Oh, no! The two men picked up Kiera and Katrina, shrugged them over their shoulders, and headed toward the back staircase.
The elevator chimed, and the remaining cavemen twitched in their rain booties. Fin snarled, ears flattened back, teeth bared. Everyone spun toward the opening doors. Adam stalked out of the elevator with Jon, guns trained on Riley’s three enforcers.
The disruption gave me a chance opening, and I mind-tossed a barrage of energy, zapping the three deadeners at once. Another headache-inducing arc sent the three men tumbling to the ground, writhing in pain. Adam and Jon sprang into motion to incapacitate the brutes.
I beelined it to the suite to snag Jax and Ronan. My feet dragged and fuzz filled my head. No way would I tempt fate and leave my meager haven alone again. Not until I had a solid plan to handle other sorcerers and fairies destined to flock to me.
The Rift, the whole shebang, was bigger than Ronan, Adam, or I ever imagined. Who else had the crumbling gate affected? Did they all have the ability to sense me? Who or what was I to them? A cold wash of goose bumps raced up my spine.
Stumbling, I rounded the bend and reenergized Jax’s brain with a simple thought. Not quite sure how it worked, it was all the energy I managed to conjure. Jax crab-crawled away from me, distress scrunching his face. He struggled to sit up, and Adam skirted around me to help him.
“Five wasn’t enough.” Jax fingered the short-circuited deadener around his neck and looked behind him as if Adam were the sheriff of wicked Fairyland.
“So I see.” Adam shot me an impatient frown.
I seethed and stomped into the suite, Adam close on my tail. Once behind closed doors, I blasted him a new one. “Who made you the master of me? I won’t be imprisoned by you, or Ronan.” I jerked my thumb toward the bedroom door.
His eyebrows quirked. “He’s here?”
“You don’t miss a trick, do ya? By the way, your fairy princess Kiera and her sorcerer showed up.” His eyes bugged out. “Riley’s men snatched them.” I stalked to the empty bedroom. Fin snuck in before I slammed the door on Adam.
“Pack up, we’re leaving before they return,” he yelled through the door.
I sank to my knees on the plush carpet. “Why can’t I feel your aura anymore?” I ruffled the silky fur around her ears. “Is the bad magic screwing with you too?”
She yipped twice in an acknowledgement that eerily represented a yes and no.
Determination got the better of me. I kissed her furry head, and then snagged Mom’s papers out of the safe. It was time to face my heritage. To hell with sharing my treasure with my wardens, or packing. I eyed my belongings scattered around the room, knowing I needed to get my butt in gear before more of Riley’s men popped up.
I stared at the envelopes so long they should’ve started talking to me. “Why did you hide these secrets, Mom,” I whispered.
At times, I missed her so much I thought my heart might implode. After both Mom and then Granny Elle had passed, I resolved never to get close to anyone ever again. Zoe ultimately patched the hole and kept me from having an epic freakout about my cursed life. I certainly didn’t know what to do about Adam and Ronan since I had no clue what direction my life traveled. I thought it’d be easy to toughen my heart with my crappy past and an unknown future. Not so easy now with the doppel-dudes softening it up.
Carefully, I emptied the packages. Most of the papers inside were so very old. I had no doubt they belonged to the Illuminaria. One by one, I looked at them, all crammed with writing in a foreign language. Half the sheets were newer and it appeared someone had translated the strange language into English. Was this what my mother had been working on all the time?
The pages contained the ritual to open the Rifts—the ritual Riley Senior was missing—along with the alchemic spells to go along with the sorcery-magic. Almost every ritual a Forbidden Thirteen sorcerer could do naturally with their inborn magic, someone could replicate with the right alchemic recipe and ingredients, ingredients that included blood of the Thirteen descendants. Richard Riley’s ultimate goal. If he couldn’t control the Thirteen naturally, he could do a helluva lot of damage with our blood. Worst of all, he could control all the Forbidden with the alchemic potions in the book. My body became a mass of gooseflesh as the implications imprinted my brain, an almost permanent condition of horrifically mysterious thoughts.
Once past the rituals and potions, the summary at the end of the Illuminaria stunned me more than anything else had in the last few days. My blood turned to ice.
I wasn’t just one of the Forbidden Thirteen sorcerers. I was the last living descendant of the thirteenth sorcerer. What did that mean? With my blood alone, Riley could call all the living descendants of the Thirteen to him.
My heart clutched up. I continued reading the enlightening and frightening text. The powerful sorcery that created one doppelgänger for each Forbidden Thirteen sorcerer, also ensured only one sorcerer was born in each generation of the thirteen families, even though multiple generations of sorcerers in each family could be alive at one time. How our bloodlines accomplished that was pretty random. If Mom was alive, either one of us could’ve been the thirteenth sorcerer, one being stronger than the other.
On and on the disturbing text flowed. The original thirteenth sorcerer—my supposed ancestor—had created the doppelgängers and the magic ensuring that sorcery survived throughout the ages even when most of the magic had been abolished. The magic may have waned for a time or became diluted throughout our bloodlines, but it remained in our blood. The thirteenth couldn’t wield magic with a doppelgänger in the world with her. Thank my lucky stars. I didn’t think the world could deal with another Aria. Only the thirteenth had a magical bond to the other twelve sorcerers, otherwise the other twelve were not bound to each other—unless the thirteenth bound all thirteen together. Holy sorcerers on high hell.
The pages spoke of the deliberate dilution of magic into odd and sometimes flawed ESP throughout generations to keep the Thirteen safe and undetected. Once brought together, they had the ability to invoke true and ancient sorcery. The pages included a magic spell and its alchemic ritual explaining how to accomplish the task. Only the thirteenth could invoke the final words to restore pure ancient magic to all thirteen. Only the thirteenth had the ability to pull magic from the other twelve and their doppelgängers once the sorcerer and doppelgänger pairs had bonded. It scared the bejeezus out of me.
There was much more in the few pages crammed front and back with magic, myth, prophecies, alchemy, and truth. None of this had to do with a Rift opening and pouring the abolished magic back into our world. I leafed through the pages until I found a frightening and obscure reference that wasn’t so vague with what I’d already learned. “Eventually, a generation of Thirteen will be born that will restore the ancient powers of the original Thirteen. However, for all to be born of the same age, the old magic must be present on Earth to trigger the return and births.” Powerful scary magic hell. How did the ancients accomplish this? Did they know a cluster of earthquakes could trigger the return of the magic, albeit tainted magic?
Stunned, my mind bended this proof in black and white as I opened a small envelope containing a note from Mom to me in case something happened to her and I discovered the book.
* * *
My dearest Aria Elle,
I know you’ll understand why I held this from you, and hope that you’ll forgive me. I had to protect you from this at all costs, as I’m sure you’ll come to realize. If you have this letter, then I assume I’m gone.
I know the extent of your talents, as I was the same before you.
* * *
Shock reverberated through me. Why hadn’t she told me? I swiped my blurred eyes to read the familiar scrawl.
* * *
We belong to an extremely secret group. It has remained so secret throughout time that the members don’t even know each other. The original members planned the secrecy at the group’s inception. When the founding me
mbers entered into their final task on Earth, they did so with full knowledge of their lot in life.
It’s an inherent need in each of us to hide our particular talents from the world, including the members of our elite group. That’s your cross to bear, as it was mine. I cannot divulge more in writing since it’s dangerous, even with what I have written and what I have left behind. So much danger abounds that I cannot comprehend it, let alone write about it. You must remain wary at all costs.
However, you won’t be alone in whatever you decide to accomplish. My seer’s sight foresaw three good men in your future. They will protect you with their entire beings, as that’s part of their task in life, as you will protect them. You will not be alone, and that soothes me more than anything. I’m sorry if that troubles you and compounds your life, but it is what it is.
Remember the danger and the secrecy at all costs. I love you and respect your decisions and choices. I’ll always watch over you. Think of the good times we shared, the fantasies we traded, the exotic vacation we enjoyed before I passed on. Think of the realms we explored in our dreams and the one place we always came together.
Love you like the frosting on my cake! Mom.
* * *
Chilly air engulfed me, and I sat there for what seemed like hours, unable to turn the pages to read more of the translation. Finally, the absurdity of my life smacked good sense out of me and hysterical laughter bubbled up. I needed to laugh it off, because I really wanted to bury my head in a vat of Mom’s decadent frosting. Who were the three men? Ronan and Adam? Who was the third? Please, please, don’t let one be Richard Riley.
Vaguely, I heard a bang on the door, making my heart jump. I opened my mouth to tell him to take a hike, but my throat seized on the words. What if it was one of Riley’s men? I struggled to get up, lost my balance on the bed, and knocked over the bell jar lamp. Despite the dense carpet, and probably because of my unluck, the lamp hit the bottom of the nightstand. The bulb popped and the porcelain cracked into pieces.
The bedroom door flew open with a splintered bang.
Chapter 16
The doppel-jerks hulked in the doorway. I hopped off the bed, gently pulled the comforter over the precious and priceless papers. Ronan’s aura assaulted me like a bulldozer of snow dumped over my shoulders.
“What?” My heart tumbled. Fin pranced in front of me, her tail whipping my legs. “I hope they don’t kick you out for wrecking hotel property. Then where would you lock me up?” I trailed a scornful look from the guilty culprit’s black boots to the scuffmarks on the white door.
They scoped out the room to ensure I wasn’t the victim of an attempted redrum on their watch. Note to self: Watch The Shining to make my life look like cake. Adam returned from the bathroom with a wet washcloth and handed it to me. MAC Cosmetics could probably use me as a prime example of cheap makeup gone haywire.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I wiped tear streaks off my face. “Nothing.”
“Liar,” Ronan said softly. They backed me into the corner.
Panic flitted through me and I spooled my energy for an attack. I felt like the trapped mouse Cody and Cleo batted around my patio last summer. I thrust away from the wall, forcing them back.
Greed sparkled in Ronan’s eyes as he honed in on an empty clasp envelope lying on the bed. “Is that from your mom?” His eyes narrowed.
“Aren’t you Mr. Nosey?” I shot back. “Appears as if I have something you might want.”
“What the hell crawled up your ass?” Ronan dug his fingers through his slick hair. The clean, crisp scent of citrus shampoo infused the air. I breathed in deeply, basking in it like a love-struck ninny.
“She’s mad at me for thinking of her safety,” Adam quipped.
“For not trusting me.” My eyes tried to fling switchblades, but I didn’t possess that ability. Yet.
Ronan propped his good shoulder against the wall. “Why’d you leave earlier?”
Both nasty and nice answers sprang to mind. The kiss-ass angel on one shoulder quickly won the battle. “I wanted to scope out your father’s compound, get a feel for it in person.”
I swear on Granny’s urn they both growled at me. What tripped me out the most was that their auras oozed fierce protectiveness. A frisson of heat incited a sexy dance low in my nether regions. Attention: Aria Elle Walker has finally lost control of her body.
“You’re clueless.” Ronan clenched his fists. He edged closer, hovering like a storm cloud of testosterone. His aura taint skated over my exposed skin. “Start packing. We need to get out of here. Now.”
Adam plucked at a tendril of hair curling toward me. “Riley has deadeners all over his campus. He holds the patents on this shit.” Fog seemed to obscure his right side for a second.
Our fused auras sizzled. I moved forward, pushed the doppel-wardens apart, and stomped to the other side of the room. “Well, I wasn’t planning on waltzing up to the front door. We can disguise and shield ourselves like we did at the university. I can trip DR’s cameras one by one.” My determination was like the Rock of Gibraltar inside me. “I was only planning to scope out our opposition before we attack. Check out the deadeners. I wanted to see if I have enough power to knock them all out the way I did on Riley’s cavemen at SCU.”
Ronan’s neutral expression evolved into a critical squint. Lines of concentration formed under Adam’s eyes. A long beat of silence encouraged me to continue despite the thickening in my throat. “We can get bulletproof skin to avoid their bio-energy darts.” Unease blasted that famous rock into molten pebbles in my stomach. I scratched at the nails teasing my neck. “It’ll work. We just need to know where the deadeners, cameras, and sensors are. We have that info on Melisande’s tablet, right?” Flames seared my insides and I bent double. Adam sprinted around the bed.
My knees gelled. Red pokers of agony stabbed my skin and muscles. Ronan’s aura fed on me as if I was the only source of magical nutrient this side of the Rift. My spastic trembling caused me to lose all focus on my power, leaving me as powerless as spit. What new reality show purgatory had I landed in now?
“Son of a bitch.” Ronan streaked out of the room.
“Blondie.” Adam caught me before I crash-landed, and he laid me on the bed, avoiding my hidden paper treasures.
An inferno roared through me, decimating my power. “It hurts,” I whimpered, crawling out of my head. My skin blazed as if demons were peeling me like an orange in H-Town. The rest of my aural energy dissolved, leaving me boneless and vacant. Clothes tightened around my roasting body, and I clutched Adam’s hand in a wimpy clasp. “Clothes…get them…off.”
He undressed me down to my bra and thong. Then he draped cool, wet towels over me. Nothing appeased my pain. No focusing on my telekinesis or my aura brought my magic back. It was the worst feeling I’d ever experienced. I’d lead a killing spree at DR to restore the energy that’d been my one and only companion throughout my life’s upheavals. The one thing that I could always rely upon when nothing else remained constant.
Adam swept hair off my damp, boiling face. “What can I do?”
Another wave of serrated knives scraped beneath my skin, leaving me writhing on my side, panting in terror. Even with my eyes open, I saw nothing but a jagged darkness. Adam caressed my arms, whispering sweet somethings in my ear. I struggled to listen to his words, needing them to center me. My mind had frozen in limbo where all decisions and actions had gone the way of the dearly departed.
I bobbed in a sea of syrupy steam, so hot and wild it could only be tagged a firestorm. It cleared for a second, and I’d reach for that tantalizing pool of energy, then the mist hardened into lava, pushing me away. Everything inside me reached for my aura languishing outside my empty shell, refusing to come home. I screamed in frustration as it slipped from my grasp again and again. Adam’s voice finally caught in my ears, and I concentrated on his words.
“Take my energy, Aria!” His fingers dug into my shoulders.
A shallow wave of familiar magic swept over me. It cooled my flesh, slowed my virtual skinning. The scent of spring meadows, summer roses, and cinnamon spices licked the air, flooded my nose, and saturated my tongue. With everything in my being, I drew on my shattered energy and doused the fire engulfing me. Magic rammed into me, jolting me against Adam. It was welcome relief to my near meltdown. My aura surrounded him, lending life to his sick body. He scooped me in his arms, cradling me against his chest, the wet towel between his hard body and my softer curves. Somehow, Adam’s body filtered the taint and restored my power. Cleansed, vibrant magic seeped into me, driving out the tortuous pain.
He quaked against my length. “God, almighty. I felt your aural energy completely inside me.” Adam kissed my head, his breath ragged. “What the hell was that?”
Achy and exhausted, electricity arced through me, rejuvenating my aural energy faster than ever as if every electromagnetic particle in the hotel filtered into me. Insane laughter boiled up. “Like I know?” I closed my eyes for a moment to calm my galloping heart. “In what fantasy-world hell are we role-playing?” Shivering, I stripped off the wet towels. Modesty was a moot point since he’d seen my goods.
“Wish I had answers for you.” He gathered me closer, his clothes damp against my cooling skin.
I hauled the crisp sheet over us. “What did you feel?” Adam’s magic settled in an acid puddle in my stomach.
“While your power shot through me, I felt awesome. My real powers surfaced, pure and vibrant, and my pain disappeared. Now, the pain’s gone only because I’m touching you.”
The last of our auras reverted to their rightful homes, except for a sharp spoonful of fairy taint sprinkling dry ice in my gut. I didn’t know what else to call the icy stone. I drew my tongue over my lips, capturing the bizarre taste of fresh roses in my mouth. “Thank you.”
Myths & Magic: A Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection Page 165
