[Southern Arcana 3.0] Deadlock (13 page)

Magic exploded.

The phone slipped from Alec’s fingers as he staggered under the wave of sheer, undiluted power. It was so overwhelming that he couldn’t even pinpoint a source, not until Carmen’s voice rose in a scream of protest from the front yard.

He faintly heard Jackson’s frantic voice spilling out of the speaker on his phone, but instinct moved his feet before he could stop to think. One hand landed on the railing of his porch and he vaulted it, four feet up and then ten down, enough that he gave into momentum and rolled before springing to his feet again.

Then he ran.

It was the witch. She stood in the yard, chanting, as one of the men from the house in Algiers lifted Carmen off her feet.

The rhythmic chanting paused as the witch turned her head. “Drop the girl. Deal with the shifter.”

Carmen hit the driveway, and the burly man rushed him.

In the second before the huge body crashed into his, Alec caught the scent of blood in the air, distracting enough that he hit the ground, the muscle-bound shifter on top of him.

The man drew back a fist and drove it into Alec’s jaw. Pain splintered the world into overlapping fragments, but at least it drew his attention back to the fight. Alec shook off the blow and used a move he’d seen Zola pull more than once to get a larger opponent off of her. A feint to the left, as if trying to throw the man off him, then a lightning-fast change in direction the second the bulky man started to pull right.

They rolled together and Alec got a knee in the shifter’s gut and smashed his fist into his face. Bone shattered and a hoarse yelp of pain split the air, but it wasn’t loud enough to cover Carmen’s agonized moan as magic lashed through the still evening.

The man cursed over the sound of metal clearing a leather holster. Nickel plating glinted in the fading evening light as he lifted a pistol to Alec’s head.

No time to be flashy. Alec swung a fist and knocked the hand and gun to the side, then smacked it again, sending the weapon flying.

A meaty hand slammed into his face, a strong thumb digging hard into one eye. Alec choked on a curse and reared back, barely keeping the man from gouging out his eye, but he couldn’t escape the painful pressure. The shifter huffed out a short, triumphant laugh, only to draw up short as a gunshot rang out.

The man let go to press his hand to a rapidly welling spot of blood on his shoulder. Alec rolled him, taking advantage of his opponent’s pain and distraction to wrench his head and snap his neck. The man went limp, and Alec came to his knees in time to see Carmen, the shifter’s gun held easily in both hands.

In that moment, she was the hottest thing he’d ever seen.

“Alec.” Carmen’s hand shook, and her relieved expression turned to one of horror as her arm moved, jerkily at first and then more smoothly. Her fingers twitched as if she wanted to drop the gun but couldn’t, and she raised her hand, lifting the barrel to her temple.

Alec froze, both hands held out at his side. He didn’t dare move, not even to turn his head and face the witch head on. “What do you want?”

“To finish my job.” The witch’s voice held a gentle, almost cajoling edge. “Ten minutes, and everything will be done.”

“Everything what? What are you trying to do?”

The woman snorted, and the beads in her hair clicked as she shook her head. “If you don’t understand, you shouldn’t interfere.”

His wolf battered against his self-control, frantic to break free and eliminate the threat. Alec choked it back hard. “No one’s interfering.”

“I am,” Carmen said angrily. Her trembling ceased as she rose and took a step back. “I’m saying no. No more magic, no more spells. I’d rather pull the trigger.”

His heart damn near stopped in his chest. “Carmen—”

The witch spoke over him, her dark eyes narrowing in her pale face. “You’re bluffing.”

“Am I?”

For an eternity, the two women stared at each other. Finally, the older woman whispered something and magic snapped through the air. The gun flew out of Carmen’s hand, and the witch turned to Alec, one hand raised as she whispered an incantation.

An incantation she’d never finish. Adrenaline gave him speed. The need to shake Carmen until she promised never to bluff again—and dear God, she had better have been bluffing—gave him a vicious edge.

Alec crossed the space between them before the woman got three words out. On the fourth he pounced, flying through the air separating them.

She never got out the fifth word. She threw up both hands and Alec knocked them aside and caught his fingers in her braids. His palm slammed into her chin. One twist, one snap, and she hit the ground in a lifeless heap.

Carmen sucked in a harsh breath and fell to her knees. For a moment, everything was silent. Still.

Then she screamed.

Alec’s heart tried to climb into his throat. He scrambled to his knees and lurched to his feet, covering the space between them in a few ragged steps. He hit the grass and skidded toward her. “Carmen, Carmen, it’s okay, sweetheart. You’re okay—”

Her hands clenched, fingers digging into the grass. She growled and lifted her head, her entire body trembling and wary.

Wild. She was wild. His instincts said feral, and he kept his body rigid. Ready to stop her from hurting herself. “Take a breath,” he coaxed. “You’re okay.”

She growled again, part question and part warning, and moved closer. One hand hovered near his chest, and she pressed her cheek close to his and inhaled sharply.

Carmen turned her head and bit his jaw.

Lust burned through him, wiping away everything human and leaving the wolf in its wake, hungry and curious. Alec’s hands swept up her back before he could stop them, curling in her hair so he could guide her head back.

He was supposed to guide her head back. He just couldn’t remember why.

She released him, only to brush her lips and tongue soothingly over his skin. Her hand flattened against his chest, slid down past his stomach.

Alec caught her wrist when her fingers reached his fly. “Oh, no you don’t, lady. This is not you.”

She didn’t snap or snarl. Instead, she made a soft, coaxing noise and nuzzled his ear.

Christ. If he let go of her hand she’d find his dick rock-hard and willing, but the rest of him couldn’t be. Not with her clearly out of her mind and a body on the ground.

Two bodies.
Christ.
“
Carmen
.”

She went rigid and jerked her hand free of his. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, and she rocked back, moving away from him slowly.

If she bolted, he’d have to chase her down. He only had so much self-control. He held out a hand, stopping just short of touching her arm. “Honey, let’s go inside—”

Carmen slapped at his hand and scrambled out of reach. She opened her mouth as if to speak—then turned and sprang into a dead run.

He chased her because he had to. Because she was beautiful and wild, because she was hurting and he had to make it stop.

Magic must have been at work, because she was damn fast. She nearly hit the tree line before Alec caught her around the waist, dragging her body back against his chest. “Be
still
.”

She fought, her nails digging painful furrows into his arm, and she kicked. One blow bounced her heel off his shin and his knee, and she threw back her head and howled with rage and pain.

It shredded his heart, but he couldn’t let her go. So he kept his arm locked around her body and summoned all the power inside him, setting it loose in a soothing rush that should have dropped her to the ground in a submissive heap.

She whimpered and fell still. He could taste her fear and confusion, but she didn’t struggle anymore.

“That’s it.” Keeping up the press of power would drain the hell out of him, but he had a sinking feeling she’d start struggling the second he stopped. “I’m gonna pick you up, sweetheart, and get you inside. Then we’ll make you feel better.”

Her arms slid around his neck, and her breath blew hot over his cheek and ear as she nuzzled him again, more hesitantly this time.

He was going to hell. He was going to the lowest fucking layer of the darkest fucking hell, and she’d send him there personally when she came back to herself and realized what he’d done.

What he was about to do.

“That’s right…” Slow. Soothing. No lies, just nonsensical murmurs as he bit the edge of her jaw. “Let’s go inside, honey.”

Carmen’s whimpers melted into a moan, and she curved one hand around his cheek, petting him.

Forget her. His own damn dick was going to want him to go to hell by the time this was over. He slid his arm under her knees and lifted her, holding her tight against his chest. “You’re safe, Carmen. I’ve got you.”

Her breathing roughened, and she whispered something unintelligible, her voice shot through with lust and longing.

Alec walked faster.

By the time he reached his front steps, she’d begun trailing kisses over his jaw. He staggered up the steps and barely got the door open. “Hold on a second, sweetheart. Just—slow down. A little.”

The caresses subsided, and she lay still in his arms, eyes closed, as he opened the basement door and walked down the stairs.

Hell was too good for him.

He eased the door to the cage open with his foot and froze, hating the fact that the scent of Kat’s attacker lingered, thick with the stench of fear. As wild as Carmen was, she’d be sensitive to it.
He
was sensitive to it, even with most of his energy devoted to keeping her calm.

Her eyes flew open and her hand shot out, curling tight around the bars on the door.

No betrayal in her eyes, not yet. She trusted him. He made a soothing sound and kissed her, parting her lips with his tongue and driving deep, kissing her like it was going to be the last time—because it might be.

She shuddered and let go of the door to hold him tight, her fingers clenching in his hair. A soft growl vibrated in the back of her throat, and she wiggled in his arms.

The scent of her arousal hit him, and his resolve wavered. She wanted him. She liked him. A good hard fucking would make them both feel better about life. He could imagine the way she’d look, bent over, fingers tearing up his sheets in her eagerness, legs spread wide,
begging
for him—

And if she’d been drunk on tequila instead of magic, he would have thrown her under a cold shower instead of sticking his dick somewhere it might not be welcome.

Carmen trusted him, and that made it so easy to betray her.

She was still panting for him when he dropped her onto the cot in the corner of the cage. The fact that it was a bed of sorts seemed to distract her long enough for him to get out of arm’s reach. The metal doors clanged shut and Mari’s spells activated, apparently no worse for the wear even with Andrew’s earlier abuse.

It took her a moment to sit up, and another to realize they were on opposite sides of the bars. She shot off the cot and grabbed the door, rattling it loudly. It held, of course, and she turned a disbelieving stare on Alec.

Leaving her there was going to break his damn heart. “I can’t let you run off into the woods, and I won’t fuck you when you don’t have the wits to say no.”

She stumbled back, her hurt melting into obvious anger, and she turned away to stalk the cage.

“Carmen.”

She ignored him, and it hurt. It hurt more than it should, more than he’d thought possible. The ache in his chest made it that much more important to get his ass upstairs and call in backup, because it meant his judgment was seriously fucking compromised.

Compromised judgment would get them all killed, sooner or later.

He made a list of the people he had to call as he climbed the stairs. Jackson first, then Carmen’s brother. No need to worry about Julio getting the wrong idea now—the hurt in Carmen’s eyes had killed his hard-on and the silent treatment wasn’t liable to bring it back anytime soon.

He should have been a lot more grateful.

Chapter Eight

They were hovering around the cage, talking about her again.

The blue-eyed wizard hissed a curse and dragged his hands through his hair. “We’re back to square one. If I don’t know how she was weaving her spells, it’s dangerous for me to fuck around with it.”

“Damn it, this is going to drive her crazy.”

Alec.
She remembered his name, though the wizard hadn’t said it. It was branded in her memory, along with his taste and scent. He’d rubbed his hard body against hers, given her his mouth—and then he’d locked her up.

There had been no mocking in his eyes as he’d done it, and his voice now was rife with worry. He was scared for
her
, and it made it impossible to bare her teeth and snarl. To warn him off.

Her mind began to clear quickly, the feral anger dissipating. He’d tricked her, but he’d done it because giving her what she wanted was unacceptable. She knew that.

Still, the sting of betrayal lingered.

“She hasn’t changed yet.” The wizard stood—Jackson, that was his name. “There’s one thing I can try, but only if you’re pretty sure she isn’t going to.”

Alec shoved both hands through his dark hair, leaving the short strands standing on end. “I can try changing. That’s what I was going to do tonight. Shift and see if the magic sparks something in her.”

“If it’s ever going to happen, it’s now.”

“Fine.” Alec backed up a step, shooting Carmen one furtive look before he dropped his hands to his belt.

He looked like he wanted her to turn away, so she knelt by the bars and watched him as he stripped off his shirt. It revealed the ink on his arm and shoulder, dark indecipherable lines, and she let her gaze trace them boldly as he reached for his pants.

A challenge. He could answer it, or he could turn away.

Of course he answered it. Dark, expressionless eyes held hers as he jerked open his jeans and let them slide to the floor. He stood in front of her in boxers and an unwavering frown, but he didn’t look away.

One of them had to give, but it wouldn’t be him. The realization both soothed and excited her, and Carmen turned her head. “Can he leave?” she rasped. “The wizard?”