by Mary Hughes
Burgot sped toward Rodolphe’s remains, gesturing at his familiar as he ran.
Out of the corner of his eye, Noah saw the ivory ferret boil up into a slender human male with a white brush of hair and a green camouflage weapons vest shingled with knives. He slid two out and threw them in a single motion—straight at Sophia.
Noah whipped up a shield but Sophia was already blasting the ferret man with her free hand. Her magic actually lifted the small man off his feet and plowed him into the grass ten feet behind him.
Noah felt a rush of pride. She was stellar. A witch, yes, but his witch.
Burgot rummaged around in Rodolphe’s remains and came up with the blue siphon with a satisfied, “Ah.” A touch returned the pink color.
Caw!
Noah looked up. Raven flew overhead. The moment he saw Noah’s gaze on him, he dropped a short stick.
Noah swept it out of the air. “Fight with us, Bram.”
The raven plummeted, not so much landing next to them as turning inside out at the last moment. His human form was equally tall with Noah’s.
As he landed Burgot threw a blast at them. Noah swept up another soft block, angling it this time with intent. The blast rocketed toward the ferret familiar, just getting to his feet. He saw the blast, eyes widening, and scrambled to dive out of its way.
Without words, Noah and Bram formed up back to back at the rim of the burned circle, Sophia sandwiched between.
She wasn’t having any of that. She squirmed out from between their taller bodies and stood with her shoulders abutting their biceps, the three of them back to back to back.
Noah’s heart smiled. His mate could take care of herself.
But the protective male inside him shouldered their triangle around until he, not Sophia, was the one facing Burgot. The ivory wizard bared yellowed teeth at him in a blood-curdling grin.
Gripping his new wand, Noah grinned back, letting his Canidae nature show a little fang. Burgot’s smile faltered.
Noah was already raising his free hand to take advantage of the enemy’s lapse. He threw a bolt of hard magic at Burgot.
“No,” Sophia gasped. “He’ll steal your magic. Close off your power, stop breathing—”
“Shh. Trust me.”
Burgot only saw the poor dumb shifter playing into his hands. He touched a pocket then swirled up a spell like a cyclone on its side. Its maw gaped where Noah’s spell would have hit, if it had gone straight.
But Noah hadn’t forgotten what Burgot could do. He’d thrown the ivory wizard a curve ball. Noah’s spell careened harmlessly past, just out of reach.
Noah smiled. He’d faked Burgot into revealing his spell-sucking magic. This was why Mason never played poker with him. Noah was honest and trustworthy to his friends, and could bluff the hell out of anyone, especially his enemies.
He slashed the wand, tagging his mother’s black wolf pendent in the long grass. This was for her.
With a flick of the wrist, he flung the pendent straight into Burgot’s power vortex.
Sophia grabbed his forearm. “Not the medallion…damn.”
The vortex vacuumed the solid pendent straight into Burgot’s solar plexus. It skewered him through.
Burgot bent over, gasping.
The ferret man froze. Suddenly he collapsed into animal form and ran away, tall grass waving. Bram changed form and took to the air, his caws sounding suspiciously like taunts.
“Stop! Pax.” Gasping, Burgot raised both hands, uncurling slowly. Blood stained the front of his ivory robe. “Good fight.” He attempted to smile. “Let’s talk.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s not.”
“You were awesome.” Sophia put a hand on Noah’s biceps. “Come on. Let’s get your mother’s medallion.”
Noah glanced down at her as they started toward Burgot. With her hair mussed and her cheeks pink from the fight, she was even more beautiful to him. He had to stop himself from sweeping her into his arms right then and there.
Her rosy color drained. “Oh hell.”
Noah’s head snapped up. Burgot was running away, Noah’s medallion hanging by its thong from his clenched fingers. Sophia threw a bolt of power at Burgot’s feet but he blocked it with a hurried spell—just as a roar came from the street.
Burgot’s ferret, now a man wearing ivory leather, spun a motorcycle to a stop at the edge of the repair shop’s cobbled parking lot.
“We need to stop him.” Sophia ran after Burgot.
The wizard saw her and blasted earth up behind him, a tsunami shield of dirt and grass. Noah grabbed her arm and yanked her back just before it would have smashed into her.
Through the dirt veil Noah could see Burgot mount behind the familiar. They took off in a tight-throated roar.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sophia’s heart pounded in her ears. “We have to catch them.” She reached for her white wolf.
Noah put a hand on her wrist, stopping her. “Even as wolves, we can’t run as fast as a motorcycle. We need wheels. Mason!”
Mason rolled up the bay door as they ran for the garage and disappeared into the shop as they ran in.
“Which motorcycle?” she asked.
“The only one with a prayer of catching that bike is the Ducati.” Noah grimaced at the disassembled motorcycle. “Too bad we can’t. I tried to fix it but—”
“Hell with that.” She pointed her wand at the pile of engine parts. “Fix!”
Metal pieces flew, clanged together, just as Mason ran back in with two helmets. He tossed one to Noah.
“Fix?” Noah, staring at her, caught the helmet without looking. “Not overhaulus machinus, or repairum cyclum or something properly esoteric? Fix?”
“It worked.” She put a hand on the throttle. “I’ll drive.”
“Who’ll fight Burgot? I’ll drive.” He nudged her hand off.
“Can you?”
“Watch.” Oh, the look he gave her as he lifted his leg over. She scrambled up behind him. He clamped the clutch, flipped the key to on. Mason tossed her the second helmet. She was still fastening it as Noah roared out of the garage.
Burgot and his ferret were long gone, but above them, Bram cawed.
“What’s he saying?” she asked Noah.
“I can’t understand him…wait. Yes I can.” There was wonder in his tone. “He’s saying Burgot is headed for the highway.”
“Got it.” She cast a map spell and swept a hologram at Noah’s eye level. “That way.”
Noah poured on the throttle and it was all Sophia could do to hang on. He zipped along so fast Bram quickly fell behind.
They caught Burgot and his ferret hitting US 10. The moment the wizard saw them, he started casting spells.
But not at them. Those Sophia could have blocked. No, he tossed deadly spells at their bike, and worse, at random innocent traffic.
The ferret zipped a quick pass around an old family station wagon, cutting it close. Noah zoomed after. As they passed, Sophia saw two car seats in back, a baby and toddler strapped in.
Just as Burgot let loose with a screaming rocket at the car.
She swung a shield in front of the car barely in time, got the angle wrong and sent the rocket into the roadside grass. Turf burst into flame. Two degrees more and she’d have incinerated a farm.
She had to get on offense. She crammed in a quick blast of power to Burgot’s front wheel.
He intercepted it before it struck, bounced it into a car on the other side of the road. Sophia knocked it askew with a hammer spell. Her own damned magic.
This was bad. Noah was busy keeping them on the road, and if Sophia had to use all her talent to protect the innocents, the few offensive opportunities she had would fizzle. If she could have created a big oil slick or something he couldn’t divert…but she could just picture the pileup that would ca
use, and mundane traffic wouldn’t have a chance.
Maybe Rodolphe was right. Maybe she was hampered by her limits. Her conscience.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, Burgot glanced back and grinned savagely—and shot an arrow of fire magic into a barn.
The roof exploded in flames, magical tongues dancing from board to board. It would only be a moment before the fire found its way inside and hay would send the thing out of control.
Waving one hand, she filled the air over the roof with water vapor. Slashing the other, she cut a seed spell into the vapor. She had to let go of Noah to do it.
Dark clouds boiled up and let loose with a downpour. Win.
But while she was untethered, Burgot hit her with a ramming spell.
She toppled. Epic fail.
Only Noah grabbing her blouse kept her on the bike.
Heart hammering, she saw the road below them zipping by so fast it was a blur. Hitting pavement would hurt. He yanked her back up.
Damn it. Neither win nor fail but a stalemate and she was tiring. If she lost her concentration for even one second, it would be a disaster.
She had to break the stalemate, but how? No oil slicks, Burgot intercepted offensive magic aimed at the bike and the Hungry Ghost could suck any magic she threw directly at him…
The Hungry Ghost. It made him scary but it was also his weakness. Never satisfied with the amount of magic and power he held, he’d want more. While he’d shield against an indirect attack, he wouldn’t be able to resist power thrown directly at him.
He wouldn’t shield. In fact, he’d latch onto it, suck it down and ask for more.
So. Offer Burgot her magic to siphon. Wait until he was drawing as fast as he could, then Evacuate into him. She’d used Share Power to help Jayden, but that was nothing compared to a complete Evacuate.
Burgot would go from sipping her magic to drinking from a water hose cranked suddenly to full power. His straw throat? He’d choke. Maybe burn him out—or maybe not.
And she’d become mundane.
But if they continued like this, disaster would strike sooner or later.
And if the Hungry Ghost got away with the Heart medallion, it would be the end of the world as they knew it.
It was their only chance.
Damn it all to hell, she’d just gotten her magic back. A full Evacuate would erase it, forever.
Anguish clogged her throat. She nearly wept.
She breathed instead. Fighting was about breathing. And preparation.
And refusing to lose.
She opened her third eye, reached deep and targeted the motorcycle ahead of her.
“Blast!” She flung the spell at Burgot.
“Sophia, no!” Noah tried to intercept her magic. The motorcycle wobbled. He grabbed handlebars to steady it and her spell shot past them.
“Trust me,” she whispered.
With a bloody grin, Burgot spun his wand. The vortex whirled into being and sucked up her blast spell. The seeking hooks flooded out.
When they hit her, she flinched. She had to work not to shut down her magic, but to breathe them in and let the hooks grab her. Sink in. Embed themselves in her brain.
The rest of the cloud came, buzzing. She sucked them in too—and screamed. Her lungs felt like a thousand hornets stung them. Her bloodstream lit with fire. The hooks sank into every corner of her body, every cell.
Jayden had drawn on her power and it had hurt. This was different, as excruciating as if her very cells were being hollowed.
Then, in her head where the pain was the worst, a light went out. No more magic.
She gasped. A part of her magic was dead.
Noah reached back for her. “Sophia.”
“No.” She swallowed and gripped his shirt in one hand, hanging on for dear life. “Let me…let me do this.”
He jerked a glance back at her. Whatever he saw made him slow the motorcycle.
“No!” She tried to communicate her need through her clutching fingers. “Must…finish.”
He glanced back again.
His golden eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
He knew. He knew what she was doing, and what it was costing her.
And maybe even guessed why she had to do it. Or maybe he just trusted her.
Her arms went numb. Another link to her magic, dead. Then her feet, and legs. Burgot was drawing as hard as he could. Time to finish this.
“You want my power? Choke on it. Evacuate!” With a roar she threw every bit of her remaining power into the line between them. It roared down the connection like an unstoppable ocean wave, like a sudden gust of wind, like a wildfire raging out of control.
Burgot had already sucked in a good portion of her power, as near as the Hungry Ghost got to full. He couldn’t take more—she hoped.
Her power hit Burgot with a physical bang. It slammed into him with such force he lifted from the pillion seat and sailed into the air. He cartwheeled off the back of the cycle and hit pavement with a wet smack, tumbling a few feet onto the hard shoulder.
Noah clamped on the handbrake and stood on the footbrake. Sophia slammed into his back. She couldn’t feel it. The Ducati stopped inches from Burgot’s still form. Noah kicked the stand and got off.
Sophia’s chest felt empty. Her cells felt hollow. Her muscles wouldn’t hold her. She tried to get off, wobbled—and crumpled from the bike.
Noah caught her. “Oh no, no.” His arms wrapped around her and eased her gently to the pavement. Cars zipped past them, the wind buffeting them. She waited for his arms’ healing to take effect. She felt his warmth and support…and emptiness.
Her body was dark. Her magic, her power—the thing that had defined her—was gone.
Ahead, the ferret man hit the brakes.
“Noah.” She raised desperate eyes to him. “You can’t let the ferret get near us. He’ll rescue Burgot or worse, take your mother’s medallion.”
Noah swung a hand at the ferret. Without looking, he blasted the cycle. The ferret went ass over teakettle and face-planted on pavement.
She managed a grim smile. “Let’s get your mother’s wolf.” She tried to rise. Noah had to help her. It took everything she had to get her dizziness under control. The sense of emptiness didn’t leave her. She would have cried, but her eyes were too dry from the wind. She settled for fumbling off her helmet. With Noah’s help she managed to get to Burgot.
His chest rose and fell. She wasn’t sure if she was glad or not. She looked at Noah. “You’ll have to…” She made a circular motion and pointed at his wrists and ankles.
“Right.” Noah wrapped the wizard up with magical zip ties then went to restrain the ferret.
Burgot woke as Sophia searched him for the Heart medallion. The fury in his eyes as she pulled it from an inner pocket was enough to tell her he knew exactly what it was.
As she pulled it out, for an instant, it dangled in front of his face.
He snapped teeth at it as if he’d eat it—as if he were the Hungry Ghost in fact.
She yanked it away and clasped it to her breast. They locked gazes. Burgot slowly licked his lips.
She swallowed bile and turned away.
Noah returned, checked Burgot’s ties and patted him down. Sophia nearly asked what for until Noah came up with the pink siphon.
Bram landed sometime later.
“Take these somewhere safe.” Noah gave the medallion and siphon to Bram, who flew away with it.
Then Sophia called the Council police—just before she passed out.
She regained consciousness to the soothing smell of chamomile tea, patchouli incense and Aunt Linda’s perfume.
“Are you sure she shouldn’t be in a hospital?” Noah’s deep tones thrummed with concern.
“I’m sure.” That was Jayden’s voice, unpeppered w
ith sarcasm for a change. “Your little witch is very lucky. If she’d been with anyone but you, she’d have been a husk.”
“I don’t understand.” That was Bram. “She’s a witch—or she was a witch. But she’s also a shifter? And my master is both a wolf and a wizard? That’s forbidden. I don’t understand how any of this happened.”
“Some things, young one, are not meant to be understood.” A soothing purr underlay Mr. Kibbles’s voice. “Just accepted and cherished.”
“Shh.” Aunt Linda was nearby. “She’s waking up.” Footsteps shuffled closer.
Sophia’s eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was Noah’s face, relief in his golden eyes. Auntie stood beaming beside him. Behind them were Mason, Jayden, Bram and Mr. Kibbles. Everyone except for Noah and Aunt Linda had a cup of tea in their hands.
“Are you feeling better after your little nap?” Aunt Linda said.
Sophia blinked. She lay on a couch in the reading area of the Uncommon Night Owl Bookstore. She did feel a little better. Less empty…or maybe just more used to it now. The thought depressed her.
“Oh my, what’s that grumpy face for? A nice cup of tea will cheer you up. Noah, be a dear and help Sophia sit while I get it?”
“What happened?” She tried to sit up. Noah rushed to help her, easing pillows behind her back.
“Here, dear.” Aunt Linda offered her a cup and saucer. “I’ve started some incense burning, that patchouli Gabriel got me for Christmas. Do you like it?”
She stared at the tea without taking it. So normal. As if Aunt Linda hadn’t disappeared…as if Sophia’s magic hadn’t disappeared too. “Where have you been?” Her gaze rose to her aunt’s. “Didn’t you know I was worried about you? How long does it take to find the reversal for a simple hex?” Which turned out not to be so simple, but that was beside the point.
“Here, dear,” Linda repeated.
“Better take the tea,” Mr. Kibbles said. “She won’t explain anything until you’ve had some.”
“And cookies,” Auntie said. “The Misses Jamies sent over a batch.”
“Oh, well, cookies.” Giving in to the inevitable—while Linda was a textile witch, when she wanted to, she could be as irresistible as the most basic elements—Sophia took her tea. Noah snatched a couple cookies, dropped one on her saucer, sat and snugged her feet in his lap while he munched the other cookie. Everyone else sat in chairs and on couches arranged in a sort of semicircle around her couch.
