by Vicki Leigh
I smacked the flames out on my chest, thankful now for the mist from the sprinkling system, and ground my teeth at the lingering burn. Jumping from the debris, I spotted Chad in a battle with the warlock who’d blasted me with fire. Their attacks were fast, neither one better than the other.
Taking a second, I considered my options: I could try to dodge the warlock’s hits and reach Eric, but then I’d be too far from Chad. Not to mention, the two other Magus were nearing their teammate’s side; if I didn’t react now, we’d be outnumbered in seconds.
There was no other choice: we had to leave Eric behind.
I ran as hard as I could, a knot in my stomach. I ducked to avoid another ball of fire hitting me in the head and grabbed Chad’s arm. With him in tow, I evaporated to Caelum.
We hit the ground hard, both of us sprawled. The gate’s siren buzzed, alerting the guards that someone wearing Trishna’s mark evaporated into the city. Caelum’s tenants circled us within seconds.
“What did you do?” Chad leaped off the ground.
I stood to calm him, but his fist hit my face.
“You left him!” he yelled.
I rubbed my chin. “I didn’t have a choice. It was either him or all of us.”
“I almost had him!”
“Maybe. But the other two would’ve taken you down in a second. I saved your life, mate.”
Chad glared at me, his nostrils flaring. “Screw you.” He rushed away from me, pushing through the crowd that had formed.
“Daniel, do you need—” a witch started to ask.
“I’m fine.” Shoving my gun into its holster, I winced as another wave of hot pain shot through my body.
“Are you sure? The healers know Trishna left with—”
“I said I’m fine!” The witch flinched, and I raked my hand through my hair. “I’m sorry. Excuse me.”
People stepped out of my way as I trudged through, aching to get out of my wet clothes. I’d see a healer once I made sure the rest of my team returned safely and that our mission hadn’t been a complete failure. When I stopped by the stockroom, ten carts were present. At least the majority of the supplies had made it back to Caelum. Scanning the loot, I groaned when I realized Eric had been on food duty. Maybe Trishna and the others would remember to grab his carts.
Hurrying through Caelum, I pushed through the door to my home. Seth, Ivan, and Lian hovered around our table, arguing. The weight on my chest lifted. Thank God. Seeing me, they silenced, and Tabbi and Kayla leaped off the sofa.
“I’m guessing that didn’t go well,” Seth joked.
I huffed and set my weapons on the table.
“What happened?” Lian asked. “We were about to come after you.”
I gripped the edge of the table and sighed. “Richard’s coven has Eric. Chad and I tried to save him, but we were outnumbered. Trishna’s gone after him with a team of Magus, but I doubt he’ll still be there.”
My friends’ faces fell. We’d all gotten to know Eric well. My stomach twisting again, I crossed through the small living room and into my bedroom. Unbuttoning my shirt, I peeled off the fabric, holding my breath as the cloth separated from my blisters and lacerations. At least the pain distracted me from the ache of losing a comrade.
“Can I help?” Kayla asked, startling me. She shut the door behind her, muffling the voices from the living room.
“I’m all right. I’ll see a healer later.”
“I am a healer.”
“You’ve been working hard all day, love. Save the energy.”
Over the last five weeks, more of Kayla’s powers had developed. Her ability to produce fire was still the most natural, but she’d excelled in all of the elements—including Spirit, the rarest of the five. As that element was so uncommon, the ability to control it took far more practice. I wasn’t going to tire her because of some burns and gashes. Once Trishna returned, and no one had more serious injuries, I’d let someone heal my wounds.
I stripped free of my wet trousers and boxers and pulled on dry underwear and jeans. Not wanting to risk worrying the others, I snatched a T-shirt from my wardrobe, but Kayla yanked it from my grasp.
“Not until I heal you,” she said, a cloth in her hand.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Kayla—”
“Sit.”
Sighing, I sat on the edge of the bed, and Kayla climbed onto the mattress behind me. Her gentle fingertips stroked my spine. I closed my eyes, the mixture of pain and soothing awkward. On one hand, I wanted to fall asleep; on the other, I wanted to scream for Kayla to hurry.
She breathed deeply, then her bare palm touched my back. A wave of agony barreled through me as skin stretched over my wounds. Good Lord. I groaned through grinding teeth and held my breath. For two hundred years, I’d been a slave to Bartholomew’s healing serum. I’d never get used to the ripping pain that came with someone curing my injuries in seconds. When she lifted her hand, though, all the throbbing from moments before was gone.
I faced her, my racing pulse slowing. Kayla’s cheeks were pale, but her eyes glowed molten gold, the way they always did when she exerted a large amount of energy. Her left palm lay in her lap, covered with my blood.
I touched her cheek and spoke softly. “This is why I didn’t want you to do that.”
“I’m okay. Your chest, too… Let me.”
“Kayla—”
“Please.” Her eyebrows creased, and the need to care for me shone in her eyes.
Stomach heavy, I nodded and removed my hand from her cheek, resting it on the side of her thigh. Kayla placed her left hand on my chest, and I closed my eyes, holding my breath again to keep from shouting. For a second time, the excruciating sensation of my skin stretching beyond its capacity filled me, and I let out a slow puff of air. Seconds later, the stinging cooled, and Kayla removed her hand.
“There. All better.” The glow in her eyes died as she teetered forward.
I caught her in my arms and rubbed her back. “Close your eyes and calm your thoughts.” This wasn’t the first time she’d nearly fainted after using too much magic. I’d carried her to our home a couple times and had sat with her until the headaches passed. With each dizzy spell, it had taken her less time to recover, but I still wished she’d build up a tolerance to Spirit magic without pushing too hard.
“I’m okay.” Kayla pushed off me and wiped my blood from her hand onto a rag. Her gaze flicked around the room but wouldn’t lock with mine.
My chest constricted. She was waiting for me to lash out at her for doing something when she hadn’t built up stamina, yet. Blast.
I took her face in my hands and kissed her forehead. Thank you, I said.
She smiled slightly, fidgeting with the cloth.
“You’re getting better.” I thumbed her rosy cheek. “Didn’t even need an amulet that time.”
Kayla’s grin grew.
Someone knocked on my door. “You two naked in there?” Seth shouted.
I shook my head, and Kayla bit her lip, smirking. She knew how much privacy meant to me—and how often Seth exploited it.
“Trishna stopped by,” Seth continued. “She wants Daniel to join her in the commons room.”
“Thank you,” I replied before brushing a loose strand of dark hair from Kayla’s forehead and returning my attention to her. “You going to be all right if I leave for a bit?”
When she nodded, I rose from the bed and pulled my clean T-shirt over my head, then kissed her goodbye.
ike the training center, the commons room was a carefully-carved hole down a tunnel that branched from the center of Caelum, but the Magus had tried to make this room as aesthetically appealing as any office boardroom. The chamber was square and large enough to accommodate a round table that sat ten, and a whiteboard hung on the far stone wall. Covering the stone floor was a soft, green and gold area rug, and in the center of the table, a laptop was available for research. How the Magus managed to run Internet through Caelum was beyond me.
When I arrived, Bartholomew, Trishna, and Chad spoke in hushed voices, a map laid in front of them. Bartholomew’s gaze caught mine, and he nodded in my direction. The other two quieted and turned toward me.
“Daniel, finally,” Trishna said, her Indian accent thicker than I remembered. Her charcoal hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore her black battle outfit. At only thirty years old, her powers rivaled many witches twenty years her seniors, hence her designation as coven leader.
Chad stood stiffly beside her, arms crossed, veins bulging in his forearms. The glare he shot me was intense. They hadn’t been successful in recovering Eric. I frowned.
“With the way today’s supply run went, I’m beginning to fear Richard may be more onto us than we realize. When did you know that you were spotted?” she asked.
“Eric alerted me five minutes before he was attacked that a warlock was following him.”
“And there were four of them by the time you reached him?”
“Three. One was a Catcher.”
Trishna scratched the side of her neck. “This is bad. Of all the stores in America, four of Richard’s coven just happen to be at the Walmart in Albuquerque? Was your choice random?”
“Yes. I told my team only moments before we evaporated.”
“So, there’s no possibility of a traitor?”
I shook my head. “I know my team. And I doubt Eric or Chad said anything.”
“We haven’t yet considered the fact that we may have been at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Bartholomew said. “You Magus can detect others like you, correct?”
“In close enough proximity, yes,” Trishna replied. “And we can sense when a spirit is nearby—or, in your case, a Protector.”
“Like I said, maybe our teams unfortunately crossed paths.”
“But why was Richard’s coven there in the first place?” Chad asked.
“Nolan told me Richard has small groups of followers everywhere, even overseas,” Trishna said.
My adrenaline spiked. “We should check with Nolan and see if Richard has a known hideout in the area. Send a scouting team to Albuquerque and see what we can uncover.”
Trishna nodded. “I agree. If there’s any possibility that either he or his coven members are stationed there, we need to know. Nolan and Sam should be back within the hour. After the new recruits are situated, we’ll meet here to discuss further plans.”
With a nod, I strode from the room.
Not far down the tunnel, my shirt was yanked from behind. Chad slammed me against the wall, pinning me to the stone with magic.
I sighed. “Look, mate, I’m sorry about Eric.”
“I am not your ‘mate,’ nor do I want to be. How would you feel if it were Seth we left behind?” The color in his cheeks matched his red hair.
I lifted my hands. “Chad, I’m sorry. Really, I am. But would you rather I had left you to die with him?”
“Maybe.” But the look in his eye told me otherwise. “Let me make this very clear: I don’t trust you, and I sure as hell don’t want to fight alongside you. So, unless Trishna forces me to go with you, don’t bother asking me to come on a mission again.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Understood.”
With a snarl, Chad dropped his hand, releasing me from the wall, then stalked away.
A headache built in my skull as I watched him go. I rubbed my eyebrows with twitching fingers.
“War brings out the worst in people,” Bartholomew said from behind me. “Some can’t make tough decisions. It’s not your fault about Eric. You’ve been around long enough to know every war has its casualties.” He clapped me on the shoulder then stepped past, heading for the main street.
I’d never get used to “casualties.” I’d have threatened Eric to stay the hell away from me, too, if he’d left Seth behind.
As soon as I reached the main corridor, high-pitched wails, as loud as a foghorn, halted me in my tracks. Someone without Trishna’s mark had entered Caelum. I poised my hands over my blades and stared at the gate. My heart hammered in my ears. Richard’s coven couldn’t have tagged us, right?
From the tunnel that connected the gate to the town center came Samantha and Nolan. The Protectors who had raced toward the opening, guns at the ready, relaxed when Samantha and Nolan flashed their Unity tattoos on the inside of their left wrists.
The heat in my chest cooled. We were safe.
My gaze flicked through the group that trailed behind my friends to where Trishna stood with a clipboard. Most of the new recruits were young, though I spotted a few older Magus. Seeing mature men and women still surprised me. Giovanni had preferred his Protectors to be without “creaks,” a term that had irked me when he’d said it. I’d gotten so used to being among Catchers and Weavers under the age of twenty-five; it was nice seeing older faces.
I joined Tabbi, Seth, and Kayla outside the entrance to our home.
“They look scared,” Kayla said.
“Some of them are,” Tabbi replied, gripping her head. “Too many thoughts. Should’ve turned off the brain radio.” Being a Weaver, Tabbi was able to read the minds of any living individual. When there were too many people—or Magus, in this case—around her, all the thought patterns sent Tabbi into overload, and she had to switch off her ability.
“Man, that chick at the back is smokin’. Gonna have to get her to unwind later,” Seth said, wiggling his eyebrows. I shook my head, and he laughed.
When Bartholomew joined Trishna to check in the new recruits, Samantha hurried to us, her curly, blonde hair bouncing in a ponytail. Nolan followed close behind, the warlock’s eyes fixated on Kayla. She half ran to him, wrapping the dark-haired bloke in a hug. My jaw tightened as she stepped away and tucked her hair behind her ears, laughing boisterously.
Stop it, you moron. I cracked my neck, scolding myself. There was no reason for me to be jealous. Nolan hadn’t turned on Richard simply to get in Kayla’s trousers. And if I treated Kayla as untrustworthy, I’d push her away. Besides, when had I become so callow? My cheeks warmed. I was flipping embarrassing.
“Miss me?” Samantha said when she reached Tabbi.
Tabbi flung her small, forever-twelve-year-old arms around Samantha. “You’ve only been gone a month.”
“And this place looks a hell of a lot better than last time I was here.” Samantha backed out of Tabbi’s hold and took turns hugging Seth and me. “You guys did remember to leave me a bed, right?”
“Yep. Mine,” Seth said with a wink. Samantha punched his arm.
I entered our home, unable to suppress a smile. It was good to have the whole gang back together. Never a dull moment with Seth and Samantha.
“You’re rooming with me!” Tabbi said, following me inside. “It’ll be girls’ night every night.”
“Oh, boy,” Samantha replied, her voice laced with sarcasm.
“Hey, what about me? I still get top bunk,” Seth replied. Where Kayla and I had a queen bed in the smaller room, the other bedroom was larger, with a bunk bed and separate twin bed. College dormitories had to feel similar to our cramped lifestyle.
“You’re included in girls’ night,” Tabbi replied, to which Seth faked an insulted gasp.
I grabbed a Coke from our mini-fridge and leaned against the table. Seth, Tabbi, and Kayla squished on the sofa, eyeing Samantha and Nolan like kids at story time while the two of them recounted the last four weeks of their adventure. I had to admit: their stories of chasing Protectors and entering covens undercover were pretty impressive. Though every time Nolan slung his arm around Kayla’s shoulders, my teeth grinded.
Commons room. Five minutes, Trishna spoke directly into my head.
I tossed my empty can in the rubbish and kissed the top of Kayla’s head, speaking into her hair. “I’ll be right back.”
She nodded, and I strode from our home, Nolan close on my heels as I entered the tunnel closest to the entrance. I swallowed a groan. We’d come a long way in our sort-of-friendship since we’d gone to
battle together in Columbus, yet I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure I trusted him. Call me rigid or paranoid, but after all his years helping Richard, his sudden decision to join us was startling. He’d chosen to help Kayla, but why? Maybe I didn’t need to worry about her intentions, but I was starting to second-guess his.
“Take it you got Trishna’s message, too?” Nolan asked.
“Yep.”
“You think this is going to be an awards ceremony to thank me for my awesomeness?”
“Nope.”
“Really? ‘Cause I think one of those medals war heroes get would look really sweet pinned to my battle gear.” He grinned wide.
I rolled my eyes. Not every solider would be happy to receive a medal. Sometimes they were reminders of all the friends you’d lost. My heart pinched, remembering the blank, lifeless faces of all the Protectors lying dead on the floor of my former home.
We entered the commons room. Trishna, Bartholomew, and Chad waited for us, the laptop open in the center of the table. I took a seat opposite Bartholomew.
“Welcome home, Nolan,” Trishna started. “I apologize for keeping you from relaxing, but earlier today, our supply run was intercepted by some of Richard’s men. Since you have the most knowledge of him, we need your opinion.” On the whiteboard behind her, a map of Albuquerque shone from a projector in the ceiling.
“Okay. Shoot,” he replied, leaning back in his chair.
“What can you tell us of Richard’s followers in New Mexico?” she asked.
Nolan scratched the back of his head. “There used to be a small group of Magus, maybe five, outside Santa Fe who were loyal to him. But last I heard, he moved them north.”
“If there were loyalists once, there could be some again,” Chad said.
Trishna nodded. “They are growing. Every day, word spreads of his power, and people fear him, especially given who he really is and his apparent immortality.”
