The casting had gone horribly wrong. He’d tried to stop the power from consuming the house, but had he succeeded? Farren had been on the patio watching him. The roof had collapsed. Fuck. Had she gotten out?
She’s a werewolf. She’s strong. But…how strong?
Echoes from somewhere far away sounded like the teacher fromCharlie Brownfor all he could focus on them.
Farren?
He tried to say her name, but he was too weak, in too much pain to make a sound.
Focus on your elements.
One by one, he tried to call them. Earth, air, fire, water… Nothing. No tremors under him. No warmth. No gentle breeze across his cheeks. No water soothing his burning skin. He had to find a way out of whereverthiswas.
Eli focused on the last good thing he remembered. Farren. Her kiss. Her touch. The way she smelled—like a field of heather on a spring afternoon. On his love for her. Because he did love her. He knew that now.
He’d fix this. If he’d gotten himself into this state, he could get himself out. He just had to figure out which of the dozens of symbols he’d absorbed would bring him back.
* * *
A gentle caresstickled his cheek, and he fought against the magic trapping him in this endless darkness. How long had it been? An hour? Two? Ten? Time held no meaning in this place, but her touch gave him hope.
“Eli? Can ya’ hear me?”
The words were jumbled, and it took his addled brain several seconds to rearrange them into something he could understand.
“Farrrr…..ennnn.”
“Oh, God. Eli. Shite. Open yer eyes,mo ghra.” She pressed something to his lips, and a trickle of blessedly cool water hit his dry mouth.
Open your damn eyes, fool. She’s waiting for you.
Farren kissed him, and strength surged through his body. Enough for him to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her down on top of him. “Sssorry,” he managed. “Did I…hurt anyone?”
Her gray eyes shone. Fuck. He had.
“Who?”
Touching her forehead to his, she didn’t say anything for several seconds as guilt threatened to pull him back under again.
“Mara’s missing,” she whispered. “Cade got her inside before the roof fell. But he passed out, and when we got to him, she was gone.”
“It’s all my fault.” Eli groaned as he tried to roll away from Farren, but she held him still.
“No. At least one practitioner wasin my house. I don’t know how they found us, but someone used magic to break in and either knocked Mara out or compelled her somehow. All you have to answer for is my patio. I expect something brilliant when this is all over. I’d say you owe me a sculpture of your naked body in the middle of the lawn, but, no. That’s for my eyes only.” She stroked his cheek, and Eli leaned into her touch.
They were meant to be together. This woman was the only one he wanted for the rest of his life. “Farren, I tried to tell you before…” The words wouldn’t come. Mara’s disappearance weighed on him and warred with his need for Farren.
“It’s all right,mo ghra.I think I know.” Slanting her lips to his, she took control, her tongue teasing for only a second before she broke away and skimmed her hand down his chest. “The others are downstairs. And Peter’s night-walking friend should be here soon. He can tell us where the Thirteen are, and then…”
“We’re going to get Mara back.” Eli tried to sit up, but the room started to spin. “Shite. That casting took everything I had. I don’t know if I can—”
“I’ll help you.” She slid an arm under his shoulders. “I’ll always help you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Farren
“Cade, sit down. Ye’re goin’ to wear a hole in Farren’s carpet,” Liam said as she and Eli joined the rest of the group in the living room. Someone—likely Ewan—had nailed thick pieces of wood over the gaping hole where the french doors had once been, and only a few pieces of plaster from the dining room ceiling still littered the floor.
