Surge Of Magic (16 page)

“You’re right,” Rye said. “We’d be detected in no time.”

“The drone can give us the lay of the land, the size and location of the building, as well as possible entrances and exits.” Connor glanced over at Jackson. “What are you waiting for? You’ve been chomping at the bit to use your new toy.”

Jackson grinned. “I’ll get on it as soon as you give me the address.”

Connor slipped him a piece of paper. “Go for it. Just don’t crash the damn thing. We’ll never recover financially.”

Jackson gave him the finger, grabbed the paper, and pushed back his chair. “I’ll be back shortly with the feed.”

After Jackson left, Connor turned back to Kip. “What was your other idea?”

“Teagan’s brother Sam is here on leave for a couple of days. I’m not sure if you’re aware of his talents, but he could be highly useful.” Most shifters only had the ability to shift. Rye, being mated to a Wendayan, was an exception. “Let me explain. Sam has the power of projection.”

Several of the shifters glanced around. “What’s that?” Devon asked.

“It’s the ability to transmit images and feelings into the minds of others. In return, Sam can also learn their thoughts.”

“That’s some scary shit,” Devon said. “I need to keep away from him.”

Kip waved his hand. “He wouldn’t invade your privacy. He’s completely ethical. We only spoke for a few minutes, but he was telling me how over in Afghanistan he would delve into the enemy’s mind and learn what they were planning.”

“Holy fuck,” Connor said. “We need to bring him in right now.”

“The problem is that he promised to guard Teagan when I’m away from her. I’m concerned that whoever attacked her might come back again.”

Rye held up his hand. “Let Izzy and her parents watch Teagan. Both my mate and her dad are quite powerful.”

Kip wanted to find a way to bring Sam into the firm. If he could help out now, it would help to get him hired. “That works for me, but I’ll have to ask Sam if he’s willing to help us out. He doesn’t deal with Changelings in his line of work.”

“Not that he knows of,” Rye said.

“That’s probably true.”

Connor leaned forward. “Can you explain more about transmitting images into a person’s head?”

“Sam could explain it better, but from what I’ve gathered from Teagan, Sam can make you think you’re about to step into a pit of vipers when in reality nothing is there.”

They all talked at once until Connor silenced them. “Let’s hold on. The possibilities are endless, but how long do these images remain in the person’s head?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to ask him.”

They discussed several plans but failed to come up with anything concrete. They were in the middle of a different plan when Jackson returned with his laptop in hand. “Y’all need to see this. This drone is amazing. Took me a while though to find the damn place. Figuring out the exact coordinates from the address was a bitch, but once I programmed it, this sucker went straight there.”

“Do you think anyone noticed it?” Connor asked.

Jackson shook his head. “No one even looked up.”

“Show us,” Rye said.

Jackson set up his laptop and connected the cables to the overhead projector for everyone to see. The clarity was actually quite good, but it would have been better if the drone could have flown a bit lower.

“I can’t see any building,” Connor said.

Jackson stopped the video and stepped in front of the screen. “The two black specks here are the guards who are standing in front of the entrance. From the thermal device on the camera, we can see the rest of the building appears to be carved into the hillside behind it. However right now, I have no idea where the stolen magic is located. The place appears to be rather large.”

“James said that Nathan and Olivia heard the powers were kept in a small room in the back of the bunker,” Rye said. “Even if we manage to take out the two guards, we have to open the door, and heaven only knows what kind of sophisticated security system they might have.”

“Don’t worry about the system,” Connor said. “We have equipment to bypass their devices. If we can’t, or don’t have time, we should be able to disrupt their signal.” He glanced over at Kip. “We have an expert in the house.”

“I’m hardly an expert, but I can cut the power to the bunker, allowing us full access.”

Connor looked at Kip. “Do we have any idea what this magic will look like? And if and how we can transport it back?”

“Teagan told me that one of our most powerful witches explained to her that our magic glows, kind of like fireflies.” No one said anything for a moment, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it either.

“We’ll bring in sacks then,” Connor said.

For the next few hours, they hashed out what they needed to do. Jackson would stay back and fly the drone over the area. If the team ran into more trouble than they could handle, Rye and Kalan said they would organize a standby team to go in and help.

“Let’s reconvene at eight tonight. Kip, you and Sam should wear black—assuming he agrees to help. The rest of us will go in as wolves and bears. Kalan can probably take out the guards if need be.”

Kalan’s mouth opened in mock offense. “Probably?”

Rye chuckled. “Kalan will take out the two guards.”

That worked for him. Now all Kip had to do was convince Sam to be part of this dangerous mission. The hardest sell would be to Teagan since she’d insist Sam stay behind where he’d be safe too.

‡

W
hen Kip returned
home, Teagan was thrilled—that was until he told her he wanted Sam to participate in the takedown. While she understood her brother would be an asset to the team, she felt it wasn’t fair to ask him.

“He’s here on leave and didn’t come here to work. Besides, it’s dangerous.”

In reality, she didn’t want to lose any precious time with her brother. She then stopped arguing once she realized how petty she sounded. Randy had lost his powers, and she needed to think of him.

Sam rubbed her arm. “I’m happy to help, Kip. Hell, I miss the action already, and it’s only been a few hours. Besides, it’s for a good cause.” He looked over at her. “Don’t want these buggers coming back for my sister. I know if anyone succeeded in taking my magic from me, I’d be incomplete.”

Incomplete
was a good word for it. Goose bumps rippled up her arms at the possibility of losing everything she had. The recent attack had made it all too real. She rubbed Sam’s arm in return. “Fine, but be careful.”

He hugged her. “I will be. You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

When Kip arrived home with take-out dinners from the Lake Steakhouse, she’d figured he was buttering her up for some reason. Now she knew why.

“I contacted your aunt and uncle,” Kip said. “They would be happy to have you visit, and Izzy is going to be there too.”

“That’s nice of them.” Teagan spent all day with Aunt Kathryn, so what were a few more hours? Having Izzy join them would be an added bonus. “Other than our recent brief visit, I haven’t spent any quality time with my cousin in a while.”

“Good. You haven’t had any premonitions, have you?” Kip asked.

“No, but I think that man who tried to kidnap me might have done something to my abilities. I haven’t had any images floating through my head.”
Other than erotic ones with you, Kip
.

He shook his head. “You’re telekinesis abilities are still working. You moved that rock with your mind.”

Sam sat up straighter. “What’s this? You moved a rock?”

A bit of heat raced up her face. “It’s nothing. It mostly works when I’m in a heightened state of anger or fear.”

“Show me,” Sam said.

“It really tires her out.” Kip was clearly trying to save her.

While it was true it required some energy, she’d told him that because she wanted to spend more time in the tent with him. Teagan waved a hand. “That’s all right. I need the practice.” Learning to control her power ought to be at the top of her list of things she needed to do.

Sam nodded to his beer. “Can you lift the bottle to your mouth and drink from it?”

She laughed. “Hardly.”

“Why not? You told me you moved a heavy trashcan.”

“I was mad.”

Her brother gulped down much of the contents of his drink. “You’ve got to do better than that. Can you imagine if I only read half of a person’s thoughts when I’m being shot at?”

She stared at him. “You don’t need to be a mind reader to know his intentions. He wants to kill you.”

He set the bottle on the table. “That was a bad example. Suppose I want the enemy to think they are seeing a vast, empty desert, instead of the one hundred men who are charging them? If my abilities falter, and they imagine seeing twenty tanks and more fire power than a thousand men, it could be bad.”

“Why? The men would run. At least they wouldn’t be shooting at you.”

Sam glanced at Kip, acting as if she were dense. “We don’t want them to run away. We want to capture them.”

“You mean kill them.”

He held up a hand. “The bottom line is that if you have the talent to move objects with your mind, you need to practice.”

She had practiced her skills with interpreting her visions, but after that can-moving experience, she’d vowed to stop with her telekinesis. Now she could see she’d been wrong once more. “Okay.”

Grinning, he leaned back in his seat. “Then move my bottle. It’s nearly empty, so it won’t make a big mess if it spills.”

If she failed, she’d never live it down. “Here goes.”

Teagan focused on his beer, drawing on her inner magic. Blocking out all sounds, she imagined pulling the bottle closer. When it moved a few inches, she had to tamp down her excitement. While her emotions helped her succeed, she feared they would break her concentration if she congratulated herself too soon.

Now came for the hard part—lifting the bottle without spilling it. Hands clenched, her nails dug into her palms, heightening her awareness. The bottle rose one inch then two. Yes, she could do this. Imagining the bottle at her lips, she mentally drew it toward her. As it cleared the edge of the table, the bottle dropped, pinging off the table edge, and landing on the carpet.

“Shit.” She jumped up, but Kip stayed her with a hand.

“I’ll clean it up. Good job.”

She furrowed her brows. “I dropped it!”

Sam clapped. “That was magnificent. Soon you’ll be able to clean up the dishes without moving from the table.”

He was totally exaggerating. “I wish.”

Kip picked up the empty bottle then returned with a wet towel and blotted up the beer. “Back to normal.”

“Next time I’ll try it with an empty bottle.”

The men laughed. Kip nodded at Sam. “How about we drop you off at your aunt and uncle’s place now? Sam and I need to head into the office to go over the plan. I’m hoping Jackson will have more intel for us by then. Devon said he’d find out more about some of the men we might run into. Apparently, Nathan and Olivia gave us a few names.”

“I know what you’re trying to do.”

“What’s that?” Kip asked.

“Distract me from what’s about to happen. You act like this is an ordinary run-of-the-mill case, but it isn’t. You’re going to take on the vilest creatures in town, and yet you act as if it’s nothing. They’re highly dangerous. You all could be killed.” Her stomach churned as tears brimmed on her lashes.

Kip sat next to her and hugged her, his demeanor totally serious. As much as she appreciated the gesture, it didn’t help her shakes one bit.

“I won’t lie. It is dangerous. I didn’t dwell on it because I don’t want you to worry. Trust me, we’ll be careful.” He stroked her cheek. “Nothing is going to stop me from coming back to you.”

“You better. In case this mission doesn’t go as planned, I’ll pack an overnight case.”

Kip leaned over and kissed her. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

“It’s hardly being understanding. I just don’t want to stay here alone.”

“Smart girl.”

*

When Kip and
Sam arrived at the office, Connor had turned their conference room into what looked like a war room. He had photos from the drone taped to the wall, arrows indicating where they would go, as well as the position of the guards. To Kip, it looked like a complicated football play, with each of the team members listed and their locations.