Axel measured the man with his eyes. “I'm protecting her in the way of a Wing Slayer Hunter.”
Slowly, Phoenix lifted his gaze. “All I'm saying is that we are in uncharted territory and we'd better have our priorities clear. No matter how hot, I won't let this witch use Hannah's life for her own agenda; for instance, to regain power lost by the curse.”
That sliced through him. Darcy wasn't using him like that, but he recognized that the men who were protecting Eve, Hannah, and now Darcy, had a right to make sure he had his head on straight. “Hannah is my priority.”
“Thought so.” The bounty hunter tossed the rind into a trash can.
Darcy sat on the floor in the middle of Axel's sleek modern office at the front of his condo. On her left was a mahogany desk with a black lacquered top. On her right were two sleek black leather recliner-and-ottoman sets. Above those was a large flat-screen where Carla was projecting her image and watching as Darcy tried meditation to open her sixth chakra.
“You're resisting; afraid of what you'll see. Or maybe you're worrying about doing the spell tomorrow. You have to block it all out.”
She opened her eyes and looked at her friend on the screen. “I'm trying. I can hear the voices but just can't reach them.” Hell yeah, she was afraid. She had seen her father murder her mother for possession of a demonic knife. “I can't control it. What if the third eye shows me something else horrible?”
Carla's face softened. “You're doing great, Darcy. But the Circle Witches said you have to get past the fear.”
“Easy for them to say. They're afraid of me. Tell them to get past their own fears.”
“Darcy,” Carla said, “I know it seems cruel, but they have to be careful. However, they do want to help you heal Hannah. They will gather at moonrise tomorrow and send as much of their energy to you as possible to help with the spell.”
“Thank you,” she said tightly, then asked, “Did the Circle Witches say anything about soul mirrors?”
“They don't know the answer. And not understanding what your bond is with your hunter, they are being cautious. But they did say that if you open your sixth chakra and talk directly to the Ancestors, they'll be happy to bring you into the Circle.”
That burned in her stomach. They'd accept her if the Ancestors did, but they didn't hold any other witches to that standard. Darcy pulled her knees up beneath her chin. “And what if I've bound Axel to me? Is that okay with them?”
“They swear you can't bind him as a familiar.”
“Yeah? He has wings, Carla. Do the Circle Witches remember any other witch hunter having wings?” Tears filled her throat. After her vision, Axel had lifted her up and carried her to his big marble bathroom and put her in a giant spa tub with him. He'd touched each of her still-healing wounds, drawing her powers to his touch so that she'd finish healing. He made her feel cared for and safe.
And it was all probably a lie.
Soul mirrors. He hadn't agreed to anything, he'd just had sex with her. How was that an agreement?
Her throat hurt.
“Darcy.”
Not Carla this time, but Axel. He'd walked in with his eerie quietness and now he filled up the room. She lifted her chin off her knees. “What's up?”
He crouched down. “You're tired.”
“I need to talk to the Ancestors.” She had to know.
“For the spell?”
“Yes. I can't do the spell without them.” That was true. If she could reach the Ancestors, they would help her heal Hannah.
He took hold of her elbows and pulled her to her feet while saying, “I was with you the first time your third eye opened, maybe you can do it with me close to you.” Then he turned to Carla on the screen. “I've got a witch hunter outside your house tonight. He won't come in, he won't be that close. But he's there if something happens.”
Darcy turned her head and felt her heart twist. “Who?”
“Sutton. Joe already knows. We're not taking any chances.”
He was guarding the people she loved. “Thanks.”
He put his arm around Darcy. “Say good night. We're going to bed.”
“I have to work on opening my chakra.”
“You will open for me, little witch. Trust me.” He pulled her out of the room.
She heard Carla's choked laughter.
Darcy let him pull her into his bedroom, then he walked across the room to a nightstand and pressed a button. A whirling sound engaged and the blackout drapes along an entire wall parted to reveal floor-to-ceiling windows.
Moonlight spilled through and illuminated a bed draped in a dark burgundy comforter.
Awed, she said, “It's beautiful. You live here?”
“Usually.” He walked back to her and used both hands to brush her hair back off her face. “Use your powers, take off your clothes.”
His abruptness surprised her.
And excited her, damn it.
Still touching her face, he added, “Honey, you've tried it your way. I can see the strain in your eyes and feel it in your unfocused powers. Trust me, Darcy. Let me help you open your sixth chakra.” He stepped back and pulled off his shirt.
His huge shoulders and chest filled up her vision.
Then he kicked off his shoes and yanked down his jeans and boxers.
Clothed, Axel looked strong and amazing. But naked he took her breath away.
“Do it, Darcy.”
She closed her eyes, calling her roaming powers back to her and magically sliding her clothes from her body to a neatly folded pile on the floor.
When she opened her eyes, Axel stared at her with fire in his green eyes. He reached out and took her hand, drawing her to the window side of the bed. He sat down and pulled her down on his lap, her back to him, her front to the moonlight. She looked out the window, seeing the outline of the buildings against the night sky, but—
“No one can see in. The windows are specially made.” He said it against her ear, making her shiver. “Lean back against me, close your eyes, and feel the moonlight.”
She felt him, felt his rock hard thighs beneath her, his already hard dick pressing against her, his large hands anchored on her waist, and his breath touching her skin. But Axel was right about one thing—her powers responded to him. He could help her; but she had to tell him. “I'm afraid of what I'll see. What if I can't control it?” She didn't want to see her mother murdered again.
She felt a ripple of something go through him. He lifted a hand to her forehead, tilting her back to look down into her eyes. “I'll try to direct you. But I need to get into your mind and we both know how that happens. Once I'm there and your chakra opens, you can tell me what you're seeing and I'll pull you out if it's wrong.”
He was protecting her. Helping her. She faced the window and leaned back into his chest.
Axel slid his hands down her sides to her thighs, pulling them wide. “I want you to feel the moonlight, let it feed you. Here.” He moved his hands again, cupping her breasts from beneath, and lifting them like an offering.
Her powers rushed and bubbled while the moonlight caressed her nipples and she began to fill with incredible energy as her chakras fed from the moonlight and other elements. Her breasts swelled, her stomach clutched.
“Oh, yeah, Christ, I can feel you responding. The scent of your desire …” He leaned down, caressing her shoulder with his mouth and tongue, biting gently.
Each and every nerve ending came to life. She shifted and moved, and reached for his wrist, tugging his hand down to where she burned for his touch.
His laugh was dark and sensual, tumbling through her insides. “Greedy little witch.” He teased her by trailing a hand down her stomach then back up.
Two could play this game. She shifted, ready to turn and straddle him.
He anchored an arm around her waist, pinning her to him. “Open up, Darcy. Pull me in.” He skimmed his hand down her belly, reaching down until he separated her folds. “You're so wet, so swollen,” he wh
ispered.
She thrust against his hand, needing more from him. The ache between her legs began to build and cause more pressure all the way up through her chakras. A heaviness formed between her eyes. I feel something.
Don't think about it. Think about the moonlight, and this … he slid one finger inside of her.
She arched back, her body responding, her mind absorbing him.
Christ, you're pulling me in. His breath went hot and heavy, his arm around her tightened as he slid in a second finger.
He knew her rhythm, pumping into her, his thumb teasing her clit.
The pressure grew where he touched her, and raced through her chakras. She was losing herself …
I'm here, I've got you, let it happen.
His mouth was hot and wet on her neck, his words in her head, his fingers stroking her, the moonlight filling her, until she exploded. Ripped apart by hot silvery pleasure, the pressure between her eyes blew open.
She couldn't get her breath.
Go with it honey, keep going.
She kept riding the silver light of pleasure so intense that she grew scared.
Hawk wings wrapped around her, soothing her and making her feel safe.
Open, Darcy. Open your third eye.
Darcy opened her eyes but her regular vision was gone. It was her third eye that took over. This time it didn't hurt. Her mind filled with formless shapes of light. Bright and warm entities that she wanted to get closer to. Ancestors.
Go to them.
A chorus of voices said, “You hear us.”
“Yes.”
“You did it, Darcy. We're so proud of you.”
“Axel and his hawk helped.” The thought brought her back to what she needed. “We need your help. I beg you. To save Hannah.”
“Do the spell and call on us. We'll reach you through your blood. Don't forget the blood, whole soul blood, Darcy.”
Relief poured over her. “Thank you. I don't know the rules, can I ask more questions?”
“Yes, but we can't answer all of them. You only have a short time. You're using powerful high magic.”
She got to the point. “Did I bind Axel? Are we soul mirrors?”
“Yes. All hunter and witch souls were merged and halved at the curse. Soul mirrors are the two halved souls finding each other. If blood and sex are exchanged, the two souls bond as one and break the curse.”
Darcy had already known it. She'd known it on some level since the night she'd attempted to call her familiar.
Axel had answered the call.
Fighting her emotions to keep her third eye open, she asked what it meant. “Is Axel a familiar?”
“No.” The souls moved and shimmered on a plane of existence she couldn't quite understand. “A soul mirror is not a familiar. He mirrors and channels your powers, and you do the same for him. It was your desperate call to him tonight that brought out his wings. You mirror each other's strengths. He's protection, and you are healing.”
Did it matter what they called it? “I want to know if I have taken away Axel's self-control. His choice. His free will to do as he chooses.” She couldn't live with that.
The voices answered, “No. The witch hunter is free. He can walk away from you. He'll be cured of his bloodlust. He won't fall in love with anyone else. He'll always be missing half his soul. He won't be fulfilled, but he can live his life any way he chooses.”
She wanted to feel relief. She could tell Axel that, she could make him believe he wasn't a familiar. But her stomach hurt with the fear of him rejecting her. “What about his hawk?”
“If he rejects you, the hawk will die off. He'll be a man, a very strong man with unusual abilities. Enhanced eyesight, hearing, the ability to turn invisible … all of it. But he won't have wings.”
He won't be an animal. He'll be a man. But … “What about his soul? If he kills a demon witch, will he lose his soul?”
“That we can't answer. It's time for you to go.”
“But—” Everything faded to a white mist and she had the sensation of sliding through a long tunnel. Time lost meaning as she moved through warm fog that made her think of the Ancestors’ love, until it gave way to the hard security of Axel's arms. Her third eye closed, and she could see with her regular vision once more.
Axel had moved her so that she was sitting sideways, and he held her against him. She realized that his hawk's wings were surrounding her. Had she brought out his wings?
He looked down at her face and answered, “You got scared; I knew my wings would make you feel safe.” He lifted them off her and folded them until they melted and formed back into his tattoo.
Talk about powerful magic. But would he accept it as his own? She couldn't risk finding out yet. The stakes were too high. “I talked to the Ancestors.”
“I know. I couldn't hear it, but I felt the light of them filling your body.”
“They'll help me. Tomorrow at moonrise, I can heal Hannah.”
His face shifted into relief, then tensed with worry. “Will you be safe doing it? Asmodeus wants you.”
“I didn't ask them that. But I'll use a salt circle, it'll be safe enough. And blood, they reminded me that I will need my blood to bring them into the spell.” They'd said whole soul blood, and now that she understood that she and Axel were two halves of a whole soul, that meant her blood was whole soul blood.
He kept his gaze on her face. “What are you not telling me?”
Suspicion coated his words, made the air between them heavy. “I wasn't there that long, was I?” She'd lost all sense of time.
“Few minutes.” He ran his hand up her arm, studying her skin. “Your witch-shimmer went brilliant, nearly blinding white while you talked to them. Now it's dull and your powers are backing away. You're upset and withdrawing from me.”
She was, she realized. Like a coward. Because he could hurt her, she was backing away. It disgusted her when Axel was doing everything he was capable of to help her do the spell. He hadn't even freaked about the hawk wings. Instead, he'd used them to comfort her.
She was tired of being afraid. Instead, she reached out with her powers and her hands to touch him. And then she put her heart and body into loving him. What she couldn't tell him with words, she told him with her soul.
SATURDAY: DAY EIGHT OF THE DEATH MARK
Axel sat behind his desk in his condo office. Setting his coffee cup down, he said, “No trouble at Carla's?”
Sutton leaned against a wall. “No, it was quiet.”
“I don't like it,” Phoenix said, popping open a can of Coke. “Reed should be looking for his wife. She's knocked up with his kid. He didn't kill her when he could have, so what's he doing?”
“Waiting. Patience. Strategy.” Ram lifted his cup of coffee and drank.
Sutton turned to him and asked, “You try your dad's phone again?”
Axel nodded. It was an odd feeling to consider that his dad might be dead. For the first fourteen years of his life, he'd been okay. He wasn't always there, but when he was, he'd treated Axel all right. When he'd decided it was time for Axel to go rogue, that's when he had fully understood what his father was. Since then, Myles had been a menace that he'd fought constantly.
Now, was he really gone? Or was he playing another game?
Axel said, “And where is Quinn Young? He can't let the rogues find out he has a witch daughter. He's built his rep as a witch-hater, convincing his growing cadre that the witches must be killed to break the curse. Add to that the fact that Asmodeus ordered Young to kill Darcy, and it has me wondering—where the hell is Young?”
Pheonix said, “You think Young will make a move tonight when Darcy does the spell?”
Axel frowned. “It's possible.”
Ram said, “We've got it covered. She'll be safe enough. It's a deserted stretch of beach, there's four excellent lookout places for Sutton, Key, Phoenix, and me. We'll be far enough away that the witchcraft shouldn't bother us. Joe will be right there and so will you. I've got
a half dozen other witch hunters as backup.”
He nodded. They'd been over the plan several times. Axel settled back into his chair. “Darcy said she'll set a salt circle and that the Circle Witches will add their powers, that should keep her safe from Asmodeus.” He went on to the next problem. “What do we have on the demon witches?”
Sutton said in a tight voice, “Only one fits, the one named Linette Olsen. She has a twenty-two-year-old daughter who disappeared the same night Hannah was cursed.”
“Good. Ram”—he turned to him—”find her. I need to know exactly where she is. Don't get too close, just find out where she is.”
Ram studied Axel. “Do you think Darcy's spell will work?”
He hoped so. “She said it will. She reached her Ancestors and they said they would help. She'll bring them into the spell with her blood.”
“Then what's worrying you?” Ram asked.
“She's not telling me something. Either way, I need to have a backup. If the spell doesn't work tonight, I'm going after the demon witch, Linette.” He set his mug on the desk and looked up. “If that happens and I go rogue, all of you made a vow. I expect you to follow through on it. Clear?”
“Clear,” Sutton spoke up.
Axel shifted in his chair. His hawk wing tat warmed but nothing else happened. Darcy had reached her Ancestors, but Axel had still fallen short. No Wing Slayer appearance.
Sutton pulled out a handheld device and keyed in some information. “I'm sending what I have on Linette to Ram's phone.”
Ram nodded, rose, and set his empty mug on the desk. “Leaving now. I'll be back in a few hours.” He strode out.
“Phoenix, you and Key see if you can get close to my dad's place, see what you can find.”
“Can we kill rogues?”
The tattoo warmed again. “Yes. You find a rogue, kill him.”
They walked out.
Axel turned to regard Sutton. “You're tied up in knots.”
He lifted his blue eyes. “It's under control.”
He was getting closer and closer to the edge. And something was tipping the balance. “You need a couple hours, go find some women friends, get some release.”
BLOOD MAGIC Page 27
