Chaos (Book 4) (The Omega Group)

by Andrea Domanski

  Why couldn’t the spell have called for rosemary or thyme? Why did it have to be foxglove?

  At least with another herb she could have just held her breath against the taste and swallowed the saliva filling her mouth. But, no. That would have been too easy. She had to have one of the most poisonous herbs around shoved in her mouth.

  Awesome.

  Nicole sauntered over, holding what she thought was Phoenix’s totem in the air like some trophy. “You ready, big boy?” When she took in Gracey’s appearance, her entire demeanor changed. She went from cocky to disgusted, even taking a step back. “You look like you’re going to puke.”

  Gracey felt the slight movement in her lap as Phoenix tried to see what Nicole described. By the look in his eye, he’d succeeded.

  “Stand up and walk with me,” Nicole commanded.

  Though following her orders must have been difficult for him after spending so many hours immobile, Phoenix reacted exactly as a man under a witch’s control would. His facial expression remained blank, and he did as instructed without hesitation. Gracey watched as he held open the door, allowing Nicole to exit first, then gave her a quick nod of reassurance before allowing the door to close behind him.

  Gracey spat the contents of her mouth onto the bench, spewing as much saliva out as she could. “Foxglove? Really?” she grumbled to no one. After taking a deep breath to clear her mind, Gracey got to work on the first problem at hand—her hands. She needed to untie them. Her fingers had been unable to reach the knot, so she tried to contort her body in a way that would allow her to use her teeth. No such luck. Even a yoga master wouldn’t have been able to make that work.

  Pushing herself up as much as she could, she yanked against the ropes, hoping to somehow break the pipe. The very heavy metal pipe currently bolted to the wall. It worked about as well as she’d expected. Probably a good thing, though. Had she been successful, she would have landed nose-first on the floor, most likely knocking herself out.

  Yet again, I let everyone down.

  Something fluttered in front of her eyes, causing her to yelp. A bird landed directly on her lap. No, not just a bird. “Phoenix?”

  The beak moved up and down before walking around her. The next thing she felt was tiny little bird feet jumping on her hand, then little tugging motions on her restraints.

  “Thank you.”

  The clock flashed 9:22.

  ********

  “They’re in,” Greco announced while holding the phone to his ear.

  “Good. Have they found Gracey yet?” Orano kept his hands shoved deep in his pockets. The energy tearing through his veins since she’d disappeared threatened to explode out of him at any moment. Deep breathing techniques wouldn’t hold it back for much longer.

  “They just got through. Give them a minute.”

  “She might not have a minute!” Orano roared. “Who knows what they’re doing to her right now? She needs us. She needs me.” Without a thought, Orano whipped out his hand and let loose an energy ball at the barrier. When that one fizzled out on contact, he threw another, and another, and another.

  “Calm down, Orano. If anyone sees that they’ll know where we are. If they find those jars before you break them, it’s all over. We need to stay hidden. That’s the whole point of us separating from the group, remember?” Greco tried to reach out to him but apparently thought better of it.

  Orano clenched his hands into fists before nodding his understanding. He counted to five while inhaling, held it for another five-count, and exhaled the same way. Each cleansing breath brought his rage closer to a manageable level, although he knew he’d never hit that mark entirely.

  “And you brought her in anyway?” This time, Greco did the yelling.

  “What’s going on?” Orano had been so focused on controlling his temper that he didn’t even realize Greco was still talking on the phone. Now his adrenalin started pumping in preparation for whatever bad news had his teammate so angry.

  “She’s deaf, and—”

  “Who’s deaf?” Orano interrupted, ready to kill whoever had hurt Gracey.

  “Mirissa. They blew her eardrums getting through the barrier. Now she’s with the rest of the team on the inside. How can she protect herself if she can’t even hear someone coming?” Greco paced back and forth behind the utility shed.

  “Thank the gods.” Orano closed his eyes and resumed his breathing exercises.

  “Are you kidding me? You’re ready to burn this whole place to the ground, risking the future of the entire world in the process, on the off chance that Gracey has a hangnail. But Mirissa—your teammate and my girlfriend—is seriously hurt and in real danger, and you’re thankful? You are such an ass.” Greco threw a punch that connected squarely with Orano’s jaw.

  “That was a mistake, boy.” Orano’s tenuous grip on his temper snapped and rage took hold, driving him to heights of anger he hadn’t experienced in over a decade. He zoned in on Greco, registering every twitch, every movement, every micro expression. His brain screamed at him to disengage, but he’d moved far beyond the stage where that would work. He might regret it later, but he would hurt the kid now.

  Both palms held swirling orange balls of energy. He flung the first at Greco’s chest, knocking him back and slamming him to the ground. Orano stepped forward to fire the next, but stopped. Something had just happened, but his mind barely even caught it. Nothing more than a fleeting thought, but it was important enough to cut through his haze of fury.

  Greco leapt off the ground and drove his shoulder into Orano’s chest. “Get down!” he screamed.

  As the tackle brought him down, he saw it. A silver and blue dart embedded in the thick bark of an oak tree.

  Hell of a time for a family reunion.

  Chapter 27

  The clock flashed 5:03.

  Gracey felt the rope around her wrists loosen and fall away. “Thanks, Phoenix,” she said to the bird currently hosting the man’s consciousness. It’d taken more time than she would have liked, but that tiny beak succeeded in freeing her. She bent over and undid the binds around her ankles and jumped to her feet.

  Dizziness overwhelmed her, and she had to prop herself against the wall to keep from keeling over. She took a few deep breaths, waiting for it to pass. When it did, Gracey moved to the window and peered out. The coven had already begun their channeling ceremony.

  Gracey glanced at the clock, then got to work. She opened the sack she’d hidden in her mouth earlier and added the contents of the small jar. The items were already soaked in her saliva, so she didn’t need to add her blood or hair to the mix in order to signify who would be collecting the power from the jars.

  Once the mixture was complete, she scooped it up and rubbed it on her chest. Gracey waited for the clock to count down to the predetermined time of three minutes, then began.

  “Releasing all of the powers bound, their rightful homes will soon be found. Allow them time to dwell in me, for purposes true. So mote it be.”

  She braced herself for the incoming torrent of powers. When hers were returned, she’d passed out for hours from the shock. Although she trusted the concoction on her chest to prevent that this time, she couldn’t help the fear she felt.

  A moment passed, and then another. Seconds ticked off the clock as a bead of sweat trickled down Gracey’s temple.

  Something had gone horribly wrong.

  ********

  Orano leaned against the back of the shed with Greco at his side. The Ọwọ ti Ọlọrun brotherhood had them pinned down. Unlike a standard attack, they weren’t raining bullets down on them. Instead, they remained eerily silent. Had he not caught glimpses of the men in the tree line while making his dash to cover, he’d have questioned whether they were under attack at all.

  “I saw three of them. Eleven, twelve, and two o’clock,” Orano whispered.

  “Two more between nine and ten,” Greco answered. “With a back-up line about fifteen yards behind.”

  Crap.
They’d be coming around the sides at any minute.

  “I take it this is your family,” Greco said.

  “Yeah.”

  “Any reason they aren’t just mowing us down? The walls of this shed couldn’t stop a BB shot from a child’s toy.”

  “Two,” Orano began. “First, they don’t want to hurt you. They don’t do collateral damage. Second, they believe if they kill me before performing their sacred ceremony, the evil inside me will be released and infect innocent people.”

  “So, they’re epic nut jobs, then. Got it.” Greco peeked his head around the far corner. “I’ve got creepers. A few more yards and they’ll be parallel.”

  “Same on this side.” Orano rubbed his palms together. “We need to make a move. Gracey’s running out of time.” He formed an energy ball in each hand. “Ready?”

  Greco pulled his FN five-seven pistol from the holster at the small of his back and chambered a round. “Ready.”

  Orano turned the corner, taking out the first of two attackers before his foot hit the ground. The second ducked behind a tree, but not before an energy ball hit him squarely between his shoulder blades. Judging by the sharp cracks coming from his left, Greco had taken out a few targets of his own.

  As he rounded the front, a barrage of firepower tore through the pile of jars. The magic kept them from breaking, but not from scattering. Orano jumped back and fired energy in every direction, hoping to get a lucky hit or two. When he turned the corner to the relative safety of the rear of the shed, he found Greco waiting for him.

  “Those were bullets they were firing,” the kid said. “My ring’s the only reason I don’t have any holes in me right now.” The snake from his Amazon ring had apparently wrapped itself around his arm during the shootout and shielded him from harm. A handy piece of jewelry to have.

  “I guess they don’t consider you an innocent bystander after all.” Orano glanced at his watch. “We’ve got maybe two minutes before those witches finish what they started. I’m going out there to break those jars.”

  “I have an idea,” Greco said with a smile. “And you’re not going to like it.”

  ********

  Gracey paced the floor waiting for the influx of power from the jars, but none came. She didn’t know why Orano hadn’t broken them or, more precisely, what stopped him, but she couldn’t let herself think about that. She had a job to do, and she planned to do it, even if it meant resorting to plan B.

  Except she didn’t have a plan B.

  Gracey grabbed the door handle, said a quick prayer, and stepped outside. All eyes turned to her as she approached the large group of coven members holding hands and chanting in a circle. She raised her hands above her head when the gunman she’d been following earlier pointed his rifle at her.

  “Keith? Do I have your name right?” she asked in a calm voice. “I don’t have a weapon. I’m not here to hurt anyone. I just need to talk to them.”

  The man kept his weapon trained on her but didn’t appear ready to pull the trigger. From what she’d heard earlier, Tori’s brother was a good old Southern boy. If his friends were, too, she couldn’t imagine them being comfortable shooting an unarmed woman. She really needed to be right about that.

  “Ladies, Tori has been lying to you. This is not the prophecy foretold by our founder, my ancestor, Grace Sherwood. Tori isn’t helping to save the world today, she’s the one causing the catastrophe. The blackout in California, the one in Rome, do you really think it a coincidence that they happened right after one of these channeling ceremonies?”

  Gracey paused to judge the reaction of her audience. Although they were giving each other sideways glances, none of them showed any sign of changing their allegiance. Across the circle, a woman stepped back, pulling the hands of the women on either side of her together before letting go herself, ensuring the circle stay unbroken.

  Francine, one of the inner circle wannabees, strode toward her. “Don’t listen to her, ladies. She’s bitter and angry and jealous of Tori. You’ve all seen her attack us for no reason.”

  “No,” Gracey retorted. “I’ve seen the journal. Tori has twisted the prophecy—”

  “Prove it. I assume you can do that, right?” Francine taunted.

  Gracey deflated. She had no proof, and they knew it. She looked from one woman to the next, desperate to see some inkling of doubt in their eyes, but found none.

  “That’s what I thought.” Francine turned her back on Gracey and rejoined the circle.

  Gracey had failed.

  ********

  Orano stumbled forward, clenching his jaw painfully. Greco walked behind him with the blade from his Amazon ring held under Orano’s chin.

  “I’ll kill this demon right here and now,” Greco yelled to the brotherhood. “I’ll spill his tainted blood all over this place and let his evil infect each and every one of you.”

  A deep voice answered from the shelter of the woods. “Don’t do that. We have no quarrel with you. Just give us the abomination, and we’ll leave.”

  “Here’s how this is going to work,” Greco countered. “You’ll stand down and walk away. Otherwise—”

  “I’ll give myself up without a fight,” Orano interrupted. “Just like my father did all those years ago. All I ask is that you let me help an innocent woman save a lot of other innocent people first.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” Greco said through gritted teeth.

  “What I have to,” Orano said before calling out to the brotherhood. “Do we have a deal?”

  A moment of silence that seemed to drag on for a lifetime followed. “We do.”

  “Greco, help me gather the jars.”

  When every last jar sat in a tight pile, Orano formed an energy ball in each hand, then joined them together to create a super-sized sphere. He continued to feed the sphere energy until it grew large enough to encompass the entire pile.

  “Stand back and cover your eyes.” Greco stepped around the corner of the shed with Orano directly in front of him. The thin metal walls would hopefully offer some protection. Once both men were ready, Orano threw the sphere.

  Glass and wax exploded into the air when the energy ball hit. A concussive blast crumpled the front wall of the shed and blew both men back until they bounced off of the invisible barrier protecting the camp.

  As they pushed themselves up to their feet, Greco pulled out his phone and pressed a couple of buttons. “Play the sound curve, Julian. Now!”

  A moment later, Greco drove his shoulder into Orano for the second time that afternoon, pushing them through where the barrier used to be. Greco hit another button on his phone before standing. He offered his hand to Orano, who swatted it away.

  “Why’d you do that?” Orano asked.

  “I’m not going to let you turn yourself in to those freaks. You’re an ass, but you’re also a teammate and a friend.”

  Orano stared at the kid who, moments ago, had been on the receiving end of one of his energy balls for no reason other than being in close proximity to his uncontrolled temper. Orano put his hand out in front of him and waited for Greco to shake it. Although he knew his freedom would be short-lived—he’d honor the deal he made—Orano respected the hell out of the kid for trying.

  Chapter 28

  Gracey watched the coven members throw their heads back as a group and gasp. She remembered how it felt when she’d been a part of the channeling Tori used to shut down a nuclear plant in California. The power from so many different covens filling her up, then traveling through her to the crystal, had been incredible. And that was before Europe and the rest of the world got involved. She couldn’t even imagine what they were feeling now.

  The inner circle stood nearby this time. Perhaps they felt safer being in close proximity, or perhaps Tori just didn’t care if people figured out what she’d done. It would be too late for anyone to do anything about it, so why bother hiding?

  Gracey wandered over to the old campfire where dozens of excited child
ren used to congregate to hear cheesy ghost stories, roast marshmallows, and look for an excuse to sit near their latest crush. Happy times Gracey feared would be gone forever after today. The thought of everything that would be lost increased her nausea, and Gracey had to fight against a violent urge to vomit.

  All four members of the inner circle stood round the crystal, holding hands and chanting. Both Tori and Liza stared at Gracey, wearing the arrogant smirks only people who’d crushed an enemy could wear. Tori’s brother and another gunman Gracey hadn’t seen yet were joined by Keith. They surrounded the women in a layer of camouflage and weapons that was, quite frankly, unnecessary.

  Even Phoenix seemed to know they’d missed their chance. He’d been seated on one of the logs lying around the fire pit, presumably where Nicole told him to wait. But he stood up, walked over to Gracey, and put his arm around her.

  “Is there anything you can do? Or your team?” Gracey asked in desperation.

  “I’m sorry. As soon as they started the ceremony I tried to get the crystal. Not only are the Beverly Hillbillies protecting it, but there’s a spell or something around it, too.” Phoenix squeezed her shoulder.

  The four women flung back their heads as the coven directed the power they’d been collecting to the crystal. Although the energy remained invisible, Gracey could see the disturbance caused by that much concentrated power in the atmosphere. The beam narrowed as it got closer to the campfire, hitting the crystal at a diameter of no more than a couple of inches. Within a few seconds, it would stream out of the top, into the stratosphere and—

  Gracey’s head jerked back and her arms flung wide. Phoenix was tossed to the side, as breathtaking energy surged into her. Wave after wave crashed through her chest, threatening to drown her in power. Visions flashed through her mind of so many women—some she recognized and others she didn’t. These were their powers. Orano had done it.