Oh dear God. This had to be happening to someone else. She'd never walked on the wild side, craved danger--never even had a parking ticket. How could it be that she had powers a magical sociopath wanted?
"Sabelle and I are researching all the surviving information about the tomb,"
Bram supplied. "As Merlin's surviving grandchildren--"
" The Merlin? He was real?"
"Indeed." Bram nodded. "We have his writings. If he noted anything about a way to end Morganna's exile or death, we'll find it."
"Who can tell us something about ... my kind? Or more about Mathias's plans?"
Hurstgrove and Bram exchanged another heavy glance. His Grace's hand tightened on her hip. "There's one person. But--"
A series of staccato gongs interrupted, sounding somewhat like the start of a nail-biting cinema soundtrack. Though they seemed faint, almost far away.
She looked around for the source of the noise. "What is that?"
Hurstgrove sidled even closer and cursed.
Shaking his head, Bram drawled, "Speak of the devil ..."
Chapter 7
EVERYTHING INSIDE D UKE TENSED at the sound of the magical chime.
How the hell was he going to keep Felicia safe now?
"We must hide her," he barked at Bram. Then he turned to Ice. "Where?"
Bram shook his head. "Too late."
"What do you mean?" Felicia tensed.
Duke didn't answer her; he didn't know how to tell her that after he'd tried so hard to protect her, the enemy would soon walk through their front door and see her for himself.
"Let him in, Ice," Bram instructed. "Are your magical boundaries in place?"
"What's happening?" Felicia demanded.
"Only the farthest. Those near the caves ..." Ice answered as if she hadn't spoken, instead shooting her a pointed stare.
"It's not her fault," Duke defended hotly.
"Understood," Ice agreed. "But how the fuck are we to defend ourselves?"
Felicia winced. "Do I have any means to ... turn the ability off?"
With a lift of his razor-sharp brow, Ice drawled, "You'll have to tell us. We don't have a damn clue."
"Nor do we have time to find out now. Ice, take Caden and Ronan with you."
Bram nodded at the wizards. "Greet Shock cautiously. We don't know for certain why he's come."
Looking at Felicia, Duke knew exactly why Shock had come. Fucking bastard.
The three wizards disappeared.
"So not Mathias? And this Shock is a person? Has he come to ... kill me?"
Scrubbing his face with one hand, Duke wished like hell he could teleport her to Timbuktu--or any safe place. He didn't want to frighten her, but why lie? "Kill you, probably not right away. But don't stand too close. Don't trust him. Don't leave my sight."
"What can one man do against so many?" She scanned the low-ceilinged stone room, bursting with the Doomsday Brethren's collective muscle and brawn.
Duke narrowed his dark eyes. "When Shock is involved, that's always a good question. He'll act like a friend and offer help." Bram crossed his arms over his chest.
"Right before he stabs you in the back."
"Fucking mate thief," Lucan growled. He didn't have to say that if he got his hands around Shock's neck, he'd kill the son of a bitch. It was written all over his face.
"He did give you enough information to discern that Felicia is the Untouchable so you could keep her safe," Tynan argued.
"Indeed," Duke snapped. "Likely right before he told Mathias that I'd found her."
Felicia paled. "He knows Mathias?"
"Shock claims to be a double agent," Bram muttered. "Traitor."
"What ... exactly would Mathias do to me?"
Duke exchanged glances with the others, warning them to shut up. It was one thing to tell her who and what they were. Another entirely to give her the grisly details about Mathias's violence, especially against women.
As usual, Bram did what he wanted. "After he used you to get into Morganna's tomb, he would probably--"
"Shut up!" Duke insisted. "You'll only scare her to death."
Felicia whirled on him. "Stop making decisions for me. I asked because I want the answer, no matter how terrible. You're not my father, husband, brother, or lover."
He knew he should stop himself. Knew it ... but couldn't. "That last one I can fix.
Right now."
She tugged her arm from his grasp, but Duke couldn't miss the reddening of her cheeks or her rapid breaths.
Damn, here they were, deep in the middle of danger, and he could barely think past his need to Call to her and claim her in every way known to man. The need grew every moment he spent near her.
Sighing in frustration, he eased back to put space between them. About two inches of it. More than that he couldn't stand.
"He took my mate from me." Lucan's voice sounded hollow, haunted, just as he was. "He broke our bond, and Anka no longer remembered me. Then he repeatedly raped her and gave her to Shock."
Duke watched the horror wash over Felicia's face and held in a curse. She had good reason to be terrified.
"And Anka was lucky," Tynan intoned, only his eyes giving away the brewing storm inside. "Auropha was to be my mate, but Mathias and the Anarki did much the same to her. And when they'd finished, they dumped her body in front of her parents'
house, like trash."
Tynan appeared alive, vital. But inside? If the eyes were the window to the soul, then he was dead. That gray stare looked as if he'd given all to his grief and had nothing left. Felicia's heart went out to him. He'd suffered ... and still did.
Bram clapped the warrior on the shoulder. "We'll put an end to Mathias."
"It's been weeks since I joined, and nothing has happened," Tynan lashed out.
"Even two more minutes is too long to wait to kill that fucker."
To that, no one said a word. There was no arguing with such terrible pain.
Felicia nodded slowly. "If Shock has anything to do with Mathias, I-I'll be careful."
Duke couldn't breathe a sigh of relief. Until Shock was gone, until Mathias was dead, until Felicia was safe, he wondered if he ever would.
A few nail-biting moments later, the trio returned with Shock Denzell in tow.
Duke could only imagine what Felicia thought, getting her first look at the wizard decked out in bad attitude and black leather. In a leather duster that stretched tight across monster shoulders and mirrored sunglasses perpetually hiding his eyes, he looked ready to do Mathias's dirty work. The wizard would never pass for nice.
"He says he's alone," Caden offered. "I found no evidence of anyone else nearby."
Little comfort, but Duke nodded.
"I'm Shock." He approached Felicia.
Duke wasn't waiting to find out if the wizard just expected a hearty handshake or wanted to be close enough to grab Felicia. He shoved her behind him. "Get away from her."
Though tangling with Shock was a bit like baiting a rabid bulldog, Duke would have no problem ripping the other wizard's head off if he harmed one hair on her head.
Shock looked Duke up and down, then glanced away with a superior smile.
"Honestly, take a breath."
"Piss off! No one invited you here or asked for your commentary."
"I go out of my way to be helpful--"
"For reasons that benefit you far more than us, I'm certain," Duke snarled. "Say what you came to say and get out."
Shock shook his head and looked past Duke. He sent Felicia a long, considering stare. "Amazing."
Her whole body went stiff, and Duke's protective instincts went into hyper drive.
He reached behind his back and drew her closer. "Get your filthy gaze off her."
With a snort, Shock said, "She's hard to miss. Her imprint on your signature leaves a trail visible for miles ... once you know what you're looking for."
Duke's heart seemed to stop. Since Shock knew how that trail looked, if Mathias wasn't yet certain exactly where the Doomsday Brethren had hidden Felicia, he soon would be. And if by some miracle Shock hadn't yet told him, Zain, who had also seen her impact on Duke's signature, would.
Felicia gasped. She was getting a rapid-fire initiation into the ugly underbelly of magickind. Duke wished he could ease her into this--or better yet, leave her out altogether--but Shock's bombshell made it clear that sheltering her from this crap could be fatal indeed.
"I see you're putting it all together." Shock crossed his arms over his chest. "Zain and Mathias are, perhaps, a day behind me--and only because I put a little extra REM in Zain's sleep and assured Mathias I could manage this mission."
This mission. Meaning taking Felicia from them. From him. Instantly, Duke gripped Felicia's hand, glaring at Shock. The rest of the Doomsday Brethren stepped in front of them.
"You won't take her." Duke's heart chugged out of control as fear scratched at his veins.
Shock laughed. "Touching. It would be fun to put that statement to the test, but as it happens, I don't wish to take her."
"Disobeying Mathias's orders, as well as Bram's? Guess you're an equal-opportunity prick," Ice quipped.
"Shut up, Rykard." Shock glowered at Ice, then nodded Duke's way. "I assume the half-human prince told you of Mathias's scheme."
"He's a duke," Felicia corrected.
Shock rolled his eyes. "Whatever ..."
"We know Mathias's plan," Bram assured him. "That doesn't explain why you've followed us, why you've barged in, or why you're supposedly disobeying Mathias's orders."
"Such a stupid wanker." Shock sighed. "Does resurrecting Morganna serve anyone's interests?"
"Mathias's," Ice growled.
"I don't think so." Shock frowned. "She wasn't controllable her first time among magickind. No reason to suspect that Mathias will succeed in bringing her to heel when all others, even Merlin, failed. No one needs that bitch back among us, for any reason."
As much as Duke disliked Shock, he couldn't argue with that logic. "You believe Mathias would be in over his head with her?"
"I'm certain of it. He's fantasizing that he'll somehow combine her power with his and use it to control everyone. I think he's delusional."
"Fine. You've warned us that Felicia and I are easy to follow. We'll take precautions. Go."
The big wizard sent him a withering glare. "Such as? What the hell do you know about Untouchables?"
Gritting his teeth, Duke wasn't about to admit the truth Shock had unpleasantly pointed out.
The big wizard shook his head. "I can't stall Zain and Mathias for much longer, so listen closely: My great-uncle killed the last Untouchable, Fayre."
Felicia dug her nails into his shoulder, and Duke felt her recoil. "Killed her just for being an Untouchable? And Fayre was my ancestor?"
Shock nodded. "Since the Untouchable gift is passed down through a bloodline, yes. My great-uncle wrote that it took him decades to track Fayre down--once she found a way to disguise her imprint."
Felicia's little gasp shivered down Duke's spine. When she stepped around him, closer to Shock, Duke grabbed her arm and sent her a warning glance. "Remember, he's not to be trusted."
"How did Fayre learn to do that?"
"You're the only one listening, little girl."
She sent the big wizard a hard blue stare, and Duke's appreciation for her courage notched up, even as he wished she'd stay silent.
"Stop patronizing me and give me a bloody answer."
Shock sent him an amused glance. "A little spitfire, isn't she?"
Felicia slipped out of his grip and charged at Shock. Duke lunged for her, but she was too fast.
Instantly, Shock skidded back. "If you want to live, don't touch me."
Duke shoved Felicia out of harm's way, then lunged at Shock. "Don't you dare threaten her!"
"I'm not, you barmy fuck! If she touches me, Mathias will know it. Then he will know her imprint for himself. He will have seen it. And then no force will be able to keep him from her."
Letting out a pent-up breath, Duke admitted that, as much as he distrusted Shock, the other wizard was right. Again.
"What are you suggesting?" she demanded. "I don't want to hide. I want my life back."
Shock looked at her with something that almost resembled compassion. "That isn't possible right now. Maybe never."
"Shut up!" Duke growled.
"Is that true?" Felicia demanded of him.
Duke didn't answer. How could he crush her hope? Taking away the life she wanted, putting her in such danger ... He'd rather shove a knife in his heart.
"Is it?" she demanded.
He cursed under his breath. "Nothing is certain yet."
Felicia flinched, swallowed. Then she lifted her chin with resolution and faced Shock. "How did Fayre hide from your great-uncle?"
"It's not an easy solution. So if you're looking for a quick fix--"
"Tell me," Felicia snarled.
She'd been that ferocious when defending her wedding. Clearly, she wanted her life with Mason back badly. Duke gritted his teeth at the thought.
