“I know,” she replied, lifting her hand again.
Rhiannon turned, looking over her shoulder, and her eyes locked on Savannah. “You think you can harm me?” she cried. “You think you can kill me?”
Macgrath stepped between the witch and the woman I loved. “Enough, Rhiannon. This has gone on for too long. I told you I would no longer obey your orders blindly after I learned what you’ve been doing. I will not stand by and watch you murder an innocent woman.”
“You think you can stop me?” Rhiannon asked, moving closer to Macgrath, her posture threatening.
The red light around them dimmed again and I knew that Savannah was still drawing energy from Rhiannon. I also knew that she wouldn’t last much longer. If Rhiannon didn’t get to her, the stress of what she was doing would make her collapse. Macgrath blocked her from my sight but I knew that this was taking a toll on her.
“Now, Ava.”
This time when the white light erupted from Ava’s palm, the circle broke with a scream. Rhiannon cried out, falling to her knees.
“No!” she shrieked.
I advanced on her, planning to finish the job that Savannah had begun, but she lifted her hands, muttering beneath her breath. Throwing her arms out to the side, she vanished in a flash of red and a wisp of smoke.
“Dammit!” Ava yelled, dropping to the ground and running to the spot where Rhiannon vanished. “Son of a bitch!” She stood over the spot with her eyes closed, muttering to herself. Whatever she was attempting to do didn’t work because she opened her eyes and glared at Macgrath. “I should kill you on the spot, but I need you to find her.”
“I don’t know where she is,” he replied. He whirled in a blur of motion and caught Savannah as she sank to the ground.
My ire at him forgotten for the moment, I rushed to Savannah’s side and crouched down. “Savannah,” I murmured, taking her hand.
“Rhys,” she whispered. “You’re safe.”
I could feel the wild tangle of emotions within her, the boiling anger and bitterness that she had taken from Rhiannon. As I had done before, I let those feelings flow into me, taking them from her. This time I could feel bits and pieces of Rhiannon’s magic buried within them, as though her magic was fueled by the depth of her rage.
As I took it in, I felt my own strength grow. When I was done, I released Savannah’s hand and helped her sit up, pulling her into my lap and holding her close.
“I’m okay,” she murmured into my ear. “I’m fine.”
“Don’t ever do anything like that again,” I commanded her as I held her tighter. “I’ve never been so fucking afraid in my life.”
“Your woman has more courage than wisdom,” Macgrath said from his crouch beside us.
I glanced up at him and blinked rapidly. A shimmering chain of magic seemed to emerge from the center of his chest. The chain was suspended in the air and disappeared into Ava’s torso. Neither of them seemed aware of the magical bond, but it was there all the same.
“I should kill you,” Ava sneered.
“No!” Savannah yelled from my lap. She scrambled to her feet as the vampire straightened from his crouch. “No killing. Macgrath saved me and he didn’t hurt me.”
“He kidnapped you!” Ava argued, her hands glowing as she gathered her magic.
“He also saved me,” Savannah retorted.
“I have to agree with Ava,” I declared as I rose from the ground. “He not only kidnapped you but he’s helped Rhiannon kill other witches, shifters, and vampires.”
Macgrath shook his head. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, but I never helped Rhiannon kill innocent people. She swore to me that the rumors were just that and I believed her until recently. Since you came to Austin, Rhys, her behavior became more erratic. I realized then that she is an accomplished liar and I’d allowed my desperation to cloud my judgment.”
Ava’s eyes narrowed on him. “That answer is too pat. You’re a vampire. You should have been able to sense her thoughts. Or at least some of them.”
I nodded because it sounded too contrite to be true.
The vampire sighed and his shoulders slumped. “You just saw how powerful she is. Do you think she couldn’t shield her thoughts from me? That she couldn’t hide? She understood my weakness and took advantage of it. I’d been alone in this world for too long and she claimed to have the knowledge I sought. I would have believed anything she said if it meant she could give me what I want.”
“What do you want?” Ava asked skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest.
“To find my maker.”
