As if he knew I was staring, he glanced up at me, his lips curling into a smile. I smiled back, couldn’t help myself. He’d offered me something I wasn’t sure if I wanted. A partner. A strong partner. He held my stare for a minute longer, then winked and returned to what he was doing.
I turned away. There wasn’t a spark though. That’s what the problem was. I knew my heart would be safe with Billy, but there wouldn’t be the passion that I had with Wyatt. Damn choices. It couldn’t be easy right? Not for me anyway. What I needed to remember was Wyatt wasn’t offering me anything. Just a ride home—that was it.
“Hey, gang!” Sam waltzed into the room, looking peppy and revitalized. “Miss me?”
“Hell yes!” Billy said with a smile. “Good to see ya back on your feet.”
“Thanks to you.” Sam came over and gave me a hug, pulling me down so her lips were at my ear. “I owe you my life, babe. Whatever you need, I’m there.”
I nodded, squeezed tighter. “Wyatt too, Sam. I know you don’t…”
She let me go before I could finish and headed for Wyatt, her shoulders set, her march a determined one. If Wyatt saw her coming he didn’t let on. Instead he pulled a couple of steel stakes from a special case and examined them intently.
She stopped a few feet short of him. “You.”
Her tone was venomous. I cringed. This so wasn’t going to go well.
Clive came up behind her, hands on her shoulders. Wyatt turned to look at them both, an eyebrow cocked, a stake still in his hand.
“You saved my life,” Sam said, her words sounding almost like an accusation. “For a witch, you’re a pretty decent guy. I misjudged you.”
I held my breath. What would Wyatt do? He wasn’t exactly the most diplomatic. With him, there was always an “i” in team.
“You’re welcome.”
“I owe you.” Sam raised her hand when Wyatt attempted to speak. “Just sayin’, if you ever want my help, I’m there.”
“No offense, but I didn’t do it for you so you can keep your gratitude beyond a thanks.” He turned away from her then, put the stake back in its place and moved onto the next batch of weapons.
I blinked. Hard. Huh? Who had he done it for then? Me? Hardly believable. Wyatt didn’t do anything for me. Duty. Orders. Obligation. Sure, he’d done those things but saving Sam hadn’t been about anything like that. Confusing. That was what that man was. Just one huge ball of confusion.
I shook it off. Fuck Wyatt and his coded words and hidden meanings. If he wanted me to know something, he was going to have to say it. Out loud. To me.
Sam shrugged, never one to take offense over social faux pas. She’d made her peace. She was done. “So, where’s the party?”
As Billy filled her and Clive in, I continued to move down the length of the room. There was a shelf of books that I almost bypassed completely until my gaze snagged on a worn leather spine. I pulled it from its perch, letting it flop open as it landed on the overhanging bottom shelf. An echo of power wafted up at me.
It was a grimoire. A witch’s spell book. Rare to find outside of a witch family. They were usually treated with much care, preserved through the generations.
I flipped through the old parchment pages, some crumbling at the corners as I did. It was a shame this wasn’t being cared for properly. There was much power within. A signature I didn’t recognize.
“We found that at a hunt. Witch was gone, musta left it behind in her haste to outrun us.” Billy came up next to me. “Sam said there’s nothing in there of use to her. You’re welcome to it if you want.”
Of course my family had its own grimoire, one that I hadn’t seen since I’d left years ago. I’d never technically been allowed to cast from it, the spells all too complicated for my limited abilities. I’d tried of course, just because I was a badass rebel, but nothing had ever worked.
“You’re giving it to me?” I whispered.
He couldn’t possibly know what that meant. A grimoire was like a recipe book. For someone like me, someone with limited knowledge, it was an encyclopedia of power. Old school spells, tailor-made by gifted witches. Only the best, most proven spells went into a grimoire. No matter who you were, the effort it took to build one of these books, to infuse the spells into the sheets was not something you’d do with crappy spells. Only the best for a grimoire. Not to mention actually building the spells themselves.
Yeah, not something the average witch could do or do well. This was a gift beyond anything I could possibly reciprocate. I couldn’t imagine why Sam didn’t want it.
“If you can find some value in it and want to take care of it, yes, sure.” He shrugged when I looked up at him, blushing a little. “It’s just rotting away here. I know these things are valuable.”
I gulped the lump that had grown in my throat. “It’s a generous gift, Billy, thank you.”
He patted my arm. “It’ll be here waiting for you when we come back. All yours.”
I held his gaze for a moment more, knowing that there were a lot of unspoken things being said. Partners, he’d said. He wanted me to stay. The book was an added bonus, not a bribe. I hoped anyway.
I glanced back down and he moved away. Tears burned the back of my eyes. Why the fuck was I getting emotional? Why? Because Billy was being nice to me? He’d always been considerate. Kind. A good friend.
A good friend.
In the blur of tears, the ones that I forbid shedding, I saw a spell. One that would be very handy if I could wield it.
A binding spell.
It wasn’t the same one I’d memorized from the old Academy textbooks. The one I used quite a lot, inexpertly, but still, it worked. Kinda.
This one was full of complicated phrases. But a binding spell of some sort was a necessity when hunting witches. If you could wield it properly, it could stop a witch’s powers dead, take her ability to cast away and render her practically helpless. I knew I’d need one for Ivana. Binding her powers would give me the advantage, incapacitate her, make her vulnerable.
I glanced at the section of the room with the blades then at the clock. We’d be heading out shortly. I could probably weave a binding spell into one, maybe two. Maybe. Possibly not. But it was worth a try.
I picked up the book and stared at the words as I walked to the knives. Ego redimio vos veneficus. I bind you witch. I sucked in a deep breath, strengthened my back.
I could do this.
Chapter Twenty-Four
We stood in silence, contemplating the house. It was about a hundred feet away, painted white, and illuminated on all sides by soft flood lights turned on in anticipation of nightfall, only a short time away. It was situated right on the beach, not far from the ocean. The picture of luxury, not what one would expect of a vampire den, it boasted huge floor to ceiling windows, all blacked out and spaced only a foot apart, and from what I could see, they went all around the building. Elevated on thick stilts, it had a large wrap-around porch and several staircases leading up to it. It was really quite beautiful.
“Kali, Wyatt, you two have had experience with this witch. What tactic would you suggest?” Billy asked as he stared at the house.
By the time we got the group assembled, there hadn’t been a lot of time to plan beyond the basics. Billy had a team of at least fifteen hunters who were well trained and didn’t need handholding. They knew the drill when it came to hunting witches. The solar flare was set to take place in two hours. There were tents set up a ways down the beach, obviously some kind of festival happening, humans planning on watching the Aurora Borealis at the time of the flare.
They had no idea what was coming.
“We need a plan to go in. We’ve made the mistake of rushing things with Ivana before.” I glanced at Wyatt, who was darting glances from me to the house. “I think I should go in first.”
Wyatt and Billy both exclaimed emph
atic nos at the same time, but I was already thinking of an alternative plan that would suit everyone.
“Okay, then, I’ll create a shadow spell. Cloak us so that we can approach undetected, quickly.” A shadow spell was simple in nature, manipulating light and dark usually was, so I was pretty confident I’d be able to follow through.
Wyatt nodded. “I think Billy’s team and I should go in first. Try to subdue her.”
I shook my head. “You’re going to need my magic for this, Wyatt.” If it works.
“And what if she figures out a way to get your blood?”
Anger pulsed through me as I swiveled my eyes toward him, glaring with all of the venom I could muster. What the hell was he doing? “She’ll have to catch me first and that’s not going to happen.”
Wyatt met my glare with one of his own. “She’s caught you before. A couple of times.”
His words were like a slap to the face; I flinched but didn’t falter in my glare. “I’ll. Be. Fine,” I hissed. “I’m not going to let that happen, so back off.”
“Kali’s good, I have faith in her.” Billy gave me a reassuring smile. “She can handle herself. I like your plan, cloak our approach and then we’ll all go in, hit Ivana with a full on assault. Sam’s fully operational as well. I’m sure she can add to your shadow spell. Besides…” Billy cocked a glance in Wyatt’s direction. “You’re a witch too, aren’t ya? She gets your blood and we’re in the same boat, right?”
“Wyatt isn’t—” I bit my tongue, hard.
“Isn’t what?” Billy prodded.
Wyatt gave one hard shake of his head, his eyes dark, calculating. “I’m not going to let Ivana touch me. If she gets her hands on Kali, it’s game over.”
“Yeah, I’m such a liability.”
“I’m not going to let anyone touch Kali,” Billy said dismissively before walking to the rest of the team.
There was a double meaning there. Wyatt picked up on it too. His hard gaze followed Billy as he walked away.
I turned from Wyatt, angry with him, frustrated that he might be right. I didn’t need this, not when I was about to face off with a real enemy.
I scanned the area, struggling to refocus my attention on the problem at hand. I hadn’t detected any other magic use in the area when we had arrived and so far, nothing had changed. Ivana was alone.
“She hasn’t made any more hybrids. Yet,” I said.
“We wait until sundown. See if the den clears out. It’s a safe bet that there are vampires housed in there.” Wyatt pulled his vampire detecting amulet from his pocket, holding it up in the direction of the house.
“Why bother, Wyatt?” It was my turn for a shot at him. “That thing couldn’t detect a vampire in a cage.” After all, it hadn’t detected the vampires Ivana had waiting for us at the motel. “It’s about as useless as a witch with no powers.”
He flinched, his eyes locked on the amulet as it swayed toward the house. “Not as useless as a witch under-utilizing her powers. I mean, really, when we’re getting right down to it, you can’t control your spells. If we’re going to start talking about liabilities and use, we should start with you. Friendly fire anyone?”
I glared at him again, my mouth agape as I struggled to retaliate. Was he really trying to keep me out of my own fight?
The idea struck me as fact as soon as I thought it. Yes, that was exactly what he was trying to do. But to what end? To keep me out of his way and out of Ivana’s hands or in some fucked up attempt to keep me safe? Knowing Wyatt and his domineering nature, I’d say his attempt at protecting me was the truth of it. That just wasn’t going to happen, first and foremost because I didn’t take orders. From anyone.
Billy came back, checking that his sidearm was in place. “The team is ready, Kali. Why don’t you get your spell started?”
I looked past him to Sam and Clive, both standing about twenty feet away. They hadn’t separated since Sam awoke, a part of their bodies touching in some way. Now they were glued together once again, fingers entwined.
“Sam.”
I didn’t have to say it loud because she was waiting for me. With a nod in my direction, she closed her eyes. I felt her magic wash over me a second after that. Sam’s help might just keep this spell under control.
I nodded and motioned for Billy’s team to stay together. A cloaking spell was relatively easy when you were only hiding yourself—when you had to conceal an entire group of weapon-toting witch hunters, it took a little more concentration.
As I wove the spell around us, I layered it with a magical adhesive of sorts, a kind of shadow catcher that would allow the team to split up and still maintain cover. They were spells I used often, not on this grand scale of course. Nonetheless, it didn’t take much effort to recall the correct words.
I felt the wallop of the spells against my power stores, draining a considerable amount before I’d even gone into battle. I silently thanked Sam. Her power bolstered me, giving me the scaffolding I needed to hold on.
Once I was done, the Union team assessed their bodies, marveling in astonished whispers at the shadows that clung to them. All except for Clive and Sam, who were used to such things.
“Okay, let’s go. Fan out and approach with caution.” Billy left with the hunters, signaling to head toward the house and circle around.
Wyatt started to go, then hesitated, seemingly unsure of where his place was. He shifted his eyes to look at me, something I could sense more than see.
I ignored him and focused on the house, my fingers circled into loose fists at my sides. I was ready for a fight, despite what he might have thought.
He took a step in my direction when suddenly the world around us exploded into a blinding flash of light.
I turned toward the source, which was a mistake. One blast was followed closely by another. My eyes watered, burning with pain, as the assault continued. I could hear Billy and his team shouting, Wyatt calling out in confusion. I sank to my knees, my hand shielding my face, my fingers pressed into my eyes. I could see nothing. Panic gripped my stomach as I lurched forward, one hand braced against the ground while the other pressed into my aching eyes.
To my left I heard Billy shouting orders, to my right the hunters moaning. Blinding light to the retina, it burned like the sun.
I dropped the shadow-cloaking spell that I’d been holding and quickly switched my focus on calling the fog. I couldn’t actually make fog—not like an elemental witch who would be able to produce it with a spell—but I could call it to me from the ocean. It was a spell I’d learned as a child because I thought it was cool, but never actually thought it would come in handy for anything.
Moments later, I felt the sensation of being dusted with moisture and knew it was working. It collected on my skin. I slid my fingers away from my pulsing eyes and the moist air soothed the ache. I blinked rapidly, the searing pain still there but slowly starting to ebb away. I tentatively opened my eyelids and found I was blind.
My spell had worked better than I anticipated. There was so much fog that I couldn’t see anything beyond a few inches. We were cloaked and I’d successfully defused Ivana’s blinding light spell.
I could hear the others cry out with confusion, but there was no time to explain. They would figure it out. I blinked a few more times, rubbed my eyes and finally my vision started to clear.
One thing I knew for certain, Billy and his team must have gotten pretty close to Ivana if she freaked like that. It had to be a knee-jerk kind of reaction. A blinding spell would drain her pretty quickly, especially one of that caliber. I’d be surprised if I didn’t have some permanent eye damage.
The fog was so thick in most places that I could barely see two feet in front of me. I thought I saw Wyatt, crouched low to the ground and moving forward with his hands outstretched in front of him, sword leading the way, but a second later, the fog enveloped him and
he vanished.
I moved forward, fighting the urge to lift my hands out in front of me to ward off any obstacles. I thought about unsheathing one of my blades but didn’t want to inadvertently spear someone on my side. I reminded myself that the last time I’d seen the house, there’d been nothing between me and it except for lots of sand. Despite the fact that I had manufactured it, it was eerie and discomforting to know that I was headed into a fight and couldn’t really see my target.
But then again, she couldn’t see me coming either.
It felt like an eternity passed before my foot bumped a wooden stair and I sucked in a deep breath. I pulled a throwing knife from my belt holster and clutched it tightly, raising it, ready to strike. I’d managed to attach the binding spell to one, and only one, blade. And even that had been a struggle. It had stuck. I felt the power radiating from the pointy part. That was good enough for me.
If I could surprise her with a hit, then I could bind her magic. That would be the best-case scenario. I’d be able to bring her down and kill her without much of a fight.
I had never felt as vulnerable as I did at that moment. Not knowing from when or where an attack might come. I’d come with a team but I was going in alone, just as I wanted and suddenly that didn’t seem as wise a course as it had earlier.
What bothered me a little more than it should have was the fact that things were so silent—like the fog had blanketed the sounds as well as sight. I moved cautiously up the stairs, my gaze sweeping uselessly around me, my body tensed for attack.
Suddenly, as if breaking through a barrier, I entered into a world of chaos. The fog thinned in spots and bright lights, powerful booms and angry, bellowing screams echoed around me, unnerving me somewhat. Billy’s team had made it in and they were fighting for their lives. I ducked low as I scrambled up the rest of the stairs, my eyes frantically searching for someone I recognized.
The Dark War: The Dark War, Book 1 Page 16
