by Sierra Cross
We passed another firefighter coming down. “It’s okay,” he yelled to his coworker. “All clear.” He did a double take. “Hey, you’re the bartender at Sanctum. Alix, right? Really sorry about your place.”
I gaped at the charred hole in the wall filling the space where my front door used to be. Beyond that, unrecognizable lumps of black mounds were scattered randomly. There was nothing in there that the flames had left untouched. Even doused, I felt the heat from the room. The toxic reek of burned plastics and melted upholstery was so strong I struggled to breathe. It hit me that I was smelling my own possessions—or what had been my possessions. Few though they were, each had meant something to me. The couch Matt slept on was a hand-me-down from my dad’s TV room. My cocktail shaker sets, a gift from Emma. The interview clothes that Aunt Jenn bought for me. My pair of orange Strong Brew coffee mugs. Old photos of Mom and Dad and me. Burned. The shock of it all hit me hard enough to double me over.
“Weirdest fire I’ve ever dealt with,” one firefighter was saying on the phone in the stairwell. “Almost as if it had a mission to burn this place. Seriously. At no point did it even threaten to spread to the rest of the building.”
Matt caught my eye, his gaze murderous. “Tenebris Stella.”
I nodded, though I didn’t fully understand. Matt was surely right; the demon I used to know as Eric Starr had to be the one behind this. But why, exactly? If he was so certain I’d turn, why burn my place down when he knew I wasn’t home? Maybe he was just trying to break me emotionally? Make me crawl all the way to the tree…all the way into his arms? Anger roiled inside of me threatening to spill over. If my mother were alive, she would never have let Tenebris menace her daughter, or get his hooks into her younger sister…
Mom. Mom’s velvet bag was in that apartment. The last gift she’d ever give to me was ash.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
I couldn’t help it. All my tears for Callie finally spilled over.
My doubled-over body convulsed with sobs and Matt’s massive arms enclosed around me. His body sheltering me. Warm and solid. And for the first time in a million years, I didn’t want to be strong. I wanted to collapse into his embrace and weep until I had nothing left.
Ten minutes later the two of us stood on Aunt Jenn’s front step, bathed in the glow of her porch light. I was about to use my emergency key when I saw her on the stairs, bending to see through the window who was there before she came all the way down. I felt some relief and gratitude that she ran toward the door when she saw me, and not the other way. After all, from her perspective I’d been acting psycho lately.
“Alix?” She opened the door all the way and ushered us both in. She still wore work clothes, but had changed into the comfy slippers I bought her for Christmas. “Honey, what’s going on?”
“There was a fire in my apartment building.”
“My God.” She clapped a hand over her mouth.
“We need a place to stay.” I didn’t tell her my apartment was the only one that burned.
“Of course. Anything you need, honey.” Aunt Jenn blinked at Matt. Right; not being part of the magical world, Aunt Jenn had not frequented the coven picnics at Castor’s Park. “And this is…?”
“Sorry, this is Matt.” I racked my brain for an explanation that would grant him an invite to stay at Aunt Jenn’s. My guardian was out. I was too exhausted to have another fight with her about whether I was imagining having magic powers. My boyfriend wasn’t much better. She’d fear that I was making reckless choices the way she had done as a young woman. And was still doing, though she didn’t know it, by dating Eric Starr. I settled on, “Old friend of mine from out of town. He’s staying with me this week.”
Doubt and suspicion crossed Aunt Jenn’s face. She might have been wondering if Matt was one of the friends whose influence was turning me paranoid.
“Hey, I know today was weird.” I touched her arm. “But this fire’s put everything into perspective. Could you maybe stay home tomorrow and help me deal with insurance calls and stuff?” Not that I had time to make such calls, given that tomorrow was solstice. Lying to Aunt Jenn didn’t feel good, but I needed her to promise to stay home from work tomorrow. To keep her safe, I played on her motherly sensibilities. “I really need you.”
“Of course, Alix. I’m here.” She rubbed my arm. “You should take a shower before bed. You both smell like smoke.”
Even after standing under the steam and massaging showerhead for nearly half an hour, I still reeked of smoke when I climbed into my old bed, feeling more tired than I’d ever felt. Lacking the energy to dig through my old clothes and find the pajamas I knew were there, I’d crawled under the blankets in panties and an undershirt. Moisture from my wet hair soaked into the pillow case, but I didn’t care.
Within minutes, it became clear that the house was too dark, too quiet, for sleep to catch me. Matt was in the guest bedroom down the hall, a million miles away. But it wasn’t just that I’d gotten used to his proximity. Every time I closed my eyes visions of Callie’s sweet face charring played, over and over. I’d been so cocky. So sure we were doing the right thing I hadn’t realized the possible cost. The weight of her life felt so heavy on my chest I could scarcely breathe.
And that was after losing one person. Matt had lost his entire tribe in one night. Nine witches, four guardians, and six Wonts. Rare men like my father who’d married into the magicborn community. As the sole survivor of that massacre, how did Matt maintain the inner strength to keep moving forward? Let alone with such a ferocious sense of purpose. The answer came to me quickly. He used it. Used his intimate knowledge of pain to help others with their pain. As I stared up at the ceiling, I thought of all the grief I’d processed within these four walls and couldn’t help but think it was Matt who’d kept me from ripping apart.
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even hear him enter my room. He stood in the doorway, inches from my bed, looking down at me. His eyes heavy with need. Every cell in me lit up at that look. He approached no closer, clearly waiting for an invitation. And my body was screaming for me to give it to him. I pulled the covers back and reached up, and as our fingers touched electricity shot through me. My heart fluttered in my chest. Heat bloomed low in my belly as he lowered his huge frame on top of me with such grace. His angular, rugged face hovered above mine. I angled my head for my lips to meet his, the anticipation almost unbearable. Instead, he tilted his head and raked his stubble over my neck, sending a delightful shiver up my core. His hot lips rained kisses across my throat, over my jaw. When his lips finally met mine, the heat between us was incendiary. I needed him, in every way.
He couldn’t get close enough, I couldn’t get enough of his touch, enough of his skin’s scent. But his need matched my own. His mouth worked its way across my chest above the edge of my undershirt, tongue flicking on my skin. Our bodies rocked together. I wanted to rip his clothes off, make us lay skin to skin. My skin cried out to be pressed to his. He lifted his torso up to pull his shirt off, not lessening the contact of our hips as he did. I ran my hands across his bare chest and he groaned. Then he opened his eyes and looked at me.
I wanted to ignore what I saw in his gaze. My body was aching for him. But I couldn’t let it go. His want for me was laced with bitter pain. Instantly, I knew he would regret this night. His vow was still in his heart. He hadn’t moved beyond it. As much as I wanted him, I couldn’t let him do this before he was ready.
I thought this day had depleted every ounce of strength I had, but I dug as deep as I could to find my last reserves. Placed my palm in the center of his chest. “Stop.” My voice came out husky and low. I heard the need in it, he must have too. But he also heard what I said and rolled off me.
“What?” he whispered.
“We can’t. I mean, you…can’t.” I was so turned on and also so disappointed that forming sentences challenged me.
In a low voice still full of need he said, “I’m pretty certain I can.”
“Matt?” My own dizzying need for him made me hesitate. Not for long, though. “Tell me you’ll be okay with this tomorrow.”
He let out a long slow breath that caught at the end. And I knew how right I was.
I woke up at sunrise with a feeling of dread in my stomach. Today was solstice, the tenth anniversary of the worst day of my life.
This time it might be the last day of my life.
But not Aunt Jenn’s, not if I could help it. Remembering my plan to keep her home from work today making insurance calls, I followed the smell of coffee into the kitchen…only to find the downstairs empty. A note on the refrigerator in her small, neat handwriting read, Had to go into the office after all. Coffee’s in the pot. Pastries on the counter. Love, AJ.
A sigh of sheer frustration escaped me. Being a workaholic was how she’d risen to her position, but now her work ethic was putting her into danger. And honestly? It kind of hurt that she’d left me after I said I needed her. I felt like a kid whose mom didn’t show up at her school play. I swallowed that down. My emotions were just raw, too much loss and adrenaline and fear in too short of a time. I was just being needy.
Behind me, I heard Matt’s bare feet pad on the hardwoods. I turned to see that his tactical gear was unzipped, revealing his chest and reminding me of the feel of his skin beneath my fingers. A blush heated my cheeks but I beat it back down.
Instead I waved the note in the air. “She went in anyway,” I said. “Even though I asked her for help. Guess career really does come first for some people.” Too late, I realized he might interpret my bitter words to be about him. His vow.
“Alexandra.” I could tell by the way Matt was looking at me that he wanted to talk about last night. And I just didn’t think I could handle it.
I was saved from the tension when both our phones burbled with an incoming text.
Matt glanced down at his screen. “It’s Asher. He wants us to meet at Strong Brew, as a tribute to Callie.”
Chapter Twenty
We sat at the big window table at Strong Brew, drinking a caffeine-laced tribute to our fallen comrade.
“To Callie.” Liv raised her mug somberly. “Kid, we’ll mourn you properly later. Now, we kick ass in your honor.”
“Twelve hours to avert disaster. I hope everyone’s clear on their roles?” Asher’s hoarse voice was edged with sleepless mania. “Matt, you’ll be watching our little tree-junky’s back, yeah? We don’t want her to go drifting off.” He said it condescendingly, but if Callie were here she might have said that she saw right through him. Asher was afraid of losing me too.
Hell, I was afraid of losing me.
“The thing that concerns me is, you don’t have your triumvirate,” Matt said to me. “Will you be able to resist without that magical boost?”
Damn him, he was speaking my biggest fear out loud.
“Hey, it’s you and me.” Liv leaned toward me. “We’re all we got. So it will be enough.”
“Damn straight it’ll be enough.” I raised my hand to high-five her. A flash of golden magic flared out as our hands slapped together. And I felt Liv’s magic—always strong—vibrate with power and anger and determination like never before.
Repair vehicles and work crews were parked in front of Millennium Dynamics’ main entrance, blocking the front door. Here to repair the damage we did last night. I was dying to know how they explained it. The parking lot was nearly empty—the note management had sent out about the office being closed today was keeping non-essential staff away. I left a voicemail for Aunt Jenn telling her to get out of the building. After seeing the destruction, I prayed she was finally taking me seriously.
Our ammo was restocked. Asher assured me it was enchanted to avoid human casualties. We headed across the parking lot, geared for battle, in broad daylight. I wished we could wait until after hours when the building would be empty, but we were running out of time. The tree was so powerful last night that every second that passed made me more nervous about our chances of succeeding.
Ten feet from the entrance it hit me. I felt the familiar cutting and stinging sensation of dark magic as it invaded my sense. But nothing else.
“The tree’s gone.” I stopped short, and my crew stopped with me. “It’s not here anymore.”
“Are you sure?” Matt asked.
“Positive. I would have felt it calling to me.”
“That’s impossible,” Asher said with complete authority.
“Well, impossible or not, it’s a fact,” I said, matching his tone. “It’s nowhere near here.”
Asher began to ponder aloud what kind of magic they’d used to move a thirty-foot tree and where they’d taken it. He was explaining how Liv and I needed to start scrying immediately for its signature, when suddenly Liv gasped.
In a shocked whisper, she said, “Callie.”
Callie was jogging straight toward us. I wiped my eyes, trying to see through the glamour. But it was real. Short red hair tucked gracefully behind her ears, pixie-cute face as perfect as it had been the day before yesterday. She was wearing a white silk blouse and form fitting grey business-like skirt. I struggled to comprehend what I was seeing, but it was hard to concentrate because the sting of dark energy was getting worse. My head felt like it was splitting, even though another part of me wanted to dance. Callie was alive. Everyone stared open-mouthed, but Callie only looked at me.
“Alix, oh my gosh, you’re really here.” She sighed with relief, hand over her heart. “Yesterday was so awful. I was in so much pain. But I had to do it, to save Liv—like how you saved me that day. You get it, right?”
Of course I get it, I wanted to tell her. We needed to grab her and get her the hell out of here to somewhere safe. But Callie wouldn’t stop talking.
“And now I want to save you.” She held out her small hand to me and I leaned closer to take it, but Matt pulled my hand to him instead. What the hell was he doing? “Come back inside with me, Alix.” Callie smiled at me, a beatific smile. “It’s not like you think. It’s…perfect. The power and the belonging…”
“Can’t you feel it, she’s so full of dark magic it’s busting out of her?” Matt whispered in my ear as he pulled me to him. I kicked to get loose so I could grab Callie before she went back inside—we had to nab her and run. Head back to Asher’s lab. Talk some sense into her.
My hand reached out for her arm, but at the moment we connected I heard an eerily familiar tone play in my head. A note from the song of the Malum Osmium. She was resonating with the same energetic vibration as the tree. My brain refused to register that Callie’s witch magic was gone.
“Can’t you see it’s not her?” Asher snapped at me. He turned and started walking away.
A look of sorrow crossed Liv’s face. Then she turned away too.
“Join us, Alix.” Callie’s smile was as sweet and perky as it had ever been. “Join the side that will win. Answer the call in your heart.”
It took all three of them to pull me away. They piled me into the back of Liv’s car and we sped away. Asher kept repeating that Callie was dead, but those words didn’t compute.
“How can she be dead? I saw her standing there right before me.”
“You also saw her melted to practically nothing,” Asher pointed out.
Matt sounded stricken. “They must have done it while she was dying, before her soul could escape her body.”
“What did they do?” Liv asked in a tone that suggested she didn’t entirely want to know.
It was Asher who responded. “Injected her with dark magic,” he said grimly. “In high enough doses, it would heal her body, but poison her soul.”
I couldn’t accept what I was hearing. “They can’t just turn her by force. She’s too good a person.”
“She was,” Asher corrected. “Her soul belongs to them now.” Guilt tinged those grey eyes of his. I knew from the way he hung his head that he blamed himself for not moving the body.
Frantically I tried calling
Aunt Jenn several times from Asher’s lab, but she wasn’t answering her cell or her office phone. I couldn’t leave her in Eric’s clutches; I had to find her and make sure she was okay.
Matt insisted on coming with me, so we left Liv and Asher scrying for the tree in Asher’s lab and swung by Millennium Dynamics. Her car wasn’t there.
Unsure what to do next, we headed for her house. To my immense relief, her BMW was parked in the driveway.
“Thank God!” I pulled around the corner to park, feeling grateful to the universe for this small mercy. “Now all she has to do is stay home for the next few hours.”
But when we walked toward the house she was descending the front steps.
“Aunt Jenn,” I yelled, glad to see she was okay, but we were too far away for her to hear. A long black Mercedes was waiting in her driveway. The door opened and she got in. I ran to stop her, yelling her name. As the car pulled away I saw Eric Starr—who I now knew was Tenebris Stella, my parents’ murderer—behind the wheel.
“Aunt Jenn!” I screamed to the taillights that illuminated the dusk. No, I couldn’t lose her too. She had no idea the danger she was in.
Matt’s grip on my hand was all that kept me from futilely chasing the speeding car. “Come on, we’ve got to get back,” Matt said with a look that said he knew how hard it was for me to watch her drive away.
We walked back to Asher’s at a quick pace. We needed to end this and our window to do so was rapidly closing. My breathing kept pace with the urgency I was feeling.
“Hey.” Matt must have felt the waves of unrest that were peeling off of me. “It’s going to be okay.” He touched my arm, but I shrugged his hand away.
“Don’t. We both know you can’t promise that.”
He breathed out heavily, then gave a slight nod. “Okay, you’re right, our odds suck. But the Brotherhood has prevailed with worse. I can’t guarantee what will happen to us. But whatever else goes down tonight, our mission is to end that tree. My every instinct tells me we’ll achieve that, but do you believe we can? Because belief makes all the difference in the world.”
