Surge Of Magic (20 page)

“Can they reuse the sardonyx once the magic is gone?” Kip asked.

“Not to my knowledge,” James said. “That is why only the most powerful Changelings can harness the magic. This kind of sardonyx is rare.” He looked at Rye. “You might want to caution Kalan about his piece. The Changelings will be more desperate than ever to find more.”

“They shouldn’t have killed the Stanleys then. Seems they were their original source,” Kip said.

“I agree.”

“What do the colors mean?” Sam asked.

“I’d only be guessing, but I would say the blue is for electricity or water,” James said. “Green would represent the earth powers, like what Isadora has. The yellow might be for psychic powers, and the orange would be for fire.”

“How old are these globes?” Rye asked.

James held up his hand. “Enough questions. Time is wasting. The longer Randy is without his magic, the harder it will be for him to return to normal.”

Kip pushed back his seat ready to go. “Would you like us to leave?”

“It might be best. I’d like Randy to stay here for twenty-four hours so I can monitor his progress.”

James had implied the procedure would be simple. Was there something he wasn’t telling them? Kalan had told Kip that when he’d tried to demand answers from the immortal, he’d been met with resistance. “I’ll grab some extra clothes for him and return.”

“It won’t be necessary.”

“Kip, let’s go,” Rye said. From his stern tone, he knew when they’d overstepped their welcome.

He looked over at Randy. “You’ll be fine. Call when you need a ride home.”

“Will do.”

“It’s late, but I’ll bring the folks up to speed tomorrow,” Kip said. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind to answer their questions right now. The less they knew, the better off they’d be.

“Thanks.”

Kip helped Teagan up from her chair and led her out. She wrapped an arm through his and held on tight. He needed to be with her all night long.

Sam had his own car, and Rye had driven Izzy, so they went their separate ways.

Deanna placed a hand on his arm. “I don’t want to stay at your place tonight. Not only won’t Randy be there but your house has too many bad vibes inside.”

“Because of Randy’s attack?” Kip asked, though he didn’t want her there in case the Changelings returned.

“That and because Randy has been rather negative about the whole thing.”

“I don’t blame you.” Both of the women piled into his truck. A short while later, he pulled in front of his house, happy to see no one was there and that Deanna’s car was where she’d left it. “Text me when you arrive home. I want to make sure you’re safe.”

Deanna leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll be fine.”

“On second thought, I’ll follow you home.”

She nodded. “How about you just drive me home? I’m thinking it will be better if those Changelings think someone is at your house. It might deter them from breaking in.”

The thought ratcheted his anger. Bastards had no right to steal. “Smart thinking. I should have a guard dog. Along those lines, since you live alone that is something you should think about as well.”

“Definitely something to think about,” Deanna said.

Two minutes later, he was in front of his sister’s house. Because he didn’t trust the Changelings not to come looking here, Kip insisted on checking out her place before letting her inside. Once she was snug in her house, he jumped back in the car.

Teagan didn’t have her suitcase with her, but he guessed she had extras of everything back at the house. “You okay staying at your place or do you want to go back to the Berta’s?” he asked.

“Nothing is going to happen. I have you and Sam there.”

He decided not to mention that her house didn’t have an alarm system like his did. “You’re right.”

All he wanted to do was get through the night. Tomorrow, their team would regroup and figure out how to stop the Changelings from any more of their thieving ways.

‡

B
rother Jacob was
almost blind with rage. How had a group of stupid werewolves managed to take down his two guards, break into the bunker, and then steal the magic globes? Several of the knives had been in the Changeling’s possession well before he was the leader. He’d been so careful not to use the powers unless it had been necessary. Now, his Clan was without any extra abilities. If the two guards weren’t already dead, he’d have ordered their execution.

Brother Jacob looked around his black-walled sanctuary, silent except for his breathing. At least no one had disturbed his two masterpieces. Unfortunately, the sardonyx eyes were too thin and translucent to be used as knives. They’d have to search for more.

He’d called the Council members to a late night meeting, and he needed them to be prompt. Where there had been ten members, there were now only eight—seven of which had been with him for years. Jacob had been forced to bring Brother Charles into the fold to increase the number from seven to eight.

The first lost member had been Brother Harold. He had been in charge of securing the bunker. And he’d failed. The next was Brother William who’d been unable to bring the young Wendayan to him and ended up dying from severe burns on his back. Of course, Brother Jacob had helped him meet his maker. Lastly, had been Brother Chris who had been unsuccessful in procuring the Sardonyx from the Stanleys. Unfortunately for him, he’d been slow to defend himself when Brother Charles showed up to take him out. Any more failures, and there wouldn’t be enough Council members to run their Clan. As it was, he had been hard pressed to recruit even Brother Charles.

The door to the room opened, and with bowed heads, the other Council members entered single file. At least they had the sense to remain quiet. Once they were seated, Brother Jacob tapped the table to signify the meeting would begin. A few had grumbled when he’d woken them, but he didn’t give a rat’s ass about their comfort. The Changelings’ future was at stake.

“What happened here tonight was a travesty. You all have failed. Brother Harold did not secure the bunker, and the rest of you did not train our men well enough. I don’t care if one of the thieves was a bear. Changes will be made. Changes you may not like.”

Brother Henry’s leg bounced up and down as he wrung his hands together. He looked ready to burst. “Brother Henry, do you wish to address the Council?”

“Yes, Brother Jacob. Thank you. What about that witch we tried to take? If we’ve lost the Wendayan magic, we’ll need to start again. She would be perfect.”

“I agree, but we have to be smart. Brother William was unable to capture her. As a result, he suffered severe burns on his back, which resulted in his death.” He saw no reason to mention his own involvement.

The group mumbled. While he’d been circumspect, most of them probably understood why these councilmen had to die and feared they’d be next.

Brother Richard raised his hand and Brother Jacob nodded. “Go ahead.”

“I’d be willing to head a committee to find more sardonyx. I realize we might have to search out of the country.”

The expense would be astronomical, but he wasn’t sure they had a choice. “So be it. Brothers Frank and George, I want you two to return to the Landon household and find those globes.” Frank had been one of the men fighting outside the bunker and had seen what looked like the Landon man. “In the meantime, Brothers John and Richard, meet me in my office at eight hundred hours to discuss what we’ll do about the witch. The red moon is in two days. We don’t have any time to waste. You are all dismissed.”

Once the men left, Brother Jacob bowed his head to pray. If they failed this time, the Changeling empire might be doomed.

*

Teagan was barely
able to hold in her questions about what happened on the mountain, but she wanted to wait until after they arrived back at her house to ask both Kip and Sam.

Her brother was standing in the driveway when they arrived. He helped her out then looked over at Kip. “I checked all of the windows to make sure no one had attempted to enter. All’s good.”

“Thanks, man. Appreciate it,” Kip said.

“That is a relief,” Teagan added.

The three of them entered the house and Kip asked if anyone wanted a drink. Both Sam and she answered yes in unison. It didn’t matter it was after midnight.

Kip retrieved three beers and headed into the living room with them.

“Thanks,” Teagan said sinking back into the sofa. “What do you all think about leaving the living room and kitchen lights on tonight? That way if anyone does come, it might discourage him from breaking in. Though why a Changeling would come here, I don’t know.” She glanced over at Kip.

He lightly rubbed her shoulders. “We can’t be certain what they know.”

That was a creepy thought. “Guess I won’t get much sleep tonight.”

He gathered her in his arms, and much of her fear flowed out. He kissed her forehead. “How about you take a shower first then Sam and I will take turns? We can discuss our precautions later.”

She was a bit grungy and the hot water would feel good. She stood. “Fine. Sam, I made the bed in the other bedroom for you. I also put a set of towels on the bed.”

“Appreciate it.”

Now that her men were back, she could finally relax. While she was still worried about that Changeling creep who’d tried to take her might return, she wanted to forget about it for one night. With Kip and Sam in the house, she’d be safe.

Because she hadn’t had any premonitions about Kip, Sam, or any of the men at McKinnon and Associates, she was confident nothing tragic would happen in the near future. To top it off, James might be able to restore Randy’s magic, which would take a huge load off of Kip. She could see how torn apart he was over the loss.

Not only had Izzy vouched for James, he’d promised Kip and Kalan that he’d get help, and he had. That counted for a lot.

With her beer in hand, she headed to the bedroom where she gathered a pair of modest pajamas and trudged to the bathroom. While she couldn’t hear what Kip and Sam were talking about, they seemed to be deep in conversation.

Once the water warmed—and after she downed a good portion of her much-needed drink—she stepped under the flow and sighed. Kip and Sam’s foray into Changeling territory had done a number on her head, but the pulsing heat was helping her relax. Once Sam left tomorrow, she and Kip would continue their sensual exploration, and hopefully reconnect fully once more.

However, between now and then, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her brother. It was bad enough that he’d spent all evening fighting those Changelings. She only hoped it didn’t discourage him from returning to Silver Lake on his next leave.

She finished washing and then towel dried. Once she had donned her pajamas, she headed out to the living room, passing the open door to Sam’s room.

“Where’s my brother?” she asked. Kip came out of the kitchen with another beer, but was avoiding eye contact. “What’s going on? Where is he?”

“Have a seat. I sent Sam over to my place,” he said, finally looking at her.

“Are you crazy? Weren’t you the one who believed the Changelings might return to the house looking for the globes?” She’d forgotten to bring her beer with her from in the bathroom. After that piece of news, she needed it.

Kip sat on the sofa and motioned she sit next to him. “Yes, but Sam will be safe. Actually, we’re hoping the Changelings will show up.”

Now he wasn’t making any sense. “Why?”

“Because once they arrive, Sam will project a thought into their heads that they’d already entered the house, searched for the globes, but came up empty-handed. He needs to be close by to do that.”

“That’s actually smart. It saves your house from being broken into.”

Kip tapped her nose. “There’s more to me than just my hot bod.”

She leaned her head back and waggled her eyebrows at him. “I really like your hot bod.” Teagan sat back up and kissed him lightly. “I just wish Sam could stay longer. I haven’t had much of a chance to visit with him.”

He nodded. “I’m sorry about that, but Sam’s so valuable, and we needed his help.”