Dark Tremor (Mated by Magic #2) (8 page)

No. It couldn’t be.

Holy shit.

“Hello, Terra.” Nicole smirked with an air of arrogance that cried to be smacked off her face.

Terra tried to respond, but Nicole’s face blurred until there was nothing but darkness.

With her taste still on his lips, Jace turned the faucet to ice cold, adjusted the jets, and prayed his erection would subside.

He’d let the little Brasmatia badger get to him. Thank God an ounce of willpower remained. Otherwise, right now, he’d be stripping off her shirt, then bra, no longer wondering about the color of her nipples. Were they dark or pink? Would they pucker when he nipped, or did she prefer to be pinched? How hard would they point when he sucked at them?

After he learned what made her squirm, he would kiss down to her navel, find that little ring with his tongue, while he caressed that sweet ass.

She’d arch for him.

Beg.

He’d unzip her jeans and pull them down slowly as he tasted every inch of her. He’d seen the edge of the thin cord of a thong she wore, and he couldn’t wait to pull it off with his teeth. A tiny black thread of fabric. Then he would bang her until this damn ache subsided for good.

After he fisted away his aching need, he wrapped a towel around his waist and moved into the bedroom.

He searched the suitcases. Josh preferred designer jeans and polos, but at least they were the same size. After putting on the new clothes, he glanced in the mirror and rubbed the back of his neck.

How could so much change in just a few days? If things went as planned, he’d be on a plane back to Jersey early next week. Would she come back with him? The woman was as stubborn as a mule, but the thought of leaving her made his stomach twist.

He needed to figure out what he was going to do with her.

When he went for his wallet, his heart stopped. Frantically he searched for his keys as well. And then for the plastic bag of stones.

“Terra?” He yelled, storming out of the bedroom.

No response. Fuck it all to hell.

He ran back into the bedroom to retrieve his cell. Dead. You’ve got to be kidding. The hotel phone. He picked it up and called Josh.

“Is Terra with you?” He knew the answer even before he asked. His pulse raced.

“No. You lost her already?” His brother’s voice tensed.

“I didn’t lose her. She took off. With the stones and keys to my rental.”

“Dammit, Jace. Any idea where she’s heading?”

“Wherever she is, she’s in a shitload of trouble.” He raked his hands through his damp hair. His gut knew where she headed, what she intended. “She probably decided to take on Mic. Alone. This is all my fault. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

“We’ll get her before anything happens. It’s only been a few minutes. I’m downstairs in the lobby. Meet me in the garage.”

Jace hung up, cursing his stupidity for leaving her alone, even for one second. He should’ve known she’d run. The little badger was going to drive him bat shit crazy before this solstice was over.

On the lower level, Josh stuck his head out of a new H3 Alpha Hummer and gunned the engine.

“Really?” Jace jumped in and slammed the door.

“It’s safe.” Shrugging, Josh turned the mammoth vehicle out of the garage, and into the evening Vegas traffic. “Where to?”

“Turn right, here. Then, first right after that.” He programmed the rental’s TomTom to get them to the Airforce base. From there, he’d rely on memory.

His brother’s eyes were sunken in with dark circles. No doubt his harpy of a wife had a hand in that. “You okay, bro? I mean with Nicole?”

“Honestly? No.” The deep frown and twitch said more than his brother probably intended.

The feminine voice of the GPS directed them to turn left as they waited at a red light.

“Want to talk about it?”

“What’s there to say?” Josh’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “I still love her no matter what she’s done.”

“She screwing someone?” He’d had his suspicion for months now, but he hadn’t had the nerve to bring it up.

“Someones.” A tick started on Josh’s jaw.

“Shit.” Another reason to stay the hell away from love and marriage. “What’re you going to do?”

“We already visited a marriage counselor who said I should treat it like a disease. Take some responsibility myself. Some shit about not meeting her needs.”

“Wow. That’s harsh. I’m sorry.” Jace shook his head.

No way he’d put up with that. And neither should his brother. He started to say something more, but held back. Maybe this wasn’t the best time. He’d get his sister and mom and dad to talk some sense into him back in Jersey. Jack, too. Get a fucking intervention if that’s what it took.

The familiar airbase flew by on their right and Josh shifted into high gear. Slower traffic gave way and they sped up the road, hitting eighty-five.

“Look for a dirt road.” Jace leaned forward. “It’s near a big cactus and some scrub brush.”

“All I see is scrub and cactus.”

“Shit. That’s it.”

Josh squealed out a U-turn and headed down the dirt road toward the mine.

He blew out a heavy breath when he saw his rental truck parked in the middle of the desert, just off the road.

Something was wrong. He could feel it.

Josh pulled the Hummer over and Jace jumped out, racing to it, hoping she wasn’t injured–or worse. When he flung open the door, he saw the body and tensed. It took a moment to realize it wasn’t Terra. It was the weasel Falcon. He lay there, moaning, with the passenger seat flat.

Jace’s heart skipped a beat, then he growled, “Where the hell is she?”

Terra moaned, opened one eye, and tried to clear her foggy thoughts. This had to be a bad dream. Otherwise, why was Josh’s wife, Nicole, sitting at a computer screen with Mic, half-naked, rubbing her shoulders?

When she could focus fully, Terra’s blood boiled so hard she felt bile rise in her throat.

She spit out, “Ho-How could you?”

The click-click of long nails on the keyboard paused, and Nicole sneered, turning her head away from the screen.

Bloodless lips pursed. “Do you need a manual, little girl?”

Nicole stood, wearing only his loosely buttoned dress shirt.

“But Josh? You’re mated.” Terra swallowed hard. How could the woman betray him like this, and with Mic?

“No, Hun. We’re
married
. Big difference. No ritual. No increase in power. Nothing. He’s just a bank account and a foot in the door to bigger things.” She batted her eyelashes at Mic.

“You’re insane. Both of you.”

Mic laughed, deep and throaty. “That’s possibly the nicest thing you’ve said to me, Darling.”

“You need to grow up and see the big, bad world for what it is.” Nicole strode over and sat down on the leather couch, crossing naked legs. All pretext gone, an evil smile spread across the witch’s face. How could anyone ever have considered her pretty?

“Does Josh know?” Terra tried to scoot up to sit, and noticed for the first time her wrists and ankles were bound with plastic ties that bit into her skin.

“I doubt it. The man is useless. A puppet. But why do you care? You’ve got your own problems.” She stood, sidled up to Mic, and gave him a torrid kiss.

Terra turned her head and clamped her eyes shut.

“Now girls, don’t fight.” Mic sat down on the couch and put a clammy paw on her leg.

“Stay away.” She flinched, pulling her knees to her chest.

He chuckled. “Eddie will take care of that reticence.”

What?
Adrenaline coursed through her veins and a few more brain cells fired. She fought her bindings harder.

“That’s a girl. Let that anger simmer.” Mic leaned closer, his rancid breath hitting her face. “You thought you had it made, didn’t you? Marry that Fialko. Give him some of that black turquoise? Probably figured you’d get him to fight his older brother for control of the whole clan.”

She stared incredulously. He really was crazy.

“Don’t play dumb and innocent with me. I’ve been at this game much longer than you.”

Snickering, Mic slid his hands under Terra as if to pick her up. She kicked between his legs, missed, and screamed until her throat hurt.

Annoyed, he slammed a fist to her face and her teeth cut into her cheek.

“As much fun as this is, I need to call Eddie. I want your power back in my clan, kid. And I will have it. Even if you’re not a perfect match, good breeding will win out. I always wanted to be a grandpapa.”

Oh God. He really meant to do it.

Terra moaned, tasted blood, and her face throbbed. Her worse nightmare was coming true.

She wished to hell she’d never found the vein. “You have the mine. With that you can have everything. You don’t need me.”

Nicole approached, tapping a syringe. She plunged it into Terra’s arm with a sharp prick and smiled.

“Not everything.” Mic’s face distorted in an awful sneer.

“What else could you want?”

“She really is naive.” Nicole laughed. “Babies. The future. Mic’s not getting any younger and we sure as hell aren’t going to let you mate with a Fialko. If you’re a match with Eddie, you can’t solstice mate with anyone else,
ever
. And if not, we’ll pass you around the boys. We’ll find someone who will augment your powers. Either way, Mic wins.”

“Do you hear what you’re saying? That’s fucking sick!” Her words were starting to slur.

“I’ll be back in less than an hour.” He kissed Nicole hard on the mouth, then slapped her ass before turning towards the door. “Have her ready for Eddie.”

“You can’t do this. Please,” Terra pleaded with her when Mic was gone.

Nicole shrugged and stepped out of her three inch heels. “The Brasmatia power will not be shared with the fucking flame-throwers.”

Terra moaned. The walls began to dance, and Nicole’s face skewed like a Picasso painting. The drugs coursed through her, making her dizzy. She was so high, it was scary.

“What did you give me?”

A gargoyle-like smile twisted Nicole’s face. “It’s great, isn’t it? Wish I could join you.”

Terra had never smoked weed, nor joined in the Peyote that some in the reservation crowd favored.
This wasn’t great.
This was just out of control, the thing she hated most.

Scenes from her life floated in and out her mind like movies. Then the greatest ideas took root. She’d start her own oil company. No, not that. She’d find previously unknown pockets of silver. Or gold. She’d rebuild her house. Wait. That was it. She would build earthships using Brasmatia powers. Maybe she’d go to college for gemology.

Each idea surpassed the next as her mind raced ahead until she thought of Jace. Oh God, Jace. Gorgeous, fire-throwing Jace, with the body of an Olympic athlete, and the face of a Greek god.

In her mind, they fell into bed, naked. His lips caressed hers, so soft, so good. Not having any sexual experiences, her visions mimicked movie scenes with a healthy mix from erotic novels. But no matter the daydream, it was Jace taking her for the first time.

No one else would do, ever. The thought sobered her. When had he become the leading man for all her fantasies? Terra knew the answer. The first time he touched her, she knew he was the one.

Jace would come for her. She was as certain of that as she was that winter brought desert rain.

Suddenly, the house alarm screeched outside. Whoop. Whoop. Whoop. It blended into Terra’s surreal world of flashing lights and bright colors. Yellow Submarine came to mind, along with that long scene in some Odyssey movie.

Colors swirled around her, mixing with the noises.

Oh yeah. Kaleidoscopes. She remembered one as a kid. Triangles and circles. Around and around and then...Jace was in those rotating triangles.

He burst through the door, Josh and Falcon behind him. He looked pissed.

Meteors of Fialko fireballs flashed across the room. Nicole’s high-pitched squeals rang in her ears.

Terra struggled to get free. Her fucked up brain cells tried to tell her she was in danger. But she couldn’t move. Couldn’t even feel afraid, though she knew she should be.

Something cold was pressed to her temple. It took Terra a moment to realize it was a gun.

Nicole held the pistol, grinding it hard into Terra’s skull. “Stop or she dies.”

Terra tried to find something brilliant to say. What came out was, “Sexy, Jace. Come to rescue me.”

His face was a rock monster. So was Josh’s. Falcon, not so much. More of a gecko. She giggled. Falcon didn’t smile. No one did. “So serious.”

Jace spun fire in his palm, and said, “Let her go, Nicole.”

The bitch with the gun turned into a Cockatoo and said, “It’s over.”

Terra closed her eyes, and when they opened, the white bird was back to being Josh’s wife again. She tried harder to follow what being said.

Josh opened his palms and took two steps forward. “It doesn’t have to be, baby. Put the gun down. We’ll talk. Make it good again.”

“Stay back.” She waived the gun in his direction. “It was never that. Never. I wanted something more. I deserve more. But no. You were always content to be number two. No matter how many opportunities I handed to you on a silver platter. This wasn’t what I was groomed for. I was meant to be a clan leader’s wife. Time to move on.”

“Then move on, but let her go,” Jace said, his fire burning brighter.

So pretty.

“Jace. Dear, sweet, fucked-up Jace.” Nicole cackled, digging the gun deeper into Terra’s temple. “Don’t you want to hear how I set you up with my friend, Megan?”

Jace paled, his eye twitched. “What are you talking about?”

“I knew what you were. How powerful. I knew you’d been drinking. Great opportunity to get rid of one of the Fialko brothers, no? You were never the same. One down, one to go.” She glared at Josh. “But you just couldn’t man up and take what belonged to you, could you?”

Josh moaned, “You bitch.”

He rushed toward her.

“Josh, no,” Jace yelled.

The cold steel left Terra’s forehead and the gun fired at Josh with an eardrum breaking shot.

Jace’s fiery energy streaked across the living room like lightning.

In her drugged up state, Terra swore she could see the bullet as it passed through the red flaming ball.

Then time sped up again. Josh was thrown against one wall, blood spewing everywhere, and Nicole went flying in the opposite direction.

Falcon jumped to Josh and put pressure to his shoulder. His face paled as he spent healing energy. “I got him, see to her.”

“Terra? Terra, love? Are you alright?” Jace put a warm palm to her cheek.

When she nodded, he jumped beside the couch to check on Nicole.

Love? He had called her love? “I love you, too.” The words came out all slurry but she was pretty sure he heard because he stood and stared with his mouth open.

His expression was almost comical, and she giggled again.

She wanted to reach out and hug him, but her arms wouldn’t work. She glanced down and didn’t see them. Panic flared in her chest. “Where are my arms?”

Jace jumped over the arm of the couch, pulled out this huge pocketknife, and cut through her ties.

“Is she okay?” Falcon asked.

Jace held one eye open with his thumb and forefinger. “She’s been drugged.”

“I’ve been drugged,” Terra echoed, rubbing some feeling back into her hands and feet. 

Falcon held a towel tight to Josh’s chest. “We need to get out of here.”

“Nicole?” Josh’s voice was guttural as he raised his head off the floor.

Jace gave a short shake of the head at Falcon.

“Her aura is gone. I’m sorry.”

Nicole’s lifeless body lay in the corner. Even in death her face twisted in a scowl.

A small guttural moan echoed from where Josh lay. Despite what a bitch his wife had been, it was clear he’d loved her.

When Terra tried to stand, her legs turned to jelly and Jace scooped her up against his chest.

“Put me down.” She slapped his chest lightly then put her arms around his neck. God, he smelled so good. “I bet you taste good, too.”

Jace grunted. “What the hell did they give her?”

“Mic’s standard mix. It’ll wear off.” Falcon held his hand out to help Josh to stand.

“I’m fine.” Josh pushed Falcon’s hand away, his eyes glazed over, his expression zombie-like.

“We need to go.” Jace shifted her in his arms. “Mic could be back any minute.”

“We can’t leave her. Not like that,” Josh’s voice cracked.

“We don’t have a choice. She’s gone, bro.”

“Okay.” Hand pressed against his bloody shoulder, Josh gave a small nod, and led them out into the cool night air.

From outside, Mic’s house was a lot smaller than she’d imagined. Just a simple cape in the middle of nowhere.

A lone wolf howled in the distance, and she said, “It’s dark. Spooky. Like Halloween.”

Josh growled as he crawled into the back seat of the truck. “Can you shut her up?”

“You shut up,” Terra snapped back.

Jace sighed and placed her in the passenger seat of what looked like a black army tank.

“Stay,” he ordered.

“Sir, yes, Sir,” she said, giving him a salute.

Jace rolled his eyes, then turned, producing a huge ball of energy. He released it, and she watched as the ginormous fireball streamed through the desert, cutting through the complete black of night. It cut through the roof. Seconds later, the house exploded. Tiny bits and pieces of burning building shot out everywhere.

Holy shit. Before she could blink the image out of her retina, the heat of the explosion hit. Then, flames shot up from the interior of the cement foundation. Hot tar, burning plastic and wood, assaulted her nostrils.

That was the most friggin’ amazing display of power she’d ever witnessed. She’d no idea. My God, if they were a perfect match, and she was pretty sure they were, Mic wouldn’t have a chance.

Her mouth dropped open as he slammed the door and rasped his hand across his face. Before he could say anything, she blurted out, “I want to have your baby.”