Find Sebastian. Your triangle will lead you to him, but you must hurry.
She clutched the triangle and ran outside. It was dark, but moonlight flooded the street. She rushed to the middle of it and glanced at the buildings surrounding her. As she stared at their slender towers, pointed arches and flying buttresses, a memory hit her with such force that she fell to her knees with a keening wail.
This was the strange town she’d seen in the vision when she’d stopped the car on the side of the road outside Sanctuary. Its streets had been littered with the bodies of strangers, whose eyes had been gouged out. And she had caused their deaths.
“You lied to me!” she yelled as she leaned her head toward the sky. “I am a monster!”
Yes, you are a monster. But the only way you can save your son is to find Sebastian, and your time is running out.
“Yes,” Sarah whispered hoarsely as she climbed to her feet. “Sebastian can save our son. I have to find him and tell him he has to save our baby. He has to save him!”
She struggled to her feet and started running towards the woods. Everything inside her told her that Sebastian was in the woods. And she had to find him before the talisman claimed their son.
Chapter 20
Evil Battles
“DAMMIT, SEBASTIAN! You can’t stay out here in the woods alone,” Zachary declared when they reached Sebastian’s lean-to in the woods.
“As I’ve said for at least the dozenth time, I’ll be fine,” Sebastian replied impatiently as he braced his hand on the lean-to’s roof to orient himself. “Ever since I came to Sanctuary, I’ve lived out here.”
“Yes, but you weren’t blind,” Zachary shot back just as impatiently. “Not only will you be out here alone, but without your sight, you can’t find your way out of the woods.”
That’s the whole point, Sebastian thought. Once the talisman filled him with lust, he’d be stranded out here and couldn’t possibly find his way back to Sarah. He wasn’t, however, about to share that information with Zachary. It was too . . . personal.
Aloud, he said, “If I want to come back to town, I’ll connect with you and you can come get me.”
“But—”
“Drop the subject, Zachary. I have my reasons for doing this. Get back to Sarah. I don’t want her left alone for any longer than necessary.”
“I think I should stay with you,” Zachary persisted. “What if the talisman starts affecting you or tries to cocoon you with its lightning? You won’t see it coming, so you won’t be able to protect yourself. Let me contact one of the other warlocks and tell him to go to the clinic and guard Sarah.”
“No,” Sebastian stated firmly. “With Lucien disoriented, you’re the most powerful warlock in the coven. Sarah’s confined, but she can still use her powers. If she does, I need someone there who has a better than even chance of thwarting her.”
“Come on, Sebastian. The way she reacts to our magic even a child could stop her. All they have to do is cast a simple spell over her.”
Sebastian scowled. “I told you that a spell can only be used against her as a last resort. I’m serious, Zachary. Even the simplest spell could kill her. If for some reason you have no choice but to use one on her, revoke your spell the moment she collapses. Remember, Sarah’s in this predicament because Ulrich Morgret let Seamus Morpeth take a piece of the talisman out into the mortal world. We are responsible for what’s happened to her, and it’s up to us to make sure that Sarah is protected and cared for for the rest of her life.”
“I realize that,” Zachary said, sounding frustrated. “But I just can’t dredge up much sympathy for her at the moment. She may not be responsible, but she’s still the reason the coven’s in jeopardy. If you insist that I go back and guard her, I’ll do so. However, let me at least send someone out here to be with you.”
“Look, Zachary,” Sebastian said. “I’m wearing the talisman’s triangle, so I’m as potentially dangerous to the coven as Sarah is. We’re even more dangerous if we’re in proximity to one another. As long as Sarah and I are separated, the talisman won’t be able to carry out its plans for us. That’s why I want to be out here alone. If someone is with me, the talisman may persuade me to make that person take me to Sarah. If no one’s here, then I won’t be able to go to her. So go back to Sarah and protect her. Now.”
“Fine,” Zachary muttered. “But if you need anything . . .”
“I’ll contact you,” Sebastian lied, knowing that the moment Zachary was gone he’d cast a spell over himself that would stop him from summoning anyone if the talisman was involved. He wouldn’t allow himself even the slightest chance of getting back to Sarah. To ensure the spell was effective, he would add an incantation to make it irreversible until the battle with the talisman was over or he was dead.
“Well, I guess I’d better go,” Zachary said, still sounding reluctant.
“Yes, and, Zachary, I do understand your feelings toward Sarah,” Sebastian said. “I know it’s hard for you to sympathize with her when the entire coven—hell, all of mankind—is in jeopardy because of her connection with the talisman. But try to put this into perspective. The talisman managed to corrupt Seamus and Ragna Morpeth beyond redemption, and they were not only mates, they had a child to protect. They were also in contact with the talisman for only a short time.
“Sarah has been in contact with the triangle her entire life, and she’s alone in the world,” he went on fervently. “Unlike Seamus and Ragna, she’s bound to no one and has no compelling reason to fight against the talisman. Considering those circumstances, she should have caved in to the talisman the moment it focused on her. But she hasn’t caved in, Zachary. She’s fought against it every step of the way. Because she has, we still have a chance to survive. So keep that in mind when you’re dealing with her.”
“Hell, when you put it that way, I feel like an idiot for treating her like I have,” Zachary stated gruffly. “I’ll take good care of her.”
“Thank you,” Sebastian said. “Now please go to her. I don’t want her to feel as if she’s been abandoned.”
“I’m out of here,” Zachary replied.
Sebastian sighed in relief as he listened to the warlock leave. He also felt damn guilty about deserting Sarah the way he had, but at least he’d made sure that Zachary would give her the respect she deserved.
As soon as he could no longer hear Zachary’s progress through the woods, he murmured the irreversible incantation that would keep him from summoning help from the coven. Once he felt the spell take hold he eased into the lean-to and groped around it until he found his sleeping bag. Unrolling it, he lay down and closed his eyes, wondering how long it would be before the talisman started tormenting him with lust.
His eyes flew open when a man suddenly drawled contemptuously, “That was a very touching speech you gave about Sarah. Am I crazy, wicáhmunga, or have you had the bad taste to fall in love with the conniving bitch?”
For a moment, Sebastian thought he was dreaming. But then he heard the man walking toward him. He bolted upright and pivoted his head toward the lean-to’s opening. “Who the hell are you?”
“John Butler the third, but I have a Ph.D. in archeology, so you may call me Doctor Butler,” the man replied. “I’m pleased to say we won’t know each other long enough to get on a first-name basis.”
“How did you get onto coven land?” Sebastian questioned harshly as the man’s identity sank in. He’d fled Sarah, but he suddenly realized that lust wasn’t what the talisman was going to use against him. It had brought him a cold-blooded killer, and now that Sebastian had cast the spell, he couldn’t even summon help to fight him.
“I am The Power, wicáhmunga,” Butler replied with bravado. “Unlike you and Sarah, I’m not affected by the clash of magics. I can go where I want, when I want, and the wreath doesn’t affect me.”
&
nbsp; “Clash of magics?” Sebastian repeated warily, latching on to that particular phrase.
“Why, wicáhmunga, you pride yourself on being the most powerful warlock alive,” Butler taunted, and Sebastian barely refrained from scooting deeper into the lean-to. He knew that Butler knelt in front of it. He could feel and smell the man’s hot, rancid breath against his face. It turned his stomach. “Are you telling me that you haven’t figured out the problem with the magics?”
“No, I hadn’t figured it out until now, but I suspect you didn’t either. The talisman told you, didn’t it?” Sebastian countered.
“How I know doesn’t matter.”
“It does when you make it sound as if your knowledge makes you superior to me, and we both know the opposite is true. If it weren’t, the talisman wouldn’t have kept you closed off from me all this time.”
“You are not superior to me!” Butler yelled furiously. “The talisman has chosen me, and it is going to give me the power and the glory I deserve. As soon as the bitch gets here, I’ll prove that to you.”
As the implication of Butler’s words sank in, Sebastian shuddered. Even though he knew to whom the man referred, he said, “Who are you talking about?”
“Sar-ah,” Butler said, drawing her name out in a lascivious drawl that made Sebastian’s skin crawl.
“She’ll be here soon, wicáhmunga, and I’m going to show her what she gave up when she chose you over me.”
Sebastian wanted to ask what Butler meant by Sarah’s choice, but he sensed that was the response the man sought. Instead, he said, “Sarah’s confined, Butler. She isn’t going to get anywhere near this place.”
“See! That proves that I’m superior to you,” Butler declared with a malicious snicker. “Sarah’s magic may be more primitive than yours, but with my help, she broke out of the magical cell in which you imprisoned her. She’s on her way here to tell you her exciting news, and I bet you can’t guess what it is.”
“You’re right. I can’t guess,” Sebastian said, determined not to play the man’s game. He again cursed the fact that he’d cast the spell cutting him off from help. Zachary couldn’t be that far off, but with the spell in place, he might as well have been a million miles away.
“Well, I hate to steal Sarah’s thunder,” Butler said. Then he let out another malicious chuckle. “No, that’s not true. She’s a Thunderbeing, and I have every intention of stealing her thunder, but I’m going to tell you her news anyway. You’re going to be a father, wicáhmunga. Or I suppose I should say you would have been a father. I’m going to make Sarah kill you, and then I’ll kill her and your bastard son.”
Sebastian shook his head in disbelief. Sarah couldn’t be pregnant! A warlock couldn’t father a child until he mated. The talisman was trying to pull a scam on him, and he couldn’t fall for it.
But what if Butler’s right? his conscience prodded. What if, by some unknown means, Sarah and you became mates? What if she really is pregnant?
Sebastian rubbed his hand over his face, trying to decide what to do. Somehow he had to gain the upper hand with Butler, but how could he do that when he couldn’t even see him?
Trick him into restoring your sight!
How? Sebastian wondered frantically, searching his mind for an answer.
“What’s the matter, wicáhmunga? Is impending fatherhood too big a burden for you to bear?” Butler mocked.
At the question, Sebastian suddenly knew how to fight back, and he forced himself to shrug dismissively. “Do what you want with Sarah and the child. I’m blind and can’t see what’s happening, so why should I care what you do to them?”
Sebastian heard a horrified gasp at his words, and his heart skipped a beat. The gasp hadn’t come from Butler, so who had it come from? Had Zachary disobeyed him and returned? He sure as hell hoped so.
But Butler dashed his hopes, and Sebastian shook his head in horror when the man let out a demonic laugh and drawled, “Why, Sarah. I see you’ve arrived in time to hear that your beloved wicáhmunga doesn’t give a damn about what happens to you and your child.”
AS SARAH STARED at Sebastian, who sat in a lean-to built against the side of a mountain, his words kept repeating in her mind. Do what you want with Sarah and the child. Why should I care what you do to them?
She knew she should feel anger or pain, but she felt oddly numb. She could understand him not caring about her. But how could he not care for his own child? How could she have misjudged him that badly?
“Sarah, listen to me,” Sebastian suddenly said, jerking her out of her thoughts.
“Oh, yes, Sarah, listen to him,” Butler mocked as he stood and swaggered a few feet away from the lean-to. “Now that he knows you’re here, I’m sure he’s going to tell you how he really feels about you. He’ll probably declare his undying love and promise that if you join forces with him to fight against me, you’ll be together forever. Of course, you’re so damn gullible and emotionally needy, you’ll probably fall for that lie, just like you’ve fallen for all his other lies.”
“And of course you’ve never lied to me,” Sarah said, anger suddenly flaring inside her. She welcomed the emotion. It was better than the empty, hollow feeling she’d had since hearing Sebastian reject their son. “You’ve always had my best interests at heart, haven’t you, John Butler? That’s why you plan to kill me and my son.”
“I would have shared everything with you, but you want to steal the power and the glory from me,” he rasped, glaring at her. “Well, you can’t have it, because it belongs to me!”
“It doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to me and my son, and I’ll prove it to you!” she declared furiously.
“Sarah! No!” Sebastian bellowed, and she saw him crawl out of the lean-to and climb to his feet. He stumbled blindly toward her, saying, “Don’t connect with the talisman or you’ll be lost. Please don’t do it, Sarah. You have to save yourself.”
Sarah hesitated at his urgent plea, but then she recalled that he didn’t care about her or his son. He was only trying to save himself. Grabbing her triangle, she cried, “Come to me!”
The entire sky above them filled with the whirling lightning wreath. As three lightning bolts streaked toward them, there was a deafening boom of thunder. The bolts struck the individual pieces of the talisman and then arced between Sarah, Butler, and Sebastian so that they were joined in a continuous flow of electrical energy.
Sebastian and Butler screamed in agony and fell to their knees. Sarah, however, felt no pain. The lightning’s touch filled her with euphoria, and she tossed her head back and laughed, reveling in the exhilarating sensation. Why had she fought so hard against something so wonderful?
“Sarah, please! You have to stop this,” Sebastian gasped painfully. “You’re killing me and Butler, and if we die, you really will be a monster. The talisman will make you destroy everyone, and when you’re the last person alive, it will destroy you!”
She lowered her head and scowled as she glanced between him and Butler. Butler lay on the ground, writhing in pain as the lightning seared him. It also burned Sebastian, and though his tormented expression revealed his suffering, he still knelt.
“You can no longer fool me, wicáhmunga,” she stated derisively. “You’re just like John Butler. You want my power. But the power belongs to me and my son. The son you were willing to let die!”
“That’s not true, Sarah,” Sebastian denied. “I was trying to trick the talisman into restoring my eyesight.”
“Why do you insist on lying to me!”
“I’m not lying, and I can prove it. Link with my mind, Sarah. You know I can’t hide the truth from you mentally. Please, Sarah. Link with me before it’s too late.”
“You’re trying to trick me. You think that if I join with your mind, you can control me and steal my power.”
His body
swayed. Sarah was sure he’d collapse to the ground like Butler, but he managed to remain upright. “I don’t want your power, Sarah, and deep down you know it. That’s why you’re afraid to touch my mind.”
“I am not afraid!”
“Then prove it. Link with me and show me just how powerful you really are.”
She continued to glare at him, knowing that he tried to trick her. But for some strange reason, she felt compelled to do as he asked. She opened her mind to him, but before she even meshed with him, she knew that he told her the truth.
That didn’t stop his thoughts from hitting her with stunning force, and she fell to her knees with an anguished sob. But it wasn’t pain that tortured her. It was the wave of undiluted love that washed over her as Sebastian mentally chanted, I love you, Sarah. I love you.
No! the talisman’s voice bellowed inside her. He is your enemy! You must destroy him!
Sarah shook her head, confused. Every survival instinct she had screamed at her to kill Sebastian. But her heart, her soul, insisted she release him from the lightning. She knew, however, that to let him go she would have to turn the lightning on herself, and she and her son would die. She couldn’t sacrifice her son for Sebastian! But she knew that if she didn’t, her son would grow up to be exactly what she’d envisioned. The personification of evil.
Wanága, help me! she cried instinctively as she broke off her connection with Sebastian’s mind. I don’t know what to do!
You know, Sarah, Wanága responded. But are you strong enough to make the right choice?
Why do I have to make a choice? You said you were here to destroy me, so destroy me!
I cannot destroy you, Sarah. You are no longer the last of the Thunderbeings. It is up to you to decide if your son will walk in darkness forever.
Sarah automatically pressed her hands to her abdomen. She knew her son was no more than a microscopic bit of life, but now that she had her powers, she could feel him nestled within her womb. He trusted her to give him life.
Touch of Lightning Page 30
