Casted (Casted series) (33 page)

The wave slammed us into the ground before it pulled us out into deeper water.

I had to let go of Edge in order to keep myself afloat. My lungs burned as I sucked in more water while I tried to catch my breath.

The rough water battered us as we tried to swim for shore. We couldn’t fight against the current dragging us further out to sea.

The wind began to howl as the beginning of a water funnel started to form around us.

“Hold on!” Edge grabbed my arm as it sucked us up from the ocean. His fingers dug into my arm as we spun. I could feel us slipping apart little by little, until he could no longer hold on and we were pulled apart in the funnel.

It was getting hard to breathe as the air whirled around me faster and faster. Black spots danced along my vision but I refused to let myself fall into the black abyss that was beckoning me.

I could feel myself falling as the wind began to die down. Thoughts were hard to put together and with the book being silent, I couldn’t stop myself from plummeting from the sky. At least I would be landing back into the water. I could only hope I wouldn’t drown before I could swim back to shore.

My shoulder slammed into the ground, my collar bone shattering under the impact. I screamed. What the hell was going on? This was not water, it was some sort of cave. How had I made it here?

“Well, well. Look what we have here.” A boot nudged me making me want to vomit from the burning pain that shot through my body. It felt as though someone was shoving a white hot poker into my shoulder and there was nothing I could do to ease the pain.

“Go get Lorenzo, tell him we have her,” the gruff voice above me said, as he walked around my body.

Where had I landed and where was Edge? Had he been dropped back in the ocean?

A low moan came from the other side of the room and my heart sank. He was here with me and in no better shape than I was. We were both surely going to die.

“The traitor awakens.” The man that had been standing with his boots inches from my face moved away. I watched through wavering vision as the boots carried the large man away from me and towards a body lying on the other side of the room.

Blood had started to pool under his head. The man placed his heavy boot on Edge’s neck. “No!” I screamed. The pages in my head fluttered lightly as the woman whispered words in my head.
The moment is almost upon us.

I didn’t want to hear about the moment. I wanted to heal so that I could fight the man currently putting his weight on Edge’s throat.

My shoulder started tingling. Warmth built as the shards of bone began mending themselves. White heat blinded me over and over as bone moved, shifting back into place. I bit my lip hard to keep from crying out. Blood ran down my chin as the seconds drug out into endless minutes.

The man standing over Edge removed his foot from Edge’s throat when he heard approaching footsteps. He walked over to stand in front of me again.

“Where is she?” another voice bellowed.

The man in front of me stepped aside, revealing my crumbled body.

“I believe payment is in order,” the man said, blocking me again from Lorenzo.

I shuddered. How were Edge and I going to get away from him now? Rescuing us would now be up to the others. We were going to have to fight just to stay alive among the Triad. What would Lorenzo do with Edge knowing he was the one that had been keeping me hidden?

The man grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet. I shuddered from the jolt of pain that raced from my shoulder to my stomach. I tried steadying myself, but the room was spinning around me and the bile creeping up my throat would no longer stay down. I vomited on the man’s boots. With each heave came a scream that rattled off the walls.

“What is wrong with her?” Lorenzo hissed.

“She fell.”

“You broke her?” Lorenzo growled.

I fell to my knees, holding my arm close to me to keep support under it as the white heat built again.

The man in front of me was slammed against the wall. Magic poured from Lorenzo, keeping him in place.

“You will receive nothing from me. She’s half-dead by the looks of her!”

The man gurgled in response.

“Lock up the traitor until I’m ready for him and bring her to my room.” Lorenzo spun away.

The gurgling noise stopped as the man bent over trying to catch his breath.

Be ready, you’re almost healed.
I could feel her wispy form moving in my head like she was pacing.

Ready for what exactly? It’s not like I was up for anything more than keeping myself from sliding back to the floor and letting the darkness take me.

That too will pass,
she urged.

The ache in my bones was slowly receding. The pain dulled, allowing my senses to sharpen. I picked my head up enough to look at Edge.

He was writhing in pain. I had to use the book. He needed help. The pages slowly turned as if afraid to make any noise at all as it settled on the spell I needed. I stayed connected to Edge’s thoughts and spoke to him as the spell weaved around him. I kept repeating over and over that I was here with him and everything was going to be okay. Moments later, his fists clenched. His eyelids fluttered.

Jade?

I’m here, Edge.

Please tell me you’re alright. I can’t move right now, baby. As soon as I can, I’m getting you out of here.

Lorenzo has us, Edge. I’m scared.

I know. I’m sorry, Jade, I’m so damn sorry.

The woman in the book told me I need to be ready. I don’t know what that means, but she healed me and the book came back so that I could heal you. We could still have a chance at getting away.

Edge groaned in response.

“Let’s go.” I was hauled to my feet and shoved forward. I stumbled before Edge and let my body fall down close to him. His face was inches from mine. “I love you.” I moved my lips on silent words. The Enforcer snatched me up off the floor.

We were met at the door by another Enforcer. The man holding me directed him to Edge.

“Grab him. Lorenzo wants him locked up so he can deal with him later.”

I was pulled from the room and forcefully guided down a tunnel and into an elevator.

I had no idea where they were taking me or Edge. Part of me wished they would have brought him along with us. At least then I would know where he was.

Edge?
I reached out to him. Static bounced around in my thoughts like an old T.V. with bad reception.

He was trying to talk to me, but the words were getting lost in the white noise. When the elevator doors slid open, I tried to connect with him again but was greeted with silence. Panic set in. Had they hurt him again?

I tried to slow my rapid breathing. I had to try and see if I could connect with the others. I thought of Jessa and I could feel something flittering in the back of my mind like the connection was trying to complete but something was in the way.

The man’s meaty hands clamped harder on my arm as he marched me down a long hallway. With all the thoughts running in my mind, I had failed to keep track of our route. Not that it would matter. It wasn’t like we were escorted through the front door.

I was jerked to a stop and the man beside me opened a heavy door and shoved me through. He closed it behind him and pushed me into a corner as he approached Lorenzo.

“Edge has been taken to a holding room, sir.”

“Bring him to me!” Lorenzo barked.

“Yes, sir.”

The door closed behind me, leaving me alone with the madman in front of me.

“Welcome to my home. You will find it to your liking. There are lots of books for a librarian like yourself to browse through.”

I cringed at the malice in his words, but remained silent.

“Nothing to say,
granddaughter
?”

I could feel the blood draining from my face. The reality that the man in front of me was in fact my grandfather sunk in. He was my only remaining family and he was a terrorizing murderer. A fact I did not want to accept – would never accept.

“What do you want from me?” The words sounded raspy as I pushed them past my trembling lips.

“What I want? Dear granddaughter, you shouldn’t play games with someone such as I. The only thing that matters to me right now is separating the book from you. Whether you live or die is of no matter to me.”

“You would kill your own flesh and blood for a spell book?” I stared at him in horror.

“You are tainted. I have no use for you. However, I will allow you to remain alive so that you can witness the death of a traitorous bastard. One that has been a thorn in my side for a very long time.” His face split into an evil grin on my gasp.

“Haven’t you ruined his life enough?” I cried.

“Ruined his life? I saved his life. I suppose that’s not true either. It was his mother who was responsible for keeping him alive. If not for her wishes, I would have killed him a long time ago. I find myself not willing to respect the wishes of the dead any longer. Edge will pay for turning his back on the Triad. He will pay for keeping you and the book from me!”

“Please, let him go. I will do whatever you ask. I will give you the book but please, please don’t hurt him,” I begged.

“Your life for his, how fitting. You can both die together. Yes, that works well for me.”

I stared in shock at the man standing before me. He was the true essence of evil. Lives meant nothing to him. He took what he wanted with no consequences.

“What is so important about the book that you would attack Covens and kill innocent people to get it?” It bothered me that a book had been the downfall of so many.

“Why would I tell you of the importance of the book?” he sneered at me.

“I think I deserve an explanation since it’s currently residing in my mind and has been nothing but trouble since the day I put my hands on it,” I growled back at him.

The fear running though my veins hardened. Anger bloomed inside me. I wasn’t going down without a fight and I damn sure wasn’t going to be a sniveling mess when Edge got here. We both needed to be strong if we had any chance of escaping from Lorenzo’s clutches.

His laughter rumbled through the cave. “You have spunk, I will give you that. Maybe you did get a little something from me after all.”

“The spunk, as you say, comes from hating the likes of you.”

His hand shot out and struck my face. My eyes watered. The coppery taste of blood pooled in my mouth. I spit it on the ground between us.

He laughed again. Madness echoed around me.

The door behind me flew open and Edge was shoved into the room. The woman’s presence in my mind bloomed, as if she’d been waiting for this moment.

“Ah, Edge, good of you to join us,” Lorenzo said, as he motioned for the Enforcer to hold him. A knife slid up to Edge’s throat, keeping him from lunging at Lorenzo.

Edge’s eyes darted to me. We held each others gaze until Lorenzo brought the attention back to himself.

“Your librarian was just about to give me a book I’ve been hunting down for such a long time.”

“If you touch her, I will kill you,” Edge warned him.

“Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?” He laughed. “The way I see it, the two of you are…oh how would you say it…” He tapped his lips. “Ah, yes, screwed, that’s the term.”

“The woman of the book will not allow you to take it,” Edge growled.

“Elinor Fergus? She has no choice. Being bound to the book just makes it an added bonus. Don’t you think?”

The woman expanded in my head, her presence filling me to overflowing. Sparks jumped from fingertip to fingertip. I knew her name. It empowered me and unleashed the last barrier of the book from my mind. The woman of the book, Elinor Fergus, was ready. I was ready. The spell on my arm began tingling as it reappeared on my skin.

“Come along, I wish to show you something before you die.” Lorenzo motioned to the Enforcer standing beside me. He placed a blade at my throat and started walking me forward to fall in step with Lorenzo.

The wall in front of us disappeared into a cavern. A large table of stone ran the length of the room almost touching the walls. A thick black leather book rested at the center. Lorenzo clapped his hands together with a giddy laugh, a true testament to his madness.

“Do either of you know what this is?” he asked, running his hands over the book lovingly.

What the hell was going on here? Another book? No, that couldn’t be possible. Maybe it was the book he was going to use to transfer the spells to.

“No ideas? Hmmm, well that takes the fun out of it. Elinor’s book is not the only one in existence. You see, back when the Triad was formed, we sought our place in this world of magic. The Original Coven’s rules were too strict to our liking. When the Triad was formed many years ago they decided to take matters into their own hands. They weren’t the strongest spell casters out there, so they started recruiting. The small group hand picked those they wanted to join them. Elinor and her husband were two of the many selected. Together they were stronger than any spell caster around. Unfortunately, Elinor’s madness consumed her upon the supposed death of her beloved husband Leif.”

Elinor gasped in my head.
That can’t be, he was dead. I saw him!

“He died, what game are you playing,” I voiced for her.

“Oh, no my dear, he was never dead. He was bound.”

We have to get that book!
she shouted.
Say the spell, release me!

The marks on my arm vibrated.

I looked to Edge. His jaw was clenched as the knife pushed harder against his throat. I couldn’t do this with an arm wrapped around me and a blade digging into my skin. I looked to Edge again, willing him to understand what I was about to do.

I started breathing fast, grabbing at the arm holding me.

“I can’t…I can’t..brea..” and I let my body go limp. My head cracked the floor and I fought the hiss of pain that wanted to burst from my lips. I masked my face so that I would not give myself away.

“Pick her up!” Lorenzo shouted.

“She fainted, she won’t be able to stand up,” Edge hollered.