They didn’t understand, of course. How could they? The humans believed that they were in charge. That she was their willing accomplice.
She laughed a little as the elevator opened onto the Presidential Suite. Above her head a wide skylight offered a view of the night sky, shining with stars and the ever-increasing moon. The floor was a mosaic pattern of inlaid marble and the wall sconces threw small shafts of golden light.
She walked through the suite, admiring the elegant furnishings, acquainting herself with the luxury she would quickly become accustomed to. Then she walked to the closest terrace and opened the doors.
The night air was soft and cool against her skin and the hum of the city spread out below her. Everything was just as it should be.
The plan was in place. All she needed now was to wait for the signal that would begin the game.
“Soon,” she whispered, glancing up at the night sky as the moon darted behind a swath of clouds as if hiding from her. “Soon it will all be mine and no one will be able to stand against me.”
Alone on the terrace with the night as witness, Kellyn laughed as power shimmered out all around her.
Chapter 33
Shea was watching the fire consume the motel, and the nearby trees, when her own personal pillar of fire erupted alongside her. What did it say about her, she wondered, that she no longer jumped in surprise when Torin did the flaming-man thing?
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” she asked, not even glancing at him. “Whoever did this is dead. You killed him.”
“Them,” he corrected, taking her shoulder and turning her to face him. “There were two. They were directed to kill you, but they didn’t know who was giving the orders.”
“So nothing was solved,” she pointed out quietly. She turned her head as the first fire engine arrived and the howling siren shut off abruptly. Men scattered, running for hoses, shouting instructions, all while the fire raged and hissed at them as if taunting their puny efforts to extinguish it.
“You’re safe again,” Torin said.
“For now.”
“Now is all we have,” he told her and drew her to him.
She tried to hold herself away, but her instincts worked against her. She might not like what was happening, but her mind insisted that she could hardly blame Torin for protecting her. There were people out there-even now- plotting her death. Shea closed her eyes and sighed as she wrapped her arms around Torin’s middle.
Burrowing into his steadiness, his warmth, she worried not about the now but about tomorrow. And the day after that. How were they supposed to complete whatever their task was if she couldn’t unlock the right memory? How was she supposed to defend herself if her powers were still wildly unpredictable?
His hands swept up and down her spine and despite the situation, her body responded. Desire for this man was always only a breath away. And apparently, even the threat of imminent death couldn’t defeat it.
“We have to go,” Torin said, pulling her back from him so that he could look into her eyes.
“How?” she asked on a short laugh that carried a tinge of near hysteria. Pointing down the hill, she said, “The explosion took out your car.”
He didn’t even glance at the blackened hulk of the sleek Viper. “We’ll find another. But for now…”
He pulled her close again and she nodded, folding herself around him as tightly as possible. “We go by fire.”
“Close your eyes.”
If anyone had looked up into the stand of trees, they might have thought that the inferno was spreading. But in a heartbeat, the tall tower of flames was gone and darkness reigned supreme again.
Rune’s phone call a few hours later explained how they had been tracked.
“It was under Terri’s left breast,” he said. “I don’t know if it will be the same with Shea, but that seems a good place to start checking.”
“I will.” Torin looked across the room at Shea. She hadn’t spoken again since he’d flashed her to a new motel. It had taken longer than he would have liked to cover the distance between Flagstaff, Arizona, and where they were now, in tiny El Rito, New Mexico. But he’d wanted as much distance between them and the last attack as possible.
Now he was glad of it. If there was another tracker on Shea’s body somewhere, they had to find it before whoever was after them had time to catch up.
Shea paced the small motel room. Her nerves were so tight, her power was spiking and Torin felt it as he would have a fever. Tension was ripe in the air between them and damned if he knew how to break it. He had done what he would always do. What he must do. Protect her. He would protect them all. If she couldn’t see that…
“Doc Fender is back in the mix, too,” Rune was saying and Torin paid attention.
He went completely still at that piece of news. “Are you sure?”
“The witches of Sanctuary are sure,” his friend said. “He’s the head of the Seekers.”
“I’ve heard of them.” Nothing good, either. They were a rogue band of militia types, well armed and scared. Not a good combination. But Torin had had no idea that Henry Fender was a part of that group. The man was infamous for his cruelty and his fanaticism. Knowing that he was part of an organized group operating outside of federal rules and regulations told Torin that the stakes had just gone higher.
Fender couldn’t be predicted. The man was mad and dedicated to what he saw as his God-given duty. To destroy witches. He hadn’t been heard from recently and Torin had hoped he was dead.
“The witches claim that he’s turning some of his victims,” Rune told him. “Offering to stop the pain if they’ll help capture others like them.”
“Bastard.”
“Exactly. So keep your eyes open. Seekers could be on your trail as well as everyone else.”
“I will.” His gaze touched Shea again. He couldn’t help but look to her wherever she was. It was as if unless he was touching her, he was only half alive.
Then Rune started talking again and Torin was caught up in the possibilities offered by the Sanctuary libraries of spell books. “She can reach them anywhere?”
“According to Karen, yes. Though it’s easier all around if you’re at least close to a Sanctuary. Something about power bridges built by the witches.” He blew out a breath. “The magics are stronger when you can draw on combined power.”
“Right. We’ll try it.”
Shea turned to look at him, a question in her eyes. He nodded to let her know he would tell her everything. She smiled briefly and Torin felt a rush of pride in her swell within him. His woman had a core of steel.
“Have you heard anything about Egan?”
“No,” Rune admitted. “But I’m going to check in with a few of the others. See if anyone’s seen him.” He paused. “You know how it is, Torin. After centuries of waiting, some can only deal with it by disappearing. Keeping to themselves.”
“That time is past,” Torin said. “The Awakening is begun and we must all stand by our witches. So you need to find Egan.”
“I will. Watch your back.”
Torin hung up and looked across the room at his woman. The strength of his gaze finally caught her attention and she looked at him. “What are we going to try?”
“The witches of Sanctuary have set up a library of ancient spell books and shadow tomes. They say you can access whatever you need through a dimensional portal.”
She laughed shortly, but there was no humor in it. “Sure. Dimensional portals. No problem. I’ll get right on it.” Shaking her head, she admitted, “I have no idea how to do that, Torin.”
“We’ll figure it out, Shea. Together.”
She studied him for a long minute. “There’s something else. What is it?”
“You may have another tracker on your body somewhere.”
