Pushing my shoulder, Dave indicated that we should go in. Maybe Lucien had been expecting us, and decided to welcome us with open arms. He was confident in his power, yet not aware that I’d visited the ancestors.
Our feet were quiet on the wooden floorboards as I led us into the hallway. Sticking my head around the archways of several rooms, I shook it to let the others know it was clear.
Dave pointed at the library. I hadn’t wanted to go in there, my heart tripping at the idea of meeting Lucien in a place full of beauty. My skin tingled as I followed my desk friend, my breath rushing out of me when we found the place vacant.
The whole place was empty, I could feel it within me. So, why had Jake led us here? He must have smelt our killer.
About to go up the stairs, we all halted when a howl, followed by a squeal, sounded from outside. We were running before any of us said anything. Jake.
Flinging open the door, I tried to go outside, but my whole body jolted as it smashed into an invisible wall. On the porch, Lucien stared straight at me, his eyes wild. Jake’s wolf form was at the bottom of the steps, blood evident on his side.
“What have you done?” Fury exploded inside me as spittle flew from my lips.
Pressing my hands against the barrier wall, I pushed my magic into it, my anger propelling it into the spell. A slow cracking alerted me to the shattering of the wall. My hands fell through, my feet able to exit the house.
Lucien backtracked, his feet stumbling down the steps as I charged for him. My face screwed up; I could feel the distortion of my mouth as I gritted my teeth.
Throwing up his hand, Lucien screamed a spell. A brush of flames licked me as I burst through the circle of fire he’d tried to place around me.
“I don’t think so!” he shouted.
My brain suddenly squeezed, the pain forcing me to my knees. Shit, the bastard was using my own spell against me. The others were on the ground behind me, their faces contorted in agony. If he could stop me, he could kill them. My magic thrummed through me, as powerful as it had been when I was connected to the ley line. I was the only one who could stop him.
“I’m here to ask you to marry me,” I shoved through my teeth. Yeah, it was a weird lie and one that just popped from my mouth.
The pain decreased, my breath able to suck into my lungs. As I glanced around, the others started to get to their feet.
“This is between us,” Lucien shouted, his finger clicking.
Both Dave and Kate dropped to the floor, their eyes rolling into the back of their head. I stared at them, watching their chests to make sure they were alive. They were.
Turning back to the mass murderer, I tried to steady the rapid beat of my heart and the shake of my muscles. It was just me and him now. The extended team would join me soon, hopefully seeing that I was alone out here.
“You’re on your own now. You’ve treated me so badly, Gemma. All I ever wanted was for us to be married.”
“Where’s your father?” I changed the subject, not quite ready to talk weddings.
Cocking his head to the side, he stared at me.
Studying him, I took in the light ginger stubble on his chin, the grey eyes and the mousey hair that was cropped at the sides, longer on top. He wore jeans and a black cotton shirt. He looked like a normal man in his thirties. However, he was a psychotic serial killer with a father to match.
“He’s popped out for some milk.” The smirk that accompanied his words made my stomach flip.
Closing my eyes briefly, I pulled on the ancestors’ magic as hard as I could. I wasn’t going to stand around and chat. It was time to bring him in.
“That’s a shame, he won’t see his son fail.” Throwing out my hand, I envisioned binds wrapped around Lucien.
They instantly appeared as the ground vibrated. The magic was working. His eyes widened as long vines entangled themselves around him, trapping his arms to his sides and his legs together.
“No, you cannot do this. What is this?” He struggled hard, his eyes rolling around as he tried to get free.
Holding the spell, I kept my focus completely on him. He shouted the same spell as before, but I blocked it with a reversal spell. He almost went on his knees when it hit him square in the head.
Laughter suddenly erupted from him as he incited a water spell. A circle appeared around me and water poured from the sky. It instantly started to rise, unable to break free of the invisible tube that surrounded me.
“Really?” I screamed as he carried on laughing.
He was still trapped, but his magic was strong. If I didn’t get backup soon, he might have been able to break free of the bounds. Glancing around, I punched the invisible barrier that circulated around me. The water was up to my knees now, the thundering of it drowning out my pleas for help.
Peering through my prison, I searched for the agents who should’ve been assisting us. There they were, trapped outside by another barrier spell. We’d given them instructions on how to get through spells like that, but they were thrusting against it uselessly, unable to break through.
“If you let me go, I’ll let you go!” Lucien cried. “I’ve had enough of fighting. Let’s get married and have a baby.”
The crazed look in his eyes prevented him from keeping eye contact with me. The water was cold against my butt as it rose even higher. If I didn’t break the wall, I would drown.
Pushing against the barrier, I repeated what I had done earlier to get free
