Bound by Magick 4-in-1 Box Set (Pentacles of Magick) (11 page)

That was the last she'd been able to pick up on him.
Wherever he’d disappeared to, he must be hidden behind some incredibly powerful
wards. Well, whatever happened out there in the middle of nowhereville, he must
have popped into a hiding place pretty damned fast and so close to Boston it
only made sense he was hidden in the city somewhere.

She yanked her cell phone out of her pocket, pressing star
ten. The direct line for the Reverend. He would be waiting for an update by
now. She was overdue.

“Hello.” His tone clipped in annoyance,

“Hey, Rev. I've got a line on that witch you wanted me to
find. Seems he used some pretty powerful magick at mile marker 14 on Route 20
just outside of Beantown. Unfortunately I think he’s gone to ground 'cause
there's been nothing from him since.”

“Boston, huh? I might actually be able to help you then.”
She listened to the distinct sound of papers being shuffled around. “Yeah, here
it is. I have an address you can check out. A family townhome he might go to
for refuge.”

She dug out a pen from her backpack and scratched the
address down on the map.

“It might take you a while to break through the wards on
that place, but I’d bet that's a good a place as any to find him hiding.” The
phone clicked dead in her ear, the good Reverend had already disconnected before
giving her a chance to respond either way.

Fucking Bastard
.
Good thing he pays well.

She palmed the cell back in her pocket and hunted up the
address on the map. Studying the geography, she surmised she could be there in
under two hours. She folded up the map and stuffed it into a cargo pocket on
her left leg. Climbing back into the car, she leaned over to check on the
potions she had stored in the glove compartment. She'd been tasked with
bringing the witch back alive, but was warned that he was on the verge of
turning and would not be easily captured.

Hence the sleep and paralyzing potions. One way or another
she would get him back to the Rev and collect her finder's fee. A smug smile
played on her lips. Sometimes it paid extremely well to be a witch for hire.

Startled, Cash shot up from sleep. The house was still dark
and a check of the nightstand clock read 5:15 AM. Sunrise was a little ways
off, but something had woken him up. He eased from the covers, not wanting to
wake Selene. They'd been up most of the night, unable to get enough of each
other. He smiled. No matter how many times he took her, he wanted more. His
cock stirred now in his pants just thinking about that pink pussy of hers
welcoming him again.

A small wisp of air brushed his arm. He jerked his body
around, looking for the source. Seeing nothing, he concentrated on the airflow
through the house, down the stairs into the living room and towards the front
door. There. A crack. Damn! The wards were broken. Someone was in the house.

“Selene,” he whispered. “Get up now.”

“What is it?” Looking like she was on autopilot, she sprang
noiselessly from the bed. She grabbed clothes to cover herself and palmed one
of the ritual knives from the dresser. Her movements were so effortless he was
certain she was used to this kind of thing.

“Someone's in the house.”

“How do you know?”

“The alarm went off.”

She looked around the room. “What alarm? I don't hear
anything.” Seconds later she was fully dressed and standing by his side ready
for action.

“Who are you?” he mumbled.

“What are you talking about, Cash? You know who I am.”

“Do I?” He grabbed her hand. “After I get us safely out of
here I think we need to have a long talk.”

She snorted. “After you get us out? I think we'll be doing
this together.”

He hesitated, staring down at her. He sensed a fierce
determination that could prove useful in getting them away. Damn, she was
definitely his kind of woman. He was so screwed.

“Our uninvited guest is at the bottom of the stairs. We only
have a few seconds to get to the back staircase without being seen. Stay
close,” he warned.

“Is it Merc again? How'd he find us? And what happened to
being safe here?” Her voice trembled slightly with fear. “I don't want him to
hurt you because of me. I can negotiate with him. He just needs me.”

He looked at her sharply, pulling her close. “No, I need you
and there will be no negotiating. Is that understood?” She nodded. “Besides,
it's not him. It's a female. Come on, we don't have much time.” His fingers
wrapped around her arm and he hauled her from the room and around the corner.
Backs against the wall so they weren't visible from the stairs, they scooted
along the landing. Reaching the back staircase, Selene took them two at a time.
Not fast enough. When she reached the bottom she hesitated long enough to turn
and look behind her at the same time a woman appeared at the top in time to
hurtle a bottle towards their feet.

“Hold your breath, Selene, now.” He managed the words a
breath before the bottle crashed and the inky vapors poured from the broken
glass. His eyes burned as they leapt over it and hurtled towards the kitchen.
He watched as Selene's hand heated and flared into a flaming ball. “No, Selene,
don't,” he yelled, but either she didn't hear or she ignored him. Not fast enough
to throw up a barrier, he watched helplessly as she flung it at the woman
behind them still shrouded in the shadows.

Quick on her feet, the intruder leapt out of harm's way as
the flare crashed into the wall behind her. The splintered drywall caught fire
in seconds, spreading up and out across the room, flames licking at the
pictures and paintings hung on the wall.

Fuck! Where was his
brother when he needed some water?

From the corner of his eye he saw the witch had another
bottle raised over her head. He grabbed Selene again and propelled her out the
back door as the bottle crashed behind them in the doorway. “The garage,
Selene. Your bike. I forgot the keys though, so I'll have to hotwire it.”

“No worries there. There is an extra key on the bike. I'm always
prepared when it comes to the Busa. She's my savior.” They crashed through the
garage door, closing it tightly behind them. Despite the lock being broken he
knew he could hold off the witch for at least a few minutes with his magick. He
erected a wall of energy around it, blocking the door from being opened.

“What are you doing?” She eyed him curiously.

“Saving our asses, but don't worry about me. Get that bike
going and us out of here.”

She laughed and reached underneath the rear seat cover,
pulling out a small box. She popped it open and grabbed a key from it.

“Let's go, Superman.”

She threw her leg across the seat and snuggled into place.
Her slender fingers turned the key but she waited for him to turn the bike
over. With a last glance at the dark tendrils of magick slipping through the
cracks of his shield, he ran over to the bike, hopping on behind her.

“Doors, please.” The bike roared to life and he barely heard
her request. He pulled a sliver of magick, forming it in his mind into a ball
of air meant to blast open the garage door so they could escape. Flinging it at
the larger non-shielded door, he blasted a hole through it more than large
enough for them to get through. Unfortunately the witch following them must
have anticipated their move and now stood in front of the opening, blocking
their path with two bottles clutched in her hand prepared to be thrown. Cash
knew desperate measures would have to be taken.

His eyes slid closed as he called up his forbidden magick.
The magick each one of his brothers carried inside them, always fighting the
constant lure and call. He embraced the dark, all too familiar slippery slope
that led to his downfall. The wind outside whipped to a frenzy. Cash tried hard
to bend the unleashed power to his will with little luck. It was there to save
him but not necessarily with any boundaries. Bushes surrounding the garage
ripped free from their roots, hurtling towards the dark haired witch who now
stood transfixed, stunned by what happened around her.

The sound of breaking glass distracted Cash from his
thoughts as he watched the witch drop her bottles and grab at her own throat as
if someone or something were choking her. Her fingers scratched at her neck,
her face already turning a darker red from the lack of oxygen. The magick
crawled through him, hurting both him and the young woman clutching at her
throat. He fought it trying to save the witch but it was too late. The dark was
in charge, not him. Not Cash and his will to harm none.

When the witch fell to her knees, Selene turned towards him.
“Stop before you kill her. She can't hurt us now.” The stark fear shining in
her eyes cut him to the bone.

“I can't stop it. That's the problem. I can unleash
incredible power but with no control.”

“There's got to be a way.”

“You would think, but centuries of my family have dealt with
this curse, unable to fix it.” The wind blowing the hair around their faces
slowed significantly while they talked. Choking noises sounded from the girl as
she fell to her knees. Selene grabbed him by the arms, shaking him, pleading
with him to find a way. This wasn't the first time this had happened and he
doubted it would be the last.

Chapter
Three

The moment she touched Cash's arms his power rumbled through
her. Her stomach heaved as nausea again washed over her. Her immediate thought
was to let go and protect herself from it, but she couldn't. She wanted to find
a way to stop him. No one had to die here today. Whatever they were after
wasn't worth the cost of a life. It oozed through her with its emotions of
anger and frustration sharply etched into it. As her body heated in defense,
more of it seeped into her as if attracted by the warmth.

“Selene, what the hell are you doing? I can feel you. Stop
it now before it's too late for you as well. We can't stop it. We can't help
her. Please, Selene, don't do this.”

She didn't let go. Instead she worked harder by channeling
all her heat and psychic energy towards the negative energy rolling from him to
her, keeping it contained so it didn't spread through her. She fought for a
balance, one that would prevent it from taking over her, consuming her. In her
mind’s eye she puzzled through the strands of magick, imagining then like
strings being wrapped in a ball. Cash moved to push her away and her skin
heated, warning him a little to keep him at bay.

“Dammit, Selene, you didn't have to do that. Please listen
to me. This is too dangerous.”

She opened her eyes scrunching up her nose at him. “Leave me
be and shut the hell up. I can't concentrate with your yammering.”

“My what?”

Throwing him a final withering look, she closed her eyes
again to focus. Sweat broke out on her brow as she generated more power and
heat, wrestling the energy she'd received from Cash. Once she found the end,
she released him, propelling herself off the bike and out into the open yard.
She'd managed to contain it into a small, condensed ball but she couldn't hold
it. Not for long. It pushed and strained against its temporary psychic bond.
She called her own power, her heat bursting into flame around it.

She frantically glanced around the yard, searching for
somewhere to throw it. Not the garage—her bike still stood in there and
it was still their only transportation out of here. Peering down the drive, she
saw only an empty street, a few cars, and some small townhomes. Nothing she
wanted to destroy. But time was running out and her bindings were wearing thin.
She turned back towards the house. It was already partially engulfed in flames,
it was her only choice.

Gathering her strength and focus once again, she flung it
high and wide. Aimed straight at the house, the ball of fire connected with the
roof above the kitchen, exploding on contact. She thought briefly of the
scarred wooden table in the kitchen. A table four surly boys had eaten and
likely fought at as they’d grown up together. An important piece of their
history, and she had just destroyed it. With a heavy sigh she once again
remembered why she couldn't be permitted to live in the normal world. No matter
her intentions, bad things always happened when she was involved. The smart
thing would be to turn back or find a place to hide—alone.

With heavy shoulders to accompany a heavy heart, she swung
back around to the garage. Cash was on his knees trying to revive the pretty
girl on the ground. Her face was pale with death. Selene could see the streaks
on her neck where she had clawed herself in an attempt to get some air in her
lungs. Cash's power, whatever it was, had stolen the air right out of her body.
A cold shiver snaked down her spine at the thought. She was in over her head
with this one.

Cash looked up at her, his eyes cold and distant. “She's
breathing, I think she is going to be fine.” He looked at the house and then
back to the garage. “There's a small apartment attached to the back of the
garage, we can take her in there. I imagine the fire trucks will be here any
minute for the house. It would be bad for her to be seen.” As if on cue the
faint sound of the shrill fire truck sirens carried in on the wind.

Cash lifted the fallen attacker into his arms with little
effort and headed toward the back. Selene saw his hand move but didn't see him
reach for a key or the door, but a hidden door slid open and he walked through
the doorway, careful not to hurt the woman in his arms. She stepped over the
threshold behind him into a surprisingly lush apartment. She'd gathered he came
from a wealthy family from the inside of the townhouse, but the décor in here
took things to a new level.

What did I say before
about the rabbit hole?

From old money antiquities and charm to modern art deco was
a huge contrast. Now this looked more like the bachelor pad she would have
expected. With leather sofas and recliners placed strategically around a bank
of flat screen televisions hanging on the wall, it looked like every man's wet
dream. She tried to imagine Cash sitting in here watching the big game with his
brothers. Hmmm. Maybe…

He struck her as more of a boxing kind of man versus your
typical football and basketball aficionado.

Behind the leather seating area was a small but efficient
kitchen area decked out in small, apartment-sized stainless steel appliances
and grey marble countertops. The cleanliness surprised her. The kitchen was
spotless as if it was rarely used. Cash disappeared through an adjoining door
she presumed would be the bedroom.

What the hell were they going to do now? With a heavy sigh,
Selene followed him into the bedroom.

“Cash what are—” The sight of him tying the dark
haired woman's wrists to eyebolts over the lake-sized bed stopped her cold.
He'd laid her out on the bed, even covering her with a thin blanket. “Is that
really necessary?”

“What do you think? She wasn’t here to invite us to tea.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” She walked closer to peer into
the woman's face, trying to not think about the fact that there were hooks in
the wall above this bed. Whose room was this? Cash's? Her sex clenched at the
idea. He'd struck her as a bit dominating during sex but she hadn't even
considered this. “Who is she?”

He lifted her unconscious arm, flipping it over to reveal a
small black tattooed symbol on the inside of her wrist. “Do you recognize
this?”

"No, what is it?

“Coven marking. One I'm very familiar with. It seems our
unwelcome guest was after me, not you.”

“I-I don't understand. Did you say a coven? As in a Wiccan
coven?”

“Uhh, sort of. It's a long story.”

Selene sank down into the chair next to the bed. “I think
we've got time. Unless I’m mistaken, and this isn't a secure hiding place.
Considering all outside noise ceased the minute the hidden door closed behind
us, I take it we’re not likely to be found in here.”

“Smart girl. Observant, too. I'm very impressed.”

Her expression didn't change. She sat staring at him,
waiting. Inside she might be trembling but he would never see it. Outside she
was cold, calm, and collected. It was what she’d been trained to be. “Not in
here. Let's go to the other room to talk, there's no telling when she’ll wake
up.”

Selene rose, following Cash to the living room. She watched
him sit on the leather sofa, draping his muscled torso and arms along the back
while stretching his long legs in front of him onto the coffee table. His hands
threaded through his wavy locks, a resigned gesture. His body vibrated with
gentle waves of power but his eyes expressed fatigue. Watching him try to
relax, she longed for something she hadn't dared for in a very long time.

A life.

Swallowing a sigh, she shook herself from her fantasies.
Having a normal life was out of the question for someone like her. Termination
was in her future soon if she didn't come up with a plan for escape. It was
only a matter of time before Merc located her once again. The man was as
relentless as a pit bull with a dog bone. He would track her down it was only a
matter of time.

While she seemed distracted, Cash took a moment to study
her. On the outside she was beautiful and cool. To anyone else she would appear
cold. But he knew better. He'd seen and felt her heat. They had linked. The
signs were unmistakable. After the magick he had just used he should be
violently ill and angry. Yeah, the anger… He'd gotten so used to experiencing
it, he felt a little weird without it. She'd absorbed it, then burned it with
that final fireball, he would guess. He didn't regret losing his childhood home
all that much. As soon as Grae found out about it he would have it rebuilt and
restored to the exact specifications it had been. Besides a few personal
belongings that would be lost, they wouldn't be able to tell it was a rebuild.
Amazing what money and his determined twin could do.

This place was more his style anyway. His gaze swept the
room, admiring the simplicity and comfort he had here. All of their houses had
rooms like this. Somewhere they could escape to if the main house was breached.
This wasn't exactly the first time someone had come after him. No, he stayed
prepared for the all too frequent attacks.

“So are you going to tell me what's going on? Or are you
planning to daydream all day?” Her smart mouth roused him from his thoughts,
bringing a smile to her face. Oh, how he'd love to show her what to do with
that mouth. His cock stirred in his pants at the thought of instructing her.

Her plump lips formed a smirk on her face and he thought how
lucky she was to be across the room and not sitting next to him right now.

“The woman lying in my bed right now is from a small coven
of particularly heartless witches. Ones that for the right price will do just
about any job you ask of them. And, considering we saw her up close and
personal this morning, I would assume she has been hired to capture, not kill.”

“Wait.” She held up her hands to stop him. “A witch for
hire? Is this some kind of joke? 'Cause I don't think it's very funny.” She
paced across the room.

“No, Selene, I am serious.”

She shook her head, looking confused and very unbelieving.
“Since when did I step into an episode of Charmed? This is ridiculous. Right?”

He weighed his options here. How much did he tell her? It
would be easy enough to make up a story that he was a target because of his
wealthy family. That his uncle sought his fortune, not his life.

Then why was the witch trying to capture you? The voice of
reason in his head whispered. Good God damned question.

“Selene, think about it. You have already seen that I have
abilities like you but different.”

“Uh, yeah. I'd say different all right. Sure, I can throw a
good flame and on a good day feel and sense emotions around me and even on a
rare occasion hear things. But…I can't control the air, or throw up force
fields or open doors without touching them. So yeah, we are—” She stopped
mid sentence, staring at him. Her eyes narrowed as he watched the truth dawning
in the clear blue eyes that entrapped him.

“Are you…are you telling me—no. No. No.” She turned
and paced again. “You can't be trying to tell me that you are a-are a…”

“A witch, Selene. I'm a witch. A full-blooded one from a
long line of true witches.” He stood up, walking over to her. His body ached to
be close to hers. “It's not a dirty word, you know.” When she refused to look
at him directly he reached down and touched his fingers to her chin, lifting
her gaze to his. “There is nothing to be afraid of. I won't let anything happen
to you.”

“It's not that,” she whispered.

“Open your mind to the possibilities, babe. You may not be a
witch like me but, you do have special abilities that make you different from
ninety-nine percent of the human population. It's not much of a stretch beyond
that to believe in magick.” He softly touched his lips to hers, hoping to
soothe her fears. “Magick is not bad, people are.”

Her mouth opened for him on a soft sigh and what was meant
to be a comforting kiss turned electric and hot in seconds. Her tongue stabbed
into his mouth, seeking his, sliding against his lips and setting him on fire.
Meeting her tongue, he kissed her back, thrust for thrust as if fucking her
mouth like his body burned to be fucking her.

With sure, slow movements, he unbuttoned her top, revealing
the bare breasts beneath. She hadn't had time for undergarments when they'd
fled from the house, which pleased him immensely. Pushing her top from her
shoulders, it fell to the floor with a gentle wisp. His hands cupped her full
breasts, rubbing his thumbs across her tightened nipples. A low moan sounded in
her throat as he continued to caress her.

Breaking the kiss, he dipped his head to circle one of the
delectable hard tips with his tongue. Her head fell back and her back arched,
pushing more of her silken flesh to his eager mouth. His teeth nibbled gently
until, encouraged by her moans, he bit one. Gentle at first, then a little
harder each time, he moved back and forth between them. Pleased with her gasps
and moans of pleasure, he increased the pain until she panted and pleaded for
him to stop. A sly smile quirked at his mouth.

Trailing kisses along the curve of her neck, he nipped at
her chin before once again capturing her lips. Her hands left his shoulders,
sliding to the waistband of his jeans as she fumbled with the buttons and
pushed him towards the couch. He jerked away from her hand, breaking the kiss
and pushing her back a few steps.

“No, Selene. This is one place you can't be in control.” He
paused. “Ever.”

Her eyes opened, lust shining back at him. She seemed to be
considering his comments. Distracted once again by the lovely color of her flushed
breasts, he reached for them, pinching and pulling the tender skin. “I love the
way you rise to danger, ready to fight at all costs, but here, like this, it
has to be my way. You have to trust me that I will take care of your needs,
Selene.” He waited, giving her time to consider his words.