Haunted by Your Touch

this bastard before the fight would be on.

Finally, a tall figure eased around the corner, light on his feet, almost elegant. Poised for battle.

Raiden zipped out a spell designed to stun a wizard unconscious.

At the last second, the intruder stepped aside with a laugh. “Really, is that the best you can do?”

Mathias.

Oh, shit.

The magical sociopath whipped his wand and an arc of green light jetted out the wall of windows behind him, bursting across the sky with an eerie glow before fading.

He was calling in the reinforcements.

Fuck. Raiden knew that he and Tabby had moments to get out of here, but he couldn’t run into Lowery’s office to get her. Besides alerting Mathias to Tabby’s presence, he’d trap them inside with no escape route except out the window and a four-story free fall.

Suddenly, a jagged bolt of white light arced across the space between them. Raiden hit the ground, barely dodging it. He felt the lethal heat of the spell skate over his head, singe the little hairs on his arms. Mathias cursed.

Raiden charged to his feet, scurrying across the floor. He had to get smart and use the deep shadows in the room to any advantage possible.

Making his way to the far wall, he hid behind a big potted plant and hurled a fire spell at Mathias, the orange ball crackling and screaming through the air.

It hit him, setting the bastard’s sleeve on fire. He shot an evil glare in Raiden’s direction and lifted his other hand above his forearm, fingers dangling down.

Raiden didn’t waste time watching. He crawled across the floor, rolling toward Tabby’s father’s office door. Shoving his wand under the crack, he sent up a quick red spark and hoped like hell she didn’t just come tumbling out into Mathias’s path.

When Raiden looked up again, water trickled from Mathias’s fingers like a faucet, extinguishing the fire. What Raiden had hoped would be a game-changer had really been nothing more than a moment’s annoyance for someone with Mathias’s heavy-duty power.

Bloody hell, he’d had no occasion to fight the villainous wizard one-on-one. He’d trained for it. The Doomsday Brethren had discussed it. He’d heard war stories. But face-to-face alone with one of the most cunning wizards in magickind’s history? His worst nightmare. The fact that Tabitha was caught in this deadly struggle only made everything more horrifying.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Mathias singsonged with a laugh. “I’ll make certain your death won’t hurt. Much, anyway.”

Raiden rolled beneath a low bench just beside Lowery’s office door. Tabitha’s footsteps approached slowly. He could sense her fear and caution. Raiden was the only thing standing between Mathias and Tabby, and he’d have to do whatever was necessary to distract Mathias so she could escape.

Rolling out from under the bench, Raiden leapt to his feet and charged with a roar. Mathias whirled, wand poised, as Raiden jumped onto the round table in the middle of the reception space.

From above, he could see everything. Mathias had no place to hide. But Raiden also knew it made him a huge target.

With a grunt, he kicked the flower arrangement on the table toward Mathias’s head. The wizard ducked to avoid it, then flicked his wand. Raiden didn’t want to know what spell that evil blue streak held as it headed his way. Instead, he jumped over the bolt, then whipped his wand at the bench that had once been his hiding place. It hurtled across the room toward Mathias, who ran, taking cover behind the reception desk. The bench crashed against the desk with a clatter.

In that same moment, Tabby opened the door to her father’s office and peeked out. With one hand, Raiden gestured her to the stairwell. With another, he sent a fireball at the reception desk. It burst into flame and exploded.

Mathias dove away from the fire and glared as he whipped up a wall of water, dousing the flames. Raiden could feel his anger seethe.

“This game grows tiresome, neophyte.”

Raiden felt every one of Mathias’s centuries of warfare and his own decided lack of experience. He’d only attained his magic in the last sixty years, and he’d spent most of those being a lover, not a fighter. Today it showed, and he cursed every night he’d spent carousing instead of learning how to defend himself and the ones he cherished.

On the far side of the area, he sensed Tabitha approaching the other stairwell. They were well lit, and the second she opened the door, the light would spill into the darkened reception area—unless he masked it.

Clenching his teeth and focusing his energy, Raiden whipped his wand and thrust his arms wide. Blinding light filled the entire space. He screamed with all his frustration and fear, praying the sound would cover Tabitha’s exit. If he died protecting her, the sacrifice would be well worth it. He just had to get her out alive.

Mathias rushed across the room, shielding his eyes with a nasty curse. Raiden knew he wasn’t going to beat the wizard magically, but thanks to Marrok, the Doomsday Brethren’s only human warrior, he was a well-trained machine in conventional fighting methods.

With a shout, he leapt off the table, onto Mathias. The evil wizard tried to scramble away, but Raiden tackled him, pinning him to the floor with his larger body. Mathias’s wand clattered out of his hand. With grim satisfaction, Raiden reached for the knife in his boot with every intention of slitting Mathias’s throat. The other wizard roared and managed to brace one foot against the floor, pushing off and rolling them over. Suddenly, Raiden struggled beneath Mathias, who smiled down with malice.

“Enjoy your death. Send me a postcard from hell.” He conjured a knife and held it over Raiden’s throat.

A moment later, Raiden felt the sensation of sharp, cold steel pressing at his neck. Blood broke out across Raiden’s throat and ran down into his ears. He was going to die. He could deal with that—as long as Tabitha had escaped.

Mathias lifted his hand and the press of the blade abated, but then he clenched his fist, blade gleaming, and stared with wicked glee. Then his hand plunged down.

Before the blade struck deep, Mathias went limp.

Raiden scrambled out from under him and looked around. Tabitha stood by the stairwell, wand outstretched, shaking. “I don’t know much self-defense, but Father taught me to immobilize people once.”

Heart beating wildly in his chest, he ran across the room to capture her in his arms. “You should have gone.”

Her head twitched back and forth. “He would have killed you.”

“The point was for you to escape.” And arguing this here and now was dangerous.

Raiden looked back at Mathias, then hurled a blood red spell at him, designed to evaporate all his blood and kill him. The other wizard merely jolted and began to rouse.

Damn it! According to legend, Mathias had already died once. Could he ever be killed again?

Raiden couldn’t wait around to find out. Despite exchanging energy with Tabby minutes ago, those spells had exhausted him. He must rest—or recharge—and soon.

He grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”

Tugging her into the stairwell, Raiden kept her as close as possible. His mind raced. After the way he’d abandoned her, she had come back to save him. She had risked herself with the most dangerous wizard in magickind’s history, and if not for her, Ronan would have been mourning his twin. Raiden didn’t have to ask why; he knew she loved him. And it humbled him like nothing else. She was an amazing woman.

“Do you face danger all the time?” she panted as they flew down the stairs, racing for the entrance.

“Yes.”

“You… you’ve met him in battle before?”

“Not alone. The Doomsday Brethren fight his army together.”

Her hand tightened on his. “But there are only seven of you.”

“Yes.”

He saw the glass doors in front of them at the same time he sensed other beings making their way into the