“I was about to say the same thing about you.” Hannah held him close, basking in his warmth. “I was so afraid that I would be too late.”
“Hey, I just realized you were in trouble.” He pulled back to study her face. “I thought if I could keep her busy that I could figure a way out. All that time you were in deep trouble and I didn’t even realize it. I’m so sorry.”
Hannah snorted. “We’re a fine pair.”
“Yeah. We’re okay, though.” He lowered his mouth to hers and gave her a soft kiss. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Me, too.” She patted his back ... and then remembered Ray. “I only took out Nikki, though. Ray is still out there and I’m pretty sure he won’t be far behind me. I managed to take a shortcut through two buildings, but it won’t take him long to figure out where I went.”
Cooper snapped to attention. “I ... .” He trailed off, his gaze going to the street in front of the store. Sure enough, Ray had appeared ... and the man didn’t look happy. “Do you think they know when their friends die?”
Hannah held out her hands and shrugged. “I have no idea. He’s greed, though. Nikki was pride.”
“And Lorna was lust.” Cooper kept one arm around Hannah as he studied the store. Then he remembered the gun Jackie kept “just in case” in the back room. “Watch him.” Cooper strode through the door, leaving Hannah bewildered. When he returned five seconds later with the weapon, her eyes went wide.
“What if that doesn’t work?” Hannah queried, her voice shaking. “I mean ... what if you can’t kill him by human means?”
Cooper thought about the things Lorna had told him. “I think the human component of this is even more important than the magical side of things. If it doesn’t work, you can fry his head just like you did hers. If it does work, though, then we’ll have a leg up on the rest of them.”
“If you say so.” Hannah crowded close as Ray stormed through the door, pressing her chest to his side as Cooper extended the gun in Ray’s direction.
“I told you not to run,” Ray ordered, his eyes on fire. “I just ... can’t you listen?” His gaze traveled to the floor, to where the dust that used to be Lorna remained. “Oh, not her, too!” He was beside himself. “That means there are only three of us left.”
“Two,” Cooper replied, pulling the trigger before Ray could utter another word. To his surprise — and chagrin — the bullet smacked into his head but didn’t bring the fury to the ground.
“Really? A gun?” Ray rolled his eyes as the bullet slowly worked its way out of his head and the wound that had been opened by the blast quickly healed over. “A gun doesn’t work on a fury. Are you stupid?”
“We just wanted to see,” Hannah replied. “Now that we know it doesn’t work ... .” She raised her hands and unleashed a barrage of magic. Ray was expecting it, but given the blood running into his eyes, he couldn’t see as well as he would’ve liked and his reflexes were off.
He managed to deflect the first jolt, but the second landed deftly in the center of his chest.
“No,” he muttered, just as he realized what was going to happen. “No, no, no!” On the last no, his body exploded, dust flying in a million different directions.
Hannah covered her eyes, and when she finally looked over at Cooper, she found he hadn’t realized what was about to happen and his face was covered with soot.
“Whoops.” Instinctively she reached up to wipe it away but smearing the dust only made things worse.
Ironically, Cooper found he was almost amused by her reaction. “At least we know you can blow them up, huh? I guess the gun was a bad idea.”
“Except the blood distracted him. We might need that again.”
“You’re doing pretty well.”
“Yeah, except ... I’m tired.” It was hard for her to admit, but her strength was lagging. “Every time I use my magic, my energy is zapped. There are still two of them out there, and I have a feeling they’re already here. I can’t recharge.”
Cooper studied her face for a beat and then nodded. “Okay, well ... we’ll hunker down in this shop and wait for them.”
“We can’t.” She immediately started shaking her head. “Boone and Tyler are out there. Jinx, too. Jackie and Danielle are due to arrive. That’s on top of the FBI agent, who we’re never going to be able to explain this to.”
Cooper had forgotten about Jacob. “You’re right.” He stroked his hand over her hair and then sighed. “Okay, you stay here. I’ll go and collect the others. You can rest.”
“No.” Hannah was firm. “We can’t separate. I have a bad feeling about what will happen if we do. We have to go together.”
Cooper was torn. “You’re tired, baby.”
“I am, but we’re all going to be dead if we don’t gather together. It’s our only option.”
He wanted to argue, but he knew she was right. “Okay. We’ll stick together. Come on.” He slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her to his side, taking as much of her weight as he could manage. “We’re going to be quick and head straight for the barn. We know Tyler is there. If we’re lucky, Boone will be there, too.”
“Let’s hope we’re lucky for a change.”
“That would be nice, huh?”
18
Eighteen
Cooper remained alert as he led Hannah through the town. Rather than race down Main Street, which was the shortest route, he opted to cut through the buildings. It added time onto their trek, but it didn’t leave them open to random attacks.
At least that’s what he hoped.
When they hit the final hiding spot, the alley behind the saloon, he left Hannah leaning against the wall and poked his head
