Celtic Evil: A Fitzgerald Brother Novel: Roarke (27 page)

Hoping it was that simple,
Mac saw his youngest brother’s concern. “Call me when you do. Don’t
come near us since Sebastian will know he can use you.”

Maggie already knew that as
she settled down to try to a spell-finding spell but couldn’t
figure out what would be needed in this instance, even as she felt
the house shake. “Damn, what spell does it take to stall or put
down a centuries old warlock?”

“A spell that may not yet
have been written, Mary Margaret Cavanaugh, or one that the lads
will have to create,” a voice from the door had Maggie looking to
see a rather small but spry-looking older man with silvery blond
hair and twinkling blue eyes looking at her. “Or one that may just
need a little modern tweaking.”

“Does everyone know my given name?” Maggie
complained, not getting any bad feelings from this grandfatherly
looking man as he laughed.

“I pick up a thing here or
there but don’t tell my wife as she’s not fond when I do that,” he
came over to plop down next to her just as easily as she’d seen Ian
do downstairs. “Name’s Lorcan, lass, Lorcan Kerrigan and we have a
task ahead of us to put some walls ahead of that wily devil so the
lads can do what must be done.”

Blinking at him, Maggie decided to wait for
answers later then settled down to business.

Mac saw Ian was bleeding
from the hand but sensed now wasn’t the time to ask about it as
they ran back down the hall to the other side of the house when a
violent tremor shook the whole manor and nearly knocked them to the
ground.

“Is that an earthquake or
temper?” Ian questioned, grabbing the wall to stay upright but
feeling the same evil as he had in Dublin. “He’s here.”

“Yeah and I’m sure there
are generations of our kin rolling in their graves that Sebastian’s
in this house, which is supposed to be protected,” Mac sighed,
rounding the corner and diving back to shove Ian to the floor just
as a wall of flame shot at them. “I hope Kerry’s insurance is up to
date,” he muttered after seeing the damage.

Ian had slid forward to
peek around and blinked. “Kerry!” he shouted, seeing his brother in
an all out power war with a smirking evil witch.

“Get out!” Kerry snapped without sparing
either brother a look as he concentrated in a battle that was too
one-sided.

He had known that when he
saw the upper hand that their enemy had on them.

Sebastian’s power was great
when he focused or at certain times, but he also had the edge of a
hostage that he knew that none of them would want to harm as he
kept his hand wrapped tightly in Jessica Hadley’s hair, using her
as a shield.

“Oh, damn it to hell and
back,” Mac groaned on seeing this turn of events. “We’re
screwed.”

“Why isn’t she fighting?” Ian asked, not
liking how pale the girl was.

Wondering about that, Mac
looked and swore violently. “He’s cast a spell on her. She can’t
fight him and…” he drew off as he saw what else their friend had
had done to her. “Kerry! We need more space!”

“Well, almost all the
involved parties are here,” Sebastian launched another wave toward
Kerry and this time the blow hit him in the shoulder. “A pity your
grandmother couldn’t keep your attention longer. I really wasn’t
done enjoying my new slave, was I my dear?” he spoke as he pressed
a kiss into the girl’s neck.

A shot of light and power
struck from the other side as Ryan entered the hall while Mac got
to Kerry’s side. “Let her go, Sebastian.”

“Do you regret not taking
my offer now, Ryan?” Sebastian countered, tightening his grip on
the still girl. “Giving up all this?”

Rolling his eyes, Ryan
snorted. “What? Molesting a girl you had to use a spell to control
because you know damn good and well she could fry your ass if you
didn’t? No, thanks, I can find my own women.”

“Like young Annie?”
Sebastian taunted, pulling Jessica tighter against him when he saw
the boy’s hand flash. “Hurt me, and I will hurt her. Where’s your
brother, boys?”

“If he’s smart, he’s
halfway back to America,” Ryan shot back, needing his ever useful
sarcasm to fight down the fear and anger he had right
then.

Ian looked between them,
not sure what would happen, when he saw Mac close his
eyes.

“Your Family book says each
one of the Circle must break and reform his own,” Maggie was
tearing through pages while her companion snooped through Mac’s
dresser. “There is no one spell for this, Mac.”

“It makes sense in a bad
way,” Mac spoke back to her silently, while sharing that with his
brothers. “For the Circle to fully form, each point must prove his
strength and worth so each would react differently to the threat
and since this is Roarke’s fight then…”

“Then it must be Roarke who
finds his path,” Kerry finished, wincing as his arm still throbbed
from the blow.

Maggie closed the book
slowly as it dawned on her. “He’ll offer her life for his,” she
realized, looking up to see the spry little man frowning at a piece
of Mac’s underwear. “Oh, and by the way, Doc? For someone so
level-headed, you have some rather interesting
underwear.”

“What?” Mac nearly choked
as he ducked another blow from the wizard, as he was distracted.
“Mary Margaret, what the bloody hell are you doing?”

“Not me, Mac,” she laughed.
“The little old leprechaun that’s been helping me is going through
your dresser.”

The four brothers exchanged
looks in between blasts and Mac simmered. “Just stay in my room,
Maggie.”

“I’m getting bored, lads,”
Sebastian sighed, beginning to walk away from them toward the steps
but always keeping Jessica in front of him. “I know the lad’s a
coward but I really do have an offer for him.”

“What is it, Sebastian?”
Roarke spoke from the bottom of the steps, his voice hallow as he
looked up.

His blood had gone to ice
upon seeing Jessica in Sebastian’s grasp, but his temper sizzled as
he fought to see past the shields and saw the spell that held her,
blinded her and… he couldn’t look further right then.

“Ah, there’s the boy I’m
looking for,” smiling, Sebastian focused his attention on him as he
pulled the girl’s head up. “You can’t see him but your friend has
arrived.”

“Let her go, Sebastian.
Jess has no part in this,” Roarke struggled to look into this man’s
eyes even though he could still feel his friend, deep through the
spell, and that was what he needed. “It’s me you’ve been wanting
for fifteen years and here I am.”

Mac watched this grimly,
wondering if they could catch the older man unaware, when Ryan laid
a hand on his shoulder.

“Let the brat handle it,”
he seemed grim as he looked on. “Either way, it’s up to him, but
you may want to brush up on your medical skills.”

Sebastian dragged Jessica
down the steps with him but stopped on the first landing, shifting
his gaze both up and down. “Kerry, if you or they try anything, I
will rip her heart out,” he warned as if knowing what his foes
above him were thinking. “Before I forget, Patrick—that interesting
little reporter has guts but no brains. Teach your woman better
before we meet.”

“You son of a …” Mac’s eyes
had gone to slits but Kerry shoved him back, not liking that he
couldn’t feel his brother.

“Sebastian!” Roarke’s eyes
flashed and little blue lights danced on his fingers as he shot it
toward the wizard. “No games! Release her and face me or say your
peace!”

Ian stared as his brother’s
attack came within an inch of Jessica. “What’s he
doing?”

None of the brothers had an
answer as Sebastian narrowed his gaze at the black haired man. “You
take great chances with your woman, Roarke.”

“Kill her, kill me. In the
end, we all die, so what’s the difference?” He countered as he
struggled to maintain a poker face, keeping Kerry out of his head
but hooking a link to Jessica just once. “You said you had an
offer, so make it.”

Surprised by the tone and
attitude, Sebastian finally nodded. “It’s quite simple. Even though
I was looking forward to having this cow as my slave, I will
release her if you surrender to my will,” he explained easily,
holding Jessica’s head up by the hair as he cupped her chin. “She’s
very beautiful, Roarke. Have you had the chance yet to taste
her?”

A low rumbling could be
heard but his face didn’t change expressions as he locked eyes with
the man responsible for his parents’ deaths. “And if I
refuse?”

“Why, I keep her until I
grow bored and kill her,” Sebastian laughed. “Another death for you
to live with, knowing you could have spared her if you hadn’t been
so selfish. Just like you could have spared your parents
if…”

“No, you won’t use that on
me,” Roarke replied firmly, swallowing the sour taste in his mouth.
“Being here, dealing with you, them, things since then have let me
see that I wasn’t the cause of my parents’ deaths. You and my
grandmother were. Not me.”

The wizard seemed to
consider, looking hard down at this boy. He’d been expecting to see
some emotion by now from him yet there was nothing but an icy
calmness.

“So you’re willing to give
this one to my mercies?” he taunted, letting his hand slide down to
part the torn shirt. “My demons and I could enjoy her for a long
time.”

“No,” Roarke closed his
eyes finally, having slid his hand behind him out of sight slowly.
“You won’t.”

Sebastian smiled, pleased.
“So you will surrender to me.”

“Didn’t say that either,”
Roarke returned, bringing his hand back into the open to show the
glowing orb. “I’d see her dead myself before that
happens.”

“Roarke!” Kerry snapped,
starting to move but a firm hand gripped his shoulder, and he spun
to see Ryan’s eyes were smoky and he’d removed something from his
jacket.

“You wouldn’t try that
while I’m holding her, boy,” Sebastian sneered, tightening his grip
on her. “Speak, girl. Beg him for your life.”

Even though the spell
blinded her, Jessica had a good idea what was happening and what
would happen as she remained in his power. She knew what Sebastian
wanted her to say but in his doubt, his spell had weakened slightly
that she could fight it some.

She couldn’t see her
friend, but felt his thoughts weakly and his emotions as she fought
against the words to say what she needed to. “I…I love
you.”

“I know that,
a gra
,” Roarke sighed,
adding in a whisper he hoped she could hear. “I’m
sorry.”

His hand was a flash as the
orb flew up the steps, then things seemed to go into slow
motion.

“Shit!” Mac snapped, not believing this was
happening even as he saw Ryan smile grimly.

“No!” Sebastian, in a panic, yanked the girl
to one side more to shield him when a whistle sounded from above
them.

Ryan tossed what he had
pulled from his jacket out in a careless toss down to his brother,
even as the ball of light exploded in front of Sebastian, blinding
him. “One shot, brat and don’t miss,” he called in what he hoped
was a calm voice, despite the hammering in his chest.

The item tossed landed
perfectly in Roarke’s hand to which he quickly aimed and cocked the
9mm Walther handgun. “Sebastian!” he snapped, eyes going black with
both temper and power. “Steel and magic routed you once when my
father stabbed you with the pocketknife he had, tiny magic then,
but a 9mm parabellum round cast in magic is a hell of a lot more
effective these days.”

The gun aimed and fired once, striking
Jessica once in the upper chest and passing through to hit the
wizard who, once struck, screamed as if struck by acid and released
his grip on Jessica to grab his chest and face.

“Jessica!” Ian saw the girl
fall forward but before any of them could move, Roarke was
there.

Catching her firmly in his
arms, Roarke still held the gun firmly as Sebastian writhed on the
landing. “Born of the Five, to the Five I belong and will swear my
blood and that of my kin on it and the Circle that will come,” he
chanted, eyes blazing now as the wizard snarled up at him. “You
lose and don’t ever touch what is mine because this time I’ll fight
for them.”

“There are four more times
to lose, little boy!” Sebastian screamed as he began to dissipate,
wounds showing as burns. “You won a small battle this day but did
you win by selling your soul to beat me, and will she ever
recover?”

With those words ringing, the wizard
vanished and the house was again silent.

“Guess I’ll cross that
bridge when it comes,” Roarke finally whispered, then was on his
knees with Jessica leaning against his chest. “Jessie?”

Mac had shrugged Ryan off
to take the steps two at a time to get to the first landing, seeing
the blood spreading rapidly. “Ian, run and find Cam’s medic!” he
snapped, not looking at his brother, but anger was plain. “You shot
her just to get to him!”

“I know what I did,” Roarke
was quiet, running his hand over the girl’s pale, clammy face and
felt it. “His spells still…”

“You should have thought of
that before you shot her,” Mac saw both holes and knew she was
losing blood too fast.