Bound by Magick 4-in-1 Box Set (Pentacles of Magick) (22 page)

Epilogue

Jessie grunted as she was dragged roughly by the arm through
the mansion. She really couldn’t exactly call such a large and over the top
ornate building a house. Weak and tired, she longed for her magick to return.
Not only did she feel lost without it, she wanted to show this bastard a thing
or two about manhandling women. For weeks now he’d been pushing her around and
basically making her life miserable. Something he wouldn’t be so quick to do if
she had her power.

He opened the familiar door in front of her and shoved her
inside. Her foot caught on the doorjamb, sending her sprawling to the floor.
Her hands barely caught her before her head crashed into the tiled floor. She
let her head hang low as she crawled to her knees. Tired and hungry, she fought
the rising tears of despair. How much more of this could she take? Would Jake
be able to save her? Had he given up trying?

“Now that’s more like it. A woman on her knees in front of
me. Just where she belongs.”

Her back stiffened at the sound of his voice. She’d known
she would have to face him tonight, but hearing him speak made her skin crawl.
“Don’t flatter yourself, you sick bastard. I wouldn’t willingly kneel to you
for any reason.”

He snorted. “Be careful what you say to me, especially
regarding what you will or will not do for me. You should know by now that if
you don’t do what I want I will find a way to get you to, and it won't be
pleasant.” He stepped in front of her and jerked her by the chin, forcing her
to look up at him. Pain shot through her jaw and neck. “You haven’t already
forgotten what I can do to you, have you?”

Her stomach roiled and bubbled, making her nauseous as her
brain recalled the memories she knew she would never forget. She fought the
urge to vomit. No way in hell would she give him the satisfaction in knowing
she was scared of him. Somehow, some way, she would get back at him for what
he’d done.

She spat at him.

“You bitch.” He dropped her head and wiped off his arm on
his pants. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just kill you now?”

Alarm bells went off in her head as she worried this might
finally be it for her. She’d wondered and waited, thinking any day could be her
last.
 

“My magick.”

“Is getting weaker. Look at you. You’re pathetic.”

“Jake is helping you. You promised if he did what you
asked…” She drew in a breath embarrassed at the weakness in her words.

“Yeah, well, I guess your dear older half-bastard brother
has decided he’d rather fuck a witch then save the likes of you.”

His words slammed in to her, staggering her. “Bullshit.”

“It’s true. He turned on me in favor of my nephew and my
fucking witch. Something he is about to pay dearly for with your life.”

Jessie’s mind reeled with this new information. No way would
Jake just abandon her, but Scott was pissed at him and wanted him to pay.
Something had to have happened.

“Your usefulness has come to an end.” He walked back to his
desk, pacing back and forth in front of it. “All that’s left to do is offer you
up as a sacrifice and drain what little magick you have left. So tonight, my
dear, you will die. It’s a beautiful ceremony, you’re going to love it.”

His face shone with pure joy as he said that last. Proving
he really was a crazy son of a bitch. As if on cue his muscle walked through
the door and hauled her to her feet, practically dragging her from the
room.
 

The closer they got back to her cell her mind began to
panic. She struggled and squirmed in his grasp, fighting to get away.
 

“Where do you think you’re going to go now?” He tightened
his massive fingers around her bicep until he brought tears to her eyes and she
cried out in pain.

The guard pushed her into her cell far harder than he needed
to and she banged her head on the opposite wall. Beyond the point of physical
pain, anger bubbled instead. She had to find a way out.
 
She had the will, she just needed a
plan.

Hours later, she had no ideas and she just wanted to rest
for a while. She didn’t know how long she had, but she decided her only chance
of escape would be when they came to get her. In that case, she needed to rest.

Click. Click. Click.

Still huddled on the floor in the corner, Jessie realized
someone was standing at the door of her cell trying to get in. The fuzz of
sleep slipped away as she realized this was it. It was too dark to see for
sure, but the man standing there wasn’t her normal guard and he wasn’t opening
the door with his keys.

“Jessie, is that you?” his deep male voice did not belong to
any of the guards she was used to, yet there was something familiar about it.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Jake sent me. We have to hurry.”

Her heart soared for her brother. She knew he wouldn’t leave
her to die here. The door swung open and he reached his arm inside waving for
her to hurry up.

“Grab my hand, let’s go.”

She eagerly grasped his hand willing her body to move her up
and out of this hell hole.

In the light of the doorway, he turned back to say something
to her and froze. His hand fell away from hers. “Is this some kind of fucking
joke?”

She knew then and raised her head to the all too familiar
piercing blue eyes and wavy black hair. “Oh, shit. Noah…”

Magick Provoked

Pentacles of Magick Series

ELIZA GAYLE

Chapter One

The guard pushed Jessie into her cell far harder than he
needed to, and her head slammed into the far wall. Beyond the point of
physical pain, anger bubbled to the surface instead. She had to find a way
out. She had the will, she just needed a plan.

Hours later, she still had no ideas and she just wanted to
rest for a while. She didn’t know how long she had, but she decided her
only chance of escape would be when they came to get her. In that case,
she needed to rest.

Click. Click. Click.

Still huddled on the floor in the corner, Jessie realized
someone was at the door of her cell trying to get in. The fuzz of sleep slipped
away as she realized this was it. It was too dark to see for sure, but the
man standing there wasn’t her normal guard and he wasn’t opening the door with
his keys.

“Jessie, is that you?” The raw, deep male voice did not
belong to any of the guards she was used to, yet there was something familiar
about it.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Jake sent me. We have to hurry.”

Her heart soared for her brother. She knew he wouldn’t leave
her to die here. The door swung open and he reached his arm inside, waving for
her to hurry up.

“Grab my hand, let’s go.”

She eagerly grasped his hand, willing her body to move her
up and out of this hell hole.

In the light of the doorway, he turned back to say something
to her and froze. His hand fell away from hers. “Is this some kind of fucking
joke?”

She knew then, and raised her head to the all too familiar
piercing blue eyes and wavy black hair. “Oh, shit. Noah…”

The breath stole from her lungs as the memories crashed down
around her, threatening to debilitate her. Electricity stuttered through
her system as her magick attempted to rise to the surface before sputtering to
a halt. No magick, not now. Jessie took an unsteady step on weak and
wobbly legs. She could do this, just take one step at a time.

“What the hell has he done to you?” Noah grabbed her around
the waist, pulling her close to his strong, solid body. Her cold skin
soaked up his heat with little regard to the fact that touching him was
detrimental to her mental health. His gruff voice sounded like barely
controlled rage, like a beast rising to the surface. A feeling she easily
identified with.

“Have…to…go…now. Not much time.” She looked into his eyes,
trying to communicate their need to hurry. 

“I would agree. This place is crawling with idiots and
users, all itching to impress their boss. I prefer to get us both out of here
undetected. No one has to die tonight.”

Weak but determined, Jessie followed Noah’s lead. The farther
away from her cell they went the scent of dark magick intensified, burning her
nose and making her eyes water. Her captor had a horde of spell casters itching
to do his dirty work at a moments notice. When they turned down a back corridor
that wasn’t familiar, she hesitated. “Are you sure you know where you’re
going?”

He threw her a quick glance over his shoulder, his eyebrows
raised and a smirk across his face. It was one of Noah’s famous “don’t be
stupid” looks. The man could always could cut someone down or put them in
their place with a dark look or a single word. Instinctively she bristled
against his typical alpha male behavior, wishing she were strong enough at the
moment to show him what she thought of that. 

“I can’t believe you have to ask.” He shook his head and
pulled her close.

Jessie sighed. No way could she fight him now as he tucked
her tight against him, lending her his strength and a little of that magick
that she got from him every time he touched her. The at-odds combination of his
dark and light halves swirled inside her, searching for her beast. But this
wasn’t the past. The beast didn’t move—she’d repeatedly had her magick
raped from her, each time leaving her less than before. She couldn’t help but
worry that he’d gone too far, if it was already too late for her. Was she
now living on borrowed time?

“There’s some pretty tough security up ahead that you’re
going to have to walk through alone, can you handle it, Jessie?” Her spine
stiffened against him at the question. Any other day she’d have been insulted
and kicked his ass just for suggesting it, and he damn well knew it. She looked
up at him and, sure enough, the amusement was there plain as day. He was
enjoying her predicament way too much. 

“To get out of this shit hole, I can do just about
anything.” She gritted her teeth in determination. They continued through the
tunnel that sloped downward, giving her the illusion of going further
underneath the compound instead of up and out to where freedom waited. “Where
are all the guards, Noah? This place is usually crawling with them. And
why are we traveling deeper inside the mansion?”

“This is the path of least resistance, and your brother and
mine are running a little special interference for us.”

“Jake is here?” Panic rose in her, sharp and swift, like a
vice squeezing her body and making it difficult to breathe. “Oh no, Noah, he
can’t be here. Scott will kill him. Tell him to go now, he has to leave before
it’s too late.”

“Jessie, stop. Calm down. Breathe, baby, slow and deep. He isn’t
here on the property. Denn’s earth magick is pretty powerful stuff, and he
can accomplish a hell of a lot from a perfectly safe distance.” He grabbed her
chin and gently pulled her head to look at him. “Look at me, Jessie. Breathe,
damn it. Despite whatever hard feelings one or both of us might be
harboring from our past doesn’t matter right now. I gave my word to Jake
that I would get you out of here safe and sound. So, do as I tell you and
follow my plan, and everything will be fine.”

She did breathe. Short shallow breaths. She would be of
no use if she couldn’t keep her wits about her. Escape had to be the top
priority.

“Jessie, look at me.”

She tilted her head to meet his cool, cobalt blue gaze with
fire burning deep inside. If she didn’t watch herself she could get lost in
those sexy eyes of his, and that would be a very bad thing.

“There is an infrared laser grid up ahead, lying between us
and the exit out of here. We can use some magick to disable parts of it, but if
we take down the whole thing everyone will know we’re here and will be waiting
outside for us. So it’s this or the front door. Your choice, darlin’.”

“I’ll take door number one.” She smirked as she turned back
toward the corridor and headed in the direction they’d been traveling.

“Oh uh—”

She turned the corner and ground to a halt. There on the
dirty floor, with his hands bound and mouth taped up, laid her guard. The same
guard who’d treated her like shit for weeks. She bent down slowly so that
her mouth was not far from his ear when she whispered. “You should be afraid.
Very afraid.”

“I was about to warn you that this ass was lying here, but
it looks like you’re doing just fine without it. I know what you’re thinking
and I don’t disagree. Revenge is sweet, but come on, Jess we definitely don’t
have time for this.” He grabbed her gently by the shoulder and lifted her up
and propelled her forward. “We don’t have time to play with him right now, no
matter how much he might deserve it. Besides, I have a feeling he is going
to get what is coming to him a lot sooner than he thinks.”

Before Noah, could drag her away, Jessie whipped out of his
grasp with strength fueled by pure adrenalin and rage. She clenched her fist
and struck, landing a right hook to her guard’s jaw. With a superior smile, she
watched him slump against the wall.

“Nice shot. Now let’s go before someone finds us.” She gave
one last hard behind her as Noah picked her up and pushed her back on her way.
If only she still had her power. That ass deserved more than a sore jaw. She wanted
him to regret ever touching her. Nausea roiled through her as the memories
of torture and pain reared to the surface. Dizziness threatened her as she
stumbled a few steps.

“God, Jessie, you’re never going to make it like this.”

She ground her teeth together as she wrenched her arm away
from his hold. “I will make it. Don’t worry about me. Just get us where we need
to be.” She didn’t want to admit to her flagging energy.

“Fine. Keep going about fifty meters ahead and you’ll see
what we need to do.”

She trudged on, one heavy step after another until the pain
squeezing her chest began to ease, and traveling through the tunnel became
bearable. The corridor widened and Jessie stepped into a large open room. For
the most part the room was pretty dark, but sure enough, there in front of her
on the other side of the room stood a door she presumed would take her out of
this wretched place. Now all she had to do was traverse her way through
the myriad of red laser beams that criss-crossed each other to reach out and
touch nearly every available surface.

“It’s not going to be as bad as it looks.”

Noah had stopped just behind her. Even though he wasn’t
quite against her, she felt the heat radiating off of him as he stood scant
inches from her back. His breath tickled her neck as it slid through her
hair. She fought the urge to squirm or, even worse, the need to lean back
into him, taking refuge and strength from the one man she knew she couldn’t
have. In that quiet moment when she should have been coming up with a plan
of escape, she couldn’t think of anything except Noah’s large, strong hands
roaming her bare, heated flesh. The man knew his way around a woman’s
body, that was for sure. 

Her erratic heartbeat thundered in her ears, as warmth
coiled in her belly. All the ground she thought she’d gained from their many
months apart slipped from her grasp as her entire body ached for his touch.

“In about fifteen seconds we should be able to go for
it. I can already feel Denn’s power in the room.”

She marveled at his connection with his twin. At first
she had thought they could communicate telepathically, but it had turned out to
be just a really strong connection between their magick. They could call
out to each other, feel the other’s strong emotions at times, and lend each
other their magick when necessary.  The connection was truly amazing.

She forced her mind back to the present. She didn’t belong
in the past and Noah didn’t belong in her future. The sooner they got out
of here the sooner they could get away from each other. 

She watched the lasers blink a few times, and then weaken
before finally about half of them went out. It left them a difficult but much
more manageable path to the door.

“You sure about this?”

She nodded her head.
What choice did she have
?

“Jessie, if you touch even one of those beams with a piece
of hair, the alarm will go off and we’ll be done. I want you to take your
time, just keep in mind that they could discover you missing soon.”

She took a deep, steadying breath before letting it out on a
quiet exhale. “I know. Let’s go, today is my last day here either way I
go. I’d rather die trying.”

He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “You aren’t dying on my
watch.”

His confidence made her want to laugh or cry, she was never
sure with him. He never could accept any situation would be impossible, no
matter what it was. If he knew the truth, would he finally falter? Accept that
some things could not be overcome?

She traveled over the first couple of beams before banishing
Noah from her thoughts to concentrate on her task. Getting killed because
she couldn’t stop thinking about a man like him would really piss her off.

Sweat broke out on her brow as she watched each beam get
closer to her body as she passed. Over, under, and around she went,
through streak after streak of red light. She dared a glance at Noah and
saw one of his beams move. “Noah!” she shouted.

He froze and she watched the area for any other movement. “I
saw your beam move.”

“Are you sure?”

She didn’t even dignify that question with an answer only a
smirk.

“Then run.” He took off himself, cutting a path through the
beams as though no longer concerned about the alarms. 

Running behind him, she heard as well as sensed the energy
crackling in the room. Pressure in the air built, depriving them of the
fresh oxygen they needed. She held her breath and watched him fling a
burst of flaming power at the door, breaking it open wide.

Drawing on a reserve of power she didn’t know she had left,
she pumped her legs harder, jumping through the flaming doorway right behind
him. She was prepared to drop and roll but found it unnecessary as she had
escaped the flames untouched.

The dark of night enfolded her quickly as she stumbled,
unable to see, to her hands and knees onto the wet grass. Her eyes were
still dilated from the bright energy flash and would likely take her a few
minutes more to adjust before she could continue on.

“Grab my hand, Jessie.”

Noah’s voice was right in front of her and she couldn’t see
a thing.

“Now, Jessie. You have to trust me.”

She blindly reached toward his voice, seeking his hand. When
their fingers grazed, Noah roughly grabbed and pulled her toward him.

A strange popping noise sounded behind them as he clung to
her and moved quickly over the uneven terrain.

“Stop!”

Someone yelled, but Noah didn’t even break stride. Her eyes
adjusted in the dark as things went from blurry shapes to sharper, more normal
vision where she could at least see where they were going. She surveyed
the area, taking in the fact that they were totally in the open, no cover at
all. When a small spray of rocks and grit flew up into their faces, she
realized the popping noises she heard were gunshots. 
Shit
. The bastards were hoping to pick them off with no dirty work.