A Shift in the Air (24 page)

“
Wish me luck,” Mara said.
Cade followed her closely, tension hunching his shoulders around
his ears. Liam and Caitlin hung back a few steps with Farren
waiting by the car.

An elderly woman leaning on a cane
answered Mara’s knock. “Who the hell are ye?”

“
I’m Mara
Taylor.”

Diedre hissed a breath between her
teeth. “Ye’re the one they’re after. And ye’re with Fergus!” She
pointed a bony finger at Caitlin, and a gust of wind knocked them
all back. Liam stumbled and went down, breaking Caitlin’s
fall.

Oh hell, no. Caitlin leapt to her
feet, prepared to throw her own charm back at Diedre. But memory
stayed her anger, reminding her of another old woman she once
attacked under the influence of Katerina’s charms. Away from the
fire elemental’s thrall, she chose a different path.

“
I won’t fight you. Paddy
called you the forbearer, and we know you have the elemental charm
book we need. Will you let us in?”

“
Please.” Mara got to her
feet and held out her hands. “We’re here because I think you can
help us. Eleanor Nathem believed in you. Siobhan Barney. You know
them, don’t you?”

“
Siobhan.” Diedre’s pale
hazel eyes watered. “I haven’t seen her in a decade.”

“
She told me to tell you
that your ‘little flower’ sent us.”

Diedre stared in wonder at Mara. “I
called her that when she was a wee lass.”

“
She insisted you’d help
us. We all want to stop Fergus. No one more than Caitlin.
Please.”

Whether Mara’s tone or her words
helped sell their presence, Caitlin couldn’t tell, but Diedre
huffed out a breath and waved her hand. “Fine.

She shuffled off down a narrow
hallway, and the five of them followed into a living room that
looked as if it hadn’t changed in fifty years. Lace draped over
dark, antique furnishings, and gauzy cobwebs lent an air of deathly
stillness to the room. The scent of liniment hung heavy in the air,
along with the curling smoke of incense burning in a shadowy
corner.

Glass doors allowed Caitlin to peer
into bookshelves crammed full of ancient texts. A trio of faded
photographs sat clustered on a table next to a sliding glass door
that looked out over an overgrown back yard.

“
I’m not offerin’ coffee.
Out of respect to Siobhan, ya can explain what ya need. I’m not
promisin’ to help ya.” A gust of wind blew a lace doily off a dark
wood end table. Diedre crossed her arms over her bosom and raised a
white brow.

Mara took a seat on a low settee and
folded her hands on her thigh. “Siobhan told me that you used to
talk about your great-grandmother’s charm book. That book may
possess information we need to stop Fergus...and save my life.
Fergus started losing his mind after he absorbed Caitlin’s air,
Siobhan believes that since I absorbed my sister’s fire, that I may
be at risk as well.

Diedre cast a severe eye at Mara. “Has
it started then?”

“
I...don’t know. Maybe.”
The humidity in the room doubled, perhaps tripled, in the space of
a single breath.

Cade’s sharp inhale punctuated Mara’s
honesty, his worry raw in his gaze, but Diedre paid him no
interest. “Aye. Well, ya know truth of it then.”

“
Will you help
us?”

“
I know of ya, Mara Taylor.
And of Caitlin Brannigan. The loony bastard, Fergus, killed my
cousin’s wee girl more than a decade ago. Ya remember her, lass?
Claire Donnelly. She carried fire within her. Died up at the edge
of the cliffs one stormy night. Ya helped, didn’t ya?”

Caitlin flinched. Claire. The poor
young fire elemental hadn’t stood a chance against Fergus. With her
heartbeat pounding in her ears, Caitlin fought her panic. Diedre
had to know. Liam’s warm hand on her back rubbed a calming circle,
and Caitlin straightened.

“
I had no choice. Fergus
compelled me. Can you understand what he did to me? He preyed on a
sixteen-year-old girl, told her she was beautiful and special and
would do great things. And then he stole my element—reached in and
carved me up with some ancient charm I stupidly let him cast. I’ve
regretted that decision every day since. Hell, I
died
rather than let him
compel me again.”

“
Ya should have stayed
dead.”

Liam cursed viciously. “That’s my
mate—“

“
Stop!” Caitlin held up her
hand. “Fighting won’t solve anything. Mara could end up like
Fergus, and I could end up dead. Fergus threatened Liam. He tried
to kill Farren and her beta. He killed all of those people at the
cliffs—to get to me. If you have this book, if you’ll help us, we
can stop him and save Mara.”

“
There’s nothin’ in those
pages that’ll keep ya from losing your mind. Nothin’.” Diedre
cackled. Her papery skin wrinkled further, and she threw her head
back with the force of her mirth. Caitlin wanted to slap her. How
dare she play with Mara’s sanity like it was a toy?

“
I’ve hidden that book for
decades, missy. Protected it with my life. I’m not going to share
it with the woman who helped murder my cousin’s daughter. Not even
with Siobhan’s blessing. I’m ninety-seven years old, and I could
still take all of ya out with a single charm. I let ya in so I
could say one thing to ya, and then ye’re all going to
leave.”

A gentle caress stirred against
Caitlin’s cheeks, bringing a warm and reassuring peace deep within
her. Liam pulled her closer, and a low hum in his throat turned
into a sigh. She floated safe in his loving embrace, and a calm
infused every breath.

An uncomfortable pressure settled
around her forehead. The world slowed, as if she’d suddenly found
herself under water, unable to breathe or hear anything but
Diedre’s voice. She didn’t care, except…she had the vague sense she
should run.

The old woman’s low, melodious words
seeped into Caitlin’s mind. “Ye’ll leave this place and forget
about me. I’m no one. A senile old woman who couldn’t help ya and
isn’t worth rememberin’. If anyone asks, ya’ll say I lost my mind
and gave away all my books.”

Farren keened, and Caitlin fought
through the waters of Diedre’s charm to see what had the wolf
upset. Pain twisted Farren’s features, and she clutched her head, a
thin wail escaping her lips.

A gust of wind blew through the home,
and Diedre screamed. “No! Not here!”

Sound returned in a roar: breaking
glass, cracking wood, a cry of intense pain. Motion followed. Bits
of lace flew. A lamp hit the wall. Cade shoved Mara to the floor
and draped himself over her. Farren’s body heaved forward, then
traveled ten feet with a thin scream, an unseen force shoving her
so hard that the antique coffee table splintered under her. Her
arms flailed, and then she lay still.

“
Liam!”

His strong arm hauled Caitlin back and
down behind the settee. Shards of glass rained down in a violent
storm, slicing Caitlin’s cheek and filling her nose with the
coppery scent of blood.

“
Come to me, Catie. Come,
and I’ll kill the wolf quickly.”

“
No, no, no,” she moaned
and clutched her head. Diedre’s calming charm foiled Caitlin’s
mind, leaving her dizzy and confused.

Plates crashed in the kitchen. Diedre
crawled forward, her cane embedded in the wall several feet away.
“Ya killed us all.”

“
Where’s the fucking book?”
Liam tightened his hold on Caitlin’s waist as she strained to obey
Fergus’s commands. Though her mind resisted, her body surrendered
to his pull. All around her, the off-key notes of Fergus’s charm
spun, pushing her over the edge and into his insanity.

Cade’s wolf shook free of his clothes,
howled, and nudged Farren’s unconscious form in the center of the
table’s remains. Mara crawled over to the rest of them seconds
before Fergus Tharp thundered into the room.

“
Well, no one invited me to
the party.” His raspy voice sang out over the roar of the wind and
the shaking of the house’s foundation. “I need Catie and the old
one. The rest of you…” He waved his hand, and shelves filled with
the flotsam and jetsam of Diedre’s life toppled over onto Mara’s
legs, small glass vials and beakers of herbs shattering around her.
Her piercing cry riled Cade’s wolf, and he threw himself towards
her while she pulled free. Droplets of water rained from the
ceiling as her element filled the room.

“
A water elemental. How
convenient.” Fergus’s glee carried over the din of the cracking
wood, Cade’s desperate vocalizations, and Liam’s whispered Gaelic
in Caitlin’s ear.

“
Fight for me, mo ghrá.
Don’t let him win.”

She struggled against
Fergus’s hold as the ancient forbearer’s air charm punished her
clarity.
Fight, dammit! Don’t let him
win.

Liam released her long enough to get
to his feet, then drew her against him, his arm secure around her
waist. “Ya’ve got one chance, fuckwit. Leave Caitlin alone and walk
away, or I’ll rip your head clean off.”

“
No.” The single, snarled
word accompanied Fergus calling on the power of Caitlin’s element
and his own. Diedre’s body bucked, and the house’s foundation
cracked, shooting the elderly woman two feet into the air. After
the sickening pop of her spine and a final whimper as she slammed
into the floor, Fergus sent another wave of percussive force
towards Cade and Mara.

The east wall of the house shuddered
and crumbled like sand. Cade and Mara labored to extricate
themselves as Fergus spoke to the dying old woman, and Liam tried
to hold Caitlin back.

“
The book. Where’s the
book?”

Diedre pointed to the bound volumes
that had spilled onto the floor in every shape, size, and color.
“Next…to the…bible.” Her peaceful smile spread, and after a final,
low moan, her eyes fluttered and closed.

With a nod, Fergus plucked a
weathered, leather-bound tome and turned the book over in his
hands.

“
I have to shift, luv. Ya
can’t go to him,” Liam whispered. Wind still swirled as strong as a
hurricane, and Mara sent a weak burst of flame towards Fergus. He
jumped out of the way, then flung his hand towards Cade.

The wolf fell over, his chest heaving.
Whining weakly, he pleaded for Caitlin’s help.

“
Try another fire charm,
lovey, and I’ll kill your wolf.” Fergus’s voice lowered, the smooth
and reassuring tones a siren song no one could ignore. “Fire and
water together deserve to be honored. Come with me, lass. Catie, if
ya come right now, I won’t punish ya. Leave the wolf. Ya belong
with me.” He turned his gaze to Liam. “Let her go. Now.”

Liam’s arm fell away, and he staggered
back with a groan, fell to his knees, and clutched at his throat.
Unprotected, Caitlin couldn’t help herself, and her feet moved of
their own accord. One step. Two. Three. Liam’s fingers closed
around her ankle, and the heat of his touch seared her skin and
gave her the focus to draw her element in a protective shield
around them.

“
Help,” Mara whispered. Her
green eyes clouded, and she stepped around Cade’s struggling wolf.
The veins in her neck throbbed against Fergus’s control, and tears
fell in tiny rivers from her eyes.

If only Caitlin could help. Unable to
widen the charm to protect Mara, Caitlin strained to suck in enough
air to stay upright. Fergus’s charms buffeted her from all sides in
a dizzying cacophony, made worse by the long-reaching effect of
Diedre’s offense.

“
Fuck…you.” Mara let loose
with a guttural cry, and an intense wave of thick, wet heat
exploded from her center. The house shook as Fergus stumbled. Fear
widened his eyes. Then respect. And finally desire.

Another blast of flame hit him in the
shoulder, and he surged forward, throwing a punch that slammed into
Mara’s jaw. A second arc of flame shot into the wall as Fergus
kicked her arm.

“
Fucking bitch!” He grabbed
Mara’s neck and hauled her up. “Let’s see if ya can fight when ya
can’t breathe.”

Blood vessels popped in the whites of
Cade’s eyes.

Oh, hell no.

Liam met Caitlin’s eyes. “Run,
luv.”

He yanked her ankle and sent her
tumbling back as he leapt for Fergus and tackled the earth
elemental around the waist, pulling him and Mara over the
settee.

Mara struggled, and Fergus’s arm burst
into flames. Caitlin sent all of her air, everything she had,
towards Mara and Fergus. The blast shook Mara loose, twisted her
around, and drove her to her knees.

The
oof
as Liam’s shoulder hit Fergus’s
solar plexus again reverberated in the sudden silence.

“
Get the book!” Liam
shouted and chucked the leather-bound tome to Caitlin. Cade gasped
for air, finally free of the earth elemental’s charm, and Liam and
Fergus rolled towards the hallway.

“
Run!” Mara shouted, flung
her hands out, and tipped her head back. “Get. Away. From my
family!” A tidal wave of water crashed down and sent Fergus and
Liam sliding away.

“
Liam, shift!” With one
last burst of fire, Mara sprinted for Cade. The house shuddered,
and half the roof caved in, hiding Liam and Fergus from
view.