“Who is it?” Liam asked.
Maura shrugged, reached for the bottle, and flicked the lid off. “I haven’t had to buy an Illusion in years.” She swallowed the sparkling liquid in one gulp and waited for the tingling sensation to course throughout her veins. A silver flash erased Maura Leroux and replaced her with a stranger who had strawberry blonde hair, plump red lips, Mystic eyes, and turquoise veins. Her skin stretched over the new appearance, stinging until it snapped into place.
“I don’t know how much time I have,” she said. “There wasn’t much in the bottle.”
“Work fast.” Liam placed his hand over hers, conjuring The Wend.
The harsh wind landed them in a back alleyway beneath a fire escape from the neighboring building that had leaky pipes and steam rising from basement windows.
“Wait until someone slides their access card. The Shield is weakest then,” Maura said.
They waited for the blue film over the building to shudder. When it did, Liam released his magic and held the tear in the security shield open.
Maura disarmed the locks with a combination of spells on a service door. A deep metallic groan echoed in the alleyway when the door swung open.
They walked down the cement stairs. At the bottom, Maura looked both ways into identical concrete halls. To the right, there was a bend in the corridor that led to a stairwell to the main lobby. When no one came from either end, they walked to the lobby entrance.
“Do you know what you're doing?” Liam asked.
Maura bit her lower lip. “Not really.”
The sound of stilettos and penny loafers smacking off the marble floors above grew louder.
They climbed a metal staircase to the sound of muffled chatter beyond a large service door. Three simple charms bound the double lock. Maura cracked each one and peeked through the small slit of the open door. Security guards at every access point scanned the lobby and requested identification from random employees. She groaned, eased the door shut and retreated downstairs.
Shit. She couldn’t risk having them ask for an ID. She didn’t have a plan if they asked, other than run. They needed time to find Max, if she was still here. The “what if’s” created a pounding headache in her temples. Fuck.
“How do you know she's still here?” Liam asked.
Maura looked at her watch. “It’s been twenty minutes since The Keep was at Mystic Academy. It's at least an hour here by plane.”
“They have radios. If she were smart, she'd have been listening in.”
Maura grunted, kicking at the concrete wall. “If she's not here, she's not here. I at least have to make an effort.”
Liam nodded and looked down either end of the corridor. “You'll need a diversion if you want to make it upstairs.”
“I'm all ears.”
“Where's the circuit breaker?”
Maura led Liam down the left hallway. “It has to be in one of these alcoves.” After several dead ends, she found it tucked into a dark, narrow alcove. She broke the padlocks off the red box and decoded the security password. The doors swung open, revealing a mesh of green lights and gray switches.
“You'll need to create a short,” Liam said. “The Defensive Shields are interconnected with the electricity.”
“I'll do it.” She stepped forward. “I don't need you to die.”
“It’s rigged with defense charms.” Liam placed a hand over her chest. “You don’t know what will happen.” He established a thick Shield around her that glistened turquoise before dissolving into a translucent dome.
“That’s why I’m doing it.” She conjured a mixture of high voltage spells in her hands and released them onto the circuit breaker. The force threw her into Liam, shattering the Shield. Electricity sizzled along her nerves.
Lights went out in various stages, popping. People above screamed.
Disoriented from the recoil, Maura went to all fours and used the wall for balance. Liam helped her to her feet and lit a dim Flare in his palm.
“Your Illusion took a hit,” Liam said.
Maura looked at her red hair, the black scars reforming on her hands. “Fuck it.”
When the world steadied on its axis, she counted the steps it’d taken to get from the entrance to the circuit breaker. They climbed the stairs and slid in the dark lobby. Emergency Shields coated the windows and doors. White strobe lights flickered in the ceiling corners, shooting sporadic spotlights onto the floor. Agents barked into their radios and guarded the exits as The Keep went into lockdown.
Flares sparked, sending small illuminations into the vast room. Maura and Liam avoided the lights and stayed against the wall, using magic to enhance their vision. Guards ordered people to calm down and said they would restore power momentarily.
Maura’s name was whispered through those around her. Soon, her name became a buzz, a swarm of wasps that lingered above in waiting. She backed into a corner, far from security, mixed within the crowd, Liam a breath away.
“They said she was in Mystic Academy,” a woman said beside her. “David just left there – said the principal and a few students were murdered by her.”
Maura neared closer to Liam, her face away from those in front of her. Their words meshed together to create a knot in her stomach.
“Maura wouldn’t come here…”
“Why wouldn’t she? She killed those people in the Mundane.”
“I don’t see her.”
“It’s too dark.”
“We need to get out of here,” Liam whispered. “Once the lights go on…”
“I know.” She searched the developing crowd. The longer they remained stagnate, the more they’d be cornered. Trapped.
“Where’s maintenance?” Maura asked.
“East stairwell. Second floor.”
Fuck. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
“Two minutes.” He grabbed her hand. “Move.”
They snaked between the crowd, head down, heart in her stomach. Her feet couldn’t move fast enough. The west stairwell couldn’t be closer. She used Liam as a shield, staying close to his backside, never more than half a step from him. She squeezed his hand to the beat of her rapid pulse.
A hard shove to her shoulder yanked her from Liam. She spun around from the impact, eye to eye with an agent. The woman’s blue eyes glowed from her idle magic. A look of apology on her face vanished, replaced with anger. Maura’s stomach sank further. She didn’t fear the Mystic would try to kill her. The woman had a slim build, thin arms, very few stripes on her uniform, and a gun safely holstered at her side. She could snap the woman’s neck before she unbuckled the latch to her weapon. The danger wasn’t the agent. It was those around her. The dozens of guards, agents, and Mystics that all called out her name.
“You’re–”
Liam ripped Maura away before she could hear the woman’s dreaded words.
“Maura Leroux!” the woman shouted.
The crowd screamed. Sirens wailed louder. Red lights flashed along the ceiling. Guards barked orders into their radios to turn the lights on. Mystics turned on their heels to spot her. Faces came in front of hers. Arms reached out like tentacles. Hands snatched onto her like fishing hooks. She tore from them and pushed harder through the crowd.
“Are all of the Shields down?” she asked Liam.
“Yeah.” His words bounced with his stride.
Maura conjured a wide Impact spell. She held it close to her chest until the crowd swallowed them. She released it in a yellow burst that filled the room. Mystics disappeared from the path, flying into the walls in a succession of cracks. She ran through the stairwell door. Liam threw the door closed, reinforced it with a Defense Shield, and leaned against it. Maura arched forward, hands on her knees.
“We’re fucked,” she panted. “Everyone knows.”
“Where’s the Aegis Department?”
“Third floor.” She looked up at it. It wouldn’t be long before agents swarmed the stairwells and began setting up a perimeter.
“They’ll kill me up there.”
“You’re immortal,” he smirked.
“Doesn’t mean they won’t try.”
Fists banged on the door. Mystics’ spells made the slits between the door glow turquoise. The force of the magic knocked Liam from the door. He reinforced the Shield and pressed harder against it. Screams of her name faded behind the growing power until it was quiet.
Liam gestured toward the stairs. She followed after him, back to the wall, eyes up ahead, fingers laced with an idling Annihilation spell.
The third-floor door swung open. A tall, slender figure ran across the balcony and stopped in front of Maura.
“You,” the woman said, her voice sharp and familiar.
“That was easy,” Liam said.
“You're coming with us,” Maura said, grabbing Max’s hand and spinning toward the exit. “How long until power is restored?” she asked Liam.
“Maintenance is at the breaker now,” he said. “Thirty seconds.”
“Fuck,” Maura muttered.
“What are you even doing here?” Max asked, her voice bouncing as she ran down the stairs. “How'd you get in?”
“You can ask me everything later.” She jumped down the last flight.
“Twenty seconds,” Liam said.
The Shields around the lobby entrance door shattered. The door shot across the stairwell with a bang. A flood of agents, guns raised, magic at the ready, charged into the stairwell.
Maura, Liam, and Max turned around. Doors above crashed open. Voices filled the atmosphere with stinging heat. Footfalls hit the metal stairs hards. Sounds of guns being loaded echoed all around.
“You said the main Shields are down, right?” Maura asked.
“Yes.”
Maura held out her hands, conjuring The Wend with the coordinates to the portal. Max and Liam placed their hands on hers. The winds howled in the small stairwell and knocked them into the wall. The Keep disappeared beneath their feet as the lights flickered on and the Shields reformed beyond their spell. The Wend dumped them from the sky above the vast meadow.
Maura hit the ground hard, her lungs deflating. Liam landed beside her, followed by Max.
“I didn't need your help.” Max stood and brushed the grass off her shirt.
“Right,” Maura said, rising and doing the same. “Just like I didn't need your help.”
Max narrowed her piercing blue eyes. “You’ve ruined everything.” She stepped forward. “I should’ve turned you into officials.” She side-stepped away from Liam. “I should’ve killed you.” She lunged in a blur of chaotic motions. Max took Maura by the shoulders and brought her to the ground.
Maura flung her off, rolled to all fours and rose. Max stood, gun drawn. Liam formed a Shield around Maura, and she broke it away.
“It’s alright,” Maura said, stepping closer. “Max is right.”
Max shook. Her fingers trembled on the trigger. Her eyes welled with tears, lips pursed into a hard, determined line.
Maura eased toward her, palms facing forward, void of magic. Max held steady.
“Maura,” Liam warned.
Maura stopped in front of the gun. She kept her gaze on Max, her face red, stray tears on her cheeks. She gently nudged the gun down to Max’s side. “Liam will take you to your family and bring you to the Mundane safely.” She turned to where the portal had been and pointed to the invisible seam. “I'll go to the Mundane in the meantime and take care of Heidi and Jessica.”
Chapter Thirty: Being Human
Maura heaved Heidi out of the van. She rolled onto the ground with a loud thump, and the sheet fell off to reveal her blue face and purple lips. Her hair was still wet, sticking to her pale skin.
“You drowned a Siren,” Kyle mused, taking Heidi by the legs while Maura picked her up under the arms.
They shuffled along the empty cemetery. Maura followed the path she'd walked the night she came to Viper and found the mausoleum she'd been searched in. She leaned against the stone door to push it open. It groaned to a stop.
Maura dropped Heidi, and Kyle stumbled forward. She moved to the tomb at the center of the mausoleum and shifted its top open. The ground rumbled with the movement. Pale yellow light glowed from the bottom of the tan steps that led into the quiet club. She pulled Heidi by her dress strap to the opening.
“Why are we doing this?” Kyle asked, as he helped carry Heidi over the raised edge of the tomb.
Maura shoved her down. “Why not.”
The sheet covering Heidi's body, fluttered along the stairs. Her body hit the stairs with a series of wet cracks. Her arms and legs tangled, breaking with the impacts. Heidi disappeared at the bottom with a final thud.
“I should’ve known from her first day,” Maura said. “She never hid she was an Abysmal, never made any real headway in Adrian’s case.” She pushed the tomb closed and heaved with the effort. “She didn’t even know how to fire a gun.”
“There’s no sense in worrying about it now.”
After dumping Heidi and Jessica, Maura and Kyle drove off. They then spent the next half hour driving in silence. The air conditioner filled the car with a quiet hum. Their tires tearing into loose gravel replaced words neither of them could think to say.
Kyle pulled into a back parking lot of a closed Italian restaurant.
“Professor by day and Italian restaurant owner by night?” Maura said when they entered the dark restaurant.
“Professor by weekday and owner by weekend.” Kyle walked into the heart of the dining room. He lit several candles and pulled out a chair. “I needed something to fall back on if the teaching gig didn’t pull through for as long as it has. My older brother, Sam, manages the place most of the time. Now, I can cook up any kind of dish you’d like.”
***
Maura and Kyle sat at the table, bottles of vodka and wine between them, along with their untouched plates of penne.
Kyle broke the unending silence. “I have a cottage west of town on the river bank.”
Maura knocked back the glass of vodka. “Sounds nice.”
He shrugged. “I figured we could stay here in case Liam needed help. Then once he’s clear, we'd head to the cottage.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“You never asked me not to.”
“I never asked you to.”
Kyle sipped his wine. “Your father saved my brother on the battlegrounds. It's only right that I save you.”
Maura smiled sadly, playing with the table cloth. A thought, more of a curiosity, gnawed at her mind whenever near Kyle. “Can I ask you something?”
Kyle raised an eyebrow. When he slipped into her thoughts, his features darkened. He poured himself a thick glass. “Only if I can ask you something.”
She spun the glass with little debate. “Who was Theresa?”
He took a long drink.
“You’re always thinking about her.”
“My wife.” His gaze fell to the table. His eyes turned red with biting tears. He regrouped with another drink. “Now it’s my turn to ask you something.”
Maura waited.
“Why don’t you kill yourself?”
Air clotted in her throat.
“Everything would end. You wouldn’t have to run anymore,” he said.
“No one has asked me that before.”
“I can’t imagine why anyone would.”
She shrugged. “I don’t want to take the chance that Adrian can still harness my powers somehow.”
Kyle leaned on the table, his voice soft. “The real reason, Maura.”
“That is the real reason.”
“You don’t have to lie to me.”
“I’m not lying.”
“I want you to say it. I want you to hear yourself say it.” Kyle held her hands.
She tried to wiggle free. “Don’t make me have to hurt you.”
“Tell me why you’re so afraid to die.”
“I’m warning you, Hawthorne.”
He
stroked the tops of her hands in soothing circles with his thumbs. It reminded her of the way her mother held her hands. Her touch, so gentle and soft, eased away frustration and anger.
“Be open for just a moment,” Kyle whispered.
Maura melted into his warm eyes. The Void, agitated by the sweetness, growled as a reminder. She stiffened. A quick spell broke them apart. They propelled backward until their backs hit opposite walls. The force sent the table crashing into Kyle.
She dusted off.
Kyle dug himself out from under broken chairs and a split table. Maura reached for another bottle of vodka. By the time she sat and poured a glass, Kyle had taken off his wine-stained jacket and tossed it to the side. He dodged a glance and picked up the seats and table before sitting on the other side of the room with his feet propped up.
Maura leaned against the cold, brick wall. Silent minutes passed. She couldn’t say anything. She could barely think.
“Theresa and I met on a ferry. December 15th. I’d had a long day and knew I’d fall asleep on the ride back to shore. I went onto the back deck and there she was.”
The images played like a movie.
The water is gray against the darkening sky. Choppy from an oncoming storm. A woman, in a red pea coat with bright blonde hair, leans against the iron railing. She turns, smiles, and points to the snowy ground on the island in front of them. When Kyle looks over her body in his mind, everything freezes.
No scars invade her porcelain skin. No threads of magic weave around her green irises.
“You fell in love with a human,” Maura said.
Images of them together fluttered past her closed lids. A final snippet of Theresa twirling in the wheat fields, the light catching her flawless hair and brightening her smile, stitched itself into her memory.
“That was the last time I saw her,” he whispered.
Pictures of their last day together flashed by at blinding speeds. The reel of events stopped short on Kyle’s walk to his front door after a day of work.
Max and two Aegis employees stand in his living room, a paper held out for him to sign. Their words are muffled by the static of his racing thoughts. He looks around the house. Charred marks on the walls from powerful magic paint his home black. Running his hands along the ash, he follows them into the bedroom.
Blue Ruin (The Phoenix Series Book 1) Page 19
