“I can’t,” she said and tears filled her eyes. “I’m scared.”
Her mother kneeled down next to her. “I know you are, baby. Me too. I’m so scared too.” The mother tucked a strand of the girl’s hair behind her ear and the whole scene was sweet and bitter at the same time. I stepped back and looked away, unable to watch. A small part of me was jealous and there was no room for that. The bitterness inside of me crawled up my throat, and I learned that bitterness tasted rotten and sour.
I hated it.
They went back and forth, but I could hear the time ticking away. We didn’t have much of it left. By my calculations, they should be in the stairwell to this floor now.
“It’s okay,” I said and turned back to the scene. “It’s okay.” I kneeled in front of her. “You use your gift. It’ll keep you safe. Don’t worry about trying to tuck it away.”
“Laila,” Alijah said and I gave him a slight shake of my head.
I turned back to the little girl. “You’re scared and this is your gift’s way to reassure you. You’re going to be okay.” Her shoulders slumped in relief, and I gave her a tight smile.
“What are you thinking?” Alijah asked.
“What is her range on her gift?” I asked.
“About ten yards,” her mother answered.
“We can work with that,” I said and met Alijah’s eyes. I bit my lip before pushing on. “Alijah, you’ll take them to that secret emergency stairwell Ami mentioned.”
“No.”
“Once she is far enough away, I’ll be able to teleport out.”
“No.”
“Get to the first floor. I’ll draw them away so you can get down to the security room.”
“Laila, no.”
“Shut up!” I snapped at Alijah. The little girl whimpered, and I sighed, swallowing back frustration. Softening my voice, I said, “Winne, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”
“We aren’t doing it,” Alijah said.
“They’re going to be on this floor any moment now. We need to. You can keep them safe. You can fight. I can’t.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m going to put up a ward to slow them down and they’re going to come after me. You’ll slip through. They won’t ever get within fifteen feet of me. I can transport myself as soon as Winne is far enough away. She should be, right? Far enough away?”
He nodded. “Then get her and move. I’ll keep them busy. Then I’ll be able to distract the ones on the first floor.”
“It’s dangerous. This is the exact opposite of what you’re supposed to be doing.”
I glared at him. “Then why did you agree to me coming in the first place?” I asked. “Why agree for me to come with you to get them? You’re being a hypocrite right now.”
“That’s different. There was no danger in transporting around. But now, you’re going to interact with those assholes.”
“And if I go with them and you stay behind? Tell me? How is that going to work? How are you going to get away? You can’t fight all of them. You can’t transport. And while you’re up here getting your, ah, butt”—I glanced at the girl—“handed to you, what will happen to us when we reach the first floor and have to slip through the three baddies down there? Plus with this building on lockdown, you’ll be able to get into the stairwell to go further down. I can’t. I don’t have the password to open the door. It was designed like that for a reason. What I can do is transport myself the moment she is far enough away. Just get her away and it’ll be fine.”
The muscle in his jaw ticked. He glanced at the little girl as she clung onto her mother. “Fine,” he gritted out, probably hating the set up now.
The emergency doors could only be accessed by certain people once the building went into lockdown. It was created to keep baddies from using them to get around the building and anyone inside would be escorted out once they were cleared as not a threat. In theory, it should have been okay.
“Fine.”
He stood up and paced. “I hate this.”
“I know.”
“Don’t do anything. As soon as you’re clear, as soon as you do what you said you would do, get away. Don’t hang back. Don’t get caught.”
“I won’t.”
Muttering something, Alijah came over and pulled me into him. In the next breath, he planted his lips against mine. His kiss was violent and demanding, bruising my lips as he tried to lay claim to my very existence. My response was desperate as I pressed against him, loving it when he growled against my lips.
After a few long seconds, he pulled away. His eyes closed as he leaned forward and rested his head against my shoulder.
“This isn’t how I wanted our first kiss,” he growled out. I ran my hand through his hair to reassure him.
“On the bright side, my lips are red and plush, and my heart rate is definitely up. So you did fulfill your promise,” I said, keeping my voice light, trying to add humor to it.
He groaned. “You know this isn’t what I meant.”
“Maybe so, but this is reality. You know roses and candlelight dinners are awkward for me. I don’t do romance well.”
“I know.”
“This. I wouldn’t trade it. I needed it. So don’t regret it.”
He straightened up and leaned forward, pressing his lips against my forehead. “I don’t. I needed it too. But I will give you a proper one when this is all over.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Can’t we just stay here and hide?” Jacynth asked.
Alijah shook his head. “Since Winne’s gift is leaking, the wards are either down or weak. When they make it to this floor, they’ll easily get inside.”
“And we don’t understand all their strengths right now,” I added. “What we do know is that they easily broke through four doors with four different wards on them, plus the ward around the property. Before them, I was confident no one would ever be able to break our ward. They’re too strong.”
Jacynth nodded, acceptance causing her shoulders to lower in what looked like defeat.
“Don’t give up yet,” I said. “You have a daughter to protect.”
That seemed to do the trick as she straightened up and moved to the door with Winne at her side. Her eyes flashed with her magic. She was ready.
“How are we doing this?” Alijah asked, looking at me.
“I’m going to go first and make my way down the hall. Once I do, you’re going to slip out and go the other direction. Where is the hidden door?” I asked.
“To the left,” Alijah said.
“Perfect, since I have to go right. Don’t leave until I give the go ahead. I’ll go to the corner, and after I check to make sure it’s all clear, I’ll give you a wave to get your butt moving. You move, Alijah. Focus on what is ahead of you. Don’t worry about me.” I pointed to the woman and daughter. “They are your priority. Understand?”
His expression blanked as he went into bodyguard mode. “I understand.”
“Good.” I swallowed back bile and cracked open the door, peeking out. The hallway was empty. I went right and ran on light feet until I reached the corner and looked around it to the stairwell at the end, about five yards away. Once I verified it was safe, I sent a wave to Alijah. He grabbed the woman’s upper arm and herded them in the opposite direction.
Shots were fired, muffled, but I still jumped, staring at the closed door with wide eyes. I glanced back and glared at Alijah. He had paused to look at me. I waved at him furiously until he turned and went to the wall at the other end. He lifted his hand and rested it against a panel for a moment. A second later, the three of them were gone.
I stepped out into the middle of the hallway and the next moment my magic flooded me, threatening to drag me to my knees with the overwhelming sensation swirling inside. It felt like I was being welcomed home after a long, grueling day. I dug out the keys in my pocket, wincing. This was all I had. I dug the pointed end of my key into my hand until a well of blood filled my palm. Once
there was enough, I imbued it with my magic, feeling the blood growing hot. The door banged open and I jumped as people flooded into the hallway. They paused when they saw me.
I gave them a smile, hiding the dread that sent my heart into overtime. I recognized Jaylam Reese. His mouth popped open to yell something and the mage with the sigil on his cheek lifted his hand. I reacted first, flinging my blood out. It sailed through the air and I sent my magic with it. Once my magic and blood mingled together and powered up enough, it flared to life, enough to create a thick barrier between me and the bad guys.
The mage’s dark eyes met mine. His widened, and I knew it was because mine glowed a bright green as I used magic. He wasn’t expecting to face someone like me. Maybe they should have done more research.
“Break this one,” I said to them. They were the anal type, they’d break the ward before moving on because they’d need to make sure it was clear. I backed up and went to the door into the suite and popped up another ward, this one weaker.
I turned, forced more blood into my hands and did another ward on the other side, so if they went around, they still wouldn’t be able to so easily get inside.
With a challenge in my eyes, I briefly met Reese’s eyes before ducking into the guest apartment. Once inside, I put up another ward in the doorway, fighting against the exhaustion wanting to take me with it. Not yet. I had more work to do. I couldn’t rest yet. It became a mantra as I wrapped magic around me and left the fifth floor.
A moment later, I popped into a small closet on the first floor. I pressed my ear against the door and listened. Not hearing anything, I slowly opened the door and looked through, seeing no one. My heart pounded, adrenaline coursing through me. I stepped into the hallway, looking both ways. Knowing three others were on this floor, I cautiously moved to the back of the building, listening and watching carefully. My muscles were tight, soreness seeping into them as I moved. My breaths were short and shallow, my chest painful, as I continued to creep toward danger instead of away.
Once I spotted a figure, I ducked into the doorway of a room. The witch was standing guard down here. The earrings twinkled from the building’s fluorescent lights, and she leaned against a wall, arms crossed as she repeatedly checked the hallways that intersected where she stood. The stairwell to go down was right next to her. Alijah and the other two would have to come out near there. I wasn’t entirely sure of the setup for the hidden passageway, but my best guess was that it came out very close to that door. I needed to draw her away and far enough so she didn’t feel Winne’s gift rip her magic away. Granted, it would be a good way to make her vulnerable, but if they didn’t know about her, I didn’t want them learning of her existence.
Winne’s gift would be a prize for anyone who could get their hands on her. And if they were here for her, I didn’t want them to be completely sure that we had already moved her. If she was their target, I was hoping they thought we had barricaded ourselves on the fifth floor.
Taking in a deep breath, I reached out with my magic until I felt the other two. They were on the other side. One of them just had to step into this hallway and look down to spot me. I didn’t have much time.
Gathering magic into the palm of my hand, I stepped out and shot a light purple ball of magic toward the witch.
Her senses and training had her reacting nearly instantly as she dodged. When she saw me, she threw her own magic my way, and I threw up a quick and dirty barrier that fell apart as soon as her magic smashed into it. Since the barrier was weak, it was only a pulse in my brain, nothing debilitating. My head still swam though, but more from exhaustion rather than having a ward torn down. I shook off the weariness as I moved down the hallway, forcing her to come chase after me.
“Found one!” she called out to get the other two’s attention.
I blew out a breath and smashed into a door, my shoulder aching against the impact as I used my magic to force it open. I pushed against the ward until it let me through, and I fell as the ward popped back up behind me with the help of my magic.
Three figures came into view as they crowded the door, unable to pass.
“Just give up,” the witch snarled. “I’ll have this down in a couple of minutes.”
I licked my lips, hoping the other three used this as a chance to get to safety. “I only need a few seconds,” I said.
She frowned, her eyes lighting up as a clear sign of magic use. She lifted her hand and held it just inches from the ward. “This isn’t strong enough.”
“It doesn’t need to be,” I said.
One of the guys, a tall black man with a full beard, lifted a gun and shot the ward. The bullet didn’t go through, but somehow wedged itself into the magic. Vines shot out and began wrapping around the magic, and my insides ached as I felt the ward get devoured, feeding the vines as it grew.
“What?” My mouth popped open. I’d never seen anything like that and I stared at it in fascination. The vines started as green, but as it grew and devoured the magic, it turned a dark blue. The ward was weakening.
I swallowed my fear and forced a grin, praying to Goddess Hekate that enough time had passed, because I couldn’t stay here any longer.
I pulled on my magic; it felt sluggish as I forced it to do my bidding. Too much. I had done too much too quickly, especially after going through being nullified. The image of the security room came to mind, and I focused on that.
My skin prickled, the air brushing against it as I moved and then I was in the security room, everything spinning and people calling out my name.
Chapter Seventeen
Once I was in the room, the first thing I did was find the small sink in the corner. Bile rose, and I wheezed over the sink as my stomach emptied its contents. I had to tell my body that I was okay. We were safe for now. We’d done it.
My body didn’t care as I threw up again.
“Laila,” Elliot said, rubbing my back as he held back my hair.
“I’m okay,” I said.
“What happened?” Alijah asked, his voice relaxing me. They’d made it.
I rinsed my mouth and used a paper towel to dry my face before straightening and facing the room.
Henzie was over by the little girl with a collar in his hand.
“What is that?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“A dampening collar,” Henzie said.
“You can’t put that on her.” I moved toward him, but Elliot moved in front of me.
“Laila, it’s all right. She agreed to wear it.” He kept his voice soft to calm me. “I tweaked it to work differently.”
“She doesn’t understand.”
“She does, and it’s only temporary. If she intends to use her gift, she still can, but for now, it’s going to dampen it. Her gift is interfering with our equipment and the wards. We need everything in top shape right now, and she’s too scared to have it fully under control. Just think about what happened when you went after her. You couldn’t bring them back because of it.”
“It isn’t her fault. She’s just a little girl.”
Elliot’s expression softened. “Of course not. We don’t blame her for anything. We just want to make sure she doesn’t affect our equipment and anything else we need to do. Think of her leaking right now. The collar will stop that leak. But if she still wants to use her gift, she can. The collar won’t stop it.”
I looked at Winne and her mother. Her mother nodded, and my shoulders relaxed. “Fine,” I said. “Fine.”
“She’ll be fine,” Henzie said. “I would never hurt her.”
I nodded and watched as he carefully placed it around Winne’s neck and clipped it into place. Instead of looking like she was in pain, Winne relaxed, and she even sent her mother a smile.
“What happened?” Alijah asked, grabbing my attention as he touched my shoulder.
“I’m okay.” I shrugged off his touch and stepped away. I needed a little space to collect myself.
“Laila?”
“N
othing. Right now, they should be distracted trying to break through the wards I created. I’m hoping they think we locked ourselves inside the apartment.” I went over to the monitors and looked around until I found them. I smirked. They were still trying to get the first ward down. Another group had gone around, but the second blood ward I’d created was stopping them too.
“Do you think this means they want Winne?” Ami asked.
“Don’t know,” Alijah said. “If that were the case, then why go floor by floor to clear it out?”
“I hate not knowing,” Ami said.
She turned to us. “We need to get the admins from Lombardi’s office. The wards will slow them down, and Laila did a good job of distracting them for now, but our people can’t stay up there.”
“They’re on the warpath,” I said. “I ran into the witch on the first floor. They wanted me very much dead.”
“We saw,” Ami said, voice tight. “They almost had you.”
“No, they didn’t. There was no almost to it. They were never going to touch me.”
Alijah brought over a rolling chair and shoved me onto it. I sent him a thankful smile. My legs were ready to collapse on me. Alijah stood at my back, his way of watching over me. Ami frowned as her eyes trailed across my exhausted body.
“You’re not up to another round, are you?” she asked.
I opened my mouth to tell her I was fine when Elliot spoke up. “She isn’t. After the transporting and then all those wards, we can’t send her. We risk her crashing on us.”
“I’m fine,” I said.
“You’re not,” Alijah added, words clipped.
Ami came over and touched my forehead with her pointer finger. I felt her magic as it went into my skin. My magic snapped back at her, and she retreated. “You’re not. If we send you, we’ll put everyone at risk. We have to figure something else out.”
“And what do you plan to do?” I asked. “They have all the entrances on the first floor watched, and you’ll have to get by the group up there.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Ami said, her eyes already distant as she worked out on a plan.
Alijah leaned forward and whispered into my ear, “Do what you can do.” He gave my shoulder a squeeze. “How can we break that ward? Let us worry about the others.”
Magical Seclusion Page 20
