Sinful Magic (30 page)

Ailish, with help from Carla, Darcy, and Roxy online, had infused the diamond with the magic to make it project colored lights similar to the Tear. Key felt a wave of pride in his witch. Darcy and Carla had spent the day at the condo helping her, teaching her how to circle magic with other witches and then project their power through the computer. She’d done it.

“Got two following you,” Phoenix answered him from where he flew overhead. “One in a black SUV, another in a blue Civic. They aren’t making any aggressive moves yet.”

“How many in the vehicles?” Ram cut in.

Ram, Linc, and Eli were stationed at various points on the streets. Axel and Sutton were at the condos as protection for Roxy and ready to fly to the scene if needed.

“I see two in each car, but could be more in back of the SUV,” Phoenix answered.

The dragon shifted restlessly on his chest. Ready to fight? Or something else? Once Key thought he knew the dragon, but since he’d forced out claws on Key and gone after Roxy, Key was confused as hell. When he was with Roxy in bed last night, he’d have sworn the dragon loved her. It didn’t make sense. But right now, he had to focus on—

His BlackBerry dinged a text message. Looking at the display, he saw it was from Linc. What the hell? Why wasn’t he talking through their link on the headset? Softly, he said, “Linc, see anything by you?”

Silence.

“Linc,” Axel’s voice was sharp. “Report.”

Key opened the text and saw a picture that made his blood run cold. The words under it read, “Bring the Tear to the storage unit.”

“Shit, they have Linc!” He forwarded the message to the others. It showed Linc chained to a wall, beat to hell, and they were cutting a witch to blood him. Enough witch blood on him would make him insane, and he’d kill the witch. Once he did that, his soul was gone.

“I’m taking the Tear to them now.” It was the same storage unit they’d rescued Tyler and his mom from. He turned left and floored it. They thought to use Linc to get the Tear from him. Bastards.

“I’ll scout from the air, Key.”

“I’m on my way,” Axel said. “Sutton stays here. Eli, go to Phoenix’s and stay with Ailish. Ram, check Linc’s position.”

“Four or five minutes from the house,” Eli said.

“On it,” Ram answered.

Key shot down the road, heading toward the storage units. At the end of that road was the Rogue Cadre hideout, protected by the mini–Death Daggers. They’d tested how far those daggers could go, and so far, the small knives couldn’t leave the actual property of the hideout. The units should be safe from those.

But if Young was anywhere nearby with the original Immortal Death Dagger on his arm, then they were in trouble. “There yet, Phoenix?”

“Yes,” the hunter replied, “Activity around the center row of units at the end near the trailer. I don’t see Quinn Young.”

Key made a decision, parked his truck, got out, and said, “Going invisible, and I’ll get in and take a look. Stay in the air and give me vital updates only.” He shoved the fake cellphone with the phony Dragon Tear deep in his pocket and took off at a run. Key fleetingly realized he was even faster since bonding with Roxy.

“Linc’s car is right where he was supposed to be, glass and blood everywhere,” Ram reported. “He put up a hell of a fight. The headset he was wearing is smashed.”

Key covered the distance to the storage units in seconds, leaped the fence, and dropped onto the asphalt, shielding himself to appear invisible. He turned down the sound on his Bluetooth so that any voice would be a bare whisper. He began moving with ghostly silence.

A tormented female scream split the night.

Hot rage seared through his chest like a silent roar. He slid his knife free of the holster at his back, more than ready to use it.

Another scream began to shrill, then broke into sobs.

His chest rattled as he ran, following the cries. Then a smooth voice said, “Do it, assholes. Witch blood will make me stronger. I’m going to cut off your balls and force them down your throats. By the time I’m done, you’ll beg me to kill you.”

Key felt a chill slide down his spine as he raced for the middle row of units.

“Damn it,” Sutton snarled. “Heard that through your phone.”

Key found them in the end unit. There were no lights; hunters could see in the dark with enough ambient light. Linc was chained against the back wall. His arms were stretched overhead, the chain anchored to a hook in the ceiling. His legs were in irons fastened to the wall. His face was swollen and bruised, cuts and welts all over him. As Key watched, the blood that had been smeared on his chest was vanishing.

Being absorbed.

Key looked into the man’s gold eyes, and, swear to Wing Slayer, he saw a feral light taking hold. He quickly assessed the situation. Six rogues and three witches; one was dead, two alive.

Their blood scent pulsed with adrenaline. Key didn’t even feel a smidge of bloodlust, but the rogues were starting to lose it.

And Linc was nearly gone, the feral beast inside him taking over. The one that would kill a witch.

“I see rogues hiding behind the trailer. Going to deal with them,” Phoenix said.

“I’m on site,” Axel said. “Sutton, give me Key’s exact location.”

Key heard it all, but his gaze caught on a rogue grabbing a witch’s arm and dragging her to Linc. Another rogue got in front of her and ripped off her shirt. The witch tried to shield herself and fight.

The man in front of her grabbed and twisted her arm. The sound of a bone snapping was followed by a piercing scream.

Key ran in, dropped his shield at the last second as he spun the rogue who broke the witch’s arm and stabbed him in the heart. He twisted the blade and yanked it out. He turned to see the witch had been thrown to the ground and was out of danger for the moment. The other five rogues swarmed toward him.

Key threw his knife into the first one’s throat, taking him down.

The four remaining men rushed him with knives drawn.

No time to grab his backup weapon from his boot. He turned, avoiding a stab to the heart and felt the slice to his arm. The icy-hot shock of pain tripped an internal switch, lining every cell with an inferno-like ferocity. At the same time, a flash of pain shot through the tips of his fingers. Blood spattered as four-inch, razor-sharp claws shot out from his fingers. It flashed in his mind that they seemed to get longer each time they came out.

Key went after the rogues, gouging, slicing, and swiftly learning that he could jam a claw into a rogue’s heart and, with a twist, snap it off. That seemed to hurt the dying rogue a lot. Yeah, Key liked that, liked hurting the bastards who would break a helpless witch’s arm, liked killing them.

He heard a gunshot and felt a bullet tear into the back of his thigh. Snapping up to his full height he whirled around.

The last rogue stood over a witch, aiming a gun at Key. “Give me the Tear.”

Key stared at the bastard. Slowly, he slid two fingers into his pocket and pulled out the fake phone. He cracked it open, hooked the chain over his finger, and let the magic-infused diamond swing, flashing the glittering colors of the rainbow. “Tell Liam to come and get it. Where’s the coward hiding?”

The rogue’s eyes fastened on the teardrop diamond and he said, “Throw it to me. Now!”

“Nope. If my brother wants it, he’ll have to show himself.” Was Liam invisible and cowering in a corner? Where the hell was he?

The rogue fired again.

The bullet ripped through his other thigh. He took a step, barely noticing the pain. “You’re dead, asshole.”

The rogue aimed the gun at Key’s heart.

Key spun, and as he completed the circle and snapped his wrist hard, the two remaining claws flew like missiles. One hit the man in his eye, the other in his chest. The rogue dropped the gun, his hands fluttering in a futile effort to dislodge the claws. Then his legs went out, and he collapsed to the ground and died.

Key shoved the necklace into his pocket, then walked over to the witch with the broken arm. She was sitting with the other witch, both of them in pain. He pulled off his shirt and ripped it down the front. “Put your good arm through here,” he said gently.

“You’re shot. Both legs. And you had claws.” She stared at him with huge blue eyes.

“I’m a Wing Slayer Hunter. I won’t hurt you,” he said, guiding her arm into the shirt. It was so big on her, he wrapped it around her broken arm and it easily covered her.

“Them, too?” the second witch asked, pointing to Axel and Phoenix standing in front of a still chained Linc.

Key had heard Axel and Phoenix fighting outside and assumed that more rogues had shown up.

“Don’t release me,” Linc said, his gold eyes fixed on the witches. He was straining against the chains, trying to break free even as he warned them not to let him go. The witch blood they had put on him was moving through his veins, working in his brain.

“Tranq him,” Axel said.

Phoenix pulled out a humongous needle, uncapped it, and buried it in Linc’s ass.

Linc looked at Axel. “Rather die than go rogue. Swear it.” Linc said, his eyes getting heavy.

The hawk put his hand on Linc’s shoulder. “I swear to Wing Slayer, if we can’t save you, I’ll kill you myself.”

Linc relaxed and let the drug knock him out.

Phoenix walked over to him. “Claws? Trust you to be a superfreak, comic boy.”

“You’re wearing blue and purple wings and you think I’m the freak?” Key got up, found his knife in the heart of a dead rogue, pulled it out, and cleaned it. After checking to make sure all his claws were gone, he stowed the knife. He had no intention of losing the knife that Wing Slayer had marked. Then he walked back and carefully lifted the witch with the broken arm.

Axel stepped in front of him. “You have bullet holes in your thighs. We’ll take care of the witches, you go have Roxy heal those.”

He shook his head. “Can’t get near her right now.” He didn’t trust the dragon, didn’t trust himself. Key turned, looking at the carnage he’d done in a rage. Yeah, they had all deserved to die, he was down with that. But if Roxy had been nearby, would he have hurt her? He saw Viv’s face in his mind again, his knife in her throat, and the last word she ever said, Why?, echoing in his head. Then the scene switched to Roxy when he’d slid into bed with her early this morning. She’d trusted him to touch her, trusted him in the most intimate, vulnerable way a woman could. He wanted to be the man she seemed to believe he was—a man who could control the beast inside him, but

Key looked around again. He’d torn the rogues apart with his claws. Christ. Turning back to Axel, he snapped, “My wounds will heal, I’ve got her.”

They had to get the witches to safety and try to save Linc.

Roxy walked into Ailish and Phoenix’s house with Darcy and Sutton. Carla had gone over earlier in the day to work with Tyler and his mom. The big man had a handful of chains and padlocks. His face was grim until he spotted Carla. He held out one arm.

The blond witch slipped into his embrace.

Roxy moved past them, giving them a moment of privacy, and wandered into the kitchen. She was surprised to see Tyler sitting at the bar drawing in a sketchbook, and Paige moving around in the kitchen making coffee. “You both look rested.” It was amazing. Yesterday, Paige’s brown eyes had been haunted, with dark circles, and she couldn’t seem to keep the thread of a conversation. Tyler had seemed to cope better, but he’d been afraid to leave his mother’s side.

“Hi, Roxy.” Tyler turned to face her.

Paige turned on the coffeemaker and walked around the counter to stand by her son. “Carla helped us a lot. She used hypnosis.”

“And magic,” Tyler said.

Roxy was startled.

Carla came into the room. “They deserve the truth,” she said gently. “They saw me heal Eli in the warehouse, they’ve been used and hurt, and they had a right to know why.”

Roxy glanced at Paige again. She’d obviously showered, her dark blond hair drying in a sleek sheet to her shoulders in a way her own hair never did. She was built more like Ailish, slim and strong. There were faint lines around her eyes and a world-weariness that suggested a rough life. But she saw relief, too; the woman looked lighter. “Paige, I think they saw me talking to Tyler right before I was kidnapped. I’m so sorry. I would never have endangered your son if I had realized.”

“We’re safe now. Ailish says we can stay here until we get settled. They’ve even offered me a job at a nightclub, Axel of Evil.”

“Ailish has already shown me some self-defense,” Tyler added. “I’m drawing her now. Want to see?”

Roxy smiled at the boy. These people were going to be okay. “Yes, I do.” She walked over to look. Tyler had drawn Ailish in some kind of flying kick. Her hair flew out behind her; she wore a short little top and black pants and looked a little bit like the hard-assed women in Key’s comics.

Except for the face. He’d captured her strong bones, silvery blue eyes bracketed by scars. There was such strength in the entire picture, then that one heartbreaking spot of vulnerability made the picture come to life. “You have to show Key.”

He looked up at her with such hope. “Really?”

She thought of Mural Maze, and all that Kieran did to support artists. “Definitely. Do you know he hung the picture you drew of him and Dyfyr? I saw it.”

Tyler’s eyes widened. “Awesome.”

Ailish walked in. “Tyler, Paige, I’d like you both to go up to the media room and stay there. We’re bringing in someone who could be very dangerous. They are going to be here any minute.” She turned to face Tyler. “No matter what you hear, stay up there. Understand?”

“Yes.” Tyler bit his lower lip. “Will Key be here?”

“Yes. Phoenix is already here, he’s downstairs with Sutton. Key and Axel will bring the hunter in.”

Paige said, “We’ll go now. Tyler, gather up your stuff.”

The boy did and headed to the stairs. Paige hung back, and put her hand on Ailish’s arm. “If there’s something I can do, will you tell me? I mean it, I want to help if I can.”

“I’ll tell you if there’s anything. We don’t know if we can save him, so please, keep Tyler upstairs.”