Tangled

by Rebecca Zanetti

  Was he a damn mind reader? Bollocks. Witches used quantum physics, among other sciences, to create plasma fire out of the air around them. It was an excellent weapon, and if she had the ability to use it, she would’ve already burned off every hair on his head. “You didn’t hurt me.”

  “Lie.” He said the last softly—thoughtfully. His brows drew down. “I’m not releasing you until you give me an answer.”

  “To which question?” she snapped.

  He drew her even closer. “Both. Where’s my file, and why can’t you create fire?”

  “I don’t have your file, and I can create fire,” she said.

  He breathed out. “Kind of true and kind of false. Interesting. So you don’t have the file right now, which makes sense. A smart thief would’ve hidden it elsewhere. And you can create fire, but you’re unable to do so right now. Why is that?”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Maybe. But we’re not moving until you give me the truth.”

  She had no choice. Shoving both arms up, she broke his hold, and then just as quickly punched him in the eye.

  He reared back, grabbing his eye and snarling.

  Lifting her skirts, she jumped and kicked him beneath the jaw. He flew back and hit the sofa.

  She turned to run just as the front door blew open again, this time with fire. Heat flashed toward her and she screamed, ducking to avoid being burned.

  Flames flashed right over her head.

  Chapter 3

  Theo reacted instantly, shoving off the sofa and covering Ginny with his body. He rolled them until she was behind the sofa, and then he jumped up to lunge for the door.

  Plasma sailed into his chest. He ignored the pain, tackling two males into the hallway. Witches. Damn fucking fire-throwing witches. Both dressed in combat gear, already hurtling fire at him. He punched one guy right under the jaw, shattering it into pieces he could feel with his knuckles. The male went limp, knocked out. Theo back-flipped onto his feet, bounced once, and kicked the other guy in the temple.

  The guy went down and just as quickly leaped up, head into Theo’s gut. The force threw them both into the wall, denting the hard wood.

  Two more men ran by them and into the dingy room.

  Damn it. Ginny wasn’t covered. Theo slammed his elbows down on his attacker’s shoulders, dropping the guy to the ground. Then he punched with an uppercut, and the witch fell back onto his shoulders. Blue flames poured down his arms. He threw fire.

  Shit.

  Theo jumped to the side. The plasma ball hit the wall with a loud thud, and flames licked up the wood. Fire burned his arm, but he skidded on his knees, already punching for the witch’s face. Blood arced, but he kept punching, ignoring the return hits, until the guy finally stopped moving.

  “Asshole.” Theo shoved to his feet and turned for the crappy room. The fire was spreading, and smoke filled the hallway. The alarms started blaring, and the sprinkler system ignited. Water streamed down, making the flames hiss. The smoke clogged his way. He shoved through it to see Ginny struggling between two men as they dragged her toward the door.

  “Throw some fire, woman,” Theo roared, pissed beyond belief.

  The three paused, mouths agape. It would’ve been comical if he hadn’t been so furious.

  Ginny yanked free of one male and pivoted to punch the other in the eye. The guy reared back and slapped her across the face. Hard. The sound echoed even through the fire, alarm, and spraying water. Her head flew to the side with water matting her hair.

  Theo lost his fucking mind.

  With a roar that would’ve done a demon proud, he lunged for the guy, grabbing him around the neck and lifting. Fury and adrenaline giving him strength, Theo swung around and threw the bastard toward the wide window. The witch hit dead center and crashed through. He shrieked as he began pummeling toward the ground eight floors below.

  Ginny turned toward Theo, her eyes wide with shock. “Oh my God. That was thick glass.”

  The other witch moved fast and grabbed her, yanking her against his chest with his arm banded around her throat. She clawed at his forearm, her eyes filling with tears.

  “Let her go.” Theo advanced through the smoke and spraying water toward the two.

  “No.” The witch tried to pull her toward the door. “I have a job to do.”

  “Why her?” Theo took another step, brushing soot out of his eyes.

  The guy kept moving. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

  So the men were just hired guns. It figured Ginny had more than one enemy out there, considering she was a thief. Theo couldn’t have been her first mark. “I’ve already killed your buddy and knocked out the other two.”

  “Wasn’t my buddy, and he’s probably not dead,” the guy returned, his eyes wild.

  True. The witch had certainly hit the ground by now. He might not be dead, but he wouldn’t be attempting any kidnappings for quite some time. Theo jerked his head toward Ginny, noting how pale she’d become. “What’s she worth, anyway?”

  “Twenty-five million.” The guy studied him. “Considering you’ve taken out my team, want to split it?” Soot and water mangled through the guy’s long blond hair, but his dark eyes were clear. Smart and calculating.

  Ginny struggled against him, making little choking noises.

  Theo paused and concentrated on her. “You can’t create fire.” She should’ve burned the shit out of the guy by now. Wait a minute. He focused back on the blond guy. “Did you know that? That she couldn’t create fire?”

  “No. I figured if she started to burn me, I’d just choke her out,” the guy said congenially, as if chatting with a friend. “So. Do we have a deal or not?”

  Theo paused, as if considering.

  Ginny gasped. “Seriously? You’re honestly thinking of making a deal?” Her voice came out a little squeaky. Soot marred her forehead, and a bruise was already forming on her left cheekbone where the asshole had hit her. “Theo?”

  “Where’s the file you stole from me?” he asked, stopping three feet away from the duo.

  Her eyes bugged. “Are you jesting?”

  He lifted a shoulder.

  Sirens sounded in the distance.

  The guy blanched. “Hey, we have to get out of here. Fast.”

  Theo nodded. “Seriously, Ginny. Can’t you fight at all?”

  “I hit you in the eye,” she said, a little color filling her face. “It’s been a long day.” Her lips trembled, and she renewed her struggles, pushing back and obviously trying to toss the guy over her head. It wasn’t even close as a contest. Strength-wise, she appeared tapped.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Theo murmured. Even though the guy was much larger, she was a witch and should at least have some moves. But she appeared as helpless as a human female. Would she really push her charade of helplessness in a situation like this? His gut churned. Either she was that dishonest…or there was something wrong with her. “Fight him.”

  “I’m trying.” Tears filled her eyes, and damn if they didn’t look real.

  Men’s shouts echoed up from the stairwell.

  “They’re coming. We have to go and meet my secondary team on floor two.” The guy started dragging her toward the door. “I have two more men waiting for us, and they’ll head this way if we don’t hurry. Let’s get out of here.”

  Theo nodded. “Okay. I’ll take point.” He ignored Ginny’s gasp and started for the door, turning at the last second and punching the guy in the temple.

  The guy fell back, and Theo followed him, nailing him directly in the throat.

  Ginny sagged against the wall.

  Theo grabbed her hand and her suitcase. “I hope you’re as good in that dress as you act. We’re taking the fire escape.” All but dragging her, he hustled through the disaster of the hotel room for the far windows.

  She grasped her laptop bag on the way, stumbling next to him. One of her sparkly shoes fell off, and she kept going, kicking off the other one. They looked slippery,
so it was probably a good call. “We’re eight floors up,” she gasped through the smoke and streaming water.

  “I know,” he said grimly. “You can explain what the fuck is going on with you on the way down.” If the humans or the other witches didn’t catch them first.

  * * * *

  Ginny gathered her skirts the best she could and followed Theo down the hard metal fire escape. Snow and ice covered the metal, and a cold December wind blew hard against them. He’d gone first, no doubt preparing to catch her if she fell. The man had no clue how close she was to actually fainting. Really fainting. Her ears rang, and her entire body ached from her attempts to fight.

  Tears gathered in her eyes from the damn unfairness of it all, and she angrily batted them away.

  “Hurry, honey,” Theo said from below her, gracefully going backward down the zillion steps.

  Honey. He’d called her honey. And he’d kicked some serious witch butt when defending her. The idea warmed her entire chest, and she tried to ignore the feeling. They were enemies, and she had to remember that fact. If he won, she lost. So she’d have to figure a way out of this mess.

  Once they were on the ground.

  She swallowed and looked straight ahead at the worn brick. Staying at old and seedy hotels had advantages…mainly outdoor fire escapes. Her foot missed a rung, and she slipped. “Theo,” she gasped, just as she fell.

  He caught her around the waist on a landing. “Damn it.” Grabbing her skirt, he ripped it across the bottom, leaving her legs bare from the knees down. “There. That should—” He paused and looked down at her ankle. “What the hell?”

  “No time.” She grabbed a rung and started heading down, ignoring the diamond and gold spiked ankle bracelet. The sirens sounded closer, and blue and red swirling lights cut through the darkness of the night. A firetruck rolled by the main street, and shouting voices echoed from up above.

  Adrenaline gave her strength, and without the skirt hampering her, she quickly made it to the litter-covered street.

  Theo jumped next to her and swung her up in his arms, turning and hurrying away from the emergency vehicles. Somehow he kept hold of her suitcase.

  She jostled against his chest, clutching her laptop bag. “What are you doing?”

  “Your feet are bare. There’s glass and who knows what else on the ground.” He wasn’t even breathing heavily.

  She tried to remain stiff in his arms, but her body relaxed right into his warmth. Theo was all muscled male strength around her, and for the first time in far too long, she felt safe. For the moment. Wrapping her arm around his neck to help him keep his balance, she gave in to temptation and rested her face against his neck.

  They were both soaking wet and covered in soot, but somehow, he smelled good. Wild and masculine, with a hint of something spicy. His heart beat steadily against her chest, and she shut her eyes. Just for the second. Pretending that she was safe and belonged with him. For years, she’d fought her own battles, even while pretending to be helpless. While she was more than capable of taking care of herself, under normal circumstances, she had no problem being saved by somebody who cared for her.

  It was too late to save her.

  More importantly, Theo Reese didn’t care for her. He saw her as the manipulative bitch who’d broken his brother’s heart, and as a thief who could harm his family. “I didn’t really hurt Jared, you know,” she said softly, her lips moving against his warm skin.

  Theo stiffened but kept moving through darkened alleys. “Yes, you did.”

  Her stomach ached. “He didn’t love me. Not really. He loved the idea of how strong I made him feel back a million years ago.”

  “Maybe,” Theo allowed.

  She sighed. “If he’d really loved me, no way would he have let me mate somebody else. You know that.” In fact, Jared had used his hurt ego to become a pirate on the open seas, which he’d truly loved. “Right?”

  “There’s truth to that,” Theo said, his mouth next to her temple. “He’s happy now, and that’s all that matters. He found the right mate for him, without question.”

  “So stop being mad at me.” She hated how needy she sounded, but fighting just took too much out of her. “Please.”

  “Give me the file back and we’ll talk about it,” he said, making another turn in the dark night. The sirens and sounds of the crowd slowly disappeared. Snow started falling, mixing with the soot covering them both.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, her body beginning to shut down.

  He slipped on the ice and quickly regained his footing, not slowing in the slightest. “I have a car around the next block.”

  She couldn’t get into a vehicle with him, but her body was done. “I can’t get you what you want, Theo. I’m so very sorry,” she mumbled into his neck, finally giving in and relaxing completely against him.

  “Then you’re about to have a pretty rough night, sweetheart.” His tone was all determination with more than a hint of threat.

  Chapter 4

  The woman wasn’t faking exhaustion. Theo carried her through his apartment to the master bedroom after driving more than an hour to get through the city. She’d fallen asleep before he’d even put her in his car.

  She slept soundly against him, her small body curled against his chest. The witch brought out feelings in him he really didn’t like, and he couldn’t exactly blame her since all she was doing was sleeping. It was the one true time he knew she wasn’t trying to manipulate him, and yet, he wanted nothing more than to protect her and keep her safe. How did she do that?

  More importantly, what the hell was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she create fire?

  He laid her down on the bed and then sighed, looking at her sopping wet clothing while switching on the bedside lamp. “Ginny? Wake up.”

  She didn’t even stir. Surprisingly long lashes swept down her pale cheeks, and in sleep, her pink lips were relaxed and tipped up. Even out cold, she somehow smiled as if she knew a secret.

  Why he liked that, he’d never know.

  All right. If he left her in the wet dress, she’d freeze all night. But he couldn’t just take off her clothes. Damn it. He ran a hand through his hair, scattering soot.

  He’d been with more women than he could count, but this one was one of a kind. He didn’t like that. Lifting her too easily with one arm, he drew back the covers and set her on her butt, her head leaning into his stomach. His dick instantly hardened to rock. Damn it. Forcing himself to relax, he deftly untied the corset and drew it off before laying her back down and quickly covering her with the bedclothes. Her thin panties could remain on. No way was he removing those.

  She murmured something and turned toward him.

  He pushed her hair away from her face, noting the silky softness, even with soot in it. But the mass had dried into tumbling curls. Figured she’d have naturally curly hair. “God was kind to you, darlin’,” he murmured, running a knuckle down her smooth cheek. “Way too kind.”

  Yet what was going on?

  Her pulse beat steadily in her neck, so she was unharmed at least. She sniffed and turned the other way, revealing the darkening bruise along the other side of her face.

  Anger caught him in the chest. Hard. He should’ve ripped the head off the witch who’d hit her. An eight-story fall wasn’t bad enough. He rubbed his finger across the heated bruise. Why hadn’t she healed it earlier? There had been plenty of time before she’d fallen asleep. “What aren’t you telling me?” He dropped to his haunches, smoothing her hair back again.

  Then he examined her neck, making sure he hadn’t hurt her when he’d grabbed her. Apparently she bruised easily. His chest loosened at seeing there were no bruises on her neck.

  He paused. Wait a minute. He looked closer. There were no markings on her neck. Not a one. The woman had been mated, or so he thought. There would still be a bite, even from a witch. Matings were forever…until recently. A virus had been discovered that could negate the mating bond—at least wh
en one of the mates had passed on, as Ginny’s had. She had said she’d taken the virus and could be mated again. But he’d thought… Maybe he’d been wrong.

  Thinking of oddities… He moved down the bed, not far, and reached for her ankle, pulling it out of the bed while making sure to keep the rest of her covered.

  A anklet of diamonds and gold spikes encircled her left ankle tightly. Leather held it together, and there didn’t seem to be a clasp. How did she get it off? He rubbed her ankle, and she moaned. He paused. What in the world? Looking closer, he could see a slight green ring around her skin.

  Was she so vain she’d let her skin turn green to keep diamonds on? Or did the piece have sentimental value? Perhaps it had been from her mate.

  Why that made Theo’s chest hurt, he had no clue. He set her ankle back beneath the covers and turned to head for the master bathroom. After a very quick and hot shower, he was feeling more in control. Oh, he’d let her sleep tonight, but in the morning she was going to tell him everything.

  He strode naked into his bedroom and drew on some sweats. She didn’t stir, her breathing even and deep as she slept. He shook his head, heading into his living room and double-checking his security measures.

  There was no way he could just go to sleep right now. It was nearly three in the morning, which made it midnight in northern Idaho. Hoping he wasn’t making a colossal mistake, he booted up his television set, put in a series of codes, and sent out a call to the Realm Headquarters. The Realm was a coalition of witches, vampires, demons, and shifters. Its leader, vampire king Dage Kayrs, slowly took shape. “What the hell, Reese?” the king asked, his dark hair mussed and his silver eyes irritated. He stood bare to the waist with a rock-type wall behind him.

  Theo winced. “Sorry. Thought you might be up.”

  “Are you being attacked or do you need immediate assistance?” Dage’s eyes cleared.

  “Ah, no.” Theo dropped into a chair and rubbed his scruffy chin. He should’ve shaved in the shower. “I was hoping the queen was up and working.” The queen was a brilliant geneticist who worked around the clock trying to cure human diseases. Of course, she was at least four or five months pregnant, so she probably needed her sleep.