Intoxicating Magic (18 page)

“Shit,” David muttered from across the room.

“We do know each other,” Talisen confirmed.

I bit my bottom lip. Harrison and I were friends. Sort of. I’d stop and talk to him if I saw him on the street, but I wouldn’t call him up and invite him to a dinner party. And he barely knew Talisen. Why did he recognize us and not David? Was it the spell we’d performed on him?

“But I don’t recall your names.” Harrison ran a hand over his face then shook his head as if trying to dislodge buried memories. He eyed David and shook his head again. “Am I supposed to know him?”

Tal nodded.

Harrison pushed himself up farther in the hospital bed and leveled a stare at Talisen. “What happened to me?”

Tal pulled up a stool and put his notebook down. He looked so much like a doctor conversing with his patient. Medical school had been out of the question. Fae just had too hard a time dealing with synthetics. But he would’ve made the perfect holistic healer if he hadn’t gone into research. His calm nature and demeanor were perfectly suited for the profession. Watching him with Harrison, the way he was patient and soothing, made my heart swell. He was a good man.

“You were attacked by a fae, shot with some sort of poison that put you into a coma.”

Harrison scowled. “What? Why?”

The room was silent. Only David knew exactly what had happened that night.

David finally crossed the room and stood next to me. He cleared his throat.

Harrison shifted away from him, eyeing him with extreme caution. “Why are you still here?”

“This is my father’s house. And you’re his employee. You were on a mission to investigate a fae and a rogue vampire who’ve been attacking humans. The fae shot you with some sort of dart and you’ve been unconscious ever since. We asked Mr. Kavanagh to do what he could to heal you. I can assure you we only have your best interest at heart.”

Harrison opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He let out a huff of air and leaned back, closing his eyes.

“It’s pretty normal to be disoriented after waking up from a coma,” Tal said gently to Harrison. “Let’s give it a few days and then we can try jogging your memory after you get your bearings.”

Harrison didn’t respond right away. But when I put a gentle hand on his arm, he met my gaze.

“It’ll be all right now. I promise. Tal knows what he’s doing.” A small twinge of guilt had me biting back a grimace. This was uncharted territory, and I knew damned well we were lucky Harrison had woken up at all. Tal’s idea hadn’t really been founded on anything substantial. It could’ve just as easily backfired.

Tal smiled at me and confirmed my statement with Harrison. “Yes. You’re going to be just fine. Sit tight while we attend the others.” Tal waved toward the other two men lying unconscious.

Harrison slid back down in the bed. Dark circles rimmed his tired eyes as he closed them and nodded. “I’ll be here.”

I stifled a chuckle, surprised at my response. The worry that had been weighing me down had lifted. And while he wasn’t going anywhere in his weakened condition, at least he was awake. The relief was making me almost giddy.

“Wil?” Tal tilted his head toward the next patient. “Ready to try this again?”

Squeezing Harrison’s hand, I nodded at Tal. “Just get some rest,” I said to Harrison. “Tal and I will be back to check on you soon.”

He didn’t open his eyes, but he did give me a small nod.

Reluctantly, I left his side and followed Tal. We repeated the spell on the second guard and were subjected to another vision. He was sitting with a small-framed redhead on a wraparound porch, lightly holding her hand as they watched two small children playing in the sprinklers. They were laughing and sipping iced tea, enjoying the perfect summer afternoon. It was completely different from Harrison’s flashback but also full of joy and contentment.

I couldn’t help but meet Tal’s eyes. He was staring at me with a longing I couldn’t ever remember seeing in his gaze. I shifted, uncomfortable with the raw emotion emanating from him. Unexpected tears sprang to my eyes, and I had to blink them back before I lost control.

The guard’s name was Bale, and he woke up just as disoriented as Harrison had. The interesting part was that he said he felt he knew both Tal and me, but neither of us had met him before that very day. It had to be the spell. They were connecting with us because of our magic.

A bolt of anticipation skittered through me as Tal and I went to work on K.C., the third guard. The visions we’d pulled from Harrison and Bale had been like a shot of happiness straight to the heart, and I was quickly becoming addicted to the sensation. The past months had been downright hard. It was nice to feel good about something for a change. And while I felt like we were intruding on their private thoughts, I didn’t know of a way to block them out while we did what we needed to.

Tal’s hand closed over mine, and even though the magic from the crystal warmed my palm just as it had before, I had a hard time pushing the magic into K.C. It hit the same barrier I’d experienced with Harrison, but no matter what I did, it wouldn’t budge. Gritting my teeth, I narrowed my focus to just my hand and willed the magic to move.

Nothing.

I glanced up at Tal. “Do you feel that?”

He nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. Then he removed his hand from mine and positioned himself near K.C.’s head. He ran a light hand across the man’s forehead, and K.C.’s body flinched slightly, but he didn’t open his eyes.

A worry line appeared above Tal’s brows as he frowned. “He’s further along than the other two were.”

“Now what?” I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stave off the sudden shiver.

Tal held out his hand to me. I slipped mine into his, instantly warmer. He tugged me around so that he was standing behind me with both his arms around me. Then he whispered in my ear, “I need you to pull some of my magic into you before you push it into K.C.”

“What?” I said more harshly than I intended.

“Problem?” David interjected, striding over.

“No,” Tal said, not looking at him.

“Willow?” David asked.

I waved him off. “I’m fine. Give us a few minutes.” I made a concerted effort to keep my voice even, but I really wanted to demand that he just leave. Yes, Tal had his arms around me. That made me want to press into him and flee at the same time, but we were working to save K.C. And having David hovering was only making things harder.

David didn’t leave, but he did step back, his jaw clenched and hands fisted.

So he was mad. What else was new?

“Ready?” Tal asked me.

I shook my head. I didn’t want to take any of his life energy. “Can’t you just force more magic into the stone or something?”

“I already put in as much as it will take. You have more power to force magic into living things than I do. And if you have some of mine mixed with yours, it should give you enough push to save this man.” He tightened his arms around me, holding me against him, his face gently caressing mine.

How could I argue with that? I wasn’t going to stand here and let the guard fade away into nothing. Not when Tal was so sure my magic would work. I took a deep breath and nodded once.

“That’s my girl.” Tal’s words were a caress to my battered heart. He’d called me
his girl
again. In that moment I knew I’d forgiven him for leaving, forgiven the lack of communication, forgiven the anger and hurt we’d put each other through. I just hoped that once this was all over—once we were no longer under the thumb of Allcot and the Void, once Asher was neutralized—we’d be able to find our way back to each other.

I shut my eyes and focused on my hands gripping Tal’s. Magic tingled from my fingertips, spreading over his in a thin layer. Magic shifted and jumped, sparking over his hands and creating a magnetic connection between the two of us.

He stood there, statuesque, letting my magic dance across his skin. I knew it had to be affecting him in some way. It could be irritating, but I was willing to bet he was enjoying the interaction. And then I felt his breath catch as his fingers gripped mine as if he was struggling for control. Yeah, he was enjoying my magical touch. Maybe a little too much.

Now wasn’t the time.

Steeling myself, I pushed on my magic, nudging it into Tal. He went completely still with my invasion. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was feeling in that moment. I didn’t think it hurt, but it was an intrusion nonetheless. After a few moments, I tugged on my magical hold and our combined life energy slammed into me with such force I would’ve stumbled backward, but Tal’s strong arms were still wrapped around me, holding me in place.

My breath caught as his memories flooded my mind in rapid succession. Tal and me on the beach when we were sixteen. Him leaning in close, the desire to kiss me overwhelming him. Tal staring at me from across the street as I laughed with friends, unaware that he was there. The urge to punch Jason Sweeny as I danced with him at the prom. Tal wanting nothing more than to hold me for days after Beau’s tragic death. The pure pleasure of installing the enchanted tree in his New Orleans apartment a few short months ago.

“Willow?”

I heard Tal’s voice from far away. I blinked, clearing the memories from my mind. Our combined magic had filled me to the point of almost bursting.

“Oh, no. Sorry!” I cried and jerked my hands from his.

Tal stumbled back a few feet, his body hunched over and his head in his hands.

“Tal?” I reached out, but before I could touch him, I pulled back. I’d taken too much. He was hurt.

“Do it now, Willow,” he huffed out. “Heal K.C.”

I hesitated. Tal needed help, too.

“Wil!” He waved at K.C. “He’s your priority. I’ll be fine.”

His urgency snapped me back into action and I spun, placing both hands over K.C.’s heart. This time when I unleashed my magic, it held for just a moment before seamlessly flowing straight into the guard. He took it so easily I had to consciously hold back the magic for fear it would be too much for him.

But then I realized I wasn’t getting any response from him at all. There was no change in his heart rate or temperature or any of his other metabolic responses. His monitors continued to beep on at a steady, monotonous rate.

“Come on, K.C.,” I pleaded, not at all sure what else I could do. “Work with me here.”

“I’m here,” Tal said into my ear as he shifted behind me again, his hands coming to rest on top of mine. His healing energy slipped over my skin and merged with my magic as we both poured all our gifts into K.C.

A scene at Allcot’s mansion materialized in my mind, only Allcot wasn’t there. Neither was David. K.C. sat at Allcot’s desk, dressed in a silk shirt, a tailored jacket, and designer jeans. His black-leather-clad feet were up on the desk, crossed at the ankles as he leaned back, eyeing the three vamps standing in front of him.

His lips turned up into a sly smile as he barked inaudible orders at his minions. They nodded automatically and filed out of the room just as Pandora, Allcot’s lover, strolled in, wearing even less clothing than she normally did. He stood and leaned over the desk as Pandora pulled at the ties of her bustier, her eyes molten with desire.

K.C.’s heart rate sped up, sending the machines into a beeping frenzy.

I jerked my hand out of Tal’s and held it close to my heart. K.C. had been deliriously happy in what could only be a fantasy. Pandora was completely devoted to Allcot, and there was no way in hell anyone would be stupid enough to not only take over Allcot’s desk but also order his employees around.

Tal moved his hands from K.C.’s chest to my arms. He bent down and whispered, “I think that did it.”

K.C. lay blinking up at us from the hospital bed.

“Welcome back,” Tal said.

“Back?” K.C. croaked.

“Yes. You were poisoned and ended up in a short-term coma.”

The guard glanced around the room, finally focusing on David. “Wasn’t real,” he muttered to himself. “Fuck me.”

Chapter 18

Tal and I had just walked through the front door of my house in the Lower Garden District when his phone buzzed with an incoming text. He glanced down and frowned.

“What’s up?” I tossed my keys on the side table and glanced around for my roommate, Phoebe. The place was quiet, no sign of her. Link bounded through the house, no doubt checking for any unwelcome guests the way he usually did.

“I’ve been summoned to the Void office.” Tal blew out a breath as he shoved his phone back in his pocket.

I raised my eyebrows. “Any idea what it’s about?”

He shrugged. “Could be anything. But I’m not going anywhere before we eat.” Moving to the base of the stairs, he held his hand out to me.

I took it without any hesitation. Neither of us had eaten a proper meal since the day before. Tal took the lead up to my second story, where the kitchen was located. He slowed as he passed my bedroom door. It stood open, everything left untouched, sitting exactly as I had left it. It was neat, but the bed was unmade and called to me. Before I could stop myself, I said, “Bedroom picnic?”

He turned to me, a mischievous grin on his face.