by Lisa Edmonds
Now the ley lines, Malcolm said in my head. Be careful.
Brace yourself, I told him.
I’d certainly never imagined that I’d need the lines to fight my aunt or save the city from fire. By doing so I risked outing myself, but it appeared I had little choice unless I was willing to let everyone in that condo, including Patrick, burn to death.
I sensed the ley line energy pulsing on the edge of my senses. We weren’t far from their intersection; only a mile or so. I took several deep breaths and grabbed the lines.
Everything went white. For a moment, I thought my chest might explode at the sheer force of the power I was conducting. I gasped for air and fought to contain the energy. Pain seared every nerve and I set my jaw to keep from crying out.
You’re getting cold, Malcolm said. I couldn’t feel anything but the ley-line power and pain, so his words were a surprise. And the condo just caught fire, so you’ve got to hurry.
Okay. Here goes, I told him.
I let the water and air magic rise until it filled me and danced on my skin. The cool blue and white energy of the storm crackled on the edge of my senses, pulling at me like a magnet. I used the ley line power to enhance our magic, raised my arms, and pulled the storm toward us.
With so much power behind it, our magic brought the storm faster than I’d thought possible. The air changed and became heavy as the rain approached the city. I pushed Malcolm’s water magic into the storm and used my enhanced air magic to build it to near-hurricane strength.
“Here it comes,” Sean warned me.
The storm arrived with a roar. The wall of wind and rain pushed me back several steps and nearly knocked me over. Sean wrapped his arms around me and braced me, planting his feet and pushing back against the force of the wind.
The rain was so heavy that I thought I might drown standing up in it. The wind made Sean stagger but he stayed on his feet.
I forced my eyes open. I was soaked to my skin, but my hoodie kept enough of the rain out of my eyes that I could see. Despite the power of the magic that created the fires, the deluge began to drown the flames in the buildings around us.
Down at street level, the fire crews took advantage of breaks in the wall of fire surrounding the condo to move people to safety away from the blaze. Residents emerged from various doors and ran to the first responders.
Suddenly, Sean dove to the pavement and covered my body with his as a fireball passed over us. Catherine had spotted us and attacked.
He rolled us behind the concrete barrier along the edge of the roof. Another fireball, this one much larger, blasted over our heads.
“How is she using fire in this rain?” Sean shouted over the roar of the storm.
I was now shivering violently. “It’s m-m-magic.”
You’re getting too cold, Malcolm said in my head. I’m jumping out.
No, wait, I told him. I need your magic still. The storm will dissipate if I let up, and without water magic I can’t defend us against Catherine’s fire.
You agreed that I would get out of your body when you started to get too cold, he snapped. That’s the only reason I said I’d do this.
Just one more minute. I promise I won’t—
A fireball arced over the concrete wall and landed right on top of us. Sean snarled and rolled us into a deep puddle to try to put out the flames, but it was fire magic, not normal fire. Stop, drop, and roll would do us no good.
I used Malcolm’s water magic to smother the flames. Our clothes were half-burned and my skin was angry red in places. I couldn’t feel the pain yet because I was so cold.
“Are you all right?” Sean asked. His arms and back were burned where he’d been trying to shield me. Some of the burns looked like they might be second-degree. It had to be excruciating, but as always, his concern was for me.
It was seeing him hurt that flipped the switch inside me. I hadn’t come down here to confront Catherine directly; my goal was to save the people in the condo and the other buildings around us. But she’d hurt Sean, and I’d be damned if that bitch was going to get away with it.
“G-g-get m-m-me up,” I said, my teeth chattering. “St-stay b-b-b-behind me and d-don’t let her s-see your f-face.”
Sean didn’t argue. Malcolm, however, did. As Sean lifted me to my feet, the ghost demanded, What are you doing? She’s got fire, Alice!
Wait ’til you see what I’ve got, I told him.
With Sean behind me, holding me up as the rain pounded us and the wind roared across the top deck of the parking garage, I looked over at the building next to ours.
Catherine stood facing us, soaked to the skin and struggling against the wind and rain. I could see her fury even from thirty feet away. Orange flames danced on her hands and arms. She looked so much like Moses that bile rose in my throat.
She bent down to pick up the magical weapon at her feet. At this distance, it would turn us both to ash in an instant.
Sean braced himself, his arms tightening around me. “Get behind me,” he growled in my ear.
“No, you stay behind me.” Go to hell, Catherine, I thought, and raised my arms toward the sky.
My air magic, enhanced by the ley lines, arced through the rain. I seized the power of the storm itself—not the rain, but the charged particles in the air—and the energy was like grabbing a third ley line. The surge of pure power and pain made me scream.
What the f— Malcolm began.
I formed the power into a bolt and brought it down on Catherine’s head with all my might and magic. A brilliant flash of white blinded me and a deafening thunderclap shook the parking garage.
Sean dropped us to the pavement again, but this time I didn’t even feel the impact when we hit the concrete. I was numb from cold and drained of magic. I landed in a heap and stayed down, too dazed to move or react.
With no more air or water magic to use, I let go of the ley lines. The sudden loss of power and absence of pain made me feel hollow, like a husk with nothing inside.
Nothing inside me but a ghost, anyway.
You conjured lightning, Malcolm said in awe. I’ve never seen anyone…Alice?
I couldn’t respond, not even a thought. I was too cold, too drained, too exhausted.
Malcolm swore. I felt a strange popping sensation and realized he’d jumped from my body.
“Alice?” Sean asked. I vaguely sensed him brushing wet hair back from my face. “Jesus, she’s blue. Malcolm?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” Malcolm said tersely. “She’s got severe hypothermia. We need to get her warmed up and into dry clothes before she dies of exposure.”
Sean picked me up and ran. I nestled my face against his chest, breathing in his scent as we crossed the parking deck to the stairs.
The rain was gentle now. The storm would fade soon. I hoped it had done enough that the firefighters could put the fires out without too much trouble. In any case, by bringing the storm, I’d done what I could to save the people in the condo. The rest would be up to others; I had nothing left to give.
As he rushed down the steps, I heard Sean ask Malcolm, “Did she just do what I think she did?”
“Yep. She fried someone with a bolt of lightning.” A pause. “It was awesome.”
“Did you know she could do that?”
“Nope, but it doesn’t surprise me. If anyone could smite someone with lightning, it would be Alice.”
We reached the bottom of the stairs. “Alice, can you hear me?” Sean asked.
I was shivering so hard that I could barely speak. “C-cold,” I managed to say.
He squeezed me tightly against his chest. “I’m taking you to my house to get you warmed up. Hang on.”
I mumbled something unintelligible. He carried me to my car and laid me down in the back seat. He disappeared for a few moments and returned with a blanket I assumed he’d gotten from his truck. He removed my boots, ripped off my soaked clothes, and wrapped me in some kind of blanket that smelled like dirt and grass. Maybe a picni
c blanket? Did werewolves go on picnics?
“Yes, we do,” Sean said. I hadn’t realized I’d spoken out loud. He kissed my forehead. “Werewolves like picnics a lot. Rest now. I’ve got you.”
Werewolves liked picnics. Who would have thunk it?
Smiling, I faded out.
25
Strange sensations and sounds pulled me from my rest. I thought at first that hands were caressing my body, but somehow I knew that wasn’t what was happening. I was miserably cold, deeper than my bones, all the way down to my core. I couldn’t even remember what it felt like to be warm. My heartbeat was a slow lub-dub in my chest.
The soft noises became recognizable as water sloshing. The sensation of caresses was actually the water tugging at the traces of magic left behind by Malcolm. I realized I was submerged in water, my body against someone I instinctively recognized as Sean even before I detected the scent of forest. He was in the water with me, holding me against his body, my head tucked under his chin as I shivered. I couldn't open my eyes, but I sensed a lot of bare skin between us.
“Alice, are you awake?” Sean asked. His voice echoed, like we were in a bathroom.
I tried to speak. “Ssss…”
He squeezed me. “We're at my house, in a tub full of hot water. I'm trying to warm you up but you still feel like a block of ice.”
I tried again. “Sssss…Sean.”
He moved a little and I heard the water running. “I’ve never been more thankful for my tankless water heater and soaker tub. We've been in here over an hour.”
“Rrrrr…wrinkly,” I said.
He shook with laughter. “My Alice.”
My heart soared. “Your Alice,” I agreed.
The water shut off and he wrapped his arms around me again. “Malcolm went back to the fire scene to keep an eye on things. Patrick and his girlfriend are fine, but they’ll have to find another place to live. The condo took heavy damage from the fire. There were some injuries, but everyone got out of the condo alive and casualties in the other buildings were minimal, thanks to you.” He kissed my hair.
I sensed he was holding something back. “What else?” I murmured.
“A stringer got some footage of us on the roof of the parking garage. The quality is terrible because of the storm, but the local and national news channels picked it up. I doubt there’s any chance of us being identified, but the video does show you controlling the storm. Thankfully, the recording cuts out before the end.”
I was too cold to feel much of anything about that unwelcome news. I’d known there was a chance I’d out myself, but not trying to help was never an option. At least the video hadn’t shown me taking out Catherine with the lightning.
“Worth the risk,” I said softly.
“The only person who got any kind of look at us was Catherine Atwood, and I doubt she’s in any condition to talk about what she saw.” He cupped my head with his hand and held me close. “I’ve heard that air mages could summon lightning, but I’ve never seen anyone do it before.”
It wasn’t really summoning—more like conjuring or conducting—but I was too tired to explain the difference. Here I was, reunited with Sean after several days of wishing desperately for a chance to fix things between us, and I didn’t have the strength to talk. I snuggled deeper against his chest and made a little unhappy sound.
He tightened his arms around me. “Is there nothing else I can do? Malcolm healed your burns but he said healing spells wouldn’t help with hypothermia.” He took a deep breath. “Could Vaughan heal you?”
I could only imagine what asking that had cost him. “Don’t want his help.” My voice was faint, but firm. “Just hold me, please.”
“That I can do.” He settled deeper into the water so it covered me up to my chin. “I know you said you wanted to talk and I told you I wanted to listen, and I do, but I have something I need to tell you. Maybe this isn’t the time and maybe I’m a bastard to say it when you’re in this condition, but I’m going to anyway.”
My stomach flip-flopped. His tone was strange. I wasn’t sure what he was going to say, and I feared very much that I wouldn’t like it.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these last couple of days. There’s a lot about you I don’t know; too much, to be honest, but here’s what I do know. I know you’re not the Alice Worth who was the daughter of Henry and Laura Worth of Chicago. I know you’re powerful and dangerous and that you’re on the run from someone who means you harm. I also know you’re the most selfless and brave person I have ever met, and you’ll never stop saving the world. And I know that I love you, not in spite of all that, but because of it.”
I’d feared he would figure out that I wasn’t who I said I was. I’d also known he loved me and it was only a matter of time before he said the words out loud. I expected to feel panicky on both counts, like I wanted to run for the hills and never look back.
Instead, what I felt was…relief. And happiness.
My reaction startled me so much that I didn’t notice I was slipping away again until my hand slid across his chest and splashed into the water.
“Alice?” he asked worriedly. “I said, I love you.”
Just before I drifted off, I smiled and whispered, “I know.”
I woke up in the middle of a pile of werewolves.
Five of them, to be exact. Two were gray, one was solid black, one was brown with black and dark brown markings, and the fifth was gray and white. None of them was Sean, but as I blinked blearily and focused on my surroundings, I found that we were all lying on a king-sized mattress on the floor in one of the spare bedrooms in his house.
I was wearing long-sleeved flannel pajamas over what felt like thermal long underwear and two pairs of thick socks, and I was wedged between two very large wolves weighing about two hundred pounds each. Miraculously, I was no longer freezing. I’d thought I’d never be warm again.
When I pushed myself up onto my elbows and moved to relieve a cramp in one leg, all of the wolves raised their heads. The larger of the gray wolves stared at me, as if daring me to move. I froze.
Sean appeared in the doorway, wearing a green button-up shirt and jeans. “You’re safe with them, Alice.”
I eyed the gray wolf. “I know, but she doesn’t seem like she wants me going anywhere.”
He came over to the side of the bed. “That’s Nan’s wolf, and no, she doesn’t. When she saw the shape you were in, I got an earful about taking better care of you. And she’s been giving me dirty looks every time I come in here to check on you.”
In fact, the wolf was giving him one now, presumably for not telling me to lie down and go back to sleep. I’d seldom seen such disapproval on a wolf’s face. I giggled before I could stop myself.
“How do you feel?” He leaned over to touch my face. “You’re still a little cold.”
“I feel good,” I assured him. “I’m hungry, actually. I bet a pot of coffee and a hot breakfast would fix me right up.”
He chuckled. “When you ask for food and coffee, then I know you’re on the mend.”
I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window. It was a bright and sunny afternoon, but I had no idea how much time had passed since we’d gotten to Sean’s house. “So, how long was I out?”
“It’s almost five o’clock. It’s been about eleven hours since you put the fire out.”
Well, that wasn’t so bad. I’d expected it to be at least the next day. I felt low on magic, but plenty rested.
I looked at the werewolves piled on the bed around me. “Thank you so much for this,” I said a little awkwardly, wondering how much their wolves would even understand me. “Thanks for taking care of me. I—” I broke off. I’d been about to say that I owed them, but that didn’t seem like the right thing to say. Instead, I said, “I don’t think I’ve ever slept better than I did with all of you on this bed.”
Sean smiled. “I wasn’t sure how you’d react to finding yourself up to your ears in werewolves, but I needed to keep
you safe and warm and this seemed the best way to do that. Besides, Nan wouldn’t take no for an answer, and I learned long ago to take her advice on such things.”
Smart man. “Who else is here?”
“The other gray wolf is Felicia. The black wolf is David, her brother. The brown is Patrick, and the gray and white wolf is Karen.”
One by one, the wolves got to their feet and stretched. Each carefully nuzzled my face with theirs before trotting out of the room, presumably to shift back to their human forms and give us some time to talk.
When we were alone, Sean shut the bedroom door and helped me to my feet and off the mattress. When we were standing on the hardwood floor, he took my face in his hands and kissed me very thoroughly.
I rested my forehead on his chest and let his familiar scent envelop me. “Where’s Malcolm?” I asked.
“Back at your place. He said he didn’t want the other wolves to sense him, and he wanted to keep an eye on the house.”
“Any news?”
“Some. Should I fill you in over omelets and coffee?”
His guarded tone made me think that it wasn’t good news. “You’d better just tell me now.”
“Darius Bell survived the fire, so that’s a plus for those of us who don’t want Moses Murphy taking over the city. Bell’s organization is crippled, but not giving up. Just before noon, there was an attack on Murphy’s compound near Baltimore. The building sustained some damage and there were a few casualties, but none of them were Murphy.”
I was disappointed but not surprised. It would be difficult or nearly impossible to take Moses out when he was in his compound, but I supposed Bell was angry enough to make an attempt, even if all it accomplished was to make the point that he was willing and able to take the fight to Moses.
“Hopefully he’ll have better luck next time,” I said. “What else?”
Sean took out his phone and handed it to me. The screen showed a still image from the video of us on the roof of the parking garage. We were little more than two small, dark, faceless figures in the pouring rain, recorded from a rooftop several buildings away. There was no way anyone would be able to identify us from that image.
