by Lia Davis
“Reese, you listening?”
I snapped my gaze to Zane across the courtyard. Of course, I wasn’t listening. He knew it, too. “What?”
He rolled his eyes while his lips twitched. Gods, he was sexy. “I said Wyatt is going to shoot me and you have to teleport to me before the bullet hits me.”
Do what? Panic rose, tightening my chest. They couldn’t be serious. “No fucking way. Pick another motivator.”
Zane growled, low. “I could shoot Wyatt. He’s human and wouldn’t live if I hit his heart.”
Was he serious? “You wouldn’t live either if shot in the heart.”
Zane shrugged then nodded to Wyatt. I glanced at Wyatt as he raised the gun. They were fucking serious. My heart hammered and I began to sweat. Fear ran hot and cold in my veins. “Don’t do this.”
“Focus, Reese,” Zane growled.
My head was a buzz of thoughts. I didn’t know how to do it. Then Trevor spoke from beside me. “How do you enter the Inbetween?”
That was easy. At least for me. Most beings had to create a portal to go to one of the many portals around the ley lines. But I was a hedge witch. The afterlife was my business. Like the spirits, I didn’t need a portal. “I just think about being there and I’m there.”
Trevor smiled. “There’s your answer.”
I narrowed my gaze. It made sense when he said it out loud. After all, he’d studied magic and everything to do with how to defeat my father after the guys were marked.
“On the count of three,” Zane announced.
My pulse quickened and I focused on him.
Three.
Two.
I imagined standing next to Zane, then I was. I teleported.
One.
The shot echoed through the coven and I shoved Zane out of the way and made sure I went with him.
We fell to the ground and he pulled me into his arms, kissing my face all over. “I knew you could do it.”
When he rolled so my back was on the ground and he hovered above me, I slapped at his chest, laughing and crying at the same time. “Don’t do that again.”
Zane laughed. “Wyatt shot up in the air.”
I huffed and pushed out of Zane’s embrace, not knowing if I should be mad or relieved. “That’s not funny.”
After taking a few more deep breaths, I asked, “What’s next?”
“Teleport us to your bed.” He took my hand, linking our fingers together.
A smile lifted my lips and without a second thought I did. Within moments we were sitting on my bed. I reached out through the demon marks and touched Trevor’s and Wyatt’s threads that connected us. They responded and opened their minds to me instantly. Wyatt then spoke to me telepathically. “Trevor and I will take a walk.”
“Love you guys,” I sent the thought back to him.
They would have sensed me still in the coven. They may have guessed where Zane and I went. Or overheard the wolf’s request.
Zane leaned in and kissed me. “Now we go to the council’s mysterious traveling mansion.” He kissed me again hard enough that I fell on the bed. “Right after I make you scream my name several times.”
I was so on board with that. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I deepened the kissed. Our tongues danced and twined together. Sparks of pleasure nipped at my skin while desire uncurled inside me.
Zane broke the kiss and trailed his lips down my jaw and throat. He bit down lightly, and I groaned, fisting a handful of his hair. Even though he’d been gone for a few days, it felt like months.
Need built inside me. I didn’t want gentle or teasing.
As if sensing it through our mating bond, he growled right before he bit down harder. Pain turned to raw, unforgiven pleasure. With a single thought, I willed our clothes away.
The skin on skin contact almost made me come. “Zane.”
He spread my thighs with his hand, then rubbed my clit. A wildfire of sensations erupted and my body jerked as an orgasm shook me to the core.
When the last shudder left my body, he positioned himself between my legs. Then he thrust inside, spreading me. A moan escaped me and I wrapped my legs around him.
Picking up the tempo, he kissed me again. Each thrust drove him deeper. Pleasure mounted again, creating a second wave that threw me over the edge.
I cried out, scoring his back with my nails. He followed me over with his own climax.
He pulled out and cuddled me to him. Sighing, I relaxed and enjoyed his warmth as it enveloped me. His wolf rubbed against the bond, letting me know he loved me, too.
“I hated not being here with you.” Zane’s husky words made my chest tighten. He wasn’t much on expressing his feelings.
Lifting up, I kissed him. “Me, too. But tomorrow we see if the time apart was worth it.”
“You mean if we walk into a trap.”
He gave me a grin, so I rolled my eyes. “You know it is. It was too easy for you to find it.”
“We’ll be prepared.”
As much as we could. I kept that thought to myself. I hated walking into the unknown. A few months ago, I’d send Wade to do some spying.
But Wade wasn’t here. My heart ached for him and D all over again.
But for them, I’d walk into the council’s trap tomorrow and see what they wanted from us. I might be open to negotiating a deal.
Me for the safety of my guys and the death of my demonic father.
Chapter 3
We pulled into an overgrown field. The morning sun cast a peachy glow through the trees and over the landscape. I admired the beauty and magic in the view. Rolling down the window of Zane’s truck, I stuck my hand out. The wind blew through my fingers. Magic kissed my skin as we slowly rolled through the field.
A several yards from the entrance, the barn-like building came into view. The natural magic I felt when we turned onto the property shifted to something stronger, more electrifying. My pulse increased and I brought my hand back into the truck.
“There’s a protection spell around the barn.” The hairs on the back of my neck stood on ends. I didn’t like it.
Trevor sat up and leaned in between mine and Zane’s seats. “Will we be able to get in?”
“Not sure. It could be part of the trap.” I glanced to Zane. “Do you feel it?”
He gave a short nod and parked the truck. “It was the same when I followed the councilman here.”
Hmm. Opening my door, I slid out and stared at the building. “Could be there to keep unwanted guests out. Since we assume the councilman led us here on purpose…maybe it’s safe to enter.”
“Maybe?” Wyatt asked as he came around the from the back of the truck.
Zane growled when he stopped next to me. “I went inside when I was here. The wards were up then. Like you said, ‘unwanted guests.’”
I nodded. “Since the man you followed wants us here, we should be good.”
Trevor let out a nervous laugh. “Then why don’t you sound more confident?”
I met his gaze, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him to me. “I have trust issues.” Then I kissed him quickly before releasing his shirt. “Let’s go get ourselves trapped.”
Zane took my hand and stepped through the wards. Other than a slight prickle on my skin, nothing else happened. No magical shock that put us all on our asses, or worse, killed us. The latter was something I didn’t share with the guys as a possibility.
We entered the building through a door a couple of feet from the large garage door. A peaceful calm came over me, which nipped at my panic. I wasn’t used to being around a lot of witches, especially ones as powerful as those on the council.
Sure, I was just as powerful, probably more, but other signatures mixed in made me restless.
The garage only had one car in it. I assumed it belonged to the councilman waiting for us at the magical traveling mansion.
The garage was slightly bigger than I imagined. I pictured a rundown shack big enough for one car. That was not the case.
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The building was a ten-car garage with a room in the back that could easily house the whole council comfortably. A little too comfy with the full-size leather couch and matching loveseat and armchair. There was even an area rug in the center of the room.
“Looks like this used to be the meeting place.” Trevor’s tone was low, almost a growl. His tension and anxiety drifted toward me.
I wrapped my arm around his and leaned into him. Instantly he relaxed, then snaked his arm around my waist. His body heat seeped into my side, comforting. I leaned into him and linked my fingers with Wyatt, who stood on my other side. A thousand butterflies swarmed in my belly while my heart beat rapidly. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous.
It wasn’t like the council couldn’t hurt me. That was a lie. They could hurt me more than they could when I was younger, weaker. They could kill any one or all my guys.
Wyatt squeezed my hand and Trevor’s arm tightened around my waist.
“They still might use this place for meetings.” Zane stepped into my line of sight and glared. “Are you with us?”
I nodded. “I’m fine.” But I didn’t move. I stared at the room while fear crawled up my spine with its icy fingers.
Suddenly, a ripple of energy formed in the middle of room. No, not formed. It was already there. The room was spelled. An illusion.
“Reese!”
I focused on Zane’s sharp features. His upper lip curled as if he was about to snarl at me. Narrowing my gaze, I released Wyatt’s hand and stepped out of Trevor’s arms. I didn’t want to be touching them when I broke the illusion spell on the room.
The council was hiding something and I wanted to know what.
When I pushed past Zane, he grabbed my arm. Whirling to face him, I snatched out of his hold. “There is an illusion spell on this room.”
“We know. We sense it,” Wyatt said from behind me.
“Don’t you want to know what they are hiding?”
Zane hardened his stare. His Alpha power brushed against me. I pushed back with my own power. After a few moments of staring each other down, he broke the eye contact and lunged for me, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tight.
Sometimes his behavior confused me.
Zane kissed my temple then spoke in a calm, soft voice. “If you break the spell, they know we were here.”
“They’ll know we went to the mansion.”
Trevor spoke up. “They already know we’re here. At least the one Zane followed does. What if the spell is hiding the portal?”
Glancing at him over my shoulder, I nodded, then turned to Trevor and kissed his cheek. “The council are clever, egotistical and paranoid jerks. So yeah, they know. And I agree, I think the portal is in there.”
I stepped closer to the meeting room opening. There wasn’t a door, just a half-wall that separated it from the rest of the garage with an opening wide enough for two people to walk through side by side.
The guys stepped up behind me. None of them touched me while Zane said, “She’s right. They might have this place wired. I don’t see a camera, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.”
“We have to move fast,” Wyatt added.
A smile lifted my lips. My guys were a team with two missing members. It reminded me they’d been friends since before grade school. I wished I knew them back then. Before my father and the council ruined their lives.
Which was why I was doing this. For their freedom and mine.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, I walked into the meeting room, right through the illusion spell. It was empty. No table or chairs or file cabinets. In the center of the space was the portal. A hum of energy vibrated in the air.
I stared at the iridescent portal. Something wasn’t right. “This is too easy. There should be a lock or password or wards or something.”
Zane came up behind me and placed his hands on my hips. “It’s a trap, remember. They want us to go through it.”
He had a point. I took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Let’s do this.”
I advanced toward the portal, feeling my guys at my back.
After a moment of gathering up my nerves, I stepped through the portal. I emerged onto a beach with water so clear you could see the sandy bottom. The guys filed out of the portal one by one behind me.
The smell of the salty air filled my senses and warmed my soul. Then I turned and gasped. “Wow.”
The large mansion sat on a hill looming over the sand dunes and ocean. It was twice the size as Dimitri’s house with four stories. Red brick covered the exterior and black shutters accented the windows. White columns were evenly spaced around the front of the mansion, holding up the second floor balcony.
“That’s a big house,” Trevor said.
I laughed, mostly because of nerves. “Yeah, well it does have to house the entire council at one time.”
“The one I followed is still here. I smell him.” Zane stepped in front of me as if he was going to protect me from a powerful witch.
I sighed and let him. After all, it was his nature to protect his mate. As his strong-willed half-demon mate, I’d get his back. “Shall we go greet the councilman?”
I also sensed another witch. But there was just one. A male about the same age as my mother would be if she were still alive. His magical signature was familiar to me for some reason.
Shaking it off, I straightened my spine and followed Zane to the house.
Whoever this councilman was, he lured us here for a reason. We were about to find out why.
Chapter 4
I wasn’t surprised the front door to the mansion was left open. An invitation to our doom.
We entered the great room with large staircases on either side of the open, wide space. Cream and white marble floors stretched throughout the downstairs. Burgundy drapes hung over the widows, ceiling to floor.
Even though I’d never been there, I couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity. Then the scent of rosemary, frankincense, and primrose filled my senses. Mom. Tears blurred my vision and I wrapped my arms around my middle.
Instantly, my guys reached out to me, touching me in some way. I shook my head. “My mom used to come home smelling like this place.”
“It’s about time you got here.” A man stood up from the bar in the left back corner. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming and I’d have to take a more drastic measure to get your attention.”
Wyatt curled his arm around my waist and I flattened my back to his front. Zane and Trevor stepped in front of me. My Alpha wolf growled. “What do you want?”
Studying the man, I noted his aura held old magic. Powerful magic. I didn’t pick up on any dark energy from him. Still, I remained quiet and waited.
He wore a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms, which looked bright against his mocha-colored skin. His dark brown eyes watched us, his gaze falling on each of us briefly before he spoke again.
“My name is Lewis Walker. Maxine was a close friend.”
The mention of my mother’s name made my whole body tense. I met Lewis’s gaze. There was sadness and anger in his brown depths. “You wanted us to follow you. What do you need to talk to us about?”
“I want to help you prevent a war that’s coming.” Shadows of sadness fell over his face and he dropped his shoulder, then walked back to the bar.
The bar top was black marble and was long enough for four stools. The base of it was dark-stained wood with a hand-carved design along the edges for accents. Behind the bar was a wall of mirrors with shelves of different types of liquor.
“What war?” Dread soured my stomach. My goal was to get rid of the demon, then rebuild the coven. Life free from being hunted down like an animal.
Lewis didn’t answer. He stared at the label of the long neck sitting on the bar in front of him. I sensed heartache and confusion coming from him.
I wiggled out of Wyatt’s arms and moved forward. Zane growled low and I patted his arm as I pas
sed him. A silent command to be nice and hear the councilman out. Intuition told me Lewis was reaching out to us without the rest of the council knowing. Could we have an ally among the enemy? My instincts were usually right. I was certain this was one of those times they were.
“We’re listening.” I sat at the bar a couple of chairs down from him. Trust issues weren’t something you just got rid of.
“We’re on the brink of war,” Lewis began, then paused as if thinking of where to start. “What do you know about the hybrid project?”
Zane moved to stand beside me with his body angled so he was between Lewis and me. Ignoring my overprotective wolf, I answered Lewis’s question. “I know it was a sick experiment the council created. It’s rumored they wanted a superior species, then got scared because their own creations were more powerful than they were.”
Lewis took a drink from his beer, remaining emotionless. “The purpose of the program was to combine the genes of different paras in hopes to cancel out the defects and illnesses that run in certain species. From this new group of hybrids we could create vaccines and treatments for those who needed it.”
Paras—short for paranormal beings—weren’t much different than humans when it came to birth defects and illnesses. Very few of us were immortal. We lived longer than humans and many had the ability to self-heal non-fatal wounds.
“What happened?” Trevor asked, taking a seat behind me at the bar.
“The program gave us hope and a way to study interspecies relationships. Like a vampire who mates with a witch or a shifter would have children who could walk in the daylight.” He pointed at me. “And a hedge witch and demon hybrid could jump between the worlds.”
I frowned. “All hedge witches can jump the realms.”
Lewis shook his head, while Zane said, “D’s mom couldn’t. She could enter the Inbetween, but not the Underworld.”
I glanced from Zane to Lewis, my brows drawn. “Being a half-breed means I’m not bound to one world or the other. That’s not genetic.”
“It is. In a way. Demons are cursed to be bound to Hell, while the rest of us are bound to the natural world. You are bound to both, which actually makes you an exception to the curse on the demons.” Lewis took another drink from his beer, then continued. “When Salrus marked you, Reese, he bound himself to you. He can also jump between the worlds. Well, whatever world you’re in. What he didn’t know until two years ago, when he tried to kill you, was you can kill him and break the bond.”
