Brows drawn in concern, his gaze bounced between her and the darkness.
Damn it, she didn’t need a babysitter. “Go!”
He stared at her for only a moment longer, his eyes somehow conveying a silent command to stay safe. Message received. She answered him with a tiny smile. With a quick nod and a pop of blue light, he vanished.
Rho wheeled around and sniffed the air, trying to get a bead on where the shifter had gone. Weretigers were massive but faster than they looked. No telling where she could have run to by now. Or what she’d done.
Rho stifled a shiver. Last time they’d gone hand-to-hand with the enemy, Preshea had split a man in half. With her bare hands.
The sour stink of anger mixed with the stench of feline stole Rho’s attention. She followed it. Stepping quickly from pillar to pillar, she tried to keep her exposure to a minimum. Her single dagger was all she had in terms of defense. Like an idiot, she’d left her gun and other weapons stash back at the flat. Hadn’t really expected to need them, and clearly that had been an error on her part. The kind of error that could prove costly.
A flash of white appeared out of the corner of her eye. Rho craned her head to follow the movement. The figure streaked across the concrete path and pounced over the railing, plunging into the darkness and out of her sight.
Rho’s gaze darted around the front of the basilica. Going in without backup wasn’t the brightest idea, but she had no other choice. She needed to get to Preshea, and fast. With a running start, Rho rocketed across the uneven path and leaped over the railing.
Shit!
The grass hill turned out to be steeper than she’d anticipated and she landed hands-first on the other side of the railing. She tucked her body and rolled, throwing a leg out to try and stabilize herself. When she managed to stop, she jumped to her feet. Breaking into a light jog, she followed Preshea’s familiar scent. Lemons and kitty litter.
Bingo.
As Preshea appeared in the center of a small patch of grass, Rho tucked herself behind a tree. The magnificent weretigress pawed the soft grass, circling the man she’d been chasing.
A trace of blood wafted through the air, making Rho’s mouth water. The man had definitely been injured. He smelled divine, just the type of snack she could use right about now. She sucked in a deep breath before letting it out in a rush. What was she doing? Now was not the time to lose control.
Rho remained concealed behind the tree, waiting for some cue from Preshea. They needed to keep the element of surprise on their side for as long as possible. Surely the shifter knew where she was. Her senses were keen enough in her weretigress form to smell another species from a mile away.
Abruptly, Preshea shifted to her human form, the transformation instant and seamless. So much faster than a werewolf. Amazing how their clothes didn’t so much as wrinkle in the transition, either.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Preshea demanded, still pacing in a circle as the man did the same. He would live only until that shifter got the answers she wanted. After that, he’d better hope he could run really fast.
The man smirked. “I could ask you the same thing.”
What was he? Most of the Dwellers could pass for human, and Rho still couldn’t tell the differences based on looks alone.
“I asked you first,” Preshea said.
“Like I care.”
Rho stared at the man, trying to figure out his heritage. The tickle of magick rode through the air. He could be a magick mover, or even fae. She hoped he wasn’t the latter. They’d come across the fae twice before, and neither of those encounters had ended well.
A tingle in Rho’s right hand made her shift her blade again. She glanced down. The triquetra still sat in the center of her palm, surrounded by four moon phases. Only this time…the red and yellow circles on her magick mark were darker than the other two.
Her gaze shot up to Preshea, who rubbed her hand against her jeans then smiled.
She knew. Preshea knew Rho was nearby. Their bond was actually helping them.
“Preshea! Look out!” Rho barely had time to shout the warning before the blue ball of fire tore across the sky and narrowly missed Preshea’s shoulder.
Holy shit. The guy played with blue fire. The green magick belonged to the fae and the blue to the movers—which made this man just like Eldon.
With a quick maneuver, Rho tried to hide herself back behind the trees. They were going to have to think fast. Eldon was nowhere to be found, so they had no way to fight fire with fire. Physical prowess was great and all, but it couldn’t hold up to magick.
The man turned his head toward the trees and squinted. Rho kept her eyes trained on him but held her breath, not moving a single muscle against the stillness of the night.
Preshea took a step closer to him.
Without warning, the man spun around and lobbed another blast of blue fire toward the shifter, but this time he didn’t stop. The balls of fire flew from his hands, following Preshea’s trajectory as she tucked and rolled with incredible speed. Charred patches of grass lined her wake, but she kept moving.
Crap! What was Rho supposed to do? Eldon had a Glock, but he wasn’t here. The only thing she had was a fricking dagger. No way could she go into close-range combat with a guy who wielded fire like an artist with a paintbrush. That would be suicide.
Angry with herself for being ill prepared, she glared at the man tossing the fire at her teammate. What had Eldon told her before? They’d practiced a few times, and she’d only once been able to replicate what had happened with Rhyannon. But could she risk it? Did she have a choice?
Rho shifted her weight from foot to foot as she surveyed the randomly spaced trees and crunchy, mid-February grass.
Where were Tim and Eldon?
She couldn’t venture out from behind this tree without knowing how to use her powers. She couldn’t do anyone any good if she took a fireball to the face. That would just be irresponsible and stupid.
Important rule of combat—if you don’t know how to use your weapon, don’t.
Preshea shifted back to her human form, the mover’s target now much smaller than before. As she sprinted across the lawn, she started to wheeze. She didn’t appear to have any more weapons than Rho did, which meant her only defense would be to keep moving. No way could she keep that up forever.
Okay, new game plan.
Rho leaned slightly to her right, eyes trained on the man still throwing fire as if the supply were endless. He was at least ten feet away.
Her memory jogged back, way back, rewinding to the days when she’d been training for the guard. She flipped the dagger in her hand, palming the blade instead of the hilt. It had been a long time since she’d had to call on these skills. Now she’d have to make it count.
She lifted the blade slowly overhead, double-checking her clearances to make sure there were no obstructions. Ready. Aim.
She released the dagger in one fluid motion.
As it spun through the air, Rho held her breath. It slammed into the center of the man’s calf, his knees buckling on impact. He hit the ground, the blue fire in his hands evaporating instantly.
Rho stepped out from behind the tree and stepped toward Preshea.
The shifter just grinned before exploding into a shimmer of light, once again occupying her frightening weretigress form. With stealthy grace, she prowled toward the man.
He yanked the blade from his calf and stood on shaky legs, watching as she approached. Then he tossed a ball of blue fire.
“Preshea!” Rho shouted. The world slowed down to a crawl, an angry flare firing off in the back of her mind. She’d been here before. Not long ago, she’d almost lost Eldon in this exact same scenario.
And once again, there was no way she could get there in time.
The ball of fire ate up the short space between the man and Preshea, slamming into the shifter’s shoulder with the force of a boxer’s punch. She flailed her arms and fell backward, the wind kicking
out of her lungs on impact.
Rho’s hands exploded with blue flames. Glancing down, her eyes went wide. The fire at her fingers was blue this time. Not green. This was mover magick.
She really was a siphon.
They can’t be far. Eldon’s voice echoed in her head. Relief stormed her consciousness as the floodgate of her connection to Eldon opened.
Eldon! Come fast!
Rho? His mental voice sounded surprised, as if he hadn’t expected the connection to open so quickly. They were getting better at this.
Hurry!
She didn’t hear as much as sense his urgency, and thank goodness for it. She needed help.
The man spun around and tossed a blaze of blue fire toward her head.
Her first instinct was to duck down, but she threw the thought aside quickly. Just like last time, this was her fire now. If she could rob power from the queen of the fae, this little mover should be a walk in the park.
She caught the fire in her hands, its weight no more than a feather, its fire nothing but a tingle against her fingertips. The man’s eyes widened in horror as the flame he’d intended to harm her with simply absorbed into her hands.
Focus. Whatever this was, whatever she was doing, she needed to capture this moment. She’d been too heartbroken and out-of-her-mind angry to realize what she’d done the last time, but right now she could handle this. Take it in. Absorb the sensations.
Anger at Preshea getting hit. On the edge because of Trinador being hurt. Frustration with that woman because of her past with her mate. Er, boyfriend. Whatever he was.
Anger. Guilt. Jealousy. The trifecta of siphon magick pulling, apparently. Could it really be emotions that set her off?
She waved a hand through the air, watching the fire trail behind it like a comet. Yes. She owned this. And she could siphon any brand of magick she wanted, as long as they were tapping it for her.
The man took a shaky step backward, blue fire still at his palms. Rho focused on those hands, the source of her own power. This felt…identical, actually, to the fae magick she’d held before. A faint burn registered in her brain, but nothing overwhelming. Nothing she couldn’t handle.
She needed more. And she needed him to give it to her. “Are you just going to stand there or are you going to defend yourself, asshat?”
His hands shook at his sides as she could practically see him trying to play-by-play his next moves. The fear on his face said he wasn’t going anywhere, not unless she made him.
Rho could totally do that. “Fine. Be a pussy.” She stepped over to the ground by his feet, and he limped back. When he realized she’d snatched the knife off the ground, the blue fire in his hands swelled.
Excellent. “I’m just going to play magick mover apocalypse.” She flipped the blade in her marked hand. “You get to be the mover.” Flip. Flip. “I get to see how many ways I can kill you.” She flashed him a grin then purposefully overshot her toss of the blade to his right.
The man tossed another ball of energy, his eyes wide with panic as he gave her exactly what she needed. Hook. Line. Sinker.
She grabbed onto the magick. Only this time, she didn’t let go.
As the ley line fire reached her fingers, she focused her mind on his power. She pulled the energy straight from the very essence of him, using his connection to the lines as her own, exploiting him for the gift he possessed. The pulling continued for what seemed like forever as she robbed him of the energy at his hands, stockpiling it inside of herself in some place she’d never known to exist. The sensation was a little like eating too much cake.
Fullness overwhelmed her senses, compounding until she’d had enough, the urge to let go beating out the need to stay. She relinquished her control over the power, releasing the man and sending him falling back on his ass. He dropped the line instantly.
Her body hummed like a live wire.
Despite the fact that he’d dropped the line, the energy hadn’t left with him. It was…trapped.
Eldon!
Suddenly, she wanted to explode. The energy in that newly discovered part of her brain made her feel like she’d plugged a butter knife into a light socket, everything firing off inside of her at once, setting her teeth on edge and forcing her hands into a shaking fit she couldn’t control.
This wasn’t how it had happened last time. She needed to let it go.
Preshea trudged forward in a drunken stumble and plopped her massive feline frame on top of the man. He groaned beneath her, but she didn’t budge, holding him firmly in place.
“Rho!” Eldon emerged from behind a tree, sweat shimmering on his brow. She took a quick inventory of him, her relief immediate. His shirt had been torn at the bottom and his face smudged with dirt, but he was in one piece.
Tim stood beside him, one arm around a smallish man’s neck, the other propping up the gun pressed against the man’s temple. Obviously she and Preshea hadn’t been the only ones busy.
Are you okay? Eldon’s brows were drawn in concern.
She had no idea how to answer that question. A headache brewed at the base of her spine, mounting with each passing minute. Blade in one hand, she tried to still the shakes threatening to take over her limbs. Whatever she had going on inside her right now most definitely could be considered a problem.
She shook her head.
Preshea’s crystal blue eyes were sharp, even in her alternate form. Her gaze darted between her teammates, as if she knew there was some conversation going on that she wasn’t a part of.
What is that…feeling? he asked, looking up at the night sky then around them.
I don’t know what I did, Eldon. Rho locked onto his stare. But I think I’m in trouble.
Rho’s feet froze to the ground, the hum of the trapped magick blaring in her ears. Dread coiled in her stomach. With single-minded determination, she clutched on to her connection with Eldon like a lifeline.
What is that? Eldon’s voice echoed in her head as he advanced toward her. Rho?
Terrified to be in her own skin, she could only muster a short nod. The world faded away, and she tried to focus only on him, pushing the uncomfortable fullness aside. But it wouldn’t budge.
He frowned. It’s all over you. You’re a ball of static.
The energy. It’s trapped. The fullness carried all the way to her throat, choking her. The pulsing pain rushed up her spine, threatening an explosion of agony in her skull.
What energy?
The ley line energy.
His eyes went wide, and he took a step closer.
She didn’t dare speak out loud, even though she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to if she tried. That man…he hit Preshea with a ball of energy and it…triggered me. I siphoned from him.
Eldon tossed a casual glance at the man trapped beneath Preshea’s massive weight. You robbed his energy?
Yes.
Did your hands glow? Like last time?
Yes.
Did he see it?
Yes.
Shit. His brow pinched in thought as he rubbed the stubble on his chin.
He could say that again. Everything about this was a big pile of problems, compounded by complications and topped off with a sprinkle of setbacks. The uncomfortable energy swirled inside her body, buzzing like the drill at a dentist’s office.
She needed a little less talk and a lot more action. Can you not worry about them for a second and help me, please? I’m freaking out here.
Eldon stiffened then squared his shoulders. His face turned into a mask of complete focus. I’m going to tap the line. I want you to hit me with the energy, and I’ll put it back where it came from.
Panic came at her in a cold rush. I’m not going to hit you!
This couldn’t be a good idea. She’d kill him with the kind of fire she had stockpiled…God only knew where. Not to mention her total rookie control skills. She had no idea how she was even holding it or whether she’d be stable enough to release it.
I’ll step you t
hrough it.
No.
Rho, look at me. His voice in her head was far more level and calm than her own. Rho? He strode forward to stand directly in front of her, blocking her view of anyone but him.
Following the command, she met his eyes. I won’t hurt you.
You’re not going to hurt me. You’re going to help yourself.
I can’t—
Rho! His shout in her head shocked her, and she flinched. A smile touched his eyes as his mental voice turned soft. There’s no other option here, love. I need you to focus and do this. I can’t do it for you, but I can walk you through it.
Bad. Idea. Are you sure?
I taught advanced magick manipulation for three years at a college. I think I can handle it.
Well, damn if she didn’t learn something new about Eldon every day. She blew out a deep breath. Okay. I trust you. This was an issue of ley line manipulation, and she sure as hell wasn’t an expert on the subject. But Eldon was, and that was the next best thing. Especially when her body was a firecracker with a lit fuse.
Good. Eldon’s brows furrowed. I want you to look at me the whole time. No one else, no matter what happens.
She nodded, locking her eyes on his set of baby blues and forcing herself to focus.
Do you remember how you unloaded your energy on Rhyannon? he asked.
I dumped it. Everything. It took forever to stop.
That’s because she was linked to a line. It only stopped when she finally dropped it. You’ve somehow managed to stockpile the energy inside of yourself. Movers and fae have natural ties to the lines so we don’t have this problem, but clearly you do.
So I’m holding it inside of me?
He studied the air around her and shook his head. I can’t quite tell by the feeling alone, but I think so. What I’m going to do is give you a link back to the lines. Only this time, I’m pushing the energy into the lines, not pulling it out.
Okay. Lord, please let this work.
I want you to channel the energy back into me, but as slowly as you can.
How do I do that?
Imagine you’re turning a faucet. You don’t want to crank it all the way. Only a little.
Fate Forsaken Page 11
