Witchlock

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  What did that mean?

  Adrianna leaned her head forward and chanted, "Black clouds of night and lightning strikes, heed my will...

  The sky exploded with thunder and lightning drowing out her words.

  The truck pulled into the garage and stopped.

  Thunder boomed and boomed and boomed.

  Vicious electrical strikes slashed all around the building, coming closer, then merging into one that struck at the side of Adrianna and Isak.

  He cursed a blue streak, but they broke free.

  Evalle got enough leverage to shove the knife blade up and rip out of her bindings.

  Isak stepped in front of Adrianna, pushing her behind him.

  Evalle did a double take at Adrianna, who rolled her eyes at Isak's protective move, but then with a shrug and a smile, she crossed her arms.

  Was she mental? This wasn't done.

  A warlock jumped from the truck. In his former life, he must have been a sumo wrestler. Don was on his hands and knees, getting back up from when he'd had his bell rung by Evalle's kinetic slap. That was nothing compared to what she planned to do next, but Isak produce a handgun that looked nothing like his demon blasters.

  She asked, "Is that set on stun?"

  "I'm sure they'll get a shock when a hollowpoint hits them in the chest."

  "I need that guy Don alive, Isak."

  "You take all the fun out of fighting nonhumans."

  Isak might just be mental, too.

  Don and his sidekick stood back, waiting. What were they waiting on? Coalescing from the darkness outside, where Adrianna's weather display had finally diminished, came a person wearing a long red robe with a wide hood that left the face hidden in darkness.

  Isak looked over at Evalle and asked, "What happened to your arms and upper body? Looks like you just did a steroid highball."

  "It's Belador battle form. Increases my power."

  "Hmm."

  She couldn't tell if Isak was impressed or disgusted, because she couldn't afford the distraction of using her empathic gift. The funny thing was that she'd never wanted him to see her this way before, but she no longer cared what Isak thought. Storm had seen her at her absolute worst, broken and bleeding and in full beast form, and he still loved her.

  She'd hold onto that and worry about anything else later.

  Adrianna had stepped up between Evalle and Isak. "That's what I wanted to tell you, Evalle. She's here."

  There was only one person who could be the reason for the sick sound in Adrianna's usually snarky voice.

  Veronika.

  Isak asked, "Who is she? Friend or foe?"

  "Definitely an enemy, but don't make any sudden moves, Isak," Adrianna warned. "Remember containing that witch doctor with me and Evalle?"

  "Hard to forget some crazy bitch who pinned me and my weapon to a wall without touching me," he growled with menace from the memory.

  "She was nothing compared to this witch, and this one is carrying the equivalent of a nuclear warhead in her hand."

  Veronika's hand held a small version of what Evalle had seen in the other realm, but it appeared dense with so much white energy churning inside.

  As the witch covered the hundred feet between Evalle's group and the warlocks, Isak asked, "What makes her so powerful?"

  "My sister," Adrianna answered. "We'll tell you more later, but first we have to get out of here and as deadly as you are with a weapon, shooting her would be like throwing a dart at a balloon full of acid hanging over your head. You won't like the outcome."

  Veronika stopped fifty feet away. "I have no use for the human, but I will kill him if he gets in my way or if you create any more problems for me."

  "Are we supposed to be shaking in our boots, Veronika?" Evalle asked.

  Adrianna picked up the thread of antagonism and added, "I think we proved we can take care of ourselves. We made it in and out of your ancestors' realm."

  "You failed to accomplish what you went there for and I now have Ragan right where I want her." Veronika lifted her sphere and Evalle finally figured out why it seemed so dense. Ragan was captured inside that small globe of energy. Tendrils of white snaked up Veronika's arm and disappeared inside the sleeve.

  Evalle glanced at Adrianna, whose face had lost color, but she had a death glare building in her gaze.

  Adrianna warned, "You should never have taken my sister. You have no idea of the connection we hold."

  "Oh, I think I do. You've proven to be trouble once before, but you will not do so again."

  "We will stop you," Adrianna warned.

  "Oh, I am sure you'd like to, but first you'd have to find out the location I have in mind for taking possession of Witchlock. I've told no one and you'll be contained. I'll tell you all about it afterwards ... when I come for you. Once Witchlock completely manifests throughout my body at the end of the eclipse, I will take your power and you will serve me. Then I'll go through the entire Sterling coven because I'll hold the knowledge of all that you and your sister knew about your people."

  Isak still pointed a gun at the witch.

  A sound escaped from the dark shadow inside Veronika's hood, and she lifted the empty hand and whispered a chant.

  Isak scowled and dropped the weapon, which glowed red. He held up his hand, and she saw a burn imprint where the metal had touched his skin.

  Evalle had to get them out of here. She called over to Veronika, "I know juvenile witches who are more impressive, but they don't pick on humans."

  Adrianna hissed, "Careful or we'll all go up in flames."

  Evalle answered under her breath, "She needs us or she'd have sent them to kill us first thing."

  Isak gritted out. "Evalle's right."

  When Veronika didn't rise to Evalle's bait, it was time to up the game. Evalle said, "This has been fun, but you're interruping our dinner plans. Have your people get in touch with my people if you want to talk again."

  Veronika said, "I had planned on taking control of Adrianna first, but I would enjoy watching you move as my puppet even more." The witch lifted her hand with the sphere and power burst from it, shooting at Evalle, who threw up a kinetic field.

  The power smacked her invisible field hard and knocked her back a step. Evalle muttered, "If this is only a taste of her future power, we're all in trouble. You two get out of here and I'll follow."

  Adrianna and Isak both yelled, "No!"

  Lifting her arms and spreading her fingers, Adrianna spoke in yet another language Evalle didn't recognize. Maybe she should take one of those Rosetta courses.

  The weather outside boomed again.

  Atlanta forecasters had to be going crazy about now.

  Veronika's sphere energy intensified, burning against Evalle's kinetics and sliding along her power to reach her body. Heat scorched her muscles, and they quivered from the strain.

  Isak had run to his truck and returned with one of his Nyght megablasters. "Drop your shield and I'll hit them."

  Evalle's body shook and her voice sounded like she was riding her bike over a rutted road. "No. Might backfire. Her sphere is too strong."

  Adrianna called up the elements and a powerful wind shear blasted through the open wall, bringing rocks and debris inside the deck behind Veronika.

  Her warlocks dove under the truck and a barrier of red appeared, glowing beneath the truck's frame. The mini hurricane slammed the side of the truck. Metal peeled off the bed and the truck body rocked.

  Veronika stood firm, holding up her free hand to ward off the wind and rocks that were shredding metal, but not harming her.

  Should I call in more Beladors? Evalle dismissed that idea as quickly as it came to mind. She had to fill them in first, on who and what Veronika was, so they wouldn't link to fight. This bitch would love that. Kill one Belador linked and everyone connected suffered the same fate.

  That would be easier than knocking down bowling pins for Veronika.

  Isak shouted, "I can take her. This is a Nyght 757 S
tinger."

  "No," Evalle told him but she was losing ground, sliding back six inches at a time, and her arms were getting weaker. Sweat drenched her clothes and her head was on fire. Her blood might be boiling.

  Adrianna started forward, arms still raised and a mad look in her eyes.

  Evalle yelled at Isak, "Stop her!"

  He cursed and grabbed Adrianna around her waist, lifting her off the floor.

  She screamed, "Let me down. I'm killing that bitch."

  Evalle wished she'd get on with it then.

  Boom, boom, boom shook the air and ground.

  Don's truck burst into a thousand pieces.

  Veronika took one look at the source of the attack--a silver Hummer covered in armor plates with a long barrel sticking out the front like a military tank--and she swept her sphere in a circle, filling the parking deck with a cloud of red.

  The pressure against Evalle's kinetics disappeared.

  She dropped her arms, groaning. A bath of icewater would feel seriously good right now.

  Isak held his blaster propped in one arm still pointed at the last place they'd seen Veronika, with Adrianna locked in his other arm.

  She'd quieted, and the devastation that was left behind her earlier anger actually hurt to see.

  Adrianna said, "She's got Ragan in that sphere. Getting her out is going to be ..."

  "A challenge," Evalle finished, to prevent Adrianna from drowning in the depressing odds.

  The red haze slowly dissipated.

  Veronika and her warlocks were gone, but Evalle now had something to hand the Tribunal.

  She had Adrianna to testify that a Medb warlock admitted to setting up Evalle, but she would not ask Adrianna until after the eclipse.

  "You can put me down, Isak," Adrianna announced.

  "I could."

  Evalle choked back a laugh at the incredulous look on Adrianna's face. Isak didn't appear to be finished protecting the witch, and wasn't that interesting?

  "Don't make me hurt you," the witch warned.

  Isak grinned. "You won't."

  "I hate you," Adrianna muttered.

  "That's not an unsurmountable problem."

  Evalle sat down hard and laughed out loud as Isak's men spilled out of the Hummer-tank, locked and loaded as they searched the parking deck for any remaining threat.

  Nope. The threat had taken off, but Evalle now knew what they were up against. A sobering thought.

  Veronika hadn't been bragging.

  She'd merely stated the facts and the facts were daunting.

  One of Isak's men hurried over. Evalle recognized the super-sized operator as Laredo Jones, who had led a team to kidnap her for dinner with Isak one night. "Hi, Laredo."

  "Evalle." Then he turned to Isak. "None of what went on up here was obvious on street level. Just a bad storm that kept coming and going."

  Adrianna shoved an elbow into Isak's chest.

  He barely grunted, but he did finally lower the witch to stand on her own and Adrianna glared her appreciation at him.

  Isak's lips twitched. "I'll be back in a minute. Stay here until I know it's safe to leave." Then he walked off with his man.

  Adrianna grabbed her hair with both hands. "I really might have to kill that one."

  "Welcome to the world of Isak Nyght, where his opinion is the only one that counts." Evalle sighed and rubbed her arms. They felt singed from the inside out. She'd call up her healing powers as soon as she caught her breath. "Can Veronika do what she claims?"

  "Yes."

  "Could Queen Maeve and Cathbad stop her?"

  "Maybe and that's a slim maybe, but those two would join ranks with her before fighting her. Any way you look at it spells disaster for humans and everyone in VIPER."

  "Can we get Ragan away from her?"

  Adrianna lowered her hands to cross in front of her stomach. "I don't know. If I could talk to Ragan, the two of us might be able to use our power together, but I don't see a way to get close enough to do that. I'd have to have my hands on the sphere."

  That would happen over Veronika's cold, dead body, and Evalle would be the first to admit Veronika was shaping up to be unstoppable.

  Could VIPER talk the deities in the coalition into joining forces to take down Veronika?

  Based on what Quinn and Adrianna had said, Evalle had a better chance of Sen throwing a party in her honor than deities sticking their necks out to take on an unknown power that had disappeared in the thirteenth century.

  She had to go find Quinn to tell him what had happened and warn him about the Beladors linking.

  How were they going to find the location where Veronika would set up to watch the eclipse?

  Chapter 35

  Storm walked out the delivery entrance of the five-story building, surprised to see the weather cleared up after all that noise for the last half hour. He waited for Cadee Ahearn to exit behind him, then he hit the button for the overhead door to lower.

  He stepped back and let his gaze climb the brick walls. This had once been a textile plant, and he liked the changes happening.

  Cadee read her notes. "You want to be able to sleep and eat here as soon as possible. I can't complete all the final decorating that quickly, but your bedroom, bathroom and kitchen will be usable in two days," Cadee said, drawing his attention to her. She frowned. "I wish I could pull this together as fast as I did your Midtown house, but I'm starting with nothing but open space here."

  "I understand and I know I changed my plans for this building in midstream, but anything you can do will be fine. I only need the basics for now." Just enough living space to take the pressure off of Evalle. "You'll have all the time you need for finishing the rest of the living area, then we'll start on the office space."

  "Even with that, you may not get your money back out of this investment."

  "I'm not worried about that." He shook hands with Cadee and started for his truck. He started to call Evalle and realized it was close to daylight.

  He opened his phone and found a text he hadn't heard over all the noise of the booming thunder outside and the construction racket going on inside.

  Evalle had sent: Guess you're still in town taking care of business. We need to talk ... about a lot of things, but mainly Veronika. She's in the city.

  His heart did a double pump as he finished reading the text.

  Don't panic. I'm home in my underground bunker. She's going into hiding until the eclipse is done. We have no plan. Oh, there is good news. I found the evidence I needed for the Tribunal tonight.

  How had she done that after he'd covered over a hundred and fifty miles today trying to pin something down?

  Storm paused, leaned back against the brick wall and stared up at the sky, searching for a star, but nothing shined through the clouds hanging over the city.

  He had to tell her what he'd been doing with this building.

  Would he and Evalle be alive tomorrow at this time for him to confess his plan?

  Would she hate his idea?

  Would life ever go on in a way that was normal?

  Normal. He had no idea what that word meant for regular people, but he wanted his and Evalle's version of normal ... and forever.

  There was still the issue with Feenix.

  Storm had left Feenix a toy, but it didn't appear as though the little gargoyle had even touched it the last time Storm had swung by. When Storm had tried to talk with Feenix, the gargoyle had ignored him. Was Feenix so determined to stake a claim on his territory that he'd never be willing to share Evalle?

  Storm ran a hand over his face, so exhausted he could sleep on a bed of rocks. He wanted to think positive and believe that he'd still be able to hold Evalle tomorrow and their world would continue, but he was heading home now and would spend what time he could with her in his arms.

  Chapter 36

  Having located Lanna and Garwyli, Tzader now guided the girl through Treoir Castle. This place had been home to Brina's ancestors for millennia and was
filled with memories both tender and traumatic.

  He had to find a way to return Brina's memories of him, of them, or ... he couldn't face the idea of failure.

  Or of her married to someone else.

  Lanna cupped one of her tender hands against her chest. Lanna said Garwyli had cooed to her, smiling and talking as he'd healed her damaged skin. She thought he was amazing and Garwyli was taken with the young woman.

  Garwyli also warned Tzader that Macha was on a tear, as if that was news.

  "When did you return, Tzader?" Macha asked from behind him.

  His neck muscles tightened at her annoyed tone and Lanna froze, but he gave Lanna's shoulder a squeeze and whispered, "You're fine."

  When he turned around, Lanna did, too, folding her hands together in front her. The young woman acted as if meeting Macha in Treoir Castle were part of her normal day. "Hello, goddess."

  Tzader thanked all the stars that Lanna had addressed Macha properly.

  Macha scowled, but managed a curt, "Hello. What are you both doing here?"

  Tzader had wanted to talk to Macha once he had Lanna settled, but wishing to have your way around Macha would result in leaving empty handed. He launched into what had to be said.

  "I brought Lanna with me for Garwyli to heal her hands-"

  "Why couldn't someone at VIPER take care of that?"

  Tzader bit back his sharp retort. If he wanted to remain here, he had to appease Macha and get her on his side. "I could have gone that route, but I think Lanna might be able to help Brina. I'd like for you to allow her to spend some time with Brina ... and I'm here to do the same."

  Macha's eyes almost ran out on stems. "What about your duties?"

  "I've put Quinn in place as Maistir while I'm on leave."

  Three, two, one... Macha snarled, "Who gave you the authority to make that decision?"

  Tzader turned to Lanna. "Do you remember where Brina's solarium is?"

  "Yes."

  "Wait for me there."

  Her expression held sympathy, but as she turned, she said, "Win this battle for Brina."

  Once Lanna left, Macha said, "Now that we have privacy, explain yourself."

  He considered Lanna's words. She had reminded him what the war was all about-bringing Brina's memories back-and he couldn't do that unless he convinced Macha that they had the same goal. He kept his arms uncrossed, showing he was open to discussion, but he was not accepting anything but a win.

  "Is Brina's condition improving, Macha?"

  The goddess quirked her head. "No."