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Sydney could just imagine Shock?s greeting. The Doomsday Brethren trusted him?at least a bit. Because of it, they could be easily duped?and quickly dead. Any chances of escape or a future for magickind would walk out the door with the big, bad wizard.
She grabbed his arm. ?Please, no. Don?t do this!?
Shock sent her a glare, shook off her hold, and walked out the door.
Caden shivered in the cold cell. But he shoved the discomfort aside and focused on the ?movie? in his mind that was spooling from his clone. Soon, his replica made his way out of the basement to the first floor?and Mathias?s sitting room.
As he crept in shadow up the stairs and around a corner, a small lamp on the table illuminated Sydney, a small form in an oversized black leather chair, pale and hugging her knees to her chest. She stared at Mathias with undisguised hate.
Though she couldn?t see him, he was damn glad to see her alive.
Sunlight was beginning to creep through the east-facing windows above him. Soon, his hiding place would be compromised. He was going to have to think and act fast to get Sydney out of here and snatch the Doomsday Diary. No way was he leaving such a weapon in the hands of someone like Mathias.
He was only going to have one chance to surprise the evil wizard, and Caden didn?t know if his clone could perform magic. Even if he could channel energy to the duplicate, did he have enough energy left in him to kill Mathias?
As the sun crept farther into the room, and he heard the sounds of battle erupting outside, Caden figured it was now or never. Either the Doomsday Brethren would fight their way inside and chaos would erupt, or the Anarki would come in and kill them all. If he was going to get Sydney out before things got dangerous, it had to be now.
Caden positioned himself into a crouch, ready to run. Sydney spotted him out of the corner of her eyes. She stifled her surprise quickly, but Mathias saw or sensed something. Whirling, he pulled out his wand. Using his instincts, Caden flipped a hand toward Mathias, picturing a fireball hurtling toward the wizard. Invisible energy ripped out of his body, burning down his fingers toward Mathias.
The other wizard couldn?t scramble a defense fast enough. He jumped aside, but the ball struck him in the gut. Mathias doubled over, clutching his abdomen. Sweat dotted his temples and his face strained with pain as he looked up at Caden with hate.
?You?ll pay for that. ?
?Not today,? he quipped, then pulled Sydney to her feet. ?Grab the book and run. It?s still dark; you can get out. Stay in shadow. Bram and the others sound like they?re fighting on the northeast side of the house. Run out the back and stay close to the walls. I?ll be there as soon as possible. ?
Sydney shook her head. ?I?m not leaving without you. ?
He loved her more than ever, marveled that he had a mate who was his, but locked away in a cell below, the real him couldn?t defend her and both he and the clone were running out of energy. Why the hell wouldn?t she listen? ?You and the book are all that matter. Go!?
?We go together! Zap him again. ?
Her gaze flicked over to Mathias, beginning to straighten up, still clutching his wand with a groan. Below, Caden focused, trying to summon his energy to send to the clone to protect Sydney. His gut cramped, and he trembled, sweating and straining for something.
He had no magical energy left.
?Stupid neophyte,? Mathias scoffed. ?I?m looking forward to watching you die. ?
Caden had no idea why Mathias hadn?t yet blasted him. Either he hadn?t fully healed from the injury Olivia had delivered to him last month, or the blast he?d just given the wizard had done more damage than imagined. Whatever. Time for some old-school ass kicking.
Dropping into a fighting stance, his replica delivered a blistering roundhouse kick to Mathias?s jaw. He reeled back, staggering.
Below them, doors banged against the limestone walls, grunts, shouts, and the sounds of fistfighting erupted below.
Mathias smiled. ?Your friends are coming. Too bad they?ll be too late. ?
Fast as lightning, Mathias whipped his wand toward Caden?s clone. A split second later, something hit him that weighed twenty tons, was as hot as lava, as destructive as acid. The spell spread throughout the clone?s body. In his cell below, Caden absorbed the immense pain, felt the duplicate?s organs shut down as he crumpled to the ground.
Sydney fell to her knees over him, grabbing his hand. ?No. No! You can?t . . . Caden, listen. Please!?
?Take the book,? the clone panted. ?Get out. ?
Every muscle in Caden?s body jolted in pain, and when the clone shut his eyes, Caden could no longer see Sydney. He panicked as pain ripped through him, shredding his insides.
The fighting reached the top of the stairs. The clone?s hearing discerned shouts.
?I?ve already killed your friend. So glad you?ll be next, Rion,? Mathias taunted.
The fighting around him resumed in a fierce clash. He sensed his replica?s consciousness fading when a strong hand landed on his chest. Lucan. Funny how he sensed his brother from just a touch. Oddly, tragedy had made them closer, and he regretted that he wouldn?t know what tomorrow might have brought for them.
?Thank God you mated. The others are keeping Mathias busy. Quick! Kiss him, Sydney. ?
Moments later, Caden felt Sydney brush her lips gently over his. Nice. He floated, his consciousness like a cloud drifting in a clear, blue sky. The pain was receding, and he welcomed peace.
?Fight, damn it!? Lucan growled. ?Take energy from your mate. ?
Sydney redoubled her efforts, her mouth growing insistent and frantic as the battle around them raged, others holding off Mathias and the Anarki. ?Don?t. Leave. Me. ? She peppered him with kisses between each word. ?Stay with me!?
?Can?t. I?m in a cell,? he managed to get out.
?What the hell is he talking about?? his brother asked.
Caden didn?t have the energy to answer.
?I?I . . . ? Sydney seemed to flounder for an answer, then she gasped. ?You cloned yourself??
?Hmm . . . ? He didn?t have the energy to say more. He felt his life force draining, dwindling more with each minute.
?Take me to him,? Sydney commanded Lucan. ?This is a clone. The real him is downstairs. Bring that body. ?
?No,? he protested, but it was a weak whisper. The remnant of his energy. ?Go. ?
Lucan ignored his pleas and lifted him, jolting every muscle in Caden?s body. The agony twisted through him, and he had no idea if he could withstand more of the excruciating pain. Sweat rolled down his body, despite the chilly temperatures in the cell. He gripped the bed, wondering if it would break in his hands. He focused all his energy on staying conscious, not throwing up, waiting for Sydney.
As Lucan carried him down the stairs, the sounds of the raging battle faded in the distance. Caden nearly passed out, but he felt every step his brother carried his cloned body with a teeth-jarring agony.
A crash told him that Lucan had exploded the door wide open. Suddenly, Sydney was beside him, pressing her lips to his. Energy trickled into his system, a bit more as the seconds ticked by. Between them, Caden could feel the book. But it was her urgent touch that brought him around.
He opened his mouth beneath her and dipped inside, mingling with her, inhaling her essence. Energy now flooded his senses. He deepened the kiss, and she responded with all the fire and love inside her. His vitality spiked. The energy derived from the kiss was temporary until he could claim her body fully again, but it would hold for now.
Reluctantly, he ripped his mouth away. ?Better, firecracker. Thank you. ?
Squeezing his eyes shut, he pictured the barely alive replica merging with him, becoming one being. A sucking sound and a jolting collision later, the duplicate settled under his skin again.
?You can clone yourself?? Lucan smiled. ?Impressive, little brother. Mum was right. ?
She?d predicted he?d be a once-in-a-lifetime hero. He wasn?t?yet.
?The others??
&nbs
p; ?Upstairs fighting off Mathias and the Anarki. ?
?Take Sydney and the book back to Bram?s for me. I have unfinished business. ?
Lucan frowned. ?You have little experience in these battles, and I??
?I have energy. ? He gripped Sydney?s hand. ?And the means to get more, if need be. Until you find someone to merge with, you?re going to be weak. Take her. For me. ?
?Come with us,? Sydney pleaded. ?Don?t risk yourself. ?
He swallowed. ?Bram came back to help me and fight for you, even after he dismissed me from the Doomsday Brethren. He?s remained fighting, even though we brought the book to safety. I can?t leave him and the others without helping. ?
Lucan?s smile tilted with pride. ?Go. We?ll be waiting. ?
They exited the cell and began to make their way up the stairs, Caden to join the battle, Lucan and Sydney to get out of the house and teleport. Shock stood at the top blocking their entrance.
?Do you have the book?? he barked.
Sydney clutched it to her chest. ?You?re not taking it from us. ?
With a growl, Lucan reached for his wand, then stopped. ?I want to do this by my own hand. ?
Without warning, he charged Shock and punched him in the jaw. Shock reeled back, stumbling until his backside hit the stairs. Then Lucan drew out his wand. The leather-clad wizard froze instantly, as if his arms and legs had been bound tightly. Caden worried that Lucan had drained too much of his energy doing it, but understood that his brother needed to hurt the man who had stolen his mate.
?I hope you enjoyed your cheap shot,? Shock growled. ?It?s the only one you?ll get. ?
?If I had more energy, I?d kill you. This isn?t over. ?
?Anka is with me. ? Shock managed to look menacing even immobilized.
?For now,? Lucan conceded. ?Not forever. ?
Then he took Sydney by the hand, led her past Shock, up the stairs, and into the morning.
Caden turned the other way and headed toward the sounds of battle to his right.
He rounded the corner to find disaster. Marrok and Tynan had engaged a dozen Anarki zombies and were quickly hacking their way through the men. Caden thought of his friend Brian with a pang and vowed that he?d take that damn glass sphere from Mathias somehow, someway.
Duke and Ice had engaged a trio of wizards in robes who had appeared since the last time Caden had been in the melee. And near the fireplace, Bram and Mathias faced each other.
?You?re outnumbered,? Mathias pointed out.
Bram shrugged. ?We?re better trained. ?
And sneaking up behind him, Caden had the element of surprise. Bram never looked his way, but sent him an imperceptible nod. Time to play . . .
?Even as Merlin?s famed grandson, you?re no match for me,? Mathias snarled.
He whipped his wand out suddenly, then swung his arm toward Bram. A cloud of black smoke blazed between them, headed for Bram.
Before Mathias could do anything more, Caden snuck up behind Mathias and kicked him viciously in the knees. With a grunt, the evil wizard fell forward, catching himself on his hands, while his wand clattered to the tile. Brimming with fury and determination, Caden grabbed him by the hair and pounded his head directly onto the tiled floor. He heard an audible crack, and Mathias screamed. Caden raised a hand in the wizard?s direction and pictured wrapping invisible ropes around Mathias to secure him. Once the wizard was still, Caden kicked him onto his back. His bloody forehead was already starting to bruise, looking darker than his blue eyes, now spitting hatred. He struggled, but seemed to be held by invisible bonds.
Marine training and magic working together. Perfect.
?You should be dead,? Mathias choked.
?You missed. ?
Now he just had to find the bloody Anarki-creating glass sphere. Dropping to his knees beside Mathias, he patted the wizard down. It might not be hidden in his clothes, but Mathias struck him as a control freak who would want it near him as often as possible.
One of his pockets bulged, and Caden reached in. Sure enough, he pulled out the familiar glass sphere. ?This won?t be ripping out another soul. ?
?I traveled to Africa to find that,? Mathias spat. ?It?s rare. If you destroy it, there won?t be a hell deep enough for you to hide in. ?
?If you keep turning my friends into Anarki, I?ll rip your stones out through your nostrils, then spit in the hole. ?
With that, Caden slammed the sphere against the tile. It shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.
?Bloody stupid neophyte! I?m going to kill your pretty little mate slowly and make you watch. ?
?Right now, you?re going to die,? Caden snarled. It might take every last bit of his energy, even kill him. But he was looking forward to seeing Mathias as a corpse.
Suddenly, Bram screamed behind him, and Caden whirled. The black smoke from Mathias?s spell was smothering him, and Mathias?s bed-warming witch screeched as she charged toward them, fury in her gaze, her wand raised in threat.
Tynan took her to the ground, but several of the Anarki rushed toward Caden and Bram. He crouched into fighting stance to face the new threat, glancing over his shoulder to glare at Mathias.
The evil wizard was gone.
?Fuck!? Ice yelled.
?Where did he go?? Caden shouted.
?Coward teleported out. ?
Fury and disappointment pounded. Caden wanted to be the one to waste Mathias. For Bram, for Brian. To ensure Sydney?s safety. He hated that the bastard would live another day.
Caden fought off the attack of the Anarki zombies, kicking one in the gut. It broke in half, bleeding black. The other he elbowed in the jaw. His head rolled off his rotting body. Another crept up behind him and jumped on his back. Caden cursed then backed up at a jog until he hit a wall. The Anarki squashed like a bug.