Amethyst Flame Read online

  He all but collapsed.

  “Vaughn, cover his friend who’s eyeing me with real hatred right now.”

  “Bitch-witch,” the warlock muttered.

  “Oh, I’ve never heard that one before. Now, lift your hands and keep your eye on Officer Vaughn.”

  The moment he turned to face Vaughn, she reached in and zapped the driver. He stayed where he was, though now he was slumped over the wheel in a deep sleep.

  She rounded the truck and was ready to perform her magic a fourth time, but to her surprise, Vaughn opened the door and jerked the warlock out of the cab. From the high perch of the truck bench, he fell a tidy distance and landed hard on the asphalt.

  He lay on his stomach, blood oozing from his nose and mouth. Vaughn planted a boot on the warlock’s back. “Don’t you ever call a Tribunal Public Safety officer a ‘bitch’, do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Emma dipped down and zapped him as well.

  With both men out, she headed to the back of the truck. Vaughn joined her. Brannick already had the doors open and was handing the girls down to the shifters.

  Fergus and his men each had a girl in his arms. Vaughn was about to take one of them when the triplets started flying wildly over their heads, sweeping back and forth.

  Vaughn was watching them as well. “What’s with our ghosts?”

  “Not sure. Let me find out.”

  She switched to telepathy. Becca, what’s going on?

  Loghry. He’s here. And he’s got some men with him. She turned to face south. That way. The other side of the street, though quite a ways off. She pointed in a southeasterly direction toward the main road.

  So much for bringing these criminals to the Trib.

  How far away?

  Not far, but I don’t know distance. Just hurry.

  “Becca said Loghry’s here, coming from the southeast beyond the main road. He’s not alone.”

  Vaughn lifted the last of the girls out, and Brannick jumped to the ground. Vaughn rose swiftly in the air, then returned as fast.

  “Loghry, incoming with twenty, all warlocks and armed, all levitating. Now, let’s get these girls out of here.”

  The shifter closest to Emma turned to her. “Take this girl. She’s very thin and hardly weighs anything. You’ll be able to levitate her out.”

  Emma nodded. She took the girl by the hand and with a few words, arranged the teen against her side. With an arm around her waist and holding her snug, she rose into the air. The funny thing was, the girl felt light as a feather, which meant she was experiencing Vaughn’s physical vampire strength.

  Incredible.

  Frightened by being suddenly airborne, the girl screamed and threw both arms around Emma.

  “You’re doing fine, just hold on tight. But we’ve gotta go.”

  The shifter inclined his head to Emma. The more powerful wolves could levitate as well as change into their phenomenal running shapes. Right now, with a frightened human in his arms, the shifter levitated and moved fast. She kept up with him, following in his wake two feet above the asphalt.

  The shifter headed toward the end of the row of storage units, then banked down the long row that extended all the way to the back of the complex. With Loghry in pursuit, she saw the wisdom of staying hidden within the complex. Unless the wizard and his men were in a direct line with the row, they wouldn’t be able to see them. The problem, of course, was getting out of the facility.

  She heard Brannick’s deep voice shouting behind her. “Faster, Emma.”

  She kept her head below the roofline but increased her speed.

  She heard gunfire.

  Where was Vaughn?

  Brannick, another girl in his arms, now levitated on one side of her. “We’re heading into the forest. We’ll lose Loghry and his men in there. The back-up force will take over for us as soon as we start across the open field.”

  Adrenaline flooded her body, and her heart pounded with energy and intent. The girl she held clung to her, shaking.

  Brannick stuck close, and as they neared the end of the facility, he said, “We’ll go to the right, up and over, then back low to the ground for cover. Ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “On my mark. Now!”

  Emma veered to the right alongside Brannick, then flew up to the roof. A staccato of gunfire sounded. She felt a bullet whiz by.

  She cleared the roof and immediately descended to a foot above the ground out of the line of fire. She saw the first shifter with the girl in his arms, dart into the forest. She had Vaughn’s ability now and didn’t hold back. She rushed forward so fast, she surprised herself. Aiming for the opening, she ignored the prolonged sound of gunfire coming from behind her.

  Brannick stuck right with her as well.

  Several shifters moved into the open field to cover them and were levitating and firing into the air. The noise soon became deafening.

  The moment she made it into the dark cover of the pine trees, she began to slow, though she kept flying down the path to give room to those behind her.

  She saw the original girl and shifter. She headed toward them, dropping off to the side as she slowed to a stop.

  When she had her feet on the ground, the girl clinging to her neck slowly unwound her arms. She had a heavy bruise on her cheek, a sign of either the ride in the truck or how badly she’d been treated.

  “Are we safe here?” How young her voice sounded. Emma winced. She couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen.

  “Yes. Don’t worry. You’re among friends. You’ll be home within a couple more hours. Okay?”

  The girl’s eyes were wide. She wrapped her arms around her stomach. “Okay.” She sat down beside the other girl on a thick bank of pine needles.

  Brannick settled his girl there as well. The rest followed in a quick wave until all six were once more huddled together. The girl who had been unconscious had awakened but looked dazed.

  Brannick gestured to Fergus. “Do you and your pack have a way to get these girls back to their families?”

  Fergus looked around and answered quietly, “We do.”

  “Tell me.”

  “We’ve got tunnels we can use, but I’m thinking we should go within the next few minutes. We already know what Loghry does when his product is stolen from him.”

  Brannick glanced at the girls. “Make it happen.”

  When Fergus got on the phone, the ghosts caught Emma’s attention once more, only she didn’t sense danger this time. Instead, they flew above the young women, swaying back and forth and smiling. She felt their celebration and would have levitated to join them, but the human girls were already in a state of shock.

  She merely blew kisses to Becca and her sisters.

  She glanced back up the path, in the direction she’d entered the forest. She then turned in a circle because she didn’t see Vaughn.

  All the girls were here now, including the one Vaughn had carried in his arms. This meant someone else had transported her the rest of the way.

  Emma headed in the direction of the now faint gunfire. From a distance, she could see that the shifters were still engaged in a shoot-out, but Vaughn was nowhere in sight.

  She moved off the path where the fighting was heaviest. In a quiet voice, she made her presence known to those Savage Border Patrol officers who made up part of the reserve force. “I’m looking for one of the Crescent Border Patrol officers.”

  The nearest shifter gestured to the left of the path. “Over there, Ma’am. He’s been shot.”

  Her heart fell so hard, she nearly stumbled. She was going to ask if he was dead, but that’s when she caught sight of him. He was on the ground, flat on his back and breathing, thank God.

  She could see he was in a lot of pain. He had an arm slung over his forehead and his lips were a tight line.

  Vaughn?

  His arm dropped away, and he looked around until he saw her. She crouched as she moved toward him. The tree line was only twe
nty feet away. A stray bullet could catch her if she wasn’t careful.

  When he saw her, he continued telepathically. Emma, thank God you’re okay.

  She looked at his bloody leg. It was torn up bad, the jeans cut away. She could see bone.

  You should have called for me.

  I didn’t want you to see this.

  At that, she laughed. “Why the hell not? I’ve seen worse. I’ve treated worse.”

  A shifter medic was opening his pack, but she stopped him. “I’ll take care of this.”

  He nodded, then moved to one of his own who leaned up against a tree holding his arm.

  Emma didn’t address the leg right away. Instead, she put her hand on Vaughn’s forehead. “This should help.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Vaughn was about to say, ‘What will help’, when a drug-like wave moved into his head, and his whole body relaxed. He knew he was in pain yet felt separated from it at the same time.

  Which was a good thing, since he could feel Emma now pushing into the wound. A stream of hot pain sliced through the feel-good, and his mind went on an agonizing roller-coaster ride. He was pretty sure he was going to pass out.

  Then everything disappeared.

  When he regained consciousness, he could feel a profound pressure on his leg. The pain had become a dull pounding in his skull, but not impossible to bear. Emma must have set his leg.

  The pop of weapon-fire had disappeared, which meant the battle was over. There was also a lot of male laughter coming from different directions.

  It sounded so familiar, the way he and his vampire brothers-in-arms would be after a significant battle. He heard friendly shouting as well. Men were the same everywhere, including in Five Bridges, whether you were a vampire or a shifter.

  “How are the girls?” His voice sounded slurred.

  “Ah, you’re awake. Good. They’re fine. When I left Fergus to find you, he was making arrangements to get them out of here right away.”

  He lifted up enough so that he could see what she was doing. She had both hands covering the wound. Healing flowed into his skin, muscle and bone. The bullet had caught his calf from behind and gone through the shinbone in front. Yeah, it had hurt like hell. “They got a tunnel?” The ever industrious cartels had built dozens of tunnels that went under the pavement and ended in cartel owned homes on the human side of Phoenix. Eventually, other tunnels were built by the decent citizens of Five Bridges to get humans back to safety.

  Emma met his gaze and smiled that quirky smile of hers, the way she looked when she was pleased with something. “They’ve got several. I think they might even be taking them through now.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Shifters don’t mess around.”

  “That’s right. Max.”

  “You remind me of him, Vaughn. You’re a man of purpose and action. He was, too.”

  He felt conflicted. He liked the compliment, but he’d started feeling jealous of a man long dead.

  He glanced down at the wound. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  She sat back on her heels. “Good. But just so you know, I’ve never had this kind of healing gift before, at least not at this level. And I’m levitating now as well as possessing more natural strength. It was so easy to carry that girl in my arms while levitating. Anything new and unusual you want to report?”

  He understood what she was getting at. “Well, the ghosts are looking more real to me by the minute, and I’ve never flown as I did getting the last girl back here. Even when I got hit, I speared the sky and shot into the forest like a rocket.” He might be bragging a little, but he didn’t care.

  She scooted closer and took his hand. “What’s going on here, Vaughn? It’s so strange. I mean, I can levitate, for God’s sake. But it was more than that. I had your skill level as though being with you, maybe as part of the spell I’d created, transferred your ability to me.”

  He stroked her face. “I don’t know, but I think it rocks, because we just saved six young teens from one of the most hellish experiences in Five Bridges.”

  She smiled. “We did, didn’t we?” She then leaned down and put her lips on his.

  Desire rose quickly, which meant he had to quit as in right now. He drew back.

  “What is it? You still in pain?” She looked worried.

  A smile took over his lips. “Sort of, but not my leg this time.”

  She stared at him for a moment. Then her brows rose, and she giggled. Again that quirk of a smile made an appearance. Her voice entered his head. Got it. No public kissing.

  Not after a win, and not when I’m on my back and you look so beautiful. Besides, I don’t know what you did to my head, but I’m feeling pumped.

  You mean when I put my hand on your forehead?

  Yeah.

  I hate to break it to you, Vaughn, but it’s a form of my witch killing power.

  He sat up way too fast. “What?”

  Since he’d spoken in a loud voice, several Savage Border Patrol officers turned in his direction. All the officers, both male and female, eyed Emma with suspicion. Shifters had the same problem with witches. He apologized for the outburst and everyone went back to their conversations.

  She lowered her voice. “Yes, I could have zapped you good. But first I’d have to actually load that kind of charge into my fingers and for some inexplicable reason, as in you mean a helluva lot to me, I didn’t want to do that. Don’t you trust me, Vaughn?”

  He rose to his feet and shook out his legs. When she stood up as well, he took her shoulders in his hands. “I do trust you. I was surprised, that’s all. I’m still getting use to your witch gifts.”

  He glanced around once more and afterward checked his sidearm. He drew his Glock from his holster then returned it. This particular habit stuck with all peace officers, making sure your weapons were in order.

  As for the AR-15, it was probably with Fergus’s forces and they were welcome to it for the service the troops had performed tonight. “How about we find Fergus and Brannick, see if they need us? If not, I’m thinking I’d like to take you home.”

  “Sounds good.”

  When he turned toward the main path, it would have been a natural time to let go of her hand, but he didn’t want to. Instead, he felt a primal need to make a show of it. He saw the way many of the shifter males looked at Emma, like something they wanted to devour. And he never lost sight of the fact she’d once loved an alpha.

  ~ ~ ~

  Emma’s heart rate soared, but it had nothing to do with fear. Instead, she couldn’t believe Vaughn hadn’t released her hand. In the alter world, it was a clear signal that he thought of her as his woman and every other man present should back off.

  She didn’t miss how many gazes slid to their joined hands as they walked by. A lot of the men even took a small step back as a result.

  Shifters were generally a gregarious bunch and many of them congratulated both Vaughn and herself for setting up and taking part in the rescue.

  Vaughn asked one of the shifters where Fergus was and got directions that involved taking a side detour. The destination proved to be a large rowdy bar about a mile distant from the storage unit site.

  She and Vaughn found Brannick in the center of the bar standing beside Fergus, laughing with him. The men were about the same massive size as Vaughn, though slightly shorter and each almost as handsome.

  The first thing she did was ask for an update. “What happened with the gun battle? Did any of Loghry and his crew get hit? I mean, I’d love to hear that Loghry got shot out of the sky. Nothing would make me happier.”

  Fergus shook his head. “No such luck. A couple of his warlocks went down. I had my men haul them to the morgue. But a general consensus among my pack is that Loghry initiated some kind of spell for himself. A black cloud hung over the storage facility, blocking out the night sky in that direction. Once the shooting stopped, the cloud and Loghry were gone. Wish I had better news for you.”

  Emma sighed then
shrugged. “It was too much to hope for, but the girls are all safe?”

  At that, Fergus smiled. “All safe and headed home.”

  “Well that’s the only important news anyway. And thanks again, Fergus and Brannick, for being part of this. I’m more grateful than I can possibly express.”

  Both men nodded. Vaughn squeezed her hand and smiled down at her, his eyes warm with affection.

  “So what do you think of this place?” Fergus swept his hand to encompass the shifter hang-out.

  “I think it’s great. Elegance doesn’t have nearly enough clubs or bars that bring its people together just for fun.” That was the exact truth. Most of the clubs serviced the sex trade and the humans who arrived in droves nightly to take advantage of it. Five Bridges had a long way to go.

  The bar had a large sand pit in the center designed for pack challenges when a male wanted to make a bid for alpha status. But it was also used for public fist fights and occasionally full-on wolf fang battles, both of which shifters loved to participate in and watch. Max had told her about them and had hoped, once he got his pack used to her as his mate, to take her to see one.

  As Vaughn entered a spirited conversation with Fergus and Brannick, her memories grew clouded with her time as Max’s chosen mate. She’d loved the big wolf. She’d felt such guilt that he’d died the way he did, ambushed when he’d returned from a long weekend at her home. He’d barely crossed the bridge into Savage Territory when he’d been shot and killed.

  “Hello, Emma. How are you?”

  Emma recognized the raspy wolf voice and a shudder ran through her.

  Dagen.

  He’d spoken quietly, and she suspected his intention was to make sure Vaughn didn’t hear him.

  Still holding Vaughn’s hand, she pivoted slightly toward the alpha who had taken over Max’s pack. Vaughn stayed put since he was still engaged in what sounded like a loud though friendly debate with Fergus.

  Dagen stood a couple of feet away, flanked by two of his powerful pack-mates. Emma now stood at a right-angle to Vaughn. Very clever of the wolf.