Page 74 of Only You, No One Else

“Why did you let her go?” The accusatory tone in Mark was not uncalled for, but again Pierce only smiled.

“I didn’t. As I recall, it was your responsibility to rip her throat out as soon as I had all her dark power.” His energy pulsed in the room, much stronger, more potent than before, and Caster sighed, hoping they hadn’t just granted someone powerful beyond comprehension even more power.

Pierce caught his eye and smiled as if answering the question he hadn’t dared ask. “She is easy to track now, anyway.” Then his attention shifted to Mark. “Don’t worry, her desire for vengeance is too strong. You’ll get a chance to tear her apart soon enough.”

No Cauldron anywhere.

Caught up in the dueling desire to believe Pierce and the niggling sense of the threat he presented, Caster almost jumped at Marcus’s voice in his head.

Are you sure?

Since when do you question me? The impatience in his tone was clear, but his admonishment was gone in the space of a second. Your Uncle is not here.

Caster could not contain his gasp, drawing the attention of the others in the room. What?

But Marcus was done answering questions. Tell Riley to get us out of here. This place will need considerable cleansing.

“What happened?” Cy’s impatience knew no bounds.

But Riley held up a finger, tightened his bonds on their prisoner, grabbed his shoulder, and dissolved into a teleportation spell. When he reappeared a second later, he nodded at Caster to speak, and Caster thanked him for his foresight.

“Uncle Lucien was not there.” The flash of anger on Cy’s expression was a welcome relief, but behind it lay the pain of their failure. As long as their uncle remained at large, their father’s rule would always be threatened.

He nodded at his brother, hoping Cy would hold on to that anger for the moment they would need it, a moment that was fast approaching. He turned to Riley. “They need you.”

He didn’t need to say more. Riley disappeared into a teleportation spell only to materialize a second later with Marcus and Damien in tow. Both were covered in the consequences of what had been a considerable battle. The black goo that comprised Ethel’s twice-dead army was apparent everywhere he looked.

Marcus glanced at Pierce, who hadn’t moved even though his part of the plan was complete. “Julian, Kyle and the others are right behind us.” Then his full attention was on Mark. “Get dressed. It is time to brief the King.”

CHAPTER 49

Mark could feel Caster’s stare as he pulled on unwanted clothing, the anger he couldn’t control making the simple action of getting dressed more forceful than it needed to be. They’d failed again. He’d failed again and now…

Caster’s arms around him stopped his defeatist thoughts mid-stream. He gave in to the need for the protection his soulmate offered, even as dread pure and unadulterated coiled around his belly. There was no telling what she was up to. If Pierce is to be believed, she’d managed to talk a demon into granting her immeasurable power not once, but twice before. What’s to stop her from doing it again?

Caster eased his hold, urging him to turn, the shirt he’d been about to put on dangling in his limp hand. “I think that’s why Pierce is still here.”

Mark frowned.

Caster took the shirt from his hand, draped it over his shoulders, and buttoned it with expert precision. “He wants to be here.” He looked Mark in the eye, his hands resting on his shoulders. “Here on earth, I mean. He was desperate to leave that void when I met him.”

“And you think that’s why he wants to help?”

Caster narrowed his eyes, further confusing Mark. “He’ll never tell us his plans, that’s for sure. But the way he jumped at the chance to fight off the other demon tells me there is more to it. He can’t go back, and he can’t have Ethel summoning any more of his kind.”

Mark nodded. “We can’t let her do that.”

The heavy weight of Caster’s hands on his shoulders eased, and they both sighed. Mark wished he’d had the strength to pounce when the tiny light of opportunity had presented itself. But the remnants of her power had terrified him too much, and he feared his terror might transport him into that darkness he dreaded.

“That was the right call, my love.” Caster took his hand. “Come on, I want this done. Let’s go make Pierce tell us everything he knows.”

Mark squeezed Caster’s hand. Their forever would start when Ethel was out of their lives for good. The threat of an unwanted trip to the Underworld would not save her next time. He still didn’t think they could trust Pierce, but he’d stripped her of all her dark power. He didn’t need to be a witch or magical to see that. By the time she’d unleashed her anger by hurling the remnants of her darkness at them, the halo of her power had turned blue. She was now just another Water Witch, and he hoped she was hiding very well.

His wolf’s agreement rolled out of him in a low growl, and Caster’s manifested in a squeeze of his hand as they moved towards the raised voices coming from Marcus’s study.

Caster stood in his way as they approached the door. “Close your mind.”

Mark reached for the barrier that was now much closer, a consequence of the numerous times he’d had to use it.