Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) (15 page)

On the way out of town, we had to stop by the
big superstore to grab a last minute gift Mama decided to get for
Jeffrey. When a red-eyed man crept out from behind a beat-up pickup
truck in the crowded parking lot, my heart stopped. This was my
first sighting of one of the Hunters the Alexanders had warned me
about, and until now, I’d never fully appreciated the danger I was
in.

Unconsciously, I reached up to grasp my
necklace, seeking the comfort it usually offered, but it was gone.
I’d left behind my only protection, and as a consequence, I’d put
myself in harm’s way. The Hunter who was peeking at me from behind
the parked cars was proof of that.

“Mama.” My words escaped in panicked gasps. “I
forgot something. Can we go back home? Please?”

“Rachel, I’m not turning this car around just
because you forgot something. What could possibly be so important?”
Her clipped, irritable tone would normally make me back down
instantly, but I couldn’t afford to lose this particular
argument.

“I
need
to…” I trailed off as the
figure drew closer to our car. His gaze was fixed on me and I could
feel the pull at my magic as it came closer. My heart beat wildly
and sweat began to gather on my upper lip.

“If you need something, you’ll buy it here, or
you won’t have it. Understood?” She opened the car door and grabbed
her purse. Would a Hunter attack me in the crowded superstore
parking lot? Did Hunters care about witnesses? Prickles of fear
shot up my spine and I decided I didn’t want to find out how
persistent a Hunter could be.

“Wait.” I grabbed the strap of her purse,
nearly causing it to break. The Hunter was so close, I could make
out the ragged outline of his tattered clothing.

My request to drive twenty miles back home
probably seemed absurd to my mother, but I couldn’t afford to
travel all the way to Atlanta without it. If the Hunters could find
me here, they could find me anywhere.

Mama’s furious gaze settled on me, and in
times past, I would have stammered an apology. Opening and closing
my mouth in helpless desperation, I glanced behind me. The Hunter
was even closer than before. If I escaped unscathed, I vowed never
to doubt Jerica’s warnings again.

Panic emboldened me and I met my mother’s
angry stare. I delved into her mind, felt our connection click into
place, and overrode her will with minimal effort. “We must return
home. You left the iron on.”

Her eyes widened as the implanted notion took
root. “Oh, my goodness. Rachel, I think I left the iron on. We’ll
have to go back home. Call your brother and tell him we’ll be a
little later than we expected,” she urged as she slammed the car
door shut. Another mental nudge from my mind to hers had her
peeling out of the parking spot, nearly hitting the Hunter as we
passed him.

I trembled from head to toe during our drive
back home. Scanning my surroundings, I flew into the house, grabbed
my necklace, and fumbled with the clasp as I placed it around my
neck. In an instant, panic subsided and I took a deep
breath.

“Was I right? Did I leave the iron on?” she
asked as I climbed into the passenger seat.

“Yes. It’s a good thing you
remembered.”

“It certainly was a blessing we decided to
stop off at the shopping center, wasn’t it?” she asked.

It
was
a blessing. Had we made it to
Atlanta without my necklace, I’d have been a Hunter magnet for a
week. And had one caught up with me, I never would have made it
back to Oaktree. At least not alive.

Chapter
Thirteen

Alisa

Rachel left two days after Christmas, leaving
me alone with Jace. Okay, not exactly alone. His family and Mikael
were around as well. It was time to mend my fences with Jace, but
having no previous experience with friendship drama, I wasn’t sure
how to go about doing it. With a belly full of fear, I swallowed my
pride and called Jace first thing the morning of Rachel’s
departure. I almost hung up after the third ring, having convinced
myself Jace was avoiding my call. It was absolutely ridiculous that
my heart was beating irregularly and my cornflakes were turning
into a soggy mass in the bottom of my stomach.

“I was just getting ready to call you,” Jace
said when he answered the phone. My body sagged with relief. I
didn’t realize how tense I was until that moment. “The rain finally
stopped. I’ll be there in an hour to pick you up. I’m worried about
all the practices we’ve missed. If we don’t get serious, this
weekend will be a massacre.”

I struggled to figure out what he was talking
about. Then I remembered. Tennis. I’d never met anyone so
competitive or obsessive when it came to tennis. In a contest
between work and laziness, laziness always won where Jace was
concerned. Tennis with or against his family was the only
exception.

“Um, okay,” I stammered, not knowing if it was
a good time to bring up any unpleasantness. Things seemed like they
were getting back to normal between us. I decided to take the
plunge. “Are we still partners? I think your brother may have
claimed me as a prize.” I felt stupid saying this, but with Bryce,
I never knew when he was being serious.

“Um, yeah. We’re still partners. Just get
ready and I’ll see you soon.” Jace sounded very evasive. Why did I
feel as if something wasn’t quite right?

The second I hopped into his mom’s car, Jace
grabbed my hand and pulled me into a sideways hug. “I’m sorry,” he
said.

“Me too,” I replied, trying not to get choked
up.

“I’ve been a bad friend.” Jace sounded
contrite.

“So have I. I’m sorry I’ve been so hateful
lately. I just…”

“No, it’s my fault. I haven’t paid enough
attention to you. I’m really sorry.” He hesitated for a few seconds
before continuing. “I don’t want to let anyone or anything mess
with our friendship ever again. So, I’m going to tell you something
and I want you to promise not to get mad.”

“I’m not going to make any promises. Now, tell
me,” I demanded.

“I made a deal with Bryce that may or may not
affect you,” he admitted. “You and I are playing doubles against
Bryce and my mom on Saturday. If we win, he’ll let me use his truck
while he’s away.” Jace’s eyes glowed with greed. Only fear of death
and/or dismemberment had kept him from messing around with the
stereo and sound system inside Bryce’s truck while his brother had
been away.

“Oh, great. No pressure. I don’t feel used or
anything.” I sighed, exasperated. I noticed Jace was avoiding eye
contact. “Wait a minute. What happens if Bryce wins? Does your
mother know about all this wheeling and dealing?”

The answer to the last question was obvious.
No. Jerica would never participate in the game if she knew the
brothers were placing bets based on the result. Jace said the bet
may or may not affect me. What was that supposed to
mean?

Jace started the engine and backed out of my
driveway. It was an avoidance tactic. He had to stop the car
sometime and when he did, I would beat the information out of him
with my tennis racket.

He was out of the car faster than a bolt of
lightning when we pulled into the parking lot in front of the
tennis courts. If Jace was the lightning, I was the thunder. I
rolled toward him like a storm cloud, my racket clutched tightly in
my fist. “What happens if Bryce wins, Jace?”

“It’s no big deal, actually. He just wants a
rematch in the ring. He felt like you had an unfair advantage the
first time.” Jace wisely kept the net in between us.

“What exactly is the nature of his complaint?
He won. Is he upset he didn’t kill me the last time? Needs another
chance so he can finish the job?” I was so confused, I forgot about
killing Jace. I couldn’t understand Bryce’s motive for wanting a
rematch. Clearly he was the better fighter. What did he have to
prove?

“He claims he was forced to hold back because
of Dad being there. Look, I don’t know. Mikael is still making fun
of him, okay? You knocked him on his butt and made him look like an
idiot,” he said, bouncing a tennis ball on the web of his
racket.

“So you sold me out for stereo equipment and a
truck?” I advanced toward him with my tennis racket.

“Relax. The rematch will never happen because
we’re going to win. So, let’s get started, okay?” Jace tossed the
ball high into the air and served a straight shot toward me. I
didn’t have time to think about Bryce after that because I was too
busy sweating, running, and trying to catch my breath.

***

Saturday’s match was tennis Armageddon, at
least to Jace. In his mind, losing the match was the end of the
world. I couldn’t understand why he was so upset. He may have lost
something that was never his to begin with, but I would have to try
to avoid Bryce, or be forced to endure the pain and humiliation of
being defeated in the ring.

The match started out all right, but after
Jace made one simple mistake, Bryce laughed and my partner came
unhinged. After that, Jace made miscalculation after
overcompensation. He was out of control and there was nothing I
could do to keep him from unraveling. I’d never seen him play that
poorly before, and he was beyond consolation.

To make matters worse, Jerica and Abe went out
to dinner after the match that evening and left Bryce, Jace,
Mikael, and me to our own devices. Jace was utterly defenseless
against the relentless mockery inflicted on him by Bryce. I urged
Jace to ignore his brother, but it was like they had both regressed
back to early childhood. The evening was a torment of name-calling
and tantrums.

Finally, I could take no more. Jace was my
best friend, my only real friend in the world, and I couldn’t stand
by and do nothing. It was only a matter of time before magic reared
its ugly head. I had some frightening visions of Jace blowing up
the house if he resorted to magic. The more they argued, the
angrier Jace became. I had to do something to break it up. Short of
killing them both, I couldn’t think of a way to get them to quit
their bickering.

Out of desperation, I did the only thing I
could think of to distract Bryce. “Hey, how about that rematch?
Your parents are gone, so they can’t interfere. Let’s go. You can
humiliate me any way you see fit, but I have one
condition.”

“You’re not fighting anyone,” Jace said,
turning his attention to me.

“What’s your condition?” Bryce asked, smiling
widely.

“If you say one more word to Jace about the
tennis match, I’ll tell your mom about the bet,” I said.

“What purpose would that serve? Mom and Dad
will be mad at both of us. Your buddy, Jace, will be in trouble
too.” Bryce clearly felt he’d made his point. He started to turn
away.

“They’ll be way angrier with you, though.
You’re supposed to be an adult. You know—set the example. Don’t
they hold you to a higher standard?” I knew I’d won the argument
when I saw his smile fade. Mikael laughed
appreciatively.

“Take care of Biscuit for me,” I said to Jace,
wearing my best martyred expression. “And Gem, even though he’s
mean and will probably claw your eyes out.”

“Biscuit and Gem?” Bryce asked.

“My cats,” I explained.

“You’re being a little melodramatic, aren’t
you?” Bryce asked, laughing. I wished he would save his laughter
for after the match. “Do you think I would really hurt you or that
Jace would allow it? I can’t believe you were actually willing to
go up against me based on a bet my brother made, or that you would
sacrifice yourself for a guy who essentially tried to trade you for
a truck.”

Okay, I guess it sounded stupid when he
phrased it like that. A dark blush crept across my face, burning my
cheeks.

Bryce spoke again, “I never intended to hurt
you, Alisa. I was just messing with Jace and I’m sorry you got
caught up in it. When we sparred before, it was just for fun. I
would certainly never use our training sessions to hurt
someone.”

He turned to Jace, speaking a little more
sharply. “You’re lucky to have such a good friend. Maybe you should
consider that the next time you try to trade her for the rights to
my truck. You know what? Go ahead and use it if you want, but if
you wreck it, you’ll need Alisa’s help more than ever. Help
walking, help seeing, help drinking through a straw because your
jaw will be wired shut. Stuff like that.”

It was like someone had flipped a switch and
Bryce’s multiple personalities decided to play musical chairs. Or
maybe there was some sort of mood stabilizing medication he kept
forgetting to take. He caught me off guard with his constant shifts
in temperament. I’d always dreamed of having an older brother, but
after spending time with Bryce, I was sincerely glad I was an only
child.

“You Americans are strange. Are all of your
people this way?” Mikael’s awkwardly phrased, but accurate analysis
broke the tension and enabled us all to have a laugh.

“No, just us,” Bryce admitted. He said
something in French and Mikael threw back his head and
laughed.

An obnoxious rap tune accompanied by a
vibrating jolt signaled the end to our evening of fun. Jace fumbled
in his pocket for the source of the noise, and upon retrieving his
cell phone, dropped it twice before finally depressing the correct
button.