Because you are,
Stefan said.
You have the power and control, angel, you can handle anything. You just have to believe in yourself.
Thomas.
Levi’s voice was absolutely calm. He didn’t say anything else, but Rikki moaned and Judith felt the tension in Stefan coil tighter. Not just tension. Resolve. Something in him changed, grew cold and she knew immediately what he was going to do.
Levi had spotted Ivanov coming back toward him.
“Rikki.” Judith’s voice rang with authority. “Locate Levi. Show him to me. Everything around him. Do it now. Take a deep breath, connect with him and let me see where he is.”
Judith knew every street and yard in Sea Haven. She’d owned her shop for five years and she’d walked every street over those years, up and down, unable to contain her restless energy.
Levi?
Rikki reached for her husband with every bit of strength she possessed, amplified a hundred fold by Judith’s spirit element.
For one moment Judith was disoriented, her mind so divided she felt sick and knew she was feeling Levi’s emotions, but she caught glimpses of an old water tower and a broken fence, a wooden cart partially sunk into the ground and filled with flowers. Triumph burst through her. She knew
exactly
where Levi was.
She could feel Stefan’s absolute confidence in her.
I’ve seen you at work, angel.
Judith took a breath, glanced over her shoulder at her sisters and raised her hands. At once the symphony began. Fire danced into the sky and rained embers, the wind pushing the wall of flames over the street, impossible to see through. Rain fell in sheets in front of the flames and behind it, building a tower that seemed impenetrable.
Stefan broke out of his cover, running behind the dancing wall of flames, across the street to the yard she was certain Ivanov had deserted. The fire and rain pushed forward, straight toward the yard behind where she was certain Levi was. In the distance, the sound of sirens penetrated the edge of her consciousness. Jonas was on the way.
Levi and I have illegal weapons on us. If you’re going to trap Ivanov and keep him from hurting anyone, do it now. We have to be gone when your friend gets here.
Judith hurried across the street, behind Stefan, keeping Lissa’s advancing wall of fire moving forward fast, pushed by Airiana’s wind.
Levi, leaning heavily on a large branch, hobbled toward the far end of the yard where the wooden wagon with flowers lay. Blood ran heavily down the leg dragging along the uneven ground as he made his way toward the fence to get out of the assassin’s minefield. Ivanov burst around the corner of a building, weapon out, aiming for Levi. Simultaneously, Stefan rushed from the other side, firing, the first bullet catching Ivanov and spinning him around.
Hoses reared up like angry snakes, water shooting out of the gaping mouths, whipping at the exterminator, driving him away from the two men, making it impossible to fire a shot. One hose lashed at him repeatedly, wrapped around his wrist and wrenched the gun from him. Ivanov dropped to the ground and crawled behind the shed. Stefan kept running across the yard, tackled Levi, taking him down and dragging him toward cover.
The shed exploded, wood flying outward as a heavy car burst through the front of the structure, aimed straight at Stefan and Levi. Even as Stefan wrapped his arms around his brother and rolled to try to get out of the path, the pounding water curved, formed a tunnel and engulfed the car. A second tunnel merged with the first, a violent wind that caught the car and spun it, pushing it away from the men, into the street and down toward the ocean.
Levi caught Stefan’s arm and pressed his mouth to his brother’s ear in order to be heard above the shrieking wind. “Get out of here now. Take the weapons, and get to the Jeep. Go back to the farm. Let me handle Jonas. If you’re caught with all these guns, you’ll go to jail. Jonas will take me to the hospital and Rikki and Blythe will stay with me. Judith, get him out of here now.”
The sound of brakes screaming told them all that Ivanov was frantically trying to control his car. Judith kept the pressure on, pushing the vehicle almost into the sheriff’s path before she eased up on the wind. Ivanov responded by shoving a machine gun out the driver side window and letting loose a barrage of bullets at the sheriff, spinning his car around and heading out of town. The sheriff’s car followed, lights whirling, sirens blaring.
Judith directed the slashing rain over Ivanov’s car, hoping to not only slow him down, but make it impossible for him to see Jonas or Aleksandr through the sheets of water pouring from the turbulent skies. More shots rang out and she dropped a twister of wind and water right over the car. Drawn to the sea, the wild cyclone swept the car closer and closer to the edge of the bluffs. It crashed through the wooden fence and tumbled onto the grass-covered bluff.
Judith nearly screamed in frustration, desperately trying to control the terrible force of five elements interwoven and feeding each other power and fear.
Lexi pushed dirt upward in an effort to stop the forward momentum of the vehicle. The twister whirled, the rain poured down and the car slid closer to the edge of the bluff. Judith tried to shut down the fury of the weave, easing back on the wind and rain. Lissa’s flames had long since gone out. The car seemed to hesitate and then it went straight over the edge.
The storm collapsed in on itself. Judith slumped against the side of the building. “I tried to stop it,” she whispered. “I wasn’t trying to push him over the edge.”
“You didn’t,” Stefan said. “Ivanov sent the car over. It went in a straight line.”
“You’ve got to go,” Levi reiterated as Rikki and Lexi reached his side. “Now, Thomas. And none of you can say he was here.” He looked around at the women. “You don’t have to lie, just leave him out of it. Ivanov was hunting
me
.”
He wasn’t satisfied until all of them nodded in agreement—even Blythe.
18
“YOU
drugged
me, you cretin,” Judith accused the moment they were inside her house, whirling around to glare at Stefan, hands on hips. “In the chocolate—your old Russian recipe. You drugged me. And don’t you dare tell me you didn’t.”
Stefan nodded his head. “I can see that was probably a mistake.”
“
Probably
? It was
probably
a mistake?”
Judith looked around for something to throw at his head. All that she could find was a kaleidoscope sitting on the end table. She launched it at him, instantly regretting it,
not
because it might dent his thick skull but because she loved that kaleidoscope. It was one she’d created for all of her sisters, a mandala for each of them, and one for herself. Each of them had one in their homes.
The ornate cylinder stopped in midair, inches from him. Stefan reached out and carefully wrapped his fingers around the kaleidoscope and set it gently back on the end table, wincing a little as his bloodied arm protested.
“
Definitely
a mistake. I clearly should have said
definitely
,” he stated. “Do you have a first-aid kit? I think I need a couple of stitches.” As a bid for sympathy, he thought a little reminder that he was wounded might be just the right touch.
Judith’s scowl deepened. “Do you have to play hero all the time? You made me crazy with the way you were just
inviting
him to shoot you. You have a gun. Lots of guns. I didn’t see you shooting back at him.”
“I shot him,” he defended, allowing his gaze to drift over her body.
Judith was drenched. Completely, utterly drenched and dripping water on the carpet. Her long hair hung in thick black tails and droplets of water beaded on her skin reminding him of dew on rose petals. Her clothes were nearly transparent and she was shivering continually, her teeth actually chattering, although she was so upset she didn’t appear to notice. She was shivering and it wasn’t all due to the cold. She believed herself responsible for a man’s death and that sort of thing could take its toll on a civilian. She was bordering on shock.
Stefan frowned and took a step toward her. She stepped back and swift impatience crossed his hard features.
“Judith, you’re soaked. We can do this after you’ve gotten in a warm bath.”
When he saw her head shake, he turned his back on her and walked down the hall to her bedroom, stripping as he went. He wasn’t about to argue with her. If she didn’t follow him, he was going to do more than act a cretin, he was going to throw her over his shoulder and dump her shivering little ass in the bath.
His shoulder stung like hell and he had to limp with the heel of his boot missing. God, he was tired and worried about his brother. The last he’d seen of Levi, he’d been taken away in an ambulance. Stefan would never believe Ivanov was dead, not until he saw the body.
He piled his wet clothes in the sink, started Judith a bath and wrapped a towel around himself, more for warmth than modesty. He was every bit as soaked as she was. He waited there in the bathroom, studying his arm. It was the second time he’d gotten nailed and he had a fresh chunk of muscle missing. His shoulders were just too broad for cat-and-mouse games with killers.
He heard her padding down the hall on her bare feet. The moment she stepped through the door he reached for the buttons on her jeans, yanking the waistband open and jerking the denim down to her thighs. “Off,” he commanded. “Just take the damn things off and get in the bath.” Even as he let go of her jeans, he caught her tank top and dragged the soaked material over her head, tossing it on top of his wet clothes before she could protest.
Judith steadied herself by placing a hand on his chest as she kicked off the wet jeans. “I’ll look at your shoulder first.”
“You’ll get into the bath. You’re shaking like a leaf. This is nothing I haven’t had happen before. Hurts like hell, but won’t kill me.” He took her arm and urged to her toward the bathtub. “Get in. I’ll take a shower and wrap it.”
“You’re so bossy,” Judith complained, making a face at him as she stepped into the steaming water.
“Your teeth are chattering and if you shake any more you’re going to break something.” She was understandably upset, although he still wasn’t entirely convinced of Levi’s “truth under any circumstances policy,” but if she wanted him to, he’d give it a try—as long as she wasn’t in any danger. Of course, she’d handled herself very well and she’d probably use that as an argument. It wouldn’t fly with him, but he’d listen.
“What did you mean when you said Ivanov drove his car off the cliff?”
“I doubt he was in it.” There. That was the truth. Her face went white and he cursed his brother under his breath. “Go under the water and get your hair wet with hot water. You’re still cold, Judith. And don’t worry about Ivanov. If he’s still alive”—and he had no doubt in his mind Ivanov was alive and nursing his wounds somewhere—“we’ll find him.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “By drugging me and going out every night to search for him?”
He caught up a towel and stood behind her until she did as he’d asked and dunked her long hair under the hot water. He waited until she wrung it out, and threw the thick mass over her shoulder with a careless gesture and a smoldering glare. He towel-dried the long, silky strands, rubbing and massaging her scalp to get her warm.
“I admitted that was a mistake, Judith,” he said quietly. “I’ve never been in a relationship before, and my first instincts are always to protect you. I thought I was doing that. Apparently I was wrong.”
She started to turn her head but he held her firmly, preventing her from moving while he dried her hair thoroughly. He realized he was vaguely angry. He wasn’t used to acknowledging emotions and at first thought he was sharing her anger, but he had to admit, this time, the anger was all his.
“Is there still a doubt in your mind, because you don’t sound sure?”
“Of course I have doubts. You could have been killed tonight. A million things could have gone wrong, Judith. I won’t take chances with your life.”
He didn’t try to prevent the edge to his voice. His belly was in tight knots and he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Since the moment he had realized she was there in Sea Haven and there was nothing he could do about it, he’d felt anger at his lack of ability to control the situation. He
needed
her safe and she wasn’t. He obviously wasn’t like his brother who could watch his wife dive under the sea and put herself into harm’s way. He had spent an entire lifetime alone and now that he’d found Judith, he found he couldn’t handle her in danger.
His hand bunched in her hair in his hand and yanked her head back, taking her mouth before she could protest. The moment his mouth settled on hers, the moment his tongue swept inside that soft, hot haven, his world righted itself. He’d been off-kilter, but even anger tasted a lot like passion when he was kissing Judith.
“I know you’re cold, angel. And you’re angry with me, but I need you. Right now. Right here.” He murmured the words against her soft lips and kissed her words away. He didn’t know if she protested or acquiesced, nothing mattered but the feel and taste of her, the knowledge that she was alive and kissing him back.
He slipped one arm around her bare, wet back and lifted her, wincing a little when his arm protested. He didn’t care that blood was still leaking from the wound and running down his arm, or that she was soaking wet. He
needed
her.
She turned in his arms, leaning over the back of the bathtub to reach him, feet still in the water, sliding her arms around his neck as she pressed her wet body against his. “I’m really angry with you,” she whispered into his mouth, even as her lips moved over his, kissing him over and over.
He felt that edge of anger in her kiss, the sizzling passion rising with a needy demand. “That’s okay, Judith,” he whispered into the heat of her mouth. “Be angry with me later.”
His mouth blazed a trail over her face, down her chin to her throat. He lifted her right out of the bathtub, uncaring of the water dripping onto the floor.