Part 28 (1/2)
Willie whistled.
”Let's get you out of this room and sitting down,” Francois stepped in, guiding me toward the larger room and the lone couch.
”I've got to uncast the circle,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. Even novice witches knew you didn't evoke the help of the Great Spirits and not say thank you. They tended to get very p.i.s.sy about things like that.
”You broke the circle when you returned,” Bran said by my side. ”When you landed outside it.”
Oh, c.r.a.p, that wasn't good. The circle was for protection and ripping through it could mean all sorts of things. All bad.
”Sit here,” Francois said, like a mother hen. ”Willie can you find something strong to drink?”
I heard Willie shuffle off as I eased onto the couch, my legs not too stable. My head felt like it was splintering and my stomach was none too steady. No more scrying spells like that one.
”Tell us what happened?” Bran knelt in front of me, taking up my whole view. Francois slid to sit next to me.
I must look like I felt by the expressions on their faces.
”I saw Van.” I swallowed, fighting to get beyond the image of him hurting so badly. ”He's in a small cell, underground. The only light came from a small opening high in a stone wall.”
”You saw could see him then?” Francois asked, incredulity staining his words. ”As from afar?”
”No, I was in the cell with him.” I unclenched my hands. ”I could touch him, talk to him.”
Francois cut a wary glance toward Bran, which I caught and resented.
”Seriously, I was in the cell with him. He's shackled with silver chains.” I used my hands to show how thick they were. ”And there was a dead man, a human, tossed in one corner. Just left to rot.”
Willie, with timing only a Were possessed, thrust a tumbler of liquor under my nose right then and I closed my eyes and pushed it away.
”Not right now Willie,” Bran said as I was busy convincing my stomach to stay down. ”In a second maybe.”
Bran placed a hand on my knee, which helped anchor me, then asked, ”Tell us about this doctor.”
Good. I could focus on that. ”He must have heard us as he came down a long pa.s.sage with a flashlight.”
Oh, please, don't let him have hurt Van.
”And?” Bran cajoled.
I raised my eyes to him, knowing I'd failed and left Van at the mercy of s.a.d.i.s.ts. ”Van tried to distract him while I cloaked myself. But he was a Were and could scent me.”
”Not good,” Willie murmured, clutching the gla.s.s he held as if he'd been there. ”Did he know you were there?”
”At first no.” Then stupid me had to all but shout, look over here. ”But at the end he did. ”
My words must have trailed off as Francois nudged my shoulder. ”Then what happened?”
I shook my head, paying for it even as I tried to recreate the last seconds. ”Then I was shot back through the tunnel and ended up here.”
Everyone's eyes s.h.i.+fted toward Bran.
”What did you do?”
He stood up, breaking the tentative bond between us. He raked one hand through his hair then straightened his shoulders. ”I called you back.”
”What?” I jumped to my feet. Anger pounded through me. ”What was the point of my looking for Van if you were going to yank me out before I could accomplish anything?”
He turned, towering over me even with my spiked shoes on, his anger bubbling below the surface, his hands clenched. But when he spoke his words were like a dash of ice water. ”The sh.e.l.l of your body was going into cardiac arrest here. You wouldn't have done your brother much good dead.”
He was right. But so was I. ”All I needed was a few more minutes. I could have gotten the keys from the doctor. Freed Van.”
He stepped closer, his eyes glacial. ”You didn't have a few minutes.”
I leaned into him almost nose to nose. Bran the protector warlock had overstepped his bounds. Way overstepped them and now Van could die. ”My spell. My call.”
He barked a laugh and stepped back. Francois grabbed my arm as I wanted to close the gap, but the didi-s.h.i.+fter hadn't stopped my mouth. ”I used blood magic because you said it was the only way. And you screwed with the spell. Screwed with me.”
Bran as a warlock understood loud and clear what I was saying. He couldn't have it both ways. He couldn't tell me I was a powerful witch and then not trust that I could use that power.
”If the tables were turned,” I said between gritted teeth, ”If I cut off your magic and someone died because of it, you'd feel the exact same way.”
He turned then, looked me square in the eye. ”You did. The street fight two days ago.”
A blow to the head couldn't have been more lethal.
I'd told him why I'd done what I had done. I thought he understood, may not have liked it but at least he knew I hadn't sucked his powers because I didn't trust him. And that's what it always came down to between us. Trust.
Francois stepped in, trying to douse the emotion crackling between Bran and me. ”Alex, did you find out anything about where Van was? The building? A smell, near water or out in the countryside? Something.”
I shook my head, frustration zapping the last of my energy. ”Nothing.” I wanted to kick something, anything, including me. I'd been that close to helping Van but because of macho Alpha warlock I had zip.
A tight smile curved Bran's lips as he stepped toward me.
I braced, expecting the worst, when he leaned forward and slid one hand into my back pocket.
I'd like to say that his being so close, his touching me, meant nothing, but it threw me for such a loop-de-loop I stood there like a ninny with my mouth open until he stepped back, revealing something in his palm.
”What is it?” Willie asked, saving me the trouble as I focused on taking my next breath. I hated that Bran had that effect on me and I hated even more that there didn't seem to be a d.a.m.n thing I could do about it.
”A pa.s.sive GPS tracking device,” Francois answered, giving me an appraising look, as if he was a.s.sessing my reaction.
I didn't have a reaction because I was swimming through a fog of thoughts. When? How? And the big one, why?
Bran seemed to know what I wanted to ask but couldn't. ”As a backup I slipped this into Alex's pocket before she cast her spell. It'll give us a general area where she was.”