Having sex with him had been an incredible, healing experience.
Yet now she was here.
She gave herself a mental shake and turned back to the girls. She didn’t wait for Vaughn to say anything else. Instead, she extended her arms slightly and held her hands palms up.
As she’d never done before, she opened herself up to her spellcaster power. She focused her energy and thoughts on the core of her being, on all that she was as an alter witch.
A sensation like electricity whipped through her, awakening her latent abilities. To her surprise, she found the seat of her power with no trouble at all. And contrary to all expectation, everything about the moment felt sacred and good, not corrupt like she’d feared.
After that, two things happened simultaneously. Odd snapshots started floating though her mind, images of the Graveyard, the ditch, the dead girls and Vaughn. She knew she was looking at pieces of the immediate future. Because the pictures held a serious warning, they were an equal pull on her attention. But the girls needed her help desperately. If they were unable to leave their bodies, they could get stuck forever right here in the Graveyard.
She turned her attention to them and directed her whirling witch energy toward the triplets. Power flowed and swirled above the girls until she could feel each one, their fears and sadness, even their confusion. Mentally, she began to coax them to let go of their time on earth and to leave their bodies. It wasn’t long before the air in the ditch began to shimmer and shortly afterward the ghosts rose into the air.
They appeared dazed at first. They looked at one another then Emma and finally at Vaughn. Each tried to talk, but couldn’t.
Emma stood amazed by how they appeared. She’d seen ghosts before, but only as fleeting wisps of smoky air.
Not this time. Each was fully formed as though possessing a body, yet not quite a body. It almost seemed as though the girls were working on taking shape. She wondered if Vaughn could see them, but one glance told her he didn’t.
They seemed to be communicating with each other and a moment later bits of clothing appeared, though more like smoke than real fabric. Colors as well. The center girl, who had the strongest personality, now wore a red tank top, blue jeans and running shoes. The one to the right donned red shorts, a dark blue crop top and navy sandals with flowers at the top of the t-strap. While the third wore a red plaid short dress, dark stockings and black Mary-Jane shoes. The girls seemed to like red.
They were lovely, each with long, curly, light brown hair and large, blue eyes.
The blue-jeans ghost drew close to Emma, then addressed her telepathically. You saved us once. I remember now. You, and this man, took us home the night we were abducted the first time.
The ghostly voice in Emma’s head made her feel dizzy, but she responded immediately. We did. It was the finest night of my life since becoming an alter witch.
Oh, you’re a witch. She shifted to look at Vaughn. But this man can’t see me, can he?
I don’t think so. And in case you’re wondering, Officer Vaughn is a vampire.
The ghost swept backward, rejoining her sisters. But she continued to talk with Emma. There was a lot of pain from what that madman was doing to us and he ordered vampires to take our blood. I think maybe the vampires were the ones who killed us. I remember getting weaker and weaker. And now we’re here.
By the pallor of their skin, Emma knew she was right. Once more, a terrible grief assailed her that these young women had been robbed of their lives. Yet, it cemented her determination to do what she could to prevent Loghry from continuing his abduction of innocent teens.
The girls, almost as one, shifted their attention upward to the ditch ridge. Emma started to turn to see what they were looking at, but suddenly the three spirits flew around both her and Vaughn. They cried out in loud voices, almost wailing.
The one with the blue jeans got in front of Emma and tried to speak, but no words formed. She seemed really distressed.
Emma attempted to make telepathic contact with her, but only static returned.
The wailing grew louder until Emma finally had to cover her ears. She didn’t understand what was wrong.
~ ~ ~
Vaughn had never felt so much power emanate from Emma before as though she’d opened the floodgates. Maybe she had. He had an impression of the three ghosts but nothing more than that, though a bad feeling crawled through him like a snake. Something wasn’t right.
Emma was bent over as if in pain, her hands held to her ears.
He felt a strange sensation on his face, like soft fingers dragging over his skin. Had to be the ghosts attempting to communicate with him. The message felt like a warning.
He turned to glance back up at the top of the ditch, wondering if the Elegance officers intended to fire on them. “Shit.” There were no longer seven but at least twelve Elegance witches and warlocks staring down at him, all members of the territory’s Border Patrol.
The fingers on his face moved swiftly now and his instincts vibrated heavily, sending warning after warning through his mind.
A second passed.
Then another.
But the moment he watched all those Border Patrol hands move in the direction of their firearms, he reacted swiftly. He didn’t have time to warn Emma. Instead, he grabbed her around the waist and as fast as he could, he hauled her straight up into the night sky.
The firing began at almost the same time.
He whipped through the air and kept flying. He didn’t shift course either, just headed higher and higher out of the line of what became a barrage of pistol fire.
He only slowed down when he couldn’t hear a single distant pop.
Hovering in the air, he reached for Emma telepathically. Emma! Are you okay? Are you hit?
I don’t know. I don’t think so. But I can hardly breathe. I think you might be holding me too tight.
Sorry. He released his death grip on her waist, though he still kept her pressed firmly against him. He doubted she could levitate. Some of the more powerful witches and warlocks could. But until tonight, Emma had kept the brakes on her power, so she probably couldn’t.
“We’re pretty high up, aren’t we?”
He cleared his mind and became aware she was shaking head to foot. She’d only flown one time before with him, but that had been two months ago.
Still holding her in a firm clasp, he told her to plant her feet on his right boot. He eased her down a little until she connected. When she did, he felt her relax right away.
“That helps so much.” As she slid an arm around his neck, she glanced around. “How high would you say we are?”
“About half a mile.”
“Oh, my God. But what happened? What was that back there and how did you think to move us so fast?”
Vaughn told her the exact sequence. “When you were doubled over, I felt fingers on my face. It was the girls, right?”
“Yes, they’d just left their bodies. They were flying around us, shrieking so loud I could hardly stand it. Didn’t you hear them?”
“No, but I could sense a warning in their touch. That’s when I gabbed you.”
“The gunfire was deafening. I take it all seven officers were firing.”
“Not seven. There were at least twelve.”
Emma groaned. “Then Loghry really wanted us dead.”
“No question. It also means he won’t quit until we are.”
Adrenaline had his nerves on edge. He needed to take her somewhere, but if Loghry was after them, where could they go to be safe?
He gathered up his vampire shielding ability and let it flow.
“What is that?” Emma turned slightly in his arms.
“The only defense I have against you spellcasters.”
“Your vampire ability to disguise yourself?”
“Exactly. You okay with that?”
An odd chuckle escaped her throat. “My kind just tried to kill me. So yeah, I’m okay with whatever you need to do.”
r />
“Well, right now, I’m trying to figure out where we should go. My townhouse won’t be safe. Not now. Maybe never, after tonight. But what about your home in Elegance? I know you told me you have a powerful security-spell over the entire property.”
“I do. And I’m sure we would be safe there.”
~ ~ ~
As Vaughn turned toward the east and began to fly her in the direction of Elegance Territory, Emma asked him to go slow. Not because she was afraid, but because she’d never seen this part of Five Bridges from high overhead before.
Her right leg was bothering her a little. Maybe one of the bullets had nicked her, but it probably wasn’t anything serious. She’d have a look when she got home.
He kept them moving steadily east, toward Elegance and even began a slow descent so she could see the land better.
Five Bridges had over a hundred small bridges linking up the pitted landscape. Long ditches crisscrossed the land as part of a containment solution to the drug and human trafficking problem that had been a result of the flame revolution. Those ditches, thousands of them, were almost impossible to traverse. Yet, dozens of runners, loaded with flame drugs, tried night after night to get to the human world beyond the barrier of barbed wire. Too many succeeded, though a large number died in the process.
Underground tunnels also riddled the area beneath Five Bridges, each opening onto a human home in Phoenix where more drugs and unconscious humans were carted back and forth. Corruption was rampant in the province and because of the amount of money involved, pay-offs went to some of the highest levels in Phoenix government.
The result? Two ghosts now flew alongside Vaughn and the third next to Emma.
She could see the dense stretch of barbed wire as Vaughn crossed the border from the Graveyard into Elegance.
She felt funny, though, and her right calf was sore, like it was bruised. Maybe a bullet had kicked a rock up as Vaughn had carried her into the air. She also felt a little lightheaded, but it wouldn’t be long before she was home.
Another minute, and she could see her house. “It’s the third on the right, but go to the side yard. There, just past the tree.”
He dropped down slowly until he was on the sidewalk. She stepped off his boot, but because this was only the second time she’d flown with him, she took a moment to regain her balance.
And her leg really hurt.
She reached the door, pulled it open and without thinking went inside. She’d completely forgotten the nature of the spell until Vaughn shouted, “Emma, what the fuck is going on?”
~ ~ ~
Vaughn couldn’t see anything but the side of the house, no doors, no windows, which was bad all by itself. But Emma had moved toward the wall, then disappeared.
He drew his Glock and bent his knees. “Emma? Are you all right?”
Suddenly, she reappeared in front of him. “Sorry, Vaughn. I wasn’t thinking.” She winced slightly and rubbed her forehead. “Come on. I’ll lead you in.”
Vaughn nodded, but he was pissed. He hated the feeling of being shut out and unable to properly assess a situation because of a spell.
Slowly, he holstered his Glock.
Emma took his hand. “I can tell this is bugging you. But the spell only covers the exterior of the property. You’ll see.”
Before he’d taken two steps, however, he tugged on her hand once more and drew her to a stop. “Is this some kind of witchy thing? Are you enthralling me?”
Her auburn brows rose. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He lifted their joined hands. “This? What I’m feeling, like a soft flow of electricity working its way up my arm.”
At that, she looked away from him and a blush suffused her cheeks. It took him a moment before he realized she was embarrassed. “Did you put a spell on me?”
She shook her head and finally looked up at him again. She swallowed once. “It’s something very human, I’m afraid, but probably enhanced by my witchness in a way I don’t yet understand.” She drew closer and lowered her voice. “Do you remember the night we were together? In your townhouse?”
Did he remember? He’d replayed it in his mind about a thousand times. Two months had passed, but it was as fresh as though it had happened about five seconds ago. “Of course I remember.”
“Well, the same thing happened back then, like this hum of electricity between us. I think being with you awakened something inside me.”
“You’re saying your witch is attracted to me?”
“Something like that.” Using her other hand, she waved it over him. “What woman, in her right mind, wouldn’t be? I mean look at you.”
Given the situation, he was stunned that desire for Emma cascaded over him in a quick hot wave. He squeezed her hand. “I’ve thought about our time together, Em, a lot, wishing we could be together again.”
“I know. Me, too.” Emma squeezed his hand in return. He could see a sheen of sweat on her forehead and she was looking unusually pale.
“Yet, there’s no real future for us, together, I mean.” Yet, here he was, on the threshold of entering her home, a place he’d never thought he’d be.
She nodded, then turned toward the house, still nothing but a solid wall to him.
When she began to disappear again, he tugged on her hand. “Hey, go slow here. All I’m seeing is a wall.”
She smiled back at him. “You’ll be okay.”
As he drew within a foot of the house and probably because he held Emma’s hand, the doorway finally revealed itself to him and he crossed the threshold.
But as he entered her home, he noticed she’d started limping. Glancing down, he saw that she was leaving bloody shoe-prints behind.
“Emma. Holy shit.”
She turned back to him, appearing dazed. “What?”
“You’ve been shot.”
CHAPTER TWO
Emma had been shot a couple of times before, once painfully in the stomach. But as she turned to look back at the tracks of blood, the bruising in her leg suddenly blossomed into a mountain of pain.
Sometimes adrenaline would do that, keep you from getting the full impact until it was safe.
She felt the floor pushing toward her face.
The next moment, strong arms held her tight against a broad chest, then she was airborne.
At first she couldn’t figure out what had happened, until she heard Vaughn’s voice. “Hang on, Em.”
She was in his arms and he was carrying her.
“Bathroom,” she called out through a haze of pain.
“Which one?”
“Master.” She tried to lift her arm to gesture to the east wing of the house, but her eyes were closed, squinched together, and she couldn’t see anything. She felt abominably nauseated.
“It hurts.”
“I know. I’ve got you.”
She grabbed his tank, maybe at the shoulder, she wasn’t sure. She pulled it into a knot and breathed through a spasm. Her whole leg was on fire.
Cool tile hit her next as he laid her out on the floor near the tub. She felt him tugging at her shoes and cursing a couple of times.
He began easing her pants off. “This is gonna hurt.”
“Do it fast.”
He swept her pants down her legs. She cried out and turned on her side, struggling to get air in her lungs.
She felt warm hands on her legs. “The bullet went through but you’ve got a nasty wound. Let me call someone.”
She forced her eyes open and caught his forearm. “No. Don’t. We can’t. There’s so much corruption. I don’t want anyone to know where we are or that I’ve been hurt. I just need my stuff. This isn’t my first GSW. There’s a wicker basket under the sink I made up a while ago.”
She lay her head on her arm and swallowed hard. Another wave of nausea hit her because of the pain.
Vaughn opened one of several cupboard doors until he found the basket. He held it up for her to see.
“Just slide it over. Fast.” br />
The basket hurtled toward her. She caught it then reached for the vial first, popped the cork with one hand and guzzled the contents.
The effects of the spelled liquid were immediate, sending a warmth down her throat and into her stomach. A similar sensation sped through her veins. The pain started drifting away.
She closed her eyes, but soon felt soft fingers dragging over her face. Ah, the girls were here.
“You’re smiling.” Vaughn’s gorgeous, deep voice again. “Was that an opiate?”
She chuckled. “No. It’s my own concoction with a spell. It’s made from flowers from my garden. I think one of them is used in amethyst flame. No wonder Loghry’s addicted.”
When the first rush of feel-good passed, she tapped the basket. “There’s a jar in there with a lavender colored balm. All I need you to do is spread some on the wound. Can you do that?”
“Of course.”
“Am I still bleeding?”
“Not as bad.”
“Good. The balm will take care of the rest.”
She closed her eyes again. She could feel the ghosts flying around the room. They seemed almost cheerful. They were probably getting used to their new state.
Just like she was. She chuckled again. “I’m so smart.” Had she said that aloud?
She felt a pressure on her calf that only registered as pain in the dimmest way. “Put it on thick. You know, glob it on.”
“Will do.” Then, “Jesus.” He sounded startled.
“What?”
“It’s healing so fast.”
“Yeah, cuz I’m smart.” She laughed again. Everything seemed so funny right now, including her self-proclamations of genius.
“Well, you’re definitely smart, although I’d say you’re also high as a kite.”
She worked to open her eyes. “I should have shared.” She lifted her hand that still held the vial. “You can have the few drops at the bottom.”
Vaughn’s face was suddenly hovering above hers. “I’ll pass.” But he took the vial from her anyway. Probably a good idea. It was made of glass and her motor functions were off.
“Vaughn?”