sure you’d enjoy fucking her, had you the chance.”
A distressed cry outside. Kelly! Frantic, he fought the bonds. If only he could shape-shift. But the chains stripped his magick.
“You thought you could hide.” Shay’s twin laughed. “I have your DNA. I know you, Chief Shaymore. I know your scent. As for the shape-shifting...”
His twin pushed into his face. “Two words, Elemental scum. Didn’t. Work.”
Shay’s mind raced. Had to get to her...
“You can’t break free, Phantom.”
Going still, he examined the bonds. Silver, but the chains weren’t steel. Some kind of alloy laced with magick.
Finding one of the links with his fingers, he tested it. He pulled harder, keeping his gaze on himself. How weird this was, listening to the lies and bragging while looking his twin in the eye to keep his attention from Shay’s hands.
There. Pulling at a link, he felt it give slightly. He analyzed it. In layering the chains with alloy, the idiot had weakened the links.
Three men entered the room. Shay recognized the brown-haired one from the shop. “Move him into the back room,” Shay’s duplicate instructed.
Shay didn’t fight, because he couldn’t risk expending energy. The concrete floor came up hard as they tossed him into a whitewashed room. Dust motes danced on sunlight streaming from a window near the ceiling.
The room resembled a bomb shelter or a basement. The floor sloped toward a trench and a drain. His pulse kicked up as he saw the spigots jutting out from the wall. He inhaled. A sharp, coppery smell. Blood.
A slaughterhouse.
A length of similar silver chains wrapped around her body, Kelly was tossed into the room, landing on her side. Her mouth was sealed with duct tape. Shay growled at the Arcanes laughing as they hovered in the doorway.
Inching over toward her, he bent his head. “You okay?”
Eyes wide with fear, she nodded.
He wished he could touch her in reassurance. “Hang in there,” he said softly. “We can beat this.”
His twin smirked as he leaned against the doorway. “The mighty Phantom, big-shot navy SEAL. Now look at you. Trussed up like a chicken before the chopping block.” The smirk turned into a dark smile. “Except we’re not going to cut off your head. We need your body whole for the ritual. The less damage, the more pure the power.”
Shay said nothing, watching Kelly’s eyes widen as she studied the Arcanes.
“You’re a disgrace, Shaymore. You can’t stop us. We’re gathering our forces, and soon we’ll have enough power to blast the strongest Elemental to the netherworld.”
“Let her go.” Shay jerked his head at Kelly. “She’s one of you, and there’s no need to kill her.”
Something flickered in the other’s eyes. “She’s not one of us. Kelly Denning chose the wrong side when she rescued Billy Rogers and fucked up our plans.”
But a pulse jumped in his jaw. Shay’s heartbeat accelerated. Damn bastard was lying. Why?
The doppelganger gave a chilling smile. “All it took to capture you was the right bait. You’re such a sucker for saving children. Especially little boys. I am you, and I know everything you know.”
“Wrong, asshole. I never miss a shot like you did on the ridge. And I never wet my pants when someone’s firing live rounds at me,” Shay taunted.
A Mage standing in the doorway snickered. The doppelganger reddened and then turned and backhanded the Mage hard across the mouth. “Shut up. All of you, turn on the water. Then get the car and head to Tegus to await the arrival of our leader.”
Vehemently, Shay hoped the bastard’s plane crashed.
“What about the tenth child?” one of the Arcanes asked. “We need one for the ritual.”
“Soon. We located one in the States.”
“What about the villagers? Kill them?” asked the brown-haired Mage.
An odd look entered his twin’s eyes. “Don’t touch them. They’ll keep existing in their dream state.”
Two of the Mages went to the faucets and twisted the spigots. Another plugged the drain. Water gushed onto the floor and ran down the trench.
Shay struggled to a sitting position, nudging Kelly to do the same.
“Have a nice swim,” his twin sang out.
The door closed behind them.
Forcing himself to relax, he waited until the chains loosened enough to give him room. Shay snapped the first link with his fingers. Then he snapped another and another until he could wriggle his fingers and then his right hand through the hole he’d made.
“Bend over and I’ll remove your gag.”
Though he tried to be gentle, she winced as he ripped off the duct tape. “Sorry, sweetheart. I know that hurts.”
Returning his attention to the links, he concentrated on breaking more.
“I guess these guys are really bad.” She gave a small, shaky laugh. “Because the triskele isn’t working against them.”
“They’ve discovered a way past our magick. Stripped my powers, too.”
“If they did that, how can you break your chains, Sam?”
“That son of a bitch may have my looks, but not my brains or strength. A baby could break these links.”
Snap. Snap. The water began rising up the trench, to their toes.
“Hurry,” she begged.
Too slow. Taking too long. With a last burst of strength, he focused and pushed with all his might.
Silver links burst apart, clinking on the floor. Shay ran to the door. Locked. Skimming the door with his hands, he looked for a weakness. None. The door was steel.
Searching the pockets of his cargo pants, he found a small tool. He picked the lock, turned the knob and pushed. They’d bolted it from the outside.
“Are you sure your powers are gone?” Kelly asked.
Without the chains binding him, his abilities might have returned, he thought. Shay closed his eyes and culled his magick. Feeling his powers surge like currents of electricity, he summoned them into his hand.
Opening his eyes, he looked at his palm. The faintest of sparks glistened and then died.
The door. But brute force wouldn’t budge it. After body slamming it a few times, he gave up. Water rose to his ankles as he went to untie Kelly.
“Try your powers. Use the triskele,” he urged.
Maybe without the silver binding her, it would work. Kelly grabbed the medallion but nothing happened. Her panicked gaze searched the room. “I don’t understand.”
Shay went to one wall and ran a hand across it, feeling a slight tingle. He swore. “Bastards lined the walls with a shield that negates all magick.”
“They planned for this,” she whispered. “They needed you and knew you’d come here to rescue the children with me. I’m sorry, Sam. If it weren’t for me...”
His heart gave a lurch at her woebegone look. Shay stroked a finger down her cheek. “Don’t. I make my own choices, and this is one I won’t regret. Help me search the room. Look for weak spots, cracks, anything that might help us get out of here.”
Kelly ran to the faucets to shut off the water, but the Mages had broken them.
His gaze shot up to the window and then to Kelly.
“I’ll give you a hand up.” Crouching, he cupped his hands as a step and lifted her up as she climbed onto his shoulders. Kelly supported herself against the wall, but her fingers barely touched the bottom of the windowsill.
