Author: Karen Lynch
Category: Paranormal
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/karen-lynch/page,14,468303-hellion.html
“I guess I never gave much thought to what the barrier is made of,” I admitted. To be fair, I’d had little reason to think about the barrier before the start of all of this. I already knew more about it than I ever wanted to.
After all the introductions were out of the way, we sat and the team got down to business. For the next two hours, they asked question after question about the night we’d been caught in the spell. Every detail seemed important to them, from the exact sequence of events down to what we were wearing at the time. I answered them all until Marie asked if I had been in my fertile cycle at the time.
“What does that have to do with anything?” I demanded.
“In some cultures, females are believed to be more receptive to magic during their fertile time,” she explained.
Avoiding Hamid’s eyes, I said, “No. I wasn’t in my fertile cycle.”
The scholar nodded, but she almost looked disappointed. Thankfully, someone else started a different line of questions.
After the questions came the tests. They mainly consisted of Hamid or me or both of us standing in the center of the room while the warlocks took turns “examining” the magic, much like Orias had done in Los Angeles. Even though none of the tests were invasive, I was more than ready to get out of there when Charlotte called for us to break for lunch.
I headed to the dining hall, where I found myself the subject of many curious stares. It seemed that everyone knew about the magical testing going on in the arena today and that I was one of the guinea pigs. Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, I grabbed a bottle of water and went to my room. Back in my training days, I used to love being the center of attention, but I was coming to learn that not all attention was good.
I changed into my running clothes and ran laps back and forth to the lake. Hardly anyone used the road when Sara and the others weren’t at home, so I had the place to myself. That suited me just fine because I was in no mood for company.
When the time came to return to the arena, I had to force myself to go back to my room to shower and change. Not surprisingly, I was the last one to arrive. The look Hamid gave me when I entered the building told me he had been expecting to have to go search for me.
He met me halfway across the floor, concern etched on his face. “Are you okay?”
“Peachy,” I said with forced lightness.
His brows drew together. “If you need a longer break, you don’t have to –”
“I don’t need to be coddled,” I replied more sharply than I meant to. Softening my tone, I said, “If you’re ready, so am I. Let’s do this.”
The sooner we got this over with, the sooner I could get out of here. Over lunch, I’d decided to take Sara up on her offer to stay at their house, and I was already looking forward to a peaceful night alone at the lake.
Hamid and I took our places at the center of the room and endured another round of magical tests. As the afternoon wore away, so did my patience, until I was sure I’d snap the head off the next person who tried to perform a spell on me.
“I think that will be enough for today,” said Charlotte, who appeared to be the unofficial team leader. “We’ll spend the night going over our results from today and reconvene tomorrow morning.”
“Awesome,” I muttered, already turning for the exit.
“I’d like to perform one more test, if you don’t mind,” Bastien called.
I closed my eyes for several seconds before I came around to face them again. “Can’t it wait?”
The warlock gave me an apologetic smile. “This will only take a few minutes, I swear, and it could prove very helpful in our discussion tonight.”
“Fine.” We were all here for the same reason – to create a new spell to replace the one on Hamid and me. If Bastien’s test could help them figure things out, I wouldn’t say no.
Bastien instructed Hamid and me to stand with our backs to each other, holding each other’s hands behind us. Even though I couldn’t see Hamid, it felt too intimate having him hold my hands this way. Every nerve ending in my hands seemed to tingle at the physical contact, and my heart gave a weird little flutter. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before, and it made me want to lean into him and run away at the same time.
The warlock walked around us, laying crystals on the floor in a circle with us at the center. When he was done, he came to stand in front of me. “This spell will attempt to map the magical connection between you two. It won’t replace the existing spell, but we can study it and potentially use it as a blueprint for a new spell.”
“Got it,” I said.
Bastien stepped back and started to chant, and within a minute, the crystals were giving off a bright white glow. It reminded me a little of the crystals from the summoning ceremony, and my fingers flexed nervously around Hamid’s. He didn’t speak, but his thumbs began stroking the backs on my hands in a slow reassuring pattern. Unable to pull my hands away, I stood there and told myself I wasn’t at all soothed by his touch.
I winced when a sharp pain lanced through my head. It was gone in a second, but it had been bad enough to make my eyes close against the pain.
The second time the pain struck, it was stronger, and I sucked in a sharp breath. Again, it was gone in an instant, but I tensed as I waited for the next one.
“Argh!” I cried as white-hot pain burst in my head. It was like someone had driven a knife right through my eye socket. My whole body sagged, and the only thing holding me up was Hamid.
“Stop it now,” Hamid snarled viciously. Seconds later, he released my hands and spun to catch me before I collapsed in an undignified heap.
“It’s over,” he said gruffly against my ear. “I’m sorry. Had I known it would hurt you, I wouldn’t have allowed him to perform the spell.”
I nodded, but it was a minute before I could speak or stand on my own. I had no choice but to stand there with my back pressed to Hamid’s chest and his arms wrapped around me. If I’d thought holding hands was intimate, that had nothing on the sensations flooding me now.
As soon as I was able to move, I stepped out of his hold. My eye narrowed on Bastien. I closed the few feet between us, hauled off, and slugged him.
He staggered backward with his hands over his gushing nose, and I followed him. Before I could land a second blow, Hamid grabbed me from behind and pulled me away from the moaning warlock.
“Let me go,” I yelled as I fought his hold to no avail.
Hamid turned us until I could no longer see Bastien. “Calm down.”
“You have a hot poker shoved into your eye and see how calm you are,” I said through gritted teeth.
His body stiffened. “That’s what it felt like?”
I stopped struggling since it was no use. “I’ll take that to mean you didn’t feel any pain.”
“There was some pain, but nothing like you described.”
“Lucky you,” I said sourly. “Now, can you please let me go?”
“Do you promise not to attack Bastien?” he asked, not loosening his hold on me.
“Not unless he comes near me again.”
“I will see that he doesn’t.” Hamid’s voice took on a hard edge that made me believe he meant what he said. He let his arms drop, releasing me.
I straightened my shirt and faced everyone. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m done being your lab rat for today.”
Casting Bastien a scathing look, I spun and strode toward the door. I barely made it six feet before I was yanked backward.
I turned with a snarl on my lips to ask Hamid what the hell he was doing. But he was exactly where I’d left him, his brows drawn down in confusion as he stared at me.
I took another step toward the door – or I tried to. It felt like something was holding me back, but when I looked over my shoulder, I saw nothing but the group of people looking at me like I’d lost my mind.
“What the hell is this?” If they thought they could force me to stay here for more tests after what had just happened, they were
the ones out of their minds.
“What’s wrong?” Orias asked, walking toward me.
I shot him a dark look. “I can’t leave. That’s what’s wrong. This better not be another one of your goddamn tests, or so help me…”
Orias shot me a droll smile. Holding out a hand, he muttered a few words, and I gaped at the silvery thread forming in the air before me. One end of it was attached to me, and the other was attached to Hamid, who seemed to have been struck mute.
“What is that?” I demanded, hating the shrillness in my voice.
“That,” Orias said slowly as he studied the thread, “is the map created by Bastien’s spell. It appears to have tried to replicate my spell.”
Ciro came over for a closer look at the thread. “Fascinating. Look at the composition of the bond. You can see how it has filaments of the original spell woven into it.”
Orias nodded. “Yes, but the magic is incomplete in places. See there?” he pointed at a section of the thread. “That is where he stopped the spell.”
I crossed my arms, mostly to keep from punching someone else. “If you two don’t mind, I’d like to leave. Will one of you please get rid of that thing?”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Ciro said, still staring at the thread.
“What do you mean it’s not possible?” My heart sped up as fury and fear crowded my chest until I was on the verge of hyperventilating. This cannot be happening.
Chapter 9
Hamid came to stand beside me. A large hand engulfed one of mine, and for once, I didn’t try to pull away. I was ashamed to admit it, but his nearness soothed the storm of emotions inside me.
“Explain,” he ordered harshly.
“What he means is that we can’t destroy the new connection without risking my spell,” Orias said calmly. “But Bastien’s spell is incomplete, so it will dissolve on its own in a few days without harming the original spell.”
I found my voice again. “You mean we are stuck in this building until that thing dissolves?”
“No, you may leave,” Orias replied. “You just won’t be able to go far from each other. Based on what I’ve seen, I’d say no more than a few feet.”
“Are you serious?” My voice grew louder. “You expect us to be stuck together like this for days?”
“As the spell weakens, you should be able to move farther apart,” Ciro said as if that would make things better. “And this might be a good thing for us to study. If we could just –”
I turned away from them, pulling Hamid with me by the hand. Not that I could have forced him to leave against his will but I think he knew how badly I needed to get out of there.
As soon as we left the arena, I dropped his hand, and neither of us spoke for a minute. The full extent of my dilemma didn’t hit me until we neared the main building and I realized I couldn’t go off to be by myself once we got inside. Neither was I going to have my night alone at the lake. I was literally stuck with Hamid until we were free of this thing.
“God, this just keeps getting worse,” I muttered more to myself than to him.
“I’m flattered to hear you think this is worse than our bonding.”
“I’m glad at least one of us can joke about it.” I stopped walking to scowl at him.
Hamid gave me one of his almost smiles. “Getting angry about it will not change our situation, and it will be an uncomfortable few days if we dwell on our misfortune.”
I rolled my eyes. “If this investigative thing doesn’t work out for you, you really should think about a career in the greeting card business.”
“I will take that into consideration,” he said with a straight face.
I let out a heavy sigh, and we resumed walking.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked.
“Not as good as I’d feel if you had let me punch Bastien again.”
His deep chuckle did funny things to my stomach. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s not wise to pick a fight with a warlock?”
I huffed. He was right, but I’d never admit it. “I’ll try to remember that the next time one of them makes me feel crippling pain.”
I said it in a joking tone, but there was nothing humorous in Hamid’s reply. “None of them will hurt you again, you have my word on that.”
We entered the main hall, and I hesitated, unsure of what to do now. Hamid took the decision from me when he steered us toward the dining hall.
“I’m not that hungry,” I lied.
“You didn’t eat lunch. You can’t miss dinner as well.”
“How do you know I missed lunch?” I asked as we walked into the noisy dining hall. Had he been following me again?
“I saw you return from your run, and something told me you’d needed to work off your frustration from the morning’s tests.”
He went to the steaming buffet, and I had no choice but to follow him. I was already starting to feel like one of those children’s pull toys.
I filled a plate with baked salmon, rice, and vegetables and looked around for a free table while I waited for Hamid. When he’d finished piling his plate with enough steak to feed a human family of four, we sat at the end of one of the longer tables.
“You need to eat more,” he chided as he cut into his steak.
“That’s why they invented seconds,” I retorted. This was just the first course. I already had my eye on the baby back ribs. I’d probably follow that with the six-layer chocolate cake for dessert.
Neither of us said much for the first half of our meal, and surprisingly, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. I did see curious looks sent our way, but I figured if he could ignore them, I could, too. They were probably staring at him anyway; he didn’t exactly go unnoticed in a crowd.
“How did you end up working for the Council?” I asked as I dug into my dessert. It was something I’d wondered about when he first showed up in Los Angeles. When I’d seen him three years ago, he and his brother were working together as partners, and from what I’d heard, they were very close.
Hamid looked surprised by the question, and for a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to answer.
“The Council tried to recruit me many times, but I was content to work with my brother, Ammon. Two years ago, we were on a job in South Africa and Ammon found his mate. She is English, and they are living at Hadan Castle now. When the Council approached me again, I decided to work for them for a few years.”
I licked chocolate icing from my fork. “You must miss working with your brother.”
“I do,” he admitted. “But he and Alice are very happy, and that is all that matters to me.”
“Do you get to see them often?” I asked, curious about his family life. I told myself I was just making conversation since we were stuck together, but who was I kidding? Hamid had always been a mystery to me, and I couldn’t resist this opportunity to learn more about him.
He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “My work with the Council has kept me busy the last two years. Once our…investigation is over, I plan to visit them.”
I heard his brief pause and wondered if he’d started to say “Once our bond is broken.” The thought of never seeing him again filled me with a fleeting sense of wrongness. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. It’s just the bond.
“And you?” he asked.
“What about me?”
“Do you see your family often?”
“I don’t have a family,” I said. At his questioning look, I added, “I was an orphan.”
He leaned back in his chair, wearing a frown. “They didn’t do the DNA test to find your sire?”
“They did, but I didn’t want to meet him.”
We had a central DNA database that held records for every Mohiri alive at the time testing started about thirty years ago. Since then, the DNA of all newborns were added to the database, along with the DNA of orphans when they were found. The database was more for identification should a warrior be killed in a way that made it necessary, but it was a
lso used to match orphans with their Mohiri family.
I’d been tested a week after I was found, but I’d chosen not to meet my father. I knew his name, that he was Austrian, and that he’d been visiting the US when he met my human mother. I also knew he’d never checked up on her to see if their brief union had resulted in a child. If he had, I wouldn’t have spent the first ten years of my life scared and alone.
Hamid eyed me thoughtfully. “What of the people who raised you when you were brought in?”
I shrugged. “I never really got close to them.”
His eyes darkened. “Did they neglect you?”
“Of course not.” I was shocked he would even ask. Mohiri children were sheltered and cosseted, and orphans were treated with the same care. “They’re good people, and it wasn’t for lack of trying on their part. But after ten years of being abandoned and mistreated by adults, I wasn’t exactly the trusting type when I was brought in.”
I wasn’t sure why I was telling him all of this, because I rarely talked to anyone about that time in my life. It was something I didn’t like to think about.
He blinked in surprise. “You lived among humans until you were ten?”
His reaction was one I was used to. A child’s Mori started asserting itself at a young age, usually around three or four. Without a parent or guardian to teach the child how to control their Mori, the demon grew stronger and more dominant until the child eventually became mentally unstable. It was rare to find an orphan older than six who wasn’t suffering from some psychological issues. At ten, I’d been the oldest orphan ever brought in, until Sara. But she was in a category all her own.
I grinned. “I’m your classic overachiever.”
“One of my finest trainees,” said Tristan, whom I hadn’t heard approach. He smiled at me then looked at Hamid. “I just stopped by to tell you we had to move tonight’s conference call from nine o’clock to eight.”
Hamid’s gaze flicked to me and back to Tristan. “About that. Jordan will be joining us for the call.”
“Jordan wants to speak to the Council?” Tristan gave me an incredulous look.