Irresistible Magic (25 page)

“Wait!” I planted my feet, prepared to fight him off if necessary, but he stopped and stared down at me.

“Why?”

“I can’t leave Phoebe here.” I glanced over his shoulder. The vampire was restrained, but he was conscious and struggling to get free. The chains were already showing signs of weakness. Any moment now, they’d come loose from the wall. Phoebe was chanting, spinning a binding spell that appeared to be winding around him.

Grunts and curses came from the pair fighting the guards. My eyes widened as I took in the scene. Nicola was throwing spell after spell at the tall, broad-shouldered one, but he remained unaffected, easily blocking each one. I recognized a few of the incantations from the various times I’d been on vampire patrol with Phoebe. With the amount of power she was tossing his way, he should’ve been dead by now.

Was he not human?

Another spell hit him and this one slammed into his nose, causing it to spurt blood. Definitely human. He lunged, catching her around the ankle, and the pair went down in a heap.

I rushed forward, pulling Tal with me, but was cut off by the shorter, black-haired guard going blow for blow with Harrison. Left punch. Right punch. Gut check. They each took their beating in stride as if the other hadn’t so much as swatted at him.

Tal wrapped his arms around me, shielding me from the violence.

My insides heated with dread, making my head spin. They were all hopped up on Tal’s drug. Why did they want the elixir if they already had it? Did they want to keep it out of Allcot’s hands? Or the Void’s?

The tall one had Nicola pinned as she squirmed beneath him. I pulled myself from Tal’s grip and ran.

“Willow, no!” he called. Guilt seized my mind, but I kept going. I had to help her. Just as I reached the guard’s side, he turned and knocked me halfway across the room, causing my Taser to skitter between some abandoned crates. “Shit.”

Nicola was now fully restrained under the guard and Harrison was breathing heavily, his boxing match continuing with no end in sight. Phoebe was still working to hold the vampire. And where was Tal? He’d disappeared. Panic pushed away the guilt. Had they gotten him again?

“Phoebe!” I called as I sprinted to find my gun.

“Use the tranq,” she called back, tossing the gun in my direction. Vampire grade. I caught it, unlatched the safety, and aimed. Right before I pulled the trigger, Link leaped out of nowhere and sank his teeth into the guard. With a vicious growl, he pulled the guard off Nicola and dragged him from her reach.

The guard screamed in blatant terror. I rolled my eyes. He’d managed to fight off a witch and yet he was afraid of the wolf? Idiot.

I glanced back at Phoebe. She was busy checking the restraints of the vamp. Then I turned my gun on the guard fighting Harrison. “Hold it,” I demanded. “One more punch and I’ll put you out.”

The guard ignored me and landed a roundhouse kick to Harrison’s kidney. Harrison grunted and fell, clutching his side.

So much for giving him a chance. Without hesitation, I squeezed the trigger and the dart landed in the middle of the guard’s back. He went still and then fell face-first.

“That’s one,” Tal said, walking slowly across the room. He must’ve been the one that let Link in. He nodded to the one still struggling to get away from Link. “He doesn’t know anything. Dart him.”

I paused for half a moment, then let the dart fly. If Tal said he didn’t know anything, then he probably didn’t. No need to keep him conscious. The second guard went still in Link’s jaws.

“Tie them up,” Tal said, unmistakable hatred ringing from his gravelly voice.

Harrison and Nicola went to work on securing the unconscious guards.

“Hey,” I said. “How did you two end up here?”

Nicola raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Phoebe sent for us.”

“What?” More anger built, threatening to eat away at me from the inside out. Freaking Phoebe was keeping secrets from me again. Important ones.

Phoebe cleared her throat. “I texted them.” She shrugged and sent me an apologetic look. “We needed backup and I didn’t want to argue with you about it. You were pretty upset with David and there was a good chance he might find out, but I was out of options.”

Oh holy mother of…crap! Not Phoebe, too. My head started to ache. I clamped my mouth shut, afraid of what I’d say. Now wasn’t the time. And we’d needed Harrison and Nicola. I was glad they’d been there. But couldn’t someone, anyone, just tell me the truth once in a while? I took a deep breath. “Did he? Find out I mean? Is David outside or on his way?” If he was, I just might take out my anger on him in the form of a tranq dart.

Nicola shook her head. “He was otherwise detained when I got the message.”

Dammit all. The one time I actually wanted his lying ass here, he happened to be busy.

Phoebe, satisfied the vampire was secure, rummaged in her backpack and came up with a bottle of water. “Here.” She handed it to Tal. “Drink slowly.”

He nodded and fumbled with the cap.

“I got it.” I took the bottle from him and unscrewed it. He frowned and turned away from me to sip his water. “Tal?”

“Not now, Wil.”

He was naturally thin with broad, muscular shoulders, but right then he looked emaciated, as if they’d drained the life right out of him. Hot tears stung my eyes. I blinked them back, unwilling to let him see me break down after everything he’d been through.

“How much of the drug did you give them?” I asked Tal quietly.

He turned slowly and gave me an incredulous look.

“What? He demanded we bring him the extra samples. And his people are clearly drugged.”

His green eyes flashed with anger. “None, Willow. Fucking none. Do you really think I’d try to save myself by risking everyone else’s safety?”

“I…”
Shit
. That’s exactly what I’d thought. But hell, if I’d been tortured, I might have given it up. The voice in the back of my mind whispered
No you wouldn’t. And Tal knows it.

“Never mind.” Screwing the cap back on the bottle, he joined Phoebe and the vamp she’d managed to knock out with one of her spells. “He’s out cold.”

“Damn straight,” she agreed.

Tal walked back to me and took the tranq gun from my hands. I was too stunned by his stony expression to do anything but let him. “Grab your Taser before anyone else gets it,” he said.

I watched him retreat to Phoebe’s side and dragged myself over to the crates to search for my stun gun. I found it lying near the wall, hidden in shadows. Was Tal really angry that I’d thought it possible he’d given his captors the drug? Well, he’d given it to Allcot. How was I supposed to know? I did know, though. He’d only given it to Allcot to help protect me. I hung my head and wandered back to him.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered in his ear. “What can I do to help?”

“Stay with Link,” he snapped.

I stepped back as if I’d been slapped. Granted Tal had been through a horrific ordeal, but dammit, that didn’t give him license to treat me with such disdain.

“Wil,” Phoebe said.

“Yeah.”

“The drug was the excuse for abducting Tal, but that isn’t what he was really after.”

Tal snorted his agreement.

The lightbulb started flashing in my brain. Of course it wasn’t. No wonder they’d been so easy to find. Von hadn’t been hiding at all. “He wanted me.”

Phoebe nodded. “It’s why he demanded that you bring samples of Tal’s drug.”

I should have known as soon as he started asking questions about Beau and me. The stalking, the office break-in, and the abduction of Tal were all related to getting close to me, to find out what I knew about Beau and exactly which of his gifts I’d inherited. Did that mean Asher and company were still in the dark about me? Von had asked why Asher was so obsessed with me. Asher might know, but Von didn’t seem to.

There was only one way to find out. “Wake him up,” I told Phoebe.

Nicola stepped up beside me. “Can you do that?” she asked Phoebe.

Phoebe glanced at Nicola. “With your help.”

“You got it.” Nicola took her place beside Phoebe and the pair joined their power together. The normally bright white that pooled in their hands turned pale blue, indicating they were in sync.

Their magic melded together and shot straight at the vampire’s heart. He jolted awake with a start, reflexively struggling against his restraints. With a loud roar, he jerked forward, causing one of the bolts to pop and freeing one arm.

“Hold it right there, Von,” I demanded, brandishing my stun gun at him once more.

He growled, baring his fangs. Link sprang forward and latched on to Von’s loose arm. The vampire roared and did his best to shake him off, but Link held on, his jaws clamped in a tight death grip. The vampire only flailed harder, this time breaking the chain holding his other arm. Before anyone could react, he clocked Link and sent him flying across the room.

“Link!” I flew to his side, running a sure hand down his still body. He blinked and looked up at me through his golden eyes. “You okay?”

His eyes closed and with effort, he stumbled to his feet.

“Willow,” Phoebe called.

I jerked my head up to find the vampire laid out on the stone floor. Link and I made our way to her side. “What happened?”

“I tranq’d him.” She shoved the gun into a holster on her side.

I frowned. She’d had to do something. Restraining him was proving to be impossible. But our investigation just came to a screeching halt. All our suspects were down for the count. “Gonna be hard to get our questions answered now.”

“I did what I had to,” Phoebe said irritably.

I took a deep breath. “I know you did.”

“Come on. We have to get out of here.” She nodded to Nicola and Harrison. “Help me get the vampire in the car.”

“Whoa.” I held my hands up. “The vampire? Where are we taking him? Shouldn’t we call the Void and have them take care of these three?”

She shook her head and gave me a pointed stare. “Not unless you’re prepared to tell the new director all about your family history.”

I let out a suffering sigh. “No. I’m not. But can’t we just tell them they violated the codes? Make up something about the vamp going after someone and the humans helping him?” There had to be something. What were we going to do with them? The restraints in the warehouse couldn’t hold him. What made her think we could?

“There’s no evidence. It won’t stick. Besides, we need answers and if we let the Void take him, I’ll be limited in what questions I can ask.”

Basically, we’d be nowhere fast. And we needed information on Asher if I was going to be safe. “Then where?”

“David’s house.”

“What?” I straightened and shook my head. “Absolutely not. You know I don’t trust him.”

Tal shifted to stand closer and gently took my hand, clearly trying to soothe my agitation. It didn’t work. I pulled my hand from his, even though all I wanted to do was grip it now that I had him with me again. “Save your strength, Tal. You need it more than I do.”

He let me go, moved a few feet away, and stood near Link. Link licked Tal’s hand, giving him the support I seemed to be incapable of extending right at that moment. I bit down hard on my lower lip and turned my attention to Phoebe.

“He has that room, Wil. And I have a key.” She patted her pocket. “I never gave it back after he offered to let me use his place when I was tracking Clea.”

The sun porch. It was the perfect place to interrogate a vampire. The walls were unbreakable, reinforced glass. Left in the sun porch long enough with the threat of certain death at sunrise was the perfect way to get a vamp to talk. And David’s place was safer than my shop or our home. Asher would find me in two seconds flat if we went to either one.

“And if David is there?” I asked her. “Are you willing to let him run the interrogation?” Because he would.

She grinned. “He left over an hour ago and is now at Allcot’s mansion. The coast is clear.”

“How do you know that?”

Holding up her phone, she let out a small bark of laughter. “I’ve bugged his phone with a magical tracking app.”

Nicola took in a sharp breath of surprise. “He’s not going to like that.”

“I’m sure he won’t,” Phoebe agreed.

An unspoken exchange transpired between the two witches. Finally Nicola smiled. “Can you hook me up with that app?”

Chapter 20