Her throat felt like she wore a noose.
But there was one thing she needed to know.
She called Amelia. The tough-as-nails woman who never cried could barely control her emotions as she spoke. “Hannah, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. The smoke alarms went off then the automatic sprinklers. Everyone was racing to get outside not so much because of the fire, but because of the sprinklers. No one got hurt, thank God, but the fire spread so fast.”
“Did everyone get out?”
“I think so.” She took a moment to blow her nose. “All the staff, for sure. And I ran through the entire building, checking bathroom stalls, the supply closets, the bunkroom, everywhere that I could think of. By then, the fire just kept getting stronger even though the water was pouring all over everything. Hannah, even if the fire hadn’t destroyed most of your stuff, the water has done so much damage. I’m sick. I’m just so sick.
“The Fire Marshall is pretty sure it was arson. By his guess, someone poured accelerant all around the outside of the building. He can’t account for a sudden, engulfing blaze otherwise. But there will be an investigation. He even asked if you had enemies.”
Did she have enemies? Just one major piece-of-work that moved with a beautiful golden light and created mist from her limbs. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was behind this blatant attack on her. But what did Margetta hope to gain by burning down the Gold Rush? It was just a bar. A human bar.
And it was really important to Hannah.
Maybe that was the point. Margetta had hit her where it hurt.
“Where are you?” Hannah asked, searching the crowd below. Needless to say, people had come from all over to witness what for most would probably be a once in a lifetime event. “I’m in the air with Mastyr Jude. Wave if you can.”
“Okay, I’m waving.”
The police cars at the scene had taped off a long section around the building to keep the people back, so it took a few seconds to finally see Amelia flipping her arm back and forth. Somehow it eased her to see her manager waving. “I see you. I’ll join you in a minute.”
Still holding Jude’s neck, she shoved her phone back into her pocket.
~ ~ ~
Jude felt something important slipping away from him so fast that his brain scrambled. It had been such a long time since he’d been this close to a woman that he’d honestly forgotten how to function, how to think in terms of her, how to react.
Despite the fact that in his gut he knew he was doing the wrong thing, he did it anyway and pulled Hannah close. “I can’t let you go. You have to stay with me. At least for now.”
She pulled her arm from around his neck. “I need to be with my people. Their lives have been turned upside down. My entire staff. And by the way, Amelia said there was no reason for the fire and that the captain said it was probably arson. Of course we both know who’s behind this. But what I don’t get is why Margetta gives a rat’s ass about the Gold Rush, unless she’s just a vindictive bitch besides being a flaming psychopath. And if I hadn’t had the sprinklers in order, everyone inside would have died. You have to let me go.”
Her eyes were wild and she started pushing against him. She had no real physical ability to escape his hold, but she pushed anyway. “Hannah, don’t do this.”
“Let me go, Jude, please. Cut me some slack. I just lost my bar.”
“We’ll replace it, Hannah, I promise you. We know who’s at fault here, which is one more reason to stick together right now. Margetta is a psycho but she’s also deliberate in what she does. She had a reason for doing this.”
“Put me down now!”
Jude felt desperate. He didn’t know how to reach Hannah, though he sure as hell didn’t blame her for fighting.
He saw something flash at the corner of his eye. Turning to look, he saw nothing, but he almost lost hold of Hannah, who started slipping down his body. He caught her quickly.
She yelled at him. “What are you doing? You know I can’t fly. You have to lower me to the parking lot.”
“I thought I saw something.”
“You did: My life burned to the ground.”
When he heard the catch in her voice, he realized that tears were rolling down her cheeks.
But another flash distracted him. Yet, once more when he turned to look, nothing was there. What the hell was going on?
“Why are you shifting around in that weird way?”
“Because something realm is here and it’s not good.”
“Just let me go.”
He heard the sadness and the resignation in her voice. He hated that his life had intruded on hers in such a way that she’d lost so much.
“Fine, but let me come with you.”
He descended slowly, dropping down between a row of cars. But as soon as he released her, she sprinted away. He followed swiftly after, but just like that three wraith-pairs appeared in front of him, cutting him off.
“Hannah!” he shouted, knowing full-well that the burning of the Gold Rush was just a ploy and that she was in danger. But she didn’t respond.
The Invictus began releasing red streaks of battle energy, so that he had no way to get to Hannah except through them. He raised his blue energy shield, which when struck by the wraith-pairs’ energy, deflected and started bouncing off cars, making a fireworks show out of the parking lot.
He switched to battle mode and focused only on the work that needed to be done in front of him. If he worked fast, maybe he could reach Hannah before anything happened to her.
He geared up and sent energy bursts in quick succession that struck the wraiths and their mates. Two pair fell prone immediately.
He wasn’t a mastyr for nothing.
But the remaining Invictus pair fought on, more cunning than the two that had fallen. Then suddenly a golden light appeared and in a flash that almost blinded him, all three pair were swept across the Sound toward the access point.
In that moment, he knew he was too late.
“Hannah!” he shouted.
He rose into the air, searching for her, but didn’t see her anywhere. “Hannah!”
The gold light returned. “She can’t hear you, Jude. She’s already halfway across Kellcasse by now. I found a lesser Mastyr looking for a nice hook-up, who happily tagged along and took Hannah into your realm. He’ll be pleased about the boost in power when he bonds with your woman. It’s just too bad you couldn’t control her.”
And just like that, the gold light winked out and Margetta was gone.
A strong ocean breeze off the Strait blew across Jude’s back. He rose high in the air once more, higher and higher, and away from the crowds that had gathered to watch him battle the Invictus.
Now he was just alone, levitating above the last flickers of the burning bar and the sound of the water still being sprayed over the collapsed building.
He made his way back across the Sound in the direction of the access point. When he arrived, he found the access point guards dead, their throats cut, and showing no signs of having fought back.
Margetta had brought her mist and killed again.
He reached for Malik telepathically, and a moment later, Malik opened his mind. Jude. Everything okay?
We’ve got a disaster. He then gave him a brief update. I have to find Hannah.
I’ll let Longeness know what’s going on.
Good place to start, but I’ve got to think.
Jude slowed his flight as he shut the communication with Longeness down, knowing he was in a state of shock. That old expression rose within his mind that he’d just had the rug pulled out from under him.
He needed to find his footing and he needed it fast. He pathed Malik this time. Meet me on the balcony at Castle Island.
I’m two minutes out.
Taking the first step helped to center his brain. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do yet, but talking things over with a fellow mastyr often brought clarity.
He picked up his speed and f
lew faster than he ever had before, rising high into the air to avoid trees or hills or any of his Guardsmen out on patrol.
A few minutes later, he touched down on the stone pavers of his castle house.
Malik was there, his expression intent, eyes wild. “I can’t believe this happened.”
Jude shook his head. “I know. I’d expected another mist attack, but not Margetta, arson, and the Gold Rush.”
Malik frowned. “It’s not like you to let something like this take you by surprise. What happened?”
Jude shoved his hand through his hair, dislodging the woven clasp. “Hannah was really distressed, demanding to be taken home after what happened here.” He waved in the direction of the peach orchard. “She didn’t even want me around. I couldn’t make sense of what I needed to say to her. It all turned into a fight, and I was completely distracted when Margetta, through these brief flashes of light, brought in three wraith-pairs.” He gritted his teeth. One of the worst things a Guardsman could ever do was get distracted.
Now Hannah was in the clutches of a madwoman.
Jude leaned over the railing, the woven clasp in his hands. “And the fuck if I know what to do.”
Malik put his hand on Jude’s shoulder. “Your men and mine are out hunting for her now. If she’s anywhere in the realm, we’ll find her. Be patient.”
Patient. Sweet Goddess, his heart was banging around in his chest so hard that his ribs hurt. He couldn’t bear the thought of Hannah suffering because of Margetta’s insanity.
He took several deep breaths, forcing his heart to calm down so that he could think straight. Hannah was a survivor and quick on her feet. She would find a way to stay alive if she could. And she had power, more than she knew. He had to trust in that, and trust in her ability to manage herself until he could find her.
At the very least, he could try to contact her telepathically, though he had no way of knowing if Margetta could intercept their mind-to-mind conversation. He decided to take the leap anyway. Best case scenario, Hannah might be able to tell him where she was.
Hannah, he sent through the airwaves. Hannah? Can you hear me?
Jude, thank God. I don’t know what to do.
Jude recalled that a mastyr had taken her. Has that vampire hurt you?
What?
The mastyr that abducted you. Did you have a drive toward him like you did with Malik?
Yes, but then I thought of you and it gave me the strength to bring forward my fire-power. I scorched him so he’s leaving me alone for now.
Jude couldn’t help it. He smiled. Proud of you.
Jude, you need to stay away from me. Margetta’s here and she’s waiting for you. It’s a trap. A big one. She doesn’t know it, but I can see that she has a hundred wraith-pairs hidden behind some kind of cloak. Please don’t come after me. It’s you she wants dead.
Jude stood upright and began pulling his hair back, securing the clasp once more. He turned to meet Malik’s intense, brown eyes, then relayed what Hannah had just told him.
“Can you find out where she is?” Malik asked.
“I will. But none of our guardsmen or the shifters will be able to find them. Margetta has a powerful shield in place.”
“Sweet Goddess.”
“Just give me a moment.” Jude recalled what it had been like to find his wife and daughter murdered in the peach orchard. In that split-second, his life had altered completely.
The same thing was happening to him right now, that all the events of the past two days had overturned his desires and life completely. He just hadn’t seen it.
His mind finally pulled together as he realized that the passion that had erupted so swiftly between Hannah and himself wasn’t because she was a blood rose. He’d been in love with her for months, possibly even years.
During all that time, she’d filled a hole in his life long before he’d taken her into his bed. She’d been his friend and his coworker, and a couple times when he’d been drunk, she’d put him to bed in the bunkroom. He’d told her then that he loved her. He remembered that much, despite his beer-blasted mind, but he’d pretended later that the words hadn’t been said.
His heart began to warm with long-suppressed feelings. He’d held to his commitment not to become involved with another woman until the Invictus were ground into the earth. How ironic that in this case, if he’d obeyed his heart and bonded with Hannah, she wouldn’t be in Margetta’s clutches. Their unity would have protected them both. He wouldn’t have been distracted and they could have faced the fire at the Gold Rush together.
Instead, her fear of being controlled and his resistance to loving her had brought just enough of a divide that Margetta had been able to walk right in and abduct her.
His chest grew tight. His eyes burned. What would he do if anything happened to her? He didn’t think he could bear losing a second wife.
As soon as that exact phrase went through his mind, he knew he’d been fooling himself about Hannah because he already thought of her as his woman and, yes, his wife. And he’d felt that way for a long time.
And of course it was just like her, the selfless person he knew her to be, to tell him not to come to her aid and that he’d be walking into a trap. Hannah had one of the most generous spirits he’d ever known. She was a woman of fire and of great power because of that spirit. Her current gift merely reflected who she was in her life.
He met Malik’s gaze once more. “I’m going to find out where she is, and if I have to, I’ll take her place in Margetta’s little drama.”
Malik stared at him for a long, hard moment, then straightened his shoulders as though preparing for battle. Do what you need to do. I’ve got your back.
Jude loved the brotherhood of his fellow mastyrs.
Nodding once, Jude turned inward. Hannah, I’m coming for you if I have to hunt through this realm day-and-night. And you don’t get a say in that. But I’d rather find you right now when I’m powered by the blood you shared with me, than struggle for hours to get your location. I have Malik with me and we’ll bring all our forces to bear on Margetta’s army. Remember, I’ve been battling Margetta and her kind of two hundred years, so please tell me where you are.
~ ~ ~
Hannah stood at the foot of the beautiful stone bridge Jude had shown her the night before when he’d flown her through his realm. Should she just tell him where she was?
The mastyr who had abducted her from Port Townsend, lay burned and shivering at her feet. The moment he’d touched down ready to drink from her, she’d made her decision and let loose with a swathe of flames that fried him. She couldn’t have done it sooner or she would have fallen to her death.
Margetta, who stood ten feet away, had merely laughed, uninterested in the suffering Hannah had just caused one of her minions.
However, when she’d tried to use her fire-power on Margetta, she’d failed.
At first she didn’t understand why, but after a few minutes, she could feel a powerful stream of energy aimed at Hannah, one that kept Margetta safe. The ancient fae had found a way to protect herself.
She knew she was bait in a trap meant for Jude. She also understood that his death would be a powerful coup for Margetta, a way to incite fear within the citizens of Kellcasse and make it easier for her to take over the realm.
But Hannah debated, not wanting Jude to be hurt or killed. She knew him, though, and that what he’d said was true. He would never stop hunting for her. So how much better if he arrived at the height of his strength instead of worn down by hours of searching his realm for her?
Hannah also knew that she and Jude had power together, but did they have enough to escape a battleground like this one with at least a hundred wraith-pairs in the air and on the ground, all hidden by Margetta?
Glancing at the ancient fae, Hannah saw the killing mist drifting from Margetta’s lower limbs, ready to release as needed.
And in that moment, she made her decision, and contacted Jude. All right. I’m on board.
But you need to know that Margetta’s ready to mist the whole area. I can see it forming on her. And Jude, I can’t use my fire-gift against her. She’s blocking me somehow.
I understand. But I still insist on coming. And I’m not alone. Again, Malik is here and that is something Margetta may not know, that another mastyr is in the realm to help direct both the Vampire Guard and the Shifter Brigade. We’re working together and I believe we can do this. Can you trust me?
Hannah didn’t want to die. That’s what she knew. She also didn’t want her time with Jude to end. Another absolute truth.
When she’d found herself whisked away in the air by a vampire with almost as much speed as Jude, she’d sunk to the bottom of the hole she’d fallen into. She had extraordinary gifts that she wanted no part of, an erotic relationship with Jude that threatened her way of life in Port Townsend, and a bar that had just burned to the ground.
And now she stood at the point of death with Margetta holding a metaphorical sword to her neck.
Yet, in all of this what she wanted the most was for Jude to survive at all costs. He was what mattered. Not her bar, or her fear of her emerging gifts, or her anxiety that she might lose control of her life.
In that moment, she’d finally risen above all her fears.
Taking a deep breath, and praying she was making the right decision, she pathed, Do you remember that place that you pointed out last night, the beautiful wide canal with the stone bridge and unique finials along both railings? The bridge that joins two different communities?
Yes, of course. Kelltah Bridge.
That’s it. I just couldn’t think of the name. Well, I’m standing at the foot of the bridge on the eastern side. Margetta is maybe ten or so feet away from me.
I’m on my way.
Hannah couldn’t help the tears that tracked down her cheeks. She trembled now, not for herself but for Jude. She gazed in an arc skyward over all the wraiths and their mates waiting for Margetta’s command. But how were Jude and his forces supposed to combat an invisible enemy especially if Margetta released her mist?
Margetta called to her. “You should reach out to Jude and bring him here. He would come if you said the word.”