UNDER HIS SPELL (31 page)

“So formally.
 
You only do
that around the wizards.”

“I am a wizard.”
 
He gritted
his teeth as he forced out the reminder.

Skye propped her hands behind her and swung her legs.
 
“What’s got you stirred up?
 
I’m not pregnant.
 
I just want information.”

“I have no information to give you right now.”

“You just said there are things you haven’t told me.”

“Skye,” he lowered his voice.
 
“Do you really want to discuss our future right now?”
 
By the widening of her eyes, he saw his
question had struck home.
 
She quickly
looked away from him and began twisting the comforter between her hands.
 
“I thought not,” he added before walking
toward the door.

She stood up.
 
“Rane, don’t.”
 

He opened the bedroom door.
 
“You should get dressed.
 
I just
heard Emily on the stairs.”
 
He didn’t
give her any more opportunities to talk to him.
 
He left her standing by the edge of the bed, naked and confused.

***

Emily wrinkled her nose the second she saw Rane at the bottom of the
stairs.
 
“You don’t look happy,” she
noted.

Rane’s glower intensified.
 
“I’m fine.”

“Yeah, that’s what Skye always says when she’s pissed off.”

Rane turned away from her.
 
“You need to talk to your sister.”

Emily made a rude noise behind him.
 
“I’m not interested in anything she has to say.
 
She lied to me.”

“About?”

“She said that I was no longer a witch.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, can you believe that?”
 
Her steps thumped behind him.
 
“I
was upstairs trying some spells myself.”

“And did they work out for you?”

Emily snorted.
 
“I think Skye
is working against me.”

Rane stopped in the corridor and turned to face her.
 
“You really think your sister would sabotage
you?”

She folded her arms and met his challenge boldly.
 
“I’m not sure what to think.
 
She could have told me this earlier . . .
about my magic.”

“Suppose she didn’t know about the loss of your magic.”

“My sister knows more than she lets on.”
 
Emily scuffed her toe on the floor and stared
down at the stones.
 
“She doesn’t want me
to be a witch.”
           

“What makes you say that?”

“Because she doesn’t trust me with the magic.”

Rane touched her shoulder to draw her attention to his face.
 
“Emily, I know this may be difficult for you
to believe, but Skye did not know about the loss of your magic.
 
I did.”

Emily bumped past him.
 
“You’re just protecting her.”

Rane snatched hold of her arm and brought her back around to face
him.
 
A muscle ticked in his jaw.
 
“There is something you should know about me,
Emily.
 
I do not lie.
 
Ever.
 
Not
even to protect someone I care about.”

“Don’t you mean love?
 
I mean,
you do love my sister, don’t you?
 
I’m
thinking that as soon as all of this is over, you’re thinking you and Skye will
live happily ever after.
 
Don’t
worry.
 
I’ll try to stay out of your
way.”

Finally, realization dawned.
 
Rane softened his hold on her arm and tipped her face up to see
his.
 
“You think we are not considering
you in the equation.”
 
He tried not to
laugh at the ridiculousness of his statement.
 
If only the teenager knew there was no equation.
 
Skye had made that perfectly clear.
 

Emily yanked her arm free.
 
“I
don’t really care what you’re considering.
 
I can take care of myself.”

Rane smiled down at her.
 
“Emily, Skye and I would not make plans which did not include you.”

In a gesture
,
which reminded Rane of Skye, Emily
held up one hand to silence his words.
 
“You don’t need to pacify me, Rane.
 
I’m a big girl.”
 
She walked
toward the stairs once more.
 
“I’ll
survive this like I do everything else.”
 
She left Rane standing there staring after her.
 

***

Sabrina paced the dirty floor inside the prison.
 
The wizard had given her twenty-four hours to
consider his demands and that time was rapidly drawing to a close.
 
No matter how much she loathed the thought of
assisting any wizard, the mere thought of waiting for Unger to come back and
finish his half-assed job of killing her made the skin on the back of her neck
crawl.

She really hated it when her options were so limited.
 
It really narrowed down to follow Rane’s dictates
or rot in this hellhole while Unger achieved his ultimate goal.
 
That thought bothered her more than holding
Rane Hansen’s hand through the end of what she knew would be a massacre.
 

She made another lap around the enclosure and clamped her hands on
her hips.
 
Her stomach growled and
earlier, she’d noticed she’d lost one of her nails.
 
She must look a sight.
 
The thought of staying here another minute
was simply unacceptable.
 
Outside, she
could attempt to even the score.
 
Of
course, it would be a bigger challenge without her magic, but it would only be
a matter of time before she would retrieve what was hers.
 
She was born to be a witch and she’d make
damned sure she died one.

***

Unger sensed the difference in the air and knew the time was coming when
he would face the wizard again.
 
Ostara
loomed closer and he’d not trapped the witch.
 
That was his only concern at present, but if he didn’t eliminate the
wizard, he would not be able to get to Skye.
 
Quite the quandary.

Smiling to himself, he levitated into the air and spun overhead,
circling above the trees.
 
The witches
were all in hiding, terrified of his next move.
 
He liked to keep it that way.
 
He
needed their complete obedience when the time was right.
 

Looking down on the clearing below, he zeroed in on the fire
patch.
 
Instantly, the flames leapt
higher, threatening to scorch the clouds.
 
He laughed aloud.
 
Let the wizards
think he was a foe easily defeated.
 
That
was exactly what he’d wanted them to think.
 

His arsenal contained plenty of ammunition and the young wizard he’d
clashed with had only seen a portion.
 
Unger believed in keeping his hand hidden until the last play of the
game.
 
No need to show all his cards at
once.
 
Let the wizards think they could
take him down with magic only one wizard could provide.
 

The knowledge would be the downfall of the Assembly.

***

Fireworks lit the sky in a shower of sparks, licks of blue, green
and red flames.
 
The night came alive
with the majestic display and while Emily dashed outside to admire the wonder
works, Rane went in search of Skye.
 
He
found her in the library, standing by the window, her face tilted upwards.

“Nice handiwork,” he commented mildly.

“It’s not supposed to be beautiful,” Skye returned.
 

“Emily thinks it is anyway.”

“How did you know it was me?”

Rane chuckled and came to stand behind her.
 
“I’ve lived in Scotland long enough to know
the holidays.
 
Today isn’t one of
them.
 
Would you like to walk?”

“I’d like to stop hiding out.”

“Is that what you think we’re doing?”

“Isn’t it?”

Rane led her toward the small, leather sofa next to the paneled
wall.
 
“No, it isn’t.
 
We’re waiting.
 
There’s a distinct difference between waiting
and hiding or was that not something you were taught as a child?”

Though she sat down, Skye didn’t relax.
 
“I’m not in the mood to laugh, Rane.
 
My birthday is three days away.”

He sat down beside her.
 
“Worried about turning thirty?”
 
He lifted his shoulders in a careless shrug.
 
“Most women are, but you shouldn’t be.
 
You don’t look a day over,” he winked,
“twenty-nine.”

Skye swiveled
her head to give him a long, measuring
look.
 
“How can you still be joking at a
time like this?”

He stretched one arm along the back of the sofa.
 
“Why not?
 
Everything is going according to plan.”

“I wasn’t aware the wizards had a plan.”

“Not wizards.
 
Wizard.
 
As in one.
 
Me.”

“You’re thinking of going up against Unger yourself?
 
Not exactly the smartest thought you’ve ever
had.
 
He’s extremely dangerous as you
well know.”

Before Rane could reply, chimes sounded.
 
Instantly, he was on his feet along with
Skye.

“What was that?”
 
She didn’t
give him time to answer before she ran out of the library.
 

Rane beat her to the front door.
 
Yanking it wide, he whisked Emily inside with a sweep of his hand and
quickly secured the locks.
 
“Skye, take
Emily and go to the kitchen.
 
There’s a
door by the pantry which leads to the basement.
 
I want the two of you down there now.”
 
His voice brooked no argument and Skye quickly led Emily away.

Rane began the slow, methodical search.
 
Room to room, his gaze swept over each and
every square inch of his home, looking for the intruder.
 
The chimes were his warning signal.
 
Someone or something had attempted to
circumvent the protective spells he’d secured.
     

“Have you found anything?”
 
Sky spoke from behind him.

Rane whirled around.
 
“You
should stay with Emily.”

“I made sure she was safe.
 
She knows to stay put.
 
I wanted
to find out what was going on and don’t give me that look.
 
I’m not exactly a helpless female.”

“This is not about being helpless, Skye.
 
Someone is attempting to break through the
shield surrounding the castle.”

She frowned.
 
“Can they do
that?”

“Ordinarily, I would say no, but as you said, Unger is extremely
dangerous.”

“Don’t tell me I’ve worried you.”

“I am concerned.”
 
He held up
one finger.
 
“I do not believe I need to
tell you there is a difference between worry and concern.”

Skye clutched his arm.
 
“What
was that?”

Rane looked down at her, hearing nothing but the steady sound of her
breaths, seeing nothing but the fear in her beautiful, green eyes.
 
“There is nothing here, Skye.”

Her other hand lifted to clutch at his biceps, too.
 
“I didn’t say there was anything here.
 
You didn’t hear the voice then?”

Rane’s eyes narrowed.
 
Unger
could not be talking to Skye.
 
The
barriers were impenetrable.
 
“Who is
talking to you?”

She shook her head and Rane caught the scent of fresh jasmine.
 
“Was.
 
No one now, but someone, in a clear, distinct voice, just told me to
save Emily.”

Rane reacted immediately and in the next instant, Emily had joined
them.
 
Her eyes wild and her hair
standing on end, the teenager looked terrified beyond measure and she clung to
Skye’s hand like a three-year-old needing reassurance from her mother.

“Did the voice sound like Unger?”
 
Rane questioned Skye softly.
 

Still holding Emily’s hand, Skye turned slowly.
 
“No, it didn’t.
 
It sounded more like . . .” she stopped
talking, tilting her head to one side.
 
“Rane, why would Sabrina be talking to me?”

***

Sabrina slumped against the stone wall and sank to the floor,
delighted but exhausted.
 
Apparently,
she’d found one ability Unger had missed or simply disregarded.
 
Her telepathic abilities were still intact.
 
For a brief moment, she’d felt Skye’s alarm
and the knowledge thrilled her.
 
Perhaps
she hadn’t lost, after all.

***

Skye had never seen such fury in Rane’s eyes and in the next
instant, he was gone, leaving Skye to wonder if Sabrina would survive this next
confrontation.
 
Skye had no doubt Rane
was on his way to see Sabrina.
 
Though he
hadn’t given her time to question him, she’d seen the look on his face once
she’d said the witch’s name.
 
It had been
the only impetus Rane needed.
 

“Do you think he’ll leave her alive?”
 
Emily asked from over Skye’s left shoulder.

“I hope so.
 
I don’t want to
be around if he doesn’t.”

“Why?”

Skye turned and patted her sister’s head.
 
“It’s a long story.”
 
The moment she said the words, she saw the
frustration on Emily’s face.
 
“I’m
sorry.
 
I don’t mean to treat you like a
child.
 
It’s just that sometimes I wonder
if it’s best to keep some things from you to spare you the knowledge.”

Emily continued to glare.
 
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”

Skye lifted a lock of her sister’s hair and sifted it through her
fingers.
 
“Because I’m used to you being
my little sister, to protecting you and shielding you from the harmful things
of the world, if possible.”

Emily took hold of Skye’s hand.
 
“One would think you’d realize how impossible that was by the simple
fact that Sabrina was able to kidnap me.”

Skye winced.
 
“Don’t remind
me.”

“That’s not what I want to do nor do I blame you.”
 
Emily squeezed her fingers around
Skye’s.
 
“I just want to know what’s
going on.
 
Your life isn’t the only one
in jeopardy.”

Skye acknowledged the truthful words with a slight inclination of her
head.
 
Then, she said, in a very soft
voice, “Sabrina is Falcon’s sister.”

Emily’s eyes widened.
 
“You
mean that big scary looking guy with the silver hair is Sabrina’s brother?
 
That wizard?
 
Oh my God!
 
I didn’t think you
could have a wizard and a witch in the same family.”
 
She shook her head in wonder.
 
“I guess I haven’t been reading enough.”

Skye laughed a little.
 
“It’s
not like that.
 
Sabrina used her magic
for evil and she was excommunicated, so to speak.”