Destined Magic (2 page)

Loving each other? Could it be? Peering closely, Garrett saw the first blush of color coming into his magic-house tattoo. The prancing unicorn now sported a golden horn, and the body and mane showed a slight hint of white, signifying that his Destined One was close by. He glanced over at Gabriella’s tattoo. A hint of gray and purple showed in the tail of the mermaid. She was his destined soul-mate, and he must take her to jail for warning her little sister away.

Garrett’s cell phone rang
, and he glanced down to see Tolya’s number. He answered the call, staring into Gabriella’s blue eyes.

“Yeah.”

“You were right about the waitress,” the Siberian lycanthrope Tolya said. “I’m over here at an apartment complex that reeks of blood magic. I need the Guardians here ASAP.”

“We’re on our way, Tolya. Don’t go in alone
. Lycans may be immune to magic, but you aren’t immune to guns. I don’t want to explain to Angeline how you got hurt.”

“Hurry then. I’m itching to take these guys out. I smell the blood of an infant in there.”

“No, not an infant. Brenna wouldn’t ...” Gabriella’s white skin became translucent. She swayed, and Garrett ran around the bar and scooped her up as she crumbled. The other Guardians ran over to see what was happening.

“Josiah, take the rest of the
Guardians and join Tolya. He’s on the phone. Hone in on the frequency of his voice and port to his location.” Garrett motioned with his head to the phone on the bar.

“Garrett, she wouldn’t,” Gabriella said
, tears running down her face. “She can’t be that far gone. This isn’t how I saw this. We were in the basement. You were going to execute Brenna. I jumped in front of her to save her. You killed me. I’m the one supposed to die.”

Elise, an air witch and healer, walked up and checked Gabriella’s pulse. “Garrett, you are connected with this woman on a soul level. I can see your auras merging.”

“I know, Elise. Go with Josiah. Let me take care of my Destined One.”

“Oh my God, oh my God
...” Gabriella cried hysterically.

Garrett gathered his magic and did the only thing he could think of to take away Gabriella’s pain. He
put her to sleep. He cradled her small body in his arms, kissing her temple.

“I’m sorry, Ella. But we can’t save your sister if she’s killed someone. I’m so sorry,”
he whispered. “Damek, shut down the bar. I’m taking her into headquarters,” Garrett said to his cousin, an earth witch.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the bar needs to close
. We have an emergency situation. Please pay your bills and leave the premises,” Damek said, ushering people outside.

“What are you going to do?” Damek asked
, coming up to Garrett when the last person walked out the door.

Garrett looked down at the woman s
leeping in his arms. “She’s my Destined One. I’m going to keep her.”

“You did what?” Mabel Avery glared at him from behind her metal desk at Guardian headquarters in London. The commander of the Guardians was a petite brunette who had a killer smile. But no one underestimated her powers of witchcraft and cunning. Belonging to the Royal house of Avery, Mabel was one of the rare Royals who could control all the elements on a whim. She had befriended Garrett after his mother died.

“I left Miss Ross at my home. She is under my sleep spell
, and a guard is posted outside her door.” Garrett sat quietly. He knew too much emotion at this point wouldn’t get him what he wanted—custody of Ella. Since she was his Destined One, he had no difficulty going against Guardian policy by keeping her at his residence instead of bringing her in to be questioned.

“
She needs to be charged with accessory and questioned. The council is worried about all these blood cults springing up and wants to make an example of her.”

“Well
, they can find another scapegoat. Her aura is clean. She’s never been in the presence of blood magic. I know I’m asking a lot, but Gabriella Ross is my Destined One. I will protect her any way I can.”

“Your
Destined One? Well, that is inconvenient.” Mabel got up and paced behind her desk, the soles of her boots echoing on the tile floor. “At the very least, she will be fined for owning the property where blood magic was practiced. Her magic house will be fined as well. We have to do something to stop this madness.”

“I have money, and so does my father. I’ll pay her fines.”

“I’ll have to clear this with the council. I only hope that having your father as one of its members will help your cause. A few of the councilmen feel that we need to have tougher consequences to stop this deviant behavior. If we don’t get a handle on these groups, the human police will start to take notice. Then, we risk the world finding out about us.”

“Are you sure that’s a bad thing? This is the world of J.K. Rowling and the Wizards of Waverly Place. We might be welcomed.”

“This is also the world of radical extremists, and we could immediately become a target. There would be witch hunts all over again.”

“We live in this world right next door to
humans. Do you really think that they would turn on us?”

“This discussion is for the council to decide. Right now, our job is to stop these maniacs without endangering our people. I am going to do everything
in my power to make that happen.” Mabel paused in her pacing and leaned over her desk at him.

Garrett stood and moved closer to his side of th
e desk. Mabel needed to know he was serious. “You have my full support. This group murdered an infant in their last ritual. I want to catch them as badly as you do.”

Mabel
looked Garrett in the eye, then smiled. She was beautiful when she smiled, and as any other man would, Garrett took notice. But Mabel, seven years older, was his friend. He thought of her as an older sister, and she treated him the same way.

“C
ongratulations on finding your Destined One.” Mabel walked around the desk to stand in front of him. “You know how rare that is, right? I wish you all the happiness in the world.”

“Thank you, Mabel, and thank you for understanding.”

Mabel pulled him in for a hug. Garrett hugged her back, thankful that this talented witch had his back. “Please be careful. If her siste
r
i
s
in this cult, sooner or later, Gabriella will be on their list to eliminate. Now, walk me out. I need to go talk to the council. Good thing they have a morning meeting on the docket.”

Garrett obediently went to the door and waited for
Mabel to gather her things. When she finished, she looked like an average businesswoman on her way to a meeting, briefcase in hand.

He opened the door
, and she preceded him into the reception area.

“Garrett, Mabel,” a voice called. Garrett turned to see Angeline Penwick Mikhailov
, the Guardian’s new office manager. Angeline hurried over and handed Mabel a stack of folders. “Here are the files you requested Ms. Avery. You were right. With five reports being filed, there has been a definite increase in blood-magic activity in the last six months. Before that, you might have one or two instances in a year.”

Angeline
had mated with Tolya, the first lycan to be chosen as a Guardian in the history of the force. Angeline smiled shyly. “Garrett, I wanted to know how Seth did last night. Were there any problems?” Now that Angeline was mated to a lycan, Seth was like a younger brother.

“He did well
,” Garrett said. “It helps that magic normally has no effect on a lycan.” Seth MacDonald, a lycan, surprised the whole witches’ community when his Guardian tattoo appeared after shaking hands with Garrett’s father. The young wolf-shifter, only nineteen, was the youngest person to be chosen as a Guardian. Garrett had made sure the youth had backup at all times.

There was one lycan who wasn’t immune to magic.
Garrett thought about his brother-in-law, Brencis, and couldn’t help but smile. Meadow’s new husband had the Royal house of Avery in his lineage, and unlike the other lycans who were immune, was allergic to magic. Angeline smiled as well, probably remembering the magic confetti incident at Meadow’s wedding. “Having lycan tracking abilities has helped,” Garrett continued. “Seth and Vahni, a fire witch Guardian, are out trying to find where the other coven members are hiding.”

“Elise said you found your Destined O
ne,” Angeline said. Garrett grimaced. The news was spreading like wildfire. Of course, Elise and Angeline were both air witches, so they belonged to the same magic house, Luften.

“Yes, the pub owner. Her name is Gabriella Ross.”

“Congratulations. I can’t wait to meet her.”

“Well, it might be a while. Her sister is a member of this new blood cult
who used Ella’s basement to do their magic.”

“How awful
. I’m so sorry. Ella must be terribly upset, her sister being involved. I know I couldn’t believe it when members of
my
coven turned away from our first commandment, harm none.”

Garrett grimaced
as he remembered the day he met Angeline. Both Angeline and his half-sister, Meadow, had been captured to be used as sacrifices, Angeline for her virginity, and Meadow for her magic and life. Luckily, that event became a success story in the Guardian chronicles, and the young women were rescued, unlike the bust last night when the Guardians were too late to save the infant.

“I really need to get going if I’m going to make the council meeting,” Mabel said. “Thank you for getting these files to me, Angeline. You’ve become a wonderful asset to the Guardians
, and I know your husband likes having you near.”

Angeline blushed from the praise
, then giggled. “It’s nice to be able to help, especially when you have a possessive lycan for a mate.”

Angeline wasn’t much older than Seth.
Garrett felt his chest tighten. He needed to keep his people safe. What was going on with all these blood cults springing up?

Garrett followed Mabel to the door. “Let me know if you get anything interesting from
interrogating the other cult members,” Mabel said. “I’ll contact you with the council’s decision about Gabriella. Try to catch some sleep. You look like hell.”

Garrett nodded
, knowing Mabel was probably right. She walked out into the sunshine. He turned and headed for the basement and the nullifying cells. The coven members captured last night needed to be questioned.

§

Several hours later, Garrett walked into his bedroom, his gaze immediately going to the woman asleep in his bed. He sat down next to her and checked her pulse. Even though sun was shining in the window, Gabriella would not wake until he released her from the sleeping spell. Sighing, he got up and closed the curtains. At least, one of them had slept last night.

Mabel
had reported back to him that the council approved his request to pay any penalties against his newly found Destined One. Ella had been put into his care with several conditions attached.

Ella’s pub, t
he Blue Dolphin, was closed until further notice, a fact that was sure to make her mad. But until all the members of her sister’s coven were rounded up, the pub would remain closed by decree from the Witches Council.

Last night, s
everal suspected blood-magic coven members, including Gabriella’s sister, fled down the fire escape, while the Guardians were taking the others into custody. The mission would not be considered a success until all the coven members were caught.

Gabriella was his best lead on where her si
ster and the others might go. Getting her to agree to help find her sister for the Witches Council was another matter.

Sighing, Garrett pulled out the nullifying bracelet from his pocket
, another condition of her remaining in his care. The steel bracelet engraved with magic symbols interwoven with knots would have been pretty, if its effect weren’t so frightening to one of his kind. He slipped it over Gabriella’s tattoo. It would keep her from using any magic until he released the catch himself. She would hate him for taking her powers away.

He knew what it felt like to reach for your magic and find nothing
. Part of the Guardians’ training regime consisted of removing your magic for one day. He remembered the first moment of panic when he realized a huge part of his soul was missing.

Gabriella would feel very vulnerable and off balance. He didn’t know her well enough to know
exactly how she would react. The fact that she was his Destined One made matters worse.

At least
, they weren’t bonded yet, so he wouldn’t suffer from her losing her magic. When Destined Ones bonded, they could pull power from each other as well as share their elements. He lightly caressed her cheek, hating himself for the misery he was causing her.

Leaning down
, he feathered her lips with kisses as he released her from the sleeping spell. He continued to kiss her as her eyelids fluttered and she slowly came out of the influence of the spell. She sighed, and he deepened the kiss, needing to taste her and show her some of what he felt.

She stiffened
, then pushed him away. He pulled back from her, stood up and looked down at her, still lying on the bed. From the panic that came into her eyes, he knew the instant she realized her magic was missing.

“What have you done?” she screeched at him, tugging on the bracelet around her wrist.

“I’ve protected you the best way that I could. I warned you there would be consequences for helping your sister.”

“My magic
. It’s gone. Have you stripped me of my magic?” Her voice filled with horror as she started to shake.

“No.
It’s only temporary. You’re my Destined One. Do you really think I would strip you of your magic?” Garrett longed to comfort her, to hold her in his arms. She was terrified. He reached out and took her hand and was glad when she didn’t pull away.

“I feel so cold, so empty. I can’t take it, Garrett. G
ive it back. I need my magic.” She stared at him, the shock in her gaze striking his heart.

“Gabriella, I can’t. The council has decreed that your magic will remain nullified until we take your sister and the rest of her coven into custody. I had to fight to keep you from being locked up. As it is
, you are under house arrest and have been placed in my care. If you cooperate and help us find your sister, I will take you with me when I go out to look for her.”

“If I don’t?” she asked
, her gaze going from bleak to icy.

“Then
, you will remain in the house under guard until I get back. The quicker your sister is caught, the quicker you get your powers returned to you.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Just one night. I would have told you if it had been longer.”

Gabriella nodded her head
and turned away from him. Garrett didn’t want to be in this position. She was his Destined One, his one true love. He wanted to hold her and cherish her, not torture her. Nullifying her powers would wear her down until she either gave in to his demands or went insane. Either way, she would come to hate him. He lifted one of the blankets at the foot of the bed and covered her quaking body.

“Ella, I know this is a terrible choice I’ve given you. Help me find your sister so I can release your magic.”

“I don’t know what to do. I can’t help you kill my sister.” She stared pointedly the other way.

“Your sister
killed an infant in her latest ritual last night. Somewhere, there is a family wondering where their precious child is and why someone would have taken her. If Brenna were human, she would be convicted of murder. Can we do any less?”

“At least
, she would be innocent until proven guilty.” Gabriella whipped around and pointed at him. “You’ve already convicted her.”

“Do you want to see what your sister did to that child? She may not ha
ve held the knife, but she was part of the rite that murdered that baby. I don’t need any more evidence than what I’ve already found.”