Caged Magic

by Jennifer Lyon

  Bronze shimmered in his eyes. “I don’t know. But you’re ripping me open, making me need more than sex. I need your touch.”

  Recognition sounded in her like a gong. Touch. They’d both had too much of the wrong kind and not enough of the right. She thought of the way he’d held her last night, even after finding out it had been her father who kidnapped and gave him to the bastards who’d caged him. Yet Linc hadn’t seen her ugliness. Instead, he’d held her until she fell asleep.

  Safe in his arms.

  And now he was unfailingly honest in what he needed. A kiss. Touch. Unable to stop herself, she wrapped her hands around Linc’s sides. The powerful muscles twitched beneath her palms.

  “Kiss me.” She tugged him to her.

  Linc curled his palm around her nape and lowered his gaze to her lips.

  The air between them thickened. Sizzled. Her lips tingled, and her heart thumped.

  He stroked his thumb along the sensitive curve of her throat. Arousal rode her nerve endings, pebbling her nipples and warming her belly. She squeezed her thighs together, vividly aware of her nakedness beneath the shirt.

  His mouth touched hers, warm velvety lips gliding over hers with a slow exploration while his thumb lazily caressed her jaw.

  No one kissed her like this, as if they needed to learn every secret of her mouth. She tracked her hands over his shoulders, absorbing the warm skin stretched over powerful muscles. Bold hunger flickered, and she licked at his mouth.

  A groan rumbled against her palm on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. Pinning her to the wall, he tilted her chin up and consumed her. His tongue dueled with hers, then darted away, exploring and marking her.

  Risa shivered as the taste of him hit her tongue, like dark chocolate mixed with real cream and whipped until irresistible. Greed for more pulled out a moan. She’d never have enough of his flavor or the feel of his mouth moving over hers as if he were as starved for her as she was for him. The kiss devoured her.

  Until he stroked her nipple through the shirt. Her senses exploded, firing to razor-sharp need. Magic spilled out, rushing around, chasing every touch.

  She had no idea how much time passed before the heat and raging need became unbearable. Squirming, the folds between her legs swollen, her clit throbbing, she tore her mouth away and dropped her head back. “Linc.”

  “Your magic, hell—” He sucked in air. “More than your magic. You. Your taste, the way you feel in my arms. It all feels so damned good. Hot.”

  “I want more.”

  His lips quirked. “Right.” He set her down and stripped off his pants.

  Linc had a thin line of tawny hair feathering down his ripped stomach and leading to his massive cock. Long and thick, the head dark plum, beaded with a clear drop, made her hands itch to touch.

  Linc beat her to it, his hand wrapping around his heavy erection, sliding up, then down, his thumb sweeping over the head.

  Mesmerized, it took her a second to process what was happening here. She’d let him kiss her, and now he was fulfilling his end by performing.

  Like a trained animal who’d gotten a little kindness.

  Linc spread his feet, his hand working his dick, his eyes on her. Desperation built there as he jerked harder, his jaw bulging, tendons nearly snarling in their swollen fury. His cock darkened, his thighs bunched with tension.

  He slapped his hand against the wall, his arm brushing against hers, his hips pumping. “Have to touch. Bloodlust.” It came out a vicious plea.

  I need your touch.

  His earlier words echoed in her head and snapped her fog. He needed her touch. Overwhelming tenderness and desire collided in her. Risa laid her hands over his.

  He stilled, his muscles twitching and eyes cautious. “Risa?”

  “I want you to touch me. I want to help you come, to feel you come.” It surprised her how true that was. Her magic opened up, streaming to her hands.

  “Jesus.” He let go of his cock, snapped an arm around her and lifted her, kissed her, his mouth searing hers as he pumped into her hand. Shifting, he spread her legs and pressed her bare sex down on his bunched thigh.

  Every pump of his cock drove his thigh against her sensitized, swollen clit. She dropped her head back. “Oh, oh.” The sensations ripped through her, his cock in her hands, the heat of his body, being held by him. Riding his thigh.

  Her magic swelling, spilling out.

  Linc opened his mouth over the curve of her neck, lapping and sucking.

  Risa exploded.

  His arm around her back tightened. A feral roar spilled from him, and he came, shooting his release over her belly.

  * * *

  “These are the administrative offices.”

  Risa tried to focus on the sleek reception area, but the feel of Linc’s hand wrapped around hers dominated her consciousness. In the last hour, they’d seen and touched each other intimately, had both rocketed to orgasms, and yet this felt more personal.

  When had anyone just held her hand?

  “Lincoln. Risa.”

  She jerked from her thoughts and found herself in the doorway of another office. Hilary rose from behind an oak desk and strode toward them. “Something up?”

  “Nope. I’m taking Risa on a tour of the academy.” He turned to her. “Hilary is getting this school, and another of our projects, up and running. She’s runs our L.C. Group. The top chain of command reports to her.”

  “What all do you do with the L.C. Group?” She tried to sound intelligent, but the woman intimidated the hell out of Risa.

  Hilary said, “We’re working to build schools and other resources to help kids and families who don’t have any other options.”

  “Hilary has accomplished miracles.”

  The woman snorted. “With your money and charm that beguiles people into donating generously.”

  His grin rolled out slow and roguish. “Don’t forget my poker skills.”

  Hilary turned her gaze on Risa. “He’s a card shark and too proud of that sad fact. Maybe you can convince him to put his brilliance to better use. Boy could have been an engineer, scientist or physicist. Instead he plays cards and takes the money of fools.”

  Linc leaned in and kissed Hilary’s cheek. “You love me just the way I am.”

  “That’s your problem, young man, you’re too loveable. Now off with you. I have real work to do. I’m going to shoot you some financials I need you to check over.” She patted his arm.

  “I’ll look at them later.”

  She nodded. “Risa, I’m contacting everyone I know to see if they’ve heard anything about a baby turning up unexpectedly. Linc sent me the JPEG of your daughter. We’re spreading her picture everywhere.”

  Risa’s stomach clenched. She wanted to be out there looking. Needed to. “I can’t do this.”

  Linc turned to her. “What?”

  “Stand around and do nothing, go on a tour of the school like that’s more important than Kendall. I have to go out and find her. Maybe if I drive around, I’ll feel her.”

  Linc’s shook his head. “I told you—”

  “She’s right,” Hilary broke in.

  Linc swung his gaze between the two women. “It’s dangerous out there. We don’t know if Archer’s still awake or hibernating. Rogues are snatching and killing witches. We need to do what Carla told us. Then you can find Kendall with your magic.”

  “Don’t tell me what I need. I don’t care.” She ripped her hand from his, so damned sick of everyone telling her what she had to do or not do. Didn’t they get it? Kendall was in the hands of a demon, his mother, or someone equally scary. “I don’t need your permission. If you won’t let me use one of your cars, I’ll walk.” The thought of the baby out there alone burned her stomach, and anxiety snapped at her spine. She spun around and got one step.

  “You can use my car.”

  Hilary’s voice stopped her. Pivoting, she whispered past the grateful lump in her throat, �
�Thank you.”

  “I’ll take you.” Linc caught her hand, stalking out of the office.

  Risa had to trot to keep up with his long legs fueled by anger. Ten minutes later, after Linc stopped to pick up his gun, they were in the same SUV they’d arrived in, the tension in the car thick and stealing her breath. She glanced over at Linc’s jaw. “You’re mad.”

  “No.”

  “Liar.” The word shot out before she could stop it.

  “I’m not mad at you.” His fingers white-knuckled the steering wheel. “I’m furious that we haven’t found the kid. Not here and not back in Glassbreakers, and believe me, Phoenix and Key are tearing that town apart looking for any sign of Archer’s mother in case Kendall is with her.” Visibly relaxing, he released his death grip on the steering wheel and took her hand. “And I’m worried about you. This is a long shot, Risa. I’ve had people scouring the city, checking the hospitals, the convention center that’s been turned into a temporary shelter, children’s welfare system, and morgues.”

  Risa gasped. “She’s not dead!”

  “Fuck, sorry. I know that, it was a matter of covering our bases.” He squeezed her hand, regret softening his features. “Can you think of any place Archer would stash the baby? Not the Strip. I have hunters getting past the police blockade to check, so we’d be going over the same territory.”

  She eyed his hand holding hers. Would he do that if he was mad? “What about the condo Archer had?”

  “Ram checked that unit and the entire building.”

  “I don’t know.” Tears burned her eyes, but she blinked and fought to steel herself. She couldn’t fall apart. “Okay, residential areas outside the Strip? If you drive through neighborhoods and she’s nearby, I’ll feel her.”

  “Are you going to use magic? You know what happened earlier.”

  “No. I mean, it’s more of a passive magic.” She gazed out the window as they headed through the town toward the Strip, passing military vehicles, police and news crews, but not many civilians. “Kendall’s in danger, so if I get close enough, my magic will react with the compulsion to cast my shield.” She explained how it happened with Ginny and that it was stronger with Kendall. “It shouldn’t trigger the souls or problems.” Biting her lip, she added, “Even if this is a long shot, I have to try. She’s scared.” God, it hurt to think of Kendall distressed and alone. Or what if she was hurt? Hungry? Sick?

  “If you feel her, tell me. All I need is her location, then I swear we’ll get her for you, Risa. But I can’t have you there. If Archer’s around, he may feel your witchcraft. We have to be damned careful.”

  She winced, drawing back in the seat. She’d seen Archer kill Blythe and others, and the destruction he’d caused at Linc’s house. “You think I’m taking a foolish risk.” But he wouldn’t let her do it alone. These hunters protected witches, and on top of that, he needed her to break his curse. She’d put him in a no-win situation.

  He turned into a housing track less than a mile from the Strip and close to an industrial area. “What was foolish was trying to convince you to go on a tour of the academy. I wanted to…” He trailed off, the muscles in his forearms knotted.

  “What?” Risa leaned toward him as small houses slid by.

  After checking the mirrors and guiding the car around a corner, he said, “Spend time with you. Try to make you smile, maybe hear you laugh.” He turned back to the road. “I can’t even take you out to dinner, treat you like you matter. Instead I’m hiding you in a secure location and waiting for you to get well enough to fuck you.” He ground his jaw, a vein in his forehead throbbing. “You’re the one woman who can save me, and I don’t know what you sound like when you laugh. Or what your dreams are. Hell, I don’t know your favorite food or what kind of movies you like.”

  The disgust and anger in his voice reverberated in the car. Her heart swelled. Searching the granite lines of his profile, she tried to understand. “You were trying to get to know me. And share a part of you by showing me the school.” Because he truly wanted to? Or because Carla told them that the souls needed to learn to trust Linc and the bird?

  “Pretty damned selfish considering your baby is missing.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, but he checked the mirrors and streets in a constant search for any trouble.

  “Twinkies,” she blurted out.

  “What?”

  No man had cared enough to find out these things. “Twinkies are my favorite food. Although I like those Sno Ball things, and some days, I just have to have a Ding Dong. But Twinkies are the best thing ever.”

  He shoved up his sunglasses, his eyes shining with suspicion. “You’re screwing with me, right? Like claiming magic shrinkage made your tank top tight?”

  To her surprise, a grin touched her mouth. “Careful, dude. Magical shrinkage is real. I could show you next time you get an erection.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Next time? Sugar, I’ve been hard for you since the first time I saw you. There’s no magic strong enough to shrink that.” He jerked his head around, eyeing a young man walking out of a yellow-trimmed house. When the guy got a backpack out of the car and went back in the house, Linc relaxed. “Twinkies? Seriously? No one actually eats those things.”

  “I do. Growing up, we had chefs who served fancy gourmet food. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered Twinkies.” Talking to Linc distracted her from the sinking realization that her shield magic stayed quiet, not a blip of reaction. Kendall wasn’t on this street. “She’s not here.”

  He pulled his mouth tight. “We’ll keep going as long as we don’t run into trouble. But once this is over, I’m taking you out for real dessert. Since you like cream filling, maybe an eclair or cannoli.”

  Risa closed her eyes at the longing that swirled up unexpectedly. She could almost picture it, her, Linc and Kendall at a little outdoor café, trying desserts, giving the baby tiny tastes of the creamy center. She had to stop, no fantasies. Getting the conversation off her, she recalled some of what Hilary had said about Linc and asked, “So you’re a numbers guy?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t have much to do in my cage when I wasn’t training or…other things.”

  Other things? Her stomach clenched as more houses passed by.

  Before she could ask, he went on, “My handlers and trainers would talk about bets, odds, statistics of the fighters, and I listened. Eventually I started calculating them for myself. It passed the time. And it made me a better fighter.”

  “How?”

  “Mental acuity, calculating the distance to punch or kick, everything is based on math.” He eyed her. “Your turn. What was your favorite subject in school?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t go to school, I had private tutors. It was boring, but I guess music was my favorite subject.” She didn’t want to talk about herself. “Did you go to regular school? Was math your favorite subject?”

  He snorted. “Yeah, I went until I was taken. Liked math, had lots of friends, but I’d say getting into trouble was my favorite subject.”

  She eyed the next row of houses in the bright sunshine and felt nothing. No sign of Kendall. Quashing her disappointment, she focused on her curiosity about Linc. “Trouble for what?” Risa didn’t get into much trouble until her mom died. She’d been spoiled, but she’d been compliant, wanting to please.

  “My mouth or fighting.”

  “You got in fights before…” She trailed off, hating to bring up that dark time in his life.

  His mouth tensed. “We were trailer trash, my mom a junkie who did anything for a fix. People talked, kids repeated what they heard, and I defended her. Every damn time.”

  Bitterness coated his words. The mother he’d obviously loved and defended with his fists hadn’t defended her son. No, she’d sold him to monsters. “What happened to your mom? Did you ever see her again?”

  He shook his head. “She overdosed not long after I was taken. Hilary found out for me.”

  Sadness for him fi
lled her. He’d lost so much. “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t know how you get me to talk about this shit. Usually women are telling me their life stories.”

  Warmth spread through her, combined with uneasy guilt. Here in the quiet car, just the two of them sharing, it was too intimate. She couldn’t hold his gaze and turned to the window. They’d hit the end of the second tract of homes. “Still no sign of Kendall.”

  A few seconds ticked by with no answer. “Linc?”

  His jaw tensed, and his stare locked on to the review mirror. “Trouble.”

  She opened her mouth to ask when the car shot forward so fast, the seat belt locked. Risa’s heart jumped, and her pulse thumped. Frantically, she craned her head.

  “We’re being followed. Hold on.” He spun the wheel, the SUV leaning precariously, wheels squealing. “Get my phone, call Baron. He’s on my contact list.”

  Risa fumbled the phone out of the cup holder, scrolled contacts and hit call.

  “Baron.” A gruff voice came through the speaker. Risa held it up to Linc’s face.

  “I’ve got a tail,” he explained. “One car, two men I can see, guns. I need them off my ass. Risa’s in the SUV with me.”

  “Location?”

  Linc rattled it off.

  Bang!

  The back end of the SUV fishtailed.

  “Fuck,” Linc snarled, straightening out the car. “Taking gunfire.”

  “On our way,” Baron said.

  Risa dropped the phone and twisted around to look out the back. “Shit!” A huge man leaned halfway out the passenger window of a black Dodge Charger, firing a handgun. Ripping off her seat belt, she glanced up. Sunroof. Good. “Give me your gun, open the sunroof.”

  Linc took a corner and shot down a street lined with industrial buildings. “Get your seat belt back on!”

  Another shot shattered the back window. No time to argue with Linc. Risa summoned enough magic to pull his gun from his holster, then used her witchcraft to open the sunroof. She scrambled up and anchored one foot on the center console. Not the best stance, but all she could manage. She raised the weapon and sighted the shooter.

  “Risa! Jesus Christ, get down!”