Mercenary Magic (15 page)

A translucent, semi-solid glob of magic oozed out of Harrison’s hand, slid down his leg, and rolled across the floor onto the array of glyphs. There it dissolved, letting off a whiff of lemon-scented magic as it melted into the arcane symbols. In unison, Harrison and Olivia swung out their fists to punch through the wind barrier. The punch didn’t shatter the whole thing—Kai’s magic was too strong for that—but it did tear a sizable hole in it. Before Kai could seal the gap, the Sage siblings jumped through the glowing glyphs and disappeared. The portal snapped shut with a heavy pop, sucking all the magic out of the room.

Free of their tornado prison, the remaining three mages stepped forward with demented grins. Flames burst to life in the elemental’s hands, singeing the cuffs of her jacket. She was dressed in a black skirt suit that belonged in some fancy New York City high-rise office, not a dusty, dirty storage room. She was wearing high-heeled pumps, for heaven’s sake. Battle wear it was not.

On either side of her, the summoner and the shifter unrolled their power. Ribbons of glowing magic swirled up from the summoner, spitting out a swarm of seagulls that swerved and spun overhead like a bunch of bats out of a horror movie. Muscle rippled across the shifter’s body. A low, deep growl rumbled deep in his chest. A werewolf. Shit.

“We don’t have time for this,” Kai said, growling back.

Most mages who could change shape took at least a minute to shift. This one had only half-morphed into a werewolf when Kai exploded into a dragon. And an explosion it truly was. One moment he was a man and the next…he was something very inhuman. Dragon Kai was well over twenty feet tall, so enormous that his shift had taken down a sizable chunk of the roof. He was as black as pitch with a dark blue-green sheen to his scales and wings, like a dragonfly. His eyes were that same devastatingly beautiful shade of electric blue.

The flock of seagulls turned into a steep dive, angling for Sera. The dragon snapped out his jaws, swallowing them up in a single bite. As the summoner fainted, the elemental shot a fireball at Kai. It bounced off his scales with a melodic clink. Rolling his enormous eyes, the dragon smacked her against the wall. She didn’t get up. Now alone, the werewolf stared up at the prime predator, his eyes growing wide. Then he turned and made a run for it.

He wasn’t fast enough.

The dragon raised his foot, lethal yet still somehow elegant, and stomped down on the fleeing werewolf. Yelp. Crunch. Holy shit.

Magic snapped, unwinding the layers of dragon until Kai was a man again—well, in the shape of a man again. The dragon was still lurking inside of him. That dragon stared out at her from behind magic-charged eyes.

“What the hell is the matter with you?” Sera demanded.

He blinked, apparently surprised. Maybe no one had ever dared to tell off the big, bad dragon before.

“He was retreating,” she pushed on. “You did the equivalent of shooting him in the back.”
But with a crunch.
She cringed.

“You kill monsters for a living. Don’t tell me you’ve suddenly decided to be squeamish,” he said, disapproval in his voice.

“It’s not the same at all. That was a man, not a beast. And you are a psychopath.”

Kai shrugged. “He’s not dead.” His eyes flicked over to the broken body she was making a concentrated effort not to see. “He turns into a werewolf. He’ll heal.”

“And you turn into a dragon. So it’s ok if I poke you with my sword?”

Kai flashed his teeth at her. “You’re welcome to try, sweetheart.”

She rolled her eyes. Dragons. “Whatever. We can duel it out in your dungeon later.”

Magic flickered in his eyes.

“Uh, that didn’t come out right.” She cleared her throat. “Let’s just concentrate on our more immediate problem. Harrison and Olivia got away.
With
the Priming Bangles.”

“I can feel them.” His lids dropped. “They’re close. But where?” He grabbed a hold of her hand.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Shh,” he said, taking her other hand. His magic poured through their joined hands, pulsing through her body. “I need you, Sera.”

Her breath caught in her throat.

“…to help me find them,” he continued. “If we combine our magic, it will be easier to track them down.”

“But—”

“No buts. The men won’t say a thing about your magic.” He opened his eyes to look at the trio of commandos.

“Nope.”

“Not a word.”

“Our lips are sealed.”

“There you go,” said Kai.

It wasn’t the commandos she was worried about. She believed them when they said they wouldn’t snitch; the look in their eyes said they’d follow Kai’s orders to their graves. No, they weren’t the problem. The problem was Kai. Kai the dragon. Kai the insanely powerful mage who sat on the Magic Council. He was the one she had to worry about. He just didn’t know it yet.

“Now for once don’t be stubborn,” he said. “This is about more than just you. Someone is taking control of the city’s mages. I don’t have to tell you how bad it will be if he turns his new army against the other supernaturals—or the humans. Remember what Finn saw.”

He was right. Damn him. If this mess tore the city apart—or worse yet, spread even further—she’d have bigger problems than her own life. Thousands could die. Or even millions. She couldn’t let the whole world go to hell just to save herself. If she did that, she’d be no better than those who had sentenced her kind to death. Steeling herself, she nodded at Kai.

“Good.” His hands slipped out of hers. “Here, I’ll help you.” He slid them up her arms with languid relish, finally settling them on her shoulders. “Reach out with your magic and try to find mine.”

A million voices began to scream warnings in her head.
Dragon! Danger! Magic Council! Death!
She pushed them down, opening a hole in her shield just large enough to squeeze out a slender sliver of magic. She extended it toward him.

“Good,” he said as her magic brushed against his. “Now we need to get our magics to merge.”

“How do we do that?”

“By putting them on the same magical wavelength. Since you’re new at this, I’ll adjust to your magic.”

His magic shifted to a higher note, humming against hers.

“Not quite right,” he said.

It shifted up again. And again. He tried down. Then up again. Four more times he tried without success. Sweat beaded his hairline.

“Your magic’s rhythm seems to elude me. Let’s see if you have better luck.” He took her hand and set it on his chest. “Magic is like blood. It pumps out from the heart. Get a feel for its rhythm and try to match it.”

Beneath her hand, Kai’s chest thumped with the power of a war hammer. His magic pulsed out, spreading up one arm and down the other, pouring through every pore in her body. She closed her eyes and opened her senses. Kai’s magic sounded like the beating wings of a giant dragon. It smelled like burning timber, hot and sweet, and it tasted like cinnamon. It was the most beautifully devastating thing she’d ever experienced. She melted into blissful oblivion under its strong and subtle velvet touch.

“Sera?”

“Yes?” Her voice was deep and throaty.

“I think…oh, God, please, stop doing that.”

For the first time since she’d met him, she could feel a weakness in his self-control. She slid her magic against the weak spot, trying to pop it open. A deep, primal growl rumbled inside his chest. The temptation to break through his control overwhelmed her.

“Sera.” His fingers massaged her head through a curtain of long hair. Her ponytail had come loose, and she didn’t care. “You’re almost there.”

“I know,” she breathed, pushing her magic into alignment with his. As their magics locked together into one note, liquid heat flooded her body, driving out what little was left of rational thought. So this was what being drunk on magic felt like. For the first time, she understood how mages turned into magic junkies—and why they never wanted the rush of magic to end.

Kai’s soft lips brushed up her neck. “Slap me.”

“Why?”

He kissed her ear as he spoke. “Because you need to snap me out of your spell.”

“Why?”

His mouth hovered over hers. “Because if you don’t, I’ll have no choice but to start doing things to you that you’ll really, really enjoy.”

She snorted.

“You don’t believe me?” His hand slid over her bottom.

“No, I don’t. Your men are watching.”

“Is that your only problem? In that case.” He kissed her cheek once, then turned his head to look at the three commandos. “Guys, turn around.”

As one and without a word, they pivoted around, turning their backs to Sera and Kai.

“You’re serious?”

He leaned in to kiss her long and deep—then pulled back, leaving her lips burning for more. “I’m serious and then some.”

She drew a deep breath, struggling to steady her racing heart. “I’m not going to have sex with you.”

He arched an amused brow. “No?”

“No. And definitely not while the commando triad is here.”

“Should I have them take a walk?” he said, the words lingering on his lips.

Yes.
“No,” she asserted, mentally slapping herself. “I’ve aligned my magic with yours. Now tell me what to do next.”

He wet his lips.

“About finding the Sages, you crazy dragon.”

Feather-light, his hand caressed her cheek.

She glared at him. “Do you want that slap now?”

“No, let’s save that for later.” There was something really indecent about the way he said it. “Ok, tracking. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been able to track someone?”

She swallowed hard before answering. “The same room usually. Sometimes the same building.”

“Nothing further?”

“No.”

“You haven’t been training your magic.”

 Sera stiffened. There it was again: disapproval. At least it put some ice on the fire.

“With your power level, I’m willing to bet you could even track someone with only trace amounts of magic from across the city,” said Kai. “After a bit of training. We don’t have time for that right now, so I’ll just draw on your magic to boost my range.”

The tendrils of their magic had intertwined into a lattice of tiny connections. Every single one of these connections began to tingle as Kai drank from her magic. His eyes, dilated from the magic influx, looked upward. When he spoke, his voice was distant.

“They’re moving along the waterfront. They have the Priming Bangles with them. I see large ferries crowded full of people…”

The band of magic connecting Sera to Kai snapped. His magic faded, leaving her cold and more than a little humiliated. Separated from the sensual caress of his magic, her head was finally clear enough to realize what a fool she’d made of herself. She’d teased him, tasted him, and wanted more. But she wasn’t one to let a little thing like complete and utter humiliation stand in the way of her doing her job.

“Where are they going?” she asked Kai.

“Alcatraz,” he said. “They’re going to Alcatraz.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Tanked Dragon

THEY ALL PILED into Kai’s car, and he zoomed out of the parking lot like his tail was on fire. Maybe he’d set it on fire himself. Sera snickered from the passenger seat. Kai turned his head to give her a stern look.

“Hey, watch the road!” she shouted, gesturing frantically.

Kai slipped in between two cars, cutting it so close that they’d probably need a new paint job. From the back seat, the commandos let out a round of manly chortles.

“I’m stuck in a car with a bunch of raving lunatics,” she muttered.

The comment only elicited more chortles. Kai shot them a hard glare, and they fell silent.

“There’s no need for concern,” he assured her.

“You drive like you’re replaying a high-speed chase scene from some action blockbuster movie.”

“I know precisely what I’m doing.”

“And you do this, Mr. Action, without keeping your eyes on the road.”

“You worry too much.”

“I worry too much?” she repeated in disbelief. “Well, I’m sorry if I’m not a big, bad, indestructible dragon who
steps
on people who annoy him.”

“He didn’t annoy me. He was a threat that had to be neutralized. If I hadn’t shifted into a dragon, that werewolf would have snapped your pretty hands right off.”

“He could have tried. And tasted my steel.”

“And you call me violent,” he said, glancing over at her.

“Eyes.”

Smirking, he returned his eyes to the road.

“There’s a really big difference between making someone go splat and using your sword to defend yourself against a direct assault,” she told him.

“Were those caterpillars launching a direct assault on you?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. I’ll have you know that those caterpillars have some pretty nasty spit. Like burning acid nasty. They were using it to terrorize the human and supernatural populations of the city. And when I asked them to stop, they got really unpleasant.”

“It must have been the sword with which you asked them to stop.”

Sera ignored the commandos’ snickering and replied cooly, “Let’s just try to get to the pier without hitting any of the other cars on the road.”

“I would never hit anyone.”

So said the man who stepped on people. He did look pretty horrified, though. Maybe he only used his powers against monsters.

“That would scratch the paint on my car,” he added. “I’d just summon some wind to nudge them aside instead.”

Or maybe he used his power whenever it was convenient for him.

“He’s just pulling your leg,” Dal called from the back seat.

Sera turned around to look at him. He wasn’t a small man by any measure. In fact, he was a big, beefy, muscle mass currently sitting with his knees nearly up to his chin, and the two men on either side of him weren’t any smaller. The three of them looked really uncomfortable squished into the backseat of the car, but when Kai had told them to sit there, they hadn’t even blinked.

“He pretends to be callous, but he’s actually very reasonable. And he’s always really careful not to damage anything,” said Callum.