“It will allow me to see if you two have the same magic residue and give me a better picture of what the magic looks like,” he said.
“Why is that important?” I didn’t want to spend a second longer with Hamid than I had to.
The warlock’s eyes gleamed. “If I can get a feel for the structure of the magic, I might be able to separate mine from the other. Isolating the other magic could help us learn how it was used to open the barrier.”
I stared at him. “You can do that?”
“I’ve done it before, though not with magic this advanced,” he admitted. “I will certainly give it my best effort. If anyone knows what is beyond that barrier, it’s me, and I do not want that unleashed on the world.”
Hamid nodded. “What do you need from us?”
Orias stepped aside and waved us into the house. “Just a few minutes of your time to perform the spell.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.” I tugged my hand from Hamid’s, and he released me so I could enter the house ahead of him. Once inside, Orias instructed us to stand in the middle of the living room, facing each other a foot apart but not touching. Laying a hand on each of our shoulders, he muttered a string of words that sounded like gibberish to me. He removed his hands, and a yellow misshapen bubble formed around Hamid and me, blocking out all sounds, except our quiet breathing.
Trapped inside the bubble with Hamid, I was hyperaware of his nearness. Thankfully, our height difference meant I couldn’t look him in the eye without tilting my head, so I focused my gaze instead on the hollow of his throat. But it was impossible to ignore him, especially with his delectable male scent surrounding me. It made me think of exotic spices and hot desert breezes, and it was all I could do not to close my eyes and breathe him in.
Minutes ticked by. Hamid was as still as a statue, but I soon began to shift from one foot to the other. What the hell was taking so long?
Finally, Orias raised his hand. With a faint popping sound, the bubble disappeared. As much as I wanted to get away from Hamid, I stayed where I was until the warlock said I was free to move. I did not want to have to repeat the spell.
“I think I have what I need,” Orias said. “You’re free to go.”
I moved back several paces. “How long will it take you to isolate the magics?”
“Several days, at least.” He smiled. “Then the fun begins. The magic that opened the barrier was the strongest I’ve ever encountered. It will take a bit longer to study it and break it down.”
“We appreciate your help on this,” Hamid told him as the three of us walked to the door. “We’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
“I’ll be in touch as soon as I know something.” Orias opened the door. “In the meantime, try to stay away from other magic until the remnants of the spell wear off. It should be gone in a week or so.
“Thanks.” I walked outside and started for the main house without a backward glance. I needed to find Raoul and make some plans before the day got any older.
“Where are you going?” Hamid called.
“Things to do,” I said over my shoulder.
“Whatever it is, it can wait. We are not finished here.”
Bristling at the command in his tone, I spun back to face him. “Oh, we’re finished alright.”
He frowned. “Are you forgetting we are bonded?”
“Not anymore. I hereby release you from the bond.”
“Release me?” he repeated the words as if they made no sense to him.
“That’s right. Since neither of us wants a mate, there’s nothing else to talk about.” I turned my back on him again. “Have a nice life, Hamid.”
Chapter 6
I pulled off my helmet and stared at the two-story industrial warehouse that sat on a large fenced-in lot in the middle of Chicago. From my spot in front of the building, I could see a bunch of security cameras mounted around the property, and I waved at the nearest one. No doubt, someone was watching me at one of the workstations in the control center.
Kicking down my stand, I got off my bike and stretched out the kinks from three days on the road. I could have flown here from Los Angeles and had the Ducati shipped, but I’d been in a desperate hurry to leave after my encounter with he-who-shall-not-be-named. And I’d needed some time alone to clear my head before I got here. Nothing was better for head clearing than riding a fast motorcycle across the country.
I grabbed the duffle bag I’d rushed to pack after letting Raoul know I was taking a trip to Chicago. He’d been surprised I wanted to leave with all the excitement in Los Angeles, but I’d reminded him there wasn’t much for me to do with the influx of warriors and scholars sent by the Council. It would be better if I gave up my room to one of them and used the opportunity to visit Sara and Beth. When he’d asked how long I planned to be gone, I’d given him a vague answer. The truth was I didn’t know. How long did it take for a new bond to dissolve?
My Mori whined unhappily. It had been doing that a lot since I set out from Los Angeles three days ago. I’d gone through several bouts of what felt like depression, for which I blamed my sullen demon. It wasn’t handling the bond-breaking very well, and I wished it would just get over it already. We hadn’t even been bonded for twenty-four hours for Christ’s sake.
I started walking to the small door next to the loading bay and stopped when a wave of light-headedness hit me.
Standing still, I waited a moment for it to pass before I continued walking. It was the second time that had happened in the last two days, and I wondered if it was a side effect of breaking the bond. I wished I had someone to ask about these things, but no way was I telling a soul that I’d bonded with Hamid Safir. I’d take that secret to my grave.
I reached the door and eyed the electronic keypad mounted there. But before I could wonder how to gain entry, the door was flung open and a screaming blonde threw herself at me.
Beth hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. “It’s about time.”
I wheezed out a laugh. “Great to see you, too.”
She pulled back to grin at me. “We’ve been waiting all afternoon since you told us you’d get here today. Come on. I can’t wait to show you around.”
I followed her inside and found myself in the large loading bay that now served as a parking area for motorcycles and SUVs. I’d expected the interior to be dimly lit, but it was well-illuminated by high windows and skylights that Beth informed me had been installed during the renovations.
She led me down the center of the building, pointing at rooms that had been constructed on either side of the wide main area.
“Gym, weapons room, interrogation, holding cells,” she said as we passed several doors.
I stared at the last door. “You have holding cells here? Have you used them yet?”
“Not yet. We’re still not one hundred percent up and running. Right now, we have a skeleton staff, but when we’re done, this place will be able to function as well as a stronghold.”
I let out a low whistle. “I’m impressed.”
Beth smiled. “The Council is sparing no expense on these command centers. Whatever they can think of, they are giving us. We even have a massive generator behind the building in case of a power outage…or the apocalypse.”
I chuckled. “Nice.”
“That’s the control room.” She pointed at a closed door but didn’t stop. “We’ll show you that later. Right now, I’m under orders to find Sara before we do anything else. I have a pretty good idea where she is.”
We passed through a pair of double doors at the end of the building into a large open living area comprised of a living/dining room and a modern kitchen. The place looked inviting and comfortable, and I could definitely see a feminine touch in the light colors and furnishings. There were plenty of couches and rugs and a long wooden table that could seat at least a dozen people.
The best sight, however, was the petite brunette standing at the island in the massive kitchen, chowing down on a mountain of spaghetti. Sara stared at me for several seconds with the fork halfway to her open mouth before she let out a squeal and dropped the utensil.
“You’re here!” she cried, running toward me.
I hadn’t seen Sara since Christmas, and my eyes widened at the sight of her rounded belly. It wasn’t the size of a soccer ball as she’d claimed, but there was a noticeable bump under her sweater. Wow. My best friend was having a baby. It hadn’t felt real until that moment.
She was also glowing as she neared me, and not in the way pregnant women do. A soft bluish-white aura surrounded her, and I could see tiny blue sparks flickering in her dark hair.
“Sara.” Beth waved her arms to get Sara’s attention. “You’re doing it again.”
Sara skidded to a stop and looked down at her body. She sighed and placed her hands on her belly, speaking softly to the baby she carried.
“Settle down, little one. I know we’re excited to see Auntie Jordan, but we don’t want to accidentally zap her, do we?”
I watched in amazement as the glow around Sara faded and a smile of pure joy lit up her face. She gently rubbed her belly. “That’s my good girl. Now, let’s go say hi to Auntie Jordan.”
“Auntie Jordan?” I asked with a silly grin when Sara looked at me again.
Sara shrugged. “You and Beth are like sisters to me, so of course, you’re her aunts.”
Warmth filled my chest. “And I’m going to be the coolest aunt ever. I’ll teach her everything I know.”
Beth laughed. “Maybe not everything.”
“No corrupting my daughter,” Sara said with mock severity as she reached out to hug me.
Orias’s warning repeated in my head, and I backed up before she could touch me.
Sara frowned. “It’s safe now.”
“That’s not it,” I assured her. “Did you guys hear about what happened at that school?”
Sara gave me an are you kidding look. “Yes. It’s all anyone can talk about these days.”
“So, you know Hamid and I got caught between the two spells?”
Sara and Beth nodded.
“Orias tested us to make sure we’re okay, and he said we have some trace magic clinging to us. It should disappear soon, but he warned us not to come into contact with other magic until then. We don’t know exactly what this magic can do, so I don’t think we should risk it with the baby.”
Undaunted, Sara held a hand out toward me, close enough to feel the magic I spoke of but not to touch me. Immediately, her hand began to glow and sparks rolled across her skin.
She yanked her hand away. “Did Orias tell you it was demon magic?”
I recalled everything the warlock had told me. “No, but that makes sense because it was a demon that cast the spell to open the barrier.”
Sara pursed her lips. “I don’t think it can harm me or the baby. I’m more concerned about what our power might do to it.”