Carnal Sin

Michael’s. But what choice did he have? Julie had information about Wendy and the demon that they needed. More important, she knew where Grant was.

“All right. You can hitch a ride with me.”

Rafe felt Julie’s spirit touch him. Her fear wrapped around him-she was terrified. As he relaxed, she merged with his aura, then slipped inside his consciousness, but made no move to squash his thoughts or seize physical control.

She blended her thoughts with his, and for a minute he was disoriented and unsteady on his feet. She shared what had happened to her with him, dumping the memories in his mind as if he’d lived them. The demon Lust, taking her body. Killing Ike, the bartender. Wendy’s plans to turn Moira over to Fiona.

Thank you, she whispered from deep inside his mind.

Rafe wobbled on his feet. Johnston grabbed him before he fell. “Hey, do you need a doctor?”

“I’m okay.”

“Why don’t you sit here awhile? My officer is checking on Ms. O’Donnell. She seems to be taking a long time.”

You have to get rid of him! Julie demanded.

But Rafe might need a cop with him. He said to Johnston, “That was Moira-she said she’s at Velocity.”

Johnston couldn’t hide his irritation and distrust. “What?”

“Your partner called her, said he was there and asked her to come down.”

What are you doing!

Trust me, he told her. Honestly? He didn’t have a plan. He was winging it. But he wasn’t going to leave Moira to face Wendy and Nicole Donovan without backup.

“I’ll follow you,” Johnston said. “Straight to Velocity.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rafe half walked, half ran to his truck. As he started the ignition, his phone vibrated.

It was a text from Moira.

Hurry. There’s a spell working. If you have to bring the cop, bring him.

“I’m already ahead of you, sweetheart.”

Moira sensed magic as soon as she approached Velocity, but she couldn’t discern what kind of spell was at work. She closed her eyes and focused on her sense of touch, lifting her arms slightly away from her body as if reaching out to a timid animal. The faint energy slithered up her hand, under her jacket, caressing her skin. It had taken her a long time to hone these skills, but she blocked out sight and sound, allowed the magic to touch her so she knew exactly what she faced. Her skin tightened, her heart rate quickened, and she could almost see the energy seductively reaching for her. Its tendrils wrapped around Velocity, rolling out of the club’s foundation as an ocean wave stretches up the beach, its liquid reach long but losing potency with distance.

A powerful spell protected the club. She didn’t know if there was a demon inside the building, but she had to assume Lust was here.

Cautiously, she walked around to the alleyway. She didn’t see Grant Nelson’s car, but she didn’t know what he was driving today. Personal car or cop car. She pulled out her phone to text Rafe.

Hurry. There’s a spell working. If you have to bring the cop, bring him.

A dark breeze brushed over Moira’s skin as she pressed Send. She closed her eyes and focused. Primal fear gripped her and refused to let her go as she suddenly felt a thousand eyes watching her. Whoever was inside knew of her arrival. The magic told them.

The heavy metal employee door leading into Velocity slammed open and Moira jumped to the side, pulling out her dagger, angry with herself for not sensing the spell earlier, before it revealed her. Nicole Donovan stepped from the doorway and said with thick sarcasm, “Moira O’Donnell. What a surprise.”

“This round is over,” Moira said. “We know how to trap Lust. Good guys two, bad witches zero. Now where’s Grant Nelson?”

Nicole laughed. “You are so far behind us, Moira. You don’t even know what demon you’re battling.”

“It’s you who are out of step, Nicole. You brought Lust with you to L.A., and Lust is who you sacrificed Nadine Anson to. You of all people should know how powerful that bitch of a demon is! You summoned it.”

“The Seven are spread far and wide,” Nicole said with such confidence, Moira knew she believed the lie.

“Is that what Fiona told you? That you’re protected from the Seven? That they won’t hurt you? That there is no connection? That’s bullshit. You are forever connected to the Seven Deadly Sins. You’re a carrier of their demonic virus. Wherever you go, they will find you. Tell me where Fiona is and I’ll stop this insanity.”

For a split second, Nicole hesitated, considered what Moira said.

“Why don’t you simply cast a spell and find her yourself?”

“Dammit, this isn’t a game!”

“No one else believes you gave up magic, Moira. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. You’re easy prey for someone like my sister. You cannot imagine what she has done, or what she will do.”

Moira was not going to rise to the bait. “Give me Grant and I’ll clean up your mess. If Lust takes his soul, it’s freed from Wendy’s spell. It will hurt more people, while you sit here and watch people you claim to care about die.”

“There’s your mistake, Moira. You presume that there are people here that I care about.”

Nicole’s plan suddenly became clear to Moira. She’d thought Nicole was a follower, one of the easily led. She was a lot more dangerous than Moira had assumed. “You want Wendy dead.”

“I want what’s mine. Give me the chalice and I won’t turn Raphael over to Fiona.”

“You can’t touch him,” Moira said, but fear rose in her chest. “You don’t even know where he is.”

“Fiona can get to Raphael whenever she wants. It’s you that will solidify my position with her.”

“We melted the chalice. It’s gone.”

Nicole shook her head. “You’re a good liar, Moira, but I know you didn’t because we’re still in control of the succubus.”

“You mean the demon Lust.”

She shrugged. Too casually. She was too cocky, too confident. She had no weapon. What was going on? “The chalice, or you’re going to die,” Nicole demanded.

“No.”

Every pore on her skin burned as if on fire as magic energy increased rapidly and she barely got her dagger up in time to block the surge. She could see the magic in the area, a shimmering of light and dark, magically charged air a fraction denser than the air surrounding it. No one else would be able to see it. Not Rafe. Not even most practicing witches. Why her, she didn’t know, but this gift-or curse-enabled her to protect herself and others.

She pulled out her backup knife and like two swords, had the dagger and knife extended, reflecting magic only she could see; but even more than sight, she heard each jolt of energy clash against the sacred metal blades as it went off in every direction but at her. She didn’t want to hurt Nicole, but the woman made her angry.

Nicole was using battle magic, not curses or lengthy rituals. Battle magic could be summoned quickly, but it had no lasting power. In order to have the time to work a more elaborate, dangerous spell, Nicole aimed to zap Moira and render her unable to defend herself.

Moira couldn’t let her get a shot in. She had to distract her until Rafe arrived. Grant might not even be here. Nicole may simply be a distraction to keep Moira from finding him. But if Grant Nelson wasn’t here, where was he? Did they already have him? Were they holding him captive until sunset, when they’d turn him over to Lust?

Sweat beaded on Nicole’s face as she worked her magic. Her voice began to rise, fervent in its urgency.

“You give me Grant, I won’t hurt you,” Moira said.

Nicole laughed. “Hurt me? Please. Nothing you can do will stop the ritual.”

She smiled, and Moira had a very bad feeling.

Because all her senses were focused on stopping the battle magic, she didn’t feel the person approach from behind until it was too late.

She whirled around, but the blow hit her squarely on the side of her head and she fell to the ground. Pam