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He didn't see Evalle. Even with the throng of hooded robes down there, because of her height she'd stand out in her full protective gear, which was all black. He'd have to look into having full body protection custom made of something lightweight. Maybe Mylar just for walking around.

  Stick that on the mental list of things she needs that will allow her more of a real life.

  First he'd have to talk to her about Feenix and that underground apartment, which he could have discussed on the way here, but she'd been right about him losing too much time going back into the city to pick her up.

  Besides, riding out on her Gixxer might have given her a chance to unwind and feel free.

  Tough to feel free when she was boxed in between duties to the Beladors, duties to VIPER, a forced nocturnal life and now adjusting to a full-time relationship. And oh yeah...trying to clear herself from a murder rap.

  Evalle needed a break.

  He'd wanted to finish his downtown project before broaching the subject of ... everything, but waiting was only causing her more grief.

  Trey stepped out from behind an old oak tree two feet in diameter. It grew right on the edge of the ridge where they stood. He wore dark aviator sunglasses.

  Storm had on a pair of Oakley wrap arounds. "You couldn't have heard me."

  "I could feel your energy."

  Note to self: Keep your mind off Evalle while in a potentially hostile environment.

  Easier said than done when she was foremost in his thoughts all day and night.

  Storm angled his head toward the open field. "Evalle asked me to come help Rowan. What's going on?"

  Trey scratched his scruffy hair, his signature bed-head look that actually made sense now that he had a new baby. "Hermia was here when I arrived. She had about a hundred and fifty at that point, but at least another hundred have shown up, maybe more, and Hermia has talked nonstop like a broken record. Sounds like a robot. I'd have stuck a sock in her mouth by now for no other reason than not hearing the same message repeated over and over."

  "Have you seen Evalle or Adrianna?"

  "Nope. Not a sign of them. Rowan just arrived and marched into Hermia's arena leading the ruling witches of fifteen other covens. All of them support the idea of a council. Rowan just gave Hermia's bunch a smackdown talking-to, then everything went quiet. I was moving forward when I felt your energy. I can't hear anything now and that's not right. I should be able to pick up any normal conversation by using my Belador hearing."

  "Let me give it a try." Storm dropped onto his stomach and crawled to the edge while Trey mimicked his motion six feet to his left.

  When he stopped, Storm's sharp jaguar vision could see mouths moving, but not a word reached him. He told Trey, "Someone has dropped a privacy shield around the group."

  "That'd be a hell of a shield to power. Maybe Rowan did that, but it would have taken a while for her and few more of the witches she brought to cast a spell that would wrap that crowd."

  Storm agreed. "Even so, why would she do that knowing you're up here and expecting Evalle to show?"

  "I don't know."

  Storm checked his watch. The eclipse would start soon. He didn't like anything about this. "Can you reach Rowan by text and find out if she's behind the spell? If she is, why shut down the sound and not the visual?"

  But Storm was glad to have eyes on them. If Veronika showed up here, this would look like an all-you-can-eat buffet for a shark.

  Trey grumbled. "Not getting a reply."

  "Maybe she's ignoring it."

  "Nope. I sent a triple six code. We agreed on that. It means to respond immediately."

  Storm looked at his phone. "Evalle hasn't responded either. He sent another text, telling Trey, "I sent you a test."

  Trey checked his phone. "Got it."

  "Shit."

  "What?"

  "If Rowan isn't getting a text and Evalle isn't getting a text, that means they're both inside that invisible barrier."

  Storm shoved to his feet, not giving a damn who saw him.

  Trey popped up next to him. "Where is she? Evalle's hard to miss since she's taller than most of those women and has to be covered from head to toe. And she's with Adrianna so we ought to be able to see a tall woman clad in black next to all that screaming blond hair."

  Storm wheeled on Trey. "Evalle is with Adrianna?"

  "Yep. Adrianna texted Rowan earlier. Said she'd be here, but that if Veronika showed, not to count on her for anything."

  "Shit."

  Storm sent a text to Adrianna, and a minute later had no answer. "Evalle's with Adrianna, and she's cloaked them with shielding."

  "You're sure?"

  "As sure as I can be. I can see Evalle and Adrianna deciding to move in close to be in the middle of things. Dammit, she promised me she'd stay safe."

  Trey chuckled. "Evalle wouldn't lie to you, but she isn't going to stand back and just watch anyone she cares about if they're in trouble."

  "Tell me about it."

  "What's the plan? I can't watch Rowan's back from up here."

  Storm's watch vibrated. He turned off the timer. "The eclipse starts in four minutes and lasts just over seven minutes. We have to--"

  Veronika appeared in her red robe at the far side of the outdoor arena. She had two men with her.

  "Fuck!" Trey's tension burst from him so fast it slapped Storm's empathic senses hard.

  Storm snapped, "What?"

  "That's gotta be Veronika. The crazy bitch has a Medb warlock with her and Quinn."

  Storm looked more closely and identified one of the men Evalle considered a brother.

  What the hell was Quinn doing with Veronika?

  Chapter 41

  Evalle whispered, "Quinn? That can't be him. And what's Veronika doing here before the eclipse?"

  Adrianna stopped short in front of her. "It is Quinn. Veronika has him under her control. Her pet Medb warlock, Don, is here too, but he's probably more gopher than protection. She's insanely confident."

  Evalle had directed Adrianna to move closer to Rowan, who'd positioned herself at the front of the crowd. Now Evalle and Adrianna stood between Veronika, who approached from the front entrance, and everyone else. "What do you mean she has Quinn under control? What has Veronika done to him? I'll kill her."

  "Don't kill her until I get Ragan out of her hands. Veronika wouldn't have the ability to take full control of Quinn yet. She found a vulnerable spot."

  "But how? Quinn has mindlock."

  "I'm guessing she approached him and he reached out with his power. If he did, she latched on to that power long enough to find a weakness and take control of him."

  Evalle's blood chilled. "If Veronika can do that to someone as strong as Quinn before she comes into her full power ... she's unstoppable."

  Adrianna shook her head. "All she has at this point is a temporary leash on Quinn. It can be broken if we break it before the eclipse ends."

  Evalle cast a look up to see the moon moving closer to the sun. "We still have like three minutes until it starts. Back to my original question. Why is Veronika here before the eclipse? It takes seven minutes to complete."

  "My guess is that she found Hermia and arranged all this so she could have a throwdown with Rowan before the eclipse, and before the witches here take their vote, to show how powerful she is in front of them all."

  "Why?"

  "Knock down the most powerful leader in view and the others will bow to Veronika without a fight. I knew she was arrogant, but I didn't expect this."

  "Okay, but why Rowan?"

  "I told you, Rowan is from a very old line, and is quite possibly the most powerful witch here other than me, if you count raw power combined with skill based on years of training."

  Anger vibrated in Evalle's voice. "I will not let her have Quinn."

  Adrianna looked at Evalle's gloved hands. "Can you use your kinetics if you step outside the boundaries of the spell?"

  "Not while the sun is out. I need to have my hands unco
vered to use my power, but Quinn would walk into a fight with one arm if it meant my life. I would do the same for him."

  Adrianna froze for a second, then she met Evalle's gaze. "I've never had anyone willing to lift a finger for me except my sister."

  "Then let's take her back from that bitch and save Quinn. As soon as the moon covers the sun, I'll use my kinetics and try to break Quinn free or distract Veronika as a minimum. Pull out your baddest mojo and lay it on her. Make her fight more than one of us at a time. I promise you Rowan will step up to the plate. She'll do whatever she can to help."

  Adrianna nodded, eyeing Evalle with a glimmer of admiration and appreciation. "Thanks."

  "We haven't survived this yet."

  "That's why I'm thanking you now in case I don't have a chance later. You're here when I have no family or anyone else who would put their life on the line for my sister and me. I never forget a favor ... or a betrayal."

  Evalle knew exactly what that felt like. She'd been there, and not very long ago. But now she had so many people in her world to love. She couldn't imagine life now without Storm, Feenix, Tzader, Quinn, Nicole and Lanna in it. She wouldn't give up even one of them. Guess I'll have to add one annoying Sterling witch to that list if we live through this.

  Her heart ached. She could die without the chance to say goodbye to Storm. She'd put off their talk for too long.

  If she got out of this mess alive, she'd never let anger or fear stop her from talking to him when it was important.

  Rowan turned to face Veronika, who continued moving forward with her entourage.

  Evalle stood two steps to the side of Rowan, but the witch had no idea she was there, which was a weird feeling. And it was also evidence that Adrianna had some seriously awesome mojo.

  Rowan held up a hand, but did not point a finger at Veronika, which could be taken as an act of aggression since witches used fingers to throw all kinds of power. She shouted, "You are not welcome in our land, Veronika. Withdraw from here, with your minions and your majik, and return to the realm from whence you came."

  Rowan's words sounded as though she weren't just from a very old line of witches, but that she was a much older witch than the contemporary woman Evalle knew.

  Veronika didn't even slow until she was fifty feet away. She lifted her hand where the sphere burned bright in her palm and warned, "This is my coven and my people. The have come to witness the return of Witchlock. Bow to me now or suffer the consequences."

  Rowan roared, "Never!" Then she raised both hands and called out, "Earth to sun, wind to--"

  Veronika boomed a word in the same language Hermia had used, and Rowan went flying backwards, knocking down twenty women like bowling pins.

  Evalle's hope did a nosedive. "Get ready."

  Adrianna replied, "Waiting on you."

  Veronika kept her other hand outstretched toward Quinn, who moved forward with her, but had a dazed look on his face. In fact, he hardly appeared to breath. Evalle put her hand on Adrianna's shoulder. "Quinn is still alive, right?"

  "Yes. He's in the early stages of stasis. That's how she started with my sister. She will bleed Quinn of his power once she has Witchlock, and take control of his gifts."

  Oh, crap. Evalle said, "If she gains control of Quinn, she'll have access to every North American Belador and secret information about Treoir. I have to get him out of that hold now."

  "Wait until we get close enough for you to go for Quinn and me to reach Ragan," Adrianna said, working her way closer without bumping into the Medb warlock on this side of Veronika.

  "What do I do? How do I break her hold on Quinn?"

  "Get between her and Quinn. Your power will interrupt her connection to him. Other than that, you're on your own. Remember, once we separate, your cloaking will fail."

  "Will yours hold?"

  "I have no idea."

  Lovely. How come I always end up going in blind? At least she was part of a blind team this time, and that felt good.

  "In for a penny, in for a pound," Evalle said. "Time to kick some witch ass."

  Adrianna raised one eyebrow, but Veronika addressed the crowd. "You must heed all that Hermia has told you. I have come to deliver you from the persecution of VIPER and--" She bent her finger in Quinn's direction and he walked forward. "--from under the thumb of Beladors. You will never fear for your safety or your freedom again."

  Rowan gained her feet and turned to the crowd. "Lies! Run now, or she will take you all as slaves."

  Veronika spit out something that sounded like a curse and a spike of energy arced from the sphere she held to strike Rowan, bursting into a ball of flames.

  Adrianna yelled, "Now!"

  Evalle broke away from the cloaking, shoved warlock Don aside, and lunged between Veronika and Quinn, which put her in the line of whatever hold Veronika had over Quinn. In that moment, as Evalle flew sideways, Veronika's majik stabbed through her.

  The force of power held Evalle in mid-air for a second. She saw Kizira staring back and calling, "Quinn, stay with me."

  Evalle blinked and Storm stood there, bleeding all over his body. He held out his hand. "I will always love you."

  Everything vanished except the two of them.

  Storm's eyes rolled back in his head.

  No! She couldn't lose him. Evalle leaned forward, reaching for Storm, but the Medb warlock she'd shoved aside rammed her with his body, knocking her down and breaking the hold on her mind.

  The chaos going on around her came flooding back into focus. Crud, no wonder this bitch could control people. She rolled away and jumped up, stomping her boots hard.

  Blades flipped out around the edges of her soles.

  The warlock came at her.

  She stepped into a scissor kick that missed him by a hair when he flipped away. He called out words that were guttural and vicious sounding, then wound up his arm and threw a glowing red curve ball at her, which she dodged. She couldn't use her kinetics yet, because she still had her gloves on, but she had Belador speed. She somersaulted away, twisting to land on her feet.

  A shadow moved over the grass from the eclipse.

  Warlock Don came at her with an unholy look in his eyes and fire blazing from both hands.

  What had Veronika done to him to rev him up this way?

  All that fighting had taken Evalle away from Quinn, who was back under Veronika's control, following her as if a tether ran between Veronika's free hand and his neck.

  Adrianna pushed against the power from Veronika's sphere, but it held her thirty feet back.

  The crowd cleared a path for Veronika and no one interfered.

  Correction.

  Rowan struggled to her feet, singed from head to toe, but still alive. She started toward Veronika, saying in a raw voice, "You can't fight us all."

  Evalle was starting to question her own statement to that effect.

  She ran straight at Don, zigzagging at blinding speed to avoid his fireballs, and slid under the next one, slamming into his legs. He went down on his face. She came to her feet as he pushed up again. Evalle stepped forward and booted him in the head as hard as she could.

  His head snapped back and he went flying ten feet, then stayed down with his head at an unnatural angle.

  Veronika laughed at Rowan and whipped her sphere hand away from Adrianna for a second, to toss Rowan up and over Veronika's head and so far away that Rowan had to have landed outside the spelled enclosure.

  That interruption gained Adrianna only ten feet.

  But she had her hands up, yelling in what sounded like Russian to Evalle. Two dark bodies with solid white eyes, open jaws and red, glowing teeth shot up from the ground next to Adrianna, towering over her and turning their pointy claws toward Veronika.

  Veronika split the power from the sphere she held to blow up those creatures.

  Shock filled Adrianna's face.

  Storm and Trey ran up to Rowan outside the invisible field. Where had they come from? Could they get inside? Stor
m turned and ran at the invisible field. He slapped his hands on it and was yelling something so loud, the veins in his neck stuck out. His hand glowed and his eyes turned red.

  No, not the demon. Evalle would not be the reason Storm's demon blood rose to the surface again.

  She needed her kinetics to break Veronika's hold on Quinn.

  The sun was almost completely covered.

  Any second now Evalle could peel off her gloves and ...

  Veronika called to Adrianna, "Your power will join your sister's and we three will become one."

  Power racing from the sphere in Veronika's hand shifted from pushing Adrianna back to flooding over her.

  Evalle couldn't save Quinn and Adrianna too. In that moment, Adrianna looked at Evalle and mouthed, Save Quinn.

  Then Adrianna's body shot up in the air, jerked left and right like a rag doll in strong wind. The arc of power spewing from the sphere to Adrianna brightened, but this one did not toss her the way it had Rowan.

  The power engulfed Adrianna. She screamed in agony and arched backwards.

  Chapter 42

  Adrianna fought the pain that spiked through every inch of her body. She would not give that witch her power.

  The moon sealed off the sun overhead.

  No. Veronika can't win.

  Ragan's voice spoke in Adrianna's head. Now is the moment, sister. Veronika is greedy and wants to bind our powers before Witchlock takes over. Kill her now.

  Adrianna cried out, I can't. I'm sorry. I have to save you. Her body spun two rotations, then she still floated above the ground, flailing her arms and feeling her body being sucked dry.

  When she could focus again, Adrianna saw the fight below. Evalle snatched off her gloves and took off running straight for Quinn and Veronika. She tossed a hand at Quinn, hitting him with kinetics that sent him flying twenty feet, then Evalle stepped into a kick, booting Veronika's hand hard and knocking the sphere flying.

  Adrianna watched in shock as the sphere flew up in the air, straight for her. Ragan's panicked face came into focus, white eyes glowing. Adrianna reached out and grabbed the sphere as it passed her, laughing and crying at catching it until she realized her horizontal body still hung suspended in the air.

  Ragan's voice shouted, "Stop her, Adrianna. Stop her now! I'll give you my power."

  "No. I'm getting you out of there."

  "You can stop Veronika. Take my power!"

  Adrianna shook her head. "You'll die!"