UNDER HIS SPELL (32 page)

Emily walked to the window and stared out up at the sky.
 
“Wow.
 
That’s incredible.
 
So does Falcon
know his sister’s a witch?”
 
She slapped
her palm to her forehead.
 
“Of course he
does.
 
What am I thinking?
 
Those wizards seem to know things even before
they happen.
 
I wonder if they know Rane
has gone to see the old bat.”

Skye exhaled loudly and walked toward the door.
 
“Probably.
 
We should get ready.”

Emily turned.
 
“Ready for
what?”

“We’re going home.”

Emily blinked at her.
 
“Home?
 
You mean, as in
Earth?
 
What about Rane?
 
He won’t know where to find us.”

Skye lifted one eyebrow.
 
“Weren’t you the one who just said the wizards know things before they
happen?”

“I said seem,” Emily reminded her.
 
“Maybe Rane doesn’t have all of those powers of intuition.”

Skye slung an arm around her shoulder.
 
“He does.
 
Trust me.”

***

Sabrina was still chuckling at her own clever ability when a strong
hand closed around her throat.
 
Gasping
for air, she clawed at the fingers without relief.
 
Gurgling, she dropped to her knees.
 
It was only then that she was released.
 

Tears streaming down her face, she tipped her head back as she drew
oxygen into her starving lungs.
 
“Rane,
it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
 
The
mocking words had little effect on the wizard.

“I thought I had made myself clear before I left you, Sabrina.
 
The rules were spelled out and invading
Skye’s mind was not one of your options.”

Sabrina climbed to her feet using the wall for support.
 
“You have such a flair for drama, Rane.
 
Have you ever considered the stage as a
career path?”
 
She rubbed her throat and
eyed him warily.

“It is not wise to antagonize me at this moment.”

She heard the gnash of his molars and surmised his warning was
accurate.
 
She tried a different
tactic.
 
“I only warned Skye to make sure
Emily was safe.
 
Unger is preparing for
battle.”

“This is not information I need from you.”

“I didn’t give you the information.
 
I gave it to Skye because apparently, she is the only one who is
concerned about Emily’s well-being.”
 
Even as she spoke the words, Sabrina watched Rane’s eyes take on an
almost unearthly glow.
 
Her heartbeat
accelerated and she knew she was facing one incredibly dangerous enemy and with
Unger having possession of her magic, she was helpless in the face of Rane’s
wrath.
 

“Do not make the mistake of assuming you can harm either Skye or
Emily at will.
 
Just as easily as I could
have killed you today, I could kill you at any time.
 
Is that clear?”
 
Rane took a step closer to her and Sabrina
saw the flecks of fire burning in his dark eyes and for a moment, her life
flashed before her eyes.
 
But as a witch,
though a useless witch at present, Sabrina didn’t intimidate easily.
 

She drew herself up to her full height and with the strength
returning to her legs, she strolled around the prison.
 
“I am ready to leave my cell, Rane.”

He leaned back against the wall.
 
“Then you have made your decision.”

She whipped around and fixed him with a scathing look.
 
She didn’t think she could loathe a person
more than she did this particular wizard.
 
“I didn’t really have any options now, did I?
 
You made sure of that.”

Rane didn’t respond to her fury.
 
Instead, he checked his watch.
 
“You will be released at midnight.”

Sabrina swallowed a bitter reply and instead, said, simply.
 
“Thank you.”

The wizard tilted his head to one side and surveyed her for the
longest time before he spoke again.
 
“Do
not think about crossing me, Sabrina.
 
The fact that you are Falcon’s sister means little to me.
 
I will kill you and deal with the fallout
later.”

Sabrina didn’t doubt Rane’s words for an instant, but she had a few
tricks up her sleeve.
 
The wizard might
think Falcon wouldn’t intervene in any plans Rane might have for her, but
Sabrina happened to think she knew her own brother better than anyone else.
 

Falcon had a heart of gold.
 
It had always been one of his greatest shortcomings.

Now, it would be her only salvation.
 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Home had never looked so sweet.
 
Everything looked the same.
 
The
kitchen still bore the faint scent of apples and spice and the living room, the
smell of leather.
 
Skye kicked her shoes
off and buried her toes in the thick, pile carpeting, leaning one hip against
the recliner her mother had always loved.
 

The second they’d arrived home, Emily had taken off upstairs with a
squeal of excitement.
 
She had friends to
call to update on what had happened in her life.
 
No doubt she’d be on the telephone for
hours.
 
Skye had warned her not to share
everything.
 
That command had earned her
a disbelieving look from her sister followed by a quick, “Please, Skye, do you
really think my friends would believe my sister is a witch, I was a witch for a
short time, we met a wizard who saved our lives and I was held captive by both
a witch and a. . .thing.
 
Oh, and let’s
not forget that mystical city in the sky.”
 
Emily had then promptly rolled her eyes and took off toward the stairs.

Since Emily had put it that way, Skye figured all their family
secrets were safe.

She strolled around the house, enjoying the look and feel of home,
all the while knowing her pleasure would be short-lived.
 
Rane would come back for her.
 
And, of course, there was that pesky little
situation with Unger and Sabrina which would need to be resolved before Ostara.

Though home, Skye could not allow herself to relax.
 
She had no way of knowing if her mother’s
protective spells would keep out Unger.
 
Shivering slightly, she walked to the kitchen window overlooking the
backyard.
 
She saw the wooden swing where
she and Ingrid had sat for many hours each week, talking and laughing.
 
She’d learned so much about who she was back
then.
 
Ingrid had made sure she’d known
everything about her abilities and her life’s calling, though Skye could
remember listening more to the sound of her mother’s musical voice rather than the
words.

Skye pressed her palm to the window.
 
“I’m sorry, Mama, but I wish Ostara didn’t exist.
 
I wish,” she closed her eyes on a sigh, “I
wish this was all a very bad dream and that I would wake up tomorrow morning
and it would all be over.”

“Wishes seldom come true, young lady.”

Skye recognized the voice behind her and even as the words sank in,
she knew she wasn’t going to like the next conversation.
 
She pivoted slowly and met the wizard face to
face.
        
Falcon leaned one hand on
the marble counter top and crossed his legs at the ankles.
 
“You do not seem surprised to see me.”

“If your intention was to surprise me, then I apologize for spoiling
it for you.”
 
Skye squared her shoulders
and folded her arms.
 
“I am curious as to
why you felt the need to invite yourself into my home.”

The older wizard smiled and tiny laugh lines caused his eyes to
crinkle, making him appear somewhat more approachable.
 
“I seldom knock wherever I go.”

“And that makes it right, then?”

“Just as right as your breaking into Rane’s home, I would suppose.”

Touche.
 
Skye gave the wizard
the point and waved a hand toward the living room.
 
“Perhaps we should sit if this is going to be
a lengthy conversation and I’m not wrong in assuming that it is going to be a
long conversation, am I?”

“That will depend upon your responses,” Falcon responded.
 
He followed her anyway and settled himself on
one edge of the sofa.
 
“Rane has seen my
sister.”
 
It wasn’t a question so Skye
didn’t respond.
 
She sat very still,
silently encouraging the wizard to continue.
 
“Please do not feel the need to defend him.”

Skye’s lips lifted in a small smile.
 
“Rane is more than capable of taking care of himself.”

Falcon nodded his silver head once.
 
“Of that, we are both aware and I am certainly not here to argue that
point.”
 
He leaned forward, dropping his
hands between his thighs.
 
“However, I
believe you have some,” he paused, “influence over Rane.
 
To that end, it would be beneficial if you
would have a conversation with him.”

Skye sat down in the recliner opposite him.
 
“Fight your own battles, Falcon.”

His silver eyes narrowed becoming glittering slits.
 
“Perhaps you should hear me out first before
you jump to the conclusion that I am asking you to fight a battle.
 
As Rane, I am more than capable of taking
care of myself and were I to assume this was a battle, then Rane and I would,
indeed, handle it between ourselves.”
 
He
pressed his palms together and surveyed her over the top of his fingers.

Skye crossed her legs and placed her hands palms down on the arms of
the chair.
 
“Then I would suggest you get
to the point before Rane returns.”

“My sister has turned her back on our family and chosen a path none
of us would have.
 
When she made that
decision, she lost the privilege of calling upon us for assistance.
 
She knew that.
 
We all knew that.
 
Rane, however, has taken it upon himself to
offer Sabrina an out.”

Her interest captured, Skye replied, “Weren’t you the one asking for
leniency?
 
Why should it bother you that
Rane is the one who gave it to her?”

“It was not Rane’s decision to make.”

“Well, Rane answers to no one.
 
He makes his own decisions.”

She watched a muscle clench in Falcon’s jaw.
 
“That is where you are incorrect, Miss
Logan.
 
Rane answers to the
Assembly.
 
Always to the Assembly.”

“So what do you want me to do about his misbehavior?
 
Send him to his room?”

Falcon didn’t smile at her attempt at wit.
 
“I intended to discuss this matter with you
in a civilized manner, but I can see that you have no interest in such a
conversation.”

Skye stood.
 
“What I
understand is that you have a problem with Rane and instead of facing him
yourself, you come to his girlfriend for help.
 
That’s not how I operate.”

“You can hardly claim morals this late in the game.”

Skye didn’t flinch at the blatant dig.
 
She knew behind the arrogant facade the
wizard wore, he had to be hurting.
 
His
sister was a witch who’d devoted her life to creating havoc for the
wizards.
 
The knowledge must be a dagger
in the heart.
 
She softened her voice as
she took a step forward.
 
“Is it against
the rules for Rane to talk to Sabrina?”

Falcon spared her a smile and pushed himself to his feet.
 
“Not against the rules, Miss Logan, just
against my wishes.
 
Sabrina is no longer
a part of my family.
 
Rane has no right
to intervene.”

“I don’t think…”

“Please allow me to respond to such an accusation, Skye,” Rane said
as he materialized in the middle of the living room.

 
“I see you found me,” Skye
noted with a wry smile.
 

Rane didn’t take his eyes off Falcon’s face.
 
“I cannot believe you would confront Skye
over a matter which is between the two of us.”

“It is not a confrontation, Rane, merely a conversation.”

“About me,” Rane pointed out.

“It is unwise to collaborate with Sabrina.
 
She is not to be trusted.”

Rane stood in front of Falcon, legs splayed, hands jammed on his
hips.
 
“So you came here to warn me
then?”

Falcon’s shoulders stiffened.
 
“I came because you overstepped your bounds.”