Magical Seclusion

by Jaliza A. Burwell

  Ami sighed. “Can you put up the blueprints of the building? We need to get them somewhere safe.”

  “Where do you suggest?” Alijah asked.

  “Here, for now. We don’t know which direction the intruders are going to take once they get through that third door. We want everyone away from them. We’re lucky it’s Sunday.”

  “You mean, they’re lucky. And you know this isn’t luck. They knew there weren’t going to be a lot of people around today,” I said. “They planned this perfectly.”

  “They knew Lombardi wasn’t around,” Alijah said. “He had a meeting that kept him away this morning.”

  “He practically lives here. They would need to figure out his schedule,” I pointed out.

  “Or just watch him,” Ami said. “We do that. Just watch the person and when we see them leave, attack.”

  “That could work,” I said. “But then that means they’ve all been camping outside this building, ready to attack the moment they thought they were cleared to do so.”

  “Shit.” Ami ran a hand through her hair. “And we never noticed.”

  I shrugged. “They stayed outside the boundaries. We’re still in the middle of the city. They could have camped out in a nearby building.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Alijah said. “We need to focus on our next steps. They’re in the building. Once they get through the next door, we’ll know which direction they’ll go. Then they have one last door to get through before they have nearly absolute freedom to move around.”

  “No other doors?” I asked.

  “There are others, but those first four doors are our strongest, and since they made it through them easily enough, I doubt they’ll have any issues getting through the others,” Ami explained. “Once we had put this place on lockdown, all the labs were shut down with an extra door dropping down to reinforce them. Other wards and thick steel doors dropped down throughout the building to slow them down as well.”

  “Why the hell didn’t we use this when Shanton came to visit?” I asked.

  “They’re newly installed,” Ami said with a smirk. “When Shanton came, our main goal was to keep the weak out, thin the herd so to speak. Shanton wanted only the most powerful to get through so he knew who was the strongest and would actually have useful information. After that, we realized we needed more precautions in place.”

  I stared at her, processing her words. Alijah and Elliot nervously watched me. If we weren’t in the situation we were in, I’d have thrown a huge fit. But I couldn’t, not when we had bigger problems currently trying to break in. “I feel used,” I finally answered, narrowing my eyes at Alijah. “When this is over, I want words with Lombardi.”

  “And you’ll have them,” he said, not even fazed. “You did better than Shanton expected. He was actually a little disappointed more didn’t make it through. But those who did had some vital information he needed.”

  “Wow, okay.” I mulled that information over as Ami looked over the blueprints.

  “Through the third door,” Henzie called out.

  “Already?” Ami asked, her head whipping up to glare at the screens.

  We all focused on the video feeds, watching as the large group spilled into the hallway.

  “Left stairwell leads up, right stairwell goes down,” Ami said. “The door in front just leads to the front of the building and the elevators. They won’t be able to get the elevators moving.”

  Breaths were held as we all leaned forward and just waited on their decision. Was there something in the labs they wanted? I briefly thought about my project and shook my head. That was on a need to know basis and not many knew. Not even my manager knew all the specifics, just that I was working on a special project for Dwight.

  The group focused on the left door.

  “They’re going up. Okay, we can work with this,” Ami said and turned to us. “Our top priority will be to get our guests on the fifth floor and then the three admins on the sixth. I’ll go with a charm bag. Alijah, since you were in charge of watching over them, I need you with me to keep them calm.”

  She pulled the familiar pouch of her pocket and held it up. It was the same one Davies and Venni had used at my apartment. I frowned, still not sure of them, but I also knew they wouldn’t rely on something that didn’t go through extensive testing.

  “What kind of wards are on the fifth and sixth floor?” I asked.

  Ami frowned and then her eyes widened. “Shit.” She stared down at the pouch.

  “What?” I asked.

  “These won’t make it through. The wards will just bounce us back.”

  Anxiety built low in my stomach as I stared at the pouch and then at Ami. She glanced at the monitors and then the floor plans. “To get up there, we’d need to get too close to them, and I don’t want to find out if they really do intend to kill us all.”

  “The emergency exit is up there?” I asked.

  “Come out on the first floor, right where they are. And if I was them, I’d keep people on the first floor to catch anyone trying to escape. Plus, where would we go? We can’t get through the ward and if we try, we get sniped.”

  I bit down hard, grinding my teeth. My jaw ached against the strain.

  “Laila?” Alijah asked, noticing my discomfort.

  I shook my head and swallowed my fear. “I can,” I said softly.

  “You can what?” Ami asked, looking up at me.

  “Go get them. I’ll teleport. I’ve been on the fifth floor and I know the setup of the guest suite. And if I can teleport into Lombardi’s office, I can do it there too.”

  “No,” Elliot said. “We can figure something out.”

  “And I prefer that you reserve your magic,” Ami added.

  “They’re almost through the final door. We don’t have time to find another way,” I said. “I can get to the two guests and teleport them back in here. I’ll be able to do the same with the admins too.”

  “I don’t like this,” Alijah said.

  “What do you suggest?” I asked. “Do you have another plan? Because no matter what you do, right now, your only options brings you near those guys and we know they’ll just kill you.”

  “They can try,” Alijah growled.

  I walked up to him and poked him in the chest. I gritted my teeth, forgetting that the shifter was practically made of steel. I dropped my hand, ignoring the slight pain in my finger.

  “No,” I snapped. “They don’t get to try. You don’t get to play hero today, trying to put yourself at unnecessary risk. Why face them when I can get us around?”

  “They’re through,” Henzie called out.

  “Dammit, can’t they—I don’t know—accidentally blow themselves up. They’d be doing us a fucking favor,” Ami snapped.

  “That’d be too easy,” Henzie replied, tone harsh.

  “I’m going,” I said to Alijah.

  “No,” Elliot spoke up. “This isn’t your job.”

  “This isn’t about jobs!” I clenched my fists at my side. “Right now, it isn’t about who is who. It’s about resources and effectively using them so we live. Right now, you have a mother and her child up on the fifth floor, and I don’t see these guys being merciful. I can’t—” My voice broke. “I can’t do it. I can’t stand here, I don’t want to see a little girl’s broken body.” I shook my head. “I can’t.”

  “There’s another way,” Elliot said.

  “What way?” I asked. “If there is, I will happily step aside. But if not, and knowing I can do it, I can’t just stay here. I can’t curl up in a closet and cover my ears and close my eyes. Life doesn’t work like that. The bad people will still come. The only difference is that when it’s all over, I won’t be able to say I did everything I could. I won’t be able to look people in the eye because I’ll know I’m a coward who only stayed back and hid. I can make this simple. I can pop up there, grab them, and come back.”

  Elliot groaned. “How can you make perfect sense? You’re a lab technician,
Laila. You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

  “And if there were more guards here to take them head-on, I wouldn’t. But twelve guards scattered, and everyone at different levels means we will lose. Every single person in that group is dangerous and high level. They will destroy us before we even have a chance to fight back. They’re here on a mission. They planned accordingly. We can assume all of them has a deadly gift. We don’t have the firepower. You know it.”

  “The weapons room is down the hall,” Ami said. “And some of your toys.”

  “And they methodically destroyed four doors to get in here, and they did it quickly,” I said in a low voice. “Plus it’s all hallways and doors.” I shook my head. “It’s too narrow to open fire on them. And you know better than anyone that they can just as easily pop up a barrier to deflect attacks.”

  Ami sighed and stared at the monitors. I stared at her, because I knew if she gave the go-ahead, then I would be going. Did I want to go? No. Would I? Yes.

  “They’re doing a sweep of each floor, three stayed on the first floor,” she said and mulled that over.

  “We can take them on the first floor,” Elliot said.

  Ami bit her lip. “No.”

  “No?” Elliot asked, eyes darkening in fury.

  Ami glared at Elliot. “You’re asking for unnecessary confrontation. Our only priority is to stay alive. We don’t need to engage them. Not right now. We’re too disorganized. I agree with Laila. If she can easily pop up there and grab them, then why not? They’re still on the second floor. She has time.”

  “I’d be back in minutes,” I said.

  A muscle in Elliot’s jaw flexed, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Ami. I met Alijah’s cold eyes, his stony expression telling me everything. He was just as angry.

  “Guys,” Logan called out. “They found one of ours.”

  “Shit,” Ami said, her eyes wide as she stared in horror at the screen. I followed her eyesight.

  “Shit,” I parroted.

  They were moving fast, now in the stairwell to the third floor. Looked like one of our guards tried to slip past them and got caught. They were ruthless.

  Something bright and liquid flew out of one the men’s hands and slammed into the guard’s chest. He flew backward, smashing into the wall before slumping to the floor, crumpled on the steps. The mage with the sigil did something with his hands and the guard’s body lit on fire, the flames blue. The body never stood a chance, and when the mage did another hand movement, the flame dissipated, leaving behind a black scorch against the gray steps.

  “Adamar,” Ami whispered, her voice a soft plea as her face twisted with pain. Her cheeks turned a blotchy red as her skin paled. She blinked furiously a few times before clearing her throat and facing us. “We will—” She paused and cleared her throat again as her voice broke. “We will do as Laila suggested. Alijah, you will go with her. As I said, they know you and they will need your familiarity to calm themselves. Go, get them, and come right back.”

  Ami glanced at the screen. Henzie put down his tablet and went to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She stiffened before moving further into him. My heart broke seeing her like this. Any loss in this company was going to hurt and with Ami being a social butterfly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she knew the man and even his family if he had any.

  I imagined after this, she would volunteer to be the one to break the news to his loved ones. I met Henzie’s bleak dark eyes and nodded. He’d support Ami as much as she’d allow him to.

  “Fourth floor,” she whispered.

  We were out of time. I grabbed onto Alijah, gripping his forearm until my fingers turned white. I gave Ami a nod and then imagined the guest apartment before letting my magic do the rest and move us.

  I had minutes to get this done.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Once we landed, someone screamed, and I felt instantly empty. I gasped, falling to my knees, my chest tight as hot pain flared through my heart. I drew in a short breath and groaned, gripping my shirt.

  Alijah called out my name, his hand on my shoulder, and I tried to focus on it, but the crying girl drowned out his voice.

  “What?” I gasped.

  “Ms. Freyre, please calm your daughter,” Alijah said over the crying, and I shook my head.

  “What?” I asked again.

  “I’m so sorry,” Alijah said. “Once she calms down, you’ll be fine.

  “Fine?” I couldn’t think. I felt so empty. Like my very existence was nothing more than dust in the wind. No purpose. I had no purpose. I couldn’t live like this. I couldn’t.

  I sobbed, wanting to just end it. My life wasn’t worth it.

  “No, baby, you’re okay. I promise you’re okay.”

  I wheezed. “I can’t,” I said, not sure what I meant. I felt wrong. Off. I shouldn’t be. I shouldn’t exist. I couldn’t live like this.

  “Stop! Stop, Laila, please,” Alijah begged. “Look at me. Please look at me.” The plea in his voice drew me to him. When had I ever heard Alijah plea? Never.

  I blinked past the blurry tears to see his imploring eyes, the gold flecks in them shimmering. He cupped my face and kissed my cheek, just at the corner of my mouth. His touch was feather light against my skin. A reassurance.

  “I promise. You’re okay. I promise. So please, don’t think like that. You’re okay.”

  I gripped his hands with my own as I sobbed. “I don’t understand.”

  “You will. I promise, you will.” He turned his head. “Winne, it’s me. It’s Lija. You’re okay. Please calm down. I need you to be a big girl, can you do that?”

  “Lija?” a tiny female voice spoke up.

  “Yes, it’s me. I won’t hurt you. But you’re hurting my lady friend. Can you breathe for me? Take a deep breath and calm that beating heart of yours? Can you do that for me?”

  “Yes,” the tiny voice said again, and she sniffled a few times. I heard her take in a breath and release it.

  Alijah turned back to me. “Laila?”

  “I’m okay,” I croaked out and felt some of my magic trickle back in. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. I shuddered, reaching out to my magic and touching it. If I could, I would’ve jumped into it and let it reassure me. It was back and it had no intention of going anywhere if it could. “I’m okay.” I rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes and just breathing, calming down.

  “I’m so sorry. I had… shit…” Alijah said. “I’m not sure what I hoped. We had to come. I should have warned you. I know I should have so you were prepared. I just wasn’t thinking straight. This whole situation has me not thinking straight. And her gift works probably twenty percent of the time right now.”

  “What is going on?” I whispered.

  Alijah wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. His hand rubbed my back.

  “Jacynth and Winne Freyre. Jacynth is a fae and Winne is her four-year-old daughter. She’s half fae, half witch, and a nullifier.”

  “Nullifier?” I asked, my thoughts still too scattered to understand what that meant.

  “Yes. She generally has more control, but I should have figured that her being scared would activate her powers. She didn’t mean it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

  “I have no excuse. I should have and I didn’t. I’m sorry. Only a handful of us even knows about her.”

  “I can’t… I can’t feel like that,” I whispered, feeling nauseous.

  His hold tightened around me. “You won’t. Never again.”

  “You can’t promise that.”

  He didn’t reply. I pushed away from him and rubbed at my face. I gave the other two a watery smile and cleared my throat. “My name is Dr. Laila Porter. I’m a lab technician here.” My voice came out strong despite the fear and anxiety clawing at me.

  “What is going on?” the woman asked. She had straight brown hair framing a long pale face, with big blue eyes, and thin lips. Smooth skin covered a
small nose and high cheekbones. Fae.

  “We’ve had a break-in,” Alijah explained. “They put up a ward so we can’t get out of here.”

  The woman paled and looked at the little girl who was almost an exact replica of her, except with the chubby cheeks and a lighter shade of brown hair with streaks of red through them.

  “Are they… are they here for us?” she asked.

  “We don’t know. They are currently making their way up, clearing each floor as they do,” Alijah said.

  “We’re here to get you out,” I said. “I can transport us out of here.” I frowned and glanced at the little girl. She met my eyes and there was a deep sorrow etched in the depths, speaking of horrors she should have never had to witness so young.

  A nullifier. She was dealt a harsh life and she already knew that. My heart ached for her. I didn’t know of any nullifiers, and those who did exist were in hiding—if they weren’t already hunted down.

  The little girl’s eyes widened slightly before she tucked herself into her mother, hiding behind her legs.

  “Winne, are you ready to get out of this room?” Alijah asked.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “To our main security room. There are more guards there and we will be able to keep you safe,” he said.

  She nodded.

  “Okay, grab onto each other,” I said.

  Once we were all touching, I grabbed onto as much magic as I could and pictured the security room. When I released my magic so it could do its job, nothing happened.

  At all.

  I blinked open my eyes to see Alijah frowning at me. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I don’t have enough magic.” I glanced at the little girl and he caught on. “I don’t have it all back.”

  Alijah frowned and then kneeled in front of the girl.

  “Winne, you’re scared, right?”

  She nodded.

  “Do you want to get out of here?”

  She nodded again.

  “Can you calm down enough to release your gift? The pretty lady next to me can’t use hers with yours on.”