by T. G. Ayer
"If you can't tell me what you're doing here, the least you can do is tell me what Nathaniel is up to. He's the one behind all the abductions, isn't he?" I tilted my chin, looking up at Samuel, daring him not to answer.
Samuel nodded. "Yes, the necromancer is the one responsible for the most recent abductions. He's been handpicking young people with particular powers that he thinks he can hold to serve his own purposes."
I frowned. "Samantha said that he had wanted her to attend a party, to listen to the thoughts of the guests. Do you know anything about it?"
"Yes, it's a charity benefit with the mayor as the guest of honor. The target is the mayor. Nathaniel wants information he can use to coerce the mayor into doing what he wants."
"So you're telling me that Nathaniel has a political agenda." I scoffed, unable to believe the sorcerer would want to play such a dangerous game.
Samuel nodded, his face dark. "Political agenda and so much more."
"So why aren't you doing anything to stop him?" I asked, challenging him.
"Because that's not the reason that I'm here. I do what I can to thwart his plans, but I can't do anything that will jeopardize my position here."
Before I could ask him any more questions, I was distracted by the sound of boot steps filtering in from the passage outside. The door swung open, and slammed against the wall for the second time. I winced, as the noise hurt my ears as it echoed through the room. Too late to ask Samuel any more questions.
I glanced at him to say goodbye, and the expression on his face stopped me. He whispered, "Don't worry now. I will stay as long as she needs me."
I frowned at Samuel. More cryptic. But I didn't have any more time left to ask him what he meant. The guards were almost onto us and if I wanted to leave, I had to go now. I mouthed a silent goodbye to my old friend and jumped from the room.
I used Saleem's jump signature and followed it, almost all the way to his destination. Before I ended up landing right where Saleem arrived, I turned and veered off, using my own power, my mind concentrating on the concrete high-rise that was more glass than any other substance.
***
I arrived at the entrance of Omega headquarters with the two demons close on my tail. The thought of their bright angry eyes and sharp flashing teeth sent shivers up and down my spine.
I bent forward slightly to regain my balance, my head spinning as if I'd lost a lot of blood. I frowned and pressed my temples. What the hell was wrong with me? Pain spiked through my head, and I bent over, almost losing my balance when fat drops of blood splattered the bright white marble tiles. I put a hand to my nose and gasped at the amount of blood that smeared it. Whatever was happening to me I didn't have the time to figure out. I gathered what energy I had left and ran to the armed guard at the reception desk. Tim Rogan knew me well enough that he hadn't taken me out the moment I appeared.
Rogan opened his mouth, probably to ask me what was wrong but then he glanced up behind me. His eyes widened and his hands went to his gun. I looked over my shoulder to see the pair of hideous demons appear and solidify a few feet from me. A heavy axe came zooming at me and I ducked, feeling my head spin again. No time for weakness. The guard beside me dodged a flying dagger and when I looked back at the demons, they seemed to be drawing more weapons out of thin air.
The thought that mere demons were now able to follow my jump signature was too terrifying to contemplate. Was Nathaniel teaching them? Or just lending his power to his guards?
I drew my gun, aimed, and fired. Rogan did the same. Bullets flew at the two demons and for a moment they seemed immune. Our ammunition seemed to bounce off them. Damn. They must have some kind of protective force around them. But protective fields like that never lasted very long. Not unless you were creating your own field. And very few demons possessed the power of magic. I continued firing and knew I would have to reload in a moment.
Just when I thought my luck was up, the taller, redder and grosser of the two made a sound like he was punched in the gut. Good. I hoped I'd hit him. My demon gun was loaded with some pretty powerful bullets. They were filled with poison that would fell even the biggest demons, bullets fashioned to explode once they entered the flesh, spewing out their poisons faster and more efficiently, delivering death on a silver platter. The demon tilted forward and fell on his face so hard he smashed the tiles beneath him, the force sending ripples of cracks, and displaced tiles outward from his body.
My gun clicked, announcing the empty chamber but I didn't bother to reload. The second demon stiffened, the middle of his forehead blooming black where Rogan's bullet had entered. "Superb shot," I said. He grinned and holstered his weapon. A rush of footsteps around us announced the entry of Omega’s onsite operatives but they'd missed the party.
Relieved, adrenalin dispersing from my veins, I felt my body weaken. The room spun and I sagged, and would have fallen had Rogan not caught me. He laid me on the floor, shucking out of his jacket. He rolled it up and placed it under my head, for which I was extremely grateful. My head wound was still throbbing like hell.
"Are you hit?" His eyes and voice exuded concern as he scanned my body for bullet wounds or bloodstains.
I struggled to get a word out, then just shook my head. It hurt but moving a body part was easier than speaking. Around me the noise level increased as agents shouted for assistance, cleanup, and whatever else was needed to fix the fact demons had entered Omega's super-protected facility. Darkness encroached at the edges of my vision and I almost succumbed when I heard a familiar voice.
"Mel. Mel, are you okay?" Saleem's sexy tones penetrated my haze and I blinked. I wanted to just relax and give myself over to the pull of sleep, but I wanted to see his face more.
I struggled to lift my lids, eventually managing to crack them open a little. He hovered close, his smile comforting, his dark hair grazing his cheek as he bent over me. I gave him a poor excuse for a smile. "Hey." I swallowed, the single word so hard to emit.
"Hey, yourself. Welcome back." The smile never left his lips but it didn't reach his eyes either. Worry shadowed his face as he gazed down at me.
"Was I out?"
"For a few moments. Never a dull moment with you around is there, Tracker?"
"Nope. I need to get back on my feet. Fulbright must be missing me."
Saleem snorted. "He sure is. About to blow a gasket so you better haul ass and annoy him some more."
I laughed but the sound came out more like a choked cough. Darkness threatened again but I held it back. "How's Samantha?"
"Safe."
"And the rest?"
"Also safe."
"Get Natasha to straighten the wards." I managed to get the words out, although it seemed to be getting harder and harder.
"Already done."
Emotion welled inside me and hot tears singed my eyes. It felt so good to be taken care of. Especially by Saleem. "Be careful. I might decide to keep you around," I said, my voice husky.
"Fulbright might get jealous you, know," he teased.
"He can suck it up."
Saleem laughed and began wiping the blood from my upper lip and nose. "Let's get you cleaned up and checked out. Drake was right, you never listen."
I wanted to respond, to laugh it off and say I knew what I was doing. But my head was spinning and my limbs were heavy and I was so, so tired. I'd done what I needed to do. Samantha and the other kids were rescued. And the best part was I knew Samuel was safe and well.
Although I still wasn't sure who he was looking after in Dastra. When he'd had his moment of lucidity and said 'she needs me', I'd thought he was referring to Samantha. But clearly it wasn't the little girl, as she'd been rescued. So who could she be?
My heart tightened. Could Samuel be keeping an eye on Ari? But before I could think about it further, the darkness encroached, thick and suffocating.
The last thing I heard was Samuel's words.
"Don't worry, Mel. I will stay as long as she needs me."
&n
bsp; ---THE END---
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Connect with Tee online at
http://www.tgayer.com/
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T.G.Ayer's Full List of Books
Young Adult Paranormal
The Valkyrie Series
Dead Radiance
Dead Embers
Dead Chaos
Dead Silence (late 2014)
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The Hand of Kali Series
Fire & Shadow
Blood & Gold (2014)
Time & Fate (2015)
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New Adult/Adult Urban Fantasy
The DarkWorld Series
Skin Deep
Lost Soul
Last Chance (2014)
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The Soul Tracker Series (A DarkWorld Spin-Off)
Blood Magic
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Chronicles of the Irin
Retribution
Requiem (2014)
Acknowledgments
To Inklings and the Indie Inked ladies- You Rock!
Thank you to my editor Tracy Riva and my proofreaders Karen Mead & Jenn Waterman, for helping to make BLOOD MAGIC shine.
To DH & Daughters: hasn’t this been an awesome journey?
To Kate Strawbridge- cover artist and the best friend a girl could ask for. You have magic fingers and magic eyes!
And to my readers. Don't stop reading…
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About the Author
I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognize that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practice given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes… I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It’s a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each other's loves – it works wonderfully…
My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands – I shall forever remain cross-eyed.
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