by Eliza Gayle
“What are you doing? We don’t have time for this. We need to call the paramedics. Get him to a hospital.”
He looked up at her. “That won't be necessary. I can fix the gunshot. But that's the least of his worries right now.”
“The black magick?”
“Yes.” He went back to chanting and moving his hands back and forth across his brother's body. She felt the crackle of energy seconds before she saw it flow from his palms. The power was tinged blue on the edges and seeped into Cash's body. Worried for him, she grabbed at his hand to lend support.
Their connection sizzled as the power surged forward from Cash to her, whispering along her skin. Startled, she jerked her hand away, looking up at Denn as she did.
“Can you feel that?” he asked.
“Yes, his body is fighting it. Trying to expel it.”
He shook his head and blew out a hard breath. “Black magick is powerful, that's for sure.”
“Not to mention it tastes and smells disgusting.” She scrunched up her nose as a fresh wave of the dark settled around Cash.
“You can smell it? And taste it?” He looked at her with a strange puzzled expression.
“Of course. Can't you? It's overpowering.”
“No, I can't. I can sense it. Feel the weight of it but that's it. Are you an empath?”
“Not exactly. I have developed some psychic ability. But I've not ever felt anything like this before.” Cash's body jerked and stiffened beside her. “What's happening? What are you doing? You're hurting him?” She grabbed at Cash again. “The pain is excruciating.”
“The gunshot wound is healing. Unfortunately that gives way to the stronger dark magick consuming him.”
She whimpered in response. The searing pain took her breath away as she clutched at Cash.
“Selene, let go. It's hurting you. You're absorbing it, I can feel the transfer.” He rushed over to where she sat, grabbing at her arm to pull her away. “Shit!”
She knew the heat of her skin was too hot for him to hold on to. She couldn't let go. Didn't want to. She had to help him. Save him.
Pain sliced through her as the dark aura ripped from Cash's body and flooded into hers. His limbs jerked and spasmed while her own shook from the intensity.
“Goddamn it, Selene. You are going to kill one or the both of you if you don't stop. Cash wanted you safe. Away from the danger he represents. He wouldn’t want this.”
She ignored his protests and shot up flames around her and Cash to keep him out.
The agony in her body grew to unbearable levels as she let loose a scream of anguish. Pulling on every ounce of discipline and strength she ever had in her body, she held fast as the last of the magick left Cash for her. It rumbled and roared through her like a violent storm. She wouldn't be able to hold it for long.
She let go of Cash, and he fell limp to the floor next to her. His pallor was even more deathly than before but his heart beat strong.
“Are their fire extinguishers in this apartment?” She looked at Denn through the growing flames.
“Yes, why?”
“You need to get them now.” She pulled herself upright, fire growing around her, and made her way to the door. She tried to form the excess power into an object she could get rid of to no avail. It clung to her like a second skin. With a last look at Denn, she walked out the door and back into the townhouse garage.
Flames and power crawled across her skin, pulling her, forcing her to expel it any way she could. With no control of it, she watched the fire spread from her body throughout the concrete room, surrounding the gas tank seconds before it exploded in a fiery burst. Once again the flames engulfed her.
Cash will survive.
Cash's eyes shot open and he was immediately blinded by the harsh sunlight streaming in through the sheer white curtains billowing in the breeze at the open window. He glanced around the room, unsure of where he was. The walls were painted a pale orange that reminded him of the skin on a fresh peach. Ornate moldings framed the room in exquisite craftsmanship. His gaze rested on the open French doors, revealing a terrace just outside. The small space was enclosed with black iron work forged in an old world style. Soft strands of jazz filtered to him from outside on the street as well as the scents of Creole spices. Realization dawned as he acknowledged his location.
New Orleans.
He lay there trying to remember what had happened. The last he rememebered he’d been in Boston with Selene. Oh hell, Selene!
Before he could move the door swung open and his brother sauntered in. “You're finally awake. About time. Thought I was going to have to cast a spell to get your ass out of my bed.”
“What the hell happened?” His voice came out rough and gravelly even to his own ears. “Where is Selene?” He gingerly lifted his head and shoulders, trying to push himself into a sitting position.
“Slow down, Cash. You've just woken up after nearly two weeks in a coma. Too much too soon and you'll find yourself right back where you started.” Denn grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back down on the mattress.
“I need to get up and check on Selene. Make sure she's all right.”
“She's all right.” Lie still and follow my finger. His brother raised his finger in front of his eyes moving it back and forth.
“How do you feel?” Denn asked.
“You mean other than feeling like I have been dragged to hell and back?”
“Yeah, there is that. Although I don't know what you expected, the way you’ve been using. You have a lot of explaining to do.”
Cash cringed at the admonishment in his brother's voice. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the anger there. Nor did he have any desire to explain his actions.
“What happened, Denn? How did I survive? I felt the darkness win.”
“You're right. There was nothing even I could do for you.”
“Then what the fuck happened?” He pushed past his brother's hands and sat up in the bed.
“Selene did it, Cash. She saved you. It nearly killed her to do it, though.”
“I need to see her. Now. Take me to her.” He swung his legs over the side of the small bed, testing his strength with a little weight at a time. He looked down at himself, realizing he only wore a pair of shorts.
“I'd like some clothes, too.” Finally he stood and stretched his stiff limbs, feeling every pull and strain of his muscles. All considering, he felt pretty damn good. He walked across the room and strode through the open doorway, pausing for his brother on the landing. When Denn didn't follow him, he poked his head back through the doorway.
“Let's go, brother.”
“We can't” The hesitation in his brother's voice struck fear in his heart. He had to force the breath in and out as he imagined the worst.
“Why not?” He moved closer to Denn.
“Well, she isn't here.”
“What do you mean she isn't here?” He took a few heavy steps closer.
“She left three days ago.”
“She did what? And you just fucking let her go? What the hell happened to make her leave?” He stormed over to the open doors, gulping in the fresh air. He couldn't look at his brother right now. Didn't want him to see how he felt.
“Of course I didn't just let her go. Jeez, Cash. I think if I had tried to stop her she would have blown my ass up. She’s quite the hard ass, you know.”
Cash laughed at that image. Hard not to when he knew all too well just how stubborn she was.
“Why did she leave? And where did she go?” His hands gripped the wrought iron railing wrapped around the terrace, fingers and knuckles turning white from the straining hold.
“She changed back in Boston, Cash. What she did to save you somehow made her different. I don't know how to explain it because she wouldn't talk to me when she recovered. But fear radiated off of her every time I saw her.”
“What the hell did she have to do to save me?”
“She took on all the dark magick you c
arried around, absorbing the remnants that always remain. Honestly, I don't know how she survived. The explosion took out our entire garage with her in it. I found her unconscious and buried under three feet of rubble.” Cash shuddered at the thought of her small body taking on the weight and power of the magick he'd been using. There would be a special place in Hell for him thanks to this.
“Don't suppose she mentioned where she was headed?” He turned to his brother despite the desperation surely showing on his face.
“No, she took off in the middle of the night. Soon as she knew you were going to be okay. She didn't even say goodbye, catch ya later, nothing.”
“Damn it. I have to find her. You should have bound her here.”
“I've already got one witch bound here, Cash. I don't think I could hold two on my own. Not without more power. And we see where that got you.”
He winced at the sarcastic tone of Denn's voice. He couldn't really blame him. This mess was all his fault. The dark magick is what led the witch to them in the first place. An easy trail for any elemental user to find. He might as well have left her breadcrumbs.
“I've got to go. Need some clothes and a ride. I have to find her. She isn't safe you know. Somehow she is tied into all of this with our illustrious uncle.”
“Great.”
“Exactly. She had a mercenary tracking her, seemingly to retrieve her, but the bastard knew who I was and was particularly pleased that he could essentially kill two birds with one stone by finding us together.” He moved through the house, following his brother as they made their way down the hall to the master suite.
“You can find some clothes in there.” He pointed to a large walk in closet in the back corner of the room.
Cash reached into the dark closet, flipping the switch to illuminate the clothes inside. Damn. His brother had become quite the clothes horse since moving to Louisiana. Rows of pants along one wall, everything from silk Armani slacks to multiples of brand new Gap jeans. He grabbed a pair of jeans off the rack and a black t-shirt to go along with it. Quickly donning the clothes, he began considering what it would take to find Selene.
“I'm going to need some crystals, Denn. I have to find her fast.”
“Oh, brother, I can do better than that.” He walked over to the desk next to the king-sized bed, reaching in to the top drawer and drawing out a small GPS tracking screen. “Sometimes technology is a whole lot more efficient than magic.” He handed the screen over and Cash looked at it.
“You put a tracking device on her?” Denn nodded. “Dayum, I am so proud right now. Who would've thought an earth witch would be so clever?”
“Fuck off.”
Cash grinned at his brother. It was a rare moment he got to spend any time with his brothers. Years passed and they all changed so much. Despite their intentions to keep in touch through the Internet and the phone it just wasn't the same as spending time together in person.
“She's on the move, but at least now it won't take me that long to catch up to her.” Excitement coursed through him at the prospect of finding her fast. Taking her fast.
“Grae's right, isn't he? Is there really a chance for us?” asked Denn.
“No. Maybe. Hell, I don’t really know. Even after he showed me I still doubted. But damn, Denn, I haven't felt this free in over ten years. It gives me hope. It gives us all hope.” They faced each other, thinking of the words that could bring them the freedom they had all yearned for too many years to count.
Find your empathic mate.
Chapter Five
Selene stopped to gas up her new bike and take a much needed rest break. The sun slanted down across her face, warming her skin. She'd been riding hard and long for three days. Trying to escape from the inescapable. She rubbed her hands across the denim covering her thighs, stretching out her tired and sore muscles. Every mile she rode farther away from him, the heavier the weight constricting her chest became. Her mind and body screamed for her to turn back but it was too dangerous to go back.
She'd changed. Her power had shifted and she didn't know how to control it. That much dark magick, as they called it, had been nearly her undoing. Witches. She shook her head. It still wasn't all that easy to wrap her head around that fact. Merc had certainly surprised her. He hadn't seemed that powerful in the past. She wondered what could have changed. Or who had changed him.
She looked out at the dry and barren desert that went on for miles in front of her, feeling weary and lost. How long would she have to run before she began to feel like she'd survive without him? No matter, really. It was for the best. She was a hunted woman and would be until she figured out what more they wanted from her and there was definitely more. God help her if the company ever found out about the change. So far she was the only one who knew, but everyday it grew harder to hide it. She'd left Cash sooner than she'd wanted because of Denn. Damn, he was one nosy man. He'd seemed on the verge of figuring it out.
She wistfully looked over at the pay phone attached to the corner of the building. One quick call to check on Cash. Find out if he was awake. Maybe hear his voice one last time. Just to reassure herself…
No!
She left her bike and her thoughts to go inside the ancient gas station to pay for her gas and find something cool to wet her parched throat.
The little bells attached to the door handle tinkled, announcing her arrival inside the small but familiar store. Being on the run always had her off the beaten path stopping at small mom and pop type places like this. She could find what she needed without worrying about the technology of the modern world finding her here. Damn, her head hurt. The tension reached an unbearable level.
She took the food and drinks she'd picked out to the counter where she was greeted by an elderly woman with a soft smile. Selene watched her ring up the purchase with strong, sure hands that looked to have seen plenty of work but were now curved with arthritis.
“$33.61 is the total, honey.”
Selene peeled some bills from the roll she clutched in her hand, giving them over to the woman. When the woman handed the change back to her, she covered both the money and her hand with her own.
“Such a pretty young girl, but the sad eyes tell a different story. You are living far beyond your years. It's time to stop running and take a stand.”
Selene jerked her hand from underneath the woman's. A small hum of residual power tickled her skin.
“With balance comes a great power, when the four are combined it will be to defeat the greatest evil.”
“Uh, what did you say?”
“You don't trust in much, but there is one you can trust.” The woman pressed a small key on a chain in to her hand. “You need to rest. This key is for Room Seven in the small motel out back. Get some sleep.” Selene started to protest and hand the key back to her. “No. Take it. You will be safe there. Trust me.”
Selene almost snorted at that. Running 101—trust no one.
Still… She had to admit she was exhausted and desperately tired. Maybe a few hours would do her some good. She took a deep breath, letting loose of some of the shields she surrounded herself with long enough to study her stranger’s aura. The woman's intentions were pure and strong. She meant her no harm. Just the opposite. She seemed genuinely concerned.
Selene relaxed. “Just for a few hours.” The woman smiled at her. She turned and reached behind her, grabbing a bottle of tequila from the shelf and bagged it up.
“This, too. You look like you could enjoy it.”
Selene laughed then, surprised at the intuitiveness of this stranger. “You're probably right about that.” She accepted the bag. “Thank you.”
“No thanks. Just rest. Things will be different tomorrow, I promise.”
She shook her head at the woman but didn't respond. No need to tell her that despite her generosity, she would leave in the morning and continue to run.
After stashing her Busa so that it wouldn't be seen, she slid the key into the lock of Room Seven. She'd been
surprised when she'd caught sight of the motel sitting back behind the station. The building didn't look any newer than the store out front, but with a fresh coat of adobe red paint and some recently potted flowers next to each door, all eight units had a homey flavor. It was a welcome she didn't realize she had needed.
The interior was as simple as the outside with just a queen-sized bed, nightstand, and small wardrobe in the corner as the only furnishings. She set her things down on the nightstand and contemplated whether she wanted to sleep or shower first. She bent to remove her leather boots, loosening the tight laces before removing them. She then slid her jeans down her legs and stepped out of them.
Selene looked at the bag with the tequila and decided a drink was just what the doctor ordered. She padded into the bathroom to look for a glass or cup she could use. The bathroom looked as simple as the rest of the room. She reached for the cups wrapped in plastic on the counter and caught sight of the tub.
Oh, God.
There in the corner stood the largest white claw foot tub she'd ever seen in her life. She moved closer, making her mind up instantly that she had to soak in that tub before she went to sleep. She turned the faucets on, watching the tub slowly fill with swirling warm water. She hurried back out to the room, checking the lock on the door before grabbing up the alcohol and carrying it to the bathroom with her.
With little finesse she stripped the remainder of her clothes from her body, tossing them to the floor. She sank down in the tub with a deep sigh as the heated water flowed over her skin, warming her to the bone. Her eyes slid closed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd allowed herself such a luxury.
Long minutes later she reached for the bag containing her drink. When her hand reached inside to pull it out she touched something unexpected. A piece of paper? Her fingers gripped the edge. No, it was thicker than paper. She pulled it out of the bag, realizing it was a card. A Tarot card? What the—?
