Alec mock-bows and offers Elle his arm. “Shall we?”
I take a half step forward and pause. Something nags at the back of my brain. My inner wolf perks up again. All her fur stands on end.
“I don’t like this,” she growls.
“Yes,” I say slowly. A jolt of unease creeps up my spine.
Knox steps up beside me. “What’s wrong?”
“My human intuition is telling me to wait. So is my wolf.”
Alec slings his sport coat over his shoulder, male model-style. “Intuition? What? We’re here. There’s some old ruin nearby and some new-ish McVillas right in front of us. The fountain of all magic is here somewhere. We have to look for it.”
Knox hitches his thumbs into the back pockets of his leathers. It’s another one of his thinking poses. He keeps his attention riveted on me. “What’s got you worried?”
I sort through everything that’s happened. The Void. The papyri. Boucle-Roux. At last, the wrong piece stands out in the puzzle of my thoughts. “It’s Ty. She’s holding out on something, and we don’t know what it is.”
“Let me guess.” Alec sighs dramatically. “You want me to cast more spells, so you can see her?”
Knox gives him the side-eye. “Like it would be that hard. All you need is a piece of her clothing, and you could track her down, easy.”
Alec wags his finger at Knox. “And do you have something of hers handy?”
Knox rolls his eyes. “Like I keep Ty’s crap around. It’s all back at the castle.”
“And that’s exactly what I was saying,” groans Alec. “I am not transporting any of your big asses around again.”
Knox chuckles. “Come on, you big baby.”
Alec narrows his eyes. “It’s ‘Sir Big Baby’ to you.”
“Seriously,” says Knox. “Don’t dismiss the idea just because it means another spell. We’ve got questions here.”
“Think about it,” I say. “We need to question Ty. Everything that’s happened is one sketchy thing after another. I came to Europe to get the Codex Mechanica, and only because Ty found me online. But once I got here, she actually sent me to Boucle-Roux to get my butt kicked.”
Knox steps forward. “After that, I’m lured along in step two of her plan when Ty calls me to say that Bry’s about to be attacked. My ex knows I won’t stay away from my mate. This whole thing reeks of a setup.”
Elle raises her hand. “Speaking as someone who sets up people all the time, I have to agree with Knox.”
“Not seeing the master plan here.” Alec folds his arms over his chest. “Ty wanted to prove she could scare your girlfriend while luring you to the castle to pay attention to her. No big deal.” He hitches his thumb toward the villas. “Let’s find ourselves one fountain of magic.”
“There’s more.” I start counting off items on my fingers. “First, Ty had the Codex Mechanica. I get that she collects ancient stuff, but what are the odds of finding that thing? Second, Ty knew I wanted that particular device. Very sketchy. Third, Ty knew exactly who the Void is. That memory curse that affected all of us? It did zero to her. And there’s only one other person I know who was immune to that curse. Az. He got that way because he had a run-in with the Shadowvin.”
“Hmmm.” Alec kicks at the dirt road. “Those are the shadow monsters who sucked out your powers, right?”
“Yup.” I gesture toward the nearest stucco condo. “And now, Ty wants me to go in there. This is like Boucle-Roux all over again. I don’t trust her. And I totally think she knows more than she’s telling us. We need to find her and make her share what’s really going on.”
Alex pauses and thinks for a moment. Then he tosses up his hands while shooting an angry look at Knox. “I hate it when you’re right.”
Knox shrugs. “Bry’s the one who’s right. I just get to tell you about it.”
“Fine, fine.” Alec lets out a long puff of breath. “I’ll track Ty down. I just need something of hers for a locator spell.”
“You could go back to the castle and grab something.”
“No.” Alec’s eyes narrow as he scans the horizon. “This place is definitely bad news. I don’t want to leave you here alone. I’ll transport all of us back to the castle. Once we’re there, I can cast a locator spell there and force Ty to return.” Alec reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of rubies.
He’s about to cast a spell.
My breath catches with anxiety. I can only hope Alec’s casting will work, considering how the equinox messes up magic and everything.
White mist rolls in over the countryside, snapping me out of my thoughts. Dark clouds descend over the sky. A pair of long shadows creeps along the dirt road, reminding me of a shifting pool of black paint. The breeze dies. My pulse skyrockets. Even insects stop their buzzing. This is such bad news.
The Shadowvin are coming.
Knox pulls me against his side. “Do you see that?” he asks.
I nod. “We need to get out of here.”
Alec lifts a fistful of rubies. “Exactly what we’re about to do.”
As Alec murmurs a spell, the stones gleam, sending beams of light through his clenched fingers. A moment later, a small red cloud appears in the air by his fist. The haze flares with crimson light before congealing into a physical shape.
A rabbit.
I blink hard, trying to clear my head.
A rabbit?
No matter how much I blink, the bunny doesn’t vanish. Alec is actually holding a red rabbit by the scruff of its neck. The critter is all twitchy and wide-eyed with fear.
I point at the bunny. “Let me guess. Your magic is still wonky.”
“Yeah, it’s been getting worse as the equinox gets closer.” Alec releases the rabbit, which scampers into the mist.
Elle winces. “A bunny?”
Alec shrugs. “I first learned magic by doing human tricks—you know, pulling the rabbit out of the hat-type stuff. Only in my case, I tried to make it real. Sometimes, when my powers go off the rails, they go back to the beginning, if that makes sense.”
“Don’t worry,” says Knox. My mate moves in slow circles, scanning the mist with every step. He’s moved into Knox the Denarii Killer mode. “Your powers will come back online in a few minutes. They always have before. Then we’re out of here.”
Alec stares at the gems cupped on his palm. Now that he’s finished casting the rabbit, the magic in this particular set of rubies is used up. Alec repockets the now-darkened stones.
I grip the Codex Mechanica more tightly against my chest. “Maybe this isn’t so bad.”
“Are you going to give a pep talk?” asks Knox. There’s no mistaking the smile in his voice.
“You know it.” I force myself to grin. “Sure, there’s some mysterious white mist here, and that isn’t a good sign.” I nod toward the sky. “And the way everything turned dark? That’s another red flag.”
Elle shakes her head. “When do you bring on the pep?”
“I’m getting there. All I’m saying is that a bunch of mist isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And we can’t get out of here right now anyway.”
“I’ll cast again in a little bit,” huffs Alec.
“Absolutely,” I say. “But until then, we should hang out.”
“No, we should check things out,” counters Alec.
“That’s a last resort,” snarls Knox.
“Running off into the mist?” I ask. “That’s what all the soon-to-be-dead dumdums do in every horror movie ever.” I turn to Elle. “Am I right?”
“Truth,” she says.
“Now, get ready for the pep. We’re stuck here. So what? We can’t handle a little funky weather? We’re way tougher than that. Let’s just hang out. No one goes running off into the mist. No one casts a spell for two whole minutes. We’ll just be together until the mist burns off or whatever.”
Elle nods. “That was a good pep talk. I like how you slipped a plan in there.”
“You’re welcome.” At t
his point, I’m feeling really solid about my speech when it happens.
An electric charge fills the air.
The temperature drops, turning my skin into gooseflesh.
Every hair on the back of my neck stands on end.
Not good.
“Something else is here,” whispers Alec.
“Or someone,” adds Elle.
Little by little, two humanoid shadows rise from the misty ground. I’d know that pair anywhere. Slythe and Tithe. Their eyes flare with white light.
My mouth starts moving on its own. “Or this could be a total catastrophe where we’re stuck in the middle of misty nowhere with no spell-casting ability or safe place to run.”
“No need to panic,” says Knox.
“Are those the Shadowvin?” asks Elle.
“That, they are,” I say.
Alec steps in front of Elle, placing himself between her and the figures. “What do they want?”
Another form rises from the mist. This one is eight feet tall and glows with white light. His eyes are fathomless holes of darkness. The Void. Tilting back his head, he roars to the clouds. “Take me to the fountain!”
Slythe and Tithe float closer. If that wasn’t creepy enough, they begin talking in unison. “Accept the inevitable. The Void will devour the world. No one will have the strength to destroy the fountain. Give us the device, Bryar Rose.”
I grip the Codex Mechanica so hard against my chest, the wood starts to creak. “I’ll never help you.”
“But you will, and soon,” they say together. Moving in unison once more, the Shadowvin face a single target.
Knox.
Adrenaline pumps through my system. I know what these two ghostly scumbags are planning. Once before, the Shadowvin threatened Knox and Elle, showing me how they could possess someone’s body.
Not happening.
Out of reflex, I stand between Knox and the Shadowvin. “If you want to get to my mate, you have to go through me first.”
My inner wolf roars to life. “Through us both,” she growls.
“You got it.”
For a long moment, the Shadowvin pause. No one else moves, either. In fact, I’m not sure anyone even breathes. As time ticks by, hope sparks in my chest. Maybe the Shadowvin are done being supernatural creeps. They could just mist their way out of here and take the Void with them. Weirder things have happened.
Fast as lightning, the Shadowvin slide right past me and into Knox’s body.
Panic zooms through my limbs. “NO!”
Just like they showed me in my dreams, the Shadowvin start to possess Knox. My mind races with fear. When it comes to possession, the more spirits you have inside you, the harder it is to fight back. And fighting possession? That hurts like hell. Most people don’t even bother to try, and that’s when they only have one spirit inside them. My heart sinks.
Knox has two.
Even so, my mate fights back. Hard.
Crumpling to his knees, Knox screams with pain. His veins run black. My inner wolf starts to lose her mind. Her eyes turn wild as she paces a frantic line.
“We have to help him,” she moans inside my soul.
“I don’t know what to do,” I reply.
I kneel before Knox. “How can I help?”
When Knox looks up at me, his eyes swirl with black. “Run.” His voice sounds like a hundred ancient men and women, all speaking at once.
“No,” I say solemnly. “You know I won’t do that.”
Elle and Alec rush to stand beside us. Both of them look wide-eyed with worry.
“There’s been enough time,” says Alec. “I can cast a dispossession.” Reaching into the pocket of his sport coat, Alec pulls out a handful of fresh rubies. Gripping the gems in his fist, Alec raises his arm high. Crimson light shines through his fingers. “With my magic, I call on thee, Shadowvin! Leave this place!”
A small cloud of red mist hovers in the air before Knox. With a flash of crimson light, the haze hardens into a pair of red doves. Doves. My stomach falls. Another magician’s trick. For their part, the birds coo and fly away.
Alec’s shoulders slump. “I’m so sorry. Just give me another minute. I’ll try again.”
“No,” says Knox through gritted teeth. “Run … They want me … to hurt you.”
“I know you won’t hurt me,” I say.
The Void’s deep voice booms across the countryside. “Bring me the fountain.” He floats closer. “Fountain!”
Crud. This is not going well.
I focus on Alec and Elle. “You guys should run.”
Elle kneels at my side. “We aren’t going anywhere.”
Knox grips my hands. “Remember when … I used shifter power … your wolf …”
Images appear in my mind. When I was first learning how to control my wolf, Knox used his alpha power to help me focus. Whatever Knox is doing, he’s barely keeping control. Maybe some shifter magic will help. “I understand.”
Reaching forward, I rest my hands on Knox’s shoulders. Within my heart, I pull on the threads of golden shifter power inside me. In my mind’s eye, I picture them winding down my arms and into Knox’s soul. His skin shimmers with a golden hue.
“It’s working,” says Elle.
“Try the spell again now,” I tell Alec.
Alec jams his hand into his pocket once more, pulling out more stones. Again, he raises the gems high. The magical rocks shine so brightly, they’re like a second sun. “Shadowvin, you must go!”
Waves of red light shimmer around Knox, reflecting off the golden hue of his skin. A pack of red playing cards bursts from his chest, flying in a long arc. I suck in a shaky breath. It’s another magician’s trick gone wrong. Only, the cards keep flying out, and with them, I see misty forms separate from Knox as well.
“It’s working!” I cry.
My mate lets out the mother of all roars and falls backward. The Shadowvin tumble from his body and round on Elle.
“How about you?” they ask in unison. “Perhaps you’ll be easier to control.”
Elle and I share a shocked look. There’s no need to review our options again. Alec’s magic is still on the fritz, and when transport spells go wrong, you end up dead.
Turning to the guys, we yell the same word: “Run!”
Knox slings his right arm over Alec’s shoulder. My mate braces his left arm on me. Together, the three of us race toward the villa at the top of the road. Elle keeps pace at our side, checking back every few yards. “They’re following us,” she reports.
“Make for the first villa,” says Knox. “Last time I was here, all the houses had serious protection wards against spirits. Jules was nuts about that stuff.”
Which makes sense. Jules killed a ton of people, both as a mortal and then later, when he became a zombie-mummy. If angry ghosts were going to attack someone, Jules would be target number one.
“Once we get there,” adds Knox, “we’ll be fine, but the Shadowvin shouldn’t get through.”
Alec and I push ourselves harder. Sweat lines my forehead and drips down my back. Elle runs a few yards ahead, scoping out the ground for us as we go. Every so often, she yells out stuff like, “Watch out for a rock on your right!” Normally, our shifter senses keep us from tripping over anything, but when you’re co-dragging along a very large Knox? Every bit of advice helps.
With all of us working together, it’s a short run to the first villa, but it feels like a marathon, especially since I’m helping carry Knox. Plus, it’s hard to see the ground under all this mist, not to mention our pursuers. I don’t see the Shadowvin, but I’m not stopping to scan for them, either.
Finally, we reach the front door. The thing is half off its hinges, but that won’t affect the warding spells that Jules put in place. Those castings will work whether the doors are open or closed.
Elle rushes in first. “It’s clear!” she calls.
Alec and I haul Knox inside. Once we cross the threshold, my mate collapses to the floor, pant
ing. The motion sends puffs of white dust rolling away from him.
“Well,” says Knox flatly. “That hurt like hell.” He looks to Elle, who has taken to standing vigil in the doorway. “Any news?”
“You were right about the wards,” says Elle. “The Shadowvin have stopped about twenty yards away. They’re pounding on some invisible barrier.” She exhales. “And they aren’t breaking through. Looks like Jules put some decent spells on this place.”
I kneel beside Knox. “Do you need some healing magic?”
“Nah.” Knox shakes his head. “Let Alec save his stones for when we really need them.” My mate does look a lot better. His veins are no longer black, and the swirling shadows are gone from his eyes. “You still got the Codex Mechanica?”
I hold it up from where I’d kept it jammed under my arm. “Still here.”
“Good.”
Elle turns and smiles. “They’ve gone.”
Little by little, the clouds roll away. The mist disappears from the countryside. Beams of sunlight shine through the broken door and cracked windows.
Knox glares at the doorway. “I don’t like this. It’s—”
“Another setup,” finishes Elle.
Alec shakes some of the plaster bits off his head. “Did you see how fast the Shadowvin can move when they want to? They flew into Knox. But when it came to chasing us, they always stayed a few yards behind. That wasn’t a hunt. The Shadowvin were herding us onto the property. At this point, all we need are cow costumes, and the look would be complete.”
A half-smile curls on Knox’s mouth. “I don’t know, Alec. You’ve got a little paunch going already. You might already be rocking the cow look.”
“Remind me,” says Alec. “Why do I transport my ass all over the world to save yours?”
Knox shrugs. “I’ve got a nice ass.”
I shake my head and smile. “Do you guys ever take anything seriously?”
Alec winks. “Not if we can help it.”
“We should check out the property,” I say. “Look for the fountain systematically.”
Elle winces. “Do you think the Shadowvin will come back?”
“I don’t know,” I reply. “But Alec is right. They herded us here for a reason.”
Alec pulls more gemstones from his pocket. “Give me an hour. After that, maybe we can try to transport away again.”
Shifters And Glyphs Page 21
