Find Me If You Dare (Dreamcatcher Book 2) (2 page)

Eric was Trishna’s second, and Chad was a twenty-two-year-old, red-haired warlock with the power to make an ocean appear out of thin air. He’d developed our haven’s water system and had created the waterfall that seemed to originate from nowhere. But while he favored water, his abilities in the other elements were still powerful. I’d fought alongside him in the Columbus warehouse where we’d taken down Giovanni, former Leader of the Protectors, and several of his followers. Chad was fierce.

After Ivan nodded and closed the door to his home, I entered the one next to it. Kayla, Tabbi, and Seth stared at a newscast from Rome. Richard had destroyed the city in his effort to capture the three Magus the Protectors had been harboring. My chest tightened—we’d never rescued Margaret or Alex.

“Seth, grab your stuff. Trishna needs us to raid another store,” I said, avoiding the view of the TV. I didn’t want to see another clip of the demolished Colosseum or the flattened Pantheon, or hear a reporter say again that the city’s death toll had passed half a million. Just thinking about the devastation made me nauseous. For two hundred years, Rome had been my home, and now it was a wasteland. A gravesite.

“Man, that’s three times this week. Who’s been eatin’ all the food?” Seth replied.

“Sam and Nolan will be back tonight, and they’re bringing twenty with them this time.” I entered the bedroom I shared with Kayla and switched out of my workout gear into dark jeans and a short-sleeved, green, button-down shirt. Hidden under my trousers’ legs, I sheathed daggers around my calves, and on each hip, I holstered handguns, the tail of my shirt covering both. Satisfied that no one would spot my weapons and flip out, I returned to the living area.

“Wish I could help,” Kayla said, “but I know Daniel won’t let me tag along.”

I glared at her as the other eyes in the room looked elsewhere.
You know I’m only trying to keep you safe
, I said to her through our bond.

Eyes glistening, she crossed her arms and flopped back onto the couch.

I sighed. Every time, she fought me on staying behind, and it made me feel like an ass for saying no to joining us. But when the warlock threatening Kayla’s life had spies everywhere, searching for her day and night, I wasn’t going to let a supply run be the reason I put her in jeopardy.

After kissing the top of her head, I followed Seth out our front door and met the rest of my team in the street.

We picked the Walmart in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to hit this time. Hand-in-hand—Magus couldn’t evaporate without holding on to a Protector—the six of us nipped to the side of the building, four Protectors and two Magus. We never knew what kind of trouble we’d run into, and mixing our teams had a high success rate. The first time Richard’s Magus had shown up to take us down, they hadn’t expected to see witches and warlocks by our side. Confused, they’d scurried back to wherever Richard was hiding.

“All right, you know the drill. Two carts each. We meet back here in half an hour,” I instructed.

After everyone nodded, we entered the building, staggering our entrances and dispersing like we didn’t know one another. Grabbing two carts—pushing one and dragging the other behind me—I wandered the store, filling the baskets with toiletries and leisure items like DVDs and video games. I shook my head, thinking about how many of our coven members didn’t do well with downtime.

After twenty minutes of silence from my team, I checked in.
How are we doing?
Like with Kayla, we were able to communicate telepathically because of Trishna’s Unity spell. Each of us was branded with a tattoo on the inside of our left wrists—a fancy letter
T
—and it was that tattoo which gave us the power. Only Bartholomew and Tabbi had opted out of the mark, not wanting dark magic coursing through their veins.

We need to bring a girl next time. The ladies are givin’ me creeper eyes when I buy panties,
Seth replied.

Do I look like a man to you?
said Lian, a forever-sixteen Dreamcatcher from China and the toughest martial artist I had ever seen. And, as Seth apparently forgot, a girl.

You’re the one who offered, saying it was your “specialty,”
she continued.

Oh, yeah. Sorry. You want a thong or bikini-style?
he joked.

On you? A thong. Will hurt more when I yank it up your back.

Smirking, I shook my head and grabbed a few more boxes of aspirin, leaving one behind in case someone in Albuquerque needed it. We were already stealing half the store’s supplies. We didn’t need to rid them of everything.

Daniel, we have a problem,
Eric’s voice filled my head.

I stopped, pulling my carts to the end of an aisle so I could see out into the store.
What’s wrong?

I think I’m being followed.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Store clerk?

No. Magus.

Heat drained from my face. We’d gotten out of here undetected by store personnel before, even when they’d watched us like hawks. But the last time we’d been caught by Richard’s coven, we’d returned empty-handed—and one man down.

Everybody out of the store. Take the carts, but get out now. Protectors, straight to Caelum. Eric and Chad, I’ll meet you around the side.

Taking my carts with me, I tucked myself against a wall, away from camera lenses, and when no one watched, I evaporated.

ome on, come on,” I repeated, waiting for Chad and Eric to round the corner of Walmart’s building, my hands tensed on the carts’ handles. If Richard’s coven knew we were here, they could ambush us at any moment.

Someone really needed to give Magus the ability to teleport.

Chad turned the corner, a cart in each hand, and jogged toward me. “Eric?” he asked when I was within hearing distance.

“Not yet.”

Chad parked his carts next to mine and watched for Eric’s arrival, his face tight. I glanced at my watch. We didn’t need mobile phones anymore, now that we were telepathically connected, and I’d become reliant on the timepiece. Five minutes had passed. He should’ve been here by now.

Eric, are you coming?
I said.

Nothing.

A loud
boom
shook the ground.

Chad and I tipped to the side. People screamed, and the smell of smoke filled the air.
Damn.

Another
boom
rang out from inside Walmart. Chad waited for my direction, his face pale. We both knew we couldn’t leave Eric behind.

Seth, I need you to retrieve the carts. Chad and I are going after Eric.

“Let’s go,” I said, holding out a hand to my teammate. As soon as Chad took it, I went invisible—taking him with me—and evaporated into the store. As long as he didn’t let go of me, he’d stay invisible, too.

The store was in chaos. Customers ran like mice from a sewer, trying to escape before they drowned in the violence. One sprinted through me, the tickling sensation forcing a grimace. I’d never get used to that violated feeling.

Alarms sounded when another
boom
shook the store, but this time, the rapid pops of a machine gun followed it. The hair on the back of my neck bristled. Richard’s Magus had brought Protectors, too—men and women trained to kill. Given witches and warlocks couldn’t evaporate, it made sense. They’d stolen a trick from our playbook. Bloody bastards.

From what I could tell by the noise they were making, Richard’s coven was near the back, close to the electronics section. Letting go of Chad’s hand and turning us visible, I pulled out a handgun. “Come on,” I said, leading us through the maze of aisles, trying to stay hidden from the eyes of Richard’s followers.

Sweat dripped down the back of my neck.
Trishna, we need backup
, I called for help.
Albuquerque Walmart.

On our way
, she replied.

Another
boom
. The lights went out, and the flames at the back of the store grew brighter, filling the room with an orange glow.

The sprinkler system flipped on.
Lovely
. Nothing was worse than fighting on slippery floors with cold, wet limbs.

Brushing wet hair out of my face, I stopped at the end of the row closest to where the fight was taking place and motioned to Chad to stay behind me. I peeked around the corner, my heart pounding. Five rows of stock were destroyed. CDs, DVDs, and other merchandise littered the ground. Four individuals in solid black marched down the center aisle, dragging a bloodied, unconscious Eric behind them.

I flattened myself against the shelves and turned to Chad.
They have Eric
, I said.
Three Magus, one Protector. He’s the one with the machine gun. I called for backup, but if they’re not here in the next minute, Richard’s men will be gone.

Chad’s gaze was unfaltering, determined.
We have to save Eric
.

I ground my teeth, then nodded. Eric was Chad’s best friend; I wouldn’t leave Seth behind, either.
I’ll take out the Protector from here. Go around me and hit the Magus with whatever you’ve got. Aim high, and you’ll miss Eric.

Two balls of blue liquid formed in Chad’s hands, his natural element—water—ready to blast the Magus across the store. I raised my gun and turned, my pulse in my ears. Shielding half of my body with the corner of the shelving system, I fired. My bullet went straight through the Protector’s head.

The three Magus dropped Eric, raising their hands to retaliate. Chad stepped around me, and a wave of water exploded from his hands as hard and fast as Niagara Falls. Two of Richard’s Magus flew backward down the aisle, but the third dropped to the ground just in time, missing Chad’s attack completely. A ball of fire soared from the warlock’s hands. Before I could pull my trigger, flames hit me in the chest.
Shit.
The blast knocked me into the shelves of candles behind me, and the entire unit toppled over. I fell to the ground with a shout, wood, plastic, and glass splintering and shattering beneath my back.

I smacked the flames out on my chest, thankful now for the mist from the sprinkling system, and ground my teeth at the lingering burn. Jumping from the debris, I spotted Chad in a battle with the warlock who’d blasted me with fire. Their attacks were fast, neither one better than the other.