Intoxicating Magic (26 page)

Talisen had his hands on both of my shoulders, steering me back into the house. I glanced around one more time, wanting to demand that Link come with us, but I couldn’t and he wouldn’t, not as long as he had a vampire cornered.

Once inside the kitchen, Tal found a cup in the cupboard and rinsed it hastily before filling it with water from the tap. “Drink it all down,” he said as he lifted it to my lips.

I reached up, clasping my hands over his to tip the cup higher. The cool water was a sweet relief to the dryness claiming my throat. I closed my eyes and sucked it down, not even stopping when it spilled down my chin.

“More,” I croaked out when the cup was empty.

This time Tal removed his hand and when I was done, I turned to him with a renewed sense of clarity. “How did you find me?”

He leaned down and whispered, “Phoebe got a call from some gang kid named Jasper, who tipped her off. We were here ten minutes later.”

Jasper?
I’d been right. He hadn’t wanted to leave me with the vamps. Maybe there was still hope for him. I nodded my understanding and cleared my throat. “Where’s Rox?”

“In here,” I heard Phoebe call.

I glanced at Tal questioningly. “She’s here?”

“Of course. She took down that vamp in the backyard.”

Without hesitation, he clasped my hand in his and tugged me into the next room. Phoebe was standing over Rox, the spike of her heeled boot pressing down on his chest just over his heart.

“You’re lucky she’s alive,” Phoebe said in a cold, dispassionate tone. “If she hadn’t survived, I wouldn’t have had a reason to let you live.”

I frowned. What did that mean? “Phoebs?”

“Come over here, Willow,” she commanded.

I did as she said, limping a little from the pain still pulsing in my ankle. I glanced down and grimaced at the open wound just above the anklebone. It was red and swollen.

“It’s where he shot you with the paralyzing dart,” Tal clarified. “Looks and feels like the drug used on Harrison and the others. We’re not leaving here without the antidote.”

Crap! Tal didn’t know how to fix this, and if they didn’t give up the ingredients, then I’d be in a hospital bed right alongside Harrison. Unconscious. A shudder rippled through me. If Rox didn’t talk, Tal would have to guess, and if he got it wrong, it could kill me.

I let go of Tal’s hand and then moved to stand next to Phoebe, glaring down at Rox. There wasn’t time to play his game, so I blurted out, “What is it you want exactly?”

“You know what I want. To be turned into a daywalker. Do it and I’ll point you to the treatment.”

Phoebe pressed harder on his chest with her boot. “Think again, vamp. I might not dust you until you give us the information, but I can cause some serious damage if you don’t start talking.”

He narrowed his eyes at her and his white face contorted into something dark and angry. “You don’t understand, witch. I don’t give a shit. Kill me if you want. My life is a living hell without the sun. If she doesn’t turn me, I’ll end myself.”

“He’s not lying,” Grace said from behind us.

I spun, my eyes darting around for Link. “Where’s my wolf?”

She waved a hand and gave me a self-satisfied, evil grin, exposing her blood-soaked fangs. “Outside. Bleeding out.”

“Link!” I cried and sprinted out the back door, but Talisen beat me, and in no time he was kneeling beside Link, who was lying on his side still in wolf form. There was a large gash in his neck and his breathing was shallow.

I paused, not wanting to leave Phoebe alone with two vamps. But when I doubled back, I saw Rox was already unconscious as Phoebe and Grace circled each other.

“Go on, Wil. I’ve got this,” Phoebe said.

I nodded once and ran back outside.

“It’s not that bad,” Tal said. “He’ll be all right.”

I fell to my knees on Link’s other side, frantically scanning his body.

Tal was right. If it was bad, Link would’ve immediately shifted into Shih Tzu form. He was wounded, but upon my second inspection, the gash was superficial.

“He’s in shock,” Tal said. “Give me a minute or two and he’ll be ready to walk out of here.”

I ran a light hand over Link’s head and stared into his golden wolf eyes. “Tal will take care of you, boy. It’s going to be all right.”

Link blinked and then closed his eyes and surrendered to Tal’s touch.

I stood and stared down at my two favorite guys. As I watched sweat bead on Tal’s face and Link wince from Tal’s tender touch, an uncontrollable torrent of rage built in my chest. Selfish, entitled, useless vampire scum. She’d bitten Link. And they’d nearly killed me.

I spun on my good heel and stalked back into the house. Barreling through the door, I flung it with such force it slammed against the wall, shattering the glass insert. I didn’t even flinch.

Neither did Grace or Phoebe. They were too focused on each other. Rox was still passed out in the corner of the room. I could only assume Phoebe had spelled him while she dealt with Grace. Standing in the large kitchen, Phoebe was circling Grace, magic clinging to her palms.

Grace was turning with her, keeping her catlike gaze trained on Phoebe. “Drop the magic, witch.”

Phoebe sent her a flat stare. “Never going to happen. Tell me what the drug was, or I’m going to burn you from the inside out.”

“Do it and Rox will never tell you what you want to know. Your faery-bitch friend will slowly deteriorate right before your eyes, and there’s nothing you’ll be able to do about it.”

I’d had enough. My frustration and anger boiled over, and I lost all my control, falling into a blind rage. I felt as if I were standing on the sidelines, watching someone else run straight at the vampire, arms outstretched.

We collided and went down in a tangle of limbs, my thumb digging into her right eye.

She screamed, but I barely heard her over the rush of chaotic images filling my mind. Two red blobs shifted and morphed into Grace and Rox. Rox was kneeling before Grace, staring up at her with adoring eyes. Then Rox shifted to Shorty, and he was on his feet, pressing Grace into the wall as his hands roamed over her hardened curves. They mauled each other in a sexual rage, each battling for power while Rox watched with pure jealousy consuming him from the inside out.

“Get off, you crazy bitch!” I heard Grace snarl in my ear.

But I wouldn’t let go. Wouldn’t let her hurt my friends to get to me. It was as if all the crap that had happened to me over the past six months and everything I’d learned about my brother had finally made me snap. I wasn’t willing to stand by and let it happen anymore.

“No!” I cried, pulling her vampire energy into me.

Her body convulsed while mine trembled in protest. But I’d been here before. Knew I could withstand it long enough to render her incapacitated.

“Willow!” Tal suddenly yanked me off Grace, who was slumped against the wall, unmoving. I kicked out and flailed, trying to get back to her, angry he’d interrupted. “You’re going to kill yourself.” His voice was a focal point amid the storm whirling in me.

“She hurt Link,” I said defiantly, straining to reach her as he held me around the middle.

“He’s going to be fine.” He continued to whisper into my ear as we both watched Phoebe contain the vampire with her special cuffs. She wouldn’t be going anywhere now. Relief cleared my bloodlust haze, and I started to relax in Talisen’s arms.

That is until my adrenaline wore off. My body stiffened from the shock of Grace’s lingering vampire energy and I started to scream.

Chapter 25

My body was in a vise and heat boiled me from the inside out. I felt nothing, heard nothing. My whole world was pain. Thousands of needles tore at my nerve endings, leaving me in a state of frenzy. I clawed at my skin, gasping for air I couldn’t breathe. Everything was going dark again when something ice cold engulfed my hand.

The relief was instant as I instinctively clutched my hand around the ice-cold stone.

“Let it all out.” Tal’s hoarse voice sounded in my ear. I could feel him pressing into my back, holding me to him. My skin was on fire, too raw to bear our physical connection, and I struggled to get away, to curl into a ball and wait for all the awful sensations to fade away.

“Willow. Release her energy,” he said more forcefully and clutched me tighter. “Now.”

On his command, I focused on the stone, gritting my teeth as my body slowly went numb. I slumped in Tal’s arms, unable to feel anything. The pain was gone, but so was everything else.

“Well done,” a deep male voice said from behind us.

Rox, fully recovered from Phoebe’s spell, moved into the kitchen and stood in front of me, his expression full of interest. “That’s what you do when you change a vampire, isn’t it? You take their energy, mix it with your own, and force it back into them. That’s what Beau did to her.” He waved a careless hand at the limp Grace.

“Back off, vamp,” Phoebe said, striding to my side. “If you even think about touching her, I’ll dust your ass right here.”

He held his hands up. “I don’t want to hurt her.” He glanced over at Grace, slumped against the wall. “In fact, I want to thank her. Grace’s been a pain in my ass for months now. With her out of the way, maybe we can come to some sort of deal?”

“Deal?” Phoebe snorted. “You’ve lost your mind. Tell us what was used in the dart and I’ll let you live.”

I stirred in Tal’s arms. All I wanted was for him to take me to my house and my tree.

“I would, but I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I got it from the vampire, Lady Victoria. Her companion made it.”

“Fuck.” Phoebe whipped her phone out and started texting someone, probably the Void agent who’d been questioning the fae and Victoria. So far, neither had answered any questions of significance. It was possible they’d even already been written off, eliminated by the Void. It happened when supernaturals went way out of bounds and were classified unredeemable.

“Let’s go,” Tal said and started to lead me toward the front of the house. I could barely feel my foot and the motion made me stumble. I automatically clutched at Tal, accidentally dropping the stone he’d put in my hand.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you.” Tal’s hands clutched at my waist, keeping me stable. I watched the crystal roll across the floor and land at Rox’s feet.

He stared at it, too.

Then, as if on cue, our eyes met and I saw in his expression the moment realization dawned.

“No!” I cried and pitched forward, ripping myself from Tal’s grip. But Rox was faster. His hand closed around the crystal as I dove to the floor, the impact not affecting me at all. I was too wired to feel anything. Scrambling to my knees, I frantically lunged for him. He stepped back, clutching the crystal to his chest.

Dammit! The crystal was full of the mixed energy I’d taken from Grace. I couldn’t be sure, but I had a gut feeling that if he managed to absorb its contents, he’d turn into a daywalker.

“Willow!” Tal grabbed my hand and pulled me back up.

I let him, but couldn’t tear my eyes from Rox. The crystal was glowing brilliant orange and pulsing with energy I could feel deep in my core. “We need that crystal,” I said, much more controlled than I felt.

Phoebe moved in, her sun agate raised, ready to dust him.

“Phoebs,” I said in a low tone as to not startle her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

I was connected to that crystal, and whatever was happening with Rox, I could feel it deep in my bones. The numbness had vanished, replaced by tingling pressure. The more the orange light pulsed, the more intense the pressure got. I felt as if my magic was trying to burst from my cells, and suddenly my heart sped up as I imagined myself exploding into a million pieces.

“What’s happening?” Tal asked, running his hands up and down my arms. There was no doubt he could feel my physical response.

“It’s… the… crystal,” I gasped out. “My… magic. He’s connected to it.”

Rox’s eyes went huge and then he let out a gasp of his own as he stumbled backward into the next room.

Tal glanced between the two of us, debating what to do. It was obvious he didn’t want to leave me, but he couldn’t let Rox use the crystal. He spun, propping me up against the wall, and then vaulted after Rox. Through the doorway, I watched Tal tackle him, trying to pry the crystal from Rox’s grip, but Rox was too strong.

Phoebe paced. “I could spell him unconscious, but other than that I don’t know what to do.”

I shook my head. “No. Not yet.” All of her spells would have an impact on the vampire’s consciousness, but they were entirely too strong for a fae to survive. Given the fact I was somehow magically connected to him, I couldn’t be sure the spell wouldn’t transfer to me.

“Dammit!” Phoebe glanced between Rox and me.

I stood there frozen as the magic spread out over Rox, engulfing him. Then my energy shifted and my insides went cold. My magic was no longer my own. It was flowing into him freely with no help from me. I doubled over, curling into myself.

He was stealing my magic and I had no way to stop it.

Clarity hit me hard. He could kill me without even trying.

I straightened my spine and with one thrust of my wings, I leaped and was beside Tal, my hands joining his over the crystal.