Broken Magic: The Sanctuary Chronicles

by India Kells

  James’s face hardened when he confronted her. “This is not common knowledge. You can’t see the big picture, and never could. Don’t you see that only Lionel Lancaster can bring much-needed security to our territory, to all territories? That his power and reputation must be protected?”

  “By decimating families under false pretenses, by corrupting the very purpose of the Enforcers, by keeping the Council in the dark, by obviously preparing to use a vampire for a dark ceremony tonight? Where is your higher purpose? In what Lionel Lancaster could work for the greater good? Enough with games. You never loved me. You didn’t come after me when I vanished because somehow it suited your purpose. Were you the one who messed with my powers? Were you the one who thought of that brilliant idea from the start? Or even had the guts to weave it upon me?”

  For a moment, she saw a flicker in his eyes, as if he didn’t understand half of what she was saying.

  “So that’s why you sought me out? To accuse me of all possible sins of our world?”

  “I came here for answers!! James, what did you do? What happened to my mother?”

  Annoyance flashed, and James took a step back. “Don’t you trust me? Don’t you trust your father?”

  “You haven’t said anything to make me.”

  “It should be implicit because you’re…”

  “If you say the words, woman, submissive or compliant, I will make sure you won’t be able to close your jaw straight ever again!”

  James blinked, but there was more calculation in his gaze. “Who are you? Where is the Valeria that I loved, the sweet woman I wanted to marry?”

  Valeria paused. “I would have answered that she died, hiding in the streets, but I believe she actually died when she realized how much of a fool she had been, being tricked by two of the men she loved the most.”

  Power surged in front of her, and the man at her back bristled. James’s face went impassive again. “I thought you were smarter, Valeria. You come from a great family, with a vision, one I thought you could share with us.”

  Someone screamed, and it wasn’t her. The voice of the man behind her shook the small cabin, and as she turned, ready to defend herself, she saw the vampire, a deadly grip on his neck. It had taken only a second before the predator tore at it and blood gushed.

  Frozen in place, Valeria couldn’t detach her gaze from those mesmerizing green eyes. James started to move backward, the sound of his footsteps bringing attention to him. In an instant, the connection was broken, and the vampire released the dead warlock, his body hitting the floor with a muffled thump.

  The focus of this predator, now almost completely regenerated from the essence of two magical beings, was standing bloody and fierce, obviously ready for revenge. Even a powerful witch wouldn’t be fast enough to completely block an attack at such a short distance. There were very few options, and James apparently chose the simplest one, he vanished.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Valeria stood immobile, alone in a lost cabin in the woods, with a dead, bloodless body at her feet and a possibly feral vampire standing in front of her.

  With her powers, she wouldn’t feel so vulnerable, but she was damned if she would let him know that. He probably sensed magic shimmering all over her skin, but Valeria doubted he could feel the break in her.

  Vampires were similar to beasts, with veneer thick enough to make them appear civilized. But weren’t they all wolves in sheep’s clothing? Humans and magical beings alike?

  They stood silently, as if waiting for the other one to draw first. And as she couldn’t shield herself, he probably smelled a mixture of fear, anger and possibly some arousal. How a woman couldn’t feel at least a little lust with the body standing in front of her? A tall, muscled man, topped with a mess of deep reddish hair. He was old. Or rather his soul was older than his body appeared, his immortal body likely chiseled by the gods. Another clue to his age was the faded tattoo, partly obscured, on his left pectoral. Definitely not contemporary, it appeared to have been inked by hand, a technique of an older era. Oddly enough, her mother had studied tattooing techniques, as some of them held quite powerful magic, and she could discern some of them on him. It was a pet project of hers, evidently unknown to her father.

  “It doesn’t look Japanese, although I suspect it’s from the same century as the Edo period.”

  The frozen statue before her blinked. As he wasn’t breathing, it was the only sign that he hadn’t turned rock solid.

  “It was done a little before that, witch, and on another continent.”

  The slight lilt in his voice gave him away. “Celtic, then. Irish now, I guess.”

  No sign of acknowledgment apart from an almost indistinguishable swirl in his green eyes.

  More waiting, but this time, part of her relaxed and she smiled.

  “So? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting out of here before that asshat of an ex-fiancé comes back with too many friends for either of us can handle.”

  Going to the door, the vampire blocked her, quick, only a blur, which surprised her as his kind was normally slower, weaker in the daylight.

  Valeria had rubbed shoulders with some frighteningly powerful beings as her father had been a beacon for many of them. If this vampire wanted to make her crawl, power or not, he would need to do better than that.

  “I saved you, and that’s how you thank me? Walk away, vampire, enjoy your freedom and leave me alone.”

  Ducking under his arm, she opened the door and started walking back to the truck, not even looking back. In fact, her mind was whirling with too much information to even think about the vampire. Her mind was still functioning, but her heart was shattered. So broken, it made her numb.

  James was the new Lancaster heir; the next Chief Enforcer, even though the entire force had been disbanded. And what about the assassination of Ian’s wife and daughter? The disappearance of Robert and Ellen? And her mother? So far, it was said that she was in a coma, but nobody had seen her in a while. Her imagination running wild, she even dared see her mother dead, or even worse, an accomplice of a scheme she barely understood. Other events and rumors she had heard popped like a macabre list.

  Thoughts and possibilities flashed fast in her head, so much that the world started spinning, and she reached blindly for a tree. Emotions clogged her throat, and she decided to let herself fall, along with the tears she was holding for far too long.

  But her hand never reached a tree, and her knees didn’t hit the ground. Instead, she was caught by unyielding, icy arms. The vampire.

  “Easy there, wildcat. I got you.”

  His voice was a deep rumble, but not animalistic, like Asher’s. It would have been the sound of his voice before he was turned. A long time ago.

  Valeria wanted to jerk away from his touch, but he kept a firm grip. When she looked up, his face was inches from hers. Up close, she could see gashes healing on his forehead and cheekbone. But it was his expression that made her hesitate. Puzzlement.

  “Why don’t you use your powers on me, witch? I feel you angry at me and yet…”

  No way was she going to spill it all to him, a virtual stranger.

  “Because I believe you to be a gentleman and letting me go because you owe me one.”

  Still as a statue, his mouth barely lifted into a grin. “I’m no gentleman, but after everything I heard back in the cabin…”

  “You’re making suppositions on matters that don’t concern you… matters that you know nothing about.”

  “Is that so?” As he arched an eyebrow, his smile blossoming into a wicked one. So unusual for a vampire to smile. But beyond the dazzling grin that made her giddy, she knew there was still a dangerous monster lurking near its edges, with glistening fangs to go with it. The charisma blurred her own perspective, images of Asher mixing with one of the vampires, but with one distinct difference. The energy. Asher’s power came from his wolf, from being a protective alpha that couldn’t be contested under any circumstances for the we
ll-being of the pack. This vampire was all about sex and domination. Not for the greater good, but for his own personal agenda. And that was the path of vampires.

  Bloodsuckers didn’t have a compassionate, generous or caring nature. It’s what made them survivors as lone beings in their world. Compared to covens or packs, vampires never gathered among themselves for long, but still respected the vampire in charge of a particular territory.

  As she was thinking about pushing some of her magic onto him, the vampire pulled her closer and kissed her.

  Oh yeah, in his lips she tasted cool powers and pure lush lust. She had been right, and now her body reacted to it.

  Pushing and pulling him at the same time, she was about to remember someone really important when the vampire was wrenched from her arms.

  And a few feet away, a big golden wolf faced a really pissed off vampire.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Asher only reacted when he saw Valeria with the vampire. On what he reacted, he wasn’t sure yet. And if it was because there was a vampire so close to her or that he was kissing her, it wasn’t important. He hadn’t smelled lust on her, but the stranger had touched her, held her, nonetheless.

  Now facing the dark-souled predator, Asher felt his beast shiver in bloodthirsty anticipation, lusting for battle. He circled, his eyes never breaking the eye contact.

  “Asher!” From a distance, he heard her voice, but it didn’t distract him. He knew that Ian would take care of her. That she would be protected.

  The vampire before him might still sport wounds and be weakened by sunlight, but Asher would never take such an opponent lightly. Bracing for the attack, the vampire bunched in preparation. He would have leaped if not for a brown blur blocking his view.

  “Asher! Stop!!” Damn woman. Still in wolf form, he snarled at her, but she wasn’t fazed at all. Damn witch.

  Surprisingly, the vampire also came to a halt, his eyes on her. The beast inside him was hard to rein in, and Asher ever so tempted to let him loose.

  “Guys, sorry to break your fun, but witches and warlocks will soon swarm this area, and we shouldn’t stay here. None of us.”

  That bit of information forced his logical mind to come back to the forefront, and he shifted back into his human body. Standing tall and naked in front of the vampire, who wasn’t wearing much more, Asher forced himself to glance at Valeria. Ian remained at a certain distance, his eyes on the vampire.

  “We found your truck a mile away. Ours is parked beside it.”

  The witch seemed to hesitate. “You and Ian go. You need to go back to the Sanctuary and protect it.”

  Asher sensed something off from her. “I’m not leaving without you and certainly not with that vampire.”

  “I had no intention of taking him with me. I mean… It’s complicated, and we don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Exactly! Let’s go back, and discuss it.”

  “Asher, be reasonable. Your duty is to the Sanctuary.”

  Her words twisted something inside him. She was right. He had the Sanctuary to think about. In fact, it was his main responsibility. But despite who he was, and what could never be between them, he was unable to let her go.

  “No.”

  Valeria shook her head and without another word, started walking in the direction of the parked vehicles. If what she said was true, they’d better get going. And once inside the truck, he would find a way to convince her to come back.

  In silence, they made their way down, Ian behind them, with the vampire following at a distance. He didn’t know what exactly happened back at the cabin or with this vampire, but he was going to ditch him the first chance he got.

  As the trucks came into view, he knew that Valeria would try to make an escape, and that’s why he grabbed her wrist as she was reaching for the door.

  “I drive.”

  Her entire body tensed. “Asher…”

  Ignoring her, he threw the other set of keys to Ian. “I’m driving, Ian will follow us.”

  As he was about to forcefully stuff her in the truck, the vampire took a step closer, making him shove Valeria behind him, Ian crouching close in defense.

  Slowly, the man lifted his hands and slightly bowed his head. “I mean no harm, but I feel a shift in the magic behind us.”

  Ian hissed. “I don’t know about you, vampire, but I wouldn’t remain here.”

  The gaze of the old warrior shifted from Valeria to Asher. “I request the protection of your Sanctuary, as is my right.”

  Asher clenched his jaw at the undeniable request. When in danger, any living or unliving soul of the Otherworld could ask refuge and protection. Even the man before them who probably never needed it in a thousand years. It took a deep, steadying breath to remind himself that he was a Sanctuary Master, with duties.

  “You’re welcome to my Sanctuary, vampire, but I warn you that you must abide by my rules at all time, and are forbidden to feed on anyone living there. At all times.”

  The vampire bowed more deeply. “I agree with your terms, Sanctuary Master.”

  Asher nodded at Ian. “You’re driving with my second-in-command, Ian.”

  Again, the vampire bowed and walked to the passenger side of the second truck. Unceremoniously, Asher grabbed Valeria and put her in the passenger seat of his truck, and fastening her seatbelt, before jogging back and grabbing a pair of jeans and shirt that Ian had left on the driver’s mirror for him.

  Valeria didn’t say a word as he drove off, but it was easy to guess what was going on in her head.

  “If you’re considering fleeing, think again. I’m not closing my eyes for the remainder of my entire life.”

  When she didn’t answer his taunt, he grew worried. For a long moment, she simply looked straight in front of her. He was tempted to reach for her, but something was off. It was when they reached the main road that she spoke.

  “Go to town again. I need to see Sera.”

  Nodding, he turned and headed in the right direction. As he suspected, Ian followed him.

  Asher was wary of the vampire in the second truck. He knew the Sanctuary rules and wouldn’t turn him away, but something was off. He saw the way he only had eyes for Valeria. He observed her with such intent. His wolf inside him didn’t like it at all, but there was something else beyond jealousy or possible attraction.

  Once in town, he parked in the same spot as the day before. Valeria didn’t wait for him to stop the car, and hopped out, walking away from the direction they had used the day before. One glimpse at Ian confirmed that he was following, the vampire on his heels.

  Valeria didn’t run, but she didn’t wait for them either. There was a definite determination in her step, and as she wasn’t talking, it couldn’t be good.

  As they rounded the corner, he recognized the store. How weird that it didn’t stay in the same place … appearing randomly, or according to a pattern known only to witches.

  As he followed the silent Valeria through the door, the strange Abrams greeted them.

  “Miss Valeria, always a pleasure to have you here. Mr. Stonelake. A great honor to have you again. I see you have brought two more friends.”

  And before Abrams could continue, the white witch-cat, Layla, jumped on the counter.

  “Ian Macon, the beta of the Sanctuary and Finn O’Malley. Well, well. I never thought I’d see the infamous 12th-century vampire in my humble shop. By your appearance, it seems that you cannot quite get the boy out of the dirty Dublin streets. This new style suits you well.”

  Asher looked at the vampire again and realized that he was still dressed in torn and bloody clothes. And before he could blink, the witch-cat had replaced it with a clean pair of dark jeans and a thick gray cardigan.

  As if used to having magic around him, the vampire called Finn merely arched a brow and ran his fingers through his now clean hair.

  “Thank you.”

  Layla ignored him and focused on Valeria. “Is there a reason you’re back here with all your
friends, breaking all the rules and with a face ready for war.”

  “Are Sera and Violet in the back?”

  And without waiting for her answer, Valeria marched into the back store, straight into the library. Layla jumped off the counter and glanced questioningly at Asher before following Valeria. All four of them faced a closed door. Asher tried to open it, but it was locked. As anger started surging, he heard Layla chant something, and the door flew open.

  “You have no right to lock anything here!”

  On the other side of the table, among piles of books and manuscripts, stood Valeria and Sera with a tall woman, with a wealth of red curls and a snarl on her lips.

  “I didn’t lock the door on you, but to keep the Three Stooges out.”

  Asher didn’t realize he had taken a step toward the new witch until Layla blocked him.

  “Wait, Asher.”

  His eyes shifted to Layla before settling on Valeria. She locked eyes with him, before quickly looking away. Asher was torn between shaking her to her senses and waiting. From the first time they butted heads, he knew she would fight back. It took everything in him to relax his stance, and that’s when he realized that Ian had been on the brink of attack himself. Finn, on the other hand, was still as a statue, assessing the scene before him.

  Layla jumped on the counter, a visible defender between the women and the men. Making sure the men would stay put, the witch-cat turned her attention to the women.

  “Glad you’re back, Violet. But remember that you’re still in my home, and I’m the only one that can decide who can enter or not. So rein in your tongue.”

  The witch called Violet crossed her arms and stared at their little troop with great disgust. Sera seemed more willing to bring peace.

  “Guys, I’ve been working on some stuff, pretty personal, delicate information. And there is an awful lot of people here I don’t know if we can trust. Layla, sort it out. I’m not discussing this matter until you confirm that every male here will hold his tongue.”

  Layla swished her tail and turned to the men. Asher was prepared for a fight because there was nothing that witch could say that would make him leave this room.