Magick Marked (The DarqRealm Series) (31 page)

“I had to—”

“Fuck. You.” She took a deep breath, her eyes locked on his. “You are a liar and a manipulator. I trusted you, asshole. We all did.”

The ShiftMaster’s eyes went wide, as if he realized in that moment that he’d been exposed.

“Ignore her!” Rhyannon screeched. “She’s not worthy of your conscience.”

“You’re dead to me,” Preshea declared as she brushed past him and stepped through the broken window.

Alexander launched himself toward her, a gold shimmer covering his skin. Shit, he was going to shift. Eldon glanced down at Rho. While he’d been distracted by the drama, she’d propped herself up and steadied the gun on her knee.

Take him out
! Eldon ordered, handling a gun in his right hand and a ball of fire in his left.

Rho closed one eye.

He fell into a crouch behind her, ready to eliminate anyone who dared come her way. Preshea had created the perfect distraction, and Rho was a better shot than he was. Still, the need to protect her burned in his chest.

She turned the gun slightly, following Alexander’s movement.

Hurry up, Rho. There’s no time.

Pop. Pop.
Rho fired two shots—directly into Alexander’s shoulder.

The ShiftMaster’s knees buckled as he clutched his arm, staggering away from the broken window before dropping to the ground. Injured, but not dead. God, that girl was a brilliant shot.

Rho holstered her gun. Brows drawn in focus, she glanced toward the house. Her eyes went wide. “No!”

He followed her gaze in time to see the queen throw a ball of green magick through the hole in the window. The energy slammed into Preshea’s back, sending her flying across the room and into a wall.

“Preshea!” a tiny voice screamed from inside the home, one he didn’t recognize.

The queen stepped through the window and disappeared into the house.

The night air exploded with strength, moonlight pouring over the darkness with such abundance, Eldon had to blink twice. It was practically daylight outside. White light coated the living room inside the house as Tim leaped to Preshea’s side, snarling and covered in fur.

The wolf. Tim had called on the moonlight and taken his wolf form.

A chain rattled again, and Tim’s muzzle snapped toward the source of the noise. He glanced from one side of the room to the other, as if torn between two options.

“Preshea?” the small voice said again, quivering.

Vectra was in that house. She was here, and Tim knew it.

As if she’d reached the same conclusion at the same moment, Rho shot to her feet. “No, Tim! Stay right there.”

Eldon fell in step behind her.

“Tim!” Rho shouted. “Stay with Alexander. Guard Preshea.”

Tim growled, clearly unhappy with the plan and even unhappier at being told what to do. Tough shit. His alpha self could just deal.

Rho swung a leg over the railing and leaped over to the other side gracefully. Eldon tried to mirror her maneuver, but with only a fraction of the grace and less coordination. He landed with a thud on the wooden deck.

Rho extended a hand and yanked him to his feet, then rushed toward the ShiftMaster. “He has it.” The man was still lying on the ground, one hand gripping his shoulder and the other balled into a tight fist.

She was right. Hanging from a long chain on his neck was a green diamond, set in a massive gold ring. He had a Kamen, too.

Rho kneeled down beside him and wrapped her fingers around the fist he clutched to his chest. “Give it to me, or I’ll break every bone in your hand.”

Alexander grimaced but stared up at her with cold eyes.

“You should know that I have no aversion to murdering you,” Rho told Alexander sweetly. “Eldon?”

Eldon was happy to oblige. He pulled his Glock from the holster, rocked the slide and centered it over the ShiftMaster’s head.

“How about now, Alex?” Rho asked.

The ShiftMaster’s fist clamped over the stone so tightly his knuckles were white. His lips were a tight slash as a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead.

“I’m sorry,” Rho said. “Do you think I’m not serious?”

When the man didn’t respond, she whipped her gun from the holster at her waist. With sharpshooter precision, she popped a round into his calf.

Alexander screamed as he recoiled, his body twisting against the ground as his blood gave the wood deck a new stain job. Still, he didn’t let the Kamen go.

“It’s your life or mine, fuckhead. And you’d better believe it isn’t going to be mine.” She jammed her Glock to his temple and leaned in. “My job title is
executioner,
buddy. I kill people for a living. So if you think for one second I’ll hesitate to pull this trigger, you’re wrong.”

Holy… shit. She wasn’t kidding. And though it shouldn’t be, he found her strength incredibly sexy.

She shoved the gun harder against the ShiftMaster’s temple. “What’s it going to be, asshole?”

Seconds ticked by before defeat trickled across Alexander’s face and he relaxed his hand.

Rho snatched the stone from his palm and handed it over to Eldon. “Present for you.”

In the center of his palm sat the pale green stone nestled in the ring, the size of a marble and cut like a diamond. He peered up at Rho.

“Secure that,” she ordered.

He nodded and tucked it into his front pocket. It wasn’t as secure as he wanted, but until they got back to the house, it would have to do.

They’d done it. They’d found a Kamen, one of four missing parts needed to complete this mission. He’d have to work out the protection spell later, but for now he let the relief and happiness sing in his chest. One step closer to their goal.

A crash echoed inside the house.

Rho gave Alex a hard look. “Tim is on the other side of that glass watching you, and he isn’t shy with those teeth. You move, you die. Remember that.” She marched toward the window.

Eldon reached out and yanked Rho’s arm, pulling her back to him.

“What the hell?” Rho squirmed. “Let me go! Vectra’s in there!”

So were Tim and Preshea. And the queen. Rhyannon’s natural energy hummed, the vibration in the air and the smell of dirt in his nose making him feel too small in his skin. No way would he allow Rho to march in there unprotected. She was immortal, not invincible.

Eldon pulled her tightly against him and clamped a hand across her mouth, ignoring her muffled protests. “Rho,” he spoke quietly into her ear. She stopped struggling. “You barge in there now, that woman will kill you. I guarantee it. Our best bet is if we go in together, in a protective circle. Let me protect you.” He released his hold on her.

She spun around and glared at him. “Don’t do that again.”

He extended a hand. “Take my hand.”

“Why?”

“Just trust me. It’s the easiest way for me to make sure you’re protected without having to concentrate on you.”

Rho slipped her small, cool hand into his before squeezing his fingers so hard he nearly swore he heard them creak under the pressure. She shot him an irritated smile.

Eldon stepped toward the window opening and shook his head. “Point taken, vampire.”

He pulled the ley line energy into himself before expanding it around them both like a bubble. “Careful.” Hand in hand, they stepped across the jagged glass.

There. On the other side of the wall. Two bodies. Two heartbeats.

“This way,” Rho breathed, pulling Eldon behind her.

He didn’t argue, just followed her lead. The wall of blue protection followed them both as they rushed toward the rhythmic pulses.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The pulses grew louder as Rho broke into a jog, trying to catch up to the sound. Behind that door. They were right there.

She flung the door open and rushed inside, towing Eldon behind her. The room was small, maybe only ten feet square—but there was no one here. A twin mattress with a frilly pink bedspread was centered on one wall, the mirrored closet doors on the opposite side. A bookshelf pressed against one wall was lined with the full collections of
Baby-sitters Club
and
Nancy Drew
books.

The heartbeats were deafening in her ears, but she couldn’t see the source anywhere. The overhead light flicked on and she glanced over at Eldon. He’d flipped the switch on the wall with his magick. The pulse began to fade, somehow growing softer by the second.

“Where are they?” she whispered.

Confused, she let her gaze dart around the room. They were
here
. She could smell them, one a little like lemons, the other like wet dirt. They’d been
right here
. She tried to yank her hand from Eldon’s to investigate, but he gripped her tighter.

“No, you stay with me and don’t let go of my hand for
any
reason.” Eldon strode up to the bookshelf on one wall, dragging Rho beside him. “It’s not safe.”

“We don’t have time for this,” she started, but stopped as he lifted a finger to trace the outline of the shelf. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t answer, just leaned closer and inspected the books. There were some beautiful classics on the second to last shelf, bound in leather and delicate in appearance.
The Count of Monte Cristo. Pride and Prejudice. A Tale of Two Cities.

She tugged on his hand. “Eldon?”

With a quick movement, he pulled on the corner of
Alice in Wonderland
. The bookshelf swung into the wall, revealing a pitch black hole.

“Oh, my God,” Rho whispered. He’d found a trap door. “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” He gave her an anxious smile. “Ready for a trip down the rabbit hole?”

That’s why the heartbeats had faded and disappeared. They’d been running down a tunnel. Which could only mean… “She’s taking Vectra! We need to go right now!”

Reaching over, he snagged a candle from the nightstand. “Run your hand over this.”

“Why?”

His eyes narrowed. “Do it.”

She did as he asked, waving a hand over the wick.

“
Lumen
,” he murmured.

The candle sprang to life, and he stepped toward the darkened doorway. “One day you’ll learn to trust me instead of questioning everything I say.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but shut it again as they stepped into the darkness. The hidden passage took them down into the ground, the tunnel walls and floors nothing but packed dirt. Eldon led the way, gripping her hand firmly as they plunged deeper into the earth.

His words struck her as cold, but she didn’t think he’d meant them that way.
One day you’ll learn to trust me.
She didn’t trust anybody, did she? And now that she considered it, she’d pretty much questioned everything Eldon had ever said. The worst part was that she had no good reason
not
to trust him.

Sure, when they’d first met there was some mutual distrust, but that was to be expected. They were different species, and that bred a healthy level of cynicism. But he’d never hurt her. Actually, he’d saved her. More than once. Her chest felt heavy as the weight of her guilt settled into place.

The faint illumination provided by the candle was hardly helpful. Rho focused on the path in front of them as they rushed through the corridor. They were gaining ground on the heartbeats ahead of them. Vectra would be home with her sister soon. Man, she hoped Preshea was okay.

She’d learned not to trust people, operating under the assumption that if she let anyone in, she would get hurt. That’s what life had taught her. This existence was a series of circumstances and you played the cards you were dealt.

But that wasn’t entirely true, was it? Life was also a series of choices. Sure, there were some elements that fell outside of what she could control, but she could control herself. She could determine whom she would depend on and to what extent.

She glanced down at their joined hands. He’d cared enough to envelop her in his own magick to keep her safe. She had no reason not to believe in him. Looking up, she caught the literal light at the end of the tunnel. They were so close.