Shadow's Edge

by Jami Gray

  Eden’s composure crumbled, her mind buckling under the pressure of the earlier injection and her current state of terror. Mulcahy took a step forward and with a quiet command, froze her in place. Eden’s eyes were the only things moving on her bound form.

  Mulcahy turned to the three judges. “Do you require us any longer?”

  Vidis shook his head. “No, we’ll take it from here.” A savage smile broke over his face as he read Mulcahy’s anxious expression. “We’ll make sure there are no questions on her death. It will look like an accident, we swear it.”

  Mulcahy’s shoulders relaxed at the reassurance, and with a quick motion, he dropped the protective circle. With a twist of his wrist, the blue-flamed fire disappeared. Xander moved up behind Eden and caught the woman’s arms behind her in a tight grip. Mulcahy released the spell holding her captive.

  Eden opened her mouth to scream, but the sound quickly cut off as someone else’s spell rendered her mute.

  Through the fitful moonlight, Raine caught the hazy transformation of the black-haired woman back into a wolf as she moved toward the doctor. Vidis and the golden-eyed giant joined the lady wolf and surrounded Eden. A little regretful at not taking part in the bloodletting, but anxious to move on to Alexi, Raine followed Mulcahy out of the circle and back into the night.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  When are you going after her?” Mulcahy’s question cut through the SUV as they drove along the main highway.

  Raine kept her eyes on the road. “As soon as I drop you off and check on Gavin.”

  She didn’t turn to meet Mulcahy’s gaze. Instead, she braced for his objections, because she had no doubt he would share some. Her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. The pounding waves of betrayal and anger needed an outlet. Shedding Alexi’s blood would be the perfect solution.

  “I know how personal this is,” Mulcahy said softly. “But you need to have a plan in place.”

  Hearing the unspoken permission in his words, a malicious glee burst into life with unholy light. “I’ve got a plan, Uncle. I plan on hunting the devious bitch down and spilling her blood as painfully as possible.”

  Mulcahy simply sighed and changed the subject. “Do you know where Miwa’s is?” When she shook her head no, he continued, “It’s closer than the office. Let’s head over and see how far she’s gotten. I’ll get a ride from Cheveyo when he heads back in.”

  Raine shot him a quick look.

  “You’ll be able to go hunting quicker this way,” he added drily.

  Sneaking a quick glance at the man next to her, she caught the edge of a cold smile. Turning her attention back to the road stretching into the pre-dawn darkness, she echoed it.

  Following his sparse directions west, the hour and a half ride gave plenty of time for her worries and fears to create a sickening roil to her stomach. Knowing firsthand what could emerge from Lawson’s little experiments left her wondering. Would the healer be able to bring Gavin back? If she did, would he be the same?

  Never ending fears spun through her mind, battering her brain until her head pounded. It was a relief when they reached a small town with dimly lit streets. During the day, the rustic buildings and clean sidewalks would give tourists a sense of stepping back in time. Right now, the lightless storefronts, deserted streets, and dark homes gave the impression of a ghost town.

  They pulled in behind Cheveyo’s black Jeep parked outside a small cottage-type home sitting on the outskirts of town. A pristine white with silver trim, the house fairly glowed in the darkness. The lawn was a neat square. Potted plants graced the steps leading to the front porch.

  Raine followed Mulcahy up the wooden steps. A weary looking Cheveyo answered his knock. Seeing his obvious signs of exhaustion sent a tremor fissuring through her composure. Not once could she remember Cheveyo looking so tired and drained.

  He led them into a small, neat room, which smelled like a rain-washed forest. She took in the well-used, but durable furniture, and the flickering fire in the stone fireplace, candles, and flowers. Through a doorway on her right, dried herbs hung from the ceiling in the kitchen. All of it adding to the feminine vibe. There was peace here, quieting some of the night’s ugly vibrations.

  In the cozy living room, Cheveyo took a seat and braced his arms on his knees as Raine and Mulcahy found a seat on the plaid couch. “Cassandra’s made some headway,” his voice was soft, as if someone slept and he didn’t want to wake them. “She’s been able to erect a partial barrier for Gavin. When he’s stronger he’s going to have put his own in place.”

  “Is he—” Raine swallowed over the unexpected lump in her throat. How did she finish the sentence? No way in hell would Gavin ever be okay.

  Watching her, Cheveyo’s expression softened. “He’s more aware of what’s happening. We don’t know yet what all was unlocked—and probably won’t for a few more days.”

  Mulcahy’s voice was equally quiet. “Do you think he’ll make it through?”

  Cheveyo ran a hand through his hair, obviously not the first time tonight as his hair wasn’t its normal styled self. “If he’s as strong as I think he is, yes. The real question will be, does he want to be okay?”

  Raine frowned. “What do you mean?”

  He sighed. “You both understand that whatever drug Lawson used on him dropped his natural barrier to outside magic?” They nodded. “Well, it also increased his natural ability and, we may come to find out, added new ones.”

  The blood drained out of her face. “You’ve got to be wrong. They didn’t have him long enough to do that.”

  Cheveyo shook his head. “I’m not wrong. It seems Lawson improved upon whatever was used when they had you.” Reading her expression he added, “It’s not like what happened to you, Raine. It’s different.”

  That snapped her gaze to his. “Different?”

  Cheveyo rubbed a hand over his face, as he tried to explain. “With you they added, twisted, and then increased, whatever existed into something more…unexpected. With Gavin, it’s as if his abilities were given a steroid injection. All of his talents—they’ll be stronger, harder to control. He’ll have to relearn to master his magic.”

  An ached settled like a rock in her chest. “He can do that. He’s strong enough.” Something on Cheveyo’s face sent her pulse thudding heavily. “What else?”

  “When they erased his natural barrier, his defenses tried to protect him. Instead of holding it at bay, they broke and reformed in to something different.”

  Dread curled in her stomach. “How different?” Cheveyo stayed silent, his gaze unreadable. Frustration made her voice sharp, “How different, Cheveyo?”

  “We don’t know,” he finally answered. “We may not know for a while.”

  Silence flowed back into the room. The peace Raine felt earlier washed away under the tidal wave of panic, undercut with fear. What this would mean for Gavin’s future? Unable to sit still, she pushed to her feet and began pacing the small room as Mulcahy and Cheveyo talked quietly behind her.

  The damn scientists never once took into account that their lab rats had souls. Their twisted experiments left horrific scars that never disappeared. Violence, like lethal flames, flowed around her as she tried to wear a trench in the floor. Her fists clenched and unclenched. Her emotional upheaval leaving her blind to everything around her.

  The snap and crackle of the fire brought her to a halt. Staring into the flickering flames, her disjointed thoughts clamored for attention. The irrational thought that this wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t introduced Gavin to Alexi lodged itself in her head.

  Yeah, it was a stupid, but if she could do it over, she would’ve never taken him into Zarana’s. Her nightmares were right. She was partially at fault in this. She wouldn’t blame Gavin if he held her responsible.

  Her worries and fears coiled deep. Would Gavin be able to handle the challenges facing him? Would he be strong enough to rebuild his sense of self?

  Knowing the man he was, his stre
ngth and determination, she had faith he would. Granted, it would take time. And while he did, she couldn’t do anything to help except present Alexi’s head on a platter. Of course, taking Alexi out as slowly and painfully as possible might not be enough to make amends. Gavin could still walk away. From her.

  Sharp, numbing pain cut through the mental excuses and laid bare much the man lying in the other room meant to her. Damned if Alexi hadn’t found Raine’s Achilles’ heel.

  She rubbed the heel of her hand against the hollow ache in her chest. This was why she couldn’t let anyone get close. Either she screwed them up, or they screwed her over. Something she lost sight of when she first called Alexi friend. And again, when Gavin became her partner. The current situation would leave a lasting scare and serve as a brutal reminder of that philosophy.

  It’s a good thing I won’t be able to forget. Every time I see him, I’ll remember.

  Cheveyo’s voice broke through her dark thoughts. “Do you want to see him, Raine?”

  One last time, before he pushes me away. Aloud she said, “Yeah.”

  Cheveyo led her toward the back of the house and stopped in the doorframe of a candle-lit room, before stepping aside so she could enter.

  Tiptoeing to the old, cast iron bed, she stood over the one man she wished she could protect.

  Gavin’s sherry-colored hair framed his still face. Long lashes feathered out, and the spark of life that normally lit his angular face, was buried deep. His bare shoulders and arms rested above the faded quilt, the new cuts and wounds, stark reminders of his ordeal.

  The vibrant colors of his protection markings along his right shoulder and arm stood out like a painting on a pale gold canvas. Could she wake this warrior with a kiss? Shaking her head at such a sappy thought, she delicately traced his tattoos with a gentle fingertip.

  She’d give herself this last moment with him, then leave. When he was back on his feet, he wouldn’t want her around. She’d be a stark reminder of what he suffered and what he might become. As she traced the intricate markings, she silently admitted she wasn’t sure she could handle the weight of blame and anger he’d level when all was said and done.

  Shame at her cowardice left her hand trembling. She wasn’t sure she could ever forgive herself for getting him into this whole mess.

  Bending over, she placed a gentle kiss against those unresponsive lips. Still bent, she cupped his face in her hands, her voice a bare whisper, “I’ll make her pay. She’s already dead. She’s just not smart enough to lie down.”

  Unexpected tears pressed hot and heavy and one escaped, falling down her cheek. She brushed his hair back, enjoying the silky texture and the way it curled around her fingers. Slowly dropping to her knees, she nestled her head in the space between his head and shoulder. Her broken whisper was full of pain, “I’m so sorry, Gavin.”

  Nearby someone shifted slightly, and Raine jerked to her feet, her gaze drawn to the woman sitting in the corner in the shadows. Raine tucked her raw emotions away, falling back into the warrior standing protectively over another.

  The older woman rocked steadily in the chair across the bed. Strands of white hair the color of moonlight was worn in a loose braid. The piercing blue eyes belied the impression of age. They were sharp, intelligent, and discerning. Even her face, with its lack of lines and clear complexion broken by a smattering of freckles, added to the ageless image. “Hello, Raine. Remember me?”

  Her voice echoed in Raine’s memory, the one calm thing during those hideous months when she first came back to Taliesin. Some of her tension ease with recognition. “Cassandra. You were the one who helped me come back.”

  Cassandra’s smile was gentle. “A good way to put it, ‘come back’.” She studied the still figure in the bed. “He’ll make it, you know.”

  Raine looked back at Gavin. “Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “Yeah, he will. He doesn’t know how to do anything else.”

  The other woman stood and moved around the bed. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you I was here earlier.”

  Heat flooded Raine’s cheeks.

  Cassandra gave a soft chuckle. “You’re a lovely young woman, Raine.”

  Raine’s mouth opened in shock at the comment. Lovely was not a word most people associated with her.

  Cassandra came up to Raine’s side, the older woman’s head barely reached Raine’s shoulder. In her memories, the healer was taller. Cassandra stood protectively between a frightened young girl and the madness swirling inside her mind.

  The healer’s voice flowed around Raine as she straightened the quilt. “You know, he’ll need help when he wakes up.”

  Raine shook her head and took a step back. “Not from me. He won’t want to see me.”

  Cassandra’s hand stilled as she cocked her head to study Raine standing so stiffly beside her. “You didn’t do this to him. You didn’t put the needle in his arm.”

  “I introduced him to the one who betrayed him.” Raine met those intense blue eyes and made the damning admission aloud. “I made the mistake of trusting someone I shouldn’t have, and now he’s paying the price.”

  Cassandra made a soft humming sound in the back of her throat as Raine turned away. “So are you.”

  Cassandra’s soft words chased Raine from the room.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  As anxious as Raine was to head straight to Zarana’s and confront Alexi, she didn’t. Tipping Alexi off now would gain Raine nothing. She needed time to set her plan into motion. Dawn was chasing the shadows of the night when she bumped over the unpaved road to her home. Testing her wards, she found them stable, no breaches.

  As she moved through her kitchen, it felt as if eons passed since she left, not just a couple of days. She left Friday night with Cheveyo, Warrick, and Mulcahy and now it was early Sunday morning. With Gavin in Cassandra’s capable hands, she could take this time to think and plan.

  Cleaning up the remnants of Friday’s late night tea party, she restored her kitchen to its normal order. Lining her knives along the oak tabletop, she pulled her cleaning supplies out of a cupboard, sat at the table, and began taking care of her blades. As her mind went over various option, her hands moved by rote until the blades emerged clean and sharp.

  She needed to get Alexi somewhere quiet, somewhere they wouldn’t be interrupted. Maybe an early meet at Zarana’s? It wasn’t out of character for Raine, especially if she was hunting for information. The thought of moving the meet to the evening crossed her mind, but she didn’t want to give Alexi any time to rabbit. Nor did she want to have unexplainable casualties which would result in dealing with The Division.

  Which reminded her, she should probably call Vidis or Xander to see how much time she had before Lawson’s body turned up. Since it was Sunday, chances were good the body wouldn’t appear until Monday.

  The ringing of her cracked cell phone interrupted her thoughts. When the number came up “blocked” her pulse quickened, but her voice remained steady, “McCord.”

  “Morning, sunshine,” greeted her caller.

  “What do you want, Tarek?”

  Laughter rumbled through the phone. “I see you got the good doctor to talk. Are you going hunting, Raine?’

  “For you?” she snorted. “Not worth my time.”

  “Now, now, chicka-dee, insults will get you nowhere,” he chided. “I thought I’d give you a little bit of help with your plans.”

  “Now why would you do a thing like that?”

  “Can’t it just be out of the kindness of my heart?”

  Some of her festering rage warmed her voice and static crackled through the line. “The same kindness that had you Shadow Walking behind Chet before you slit his throat?”

  The tsking sound on the phone left her clenching her teeth to stifle a snarl.

  “Now that was business, little girl. I had to fulfill my contract. Bills to pay, you know.”

  She got up and walked over to the bay window in her dining room, staring unseeingly at t
he quiet forest in her backyard. “So you go to the highest bidder? Even if they’re the same sick fucks that made you?”

  A rumble of dark laughter echoed in her ear. “Don’t you get it? Money is power, and I like power.”

  She narrowed her eyes as a final puzzle piece fell into place. “You weren’t paid to take out those three men of Talbot’s.”

  A second of silence stretched to two. “No, that was personal.” His voice cooled, “You know about personal, don’t you? I watched you take out some of my targets, but you stopped short. Now, why would you do that, hmmm?”

  Tarek wanted to talk to someone, to explain, to brag, to vent, whatever, and she was happy to let him, so long as he gave her more clues. “I decided I didn’t want to be the monster they created. Gave them too much control. No one controls me.”

  “Then you understand,” he said. “Why I took those three out.”

  She swallowed despite her dry throat. “Yeah, I do.” And Lord and Lady help her, she really did. She rubbed a hand across her forehead, as if wiping away the haunting faces.

  “Now that they’re gone, I decided to put my skills to use,” Tarek continued. “I figured since they went out of their way to create me, why not make a few dollars?”

  “Lawson was doing the same thing,” Raine said. “I don’t get why you’d help her do that to someone else.”

  “At first I didn’t realize I was working for the good doctor.” There was a smile in his slightly rueful tone. “It was Alexi, not Lawson, who approached me about a few tools.”

  “Like the shielding talisman?” Raine guessed.

  “Boy, the woman just can’t shut her mouth, can she?” he muttered.

  Fierce satisfaction seeped into her voice, “Oh, that’s not a worry now, Tarek. I do hope she paid you already.”