14
Bevin
Something was wrong.
Something was very fucking wrong.
I mean, no shit I’d just watch someone kill himself.
I was shaken and so was everyone else. Winter was and he hadn’t even seen it.
He’d mumbled that he’d wanted to find me before work when Clare had said I was doing something at the council estate.
So he just headed there because things always seemed to go wrong when I was there.
Understatement of the year right then for sure.
He’d left, and I was in the kitchen talking to Clare and Nelly about basically nothing as a distraction. Food changes I wanted to wrap up the semester now that it would be cold. I knew what they were doing, Nelly being nice even if she thought I was spoiled and not worth the hype.
She wasn’t a total bitch or I would want her gone.
“Quiet,” I told them both, Clare freezing but Nelly looking like she had some choice words to say to me. I met Clare’s gaze. “Loki’s here. Something’s wrong.” I was off the kitchen stool and racing for the back door before I’d even finished. I had it open and was out of it seconds later.
“Bevin, I can circle to Loki,” Clare reminded me, which was the only reason I stopped. She caught me and asked where he was on the property. She nodded and did what she needed to, seeming shaky.
“Link dropped Loki off and is way across the property. Why?” Horror filled me when I realized the answer, Clare’s face going pale as I saw she knew too.
To buy himself time when Loki would be in the way, but he wanted him somewhere safe.
Somewhere he’d be taken care of no matter what.
Fuck.
The circle flared and I turned to see Loki racing towards us, the familiar already shouting to tell me everything.
“No,” I breathed, knowing how bad this really was. “I’ll get him, Loki.”
“Oh fuck, this is—did Link go after Jason?” Clare hissed.
I didn’t waste time answering because she didn’t need to ask. “You can circle to Link, right?”
“Bev, call for help. Don’t do this,” she argued.
I grabbed her arms. “He came for me when I went for Kevin. Clare, please. Just send me and call everyone. I don’t care.
I wouldn’t be here—I have to. You can circle to Link no matter what, right?
All of us can. That was part of the security protocols in an emergency.
” I lost patience when she tried to argue again. “We’re wasting time! Do it now!”
She flinched at whatever was on my face and started laying the circle with tears in her eyes. She frowned. “I can’t. I swear I can’t. I’m blocked.” She swallowed loudly. “It’s Jason’s security magic. It would be the same at the Shaw estate, Bev. It’s not my fault.”
No, but it was something I could get around. I knew how, and people were going to be pissed, but so be it. “The circle is laid?” I checked.
She gestured to the spot. “Yeah, but it’s useless to—”
I stepped on it and flooded it with my magic. “Call who you need. I’m sorry I was mean.”
And then I was gone, the circle bypassing whatever the Berns estate’s magic was and letting me through.
Link had to have been on the move when Clare had set it, and with the delay he was now about twenty feet away.
I felt like I’d walked into the second act of a play because there was tons of context I was missing and so much going on that no one even noticed me.
I hit the record button on my watch because…
I wasn’t a dumb blonde like people thought.
“I just want him,” Link told the guards as he pointed to Jason Berns. “None of you need to get hurt. Give him to me and walk away.”
“You’re done for this, Oliveria. Your uncle and family after this too,” Jason taunted. “This is the greatest gift that piece of shit could have given me. Shame he got found out and I’ll have to punish his family like—”
“He’s dead,” Link said, his voice cold like I’d never heard before. “And you won’t be touching his family or any more women after today, Berns.”
Jason angled his head and chuckled. “Oh, he was a friend of yours? Wow, I picked the right one then, huh? I just knew he had a connection with Bevin since he was listed as the guard in the room for her disownment. Shame he only got me you, but still a win.”
“A win? He’s dead and you’re—fucking vile trash. He was worth thirty of you and helped everyone. You hurt for—give me Berns and walk away.”
“I’m tired of this and have an event soon,” Jason drawled. “Get him. I want to call his uncle and have fun with this.”
“So be it,” Link sighed.
Jason snorted. “You have no chance. My estate is locked down from magic unless you’re in my bloodline, fool.”
“I don’t need magic. You need me alive to get anything from this which means no guns,” Link said with a nasty chuckle that made me shiver. “I win then. I promise.”
“Get him,” Jason growled, at the end of his patience.
I watched in awe as Link moved in a way I didn’t think people were able to without CGI or like stunt coordinators.
Without wires, rigs, and harnesses. He blocked punches with the ease I pushed aside clothes hanging in my closet.
He threw punches the way I reached into a cabinet for a glass but with devastating effects and blood spraying after.
Kicks that were like me pulling on pants but sent someone flying. It was honestly unreal. I stood there in shock as it all happened in seconds, but I knew it was longer. It felt longer and too fast at the same time.
Two men approached with knives and I opened my mouth to yell in warning, but Link spun around and grabbed the wrist of one and used that same knife to slice the guy’s throat open. He fell dead. Just dead from that so fast, and blood soaking the grass it was like nothing I’d ever seen.
The other hesitated after seeing it too and Link easily handled him.
Rage filled Jason’s face when he realized Link was right and he could actually get through his guards. He moved his hands towards his body like he was gathering magic.
I hadn’t even realized I’d already been gathering mine, probably from the time Link had started fighting, but it was at my fingertips and I quick-fired at Jason’s feet. Everyone froze, two guys mid-attack on Link, and focused on me.
“Isn’t it just like a Berns to be so dishonorable and use magic when no one else can and he’s preoccupied?” I said, my full mental and emotional armor in place even if I was freaking out inside.
He bared his teeth at me. “And it’s like a Shaw to be where they’re not invited.”
“Millen, thanks,” I purred.
Greed filled his eyes. “Whatever, but at least you’re here and mine, Bevin. Stupid mistake.”
I snorted and went to reply, but one of his people interrupted.
“How the fuck did you use magic past the wards?” he demanded.
“At least someone here is smart,” I chuckled darkly, tilting my head and mocking Jason. “I can see why Father never saw you as a threat.” I glanced at the guard. “It only works on people less powerful; otherwise, we can break through.”
“There’s no way you’re more powerful than me, kid,” Jason seethed.
I snorted. “Right, because you’re all tripping over yourselves to get me because I’m the only pretty woman in the top-tier families?”
“What are you doing here?” Link demanded. “Get out of here.”
Jason glanced between us, that greed coming back like he realized he had a card to play. “Oh, this is precious. Really.” He went to move and I blasted the guards away from Link and moved to block him. “New boyfriend?”
“Why is everything about sex with you assholes?” I drawled. “No, he’s my friend. That thing you don’t have unless you buy them or apparently force them. It’s how the good guys roll.”
“You mean a liability?” Jason purred. “Because yours will now cost you everything, Bevin. He’s—”
“She had nothing to do with this and we’re not done,” Link interjected and moved past me easily.
I wasn’t physically stronger than him. I couldn’t stop him without actually hurting him with my magic and I couldn’t do that.
Not even to save him.
Jason raised his hand again, and even if it wasn’t to kill Link, it would hurt. Bad. He would incapacitate him for whatever he was plotting now and I knew it wouldn’t be good.
Link wasn’t thinking clearly, obviously in a dark place and his rage making his decisions now. He was probably betting that he could get to Jason before he completely went down. Take a few hits but still close the fifteen feet?
I wasn’t sure, but I was pretty damn sure that Link was wrong.
So I did the only thing I could think of and used my power to follow the connection to Jason’s familiar that was on the property… And severed it.
Completely cut it. Not just put it in a bubble like I had for Conrad Hanson. I cut it.
“Jason, try to call your familiar,” I chuckled darkly, trying to sound calmer than I felt. Inside, I was a mess of everything that I would sort out later and probably freak out the gods were going to punish me.
Right then, I was saving my friend the only way I knew how.
Link’s head swung to look at me with too much all over his face. That honestly caught Jason’s attention maybe more than what I’d said.
Jason frowned and then looked at his hand like something didn’t work. And it didn’t because I’d just cut the cord to most of his magic in a way. He seemed to concentrate and then horror filled his face as he slowly looked up at me. “What did you do?”
“That’s for Eunice,” I whispered. “You took his life, the love and friendship he gave to others, and now I took your life. You can’t be the head of the family without a familiar.”
“You will die for killing my familiar!” he roared.
I whistled and his Great Dane dog familiar came racing from the direction of the main house. He ran right past Jason no matter what he said and came to me. I pet the huge familiar and smirked at Jason. “He’s fine. He’s just no longer yours.”
“That’s not possible,” he whispered.
“Bev,” Link breathed. “You didn’t.”
“You didn’t give me a choice,” I mumbled. “You wanted him punished and your death won’t help anything.” I met Link’s gaze. “What about all of us who suffer if we lose you?”
Regret filled his eyes past the coldness and rage. But then he turned when Jason came charging towards me saying he would kill me.
People started appearing all around us, Link immediately moving closer to me protectively.
I saw enough to know the cavalry had arrived basically, guessing they could now that I’d severed Jason’s bond with his familiar. The wards at the Berns estate were useless then.
Something to file away for later.
“Jason Berns set a trap to abduct me and Link saved me,” I blurted before anyone else could say anything else.
“You lying fucking whore,” Jason bellowed.
I met his gaze without fear. “Why else would I be here, Jason? You tried once already, remember?” I smirked when he flinched. “It’s documented with witnesses.”
He moved towards me again, but someone shot magic at his feet in warning.
“Touch her and it’s your last day alive, Berns,” Jean said easily.
I slowly looked at her and couldn’t get over my shock before finding Clare in the group. I angled my head, pretty much asking WTF?
She gave a half shrug. “You said to call whoever I wanted. I called everyone, Bev.”
I mean… Fair enough.
Glancing around at all of the council members and a bunch of council guards, Jean and some of her guards, Taylor and several of his people, Clare, and a few of Winter’s friends who had to have been at the house… Yeah, she definitely called everyone she could fast.
I would ask later where Tracey and Wyatt were, but I was pretty sure that was strategic? Maybe, but there was still a lot there to handle.
Just a few things.