Wilder Mage (15 page)

They rode together on the Vulcan, her arms locked around him. His mind roiled thinking of this first meeting, his fear for Macy and her refusal to submit quietly. It frightened him more than anything he could remember. He guided the motorcycle into his parking space at the Imperium office building and shut off the engine.

“Look, there is one thing, Macy. In this meeting, you need to allow Tiarra to…dominate the conversation. She won’t allow interference.”

“Submit, you mean. Give in to her.”

Inwardly, Dayne cringed at the echo of his word. “Yes, I suppose that is true. Submit. She’s the Alpha dog.” He ignored her low-uttered
bitch
and went on. “Show no defiance. Because…” He hesitated and then steeled himself again. “Macy, she tolerates no rivals.”

She nodded, but stayed silent as they made their way past the guard at the entrance, the elevator ride, and the sharp glance of the assistant. A new assistant, Dayne noticed. Harder. Colder.

The new woman efficiently noted and recognized him. She knocked on the paneled office door leading to Tiarra’s inner sanctum.

“Enter.”

Tiarra was not alone. Magic swirled around the room as an unseen body of energy. He could feel it in every cell of his body, like ants crawling over him. Four husky men with the hard eyes of guards stood against the walls, all the same in bearing and posture, arms crossed and alert. A couple stood with them, a man with worried eyes and a restless woman. Their focus was on a small gap-toothed girl who stood in the middle of the room, staring with wide eyes at Tiarra. The girl held a well-loved doll in a tight hug, but she broke into a grin when she looked at the young couple. They smiled back, but did not shift from their place by the wall.

The other was a boy of twelve or thirteen, and fear was on him. His eyes wheeled, as if looking for an exit, for help. The guards, their faces identical in expressionless masks of ice, did not meet his eyes or return his silent plea.

Tiarra stood against the desk and smiled thinly at the little girl. She bent down to eye-level with the toddler.

“What is your name, little one?” she asked pleasantly.

“Mowa,” the girl said shyly.

“Moira,” blurted the woman standing against the wall. She drew in a breath, as if appalled at her intrusion.

Tiarra didn’t look up, but continued to smile at the child. “Moira. A very pretty name,” she said. “And a very special little girl.”

Gently, she stroked where the little girl’s shoulder met her neck, and then the fingers pressed the girl’s skin. The girl stirred, uncertain, and began to pull away. Then her body stiffened and her eyes lost their focus.

Dayne felt the magic churn and shift around Tiarra and the girl and then fade. The air in the room became close and heavy, smothering. An errant swirl of magic passed nearby, making him shiver. Tiarra focused her narrowed eyes for a moment longer, nodded once, and withdrew her hand from the child’s shoulder and turned away. The child’s body collapsed into a boneless heap. Without looking at them, she motioned the parents to come forward with a waving gesture, and they hurried to the small form on the floor. Tiarra brushed her hands together, as if removing dirt, her focus now on the trembling boy.

“You know what I did, right?” she asked the shaking boy.

He stared at the unconscious girl, the parents hovering over her, and did not speak.

“She is fine and will awaken presently,” Tiarra said, her voice pleasant.

The girl moved and cried out, her voice bewildered. The father gathered the child into his arms, the girl mumbled, and the father crooned, “We’re here. Mommy and Daddy are here.”

Tiarra’s face showed no emotion as she watched the boy’s reaction, her head tipped to the side like a curious bird.

“See? She is fine. They are all fine,” she said briskly. For a moment longer, she observed the shaking boy. Then her polished nails reached for him.

Dayne flinched when the boy shuddered and pulled away. Dayne’s involuntary movement caught Tiarra’s attention, and her viper eyes locked on him. Mesmerized, like prey before the predator, he couldn’t move until she smiled. An evil glint seeped into her smile.

She nodded at him. “He remembers,” she said, turning back to the boy. Her words oozed like an oily film. The boy twisted and his frightened eyes caught Dayne.

He read the silent plea, the hope in the boy’s face. A small sound of distress came from someone in the room, from one of the men standing by the wall, but no one moved.

Tiarra made a soft sound that may have passed for a laugh at another time. “He remembers,” she repeated. “This touch, my first bond that seals you to me. My essence, my soul.”

The boy’s eyes pleaded for Dayne to do…what? Help? Save him?

Dayne couldn’t save himself.

With the boy distracted, Tiarra touched the boy’s neck, and the boy—and Dayne—shuddered. And then the boy’s wide eyes blurred, unfocused and…

It was done.

“Yes, you do remember, my dear Imperator. But it is not so bad,” she crooned. Tiarra turned away as the boy dropped to the floor. Without looking, she motioned, and one of the stoic guards stepped forward and picked him up. As the guard rose, his hooded eyes caught Dayne watching him.

Not as emotionless as I believed,
Dayne thought. Silent tears coursed down the guard’s cheeks as he turned away, carrying the boy. Dayne felt his own eyes stinging.

Tiarra cocked her head to the side, studying him like an unexpected abnormality, a curiosity. Another humorless smile lit her face, and she said, “Guards, leave us now so I may speak with my Imperator.”

Her eyes shifted to a spot behind him.

“And his wife.”

The parents and remaining guards eased out of the room, a silent retreat. When Tiarra’s eyes remained on Macy, Dayne felt a tendril of anger and, without thought, stepped to the side, blocking her view of his wife. His teeth drew back from his lips in a silent snarl. It was instinctive. And foolish.

Tiarra no more acknowledged him than the paint on the walls as she stepped around him. He started to block her again, but his limbs locked into place and he stood still, his stomach roiling. His body no longer answered his will, and he stood helplessly in place.

Tiarra didn’t speak to Macy, but stood to one side, her head still tipped, as if examining a strange phenomenon. For a moment longer, Tiarra stood, then turned away, and Dayne felt the restraints drop. He swiveled, anxious for Macy and her reaction to Tiarra.

Macy’s impassive gaze followed Tiarra as the woman moved to face them in front of her desk. She showed no hint of fear or anger when she flicked her eyes to Dayne. It was as if a block of granite stood before him.

“You will personally investigate the
tener unus
that was missing—missing, until yesterday, that is. Do not deploy surveillance of any kind until you arrive. I don’t want to lose her again or cause her to run,” she said.

He sucked in a deep breath to calm his fear before he turned to face her. “You feel the two of us can handle her, then? Did you want us to bring her to you?”

“No, no, my Imperator. You will have no need to do that. I will travel with you to the last known location and try to find her using the bond I have with her. It is tenuous, of course, but I can still feel a mage when they are close, especially one who has my essence.”

She was going with them. Damn it to hell. Dayne felt the prick of nausea again and started to speak.

“You are going with us?” It wasn’t his question, but Macy’s as she stepped up to stand beside him.

Tiarra’s mouth formed an amused smile. “Oh, yes, I think I should involve myself in this quest. The young one is…powerful.”

“But I have just come into my full potential,” Macy said. Dayne tried to interpret her voice, so calm and self-assured. There was no hesitation or nervousness in her level voice. “Don’t I need practice or instruction?”

Tiarra laughed. “Practice?” she said. “No, no need to practice unless you count self-control.”

Dayne froze as her eyes flickered to him and back to Macy.

“But if you insist, I will give you an exercise to complete now. A demonstration.”

She tapped her lips, as if in thought. “Let me see. You are strong in Earth and Air, is that correct?”

Macy nodded.

“Well, let me see. Show me…hmm. Show me the degree of control you have in Air.” And with one of her highly polished nails, she pointed at Dayne. “On him.”

Macy’s horrified eyes met his, and he started to speak, when he felt himself pressed back into an office chair. Tiarra wasn’t even looking at him to see the effect her use of force had on him. All her attention was on Macy.

“Now, youngling, use your talent to press the air from his chest and stop his heart with the pressure.”

Macy gagged and Dayne saw that she struggled, but her resistance was brief. He felt the element of Spirit whirl around her and her will crumpled. Her eyes begged him. It was the same as the boy’s silent plea had been, looking to him for help.

Or absolution.

“No, please. No,” she begged softly.

“Slowly now,” Tiarra said, ignoring Macy’s cries. “Build the pressure gradually and show me what you can do.”

As he watched, Macy flinched and silent tears scrolled down her cheeks. At first, Dayne felt nothing except air currents flowing around his body. Then one brushed his face, almost like a caress of a soft hand, cupping his cheek. But it slid from his face, trailed down his neck, and to his chest, stopping where his sternum joined his ribs. It stopped there and settled.

As if a large hand rested there, it pressed against his chest. It increased, growing like a man resting his weight on him, standing on his body. His breathing began to labor as he struggled to lift the hidden weight, his diaphragm working to pull air into his lungs. The burden mounted, increasing until his heart pounded. He tried to hold his eyes on Macy’s stricken face, but he found it difficult to keep his lids open.

Her sobs were liquid.

He wanted to touch her, to hold her and tell her not to cry. He wanted to caress away the tears falling from her eyes and hush her gasping sobs with his mouth. He wanted to do so much, to live and to love. But soon, the world shrunk to nothing more than a small area on Macy’s face. All else was dim and black. He could no longer hold his eyes open.

Suddenly, the weight was gone, and he gulped the air with a whooping sound. Macy was kneeling at his feet, her arms around him, weeping, her tears mingling with his own.

The harsh, delighted laugh made him look up. Tiarra was at the large, wall-sized window with her back to them. “And that is how it is done,” she said. “See, youngling, you don’t need practice, just self-control.

“Since you’ve proven that your control is exceptional, truly fine, my child, I have decided to let you handle the
tener unus
without me. You hardly need my assistance with the skill you’ve displayed today. Send
competent
mages to monitor the girl until I give the order for your direct involvement. At that time, both of you will act as her guards, involving yourselves in her life. Until she has turned.”

Macy slipped one arm around his shoulders and helped him to stand, her soft words and murmurings for his ears only. Dayne stood, swaying. After Tiarra’s demonstration of her power over them, his anger surprised him.

“You see, after a
tener unus
comes into their potential, I control them, body and soul. Until then—” Tiarra shrugged “—the leash is tenuous. Time is always on my side, and eventually some emotion triggers the awakening of the elements in their psyche.”

“Except for one,” Dayne croaked, his voice harsh.

“What?” Tiarra turned to look at him.

He cleared his throat. “Except for the one that escaped you. The one you tried to bond your essence to, but failed.”

She stared at him. Dayne knew he should be terribly afraid, but he couldn’t find that emotion now. All he felt was tired and sore. And very angry.

Tiarra drew a slow breath. Her eyes glinted as she struggled to contain some unidentifiable emotion. “Yes. Except for that one.”

Her voice was low, nearly inaudible. “Leave now. I will coordinate with you later.”

With Macy’s arm around his waist, he stumbled to the door, relief the only thing he felt now. Just as he started to open the door, Tiarra’s voice stopped him.

“It’s not unusual for one of my mated couples to stay together,” she said thoughtfully. “That happens when the subjects join sometimes.”

Macy turned to her. “But it didn’t work this time, not this mating. You didn’t choose very well when you picked Volker to follow me. I hated him on sight.” Weariness and anger threaded through her voice.

But Dayne felt a chill course up his spine as he looked at Tiarra’s triumphant face, and he suddenly wished he had not spoken out about the one she lost. He knew what she was going to say and his heart broke.

Her amused smile was glacier cold. “I didn’t pick Volker for your mate.”

The door closed behind them. As he rubbed his chest, Dayne could still hear Tiarra’s laughter. He didn’t look at Macy. Silently, they left the building. He had no courage to start a conversation.

How could he face this without her, without her love?

Macy helped him to the parked motorcycle, and he was wondering how he was going to manage driving it, when his cell phone rang. It was his subordinate, an up-and-comer in his world of security.

“What?” he answered harshly.

“Hey, boss, the lady told me to let you know there was no hurry with traveling to investigate the TU. She said the mage would probably stay in that region for now, so don’t make travel plans yet.”

Dayne glanced at Macy. “Understood,” he said. “We will wait for her go-ahead, then.”

“Suits me. Hey, that boss-lady must be having a good day. She was laughing half the time talking to me. I could hardly understand her.”

Dayne wanted to crush the cell phone as he broke the connection.

“Let me drive. I can handle it. You sit behind.” She gathered her elements and surrounded herself with them, putting them on as she did her helmet. Earth and Air gave her strength, and she used them now to handle the heavy bike.