To Spell With It

by Amanda M. Lee

  “That’s what Darlene wants,” May chastised. “She expects you to act with your heart instead of your head.”

  “Then maybe I should give her what she wants.” I considered my options. “Galen says my strength comes from inside. He says I react without thinking, and that’s what’s been keeping me safe as of late. Maybe I should just react.”

  “You’ll be outnumbered. I suggest going to the water and getting Aurora’s brethren to help. Perhaps try to get an audience with the DDA. They’ll send soldiers if you can convince them.”

  “That will take too much time.” I didn’t like her suggestions in the least. “I need to get to Galen now ... and Wesley ... and the others. They need me.”

  “And what happens if you try to fight this battle alone? I’ll tell you what happens. You’ll lose.”

  “I’m not going to lose.” I had an idea. “I need the talisman.” I headed back for the stairs. “I think I know what I have to do.”

  May wasn’t backing down. “You have to get help. You can’t do this alone.”

  I thought of the faces around the barbecue. “I won’t be alone. I have my own army ... and they’ll already be there. I know what to do.”

  The memory fragment had given me a few ideas. Fear for my friends had filled in the holes. It was time to fight.

  No. Scratch that. It was time to win.

  I DIDN’T BOTHER HIDING MY approach. I didn’t see the point. They would be expecting me. May volunteered to return to the captives, tell them I was coming and try to keep them calm. I knew how well that would go over. If Galen was able to, he would renew his fight. His instinct to protect was often overwhelming.

  There was nothing I could do to curtail his emotions, so I simply nodded.

  The property looked empty when I arrived, but I knew better. I could feel, maybe almost even hear, a bevy of people reacting with bated whispers when I exited the cart. The emotions were varied. Some broadcast fear, others pain, and still others excitement.

  Darlene was the first to walk out from behind the shack. She was alone, but I knew she had backup waiting for her to signal. There’s no way she would face me without a plan in place.

  Well, I had a plan, too. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it all happen, but I definitely had a plan.

  “Hello, Hadley.” Darlene looked smug. “I bet you’re surprised to see me.”

  “Not so much. I knew it was you.”

  “Oh, really? And how is that?”

  “You’re not as smart as you think.” I glanced around. Her soldiers remained shrouded in shadow, which I found disconcerting. “You don’t have to hide your people. I know they’re all here. I know my people are here, too. I want them back.”

  Her lips curved into an evil sneer. “I want something, too. Do you know what I want?”

  “You want the disc.” I saw no reason to play games. “How did you know I had it?”

  “My sister conducted exhaustive research. I don’t like to give her credit — well, for anything really — but it seems she knew what she was talking about. She had you in her sights from the very start.”

  “And so did you.” I rubbed my hands over the front of my khaki capris. “I didn’t even know I had it until earlier tonight. It’s fascinating that you knew more about me than I did.”

  “We knew more about your grandmother,” Darlene corrected. “She discovered the seal. Then she died before she could tell you about it ... or find a way to dispose of it. She never should’ve had it in the first place. It always belonged to us.”

  “Why?” I decided to keep her talking in the hope she would make a mistake. If she focused on me, that meant my friends were probably okay. There was always a chance May could make good on her boasts and find a way to free them. “When the elementals split, there were four factions. The seal was created to represent all four.”

  “And yet only one faction mattered.”

  “You think the air elementals were above the others,” I said. “The thing is, they were all considered equals when it came to creating the seal. I know. I was there for its forging.”

  “You were there?” Darlene snorted. “I believe that was thousands of years before you were born.”

  “And yet the talisman showed me its creation.” I decided to go for it. In delaying, I amped up my own anxiety. “I saw that the fire and air elementals joined together and thought they were putting one over on the earth and water elementals. That wasn’t true. They knew what would happen but were helpless to stop it. I saw that the fire elementals misjudged how duplicitous the air elementals were. I saw it all.”

  I’d also seen something else in the vision that she didn’t understand. But I kept that to myself for now. “You’re not as strong as you think you are,” I added. “You’re not smarter than everyone around you. You haven’t outsmarted the other cupids as you believe. You must realize that.”

  Her snarl reminded me of a rabid cat. “You don’t know anything about me.”

  “No? I know you’ve been creating incubi behind the scenes. I know exactly what sort of leadership role you want to play in the cupid council. You think the incubi will give you a leg up, let you rule more than the cupids. You want to enslave humans and force them to do your bidding.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “How can you possibly know that?”

  “The talisman knows. It showed me everything.”

  “The talisman is an object, not a person.”

  “And yet it remembers. It also feels things, like disappointment. That’s what it feels when it looks at you.”

  Irritation washed over her features. “Listen, I don’t need a lecture from the likes of you. If you’re angry about the incubus, well, I’m not going to apologize. He had a job to do ... and failed. He’ll get his own form of punishment for failing, so you don’t have to worry about retribution. I’ll take care of that.

  “What’s important is that you have something I want, and I have something you want,” she continued. “All you have to do is give me the talisman and I’ll return your friends. It’s a simple trade.”

  She was lying. If I handed over the talisman now she would kill the others ... and me. Intent flowed freely from her. She didn’t even try to hide it.

  “I hate to break it to you, but I’m not an idiot.” I remained calm even though terror threatened to bring me to my knees. “I can read your thoughts.”

  She stilled, surprised. “I wasn’t informed you were a mind reader.”

  “Yes, well, the detective you hired couldn’t possibly know everything about me. I’m still learning things about myself. New powers pop up every day. It’s been a whirlwind of activity.”

  “What do you want?” She folded her arms over her chest. “What compromise will make you willingly hand over the disc?”

  Something clicked in the back of my head: ownership. The talisman belonged to me. That meant she couldn’t master it unless I openly, and without reservation, relinquished it.

  “I want my friends back.”

  “All of them?” Darlene let loose a chortle that was empty and hollow. “You think I’m just going to hand over all your friends without something in return? You must be mad.”

  I was getting there. “I want to see all of them.” I was firm. “I won’t hand it over until I see they’re all okay.”

  She ran her tongue over her lips, considering the demand, and then nodded. “Fine. You can see them.” She turned to the shack. “Bring them out. Keep them on this side of the line, though. Don’t let them near her.”

  My anticipation ratcheted up a notch when I heard cursing and fighting inside the shack. Eventually, everyone was dragged to the small clearing where Darlene and I stood. I took a moment to study each in turn, my heart lurching when I realized Galen was unconscious. He looked as if he’d taken a beating ... and then some. He dropped to the ground with a thud when they dragged him out, and didn’t move a single muscle. He was so still it hurt to look at him.

  “He’s okay,” Booke
r volunteered, as if reading my mind. His left eye was closed and bruised, his hands tied behind his back. “He’s just unconscious. They went after him hard ... and he didn’t take it well.”

  “He fought well,” Wesley agreed. For the first time since I’d met him, he looked old and frail. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. “It’s a wonder they managed to take him at all.”

  I briefly locked gazes with Lilac and Aurora in turn. They couldn’t read my mind, but I wanted them to know I had a plan. Lilac’s hair was already glowing red and she looked as if she was about to explode. She had some sort of rope wrapped around her wrists. It was different from the rope used to tie the others, and it seemed to be giving her fits because she kept struggling against it and glaring.

  “As you can see, they’re all fine,” Darlene offered. “Now give me the talisman.”

  I knew better than that. “Where is Judy?” I didn’t particularly care about the woman, but Booker did. “Where is your sister?”

  “She’s been moved to the hotel. She’ll remain there until I get the talisman. When I’m in charge, she’ll have the opportunity to bow to me or die. My sister is a survivor. She’ll bow to me.”

  “Right.” I licked my lips. “I’m not handing the talisman over until you free at least three of my friends. They’re still too vulnerable.”

  Darlene shrewdly ascertained I had something up my sleeve. “No way. I’m not giving you any of them. You’ll try to fight instead of doing the smart thing and giving me what I want.”

  “I’m not giving you the talisman unless I get three friends. That still gives you two to use as bargaining chips.”

  Darlene stared at the assembled people again. “Let me guess. You want your boyfriend and grandfather to be among the three. I won’t do that. They’re the most valuable ones in this little group. I’m keeping them with me.”

  She could never know it, but she’d just been played. I sent a specific image into her head as if it was fact — one that was based around Galen and Wesley being able to help me — and she’d fallen for it. She thought it was her own idea and that she’d outsmarted me.

  I acted as if I was upset, shaking my head before nodding. “All right. Then give me the others.”

  Darlene nodded to her men. “Transport the others to her. She won’t be able to remove the demon’s ties anyway. She’ll be of no use to her.”

  Booker’s speculative gaze never moved from my face as he was led across the field. When he was positioned in front of me, curiosity got the better of him. “What’s the plan here? Are you really going to give her that talisman? She’ll kill us anyway.”

  “I know.” I forced a smile for his benefit. “But I couldn’t just leave you out here.”

  “At least you’d be alive.” Booker was the pragmatic sort. “I’m kind of glad Galen is out so he doesn’t have to see this. She’s going to kill you the second you hand that thing over.”

  “Well ... .” I didn’t get a chance to finish because Darlene cleared her throat to regain my attention. “You have your friends. I still have your boyfriend and grandfather. All you have to do is hand over the talisman and you’ll get them back. It’s as simple as that.”

  She was still lying. Even though she knew I could read her mind, she continued to play the game. It would’ve been comical under different circumstances.

  “Fine.” I heaved out a sigh and switched my gaze to Lilac. “Do you want to play a game?”

  The friendly neighborhood bartender and half-demon’s eyebrows drew together. “Game?”

  I reached into my pocket and withdrew the talisman, causing Darlene’s eyes to gleam and a collective gasp among the cupids. With the talisman, though, I also withdrew a small knife. It was also in May’s storage closet, and she told me about its magical properties before she disappeared to help my friends. She knew I would need it.

  I saw her now, kneeling between Wesley and Galen. She’d appeared when the cupids lost interest in them and fixated on the talisman. She was a ghost, but she was strong, loyal and true. I hoped to be just like her one day.

  “We must be fast,” I announced. “The talisman is meant to be used when all four elementals are represented. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Booker’s eyes flashed with acknowledgment as Aurora broke into a wide smile.

  “Stop talking,” Darlene snapped. “Give me the talisman.”

  “We understand,” Lilac volunteered. “But I can’t use my magic until I’m free.”

  “Then get ready.” I sawed the knife over Lilac’s restraints first. Her hands were tied in the front. She immediately turned and shot fire out of her hands, causing the cupids grouped close to Wesley and Galen to flee in every direction.

  Booker and Aurora turned so I could attack the ropes behind their backs. My fingers were surprisingly deft despite the fear coursing through me. They were free in seconds ... and then we were a group of elemental offspring ready to attack.

  “You shouldn’t have gone after my friends,” I growled, extending the talisman. “You shouldn’t have tried to be better than the others either. The talisman wants the four races to work together. It never would’ve given you what you wanted, no matter how you tried to wield it.”

  “That’s mine!” Darlene screeched and stepped in my direction.

  Instead of trying to cut her off, Booker, Aurora and Lilac instinctively reached for the talisman at the same time. They understood the plan ... mostly because I’d placed the idea into their heads at the same moment I’d freed them.

  “Now!” I ordered.

  Three fingers touched the talisman at the same time, causing the metal disc to heat in my hands. Bright light — it was almost as if the Fourth of July was happening in the center of our small circle — erupted.

  For the first time since I’d met her gaze across the darkness, Darlene looked fearful. The other cupids wisely took off running, their only goal to escape the light. Darlene, though, was rooted to her spot.

  “What are you doing? That’s my talisman!” Even now she couldn’t see the truth.

  “It was never going to be yours,” I argued as magical versions of four creatures swooped in her direction. I recognized them from the engravings on the talisman. They were the spirit animals of the elementals ... and they wanted vengeance. “You couldn’t give the talisman what it wanted so it was never going to give you what you wanted.”

  “And what did it want?” Darlene raised her hand to fight off the furious magical phoenix and protect her face. “Stop!”

  “Cooperation,” I answered simply, closing my eyes when the magical – and completely ticked off – ethereal animals took over Darlene and started destroying her. “The elementals were never meant to be enemies. They were always meant to be allies.”

  Darlene’s screams were enough to turn my stomach. I didn’t look away, though. I couldn’t. I was meant to see this. It was a warning, and it would spread far and wide.

  29

  Twenty-Nine

  I wasn’t sure how to explain Darlene’s death to Galen’s deputies, but Booker took the duty out of my hands and told them everything. They scattered quickly to track down the other cupids, and Booker left me to wait for the ambulance, taking Lilac and Aurora with him on an incubus hunt.

  “The incubus still needs to be eradicated,” Booker explained before he left. “Stay with Galen. Check on Wesley, too. I think his arm is dislocated.”

  I had no intention of leaving either of them. “You don’t need me to help you kill it, do you?”

  “No. I’ve got it. Between the three of us, we’re more than capable. We’ve got to collect my mother, too.”

  I’d almost forgotten about Judy. “I’m sure that will be a pleasant reunion.”

  “Oh, we’ve got a lot to talk about.” He gave me a hug and then pulled back. “We’ll come to the hospital when it’s finished. Look after Galen. He’s your main concern.”

  He most definitely was.

  At the hospit
al, they wouldn’t let me back with Galen while they worked on him. I thought about pitching a fit, but it wasn’t dignified … and I was smart enough to realize I was a woman on the edge and they might be within their rights if they tried to bar me from the hospital altogether. They had a job to do. They would let me know when they were finished.

  Wesley wasn’t as bad off, so I was allowed to sit with him. He complained bitterly, as they popped his shoulder back into the socket and then forced him into a sling. I was ordered to make sure he didn’t overdo things the next few days. I figured that was a battle I wasn’t ready to engage in.

  Before they finally allowed me into Galen’s room, they told me he would be fine — after listing a litany of broken bones and injuries that made my stomach hurt — and then left me alone to sit with him. One of Wesley’s men took my grandfather home, even though he’d offered to stay. I sent May with him, figuring a doting ghost was better than nothing, and then sat in the dimly lit room and waited for Galen to wake.

  He still hadn’t stirred after four hours.

  “Hey.” Booker had a new bruise on his cheek when he entered. He took a long look at Galen and then grabbed another chair and sat next to me. He looked grim. “Everything is taken care of.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “The incubus is dead?”

  “It is. Darlene had been hiding it — I mean them — for a long time. There was more than one. That’s what took so long. We had to take out four of them … and they were a little different from the incubi we were used to. They fought hard for their lives.”

  My heart rolled. “I’m sorry. That’s a lot of killing in one evening.”

  “We didn’t have a choice, Hadley. There’s no fixing an incubus. Once they’re turned, there’s no going back. These incubi might’ve been different – which is why everyone was having such a tough time with their scent – but they were as dangerous as we believed and had to go.”

  “Awesome.” I dragged a hand through my hair and shifted so I could slide my fingers over Galen’s still hand. “He’s still out.”