Black Magic

and his gut churned at the thought. Aric should’ve been with them, and it was his fault their friend had been taken captive. They’d find him. Jax had to believe that or he’d go insane with the horrible guilt. “Let me throw on some jeans and I’ll round up the others.”

“Meet me at the hanger.”

Then Nick was gone, leaving Jax to dress with warp speed. He stopped only long enough to give his sleepy mate a kiss and tell her not to worry.

As if. Their newest Pack member was out there somewhere, with Mac. Something was very wrong. Suddenly, Jax recalled the conversation he and Nick had about Kalen the very night they’d taken in the Sorcerer.

“Is the kid going to be okay?” Jax asked.

“Definitely not if he leaves, but even if he stays . . . I don’t know. His storm is still a good ways off, but it’s coming.”

“And when it arrives?” He was almost afraid to learn the answer, with good reason.

“Kalen will either find it in his soul to do the right thing, make the hard choice. Or he’ll destroy us all.”

Whatever had happened tonight, Jax had a terrible feeling this was the beginning. The rolling thunder before the storm.

And he had a suspicion that Nick knew it, too.

God help them all.

3

The trees were dead.

They weren’t supposed to be dead in the middle of the summer, but they were. Stripped of their leaves, skeletal branches touched the gray sky. Nothing moved. No sign of life anywhere, as though every living thing had perished along with their precious shelter.

Fish floated in the poisoned streams, eyes staring blankly at heavens, accusing. Who had let this happen? Why?

Studying the ground and the tree trunks, she saw that most everything was blackened, as though it had been . . . burned?

“Come with me and we’ll rule together.”

Glancing around, she wondered who’d spoken. A flash of black caught her eye, darting behind one of the barren trunks. A suit jacket?

“Who are you?” she called. “And rule what? This?” She spread out her arms to indicate the wasteland.

“What you see is merely a preview of what will happen if I’m refused. I enjoy getting my way.”

The amusement in his tone grated. “Would you really do this to the land, the wildlife?”

“Not me.”

“Then who?”

“You don’t know?” he asked, as though she was a small, confused child.

“Of course not,” she snapped. Inching forward, she crept up on the tree she’d seen him, or something, hide behind. And jumped around it to find nothing there.

His laugh echoed through the branches. “Your Sorcerer, who else?”

“You’re a liar.” What an asshole. “Kalen would never do anything like this.”

“Know him well, do you?”

He had here there. “No,” she admitted reluctantly. “But in my heart, I know he wouldn’t.”

“Ah, your heart,” he said softly, as though in great sympathy. “What do you know of matters of the heart, lovely one? What do you know of the Sorcerer’s? He who has a soul nearly as dark as my own, and requires only the correct guidance to realize his potential.”

Those words froze her to the bone. “What are you planning to do with Kalen?”

“Whatever I wish.” He chuckled. “That doesn’t answer your question, does it? Come with me and all will be revealed.”

“And if I don’t?”

From nowhere a bolt of light streaked from the sky, slammed her in the chest. Heat seared her heart, agony blasting through every cell in her body.

Writhing on the ground, she screamed. And screamed—

“Mackenzie!”

Screamed . . .

“God, Mackenzie! Wake up!”

A pair of hands were shaking her roughly. Mac jolted awake, heart pounding in terror. Someone was lying half on top of her, holding her down. A man.

“Don’t hurt me anymore! Please!”

“Honey, it’s me, Kalen!”

That penetrated her fright, and she paused in confusion. “Kalen?”

“Yes,” he breathed, pulling her against his chest. “It’s me. I’m here, and you’re safe. It was just a bad dream.”

“A dream? No! He was there and he was such a bastard, killing all the trees and animals, and blaming it on you! And he wanted me to join him and when I wouldn’t—”

“Sweetheart, slow down,” he soothed, stroking her hair. “You’re not making any sense. Take a few deep breaths, there’s my girl.”

She did, and gradually her panic calmed. “It seemed so real.”

“Nightmares usually do, but they’re mostly harmless.”

“But not always.” She didn’t like that qualifier. One bit.

“I won’t lie. I’ve seen a ton of weird and dangerous shit. And yeah, there are beings that can actually invade your dreams, attempt to do any number of things.”

She liked his strong arms around her. She burrowed into his chest, and the sense of his protection gave her the courage to continue. “I’m pretty sure this guy was real. He wanted me and you to join him. He wants to control you.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “It could’ve been a really vivid night terror brought on by what we went through earlier.”

“Don’t you dare patronize me,” she warned.

“I’d never do that. I’m trying to look on the bright side, that’s all. Tell me about the dream from start to finish, if you’re feeling up to it.”

Relaxing some, she nodded. Taking a deep breath, she recounted the brief, scary encounter with the man she never saw. When she finished, Kalen was holding her tightly, his heart pounding fast in her ear. Despite his outward calm, his rapid pulse, the increased pace of his breathing, evidenced his fear. Her question was quiet.

“You think this is something to be worried about, don’t you?”

“I think it’s possible.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Right now? Wait here until we can reach the Pack on the phone, or they find us. Then we tell Nick every detail about tonight, including your nightmare.”

“Okay.”

They fell silent for a time, Kalen still holding her. Stroking her hair. Placing kisses on top of her head. “This is