by then?”
“I’ll wake up for you.”
She bit her bottom lip to keep her grin from reaching massive proportions. “It’s a date then.” Her phone rang again and she cursed. “Okay, I really have to go now. I’ll call when I’m on my way back.” A minu
te later, she was down the stairs and nodding hello at the driver, who waited by the back door to open it for her. Except the car wasn’t empty.
“Grandma! You shouldn’t be out!” Anyone else would probably think twice about scolding Claudia, but being family at least gave her the ability to be worried.
“My family and the army I’ve trusted for over a century is turning on me. I have no time for recovery.” She patted the seat next to her. “Come along. We have much to discuss.”
Sam obediently sat down and the driver closed the door behind her before he made his way to the driver’s seat and headed out.
Claudia handed Sam a thermos. “Here. Your mother made this for you.”
Sam took the container from Claudia and sniffed hesitantly at the contents. “Tea?”
“It’s a calming mix. She’s been giving it to me all day. I believe she’s feeling guilty. I recommend drinking it. I don’t need to tell you how she feels about her offerings of food being denied.”
Sam couldn’t argue with that. She was fairly certain her old fridge at Claire’s apartment was still filled with containers from her mother. She took a sip of the now lukewarm tea. It wasn’t a flavor she liked, but she could at least drink it quickly. “You still shouldn’t have come. I would’ve seen you in a few minutes.”
“I don’t need to do anything I don’t want to do, Samantha. I’ve come because I have some private matters I’d like to discuss.”
So private she didn’t want Abigail to know? Sam braced herself by taking another long drink. “What would you like to talk about?”
“If you continue on in this foolish endeavor with the detective, I can’t continue to train you.”
Sam let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. “Maybe it’s for the best.”
“Excuse me?”
“Come on, Grandma. I think we can admit that this whole experiment with me as a sentry is a marked failure.”
“You have potential you can’t even imagine,” said Claudia.
“No. I’m a bad witch. Mediocre on my good days. But Derek is a good cop. And if I stick with him, I can actually help people. Even save them.”
