In Smoke And Ruins (Burned by Magic Book 2)

by Gina Shafer

  “I’ve got earpieces in the car. I think only one pair,” Lincoln says.

  “That works. You should pair with Soren. If I space out into another vision, you can stay connected best to the group with him.”

  “Well, hell. I ain’t stayin’ here in this dark-ass creepy cabin one night longer, so ya’ll better be prepared for me to tag along too,” Beckett says as he walks into the tiny bathroom and slams the door. Willow takes a step forward, fighting back another growl, and then pastes herself to Soren’s side again.

  “Well, I guess that’s that. We better get a move on,” I tell the guys.

  We’re coming, Elijah.

  “I don’t like the way the sky looks tonight.” Lincoln’s voice rings through the car on our way to meet McCade. We’re about ten minutes from our drop spot.

  I tilt my head, peeking out of the passenger window. “The sky looks normal to me.”

  “Yeah,” is all Lincoln says.

  We park the car a few blocks down and walk the rest of the way. Lincoln falls back and breaks away as soon as we reach his hiding spot. He lugs the rifle up the stairs and tells Soren he’s in place. We’re early, which means we’ve got enough time to explore the perimeter.

  Beckett, stealing a sip from his flask, rounds the first corner. Worry sets in, and it’s hard for me to tell if it’s for him or because he could get us caught being so sloppy.

  Willow stays close to Soren’s side as they make their way around the other side of the house. My fingers itch to grab the swords on my back, but I don’t go for them yet. I don’t want McCade to think we came here wanting a fight.

  I decide to go inside, and as soon as I cross the threshold into the living room, I realize my mistake. Elijah is everywhere in this house.

  My boots crunch across the glass scattered on the floor. Vara made the mess, and it was fully never cleaned up. I go through all the rooms—the one Rayna was born in, the room Soren stayed in, and the others. It makes my heart ache. Even though we’ve all been through some awfully shitty times in this house, I miss when we were all together.

  I pause just before I enter the room Elijah and I shared, my hand stilling on the doorknob, and Soren’s voice catches me off guard.

  “They’re here.” Even though Soren is at the bottom of the stairs, the look in his eyes is so clear he may as well be inches from my face. He’s afraid. So am I. My skin prickles as I make my way down the stairs, and we meet up with Beckett.

  On the porch, we face McCade and two other demons I don’t know. They damn near snarl at us, and it makes me even more uneasy.

  “Karina, so glad you made it.” McCade smiles, looking slowly up my body. I turn away, uncomfortable under his gaze. Which is surprising to me, since I’ve never been one to shy away from anything. Not since I was a little girl.

  “Hello… I don’t believe we’ve met.” McCade shifts his attention to Soren, and my insides clench. Of course he would notice him right away.

  “We haven’t, and forgive me, but I won’t be shaking your hand,” Soren says, deliberately avoiding telling McCade his name.

  McCade smiles and says, “All is fair in war, I guess.”

  “Why did you call us here, McCade?” I interject.

  McCade looks at Beckett and sneers, then ignores him completely. “Where is the demon? The one you captured, the one who killed Soren?” McCade asks, his eyes searching through the area surrounding us.

  “We set him free ages ago,” I answer, trying my best not to stiffen at the mention of Soren’s death.

  “Hm….” McCade wanders around the front porch. “Pity. Vara would have loved his head on a stick.” He smiles and smudges a finger across the dust that has settled on the railing.

  “Where is Elijah?” I ask, hopefully diverting his attention from all things Soren.

  McCade smiles again.

  “Cut the shit, McCade. Tell us what you want,” Soren spits out.

  The other demons across from us lean forward, ready to take us on at a moment’s notice, I’m sure. Beckett backs down, his feet sliding backward. I glance behind me to look at his face, but the only thing I see there is my father wearing the mask of a coward.

  Willow growls, bringing my attention back to McCade. I notice him pulling something from his pocket. We tense for a moment, and Willow’s growl deepens, unsure what he’s reaching for. I get ready to draw my swords, but the look on McCade’s face doesn’t convey that he’s ready for a fight. Although, the last time we actually were fighting, it seemed as though he was enjoying himself.

  “You know, little missy, if you grab those blades, I can make you drop them just as quickly.” McCade laughs, eyes flicking to Soren. “And you too, boy. Whatever you’re thinking, it won’t work. I’ve got spells that’ll make you live your worst nightmares. Just ask Daddy there.”

  I don’t look back. I don’t want to see Beckett looking like a coward. But, this only makes McCade’s smile grow wider.

  “I think you’ll be interested in seeing this. He reaches into his pocket again and this time pulls out the cell phone he was reaching for the first time. It only takes McCade a moment to pull up a video. He turns the phone toward us and presses play. Elijah is on the screen. My knees feel like they’re about to buckle.

  The first thing I notice is that he’s dirty. So dirty. Covered in grime and sludge. My heart aches for him. He’s in a chair, with one light above him. A man off-camera asks him a question, but I can’t quite make out the words.

  Elijah doesn’t answer, though I see all of the emotion he must be feeling written so clearly on his face. His jaw clenches as the man continues talking, and his muscles go rigid. I think I can almost make out my name, and then the screen goes blank.

  I need to see more. I was so focused on Elijah I forgot to look around for clues to his location. I tilt my head toward Soren, asking him with my eyes if he saw anything, but the slight shake of his head tells me he saw nothing either.

  McCade peeks up at us from his lashes, a sly smile on his face. “Elijah…how does someone like him become so valuable?” he asks, slipping the phone back inside his pocket. He takes a seat on the only intact chair. The rest are strewn about in pieces. We all move with him, so our backs are to the road. Not something I am comfortable with, but I don’t want to show McCade fear.

  “Well, I guess we should get on with it then. Now that you’ve seen that Elijah is alive and almost well, I’d like to make a deal with you,” he announces, his hands resting in his lap.

  “I already told you, McCade, Sicarri don’t make deals with Demons,” I tell him, crossing my arms.

  “Ah, yes. So I’ve heard. But here we are, and I just can’t help but look around and see …no Sicarri.” McCade motions around us with his palms open and flat. I take a second to scan the area.

  He’s right. Not a single soul besides us, and only Lincoln in the house a few doors down.

  “What kind of deal?” Soren asks, his eyes accusing.

  “I’m glad you asked,” McCade says. “From the looks of it, I’d say your little group is desperate to get Elijah back. I don’t give a shit what happens to the poor guy. It’s Vara that wants him for, well… let’s just say she hasn’t finished with him yet. You see, Vara has become obsessed with this war, for lack of a better word, and she won’t stop until she wins. I’ve told her time and time again that she’s already queen. That happened as soon as that asshole Abe kicked the bucket. I’ve been meaning to thank Elijah for that, by the way.” He grins. “I’m sorry to say I’ve just about had enough. I’m much too old for these games. I just want to enjoy the rest of my days with the love of my life, living like royalty. Vara is too drunk on power,” he finishes, looking up at us expectantly.

  “You… you’re saying you’re with Vara?” I ask.

  “Well, not presently, but every night… yes.” McCade laughs, and Soren stifles a cough. McCade’s eyes shift to Soren, his gaze becoming questioning.

  “What do you expect us to do about it?” I
ask, pulling his focus back to me.

  “There it is, the million-dollar question.” He stands, and we take a step back.

  “I want you, and your other Sicarri dogs, to stop this bullshit. Let us demons live our lives the way we want, and in return, we will give you your precious Elijah and let you keep one safe zone in every major city.”

  “You want us to stop fighting back?” I ask, dumbfounded that he’s actually asking us to do this.

  “Precisely. See, Karina? I knew you were a smart one. Vara seems to think differently, but it’s almost like you smell different. You smell—”

  “No,” Soren spits.

  “No?” McCade asks.

  “No,” Soren says again.

  “B-but—” McCade stutters, and I can tell by the look on his face, he’s not a man who is stunned into silence often.

  “We won’t stop until there isn’t a single demon walking this earth,” Soren says.

  It only takes me a second to understand that for Soren, keeping the world safe comes before Elijah. McCade knows I would do anything to get Elijah back, but there has to be some other way. I’m not ready to give up yet, so I square my shoulders, taking on the challenge.

  “What a mistake you have made,” McCade glances at the demons beside him and motions to us. “Kill them. Dog first, or one of you is bound to end up with a bite.”

  McCade starts to walk away. Willow snarls, every single one of her teeth showing.

  “I’m going to enjoy this,” one of the demons says, and they lunge at us. They didn’t take into account that it was Sicarri they were dealing with. Soren and I happen to be two of the quickest members. We dodge out of the way, and my hands instinctively go to my swords, drawing them. The metal slides against the sheaths, the sound reverberating around us.

  What Soren and I didn’t count on was that Willow was a half second too slow. One of the demons gets his hands wrapped around her middle, and she yelps.

  Soren is already charging one of the demons. If anyone is to save Willow, it has to be me.

  That’s when I feel it. My magic.

  My entire body is alight with flames. I’m burning, I know it. Until, I’m not. I look down at my skin, and it’s like I can feel the heat, but it doesn’t hurt. There’s so much power surging through me that it feels like, I might explode. I’m holding it all in as best I can, but the ground is beginning to heat and blacken around me.

  Willow makes another loud yelp, and the other demon lands a punch across Soren’s jaw that dazes him. These demons are strong, stronger than any other we’ve fought.

  McCade turns, locks eyes with me, and his eyes go wide. He sees something in me that I have yet to see myself. His lips part, I’m sure to utter some spell, but I beat him to it. I clench my eyes and let go. I let every ounce of power flow through me. I let my fear go. I let everything go, until I come to, and everyone, including McCade is collapsed around me.

  Lincoln stands in front of me, his eyes wide in wonder.

  “What happened?” I ask, my voice like rough sandpaper against my throat.

  “I think you just realized the full extent of your powers,” Lincoln answers.

  Willow, Soren, and Beckett are also collapsed on the ground around us.

  “Oh my god, did I kill them?” My hands fly up to my chest, and I watch in stunned silence as Lincoln checks their pulses.

  “They’re alive, though you may not want to keep those two that way.” He nods at McCade’s demon guards. “I’m not sure how long they’re going to stay this way. We better get going.” Lincoln tells me as he starts to lift Soren’s body from the cement.

  “Wait, Lincoln,” I say. “I have an idea.”

  Twenty-three minutes. That’s how long they’ve been out. After Lincoln slit the throats of the two demon guards and set their bodies on fire, we tied McCade in ropes and loaded him, along with Soren, Beckett, and Willow, into the car and drove off.

  We headed over to one of Lincoln’s safe houses in the area, supposedly spelled with the ability to block magic. Nothing works within these walls.

  I’ve never been more at peace. On one hand, McCade won’t be able to easily escape using his power. And on the other hand, I’m not sure if my connection to Elijah still exists within these walls.

  Soren, Beckett, and Willow are laid out on the floor next to each other as Lincoln and I watch over them. My eyes dart from face to face, waiting impatiently for someone to twitch, move…anything.

  Willow is the first to wake. She thuds her tail once, twice, and then stirs slowly, blinking her eyes and letting out a whine. I rush to her side, taking her head in my lap and petting her until she fully rouses. When her eyes connect with mine, she stands and swipes her tongue across my cheek, her tail coming to a full wag. My eyes fill with tears, and my smile breaks across my face.

  No matter how many times Lincoln told me they would be okay, that they were most likely only magically knocked out, I couldn’t bring myself to believe it. Relief hits me in the chest like I’ve been kicked, and I welcome the feeling no matter how painful.

  Soren rouses, and I twist to look at him. His eyes are open, though he hasn’t moved yet. Willow jumps out of my lap and rushes over to him, and I follow her. I rest on my knees at his side, and Willow scoots as close to him as possible.

  “What happened?” he whispers, rising to rest on his elbows.

  “Karina happened,” Lincoln says, and it’s the first time I notice that he hasn’t moved since everyone started rousing.

  Soren throws me a questioning glance and for once, I can’t hold it. I avert my eyes, twisting my fingers together.

  “I don’t know what happened,” I say, guilt so thickly spread over the words, they may as well be coated in honey. Or something worse. Oil.

  “What…” Soren starts, still not understanding what happened.

  “When the fight broke out, you were in danger—all of you,” Lincoln says.

  My attention floats to Beckett, who still hasn’t woken. I frown, watching the thick vein in his throat beat, pumping blood through his body. I hold on to that, reminding myself I didn’t kill them. From the looks of it, I didn’t even hurt them, save for their fall to the ground.

  “It happened so fast,” I tell them. “One minute I was watching the fight. Willow was getting crushed, and Soren was about to be killed. The next minute, I felt a surge of power leave me. When I opened my eyes, everyone was on the ground, and Lincoln had rushed over to help me with you guys. I-I thought I killed you.” I tell them, shame so heavy in my body that I nearly double over with it.

  “Do you realize what you’ve done? You took down one of the most powerful demons, yet he’s still alive.” Soren pauses, scanning the room. “I’m assuming you captured McCade?”

  I nod.

  “You are guilty of nothing,” Lincoln says, holding my gaze so strongly, I’m physically unable to look away.

  Beckett stirs, and his deep cough vibrates the walls. I go to his side, helping him sit when he struggles.

  “Anyone got something to drink ‘round here?” he asks, a weak attempt at humor. “What the hell did you do, girlie?” he asks through a shake of his head and a sigh.

  A roar from the basement catches us off guard. Of course McCade would be waking, considering all the others have too. Lincoln and I tied him up to a rusty metal chair with anything and everything we could find. Ropes, cords, even scraps of old fabric. We had no idea how strong he was, or what he was capable of, so we took every precaution possible.

  “That would be McCade?” Soren asks, and I nod.

  “Keep me out of this one,” Beckett says, rising and marching out of the house. I’ve never seen him move so quickly. Something has him scared. Something dark.

  “Why don’t you recover for a few?” I ask Soren. “Lincoln and I will take this one.”

  Soren nods, gathering himself with Willow hot on his heels. He plops down on the couch in the corner of the room, a deep blue suede one that looks a little worse f
or wear. Willow hops up next to him and lays her head in his lap, her golden fur a stark contrast against the blue of the couch.

  “You go ahead, Karina, I’ll be down in a few,” Lincoln tells me, his eyes darting from the stairs leading to the basement and the front door.

  Was Lincoln afraid of McCade too? If so, why? And a better question… should I be?

  The roaring from McCade ceases. I cross the room and head down into the basement, steeling myself before unlocking the door and going inside.

  “Ignis gerit. Get these fucking things off me. They burn,” McCade spits, his face fiery red. The ropes tangled around his wrists are like a pair of bracelets.

  My fingers itch to wrap themselves around some type of weapon. I didn’t want to bring my swords down here, not wanting to put any type of weapons within McCade’s reach. He’s tricky; I know this, so instead of acquiescing to his request, I simply ask a question of my own. One I’ve wanted to know for a while now.

  “Where is Elijah?” I sound more calm and collected than I had expected.

  “He’s with Vara,” he answers.

  I try my best to hide my surprise. I didn’t think he’d actually answer that. “What does she want from him?” I push, my hand coming up to rest on my hip as I continue my questioning.

  This only elicits a smile from McCade.

  “What does she want?” I ask again, more sternly.

  His head rolls back, and his eyes close briefly. “She wants his child, Karina. Something you both have given him. Something that was taken in the form of Soren, and given back in the form of that tiny little girl you’re always hiding. Where is she today, Karina? Do you even know?”

  I flash back to holding Rayna, and Vara thinking she was mine. Relief flows through me when I realize they still think Soren is dead.

  He must take my reaction as sorrow from being away from Elijah and Rayna, because he only smiles.

  “Tell me where he is, and I’ll let you go,” I say through clenched teeth.

  “Ha! Is this you joking now, Karina? I like it.”