by J. L. Wilder
“No fucking tie,” he said, glancing over at the collection of variously patterned ties. “Not a fucking chance.”
Then he regarded himself in the full-length mirror, surprised at how he’d cleaned up. He realized his look was a far cry from his flannel, jeans, and work boots.
He stepped into the living room and his phone chimed again—another call from Chapman.
“There you are,” said Chapman, appearing on the TV once more. “And look at you—you sure know how to clean yourself up, Scorn. You look like you’d fit in here among the Blackshroud elite.”
“You call to make sure I was wearing some nice shoes?”
“No. I called because we have new information on Maddie’s whereabouts.”
“What?” Scorn snarled. “Let’s fucking hear it.”
“A member of the Goodwin coven contacted us, told our people that Maddie’s being held prisoner.”
His blood pumped in his veins. Scorn was ready to move.
But his rational mind was there to keep him in check.
“Wait, how do we know this is true? Could be a trick.”
“Could be. And that’s why you’re going to meet with her in person, find out what the hell is going on. Her name’s Katie—I’m sending you her information now. Good luck.”
The screen went blank, and Scorn’s phone lit up with a phone number and name. He dialed, ready to do whatever it took to save her.
And time was wasting.
CHAPTER 13
MADDIE
Maddie stood in the center of the room, her eyes fixed on the window. She held the wooden desk chair in her hands, her muscles straining from the weight.
OK, it’s glass. And glass shatters. So, all I need to do is break through it. But why the fuck isn’t it working?
She lifted the chair over her head and, with all the strength she had, threw it at the window. It sailed through the air and crashed against the wall as surely as if it’d hit a solid block of concrete, falling to the floor with a clatter, a blue of some kind of magical energy where the chair had struck.
It’d been her third try, and each one had ended the same way.
It’s fucking magic—what else could it be? It’s the same magic that zipped me here from Frannie’s office. Not like I can just smash my way through.
But she was determined. Maddie had been in the room for half a day, as far as she could guess. It was nighttime, the stars twinkling above and the city so tantalizingly close. If it were a normal, magic-free room, Maddie would’ve been able to simply open the window and climb out.
I have powers! Why the hell can’t I use them?
She cursed Katie as she paced back and forth in the room, furious that her friend would sell her out in such a way.
Twenty years I’m friends with that woman, and what was it all for? So she could turn me in to some society of billionaire witches and have me locked up in a Victorian bedroom.
She let out a frustrated groan, mad as hell at her situation.
Scorn. It’d be pretty damn useful to have him around right about now. Wonder how these magical barriers would stand up to a concentrated blast of superheated dragon flames.
And more than that, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, Maddie missed him. She was kicking herself for being so careless about slipping out from under his protection.
Nothing to do about that now. And what, am I just going to sit around and wait for myself to get rescued? Fuck that. Dragon or no dragon, I’m getting the hell out of here.
Maddie stepped up to the window, placing her hands on the glass. As far as she could tell, there was nothing strange or magical about it. But when she raised her fist and slammed it against the window, that same blue ripple shimmered out, though a much smaller version of it.
OK, so whatever this is, it’s magical energy that blocks against physical impacts. So, there’s no point in trying to smash my way through—I’ll only waste my energy.
She stepped up to the window again, giving it another once-over.
I don’t know a damn thing about how magic works, but I’d be willing to bet that you need magic to get through magic. But how the hell do I cast a spell? Every other time it happened, it was almost by accident.
Maddie placed her fingertips on the glass, closing her eyes and focusing.
Magic. Magical energy. I bet it’s like electricity, where you need the right detection tools to see that it’s there. And I’ve got them—supposedly.
She focused, blocking out everything but the magic in front of her.
And as she did, the glass felt less like, well, glass, and more like something else. It felt to Maddie as if she’d dipped her fingertips into a running stream of water, but water that crackled with electricity.
It was magic. She knew it.
The feeling of rushing water grew more and more intense, Maddie keeping her eyes closed and trying to focus on it. And soon, the water began to take a solid shape, almost like something she could grab onto.
She curled her fingers, feeling the magical energy wrap around them. Then she pulled.
But it was stuck, as if she were pulling on a piece of wood nailed in front of the window.
Come on, you can do this. You went through a damn divorce, remember? What the hell is a little magic compared to that bullshit?
A smile formed on her face, and then Maddie pulled as hard as she could. The rushing water sensation grew and grew, and soon, the electric-like force coursed through her body, filling her with some kind of unimaginable charge.
She grunted hard, pulling against what felt like suction.
And then it gave way. The flowing sensation broke, and the window vanished before Maddie’s eyes, replaced by a simple, wooden door.
What the fuck is this?
She stepped back, trying to figure out what had happened. The window was gone, and Maddie quickly put it all together that there hadn’t been simply a magical barrier in front of her, but a magical illusion.
Maddie placed her hand on the new door’s knob, giving it a twist. But it didn’t turn.
Wait, didn’t Katie say I could use fire? Pyrokinesis or something? Wonder if that might work.
She closed her eyes and pictured fear, imagined the sensation of heat flowing from her body, coursing down her arm and gathering in her hand. She pictured roiling, ravaging flames, like the gates of hell opening and pouring forth.
Then a sizzle cut through the air. Maddie snapped her eyes open and looked down at her hand. The golden knob was melting, dripping down her fingers and onto the floor in a small, expensive-looking pool.
She stepped back, not wanting to get any on her feet. Then she rushed over to the bed and wiped it off, the molten gold singing the sheets but leaving her hand unharmed.
Maddie turned her attention back to the door, the knob totally melted away. She stepped over to the door, careful not to put her foot in the puddle, and pushed the door.
It swung open, revealing a hallway with stone walls.
Holy shit. I just pulled down a magical wall and melted through a freaking door. What else can I do?
Maddie hurried down the hall, taking off her shoes and carrying them to make sure she didn’t make more noise than she needed to. She passed door after door, and part of her worried she was walking into some kind of trap.
“Is she still in there?” a voice from behind one of the doors carried down the hall.
“She’s there, last I checked.”
Maddie stepped up close to the wooden door, placing her ear onto it.
“I don’t understand why we’re keeping her here—she’s too dangerous.”
“Because Frannie wants to use her, obviously.”
“That’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“She’s supposed to be the one, you know? We’ve all grown up hearing about this special witch with amazing powers who’s going to balance the scales of the war between the witches and the dragons. And we all hoped it was us, right?”
<
br /> “Right. Then we learn it’s not.”
“And what’ve we always heard about this one?”
“That she’s powerful.”
“Now just powerful, but so powerful that she could take on a whole coven on her own. Hell, she could start a new coven and conquer all the rest. And Frannie, what, thinks she’s just going to keep her here? Store her away like some tool that she can take out whenever she wants.”
Silence followed, and though Maddie couldn’t see the conversation, she could almost feel the tension in the air.
“What?”
“You shouldn’t be talking like that. Frannie doesn’t exactly take lightly people speaking out against her. You remember what happened to Nora? Questioned Frannie in front of the coven about one thing or another and ends up in pieces around the city.”
“Maybe it is a sign. Frannie thinks she’s the most powerful, and this Maddie woman shows up. What if she’s meant to be the one in charge?”
“All right, you know what? I’m just going to pretend this conversation isn’t happening. You want to talk about overthrowing the Grand Witch? You can do it with someone else.”
“Come on—you can’t tell me you haven’t been thinking about it.”
“You don’t stop and all I’ll report you. And that’s the end of this conversation.”
“Scaredy cat.”
They stopped talking, and Maddie continued down the hallway.
What the hell are they talking about? What’s so damn special about me?
She pushed those questions aside, focusing on getting the hell out of there. Maddie moved along the hall, spotting a wooden door at the far end. Her heart beat faster and faster as she approached, and through the door, she felt the air growing colder—she was reaching the outside.
But the moment she placed her hand on the handle, images flashed in her mind—horrible ones. She pictured...Scorn.
It was he and her, men pulling on him, Scorn reaching his hand out to her and Maddie not being near enough to take it. He called out to her, terror on his face.
Fuck! This is the security, the one that makes you fear. I need to work past it, know that it’s not real.
The images grew more and more real in her mind as she pulled the handle and opened the door. And the feelings intensified, ones that told her she’d never see Scorn again, that she’d somehow doomed them both.
She pushed, slamming her body into the door and stepping out into the cool night air.
Maddie looked around, seeing that she was in the lot behind the building.
She was free.
Not about to second-guess this. I’m fucking out of here.
Maddie broke out into a run, tearing toward the main street, pedestrians filling the sidewalk around her. Her heart pounded in her chest, the lights of the city a blur all around her.
“Maddie!”
She stopped, though Maddie knew that was the worst decision she could’ve made. But the voice was so familiar—a man’s voice.
Scorn.
She turned to see a car flying toward her, and she recognized it right away as Katie’s.
What the fuck is going on here?
Before she could react, the car pulled to a halt, Scorn’s face in the window.
“Get the fuck in, right now!”
She didn’t need to be told twice. Scorn opened the door and pulled her in. Then he slammed it shut.
“You guys good?” asked Katie from the front seat.
“Just go!” commanded Scorn.
Katie nodded and hit the gas, the car pulling onto the road, the Goodwin coven house disappearing in the distance.
“Holy shit,” said Maddie. “What...what the hell just happened? And Katie! What the fuck are you doing here? You sold me out to those witch bitches!”
“No,” said Scorn, his voice stern. “She’s the one who came to help me rescue you.”
“Though it looks like you didn’t need much rescuing,” said Katie with a wry grin. “Did you break out of there all on your own?”
“Yeah,” said Maddie. “Surprised?”
“You bet your ass I am. Frannie herself put those enhancements on the room where they were keeping you—and she’s the most powerful witch in the coven.”
“Second-most powerful, it looks like,” said Scorn.
Maddie shook her head. “No. I’m not a part of whatever the hell was going on back there. I don’t care if I’m meant to be in that coven—it’s not happening.”
“That’s the coven we’ve been at war with for centuries,” said Scorn. “And they’re making some move right now.”
“Maddie, I’m so sorry that happened. I had no idea Frannie was planning to do that. She told me to bring you to her so she could explain to you your destiny and teach you how to use your powers. And I swear I thought she was telling the truth.”
“Far from it,” said Maddie. “She locked me in a fucking dungeon.”
“I was going to break you out,” said Katie. “As soon as I realized what was happening, I went to the Blackshroud clan to get their help.”
“It’s OK,” said Maddie. “Now’s not the time to pass the blame around. But...does this mean we can trust the Blackshrouds?”
“Too early to say,” said Scorn. “So far, the business side of the clan’s working with me. But I’ve got no idea what Red’s got planned. For all I know, we could be out here on our own.”
“And what are you going to do, Kate?” asked Maddie. “You’re in just as much trouble as I am. Maybe worse.”
“Um, that’s a good question,” she said. “See, the thing about being a super nice, loyal friend like me is you show up for your friends first, and think about the consequences later. In this case, I’m, um, just now thinking about them.”
Scorn spoke up. “As far as I’m concerned, you proved your loyalty when you came forward to help save Maddie. You want to stick around, you’re more than welcome.”
“Right,” said Maddie. “Can’t imagine going through this without you.”
“Aw, thanks, guys.”
“I’ve got a secure place in the city,” said Scorn. “We can crash there until we figure out our next step.”
“Got it,” said Katie.
They drove on. And Maddie watched the city at night through the window, no idea what the future might hold.
CHAPTER 14
SCORN
“You got her?”
“I got her.”
Relief washed over Chapman’s face. “Good. I was worried we might’ve lost her.”
“So what if we had?” asked Scorn, anger boiling inside of him. “What does Maddie have to do with all of this?”
“She’s powerful,” said Chapman. “So powerful that once she steps into what she’s fully capable of, she’s going to change the face of the shifter societies in Washington forever.”
“OK, so she’s powerful. We going to use her like a weapon or something? She’s got her own mind, Chapman. And so do I. If you think we’re just going to sit pretty here until you tell us what to do, then you’ve got another thing coming.”
Chapman’s eyes narrowed. “In case you have forgotten, you’re in exile from this clan.”
“Then that means I don’t have to listen to you,” said Scorn. “I can do whatever the fuck I want.”
“That’s right, Scorn—you can do whatever the fuck you want. But if you want a chance at coming back into the fold, then you’re going to have to play by my rules.”
“What the fuck makes you so special?”
“Because I’m rich, Scorn. And more than that, I speak for the rest of the corporate side of the clan. Whatever you hear out of my mouth comes from all of them.”
“So,” said Scorn. “I play by your rules and...what—I get back in?”
“You get back in. Maybe not at your alpha position, but we can at least make a spot for you.”
“Are you fucking serious? But I am an alpha. And I ran that clan.”
“You used to run that c
lan. Until you fucked up. So unless you want to spend the rest of your life as a loner, no one on your side, waiting to get picked off by the first shifter clan that considers a rogue alpha like you a threat, you’d better do what we tell you.”
Scorn wanted to rage, to tell Chapman to fuck off for good. But Scorn knew he was right—if he wanted back into the clan, it was going to have to be through the corporate side. Not a chance in hell Red would let him.
Red. The name reminded him of the danger they’d avoided so far, the dragons who’d burned down his home.
“What about Red? We need to figure out what the fuck he’s planning.”
“You leave Red to us. For now, we need you to cool your heels and stay put. Most important thing right now is for you to keep a close eye on Maddie, make sure she stays safe. You understand?”
Scorn said nothing, the rage burning inside.
“Tell me you understand, Scorn.”
“I...understand.”
“And I want you to remember the rule about not...getting close to Maddie. Your job is to be her protector, and nothing more. I can’t stress the importance of this. She’s to remain untouched.”
“Got it.”
“Good. We’ll be in touch with future orders.”
The screen went dead, and that was that. Scorn wanted to pitch the phone at the wall, to let out a roar of anger. But he kept his cool.
When he was ready, he left the bedroom and went into the main room of the massive apartment. Maddie and Katie were curled up on the couch watching something, glasses of wine in their hands. They were both chuckling as they watched.
Neither of them seemed to notice Scorn, and he watched them both for a time, his eyes lingering on Maddie. He liked seeing her laugh after what they’d been through. And at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to keep her safe, to take apart anyone who wanted to do her harm.
What the fuck is with her? he thought. And why the hell is Chapman so dead set on me not sleeping with her? What does he care? How the hell is that any of his business?
