Chapter 12

Micha could sense each tick of the clock, frustration boiling through him as he was forced to waste precious seconds recovering from the explosive blast, followed by the collapse of the temple. The wounds hadn't been life-threatening, but they'd been numerous, breaking bones and smashing vital organs that had to be restored.

And worse, he'd finally managed to get Skye Claremont in his arms, and they were both too damaged to appreci ate the moment.

Later...he promised himself as he shoved upward, knocking aside the crushing pile that buried them in rubble. He no longer doubted that she had been a victim in Lynx's plot to get his hands on the strange crystal, but until he stopped the demented fairy, he couldn't allow himself to be distracted.

Not that it was easy, he grimly acknowledged, reaching down to pull Skye to her feet. Even coated in a layer of dust and her golden curls tangled in a messy halo, she was the very essence of temptation. A succulent treat he ached to taste.

Holding her hand in a gentle grip, he swept his gaze down her tiny frame, ignoring the bits of debris and flecks of blood that marred her clothes. He was searching for open wounds that would need imm ediate healing.

"How badly are you hurt?"

She tugged her hand free, wrinkling her nose as she futilely attempted to wipe away the dirt.

"I'm fine." She glanced up through her lashes. " Thanks to you."

Another wave of desire smashed into Micha, wrenching a low growl from his lips. The need to cup her face in his hands and kiss her until they both melted in pleasure was overwhelming. Only the distant sound of croaking frogs and the pungent scent of moss kept him from giving in to his hunger. This wasn't the time or place.

He stepped back, in dire need of space to clear his mind. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah."

"Good. We need to get a way from here."

She grabbed the skirt of her dress to climb over the busted cinder blocks before he led her down the pathway, her gaze warily glancing toward the undergrowth that seethed with remnants of magic. He didn't smother the dangerous traps he'd laid around the area. He'd made assumptions and believed in rumors, and his lack of diligence had come back to bite him on the ass. Until he knew beyond a doubt that the sword and surrounding hex were destroyed, he wasn't going to ta ke any chances.

They traveled back to the shoreline in silence, both too weary and battered to make small talk. And honestly, he doubted that Skye was in the mood to discuss the past few hours. For now it was enough to put one foot in fr ont of another.

Stepping out of the thick foliage, Micha wasn't surprised to discover that the airboats had vanished. It'd been less than ten minutes since the explosion, but that was more than enough time for Lynx to disappear. He had to act quick if he was going to pick up their track.

Thankfully, he could already make out the whomping sound of an approach ing helicopter.

"They're gone," Skye muttered. "I don't know whether to be happy that I don't have to spend any more time with Lynx and his goons, or sad that we're going to have to swim to get back to civilization."

"No swimming," he assured her, pointing at the flashing lights growing brighter by the second. "That's my helicopter."

She sent him a wary glance. "How did they know you were here?"

"They don't, but I have guards who monitor this area of my territory. They wouldn't have been overly concerned by the airboats. The wards I've placed around the temple are usually enough to run off any intruders. But they would have been alerted when the temple exploded. Heads would have rolled if they didn't come to investigate what the hell was going on."

She breathed a soft sigh of relief. "Thank God. I have to get back to Maya and Peri. They're probably out of their min ds with worry."

Micha studied her relieved expression. Of course Skye's first thought would be concern for her friends. Not that she'd been kidnapped and hauled halfway across the country. Or nearly squashed by an en chanted temple.

Was it any wonder he was bewitched?

Such a unique, fascin ating creature.

Unfortunately, as much as he admired her tender heart, he was going to have to convince her to keep their location a secret. Along with the fact that Lynx had his hands on the crystal.

"My servants can take you to New Orleans." He moved to stand directly in front of her as the helicopter swooped downward. The pilot had no doubt caught sight of him standing at the edge of the water and was preparing to land. The blades were already picking up debris and tossing it through the air. "But I'm afraid you'll have to st ay at my lair."

She frowned, but she didn't look angry. A better start than he'd e xpected. "Why?"

"Until we figure out who gave Lynx a key to get past Valen's security and revealed the location of my private rooms, we can't trust anyone," he reminded her. "If they know we're alive, they'll realize that they need to destroy any evidence that connects them to the demons. Includin g the traitor."

Her frown deepened. "My friends ar en't involved."

"No, but they are vulnerable. If, however, my servants put out word that the temple has exploded and they're searching for survivors, the traitor will assume we're dead or missing. It will give us at least a few hours to figure out wh at's going on."

Skye slowly nodded. "Okay, I'll go to New Orleans. But we can't just wait for Lynx to find the sword. Or whatever it is he's really seeking." Her expression was grim. "We have to stop him before he gets hi s hands on it."

Micha nodded. She didn't have to tell him that the vision of a fiery future hadn't changed. It'd probably become more likely since he'd allowed the bastard to escape with the s trange crystal.

Frustration bubbled through him. "I'm going to have the helicopter drop me off at the spot we picked up the airboats. That's the most logical place for him to return to shore. I'll try to pick up hi s scent there."

She sent him a worried glance. "It' s almost dawn."

"Then I have to catch him quickly. I'm not going to risk los ing his trail."

She sent him a strange glance. "Actually, I don't think you have to worry about him going too far."

Micha eyed her in confusion. "A new vision?"

She shook her h ead. "A curse."

"What do you mean a curse?" Her words did nothing to clear up his confusion. "Ly nx was cursed?"

"He is now," she said with a shrug. As if she went around cursing people on a regular basis. And maybe she did. He'd always heard it was Peri Sanguis who was in charge of the hexing and cursing side of the business, but that didn't mean Skye wasn't involved. "I detonated it when he grabbed me on the beach."

Micha had gone endless centuries without being blindsided. He was a male who was meticulous in planning his existence precisely because he didn't like being ca ught off guard.

Since traveling to New York City, there had been one shock after another. Most of them nasty. His gaze swept over Skye's delicate face. And some ea rth-shattering.

His life would have been far more peaceful if he'd ignored the command from Sinjon, he wryly acknowledged. And not just because he'd been swept up in a brewing demon war. Even if he did manage to halt Lynx and his mysterious partner in crime and return to his lair, he suspected Skye Claremont was going to continue to disrupt his life for a very long time.

At least...he hoped she was around to disrupt it. The possibility of spending the next thousand years without her was too awful to contemplate.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what's going to happen to him," he murmured. "According to my research there are mages who can make body parts fall off for th e right price."

"At the Witch's Brew we don't usually contract for body parts to actually fall off." She pursed her lips as if considering the unfortunate recipients of the powerful magic. "But you might wi sh they would."

"And Lynx?"

"Nothing awful." There was a hint of regret, no doubt wishing she'd caused several body parts to dissolve. "A simple s leeping spell."

The air buffeted them as the helicopter lightly settled on the beach. Micha stepped closer, speaking directly in her ear as the thumping sound of the blades created a deafening roar.

"How long will it l ast?" he asked.

"It's hard to say," she admitted. "When I got the call they were holding Clarissa hostage, I didn't have time to prep my charms, so I grabbed the emergency spells that Peri left for me. Her magic is always off the charts, so I would usually estimate that he'd be out for days." She glanced toward the shoreline where the airboats had landed. "But Lynx is more powerful than most fairies. He might be able to fight through the spell a lot quicker."

"Twenty-four hours? " he suggested.

She wrinkled her nose. "Give or tak e a few hours."

"Okay." For the first time since he'd awakened to sense Lynx sneaking into his private rooms, Micha didn't feel as if he was two steps behind. Just maybe he could get ahead of events before they bit him on the ass. "Then I can send my guards to try to discover where he's sleeping while I go to New Orl eans with you."

"What are you going to do?" she asked as he grasped her upper arm and urged her toward the w aiting chopper.

"Lynx can't search for the sword if he's unconscious, which gives me time to do some research." His lips twisted as he bent low to avoid the blades that continued to spin. "I prefer not to repeat the same mistake."

"What mistake?"

"Accepting myth and legend as truth." Self-disgust jolted through him at the memory of watching the sword he'd wasted centuries protecting being revealed to be nothing more than a tarnished bit of steel. "I want to know exactly what crystal Lynx took from the sword, who created it, and what it does."

"He said it was a compass," she reminded him as they climbed into the back seats.

Micha motioned toward the pilot, who pressed the thrust lever to lift them off the beach and soar toward the star-splattered sky. The servant would realize that Micha wanted to return to his lair unless he gave him specific directions to fly in ano ther direction.

"Lynx said a lot of stuff that proved to be a load of shit," Micha muttered, still furious with the arrogant fair y. And himself.

"True."

"I also want to do more research on the Tempest," he said, speaking loud enough for Skye to catch his words without allowing the pilot to overhear the conversation. He trusted his staff, but right now he intended to treat everyone as a potential traitor. "I never bothered to study the history of the sword when it was protected by a hex, along with my own layers of security. A lapse that might cause a new demon war if Lynx manages to get hi s hands on it."

She reached to lay her hand on his arm. "You couldn't have known what he was plotting."

Her touch was as light as a butterfly wing, but Micha reacted as if he'd been scalded. Was she offering him comfort? It should have been amusing. He was a member of the Cabal. The leader of a powerful Gyre. He had thousands of demons who had pledged their loyalty and would readily lay down their lives to protect him.

But would any one of them care if he was injured or even destroyed? Would anyone mourn his passing? It wasn't a thought that had ever entered his mind. He had associates and servants, but no one close enough to fret over his welfare. He'd never felt the need to create intima te connections.

Not until now.

Gazing down at her upturned face, he desperately wanted to believe that she was concerned for him. Micha. Not th e Cabal leader.

Unable to resist temptation, he covered her fingers with his hand, giving them a soft squeeze, even as he forced his thoughts to return to the danger of allowing Lynx to accomplish his my sterious plans.

He had twenty-four hours, maybe less, to stop him. And the clo ck was ticking.

"The sword was in my territory, along with the mysterious crystal, which makes it my responsibility," he insisted. "I can only hope we can discover what Lynx is truly searching for and destroy it before he ever wakes."

"Where are you going to do this research?"

"I'll start with my personal library and go from there."

She lifted her hand to impatiently shove her curls out of her face. The wind had whipped them into a gloriou s halo of gold.

"Do you have research books that f ocus on magic?"

"Several thousand," he assu red her. "Why?"

"There was something strange about the spell that held the sword in place. I think it's important we find out who placed it there," she told him. "If we do figure out how to locate the sword, or whatever it is that Lynx is searching for, it's probably best we know exactly w hat to expect."

Hard to a rgue with that.