Storm Of Magick Part 16

"Will you quit stating the obvious? I know that. We have to give Paris as big a head start as we can," I snapped.

Jarod gave a quick nod. A couple more shots and I had to change the clip. I pressed the release, and the empty clip dropped to the floor. I quickly grabbed another one from my pocket and slapped it in. I pressed a b.u.t.ton and released the slide. I was ready to go. It was too dark to tell how many were coming at us.

No matter how many bad guys we wounded, more kept coming. "Jarod, I think it's time to go," I said, backing towards the door.

I slid open the door. We went through and Jarod closed it I could hear them coming down the corridor. I put a spell on the door to keep them out, but with every spell I used, the next one seemed to be weaker. Jarod opened the metal plate while White Hair and the others pounded on the door.

"Get down the ladder!" Jarod yelled.

"You first," I answered.

He didn't argue, smart man. He scrambled down the metal ladder and I went after him, closing the plate as I went. It was a lot heavier than I thought. When the seal was complete, Benny's ancient protection spell activated. I didn't know how long the spells would hold. But, we weren't sticking around to find out.

"Jarod, I'm going to have to follow you. But we have to move - they're trying to get in," I said. Now who was stating the obvious?

I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness before entering the tunnel. Again, we fell into that funky, crouched-over walk. It's not easy to move fast in this position. All of a sudden, I heard the metal plate being ripped away. Jarod stopped.

"Don't stop! Get your a.s.s moving!" I yelled, pus.h.i.+ng him in the b.u.t.t.

I could feel them pour into the tunnel behind us. I couldn't let them harm Benny's people, not after I asked them to help me. I reached down the magickal ties I had with Ronan.

"Ronan..." I whispered.

"Logan, has something happened?" Ronan asked in my head.

"Gee, ya think? Sorry. Palmira's people have gotten into the tunnel. Any suggestions?" I whispered.

"Kill them," Ronan answered. His ruthless colors were showing.

"Jarod said we couldn't. It could start a war with the werefoxes," I replied.

"Are you in fear for your life?" Ronan asked.

"Yes."

"Kill them," Ronan said again, and with that, the connection was gone.

"That was a lot of help," I b.i.t.c.hed.

"What?" Jarod asked.

"He said to kill them," I told him. I turned with my Ruger still in my hand. I could barely make out the shapes of our pursuers, but I started popping off rounds anyway. Screams came out of the darkness and the sickening scent of blood filled the tunnel. I could taste it in my mouth. Then there was silence.

"I believe they're all dead," Jarod said, in a voice that said he couldn't believe I just did that.

I reached out with my powers. I needed to see if they were playing with me. Nope, they were dead. We slowly made our way to the halfway point, sticking close together. Jarod seemed to sweat the woodsy scent of sage, just like Alex, or maybe it was all the werebears. On cue, my mind flashed to Alex. He was lying in a bed at the Realm. He immediately sat up and looked around, sensing me. I closed the magickal door between us tight and he was gone.

"Jarod, do you know what's wrong with Alex?" I asked as we stepped out of the tunnel.

"No. He's been acting strange for a couple of days now," Jarod, answered, starting into the next tunnel.

I followed, thinking about it over and over. A couple days ago, he was. .h.i.t with the power ripple. When we got back, I would have to talk to Ronan.

I hoped Paris had gotten Blaze back safely. My heart just sat in my throat, hoping for the best but expecting the worst. We were getting close to the Realm. I could smell sweet jasmine up ahead.

"We're close," Jarod said.

He was the master of stating the obvious. "I know," I muttered.

We neared the end of the tunnel. Jarod stepped out into the larger opening and we were back where we started. Benny stood in the very spot where we left him.

"What happened? I smell blood," Benny questioned.

"I killed a few werefoxes. They're lying towards the end of the second tunnel," I answered.

"My people will take care of the clean up," he said.

I didn't ask how because I was pretty sure I didn't want to know. Instead, I smiled at him. "Thank you for everything, Benny. I won't forget it," I said bowing as Rafe had earlier.

"Yes yes, you are welcome," he answered.

I nodded. Jarod climbed the ladder. I followed, happy to get out of the tunnels. I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic.

Chapter 19.

I climbed out of the tunnel into the wine cellar. Rafe and Jarod had left. I don't know if it was to give Ronan and me some privacy, or if they just wanted to get away from a path that led to Palmira. I was voting for the latter. Ronan closed the metal plate with a heavy clank and I felt the magick seal activate. At the other end, where White Hair and his goons ripped the lid off, it was going to be a little hard to seal the hole.

"Blaze is being checked out by Doc. I will take you to him," Ronan said.

"Thank you," I muttered. I sounded tired, but it happens every time an adrenaline wears off. I returned my Ruger back to its home; I'd almost forgotten it was still in my hand. I followed Ronan down the corridor. "I think I know what's wrong with Alex..." I started.

"You don't have to say anything, Logan. I have come to the same conclusion. He is becoming an insane lycan," Ronan said. A lycan is a witch lycanthrope, and I guess an insane lycan was pretty much self-defined.

It made me cringe, Ronan saying it aloud. I hated that I did this to Alex, but I couldn't change anything or take it back. I took a deep breath and let it out.

"I know what you are thinking. It is not your fault. It was something you could not have prevented," Ronan said carefully.

"Don't try to make it sound less than it is. I gave him magickal powers that are driving him crazy. It's not like I called him by the wrong name, Ronan. I could've screwed up his whole life. If we can't bind his powers..." I let the last statement trail off. I couldn't finish the thought.

Ronan stopped at one of the doors, opened it and I followed him in. The room was unfamiliar to me. All the wood in this room was dark, and the walls were done in an identical shade of violet to Ronan's eyes. Blaze laid in a king size bed with a violet silk comforter. He was unconscious, his magick weak. Doc stood over him.

Paris sat in a chair in the corner of the room watching Doc, who seemed to be finished. He was putting his things back in his brown leather doctor bag. I walked to the end of the bed and watched.

"How is he?" I asked Doc, staring at my helpless brother.

"He's lost a lot of energy. I gave him a sedative. He should be out about twenty-four hours. But I think that he'll be fine," Doc answered. He touched my shoulder. "Logan, you should get some rest. You won't be of any use to anyone if you run yourself ragged."

"I will," I promised. "Thank you for looking after Blaze."

I walked around the bed, not taking my eyes off Blaze once. I sat down on the bed next to him. He was pale compared to his normally tan skin. I touched his hand, and he was cool, as if he were sick. It was our way of healing.

"Doc said if Blaze had been there a few more days, he more than likely would be dead," Paris said. He came up and stood beside me. "It was way too easy getting him out, you know."

"We didn't exactly just stroll in," I pointed out, "but I agree. It should've been a lot worse. Why didn't Palmira put up more of a fight?"

"I don't know. But, I think you should try to get some sleep before we figure it out. I'll catch a little sleep in the chair," Paris said in a low voice.

"The bed's big enough for you too. You'll end up being sore as h.e.l.l if you sleep in the chair," I argued.

I was so tired. I really hadn't gotten much sleep in the last few days. I took my leather coat off and laid it in the chair. I was happy to find a bathroom off the bedroom.

I turned on the light and closed the door. The room was decorated in shades of violet with black accents. It was my favorite room I'd seen in the Realm thus far. I washed my hands and face. The scented soap had a jasmine fragrance, making me think of Ronan. Maybe that was the point.

I did my business then studied myself in the mirror. There was still some bruising on my face but it didn't hurt, and it was that sickly shade of yellow a bruise turns before it fades away. Mostly I looked like I hadn't slept in days, which was pretty accurate. I'd only been able to catch an hour or two. If you didn't count the semi-coma. I walked towards the door, opened it and turned off the light.

Paris went into the bathroom; I guess he had a few things to take care of as well. While he was taking care of his business, I sat down in the chair and pulled off my boots. I dragged my tired body out of the soft chair and took off my holster. I removed my Ruger and laid the empty holster with my coat. I kept hold of the gun though. At this moment in time, my Ruger was my very best friend. I wouldn't go to sleep without it.

As I was climbing into bed, Paris opened the door. He'd stripped down to only his jeans. I'd chosen to keep all my clothes on. I put my gun under my pillow after checking the safety way too many times, then snuggled up to Blaze and breathed in his scent, sweet and magickal at the same time. Paris slid in behind me. Now I was sufficiently sandwiched between the two of them, and happy my brother was safe.

I felt safe too and I could temporarily rest. I closed my eyes and listened to Blaze breathing, grateful he was no longer food for Palmira. I was warm and protected; it felt nice. No matter how fake it was.

I fell asleep and dreamed of being home as a child. The warm sun beat down and a breeze blew against my face. I took in the scent of mimosa that grew around our house.

One of mine and Blaze's favorite games as kids was hide-n-seek. We could play it for hours, and we did many times. I covered my eyes and counted, then started my search. We couldn't have been more than nine years old. I looked everywhere without finding him. Blaze was always good at hiding, but soon panic set in when I couldn't find him.

All of a sudden, I was an adult. Now fear became my motivation as I searched. I looked in at the usual places, but the dreamscape changed and I was in the tunnels under the city. It was so dark. I'm not afraid of the dark normally, but now I was scared. I couldn't find Blaze.

I woke up in a cold sweat with my heart racing. I stared at my brother lying next to me. He was safe. But, I couldn't shake the dread that I held in my gut. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. At least Blaze felt warm again, it was a good sign.

I hadn't lain there two minutes when my cell phone rang. The funky Twilight Zone ring tone seemed too loud. Paris had set the cell phone on the nightstand before we went to sleep. I tried to reach over him to get to the phone before the ringing woke him up. Note to self: turn the volume down on the cell.

Before I could reach the phone, Paris answered it. "Logan Wolf's phone. Yeah, just a minute. It's Doyle," he said in a sleepy voice, handing me the phone.

I climbed over him and took the phone. Paris turned over and went back to sleep. "Yeah, Doyle?" I greeted him. I was afraid I already knew what the call was about.

"We found another body. It's Jack again," he said.

My stomach was instantly in knots. Doyle told me where they were: Mirtel Square, an area I knew well. It was a Wiccan part of town - I'm a regular at many of the shops and I'm there on a weekly basis. On busy weeks, I'm there more. I hung up the phone. I didn't have the heart to wake up Paris. Plus, I felt better than I had.

I turned on the bathroom light so I could see without waking anyone up, and quickly got ready. I put my boots on, grabbed my holster, put it on nice and tight, and then fixed the strap around my thigh.

I walked around the bed to get my gun from under my pillow. As I reached for it, Paris woke up.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Murder scene," I answered.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked, getting out of bed to get dressed.

"I feel fine," I said in my own defense, watching him move around the room. His chest and stomach displayed his well-chiseled muscles. His light brown hair fell around his face, and even though he had slept on it and only run his fingers through it a couple of times, he looked great.

"Logan, are you hearing me? You know just because you feel good, doesn't mean you won't have a surge or any other freaky side effect," Paris said, sounding more worried than irritated.

Okay, so I missed a few words, well almost all of them. But, hey he's got a great body. "Okay Paris, I get it," I said. I grabbed my Ruger out from under my pillow.

I check the safety out of habit and put in my side holster. I walked back to the chair, picked up the black leather trench and put it on. I adjusted it and decided it was my new favorite coat. Have you ever noticed leather never loses its sweet scent? Sure, it fades but it never totally goes away.

Paris slipped into his own leather trench. We were ready to go, both of us in the same clothes we wore to the last crime scene. Oh, Evans should have a ball making a ton of smart-a.s.s comments. I rolled my eyes just at the thought. I was so not looking forward to his s.h.i.+t.

"You ready?" Paris asked.

I looked at Blaze for a second. He was still sleeping soundly. "Yeah, let's get this done," I said.

I followed him down the corridor. It was dead quiet. No pun intended. We ran into Rafe before we reached the stairs.

"Rafe, is there any way that you can put a bodyguard on my brother's door? Just until I get back," I asked.

"Certainly, I'll post one of my men immediately," Rafe answered.

"Thanks, we'll get back as soon as possible," I told him, touching his hand.

I felt a little relieved, but as usual, there was no rest for the wicked. We climbed the stairs and neither of us seemed to be in a big rush. We reached the side door and Paris opened it. I stopped and looked around.

I didn't feel any magick in the air. The snow seemed normal. Large snowflakes floated to the ground as if in slow motion. It was peaceful, but deceptive. Darkness covered Little Rock, but the clouds in the sky refused to go unseen. Large puffy gray clouds showed up clearly against the dark backdrop of the sky.

The wind blew the snowflakes around, but there was nothing different about this night. I continued walking. I reached the SUV and got in the pa.s.senger seat. I could feel the cold radiating through my leather coat. Paris started the vehicle and we sat there for a couple minutes so the engine could warm up.

"Paris what's wrong? You're way too quiet," I said, looking at him.

"I don't like the fact that you made a decision for me. Why didn't you wake me up? You could've put yourself in danger," he said, voice rising as he spoke.

He back out of the s.p.a.ce, put the SUV into drive, and pulled out of the lot. The road was slushy but other than that, it was clear.

"You were tired and sleeping soundly. Plus like I said before, I feel good," I answered.

I told him where we were going. He knew where it was; he too had been there many times. I could feel his anger starting to quiet. Paris never has been able to stay mad at me very long. He stopped at a light in front of a mini mall. There was a Village Books, Ashley Tea House, Potions and More. The light turned green and we were moving again. Traffic wasn't bad, so we made good time and from a couple of blocks away I saw patrol cars. I opened the glove box and took out my special I.D. badge, clipping it on to my coat.

"Park over there," I said, pointing to one of the parking s.p.a.ces close by. A grouping of patrol and unmarked cars sat in the middle of the street.

"Yes boss," Paris said with a lot of sarcasm in his voice.