Lone Star Magic (17 page)

Once the snakes had been dispatched and
disposed of, a thorough search of the rest of the house turned up
nothing.

Still scratching, Carly breathed a sigh of
moderate relief. “Thank goodness.”

“Yes. Now you can get some rest.”

“Rest.” She closed her eyes. Opened them.

“You said you were tired.”

“I know. But I doubt I could sleep after
that.”

“You need your rest. Especially if the
warlord attacks again tomorrow.”

“True.” She shuddered. “But there’s no way I
can sleep in that bed. Ever. Again.”

“The snakes are gone. You’ve changed the
sheets.”

“Still…” There wasn’t any way to make him
understand. He was a man. Maybe men had no problem with sleeping in
a bed formerly occupied by a mess of writhing serpents. Another
woman would have understood instantly. “I’ll tell you what. You can
have the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“What if he’s put scorpions in the sofa
cushions?” He pointed out, his voice reasonable.

She scratched again. “Do you always have to
sound so perfectly reasonable? It makes me want to slug you.”

“Just common sense. So far the Warlord seems
to have a thing for insects and reptiles.”

Glaring at him, she took a step back. “We
searched.”

He grinned. “Just kidding.”

“Just—. Your timing sucks, Alrick.” But she
couldn’t help but smile. “You don’t really think there’s scorpions,
then?”

He gave a casual shrug, then ruined the
effect by lifting one eyebrow. “You never know.”

“He’s ruined my home, damn it. Why doesn’t he
just show up and fight like a man? There’s nothing I’d like better
than to punch that guy in the nose.”

Alrick shook his shaggy head. “Just be glad
he hasn’t figured out how to bring himself fully into our time –
his past. Like the Mage said, the magical spells he uses now are
nothing, compared to what he can do once he’s fully here.”

Carly stared. “You know, we need a better
plan.”

He looked away. “I think we should stay on
the move. A moving target is harder to find.”

“On the move how? With what? He blew up my
pickup, remember?”

“We have two horses. My mare is gentle and
would be a good mount for you.”

“And you’d ride TM? Is that what you’re
thinking?”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

“Because he’s not broken, that’s why. He has
no idea how to respond to a rider on his back.”

“I can teach him.”

“While we’re fleeing for our lives? Not a
good idea.”

“You underestimate the stallion’s
intelligence. Once he knows what is required of him, he will be
fine.”

She shook her head. “Alrick, as you know, I’m
not a horse person. But I’ve been around them enough to know you
can’t just jump up on the back of an unbroken three year old and
expect to make him understand. Training a horse properly takes
time. Liam figured over a year before TM was even
green-trained.”

“I am not Liam.” He crossed his arms. “I am
Fae. Animals understand the Fae much better than humans.”

“Are you saying you’re like Doctor
Doolittle?”

“Who?”

“Never mind. Are you claiming you can
talk
to the horses?”

He gave her a modest smile. “Not in words you
would understand, but yes.”

“And you’d rather run than stay and fight?”
She couldn’t help but mock him. Anything to wipe that smile from
his face. “I thought you were some great warrior prince.”

The smile went. She’d succeeded, but her
victory didn’t feel as good as she’d thought it would.

Alrick took a step towards her.

Carly took a step back. Her heart beat loudly
in her chest. She felt… alive. Enraged, frustrated, and oddly,
aroused. Alive.

Problem was – she wasn’t sure she liked
it.

Alrick stopped. “Until I have something solid
to fight, until I believe I have a chance in winning, I’d rather
keep you safe. While the Warlord slips in and out of time like a
shadow, I cannot fight him. If hiding is necessary, that’s what
we’ll do. There will come a day…” He took a deep breath, his
expression dark. “Don’t toy with me, Carly. Not only do I have to
worry about you, but this Warlord threatens my people, my
home.”

She heard pain in that gravely voice.
Pain
. She hadn’t intended to hurt him.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” She held up her
hands in front of her. “Really, really sorry. Truce?”

She expected him to nod. Instead, he grabbed
both her hands and pulled her to him, hard up against his muscular
chest. A thrill went through her. Back bent, she looked up at him
and licked her lips.

He bent over her. Close.

Damn
. She closed her eyes.

Touching his mouth to hers, he gave her a
light kiss. She whimpered, wanting more, both ashamed and
unbelievable aroused.

“I can make you feel more alive than you’ve
ever felt, Carly Roberts.” His eyes glittered as he whispered
against her lips. “But if I were to come to you, I’d want it to be
because we both wanted it. For mutual pleasure. Because you wanted
me. Me. Not using me as a substitute for another man who’s long
dead.”

She went still. Felt the familiar pain stab
at her breast but, instead of grief-stricken agony, she felt fury.
Rage.

She opened her eyes. Looked him full in the
face and somehow, she was able to laugh. A cold-hearted,
bitchy-sounding laugh, but way better than tears. “I doubt we’ll
ever come together then, Alrick. After all, as you pointed out once
before, you’re not to be the father.”

HER WORDS cut him when they shouldn’t. But
that’s what he got for letting his desire for Carly over-rule his
common sense. If he were the sort of man who looks for fault, he
could excuse such a lapse of judgment away – he could blame it on
the constant tension of being forced to run and hide rather than
stand and fight as was his wont. Or the now nagging worry over Rune
– not knowing was far worse than being able to face any threat and
deal with it.

But Alrick had never seen the point in trying
to delude himself. He couldn’t lie to others; why lie to
himself.

Forcing his jaw to relax, he rubbed the back
of his neck. He had meant to teach her a lesson. Turn the tables
and show her how tempting such teasing felt. He’d tormented himself
instead.

Letting Carly go had been far more difficult
than he’d imagined. Still, with his resistance crumbling, he’d had
to take drastic measures. Better they were at odds, barely civil,
than lovers.

He could well imagine his father’s reaction.
“Such a simple task too – a shame my eldest son couldn’t keep his
leggings fastened. I’d hoped Alrick would grow out of thinking with
the wrong head. This merely proves he’s not ready to become
heir.”

Heir. Next in line for the throne. His most
fervent desire.

Just the thought of his father’s scorn was
enough to cool his over-heated body. Women, he told himself, were
as plentiful as fruit on Rune’s overloaded trees. He could sate his
sexual hunger once he returned home for good. Here and now, `twas
time to concentrate on the task at hand.

The Warlord. His threats had now expanded to
include all Alrick held dear. Though the Mage had promised to keep
him informed, Alrick had never been a patient man. He’d much rather
face the enemy head on than play this constant game of cat and
mouse.

Yet he had no choice. He had to convince
Carly – again – to leave. Quickly.

“Excuse me.” Carly’s voice, icily polite.

Despite his earlier resolution, his heart
thumped an extra beat. Turning, he kept his face impassive.
“Yes?”

“If I’m to sleep on the couch, you’ll need to
go somewhere else.” Leaning on the doorjamb, her arms were crossed.
He told himself not to take her stony indifferent look as a
challenge.

“I’ll take your bedroom.” He could sleep in
there as well as anywhere. Though he’d make a pallet on the floor
before he’d sleep in that bed, at least this night. Snakes weren’t
his favorite thing either. “I’ll go now.”

“Wait.” She used her hand to block the
doorway. “Explain to me about this Warlord.” Carly looked intense.
Serious.

Cautiously, he asked. “What do you mean?”

“All you and Mort told me is how horrible the
guy is. Wants world dominance, snuff out humankind, turn the Fae
into puppets, blah, blah, blah.”

“I don’t recall the puppet bit,” Alrick said
slowly. “Other than that, you’ve summed up the Warlord completely.
What else is there to say?”

She pushed away from the doorjamb and began
to pace. “Nobody is a hundred percent bad. What’s his
motivation?”

He stared. “His what?”

“Motivation.” The wild gestures she made as
she paced might have been amusing, if they’d been discussing
another subject.

“Motivation? He has plenty. I’d say power and
greed rank right there at the top of his list.”

“Yes, but what happened to the guy to make
him so evil?”

Women. Would he ever understand them? “Carly,
I don’t know. He is what he is. Evil. Isn’t that enough for
you?”

She stopped. Opened her mouth, then closed
it. Hands on hips, she faced him. “Enough? No, it’s not. I want to
know why.”

“Ask the Mage next time we see him. He’s
promised to keep me informed on the doings in Rune.”

Fresh interest made her eyes glow like green
crystal.

“Mort? Good idea. I’m sure he must know. He
has to. Speaking of which, I have a question about Mort too.”

Warily he waited.

“If Mort the Mage has enough power to travel
through time and remain in Rune and the Warlord can’t even manage
to get here and stay, then why doesn’t Mort fight the Warlord?
Obviously, he’s pretty damn powerful.”

“No more so than any other Mage. The Warlord
was a Mage once. He is more, now.”

“So the Warlord can do what Mort cannot?”

“The Warlord moves freely through time. Mort
is trapped in what to him is the past.”

She frowned. “I’d like to say I understand,
but I don’t.”

“Magic doesn’t fight magic. Coming through
time, Rune to Rune, Fae to Fae, is not easy, true. But coming to
Rune is ten times more simple than traveling through time to your
world.”

“Why?”

“Who knows?” He ran a weary hand through his
hair. “Fae are no longer welcome in the human world. Cenrick has
always said we Fae are at fault, for neglecting you humans. Whether
we allowed things to come to this or could have prevented the
problem, magic is not wanted in your world.”

“So that might be why the Warlord is having
so much trouble staying here?”

“Might be. As you’ve seen, when we use magic
here in your world of machines, your world fights back. Magic,
though an elemental part of nature once, is no longer that way
here. Thus the tidal waves, earthquakes, and the tornado.”

“You’re saying the Warlord could easily
travel to Rune? Then why hasn’t he? Once he was solid there, it
doesn’t seem to be that difficult of a spell for your guys to go
through that veil thing to get here.”

“He knows he’d have a battle on his hands if
he did. Until now, he hasn’t wanted to fight two wars – one in the
past, one in this present.”

“Until now.”

Alrick grimaced. “Unfortunately. This is why
the threat against Rune is so great.”

“Do you have a way to get a hold of Mort, or
do you have to wait for him to get in touch with you?”

“I could call him if I needed him.”

She grinned, apparently having forgotten her
earlier mood. “Wanna borrow my cell phone?”

Though he knew she was joking, he couldn’t
help but answer her seriously. “We don’t have those in Rune. I
suspect they are one of those very machines that blunt the
magic.”

“Good. Then I’ll bring it with me in case it
might help against the Warlord.”

“Contact him now. I’m curious.”

“We just left Rune.”

“I know. But if it’s not difficult and won’t
cause some horrific natural disaster, would you?” She glanced up at
the sky. “I’d really like to know what made the Warlord so
evil.”

“Why?”

“As you said, understanding your enemy can
help defeat him. There might be something there, some little kernel
of information that would help us.”

Something tickled the back of his neck.
Absently, Alrick brushed it away. A huge, black spider landed near
his foot and began to scuttle towards Carly.

Carly let out a shriek, flicking at her
arm.

Another gigantic spider landed on the
floor.

“What the—?”

“Look!” Carly pointed towards the hall. An
army of spiders poured in through the doorway.

And the windows, and the ceiling. From every
available fissure and crack they came. Black spiders, brown
spiders, large spiders and small.

“It’s like in the Bible or that old movie,
The Ten Commandments
.” An edge of hysteria made Carly’s
voice high. “Except instead of locusts, this is a plague of
spiders.”

“We’ve got to get out of here.”

“Oh, yeah we do. Have I mentioned I hate
spiders nearly as much as I hate snakes?”

“No, you haven’t.” He tried to think. There
was no clear path to the door. “Are you allergic to them too?”

“I don’t know. I’ve managed to avoid ever
being bitten by one.”

“That you know of. Do you have your medicine
kit?”

She lifted up a small, white plastic box with
a red cross on the front. “Here.”

Outside, Kayo began to bark; loud and
frantic.

“Alrick!” Carly moved away. “
That’s
Kayo’s warning bark.”

“Whatever’s out there can’t be any worse than
what’s in here. We’ve got to get out of here.”

“Now.” The spiders were closing in. Every
available surface was covered with moving shapes, like before when
the Warlord had sent the ants. “Go now.”