Bound by Magick 4-in-1 Box Set (Pentacles of Magick) (20 page)

Severina sniffed at her, moving from left to right.
“Dennison—no, Noah—It is difficult to tell their magick apart.”

“I don’t know Noah.”

“Ahh, Dennison then. I told him his grey was coming but I
had no idea—”

“I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about. Will you help
me or not?”

“I will help Master Dennison. What do you need?”

Before Raven could respond a phone rang in the distance. The
volume was loud and distracting. It rang several times yet Severina didn’t make
a move to answer it. “Do you need to get that?” Raven asked.

“It’s not my phone that is ringing, Cherie, it’s yours.”

“Can’t be, I don’t have a phone.”

“Then why is your bag over there ringing?”

Raven swung her head to the duffel she’d left on the floor
by the door and listened. The shrill sound did seem like it was coming from her
bag.
What the hell?
She bolted toward
it, grabbing it up and slamming the zipper down. Fumbling around inside, her
hand wrapped around a small cell phone she’d never seen before. Flipping it
open she lifted it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Raven my dear, it’s about time.” A cold chill snaked down
her spine as she lowered her gaze from Severina.

“Scott?”

“I see you got your magick back. You can thank me in person
shortly.”

“Thank you? You’re the one that broke the binding? But how?”
Like she even needed to ask. The man had powers she couldn’t begin to fathom.

“Actually, Raven, I think I’m the one who should be asking
the questions. You have a lot of explaining to do.” The dark tone of his
statement was unmistakable. There would be hell to pay for her fucking up.
Death or sacrifice, she wondered.

“I can—”

“Not now, Raven. That Voodoo bitch is listening and she’ll
fuck everything up. Right now you need to head outside to the alley and meet my
associates, who will bring you to me. So hang up the phone, say goodbye to dear
Severina, and go outside.”

The tension in Scott's voice rose with each uttered
syllable, and stark fear ran rampant through Raven. She couldn’t let Scott or
his goons near her or she could forget it. She closed the phone and looked
around the tiny shop. “Do you have a rear exit?”

“Yes, but what you need to do is call Denn and tell him what
is going on. He can help you.”

“Severina, you’re wrong about that.”

“No, Cherie, Severina is never wrong. The Reverend will hurt
you. Mark my words.”

Raven shook her head and rounded the corner. She didn’t have
time for one woman’s superstition.

“Wait!” A hand grabbed her arm and stopped her escape.

Raven rounded on the woman prepared to fight her way free.

“Here take this, it belongs to Denn and I believe he is
finally ready for it now.” She held up a rolled scroll of parchment paper
sealed at the edges with a waxy looking substance. “Take it, Raven. You came to
me for help, now trust me. This is the help you and Denn need. Now get out the
backdoor and make sure this gets to your man.”

Her man. Raven wanted to laugh but she didn’t have time for
this.

When she reached for the paper, Severina grabbed her hand
and locked gazes with her. “Stop being afraid of what you are to him. It is
meant to be, it is what you were created for. Trust in him. Trust in them
both.”

Raven stared at her dumbfounded. Despite her own abilities
and the many things she had seen, she would never understand the gift of sight
and how eerily accurate it could be.

“Go now, Raven, Go!”

Raven stuffed the parchment into her back pocket and ran
behind the curtain separating the back from the front. Through the dingy back
room filled with beads, herbs, doll parts and an altar that took up an entire
wall, She burst through the metal door marked
Fire Exit Only
.

Swiveling her head left, she saw one of the Rev’s
“associates,” and in his dark tee, black jeans, and shit kickers he did not
look friendly. She took off in a dead run in the opposite direction, raising
her magick as she went. She listened to the pounding feet of her pursuer not
far behind, knowing she didn’t have much time.

Wait. What am I doing?
Why am I running from them?
She whirled on the balls of her feet, casting
her arm out at the same time, releasing the power she’d called. The hired
muscle had just enough time to throw up a partial shield, blocking some of her
magick. The rest knocked him back several steps and doubled him over. When he
stood and howled in pain—or maybe frustration, she couldn’t be
sure—she ran toward him, launching herself onto his wide back. His body
was hot and smoke came from his hands.

Damn. Fire witch
.
Fire and water. They sure as hell weren’t going to get very far in a fight.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, wrenching with all her
strength, trying to choke him. He staggered backward, slamming against the wall
of the building with her in between. The force squelched the air from her lungs,
loosening her arms from their grip, giving him the opportunity to drive his
elbow into her ribs. Pain erupted in her body, her vision wavering, and she
vaguely saw reinforcements surrounding her. With sheer will she fought to
regain her strength and magick despite a new and unfamiliar magick wrapping
around her and pinning her to the wall.

She frantically looked around for another idea or weapon as
whatever was cloaking her was also dampening her power. The air shimmered
around her as she sensed a solid blast of earth magick coming their way. Lucky
for her it provided enough of a distraction that the power coursing through her
chest broke free from their bindings. With no time to waste she ran again,
straight into Denn. Momentarily stunned, he grabbed her hand and pulled her
away from Scott’s men.

They only needed to make it to the end of the alley and they
would be back on busy Bourbon Street where she was certain they could get lost
in the crowd. About to turn the corner to freedom, or at least a better chance
at it, a black SUV screeched to a halt, flinging its back door wide.

Denn pushed her with his solid strength. “Raven, get in.
Now!”

Knowing at least with Denn she wouldn’t become a human
sacrifice stripped of her power, she jumped inside, sliding along the bench
seat.

“Go, Jake, go!” Denn yelled into the front of the vehicle as
Raven lay sprawled across the floorboard, her breath sawing in and out of her
heaving lungs. The car surged forward, pressing her back against the ridge of
the seat. She closed her eyes, focusing on controlling her breathing.
This isn’t what I wanted
.

She wasn’t anymore ready to face these two men, as she’d
been ready to beg for her life from Scott. How the hell had her life fallen
apart so quickly? In love with two men who only wanted to use her to fulfill a
prophecy, and a sick and twisted man who’d been like family in a weird and
demented way would now just as soon steal her power as listen to her beg for
forgiveness.
 

Tears welled in her eyes as she screwed them shut tighter,
willing her emotions under control.

“Raven, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Denn’s was so close that she could feel the heat of his
breath on her skin. His magick reached out for hers, threading around her and
entwining with her own power. “Stop, Denn. I’m fine. Those bastards were rough
but I’m okay. You need to give me some space.”

“What’s wrong? Denn, is she hurt?” Jake asked from the
driver's seat.

Denn settled back on his seat. “She’s fine. She just needs a
minute to catch her breath. We can bandage her up as soon as we get home.
Although, if she had thought about what the hell she was doing, we wouldn’t be
in this situation.”

Unwilling to rise to the bait she didn’t make a move or a
sound until he started rustling around the small space. She cracked open an
eye, looking to see what he was up to. When he flipped open his phone she
wondered who the hell he needed to call in the middle of all this.

“Charlie, our ETA is ten minutes, be ready.”

Denn closed his phone and eased his head back against the
seat, his anger simmering just below the surface. There was so much to process
and not enough time to do it. Once back at the house he suspected all hell
would be breaking loose. Between the magickal reinforcements he had called in
to the fact that both Jake and Raven had some seriously explaining to do…

The acid in his stomach churned. He looked into the rearview
mirror and caught Jake watching him. Fear shone there. Definitely not a good
sign.

When the magick that had been used against his allowed Raven
to escape the house, he’d been powerless to stop her from leaving. Not a good
feeling when he knew there’d be people after her. But when Jake had come to him
confessing to know how to find her, he’d had that “Oh shit, here it comes”
feeling. When he demanded to know the details of Jake’s unusual, he’d only
gotten a “We don’t have time to get into this right now, you have to trust me”
answer.
 

Now he had half a mind to drop them both off at the corner
and walk away. Lies and secrets were not his way, and the two of them needed to
learn that lesson and learn it right now. Not that he could really turn his
back on them and allow Scott to do his worst. He’d seen some of his uncle’s
worst and it still gave him nightmares sometimes. The man had a knack for
torture if that’s what it took to get what he wanted. No… He glanced first at
Raven and then at Jake. His two errant lovers first had some explaining to do
before he could decide on a fitting punishment. If he survived the news.

Chapter
Seven

Exhausted, Denn walked into his living room to find Raven
huddled on one corner of the couch, looking down with her knees tucked under
her chin. Jake stood at the window watching the storm rage outside. Denn
wondered how much of this storm had to do with Raven and her dark mood. Even in
her injured state she’d helped the team replace the wards on the house, making
the protection even stronger than before. Whatever had gotten through before
wouldn’t have it so easy next time. And Denn knew in his gut that there would
be a next time, and probably sooner than he’d like. In the meantime, he wanted
answers.

“The two of you can’t keep hiding from me. It’s past time to
tell me what is going on here.” He walked into the center of the room and
waited. “Jake? Are you going to tell me how you knew how to find Raven as soon
as she disappeared?”

Raven’s head shot up, looking first at Jake and then
settling on Denn.

“What are you talking about?” She stood and walked to the
window. “You knew where to find me? But that’s not possible, I wasn’t followed
at all, unless… No!” Her eyes widened. “There is only one other way.”

On a long sigh, Jake turned his back on the window,
straightening his shoulders and looking Denn straight in the eye. “I work for
Scott Cunningham. Have for months now.”

The silence in the room was deafening as Denn processed not
only what Jake said but what it meant. Fury coursed through him as his magick
rose and fell with his attempts to control his anger. Surprisingly there was a
lot of power left over from the casting he’d done earlier. Tired of always
holding back and doing the right thing, he unleashed it.

Fuck it.

The glass vase on the mantel flew across the room, crashing
against the wall next to him, and wind blew through the room. Energy crackled
along his skin, raising the fine hairs on his body as he recited a familiar
chant.
 

“Denn, stop, if you hurt him we won't get any answers. I
work for Scott too and that didn’t stop you from fucking me.” The anger he saw
in her eyes only fueled his emotions.

“As if you’re any better.” He turned on her, transferring
some of his rage her way. “You high-tailed it out of here as soon as you got
your magick back. Do you have a death wish or are you just stupid?” Raven’s
mouth dropped in surprise, and she took a step back from Denn and his trembling
magick. He already regretted attacking her like that, but damn, he was
surrounded by betrayal and these two were directly responsible.

“Denn, will you listen to me? I can’t take back what I’ve
done, but I can at least tell you why and then I’ll leave. You deserve that
much.” He looked into Jake’s eyes and saw pain and anguish there. Jake looked
how he felt. He turned away from them both, reigning in his power once again
and taking a few minutes to regain control. He really didn’t want to listen,
didn’t want any excuses, but the question of why would linger if he didn’t get
to ask.

“I didn’t have a choice.”

He whirled at Jake’s voice. “Don’t give me that, there is
always a choice.”

“He has my sister. I think he is stealing her magick.” The
silence in the room was deafening.

“You have a sister?” Why that information struck him so hard
he wasn’t sure. But he could remember many nights when they talked about their
families and not once had Jake mentioned a sister.

“Half-sister, actually. Same mother, different fathers.
Mother was a witch.”

“But you aren’t magickal. You don’t have the gift.” He was
confused how his sister could be magickal and he wasn’t. Magick was always the
dominant trait in offspring.

“Well, thanks. I think I know that. In fact, I've have been
reminded of that all my life.” Jake walked over to the couch, sinking down into
the smooth leather seat. “I know keeping this from you was wrong, but I didn’t
know what else to do. The Reverend is pure evil and his tactics for getting what
he wants are ruthless. I don’t imagine what all she is enduring in his
captivity but my cooperation at least keeps her alive until I can figure out
what to do.”

“Sister or not, you betrayed me. You could have come to me.
Told me the truth. When have you ever not seen me help someone in trouble?”

Jake shook his head. “You underestimate what he is capable
of, Denn.”

“He’s my fucking uncle, you think I don’t know what he’s
capable of?” He dragged his fingers through his hair roughly. “This is getting
us nowhere. Arguing about it doesn’t change a damn thing.” He turned to stalk
from the room, slamming the door on his way out. “I’ve had enough for one day?”

“The last time I didn’t do what I was told, I had to watch
an innocent woman be drained to her death,” Jake whispered.

Raven watched Jake slump against the couch as Denn left them
behind. Her heart wrenched for them both. She knew exactly how Jake felt, a
prisoner to a sick and twisted man. She’d put most of her free energy into
avoiding the man herself. But there were times when no amount of magick or
desperate attempts to hide could save her from him. Now she had to help Jake
and Denn. They’d saved her. She doubted either one of them knew just how much.
Scott had grown weary of her insubordination and his final warnings to her had
been clear. Stop fucking off or she would be sacrificed. And he sure as hell
didn’t mean he’d kill her in some quick and painless way either.
 

“I’ll talk to him, Jake. Hopefully he’s a little less pissed
off at me right now to listen.”

“No, let him go. He’s right, you know. Despite the
consequences I should have told him the truth before now.”

“No, Jake, you had every right to fear Scott and what he’d
do. I of all people understand exactly what that man is capable of. I’ve seen it.
I’ve felt it.”

Jake looked up at her, clear questions in his eyes. “What
did he do to you, Raven?”

“It doesn’t matter now. What matters now is making Denn
understand and then figuring out a way to get your sister back.”

“Tell me what Scott did to you.” His quiet demand unnerved
her.

She brought her legs up on the couch and curled herself into
a familiar ball. She didn’t want to talk about it. Hell, she wasn’t even sure
she could but her mouth opened and somehow the words tumbled out anyway.

“I used to be far more powerful. The coven I belong to took
me from my parents when I was only three years old and worked with me to learn
and hone my craft. When I was a teenager, I went through a rebellious stage, I
even ran away from the coven. I hooked up with a couple of kids my age and
started using my magick on my own. Long story short, I got into some trouble
with the law and that’s when Scott found me. I thought he was a really nice man
when I first met him and I believed every word he said when he told me that I
was special. He wanted me to become the most powerful witch of my generation he
said. So he returned me to the coven with strict instructions about my
training.”

Clenching her jaw against the memories, Raven surged to her
feet. She hated taking a stroll down memory lane.

Jake came up behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder.
“Did he hurt you?”

The anger in his voice caught her by surprise. She swung
around to face him and found the planes of his gorgeous face marred by rage.
“It’s probably not what you’re thinking. He didn’t beat me like he did some of
the other woman. “On my eighteenth birthday he picked me up to celebrate. He
took me to a fancy restaurant and even let me drink some wine. Then instead of
taking me back to the coven, we drove to his estate. It’s there he cast a spell
and began to siphon off my power.”

For a brief second she swore she saw relief flash across
Jake’s face before a new outrage returned. “So he did hurt you.”

Raven turned to the window and watched the lightening strike
the courtyard. She had to get her emotions under control or she’d destroy
Denn’s lovely home. “I won’t like. It fucking hurt like hell. I thought I was
going to die that night. Hell, I prayed for death.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Raven. How many times has he done
this?”

She stared into the black night, the sound of her past
screams filling her head. “Three times,” she answered. “The next time will be
the end.”

“Raven.” Jake started to wrap his arms around her and
wriggled out of his reach.

“Don’t. I can’t take your pity.”

“But—”

Raven whirled on him, ready to do whatever it took to stop
him. “Seriously. Let it go. We’ve got bigger things to worry about. We need to
talk to Denn.” She reminded him.

“You should give him some time, I’ve learned he can be
pretty stubborn.”

“Uhm…the hell with that. We don’t have time. We have a job
to do and all we have is each other now.” She paused. “Goddess, I must be
crazy.”

Jake stepped closer. “Not crazy, Raven. We all feel it. It’s
something tangible that can’t be denied.” His lips touched against hers, soft
and light. She sighed against him, wanting to trust in what he said despite the
warnings in her head.

She pushed her hands against his firm chest. “Stop trying to
distract me, Jake, I’m going to talk to him and I’m going right now.”

She walked away without looking back, leaving the door open
behind her. Jake could follow her or not, she was still going to find Denn and
make him understand. Going room by room she searched for him.

Ten minutes later she still hadn’t found him, and decided
there was an easier way. She inhaled a full breath of humid New Orleans air,
absorbing the water molecules into her body. She called on her magick, letting
the water particles fuel her command. Carefully she loosened her hold, allowing
just enough to slip out to do what she needed. Her senses sharpened as the room
around her swelled with the musk of jasmine, the spice of men, and the heat of
the South. She reached out, seeking the moisture displacement created from a
body in the house. Nothing. Denn was no longer in the building. Which left only
one place he could be. She turned and headed for the courtyard.

Stepping outside, the sultry night air and the scent of
jasmine on the breeze enveloped her. Sometime during her talk with Jake the
rain had let up, leaving only a gentle mist she now found refreshing. Her eyes
slowly adjusted to the dark as she followed the footpath to the sitting area
where she knew she would find him.

“I don’t want to talk anymore.”

Raven sat on the chair next to his. “Good, then you can just
listen.”

Denn groaned at her words but she continued on. “I know you
feel betrayed right now and rightfully so but—”

“Raven—”

“No, Denn, hear me out, please.” She paused, peering over at
him to see if he was listening. “Jake told you that Scott has been stealing his
sister's magick. You heard that, right?” He nodded. “Do you know what that
means? Surely a powerful witch as you understands that. But have you ever had
your magick stolen and used against you? Had your mind and body raped of its
powerful essence? To feel the empty shell left behind every time it happens.”
Powerful memories crashed down on her as she talked to Denn of the process one
goes through when their magick is taken against their will.

Old wounds barely recovered from her talk with Jake ripped
open inside as she bared her soul. Wetness tracked down her face. “Nothing is
more painful than going through that ordeal.
 
In fact many witches don’t survive it, trust me I know.”

“Raven, I don’t know what to say.” His voice was soft and
infused with more sympathy than she could bear.

“Don’t go there. It’s like I told Jake. Your sympathy is not
why I’m telling you this. This is for Jake’s sake. He and I have both done some
things we are not proud of, but knowing what his sister is going through, well,
you need to consider the circumstances. That’s all I can ask.”

“Babe, please.” His hand reached out his fingers
intertwining with hers. The heat and size of his hand engulfing hers gave her
hope. Made her feel protected. She absorbed some of his magick. So much of it
was dark and angry, which she immediately pushed away from them. She released
more of her own to relieve his. He had healed her when she needed it, now it
was her turn to heal him. Remove some of his pain, leaving him lighter than
before. Sweat broke out on her brow at the force of their connection. As hard
as it was to face, she believed in what they’d told her. Her role was clear and
she belonged here with both of them. If only Denn would believe.

Minutes later her body gave out and she broke their
connection. Exhaustion swamped her as she fought to stand. If she’d met Denn
sooner, she might have been able to do something more powerful to help him.

“Babe, you need to rest. Let me get you something to return
your strength. I’m worried about what that is going to do to your health.
You’ve just recovered from a life threatening trauma.”

“Denn, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I do need some
rest, though, so I’m going to bed. I hope you’ll consider what I've said.”

“I will. But I need some time to think. Are you sure you
don’t need my help?”

“I’m sure. I just need sleep. Good night.”

Before she turned away she noticed he seemed more relaxed
from when she’d first come out. At least that was something.
 

* * *

Hours later, Denn still couldn’t get the image of Raven
walking away from him and back into the house. Her lithe, athletic body moved
with instinctual grace and stealth. He imagined the years of training she’d
endured to made her like that. She was quite a fighter, and after the pain and
information she’d shared with him his doubts about her had dissipated. Her
tired and sad eyes had looked right through him just before she’d turned away.