Chapter 17

"Hold still," I grumped. "This will help."

Sitting in the back of the SUV under the open hatch, Justin clenched his jaw. I combed his hair aside to expose the cut on his scalp, which was leaking blood all over his face. Lucky for him, he hadn't taken the full force of the demon mage's attack. If he had, he'd be in way worse shape than a knock to the head.

Uncorking a vial from my potion stash, I dribbled clear liquid over the cut.

"This will stop the bleeding," I told him, "but it won't help with a concussion, so if you start feeling—"

"I'll let you know if I have any concussion symptoms," he interrupted, taking the damp paper towel I was offering. He scrubbed his face.

Behind me, Aaron was pacing the gas station parking lot with his hands clenched. "The Praetor didn't figure out we were investigating him. Blake told him. That's why the Praetor disappeared. I never should've trusted him."

Anger burned in my gut—along with an unhealthy dose of shame. Blake had played us for fools.

"He's a member of the Keys of Solomon, though," Kai pointed out, straddling his bike with his arms braced on the handlebars. "Felix looked him up, right?"

"Why would a Keys of Solomon member be part of the cult?" I asked, sitting beside Justin. Dirt from the bumper smeared my leather pants, but I didn't care; all my muscles ached and I had too many bruises to count. "Did Blake make up that whole story about his team dying during the extermination?"

"Probably," Aaron growled. "And then he beat us to the Praetor's house and …" His pacing slowed. "But if he's in league with the cult, why didn't he stop us from witnessing their meeting? He had plenty of time to warn the Praetor to cancel the gathering."

"Did the cult capture him after we parted ways?" Makiko suggested as she balanced her helmet on the front of her bike. "From what you've described, it doesn't seem like he was protecting the cult from the start. Perhaps they took him prisoner."

"Or blackmailed him," Justin added. "Daniel said Blake reported that we were leaving town."

Aaron pressed his fist into his palm, his knuckles cracking. "I know where he stayed last night. He was complaining about the traffic noise at his hotel."

Kai straightened. "Then let's see if he's still there."

After a quick perusal of Google Maps for directions, we clambered into—or onto—our various vehicles and took off, Aaron's SUV leading the way with the two motorcycles following. I drummed my hands on my knees with nervousness.

I'd saved my purse, but I'd lost my paintball gun on that rooftop. Hoshi had exhausted herself saving me, meaning I was down to a handful of alchemy bombs and first-aid potions. Pretty soon I'd have nothing left to fight with.

No real mythic would find themselves with no magic. A sorcerer with no artifacts could still draw a cantrip. A witch could …I frowned …call a fae? See into the fae demesne? Hmm. Maybe there was a reason you didn't see many combat witches.

Blake's hotel was a standard two-star outfit—four stories, faded beige exterior that hadn't been updated in thirty years, no balconies—that backed onto a huge sports field. Aaron pulled into the lot and parked beside a cube van that would hide his vehicle from the front doors.

"Okay," he said as he cut the engine. "Kai and I will scout the building, and Makiko will go inside and—"

I rolled my eyes. "We know the plan, Aaron."

He rolled his eyes back at me. "Then get going. And remember our first fight with Blake. He wasn't trying to kill us then, but this time he might."

While he grabbed his sword, safely hidden in its black zippered bag, from the back, I buckled on my combat belt and its three whole alchemy bombs. The empty holster on the side was downright depressing, especially since the weapon had been a present from the guys. I slid the demonic amulet into a pouch and zipped it shut.

Kai and Makiko parked their bikes, and with a quick wave, Kai headed in one direction while Makiko strode toward the hotel entrance. Blake was less likely to recognize her, so she'd try to lure him out—plus she was scary lethal, so why not send her into enemy territory?

As Aaron zoomed away, Justin and I headed through the parking lot. His pistol was tucked in the back of his belt, hidden by his jacket, but the firearm seemed like scant protection when my brother was limping with each step.

And Blake, as we'd already experienced, had some nasty tricks up his sleeve. How easily could he break our bones or shatter our skulls with well-aimed battering rams of stone and concrete?

I slowed, one hand resting on a smoke bomb as I scanned the lot. "Justin, maybe you should—"

"Don't tell me to wait in the car."

"But you're—"

"You're limping too."

I was? My left hip ached from the demon mage's first blast of magic, but I hadn't realized it was affecting my gait. Grimacing, I assessed the rows of parked cars, then angled around the corner of the building toward the back lot, my eyes darting for any signs of movement.

"According to other mythics I know, demon mages are the most powerful mythics out there," I told Justin. "But Daniel was a wuss compared to—uh, compared to the stories I've heard."

I'd almost said Ezra's name. Smart, Tori. Very smart.

"And he still kicked our asses," I added darkly.

"Was he a wuss?" Justin asked. "He fended off three mages, and you said mages tend to have the most destructive magic of all the classes."

My brother was a fast learner. Despite myself, I was kinda proud.

"True," I agreed, slowing to peer between two trucks. "But it wasn't Daniel fending them off. It was the demon inside him. The demon took over at the end. That's why I was yelling at everyone to run."

Justin considered that as we moved to the next row of cars. "Ezra is a demon mage, isn't he?"

I missed a step and almost fell. "What? You—how did you—"

"I guessed."

Damn it. My brother was too swift on the uptake.

"The cult turned him into a demon mage when he was fourteen," I explained tersely. "If anyone finds out, he'll be executed. I'm trying to find a way to get the demon out of him."

"You're in love with a man who has a demon inside him?"

I scowled. "Butt out, Justin."

"But—"

"He's a normal guy ninety-eight percent of the time."

Justin eyed me, then pointed. "There it is."

A camo-painted jeep was parked under the bare branches of a large tree at the very back of the lot where it bordered the sunset-bathed sports field.

"Bingo!" I exclaimed.

I took an eager step toward the vehicle, and Justin grabbed my arm. Right. Caution. We circled wide, ensuring there was no one in or around the vehicle, then warily approached from the far side.

With a final check that Blake or anyone else wasn't about to ambush us, I crouched beside one of the jeep's big, deep-tread tires. My hip twinged painfully, but I ignored it as I unscrewed the cap from the air valve. I scrabbled around on the pavement, found a likely pebble, and stuffed one end into the cap. Then I jammed it against the air valve.

Air whooshed out of the tire, and I grinned in satisfaction.

Justin crouched beside me. "Why do I get the impression you've done this before?"

"I never let the air out of Dad's tires when I was mad at him," I lied breezily. "And I never did it to Mrs. Keswick either, even when she put me in detention for a month because I kept coming to school without a jacket. I didn't have a jacket! How was punishing me supposed to change that? And that social worker who thought Dad was so charming and I was a big liar, I never—"

"Okay, okay." He poked his head over the jeep's hood to scan the lot, then ducked behind it again. "If it comes down to a fight with Blake, am I allowed to shoot to kill?"

A chill ran over me. "Uh …"

"To be clear, I'm only asking so I know how upset you'll be. If it looks like he's aiming to kill, I will shoot him."

I nodded. He said nothing more, and I watched as he checked again for any suspicious activity in the abandoned parking lot.

"Justin," I muttered as air hissed from the tire. "You shouldn't kill anyone to protect me. You don't need that on your conscience."

"I already shot someone to protect you," he reminded me. "And I'll do it again if I have to. I just wish I was better equipped. When that demon mage had you, I couldn't risk the shot. He was so fast. He moved like nothing I've ever seen before, and …" His hand drifted toward his hidden gun. "What can a human do against a mythic like that?"

My chest constricted. I watched the jeep's nose slowly drop, hardly seeing it. What could a human do? Nothing. Just like I hadn't been able to do anything useful since the Carapace of Valdurna had rendered all my artifacts useless.

The tire wheezed as the rim settled against the deflated rubber, and I replaced the valve cap. "Okay. Blake won't be escaping in his jeep now, so let's go find a spot to hide."

Justin nodded and started to rise. His leg buckled, and he caught himself on the jeep.

"Just stiff," he grunted as I reached for him. "I'm fine."

"Okay, well, just wait there a moment while I pick a hiding spot." I backed away from him. "Stay there."

"I'll stay here."

Nodding, I crept to the jeep's bumper, peeked out, then stepped onto the winter-brown grass. Ducking behind a large tree that would provide welcome shade for the parking lot in the summer, I skimmed my surroundings. Anxious energy infused my limbs, and my protective instincts had kicked into high gear. Justin's leg might not hold out if we needed to flee, and us two against Blake would require a full commitment to running like hell.

As I scanned for a likely hiding spot—aside from a few more thick-trunked trees, none—a different nervousness twanged through me. How long had it been since Aaron and Kai had set off to scout the property? It wasn't that large. Had they found Blake and that's why they hadn't returned?

Should I have heard something by now? Were Aaron and Kai all right?

Just as I was about to panic, I spotted a dark figure slinking alongside the building. That smooth gait and those fitted leather clothes were recognizable even in the poor lighting, and I relaxed.

"Kai," I whisper-called as he drew nearer. "What's happening? Did you find Blake?"

He drew closer, eyebrows furrowing as his dark eyes scanned my face. He halted a lot nearer to me than he usually would, and I took a surprised step away, my back hitting the tree behind me.

"Tori …" he murmured. "Don't be afraid."

"Huh? I'm not …"

My voice died as he shifted closer—which put him really, really close. Mind spinning, I tried to peek sideways to see if we were being watched or something. Was he putting on an act?

"Tori, I've been wanting to tell you …"

His voice dropped from a murmur to a whisper, and as my gaze darted back to him, his hands touched my shoulders. I tensed, waiting for a signal—for some indication of what I was supposed to do.

"I missed you, Tori."

Eh?

While I stared at him, his hands tightened on my shoulders. He leaned in.

And he kissed me.

As his warm mouth pressed against mine, my brain flew into overdrive. Why was he kissing me? Was this a diversion? What the actual hell?

I made a small, questioning noise against his lips, and his fingers dug into my shoulders. All the hair on my body stood on end. A strange, tight feeling stretched my skin, and my nerves buzzed with a sensation somewhere between adrenaline and excitement.

The sensation intensified. A weird vibration twitched my muscles as something built up inside me.

Lightning blasted through me.

I went as rigid as a pole, every muscle locking harder than it ever had before. Burning agony lanced every nerve and I couldn't breathe, couldn't scream, couldn't think as a raging current ripped through my body, racing from his hands to the ground under my feet.

Kai was kissing me and he was electrocuting me. He was going to kill me.

Thumping, running footsteps, then an impact.

The electric current cut off as I crashed to the ground, a body half on top of me. An alchemy bomb shattered under my hip, and an ear-splitting bang erupted, accompanied by a blinding flash.

Arms clamped around me, hauling my limp body half up.

"Tori!" Justin shouted. "Tori!"

Through blurred vision, I saw Kai roll to his feet. Turning to me and Justin, he raised his arm. White power arced between his fingers and sizzled up to his shoulder. His face was strangely blank, as though he were completely unbothered by Justin tackling him to the ground in the middle of his kiss-and-die attack.

I don't know what made me look, but my gaze slid left.

She stood a dozen paces away in the shadows of another tree, dressed in slim-fitting black clothes with her raven hair pulled up into a ponytail. She held a silver chain with a disc-shaped pendant on the end, spinning it around and around on her finger as she watched us.

Our eyes met. She pursed her lips and blew me a mocking kiss.

At the same moment, Kai stretched his arm toward me, his hand balled into a fist. His fingers snapped open—and a bolt of electricity shot for my chest.

A howling gust of wind struck us. I hit the ground a second time, Justin crushing me as he fell too.

"Don't move, Kai!" Makiko shouted. "Stay down!"

I dragged my head up. Makiko stood over Kai, steel fans aimed at him. From thirty yards away, Aaron sprinted toward them. Neither was looking toward the tree. Neither had seen the woman.

Justin was right beside me, and his shirt had slid up when he'd fallen—revealing his gun tucked in his belt. I grabbed the weapon, swung it up, and pulled the trigger three times in swift succession.

My aim was normally good, but my arms were still trembling and the shots missed. The assassin dodged behind the tree, and an instant later, rippling blades of air struck the trunk, flung by Makiko and her fans. The aeromage vaulted toward the woman, and with a furious roar, Aaron changed direction, closing in on the assassin from the other side. Fire blazed over his forearms.

The mentalist spun away from the tree and ran between two vehicles. Her dark ponytail, streaming like a flag, darted through the parking lot.

Aaron ran into the lot after her, and Makiko streaked away in pursuit.

"Tori," Kai croaked.

I twitched fearfully, but when my gaze found his face, my fear vanished. Horror and guilt twisted his features, his hands shaking as he pushed up onto his knees. I recognized the torment in his dark eyes. I knew exactly how he felt—because I'd felt the same after nearly shooting Justin.

Knowing what he needed, I reached out. He pulled me into his arms and fell backward as I slumped limply against him. Clamping me against his chest, he sucked in an unsteady breath.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I didn't realize what I was—"

"I know." I clutched him, arms around his neck. "She did it to me too."

Justin shuffled closer to us, crouched awkwardly as though ready to leap up in an instant. "Does Tori need to go to a hospital?"

"No." Kai loosened his grip on me. "But a checkup with a healer and a potion for burns would be a good idea."

That did sound like a good idea. I felt like I'd been cooked from the inside out, and it hurt like a bitch.

"What kind of game is that woman playing?" I snarled, sitting up. "Is she toying with us? Making you kiss me, then electrocute me to death as slowly as possible?"

Kai shook his head. "The only reason I didn't kill you instantly was because I hadn't built up a lethal charge. I can't create electricity instantly the way Aaron does with his fire."

"What about the kiss thing?"

His expression darkened. "Maybe she made me kiss you while I killed you for the same reason she tried to make you kill your brother with his own gun."

Before I could ask what he meant, the sound of stomping footsteps interrupted us, but it wasn't Aaron or Makiko returning.

"What the hell?"

Blake's annoyed shout rang across the lawn. The terramage strode toward us from the hotel's main entrance, his quarterstaff thumping the ground with each step.

Panic shot through me, and Kai shoved to his feet, hauling me with him. Justin scrambled up, favoring one leg. As Blake stalked closer, I braced for the first attack, desperately hoping Kai had some lightning juice left.

He stopped a few paces away, scowling. "I heard someone babbling about gunshots and a man on fire in the parking lot. They called the police." He thumped his staff against the ground. "You said you were leaving!"

I stared at the terramage, confused as hell. First, why would he approach us like this when he could've attacked us from a distance, which was the terramage specialty? And second, his expression was all annoyance.

No apprehension. No real anger. No twitchy nervousness, fearful glances at his surroundings, or suppressed loathing—which meant our sudden appearance neither concerned him nor angered him.

Either he was the world's best actor, or he was neither a cultist nor being blackmailed by the cult.

"Oh shit," I blurted.

Kai and Justin looked at me with tense frowns.

"The assassin wasn't here for us. She was here for Blake, and we got in the way." I pointed at the terramage. "Someone else in the Keys of Solomon is a cultist mole, and that person wants us all dead—including you, Blake."