He nodded. “I know you didn’t, or I want to know that. It’s just that little voice…”
“I know. I messed up with the Fabled Four plenty of times because of that voice. It’s a dick, but it also keeps you safe.”
“It does, but I’ll be there. You can count on me.” He grinned, and even though it didn’t quite reach his eyes, I believed him. Even if he was only fighting for himself at the moment, he would still be helpful.
Jaxon stood over us, balancing two trays of food and one for coffees. I moved and took the one filled with my liquid gold from him. “Thank you.”
“You know those aren’t all for you, right?” Jaxon asked.
I hummed but didn’t actually answer him. I’d share, but at least half of the six coffees had my name on them.
Ethan laughed as we walked off, and I gave Jaxon my full attention after my first gulp of deliciousness. “What did Deacon say? Does he know when the warden and his lackeys are going to be back?”
His head shook. “He thought they’d be back by now, but apparently they really pissed off Greggor and had to go on the run.”
“What did they do to him? He’s going to kill me for sending them to his doorstep.”
“No idea, but it’s good for us, giving us the time we need to prepare. We’ll get with the others and make sure we’re ready. Did you tell Ethan to fill in the ones who got the bands? Deacon said they put on quite the show.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, because nobody gave them a heads up. They all thought it was real.”
Jaxon’s chest shook with laughter. “I guess that explains Deacon’s black eye.”
We continued through the prison, avoiding the admin area and going through a back exit. Just in case. We couldn’t be too cautious at that stage. I knew we’d been lucky, and I had no doubt that would change at some point soon.
Once we were outside, I soaked in the sun while Jaxon called Mason to get their exact location. The warmth of the rays were calming my nerves up until the point Jaxon began cussing.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Mason isn’t answering, and neither is Blake or Spencer. Something is wrong.”
And there went the luck I had just been thinking about. Jaxon tossed the food on the ground and glanced at me expectantly. He wanted me to discard the coffee like it was trash. I knew we couldn’t run with it, but I wasn’t throwing it in the dirt, either.
Instead, I set the tray down gently so if things hadn’t actually gone down the shitter like we were currently thinking, then we could come back and get them. Even cold coffee was better than none.
We ran next to each other in the direction Mason had mentioned when we last spoke with him and hoped it was enough to tell us where they were. After five minutes of staying silent so we could listen for any commotions, I finally heard Nixie screeching.
“To your left.” I pointed and sprinted ahead of Jaxon, but he quickly caught up with me.
When we arrived, it was very apparent there was no catastrophe and everyone was safe. Well, everyone except for Mason.
“What the hell did you do to me?” Nixie yelled at him.
“I didn’t do anything. You were the one burning me and then exploded.”
Nixie was back to her normal size and self, which was a relief even if it meant her powers were lacking. I didn’t like the body and face changes, they were creepy.
Blake and Spencer were just running up as well, looking as nervous as we had felt when we couldn’t reach anyone.
“Why didn’t anyone answer their phones?” I asked, ignoring the bickering.
Spencer shrugged. “I didn’t know it rang.”
“Shit.” Mason pulled out his phone, then glared at Nixie. “Your little exploding trick killed my cell.”
Blake and Spencer reached for theirs as well, but both were dead, too.
“Doesn’t matter. We’re going to stick together now anyway. I spoke with Deacon, and he said Gillian and the other guards could be back at any time,” Jaxon said.
“I’d like to go back to the exploding trick that was mentioned… Are you okay, Nixie?” I asked.
She grumbled under her breath before flying toward me and landing on my outreached hand. “Yeah. Fairy boy was pissing me off, and I used too much magic. Lost the hold on my form, and now I don’t have any access to my abilities as I predicted.”
“Well, we’ll keep you safe. Just stick in my jacket and you’ll be alright.” I moved to put her in my pocket, but the little bitch stabbed me. Evidently, being able to pull her sword from nowhere wasn’t part of her powers she lost access to. “What the hell was that for?”
“Just because I don’t have magic doesn’t mean I’m defenseless. Fuck you very much.” She flew from my hand and to Mason’s shoulder. “At least he doesn’t try to put me in his pocket,” she added after I gave her a pointed stare.
Whatever. They could have each other. They were both pains in my ass.
Blake, Spencer, and Jaxon began discussing the routes for surveillance, and I found a seat on the ground, irritated I’d left food and coffee behind for no reason. Okay, I wasn’t all that mad considering everyone was safe, but I was still grumpy.
If only the warden would show up, so I could take my frustrations out on him.
Chapter 18
Jaxon and Spencer did the next round of perimeter checks while I kept an eye on things so Blake and Mason could sleep. Nixie hung out with me and managed to refrain from cutting me again, which was appreciated. Though, her attitude was in full force.
“You didn’t even thank me for being your wing woman. I’m the only reason you got laid, and you didn’t even give me any details. It’s rather rude and not very BBF of you.”
“Well, I’d like to think my glowing personality and stunning looks had something to do with my getting lucky as well, but I see your point. Thank you for changing Jaxon back, so I wouldn’t be grossed out.”
“And?”
“And what?” I asked innocently.
“You’re an asshole,” she grumbled.
“Never claimed I wasn’t. How about you tell me why you and Mason were fighting?”
She gave me the cold shoulder while I continued to watch the two roads leading to the prison. As long as the warden didn’t use a portal, we would have some notice of his arrival. If he did, well, I was pretty sure we’d hear his roar when he found out we’d escaped.
Ten minutes later, Jaxon and Spencer returned bearing gifts.
“You’ve never been sexier than you are when you’re holding cups of coffee,” I cooed as Jaxon held two of them to me.
“Just make sure you eat something, too, before the caffeine takes over.” His voice was pissy, and I wondered what happened, but didn’t have time to ask before Mason and Blake got up, taking his attention.
If it was really important, I trusted him to let us all know, so I decided not to worry about it as I gulped down the cup I hadn’t finished before, then grabbed a smashed sandwich and shared it with Nixie.
She was slowly becoming more pleasant as I shared the food with her, and I wondered if there was a fairy dude we could find so she could get laid as well and let go of some tension. Maybe then, she’d be less stabby-stabby and more snarky-snarky. Her feistiness kept things interesting, so long as she wasn’t drawing blood, and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have survived thus far without her. Though I’d never admit it out loud, I knew she was more than aware of that fact as well.
About an hour after the sun had set, headlights came into view, tearing down the road like there was a fire under their ass.
“Do you think that’s them?” I asked, peering up at Jaxon.
“Most likely. Let’s head back to the prison. As soon as we get inside, sound the alarm. Deacon will be waiting to free the others, and then we can finish this,” he answered.
Mason was bouncing on his toes, Blake was meditating, and Spencer was staring off into the trees. I wasn’t sure why, but I hoped whatever he was doing wo
uld help us against Gillian. Though, if we were stuck indoors with the fight, I wasn’t sure how the trees would be of any help.
Mason opened up a portal, so we could beat the car back to the prison. As we raced inside and through the hallway, my adrenaline increased until my hands shook. We didn’t know nearly enough about the warden to know how the fight would go, but there was no running from it. He needed to be stopped.
Blake hit the alarm as soon as we got closer to the cells. Our hope was that the sound would confuse Gillian and his men long enough for us to attack first. As far as we knew, they still didn’t know we’d left sublevel two and hoped to catch them off guard.
Deacon appeared with Ethan, Gabe, and several others. “We’re going to circle around and come in from behind,” Deacon said.
“Good luck.” Jaxon nodded and then they were off.
“Do you want me to take you to the lair?” I asked Nixie.
“Hell no. My powers will come back, and I can still fly faster than those idiots can move. I’ll be fine.” Gods, I really loved that little fairy.
As soon as we knew the prisoners and guards we trusted were getting into position, we moved back toward the entrance we assumed the warden would come through.
Mason, Blake, and Spencer began their own strategizing while Jaxon pinned me against the wall, completely uncaring that Nixie was hanging out on my shoulder.
“Stay close, and don’t let any of them get their hands on you. No matter how strong you are, dark magic is hard to overcome, even for the best of us.” His forehead lowered to mine. “I won’t lose you now.”
Nixie gagged and flew over to Mason’s shoulder. She was just jealous.
“You’re not going to. Don’t worry about me. If you let me distract you, it will only be worse for all of us.”
His body pressed closer as his lips crashed against mine, and we took an extra few seconds to lose ourselves in each other before tearing apart to the sound of shouts. Both of us had needed that, and I hoped like hell it wasn’t the last time we’d have the chance to touch one another.
“They’re here,” Spencer called out.
With that, we all moved into position behind various objects. We wanted them to get as close as possible before attacking in hopes they’d have less time to call for reinforcements and gain the upper hand.
I was hunkered down behind the desk outside the warden’s office, watching for Blake to give the signal. Nixie was still with Mason across from me while Spencer and Jaxon had disappeared into the shadows like the experts they were.
“What the hell is happening around here?” Gillian bellowed as the screeching of the alarm finally cut off.
My eyes never left Blake, even as I itched to stand and throw as much magic at the assholes behind me as possible. I trusted the empath to know the perfect moment, and even though it pained me, I continued to wait for the signal.
Alex’s slimy voice began barking orders and as soon as my peripherals caught the sight of a boot, Blake nodded.
My hands were already charged up with magic, and I murmured a few spells to increase their impact. I wasn’t the best with spellcasting, most of my power coming from natural witch magic, but on occasion, I used the few I knew to step up the magnitude.
Latching on to the first person I could see, I sent a wave of power up their leg before standing up and coming face-to-face with Trey. He probably weighed twice as much as me, but I tried not to worry about the size comparison and focused on what I’d learned.
My palm came up, slamming into his solar plexus. As Trey gasped for air, I silently thanked the Fabled Four for all of the hand-to-hand combat sessions they’d made me endure, turning my scrappy fighting skills into something more refined.
“You bitch,” he choked.
“And proud of it.” Grabbing a fistful of his hair, I forced his head into the side of the desk. He wasn’t dead by any means, but he was at least unconscious, which was good enough for the moment.
Glancing around, I saw Mason exchanging blows with another fae, then found Jaxon taking on a vampire much faster than him, but not nearly as strong.
Before I could find Spencer and Blake, my head was jerked back as someone grabbed hold of my ponytail. “I’ve waited a long time to do this,” Alex’s voice snarled in my ear before he punched me in the jaw.
Gods, that was going to leave a mark.
“If only you’d have done it sooner,” I replied before grabbing onto his leg and pulling on his power. He was a warlock, and he was going to learn about my special skill.
He hissed in my ear as he fought to get away from me, but I refused to let go. I’d yet to siphon magic from someone with cruel intention, but as far as I could tell, it was working better than I expected.
The pressure within me from the extra magic was manageable, and it wasn’t making me sick like when I’d tried to do the same to the vampire all those weeks ago. Alex’s face was paling, but all too soon his lips raised ever so slightly, and I noticed just a second too late.
A force crashed into my back, causing my knees to buckle, and I lost my hold on Alex. Then, he scampered off like the coward I assumed him to be.
As I tried to recover from the blow, I heard Jaxon roar loud enough to make my skin crawl. Using what little strength I’d regained, I moved in his direction as he tore the vampire he’d been fighting in two. Instead of blood seeping from the body, a shadow rose from the figure as his skin and bones disintegrated.
Jaxon was in full demon mode and sucked in the soul like it was air. I was pretty sure that would never get any less creepy, but thankfully, I wasn’t afraid of him because of it.
“Cara, you were supposed to wait for me. Once again, you’ve caused me to be disappointed in you. I wanted to drag this out for my enjoyment, but you’re going to make me rush, and I’m going to make it hurt in return,” Warden Gillian’s voice snickered from behind me.
Just as I got to my hands and knees in hopes of standing, he landed a solid kick to my ribs. “Not so fast, Witch.” Then, he pressed a hand to my back where the previous blow had made contact and everything within me burned like I was on fire.
Curse words flew from my mouth, but I tried to stay quiet. Jaxon wasn’t done fighting the guards off, and I didn’t want to distract him. It wouldn’t do either of us any good if I did. I needed to think of a way out of this without his help. I had grown a lot in my abilities, but in a moment of stress, it seemed as if everything I had learned went out the window.
Glancing around for the others, I realized Spencer was nowhere to be seen, and I could hear Mason’s shouts of victory, which was good, but more guards kept appearing. Thinking about the guards, I wondered where Deacon and the others were, because I had a feeling they were going to be our only chance of winning we had at this point as the insecurities I’d fought so hard to overcome came rushing back.
Gillian raised me from the ground, bringing me level with his face with little effort. “You can’t beat me. None of you can. I gave you one shot to be better than you ever dreamed possible, but you threw it away. And for what? A man? You’re just as pathetic as your parents always droned on about.”
He knew my parents? No, there was no way. He was just screwing with me, and I wasn’t going to let his words affect me. Mention of my shit parents was the reminder I needed to remember how far I’d come since they were alive. I knew my worth now, and nobody would ever make me feel less than I knew I deserved like they had.
As anger rose within me, my power began to surface. I drew on that feeling, letting the darkness of my childhood consume me. Letting the fury of being ripped from my life without just cause gave me the fortitude I needed to see this through.
“I didn’t throw anything away. I chose a better life, and I’m going to make sure you never take another innocent life from this earth again.” My head slammed into his as my fingers wrapped around the warden’s wrists.
There was a brief second when I knew what I was about to do wasn’t the smartest choi
ce, but I couldn’t think of an option B that didn’t include dying, so I went with it. Drawing on the fae’s powers, I let dark magic seep into my soul. Instead of filling me with something I could use, a heaviness settled over me and the resilience I’d been building was slowly fading away. Everything within me began to feel bleaker than before, and I wanted to close my eyes and never open them again.
“That’s right. Take as much as you want, Cara. You’re not strong enough to handle the kind of power it takes to win. You will never be anything more than a letdown to everyone who knows you. Because of you, everyone here will die today.”
His words struck my heart, and between the dark magic and my lack of resources, I believed every word he said.
I’d failed, and everyone would have been better off if they’d never met me.
With those final thoughts, I released the warden’s wrists and closed my eyes. It was time to let go and accept that I would never be good enough.
Chapter 19
Just as consciousness was about to escape me, a bright light shined between me and Gillian. His hands released me as he swatted at the source. My subconscious was telling me it was a good thing, but I was still being pulled under by the dark magic and couldn’t find the strength to move or care.
“Damn it, Cara. Do I have to do everything around here?” Nixie yelled in my face before a force hit me in the chest.
Her tiny body fell into my lap as clarity slowly began to come back to me—clarity and a shit-ton of fury. I’d almost given that slime ball of a warden a free pass. I’d given up, and that would never happen again.
Gathering Nixie into my hands, I held her gently, quickly realizing she’d used whatever amount of power she’d built back up to save me.
Mason rushed past and took the fairy from me. “I’m sending her to the room. She’s done enough for the day.”
I nodded as he opened a portal and sent her through it before moving on to assist Blake. Nixie was going to be furious, but at least she’d be safe. Jaxon was making his way toward me, and when I didn’t see any immediate concern in his eyes, I appraised our current situation.
Capture (Elite Supernatural Trackers Book 2) Page 13
