Destiny Bewitched (15 page)

Geo slung an arm around
her shoulders and pulled her roughly into his body. She scowled up
at him.

Aedan smiled. “Be at
ease. I’m not looking to steal your lass.”

“Oh, he’s not my…” She
tried to pull away but Geo held firm. “Er…I’m not his. What I mean
to say is, we’re not together.”

Aedan just grinned.

“What is it you want?”
Geo snapped.

“Me?” Aedan shoveled
more food in his mouth. “Nothing. I promised the lass I’d tell her
about the girl.”

Her heart jumped. “My
sister. You’ve seen her?” She pulled away from Geo and he let her
go this time.

“Aye.” He looked back
and forth between them. “Sister, eh? You’re not going to like this,
lass, but…she’s one of the prizes.”

Her sister was a
prize?

What kind of sick,
twisted person made a fifteen year old a prize in a bloodthirsty
game for creatures straight out of a nightmare?

The answer came easily.
Shade. Her father’s debt collector. The overseer of the Games. A
winged incubus with a wicked streak. Wicked in more ways than one.
Over five hundred years old, he was a notorious womanizer. Well,
most incubi were. They got their power from sex. They needed it to
live. Other than that, they had no weakness. Immortal, like much of
the supernatural world, they could only be killed by beheading. But
good luck getting through their thick skin. Shade, from what she’d
heard, was devastatingly handsome. All the easier to lure women in.
The incubi didn’t need to kill their victim to get the burst of
power, they only had to pleasure them, which made the incubi
popular bed conquests.

Shade had a reputation
for being a generous lover, but a ruthless villain when it came to
the business of making money. And violence made a hell of a lot of
money.

Samantha looked at
Aedan. “Are you trying to win her?” she demanded.

He flinched. “Fuck, no.
What would I do with a child?” He scooped more food in his mouth.
“No, I’m here for a talisman. The dragon promised I could leave if
I won it for him. I just want to go home.”

“Seems to be a
recurring theme around here,” she murmured. After a deep breath she
turned to Geo. “So that’s it then. That’s how we get my sister. We
win her.”

Geo’s eyes widened and
he opened his mouth.

Aedan cut him off.
“You’re going to let her fight in the Games?”

He nodded. Aedan shook
his head disapprovingly.

“She’s stronger than
she looks,” Geo said in her defense.

She blinked in surprise
then grinned up at him.

Aedan shrugged. “Suit
yerself. She’s your woman.”

Geo, seeming to relax a
little, smirked. “She walks the line between courage and stupidity
very closely.”

Her grin faded.

“I’d imagine so,” Aedan
said. “Takes a little of both to be here in the first place.”

“Besides.” Geo crossed
his arms and stared down at her. “She’ll be in a protection circle
the whole time. Won’t you?” He gave a look that dared her to defy
him.

She smiled sweetly.
“Except in dire emergency.”

His eyes tightened.
“Maybe we ought to define emergency.”

They stared each other
down, fire burning in their eyes. It was silent for a few tense
moments. She could see Aedan shift uncomfortably from her
peripheral vision.

“Well, I’ve been here a
while,” he said brightly. “I’ll help you.”

Geo broke eye contact
to glare at Aedan. “Why?”

“I owe the lass.” He
smiled at her. “She may have won me that fight.”

“I
did
win you that fight,” she
muttered.

Aedan chuckled. “Maybe
so.”

Geo gave him a wary
look, but surely he wouldn’t refuse free help? And for some reason,
she trusted him. He had an ease about him – he hid nothing, was
ashamed of nothing, wore everything out in the open. Either he was
trustworthy or a damn good actor.

“You fight today?” he
asked.

They nodded.

“Who are you up
against?”

Geo inhaled a deep
breath then released it. “Don’t know yet.”

Aedan finished up the
last few bites of food, looking pensive. “Could be fae. The
O’Malley twins haven’t been up in a while.” As a second thought he
added, “Or the Shadowfolk. Better hope it’s not them.”

“Why?” Sam asked.

Aedan gave a humorless
chuckle, but Geo spoke first. “The Shadowfolk are nearly
invisible.”

“
Nearly
invisible?”

“They can only be seen
in your peripheral vision,” Aedan added.

Well shit. How the hell
would they fight something they could barely see?

Please be the fae, please be the
fae
.

Geo gave her a small
smile. “Shall we go see if the list is up?”

She gathered her
courage and nodded.

They walked back to the
arena, Aedan following behind, rambling to Geo about the different
contenders. She couldn’t focus. The strangled screams of a dying
contestant were almost drowned by the cheering crowd. Though she’d
watched such a fight less than an hour ago, she felt like throwing
up. The Underworld’s version of greasy Chinese food wasn’t
helping.

Staring down at the
ground, she prayed to Gaia. Maybe she’d finally hear her. This was
life or death after all.

Geo stopped under the
large blackboard and looked up. Aedan froze. She followed their
gaze.

Geo and The Red Phoenix vs. The Shadow
Dyad
.

“Huh,” Aedan so
eloquently exclaimed. “Well, that’s some shit luck.”

“Son of a sorcerer’s
whore!” she cursed.
Why does the world hate me?

Geo wrapped his arm
around her shoulders, but he didn’t give her any bullshit promises
or words of reassurance
.
Maybe he was as scared as she was – a frightening
thought.

Aedan’s brows descended
and he rubbed his chin, looking her over. “Right. A witch. How
powerful are you?”

She dropped her gaze
and her cheeks heated.

“The good thing is,” he
continued as if he didn’t notice her hesitation, “the Shadowfolk
have no special abilities. They can be skewered with your little
stick,” – he gestured to the sword on her back – “and they bleed
just like the rest of us.”

“No special abilities?”
she scoffed. “Other than being nearly invisible.”

He shrugged. “Not a
problem if you can trap them. Keep them from moving out of your
peripheral vision.”

Trap them? Why was he
sizing her up like she had anything to do with that?

“You could raise the
ground around them like a cage.” Aedan motioned with his hands.

Geo finally looked down
at her. “Not a bad plan. Can you manage that?”

Likely not.
She stepped away and
perched a hand on her hip. “I told you my strength and you ignored
it.”

“Kill things with your
mighty sword,” he said drily. “I remember.”

Aedan, watching them,
chimed in. “Sword skill will only get you so far. You need some
kind of magic.”

Sam jerked a thumb at
Geo. “It’s all he has. A sword and magic that doesn’t work. He
can’t control minds in here.”

“Let me worry about
that,” Geo said. “You do as you’re told.”

She glared daggers at
him. He glared right back.

Aedan looked between
them then smiled. “This should be interesting.”

Interesting was too
bland a word for this cluster-fuck. Geo kept himself calm with the
knowledge that Samantha would be protected. But that left him to
incapacitate two Shadowfolk by himself with nothing but his
physical prowess and trusty sword to aid him.

Oh, and a defiant
witch’s temperamental magic.

He inhaled a deep
breath and rubbed his horns, shifting his feet on the dusty
ground.

“I have some spells I
can try,” Samantha said, digging in the satchel at her hip. She
pulled out the Grimoire and flipped through the pages. “Um. There’s
a curse that gives a victim stomach pain.”

Aedan exhaled a laugh.
“Brilliant, lass. You make them shit themselves and the demon will
run them through with his sword.”

Ignoring his sarcasm,
she stuffed the Grimoire back into her bag. “I also have a potion
that can make them fall in love.”

Geo sighed.
Mental note: no more
strategic sessions with the witch.
“Make them fall in love?
How in Zeus’ name could that help us?”

“Easy. I’ll make them
fall in love with the pointy end of our swords.”

Aedan chuckled. “Even
if that worked, how will you get them to take it? Offer them a
refreshing beverage in the spirit of sportsmanship?”

“Here we go!” She
pulled out a small purple pouch and held it up like a valuable
jewel. “Vervain and cedar oil. Makes your victim blind. Then the
Shadowfolk won’t know how to stay out of our peripheral
vision.”

Geo reached for the
pouch but she pulled it away. “How do you administer it?” he
asked.

“I just have to get
close enough to throw it in their eyes.”

That was too damn
close. “Absolutely not.”

She rolled her eyes.
“Oh, calm down, Mr. Overprotective. I can do it from the stinkin’
circle.”

He inhaled, held his
breath then slowly released it. “So your abilities include an
induced belly ache, romantic feelings for a sword, and possible
blindness?” They were going to die today.

“And my sword,” she
added.

“Sure. Feel free to
poke it around from
inside
the circle.”

“
Ciach ort
!” Aedan swore. “Raise the
ground, lass. It’s your best chance.”

Aedan had no idea what
he was asking. Samantha appeared too ashamed to tell him about her
powers – or lack thereof. Geo would keep that secret as well. Not
that it would stay secret for long.

A gong echoed across
the space. The match was over. Fate was upon them, smiling down
like the evil bitch she was.

Samantha asked Aedan,
“What do you think our chances are?”

He stared at the ground
for a few seconds then shrugged. “I’d say seventy thirty.”

She looked up at Geo
with a shaky smile. “Seventy isn’t so bad.”

“Oh, no,” Aedan stated.
“Seventy in
their
favor.” He nodded toward the ring where two
faceless, gray shapes floated like specters of death.

Samantha gulped. Geo
cursed under his breath.

“Tell me, little
witch,” Aedan said, staring down at her. “Do you fear death?”

He could’ve killed the
faery. She didn’t need to be thinking of death right now. Still, he
was curious about her answer.

She fiddled with her
hands for a moment then looked him in the eye. “I’d be stupid not
to fear it. But only because I’ve barely begun to live.” She smiled
slightly and shook her head. “But dying today doesn’t fit my
five-year plan. These Shadowfolk may have fought creatures bigger
and stronger than me, but they’ve never crossed swords with a
stubborn redhead from the wrong side of the trailer park.” Her chin
jutted out and her fists clenched.

Geo’s lips curved into
a proud grin. In all his life, he’d never truly been awed. Until
now.

“I hope you’re right,
lass.” Aedan grinned then clapped him on the back. “Good luck.”

A gong rang out again
and a shapeshifter in a green jumpsuit yelled out above the crowd,
“Geo and The Red Phoenix!”

Bets were placed. Money
exchanged hands. The crowd jeered restlessly for their next victim.
Blood stained the ground and a few body parts sat in the dirt,
leftover from the last fight.

He watched the barbaric
crowd demand more flesh. Greedy faces all around them – merciless
and cruel. They’d just love an encore of the long, painful death
that preceded them.

“Give me strength, oh
gods, that I might release your fury on these wicked souls,” he
whispered then looked down at the small woman beside him.

With her eyes squeezed
shut, she added, “And may the force be with us. Amen.”

“Amen.” He took her
elbow and pulled her toward the ring. She was trembling from head
to toe. He leaned in to her ear. “Get out your chalk. Protection
circle straight away, do you understand me?”

She gave him a shaky
nod. “Will you be okay?”

Maybe.
“Of course.”

If, after thousands of
years as a warrior in the god realm, he was done in by not much
more than the boogie man, he was going to be pissed.

Samantha’s heart beat
against her ribs like a bongo drum. As they stepped into the ring,
the crowd murmured predictions of how long they’d last against the
Shadowfolk. The longest guess was five minutes. She rolled her
eyes. Well, maybe the competition would underestimate them and get
sloppy.

An overweight bald man
stood up and shouted, “Make the redhead beg on her knees to come
home with me!” He laughed heartily and the rest of the crowd
cheered.

“No, Victor,” a man a
few rows away yelled. “Make her beg to suck your cock.” His eyes
flickered to cat-like slits and a long, thin forked tongue
slithered from his mouth as he grinned at her.

“She doesn’t look like
a fighter,” someone else yelled from behind her. “She looks like a
good fuck!”

“Oh, I like when they
put up a fight in bed,” the fat man answered. “Makes the conquest
all the sweeter.”

These were the type of
people trying to win her sister? Anger poured into her, heating her
veins and tightening in her chest. They wanted to throw insults
around? They had no idea who they were messing with. She’d held her
own against bullies her whole childhood. In fifth grade she’d been
the only kid in their class to beat up Jimmy Hunter. She’d made him
eat mud. And these guys taunting her now were nothing but overgrown
Jimmy Hunters.

“I’m glad you said
that.” She addressed the bald man then motioned to the giant
standing behind him. “I thought you were the giant’s ball sac and
I’ve been standing here wondering why he left it hanging out like
that.”