“I’ll tell you what my word is worth to you.” I leaned forward a little more, knowing the fire that was in his eyes earlier was now raging in mine. I wondered if my soul was pulsing the same deep blacks and reds I felt from his. “Fuck with my kids, and I’ll make this a zombie town, and you can fry your friends as they hunt for your soul. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

His eyes had widened and a muscle pulsed in his jaw. He might’ve thought I was lying before, but he didn’t think I was lying now.

“Mordecai, finish that pie,” I said. “We have the roof on the Jeep and it has rubber tires. Lightning can’t get us while we’re inside.”

A small crease worked between Dylan’s brow, and suddenly I wondered if that were true.

“One thing,” he said. “Did you want that mark? Be honest. I’ll know if you lie.”

“Truth—it was first applied accidentally in the heat of the moment. The second and subsequent times have been on purpose, and yes, more often than not, I have asked for it.”

“Very loudly sometimes,” Daisy said. “It is so gross. When we were in the old house, we had to wear earplugs. Thank God we’re on separate floors now. So much better.”

“Would you stop?” I asked her, my face flaming. To Dylan I said, “I love him. I wear his mark, and he is connected to me through my soul link. Both connections are permanent.”

Dylan’s stare beat into me, but he didn’t further comment. Silence hung heavy over the table. Nervous tingles spread over my body.

I spread my hands. “What’s the score here? What happens next?”

“You were right about one thing,” Dylan said. “You coming here was selfish.” He took a sip of his coffee, eyeing me over the rim of his paper to-go cup. “I’ve read about you. I find your story hilarious. You didn’t bring the stylist with you, I see.”

I looked down at my jeans and plaid shirt. They weren’t that much different than his.

“I’ve often wondered how different things would’ve been if I hadn’t been brought up in the magical world,” Dylan said, a little more softly than before. “Or if I could meet someone who wasn’t tarnished by the life people like me are forced to endure.”

“What’s the difference? I’ve still ended up here, desperately looking for someone to help me so I don’t get kidnapped, mind-wiped, and used as an assassin.”

“Not to mention forced into the situation this guy survived if Aaron gets you,” Daisy said. “You know, since you’re not Aaron’s blood relation. I heard he’d probably make you his mistress, whether you wanted it or not. That got Jerry all riled up the other day.”

“Stop talking or no more phone,” I said through clenched teeth.

“I’m already on phone restriction.”

“Then no more allowance. No more money. Or nice things.”

“Just tell her you’ll pick out her clothes for a week—that’ll shut her up,” Mordecai said.

Dylan looked slightly bewildered. We could derail anyone.

“Look…” he said.

“Okay, Dylan, see ya later,” the older man said, lifting his hand in goodbye as he headed for the door.

“See ya, Chuck.” Dylan nodded.

“Say goodbye to your pretty friend and her foster kids for me.” Chuck pushed open the door.

“I’m not a kid killer,” Dylan whispered, leaning in so his voice didn’t carry. “When I had the choice, I drew the line at kids. As soon as I got a chance, I walked away from my past life and never looked back. Just…leave. Leave at sunrise, like you said. Don’t leave, however, and I will kill every last one of you. Do I make myself clear?”

Relief such as I’d never known flooded me, because I believed him. His soul was back to pulsing brightly. His shoulders had relaxed. He didn’t want a confrontation any more than I did.

I nodded, allowing myself to smile. The woman behind the counter wandered into the kitchen, but I didn’t increase my volume. “Thank you, and I apologize again for even showing up. I’ll try to figure out how to bind spirits from telling secrets. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I will try.”

Daisy stood when I did, but Mordecai didn’t move so fast.

“If you never looked back, why are you so fervent on keeping up with our world?” Mordecai asked in that soft, solemn way of his. His rational tone was hard to ignore. “Why do you still do magic in the hills, and read about women experiencing the world of magic for the first time?”

“I need to make sure my whereabouts remain hidden,” Dylan said.

Mordecai nodded, as though he took the lie at face value. He didn’t push, or try to talk the other guy around, but that was the thing with Mordecai: he didn’t have to. The way he delivered words sometimes made people think. Time would tell if he’d just planted a seed within Dylan.

Unfortunately, time was the one thing we did not have.

14

Kieran

From Kieran’s vantage point, he could see the Lightning Rod sitting on top of a large rock, looking down over the mountainside through night-vision binoculars. A large canteen sat beside him, holding more of the coffee that now steamed in a white travel mug held in a steady hand. He clearly planned to be there for a while.

Amazingly, the Lightning Rod had found one of only a few vantage points that provided a clear view of the new house, not an easy accomplishment in a wild national park full of trees. That meant this man knew his way around the mountain. He’d clearly spent a lot of time roaming or trying to work his magic away from prying eyes. He had to miss using his ability freely. Any highly trained level five would. But the unspeakable horrors he’d been through probably kept the longing at bay.

It wouldn’t keep the madness at bay, though.

Kieran had seen it with his mother. He’d watched the slow decline of a magical worker unable to use her craft, to release the pressure building inside. This man would blow eventually, and the whole world would watch the fallout in horror.

“Make the first move,” Kieran said into the phone. Jerry, on the other end grunted. He wasn’t much of a talker anyway, but in rock form, he rarely issued more than a grunt.

Kieran had spoken to Alexis soon after dinner. She’d made it home after her heart-to-heart with the Lightning Rod just fine. The rest of her evening had been spent assigning positions to her spirit sentinels. A precaution, not a call to battle. Alexis’s resolve had hardened—they’d leave in the morning and never look back. The Lightning Rod, who’d been through so much already, would be allowed to live in peace.

A decision Kieran had agreed to—except here Dylan sat, looking down on Kieran’s love, within striking range. This section of the mountain was in Chad’s jurisdiction, and he’d been the first to report on the Lightning Rod’s location. Kieran had alerted the team, only to learn Jerry was already on the move, having sensed Dylan’s movements through the rock.

Jerry currently sat directly above the Lightning Rod in plain view. Well, plain view if you realized the odd-looking boulder was actually a large, hunched-down giant. A large pool sat a hundred feet away from him, newly formed from water diverted from mountain streams. Kieran would use that water as a sort of shield, holding it around his body. When lightning hit it, the electrical shock would spread out over the surface, directed toward the ground. He and Jerry had a solid defense in place. The rest of the team had been kept away.