Chapter 62
Chapter
Sixty-Two
Sydney
“ H ow lovely of you to bring me the Doomsday Diary,” Mathias purrs, his smile razor-sharp. “I’ll reward Zain later. But now, my dear, you must tell me how the book works.”
I stagger as the teleportation fades, the unfamiliar room spinning. I blink, trying to get my bearings. But all I see is an unfamiliar house. And Mathias.
Fear slices down my spine. Facing him alone is a far cry from our previous encounter. I have no protection at all.
I clutch the book to my chest. “What will you do with it?”
His fingers sift through my hair, and I fight a shudder. “Unite magickind, of course.”
Under the banner of false equality and his cruel thumb? Not bloody likely.
“How does the book work?” he presses.
My best defense is to play dumb. “I don’t know. I’m not a witch.”
“Precisely.” Mathias leans closer, his icy blue eyes alive with malevolence. “How can a human control such a powerfully magical object?”
Why isn’t he reading my mind? Different powers? I’m not questioning my luck.
“I d-don’t know.”
The sofa slides closer, seemingly of its own accord. Then Mathias grabs my arms menacingly. “It’s attached to you. It dissolved from my hands back to yours. Why?”
I shrug, feigning ignorance. “Something Bram did?”
His stare pierces me, dragging my fear to the surface. “Do you know what I did to one of the Doomsday Brethren’s mates?”
I shrink back. “You raped her.”
He smiles as if reliving a fond memory. “I rent her bond from her mate and stole most of her life essence. She was a strong witch, so it took time. Many delicious nights. You, I can decimate in three minutes. Then make your cowardly wizard watch while I steal the last of your energy under my pounding cock.”
“You vile bastard. Stay the hell away from me!”
Mathias laughs. “Or what?”
My mind races, searching for escape. Why did I ever think that Zain locked up without a wand was harmless? That I understood magic enough to know what was safe? Caden told me that it’s unpredictable and dangerous. I didn’t listen.
“Let’s try again,” Mathias suggests. “Tell me what I want to know, and I’ll spare you.”
“Let’s be honest. You’ll kill me anyway.”
“Perhaps. But you’re excellent bait for the Doomsday Brethren. Once they’re dead, then it will be your turn. Unless you’d like to cooperate for some of my mercy?”
He has none. But if we’re still talking, I’m still alive. “I don’t know anything helpful.”
“I tire of this game.”
Mathias flicks his hand. Agony explodes inside me, as if my organs are boiling. I scream, certain I’m dying.
Caden! my mind wails. I love him. I wish things between us ended differently. I would have liked to kiss him and know one perfect night as his mate. But even dying like this, I don’t regret him. I’m only sorry that I don’t know how to fight this evil.
“Didn’t like that?” Mathias smirks. “Maybe you’ll cooperate now. Right, Shock?”
My eyes fly open. Shock stands beside Mathias, his ever-present sunglasses hiding his every thought. He smirks at me, his look suggesting that I’m getting what I deserve. He helped Bram and the others attack Mathias’s warehouse, and that was a success. Or was it? Mathias still escaped with that terrible glass sphere he used to make Anarki soldiers at will.
Whose side is Shock really on?
“Hello, Sydney.” His voice holds all the warmth of a glacier.
“You treacherous bastard!”
Mathias laughs. “Clearly, you’ve fooled the Doomsday Brethren.”
Shock nods. “How can I help you, my liege?”
My liege? Every time Shock opens his mouth to Bram, he’s challenging and disrespectful. That’s a definite sign that he’s not on our side.
“Read this stupid chit’s mind. What does she know about the Doomsday Diary? Where did she get it?”
I try Sabelle’s mental defenses, but even my dull thoughts of computer maintenance and a dreary lullaby can’t stop him.
“A gift from a friend,” Shock reports. “She’s unsure where the friend got it.”
“What else?” Mathias scowls.
“She was told it grants sexual fantasies. No further instructions.”
“Did she use it?”
“No,” I lie.
“Twice,” Shock corrects. “It worked both times.”
“Is she a witch?”
Shock tromps through my mind, as subtle as an elephant. I scream in pain.
“No.”
Mathias focuses on me, the same way a snake sizes up its prey before swallowing it whole. “The book is attached to you because you used it?”
Suddenly, Shock is in my head again, crashing through my skull as if he’s looking for answers with a machete. I cry out.
“She doesn’t know.”
Mathias waves him away. “That’s all. Round up the Anarki. We’re expecting company soon. You’ll greet them, I hope.”
Shock grins maliciously. “With pleasure.”
As he strides out, long leather duster trailing behind him, Mathias snatches the Doomsday Diary and dashes to the door. The moment he crosses the threshold, he curses. It reappears in my lap.
His gaze, rimmed with murderous red, locks onto me. “It’s because you’re female. Damn Morgana. A woman gave you this book?”
I want to tell him to go to hell, but he’ll only kill me for it. I have to stay alive long enough to help any of the Doomsday Brethren who come.
“Yes.”
“Human?”
“Yes.” I think.
“Puzzling…” Mathias snaps his fingers
Moments later, a scantily clad woman with jet-black hair appears, wearing a skimpy blue bra that nearly exposes her nipples and matching transparent knickers. “Sir?”
He drops an open-mouthed kiss on her neck, his thumb idly taunting her nipple. She keens and writhes under his touch. Surely he’s forcing her response by magical means, because the wizard makes my skin crawl. It’s all I can do not to vomit.
“Rhea, grab that book from the human.”
She slinks over, tugging at the diary. I cling to it, knowing I’ll lose control of this situation if I let go.
“Give it to her,” Mathias orders.
“Sod off.”
“You’ll pay for that.”
Another flick of his hand, and agony rips through me. Bloody hell, I’m going to die at the hands of this madman.
I double over, releasing the book.
“Take the book to my bedroom, sweet,” he tells Rhea. “I’ll join you there.”
Terror claws at me. I’m running out of time and options. God, Caden, where are you?
Rhea struts toward the door on four-inch stilettos, as if she was born in them, then leaves the room with her head held high—taking the book with her.
It doesn’t reappear on my lap.
My stomach sinks. I’ve lost magickind’s greatest weapon and put it in the hands of a madman who will likely use it to kill me and all the Doomsday Brethren, including Caden. My reckless need to tell the story and my voracious curiosity to help the amazing world of magic has been my downfall. Why didn’t I listen?
It’s my last thought before darkness overtakes me.
Caden
After free-falling through black weightless space, I slam to the ground in a cold field. Fresh snow has fallen, and it seeps under my clothes. Every exhalation mists the chilly air. The crisp smells remind me of the north country. I have no idea how far I’ve traveled, but I reach inside and search for Sydney. My senses tell me I’m close.
Her earlier panic has given way to muffled unease. I pray she’s used her cleverness to somehow sidestep imminent danger and buy me time. If anyone can, it’s her.
Sydney’s presence guides me closer, closer with each step through the dark. I’m thankful for the moonlight reflecting off the snow for lighting my way.
Beyond spindly trees, a huge estate rises in the distance. More Italian Renaissance than Middle Ages, the beautiful limestone structure glows. She’s in there, my Sydney. I feel it, just like I know if I trek too close to the perimeter, I’ll set off magical traps.
I must tread carefully. I’m a trained Marine, capable of finding and disabling security. But Mathias’s protections will be vastly different than anything I encountered in the Middle East. Still, nothing is impenetrable. Thinking with my magical senses will be critical.
Magic buzzes through my system, races through my veins. My legs are wobbly after the teleportation, and my energy level won’t last. But I have to stick it out. Failure isn’t an option.
I skirt the perimeter of the building, looking for traps and holes in the security. I encounter a wall, presumably for humans since it does nothing more than put off a “keep out” vibe. It includes a mild electrical surge—enough to deter a normal human.
Too bad for Mathias I’m not “normal” anymore.
Closing my eyes, I let my senses crawl around the ten-foot wall. Simple.
While I don’t know the limits of my magic, there’s nothing I won’t do if it helps me reach Sydney. For all I know, I’m bloody Superman. When I was a tot, my mum made it sound as if I would be. I’ve already performed some magic, like lifting Sydney’s password off her computer and sending a wall of glass flying into the Anarki. How hard could leaping a wall be?
I jump—and quickly discover that when I tap into my magic, clearing ten-foot walls is no problem. It’s bloody easy, in fact. One step closer to Sydney.
The instant I land, there’s a shift in the air. I see something unexpected. No, someone.
Shock.
He strides toward me as if rising up out of the mist. Even at night, he wears those blasted sunglasses. “Stay quiet. I’ll sneak you past the alarms and take you to Sydney.”
“Why should I trust you? You had Anka under your roof and in your bed—probably for days—and you told no one. Nor did you return her to my brother.”
“She was mine before your brother stole her from me,” he growls. “I owe Lucan nothing. She was abducted and hurt on his watch. It won’t happen on mine.”
I mull Shock’s words. In all likelihood, that’s how he sees the matter. But that doesn’t annoy me any less or make me trust him any more.
“I don’t give a shit about your tender sensibilities,” Shock mocks. “If you want to save Sydney, I’ll take you. If not, piss off.”
I glare at the leather-clad wizard. “You intend to help me, just like that?”
Shock looks past me. “You come alone?”
The truth merely gives Shock the green light to overpower me. But Shock will only read my mind if I lie.
I nod. “This is my fight.”
He raises a skeptical brow above those dark sunglasses. “So Bram, Lucan, and the others are leaving you to rescue Sydney and the book by yourself?”
“They don’t know either is missing. She’s my responsibility. The book isn’t my first priority.”
“But you’re not leaving without it.” It isn’t a question.
Shock is right. If I don’t return the Doomsday Diary, I might save Sydney, but Mathias could consign us all to hell two minutes later. If I genuinely want her safety and the chance to live happily ever after with her, I have to retrieve the book.
Shock sighs. “Of course you want to save the book. That shouldn’t have been a hard decision.”
“Get the hell out of my thoughts.”
“Look, you did a decent job getting this close, but once Mathias took your woman, he knew you’d come. Despite what you think, the others will, too. I’m going to restrain you and drag you to Sydney’s cell, to make it all look believable.”
The fuck you are . “Mathias seems like a natural ally for you, given your family’s allegiance and your sparkling personality. How do I know that I can trust you, mate thief?”
An acrimonious smile splits his mouth. “You don’t.”