He opened his mouth as if to say something more, then stopped, grinned, and entered the suite’s foyer.
“You look like shit.” A man so resembling Jace that it had to be his brother glanced up from a laptop. Light brown eyes lit up with humor. “What the hell happened to you two?”
Terra tucked her chin into the hoodie, unable to meet his curious stare.
“Making a hot geyser spurt all over the fucking desert.” Smirking, Jace put a thumb under her chin, and planted a claiming kiss.
Once she came up for air, she stared, opened mouthed. Did he seriously just say that?
“Shit. Josh was right. I didn’t believe him.” The man stood, his face breaking into a wide smile.
Jace let go of her face and said, “It was fucking unbelievable. I turned sand into glass under the solstice moon. Even kept a footstep to prove it.”
“I’m going to have a shower,” Terra muttered. She stopped at the small fridge, thankful for a tuna sandwich.
“Wait.” Jace grabbed her hand and winced. “Sorry. I should have introduced you. Terra this is my brother, Jack.”
The man gave her a lopsided grin and held out a small match-like flame in front of his hand. “Welcome to the family.”
Family.
She hadn’t really thought of that. Being mated to Jace meant she was now part of the Fialko clan. They were her family. How long had it been since she’d heard that word and felt like she belonged? Her heart warmed as she added her own foreign-feeling flame, and shook. “Thanks.”
The back bedroom door opened and Josh exited with hair matted, chin darkened with stubble. His shirt was untucked, eyes bloodshot. Her chest tightened in sympathy.
Jace inhaled audibly. He hadn’t spoken about it, but she knew he was holding onto the guilt of what happened with Nicole. She could see it in his eyes, in the tension on his face.
“I just got off the phone with Nicole’s family. Apparently she told her sister something about her plans with Mic.” Josh sat down on the arm of the plush brown couch and dug palms into his dark eye sockets. “They want me to go down to the police station later today and file a missing person’s report.”
“Probably smart.” Jack moved across the small living area and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Once they do a DNA test on the body, they’ll be able to trace her back to you. Better to look like the grieving husband, then–”
Josh slapped away the attempt at comfort. “I am the fucking grieving husband.”
Jack jumped back with palms up. “I know. I didn’t mean–”
“I know what you meant.”
“I’m going to get cleaned up.” Terra touched Jace’s arm, then started toward the master bedroom.
The brothers continued to talk, then Jace spoke softly. “If there was any other way… I couldn’t let her kill you. It had to be fast to cha-”
“Did I say I blamed you?” Josh’s voice cracked.
“You didn’t have to. I’m so fucking sorry.”
“I know.”
Terra opened the door, and looked over her shoulder. All three brothers embraced, foreheads together, and arms around each other’s backs.
Jack was the first to let go, with an arm swiping over his red eyes. “It’s time to make him pay.”
Yes, they would. For everything.
Terra closed the door slowly, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
With a giant knot lodged in her throat, she managed to finish her meager meal, then started a long, hot shower. Pulsing jets of pure heaven massaged her aching body. It took three shampoos before the water ran clear. Even then, she stayed until her fingers pruned.
Closing her eyes, she rested her forehead and palms against the shower wall.
She was mated.
It still didn’t feel real. And yet at the same time, it was the most alive she’d ever felt.
With a heavy sigh, she turned the water off.
No longer was she just Earth. Fire power surged through her body, through her veins, heating her core, and making everything seem more vibrant.
She stepped out of the tub and held out her hand. A small fireball appeared, swirling with red and orange magic.
The power that raced through her body hummed with an intensity that begged to be released. Together, she and Jace had only touched upon the potential of that power. How much stronger would it be combined with the dark turquoise?
She closed her fist on the flame, and the energy flowed back into her body.
Her mind raced with the possibilities as she dressed in the new clothes laid out for her. She could finally put an end to Mic’s reign. Defeat the man who had destroyed her mother.
A shiver ran down her spine and she sat down heavily on the end of the bed.
Mic may have been the one who forced her mother into hiding, but he wasn’t the person responsible for ending her life. Terra had someone much closer to blame for that.
Placing her face in her hands, she let out a long, uneven breath. God, what would Jace think if he knew?
She hadn’t been lying when she told him she understood his guilt.
The difference was, what she’d done hadn’t been an accident. One stupid adolescent temper tantrum had killed the only person she’d ever truly cared about. There were no excuses. No one to blame but herself.
No. That wasn’t entirely true. She had Mic to blame. If her mother hadn’t been forced to run from the man, Terra would have been raised with other witches who understood the kind of power she could harness. She would’ve learned to control the power.
Maybe, because she was now mated, for the first time it dawned on Terra. Her mother was partially to blame as well. She’d never let Terra practice her skills. She’d acted as if Terra was a low level half-breed, instead of the product of two of the most powerful witches on earth.
Terra shook her head. It wasn’t her mom’s fault either. She’d never truly recovered from the rape. Again, it was all Mic’s doing. He’d pay for everything he’d done, and Terra would make sure he never hurt anyone else again.
A small tremor shook the whole building. Shit. With her eyes shut tight, she tried to stop the agitation from growing within.
The bedroom door burst open.
“What’s wrong?” Brows furrowed, Jace raced toward her, knelt and took her hands in his.
“Nothing…” She shook her head as the Vdara swayed sickeningly. “I was just thinking.”
“You need to keep it contained. The building–”
“You think I don’t know that?” She tugged her hands free and stood. “I’m trying.”
“Hey.” His fingers caressed her shoulders as he turned her into his arms. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”
“Nothing. I just want to get this over with. The sooner Mic is gone, the better.”
He held her an arm’s length away and studied her. “We’re going after the black turquoise. That’s our first priority. Once we have it secured, we’ll bring Mic to justice in front of the Council.”
“You’re going to let him live?” She couldn’t stop her mouth from dropping open.
A hand raked through his still muddy hair. “We can’t just go around killing people. There are rules.”
Her voice came out an octave higher, despite her best effort. “Rules? And what about Nicole? Your rules didn’t stop you from blasting her, and she didn’t do half the shit Mic has done”
She was sorry the moment the words came out of her mouth.
His mouth went thin and he shook his head slowly back and forth. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“I’m really sorry. I’m just so angry.” She touched a palm to his cheek. He turned his head into it, and kissed.
“It’s been a long day and neither one of us is thinking clearly. If we have to use excessive force on Mic and his men we will, but–”
“When are we leaving?”
His brows furrowed. “You’re not going with us.”
“What?” Hairs on the
back of her neck stood on end.
“You’re my mate. It’s my job to protect you. Even if you weren’t, I’m not letting you go into danger.” His jaw ticked, like she was learning it did when he was really angry.
A long life of being bossed around by her new mate flashed for a second in her mind’s eye. Her out-of-control mouth continued, “The only reason we mated was to combine powers, to fight him together.”
Jace winced. “I hope that’s not the only reason.”
“Of course not.” She ground her back teeth and glared up at him with stubborn determination. “But you will take me with you.”
“It’s not just you I’m worried about.” He stared pointedly at her belly. “You have to remember that there’s a good chance you’re pregnant.”
Terra’s stomach muscles tightened and all the blood drained from her head. Shit, shit, shit. How could she have forgotten? Mating during solstice almost always guaranteed conception.
A bit shaky, she paced the short length between the two queen beds in the room.
Damn it. The whole thing was a complicated mess.
Pregnant with Jace Fialko’s baby.
She closed her eyes and tried to contain the anxiety from spilling out in a wave of power.
“Terra.” His hands went back to her shoulders, rubbing gently. “Everything is going to work out. I promise.”
Things would only turn out right if she got rid of Mic. She had to. For her. For her baby. And for Jace. That much she was sure of.
“You have to let me go with you. Please. What if–”
“No.” His voice held command, the underlying tension audible. “You’re not going. If anything happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.” His hands threaded into her clean hair, and pulled at the tangles.
“And what if something happens to you?” She shook her head free and sighed.
The bedroom door opened and Jack poked his head around it. “Sorry to interrupt. We just got word that Mic and his men are at the mine. We need to go.”
“Promise me you’ll stay here. I mean it.” Jace’s eyes sparked with warning.
“Unless you’d like to explain away a sinkhole the size of six city blocks, I am going with you.”
A deep frown sunk to a perfected glower. “Fine. I don’t have time to argue. But you will stay in the car.”
She shot him a triumphant smirk with raised eyebrows. Then, a pair of flip-flops sufficed for shoes and she raced with the men down to the garage. She ignored the disapproving looks of the other well-dressed occupants, coming from the tables.
Whatever. The truly high stakes tonight are in the desert.
Chapter 22
Low enough that all his men felt the need to duck, an unnatural meteor sliced the night sky, momentarily illuminating cactus and sand. A rumble sounded in the distance, and the ground shifted beneath Mic’s feet.
Fuck-it-all-to hell. His slut daughter and the flame-thrower had to be rutting under the full moon.
Not much time left.
In the mine, the generator hummed while twelve lesser witches used old-fashioned picks at the vein of turquoise. One large rock fell to the floor and a man squatted to pick it up without gloves.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Mic backhanded him. “I told you not to touch it.”
The whole process was taking too long. He tapped his foot, paced, and even picked up a shovel, and began piling stones into a wheelbarrow. He dragged it outside and trotted it down the hill.
There Eddie paced, shouting into a sat-phone. “…No! Not now. Thirty minutes ago. I don’t care…Yeah? Well find another driver without speeding tickets. Do I need to wipe your ass as well?” He hung up and shook his head. “The mining equipment is still a couple hours away. We’ll need to get what we can by hand and clear out.”
“We’re not going anywhere.” Mic seethed. “I want that turquoise. All of it. What are you afraid of?” He pointed to the pile of rough-cut gems. “Pick one up, try it out.”
Eddie backed away. “Nah, I believe you, Mic. It’s just–”
“I said pick it up and try it out. It wasn’t a suggestion.”
Since when had Eddie grown a set? That would not do. Not do at all.
Frowning, Eddie picked up a sliver of black stone.
“Bigger, damn it.” Mic glowered and his right hand clenched into a fist as he pictured pummeling the man.
Eddie’s eyes narrowed and the ground rumbled. “Listen Mic, you need someone to keep watch.”
“You going to fight me on this? Think you will win?” He walked over, grabbed a two-pound chunk and put it into Eddie’s hands. “Take it.”
The guy hesitated for a moment, then took the stone. His eyes rolled back, and the ground underneath shook in a quake.
“Feel it course through your veins, take you over, become one with it.” Mic’s cock hardened and the need to hold his own black gem became as addicting as crack.
While Eddie caressed his stone, higher than a kite, Mic did the same. Visions came to him, like that one night he’d shared peyote with the old healer. That night he’d realized he was a hawk, a predator, and those weaker than him existed only to feed his young…his clan.
He was born to bring Brasmatia back to greatness. No longer would his proud clan work small mines, or worse, as minions for the energy companies. Brasmatia would be great again. His daughter’s offspring would see to it.
Generations of Brasmatia’s would come to own the earth. His rightful heirs. Had he not searched the whole of the country to find the one woman that would augment his power? Had he not sacrificed to be mated with that virgin bitch?
He cursed. Solstice mating had left him aching forever, for a witch, long dead. No matter how much he fucked, it was never as good.
In his mind, his hawk soared, swooped, and talons sunk into flesh. He would destroy his enemies one by one.
“Mr. Luggerio? I think you need to come up here.”
The voice pulled him out of his dream-like state and he glanced at his smartphone. Midnight? How the hell had that happened? Hours had passed while he’d been caught up in the stone’s power.
Out in the desert, Eddie conversed with a cactus while sitting cross-legged and rubbing the turquoise where he’d unbuttoned his fly.
“Eddie. Get the fuck over here.”
The words came out so slurred that it shocked him into dropping the stone by his feet. Damn, he wanted more so bad he ached. He stepped on the stone, and the high was enough to keep him going. For now. He’d need more later.
He shivered with anticipation of bathing in a pile of the gems, infusing the dark energy into his being.
Up the hill, his men sat sleeping or messed up. The turquoise was as addictive as cocaine, and his men were getting just as high as if they’d snorted the stuff.
He kicked the stone out of the hands of the closest drooling idiot. Then, kicked again, hitting ribs. “Get up.”
The guy woke, eyes glassy, and nodded. He crawled onto his hands and knees, and used the cave wall to stand.
“Get everyone out of here. Send them home.”
“Sure, Mr. Luggerio.” The man staggered, then began shaking the others.
Cars roared away. He alone, would stay to enjoy the high.
The stones made his mind race. He’d made one serious miscalculation. He should’ve gotten humans to work the mines. He’d make some calls in the morning and dig out the rest of the black turquoise. He grinned. No doubt, a terrible cave-in would ensue, killing off any witnesses to what lay within.
Pleased at his decision, he decided to re-enter his hawk dream, but the roar of a vehicle made him exit the mine.
A violet tornado-like energy whirled around a white truck parked below.
He had to shake his head to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. But no, two of the Fialko brothers exited the truck, the third was no doubt hiding under the tarp in the back.
No matter. He scrambled up the hill, over the mouth of the mine, to the very
top. From there, he put a palm to the ground and focused all his new power. His cock hardened. The ground shook, rocks tumbled down the hill, and a giant sinkhole appeared.
Mic’s grin halted midway when the gap in the desert closed up like a zipper. The truck merely bobbed up and down.
That dirty little bitch had mated? Shared his clan’s power? With the Iesco’s, no less. Years of careful planning all gone to shit.
He screamed himself hoarse, “Dead. You hear me? You’re all dead.”
More turquoise. He would need much more to deal with them.
“Dead men walking,” he muttered when he reached the center of the cave.
Large stones nearly hit him, as they dropped from overhead. Ignoring them, Mic used his anger to gather the cave’s power to him. Black gems sparkled. He grinned, upped his power, and the generator exploded, leaving him in glowing black light.
Footsteps sounded from the cave entrance. It was the leader of the Iesco clan, Jack, who had the balls to step forward.
Shimmering inside the violet vortex-shield, Jack said, “It’s over. You need to come with us.”
“Sorry boys. You’ve got it all wrong.” He squatted with his hands to the ground. When the cave began to fall apart all around them, the men’s faces turn from all-balls to fear.
“Stop! Mic. That’s enough.”
What the hell? His blond bitch-spawn entered the cave as if she owned the place. The Fialko brothers looked just as surprised as he was by her presence.
Momentarily stunned, power seeped out of his body. My high? Where did it go?
He gritted his teeth and clenched his palms. “This cave is mine!”
“No.” She produced two matching flames, one in each palm. “It’s mine.”
“Terra, no!” The witch who’d mated with her stepped in front, holding a spinning pool of lava.
Jack kept the shield going, but it was lessening in intensity. He had to be getting tired by now.
Mic chuckled and decided to bide some time.
“Let my dear daughter talk. You want to, Honey, don’t you? You know your daddy loves you. If your bitch of a mother hadn’t stolen you away from me, we’d be a family. We can still be a family.”
“You’re a bastard. I’ll kill you for what you did to my mom. What you did to me.” She shook off her mate and stepped out into the clearing, just as he knew she would. “You need to let me do this, Jace. For me. For us.”
Dark Tremor (Mated by Magic #2) Page 11
