by Jami Gray
He shook his head, “She’ll know, no way to hide it.”
Raine held her hand up, bringing their attention back to her. “Hold up. How do you mirror me and what’s it going to cost?”
“Mirroring,” Gavin explained, “occurs when a witch sends part of themselves into another by merging two pieces of individual magic together.” At Raine’s continued skepticism, he clarified. “Basically, I’m going to tag along. I’ll be able to add my strength to yours, but you’ll be the one in control.” When she arched her eyebrows, he continued, “Think of two magical threads twisting together.”
“They make a stronger cord,” she murmured, her heartbeat picking up the pace. “So you’re going to use empathic magic for this?”
His nod triggered the beginnings of panic. Empathic magic meant he would be able to access her on an intimately deep level. It wasn’t just disconcerting, it was frightening.
How would she handle him seeing into shadows even she wasn’t ready to deal with? What if he saw into her darkness, then decided she wasn’t worth fighting for? It was a distinct possibility. Things between them were so new, if—no, when she screwed up again, they could shatter under the strain. Hell, if this bond worked both ways, he wouldn’t be able to his ultimate decision from her.
She shook her head, eyes wide.
“Raine, listen to me.” His voice broke through her panic, proving he knew her well. “It’s a surface link, just enough to lend you strength when needed. I’ll be the anchor as you pull Cheveyo out. As long as we both maintain our inner shields, the tie won’t be that deep.”
She forced her breathing to calm, using the quiet confidence of the man in front of her as an example. Gavin was a damn good witch, if anyone could pull this off, he could. Her inner barriers would hold. They’d held through worse. She could do this.
Ignoring the sneering little voice whispering, ‘Yeah, right,’ she cleared her throat. “Okay, fine. You can mirror me. We’ll explain to Tala it’s for added strength. What’s Xander’s part?”
“I’m the fall back option,” Xander supplied gleefully.
Raine assessed the shifter. If something went wrong, Xander would sever the connection between Raine and Tala. It was a solution they didn’t take lightly. To break the psychic connection between Tala and Raine, Xander would have to make a very difficult, possibly lethal decision. Yet every Wraith knew sacrifices were sometimes needed to save the primary.
Diffusing the choking tension with dark humor, Raine quipped, “Pick the one that will involve the least amount of paperwork.”
Xander snorted and shook her head.
Raine’s small smile faded as she voiced her biggest concern. “Say we open this door between Cheveyo and me and get some kind of link established. How are we going to hold it without whoever has him catching on?”
“If Cheveyo is like most Heads of House, then he’s strong enough to keep his inner barriers up,” Xander said. “Nothing short of a nuclear blast of magic will bring it down.”
“So I, what?” Raine asked. “Hide out inside his mind?”
“If there’s enough of Cheveyo left, he can help me create an illusion the two of you can hide the connection behind,” Gavin offered.
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not sure I like this plan all that much. It leaves me a little too vulnerable on too many fronts.”
How in the hell was she supposed to protect her inner barriers from Gavin, keep her remaining magic from getting sucked out by whatever was holding Cheveyo, and hold a connection to the witch, all without burning through her meager power?
Gavin grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. “I’m going to be right there, Raine. Between the two of us we can do this. Understand?”
She blinked, the command in his voice dragging a reluctant nod from her. Great. Along with saving Cheveyo, now she would be worried about making sure Gavin made it out as well. He held her chin for a moment longer, searching for something. Whatever he wanted, he must have found, because satisfaction flitted across his face before he let her go.
Tala’s voice drifted through the door. “If you all are ready, we can begin.”
“We’ll be there in just a minute,” Xander answered, never taking her gaze from Gavin and Raine. They all listened to Tala move down the hall.
Xander lowered her voice. “We call Mulcahy tomorrow.” Her hazel eyes gleamed with wicked amusement as she got up from the bed and moved to the door. “You can give him an update.”
Raine swung her legs over to follow. “Oh, joy! Can’t wait.”
Chapter Twelve
In the living room Tala had pushed her furniture to the edges, leaving a large open space with a half-finished salt circle. Four fat, unlit candles stood at each compass point—red, white, blue, and green. From the worn pattern on the hardwood floor it was clear this wasn’t the first time such a circle had been laid out.
Tala appeared in the entrance from the kitchen, an old, but sharp, blade in one hand and a purple candle in the other.
“Raine, you need to be in the center.” She waved the knife to indicate direction. “Xander and Gavin can sit on the outside. Just don’t mess the salt line.”
Ash pushed past her to sit between the fireplace and an outside edge of the circle.
Gavin shook his head. “We’re all going to be inside the circle.”
The witch drew up short, her spine snapping straight. “Excuse me?”
His only reaction to her haughty tone was a little smirk. The same one that drove Raine crazy when he directed it at her. With it now aimed at the witch, Raine found it kind of sexy. “I’m mirroring Raine for added strength.” His statement bordered on a taunt. “Xander will stay inside the circle in case she’s needed.”
A furious silence filled the room, but Tala didn’t take her gaze off of Gavin. “I see.”
Raine was certain the other woman understood every unspoken word.
Tala’s smile was all false sweetness. “Then you won’t mind if I keep Ash in the circle as well?”
Game on. Tala’s personal guardian would give the witch a few seconds of warning should Xander be forced into action.
“Agreed.” Xander’s quiet voice cut through the power play between the two witches. Raine shot her a questioning look and received a shrug in response. “I have no issues with Ash being in the circle. The more the merrier.”
Figuring Xander knew her own limits, Raine let it go.
Tala gave a sharp nod. “Shall we get started then?”
Gavin gestured Raine forward. One by one they entered the circle. Tala took her place in the center, setting the purple candle and the knife on the floor nearby. Raine settled in front of her, while Xander and Ash picked their spots. Gavin followed, taking care to close the salt circle before settling in behind Raine.
She could feel him like a solid wall of heated strength, lending her focus. Keeping her attention on the candle’s flame, she took deep, even breaths until her racing thoughts slowed, then stilled. Doubts were chased out. Awareness of her surroundings began to blur and fade. Her sole focus became the beckoning flame as she gathered her will into the waiting stillness.
Tala began to chant, her melodic voice lulling Raine deeper. The reddish orange cast of the flame bled to a faint blue. Tala’s voice deepened before slowly multiplying until there was nothing but the sound of a captivating chorus sucking Raine into the heart of the flame. Blue faded into an intense flash of white, leaving Raine blind.
Blinking furiously, she tried to bring her surroundings into focus. Tala’s voice drifted to her like the faint song of water over rocks. As the incandescence faded, images took shape.
She stood on a gravel path snaking through a surreal forest made of watercolors that bled together to create a constantly changing terrain. The shifting colors made her slightly nauseous, but the images drew her. If she watched long enough, she might be able to figure out what they were.
Hands closed on her shoulders, pulling her attention from th
e ever-changing scenery. “Raine?”
She shook her head, dislodging the hypnotic pull of the forest. Turning, she faced Gavin, relieved to find him looking fairly normally—if a little fuzzy on the edges.
He smiled at her. “Ready?”
At her nod, his image faded more, causing a spurt of panic. She snagged his arm.
“It’s okay.” His voice was calm, his green eyes nearly glowing. “I’m not going anywhere, just muting my presence so I’m harder to sense.”
“Sorry.” She forced her hand to open, letting him go. Gavin became a faint shadow. She turned back to the weird forest and tested her inner barriers, relieved to find they were holding strong.
Lowering her primary psychic shields, she allowed Gavin to link with her. With him in place, she focused on her magic and finding the traces of energy binding her to Cheveyo. She moved along the gravel path as her magic played hard to get. Once again, she had to cajole it to answer.
Steeling herself against the doubt now dodging her every step, she drew the faint colors of her magic close. They wrapped around her, sinking deep as she tried to strengthen it. Thanks to Gavin, she could feel a slight boost in her energy as magic began to vibrate against her skin.
The air in front of her shimmered, forcing her to a stop. Narrowing her gaze, she centered her concentration. Slowly, the shimmer—hovering about eye level—reformed into a multi-hued curtain. It was a tapestry of colors, some like weak nightlights, others with stronger glows. She was unsurprised to find that the weaker lights seemed to be hers, while the stronger ones belonged to Cheveyo and Gavin.
This is where she needed to take her time and pick the right threads. Pick the wrong ones, and she’d end up snared in her own wild magic, unable to find her way back. The fear of losing not just herself, but Gavin, in the powerful tapestry rose. Taking a deep breath, she let it become a faint discordant note in Tala’s background choir.
“You need to hone in on your ties to Cheveyo.” Gavin’s voice slid through her, like a calm breeze.
Using the familiarity she gained through weeks of studying under Cheveyo, she tried to locate the colors she associated with the magi and his magic. The moving tapestry pulsed and twisted, but, finally, she found his deep earth tones. They undulated like storm clouds, reflecting the dangerous part of Cheveyo hidden beneath the deceptively calm exterior he presented to the world.
Slowly, the powerful magi’s magical signature brightened until the others faded into the background. She reached for it, only to stop as something scrapped against her mental walls.
Sensing her hesitation, Gavin asked, “What’s wrong
She wasn’t sure. Something felt…off. With no way to verbalize her feelings, she didn’t try. Instead, she gathered the magic. Cheveyo’s earth tones were interwoven with another color. Peering closer she found a thin streak of silver. Mine. She continued to follow the interconnected line and discovered a distinctive blue flowing next to her silver.
Realization seared through her. By mirroring her, Gavin’s magic would merge with hers until they appeared as one person. She spun to face Gavin as the true implications hit with stunning force. Should they survive this, some part of him would forever exist within her.
Gavin’s image sharpened until he was solid. “It goes both ways, Raine.” His seriousness was reflected in the weight of knowledge in his gaze.
She felt dizzy as her world shook. She tried to keep her voice steady. “Are you sure about this?”
Did he really understand what this meant? How tied they would be? Sometimes it seemed he could barely tolerate her. Hell, sometimes she could barely tolerate herself.
He stroked her cheek and a small unreadable smile twisted his lips. “We’re going to be fine.” Reading her disbelief, he added, “Remember to keep your barriers up. Surface link, remember?”
She glared. “That seems awfully close for a surface link.”
She could swear he was laughing at her, even if his expression remained unchanged. “You can still keep your secrets.” As he faded back into the surreal surroundings, he softly added, “For now.”
Snorting, she turned away. She’d deal with the fallout later. Taking a deep breath, she dropped her secondary barriers enough to merge Gavin’s magic with hers. Blue sank into silver until only a light tint remained. Strength spread through her. Familiar power bloomed and the strange wildness that haunted her for years settled into place.
Relief loosened her shoulders as determination steeled her spine. Pulling her secondary shields into place, she once again reached for Cheveyo’s thread.
Chapter Thirteen
Grabbing hold of her tie to Cheveyo set Raine’s world spinning. The magic pulled her along the gravel path with such speed the strange watercolor forest blurred. She thought she caught a flash of her leopard racing beside her, but could only hold on as the magic drew her forward.
The background noise of Tala’s voice rose to a cacophony until the words pounded through Raine’s blood and bones. Noise and magic crested, threatening to fracture her.
Then, as if a switch was thrown, all fell silent. She found herself on her knees, one hand buried in the fur of her leopard, the other supporting her weight as gravel pressed against her palm. Her breath tore in and out of her lungs like an old fashion bellow, the noise loud in the deafening quiet. Slowing her breathing, she raised her head to see where they were.
The watercolor forest had thinned, disappearing into a deepening darkness. The old bank vault door was back, along with the low level dread. Tearing her gaze away from the intimidating door, she searched for Gavin. She found his faint shadow behind her. Reassured, she turned back to the door. Once through, she couldn’t acknowledge Gavin’s presence, needing to keep it as hidden as possible.
A rustling noise to her right announced Tala’s arrival. Raine pushed to her feet as the blonde witch stopped in front of her. Irritated, Raine’s tone was short, “You’re here. Why?”
The small taunting smile Raine was really beginning to hate flashed to life. “Don’t worry, kitty cat, I won’t be following you in. Consider me back up.”
Raine didn’t bother to hide her derision. “It’s thanks to you Cheveyo’s in this situation in the first place.” She almost missed the flash of hurt running through the witch’s dark eyes.
“It doesn’t matter what you think,” Tala shot back.
Raine let her own mocking smile free. “Actually it does matter. My loyalties lie with my magi. His safety comes first. If I decide you’re more of a hindrance than help, I have the right to refuse your offer.”
Anger tightened the skin across Tala’s high cheekbones, and something in her expression actually gave Raine pause. The witch’s voice cut bone deep. “You don’t get a choice in this, McCord. You will go in, give what help you can to Cheveyo and bring me the information necessary to get him back. Wraith or not, you do answer to me, because your continued existence depends on how I end this spell.”
For the first time since meeting Tala, Raine saw what set the other woman apart and made her the Magi for the Southwest Kyn. A small spark of respect flared to life at Tala’s threat. Here was the ruthlessness necessary for running a House, backed with the power to enforce her will regardless of the consequences.
Raine held her tongue as she studied the woman. Rarely did she underestimate others, but this time she let her personal feelings interfere with her perceptions. Not a smart move and one she’d make damn sure not to do again. She sketched a small bow. “Understood, Magi.”
Raine hid her smile at the surprise Tala was unable to hide. The witch’s threat was very real, but Xander wasn’t sitting in that circle for moral support either. Between Gavin and Xander, Tala wouldn’t be walking away from the circle if Raine wasn’t. It was a strange sort of comfort.
Leaving Tala on the path, Raine moved to the barred door. Each step closer increased the sickening weight boiling in her stomach. Stopping before the spike wheel, she took a deep breath and slowly reached out. S
tatic electricity ran over her, raising the fine hairs on her body. The sensation of pushing through a thick paste coated her hands. Hearing the low growl from her leopard, she braced, setting her skin to the metal.
For a moment, nothing happened, then her palms began to burn, as a needle-sharp pain arrowed into her bones. Rising above the pain, she concentrated on turning the wheel to unlock the door. The burning grew in intensity, bringing tears to her eyes.
The deafening screech of metal scraping against metal raked her ears. She swore she could feel the warm trickle of blood easing from her abused eardrums. In defense, she drew on her magic, trying to block out the pain in her head and hands. Suddenly it felt as if Gavin’s hands covered hers, helping to unlock the door. With a final clink of metal tumblers, the door released.
Rubbing her aching palms on her thighs, she hesitated before checking out the damage done to her hands. Although the shards of agony still echoed through her fingers, no blemish showed.
Shaking her head, she stared at the door in front of her. Closing her eyes, she gathered her magic and settled her cat back to its familiar place. Then she allowed Gavin’s power to merge a bit deeper. On some distant level, she marveled at the sense of completion the joining brought.
Holding tight to Cheveyo’s thread, she reinforced her barriers, opened her eyes, and shoved open the door wide. A soft swirling gray mist filled the other side.
Stepping through her feet hit a smooth, unseen surface. The mist curled around her, clinging to her like spider webs. She moved forward, following Cheveyo’s pull. Once inside, she refused to turn around, worried she would lose her sense of direction. Instead, she let the magic guide her.
Caught inside the haze, time became static. Her nose twitched at the hint of moisture and spicy smoke. The damp scent took on hints of stone while the caustic smoke coated the back of her throat. Muted noises emerged, spiked with occasional sharp tones. No matter how much she concentrated, she couldn’t make out the words, or figure out if it was one person or many.
