Shock hit Gabriel, arresting his wand midair, as Emma dashed toward the unknown witch. She’d crept back in without him, Carol or Pan knowing? Brave…and foolish.
The mage touched a medallion on his collar then slashed his wand in a tight circle. Air seemed to solidify into a spear of wind.
Air mage, Gabriel thought. Hopefully, that was the only element the witch had. A royal witch like Gabriel, with power over multiple elements, was much, much more dangerous.
The witch jabbed his wand at Emma. The spear arrowed toward her.
She saw it coming and twisted mid-stride, trying to avoid getting impaled. She started falling, but Gabriel could already see she wouldn’t get clear in time.
Save her. His mind went into overdrive. Shield spell?
No. Without knowing how strong that air spear was, or if it was reinforced with another element, he couldn’t be sure his shield would hold. Besides, she’d see the spear bounce off a shield or bounce off it herself. With her quick brain, she’d know a second witch had protected her. Made it pretty obvious who.
He’d had countless opportunities to tell her the truth—and hadn’t. She’d feel hurt, betrayed. Maybe worse.
If it had been the only way to protect her, if he was sure the shield would hold, he’d have done it in a heartbeat.
But Gabriel was a battle mage. He had plenty of options.
He slashed his wand, jetting pure magic on an intercept course with the spear, with a muttered, “Skew.”
The enemy witch’s spear hit Gabriel’s magic—and slid sideways.
Gabriel bared his teeth in a savage grin. Yes.
The spear slammed straight into a display of high-end cameras.
No. Gabriel stifled a curse. His insurance company was going to have a fit.
The cameras exploded on impact. Plastic, glass, and computer chips spewed out, hitting the floor in a spatter of pricey tinkles.
He was already dashing for Emma as she tumbled to the floor—and rolled immediately onto her feet, launching herself again at the enemy witch.
But the witch had already flashed his wand at the fake Wrapphone with a rasped, “Tornado.” A cyclone whipped up over the phone display.
The phone, stand, and cable shuddered violently in the whirling wind.
Touching a talisman under his vest, Gabriel triggered a clamp spell. He slashed out his wand, aiming the spell…
Just as Emma leaped for the fake phone.
Gabriel jerked his wand to one side. The clamp spell hit the phone next to the fake Wrapphone. He breathed a sigh of relief. Whew, caught it in time.
The clamp spell’s momentum sent the phone slamming into the phone beside it. The two fused into a lump of useless plastic and metal.
More insurance claims. He could imagine the paperwork mounting up.
In a violent whirl of wind, the fake Wrapphone’s stand vibrated so wildly the cable popped off—just as Emma thrust her hands into the tornado of wind.
“Emma, no!” Gabriel leaped for her. He would have grabbed her hands to pull them out of the damaging wind.
But he saw last minute her arms sprouting hair and her hands claws, as she called on her wolf’s strength to clamp the phone to its stand. Gabriel marveled at her speed and ability to partially shift. He grabbed her shoulders instead, steadying her. She might be a small woman, but her wolf was strong.
The enemy witch snarled. Gabriel braced himself for a new attack.
Instead, the wind suddenly cut.
Emma stumbled. Gabriel’s own feet stuttered. The witch shoved her, hard.
The phone popped from her fists.
“Ha!” The enemy witch made a pulling motion and the phone sucked into his hand. With a cackle of triumph, he dashed off.
“STOP!” Emma cried. Regaining her balance almost immediately, she spun and bounded after him.
Gabriel dashed after her.
The witch twisted as he ran, aiming his wand at her.
Another spear? The narrow aisle meant skewing it would only hit her with shrapnel. Gabriel knew he’d have to get her bodily out of the way instead.
“Emma, look out!” Not even bothering to hide his wand, he used it to wave something off a bottom shelf in front of her to trip her—just as the enemy witch released the spell.
Emma stumbled over the item—a thousand dollar tablet—and went to one knee as a huge gust of wind blew over her.
Gabriel had time to think Thank the stars, that would have flattened her before the wind plowed into him, so forceful it lifted him into the air.
An instant later he landed on his tailbone with an impact that rang pain up his spine.
Emma was stumbling up. Still first in the witch’s line of fire.
Shunting aside his pain with a facility born of a hundred mock duels. Gabriel scrambled to his feet, readying his magic. He was screwed if she found out he was a witch, but better that than her suffering injury or worse.
But the other witch reached the end of the aisle, turned the corner, and disappeared.
Gabriel let go of his power, his ready magic evaporating, and started toward her.
She wavered on her feet, nose up. He realized she was testing the air. Then she turned and limped toward him. “He’s gone.”
He was outraged that the enemy witch had tried to hurt Emma. But seeing her limp…he’d done that, by tripping her.
Furious with himself, he swore. “That was a fucking disaster.”
He was yelling at himself, but her shoulders sagged.
“Yes. The bait phone is gone. I tried to save it…”
“Oh, Emma.” He strode to her, immediately contrite. “I know. You were wonderful.” He stopped just short of gathering her in his arms. “Are you okay?”
Her big eyes rose to him, glossy. She released a relieved-sounding breath. “I’m fine. I thought you were yelling at me.”
“No. Never.” He did touch her then, because he had to, a light clasp on her slim shoulder.
She searched his eyes. A tremulous smile curved her lips, and he felt like howling in triumph.
Then she sighed. “But now we’re back to square one.” She bit her lip. “I mean you are. I thought I could help, but…”
She trailed off, her expression so sad and forlorn that he thought, ah, hell, and gathered her into his arms anyway. He only allowed himself a brief hug, trying very, very hard not to feel how soft and right she felt. He might be able to disguise his scent of desire, but no way he’d be able to hide the big ol’ how-ya-doin’ in his pants, not pressed together like this, rubbing almost intimately…his groin wrenched with desire and he sprang back, releasing her.
“It’s we,” he said. “We’re not done yet. Come on.” He started toward the back.
She trotted after him. “Where are we going?”
“My office.”
“You put a tracer on the phone?” Her tone was admiring.
Normally he wasn’t vain or someone who needed attention but coming from her, that made him puff up.
“Two. One obvious, one hidden.”
As he let them into his office, she said, “So, um. Are you really mad at me for interfering in your ambush?”
He shook his head. “I told you to go home because I was worried. That thief…he’s dangerous. Did you see how he was both masked and gloved? And he had some kind of air-cannon weapon.”
He sat down in front of his computer and brought up an app he’d written that displayed a map of the city and connected with his psychic eyes. As the screen refreshed, he surreptitiously touched a talisman on his belt. The talisman was linked to the tracker spell on the fake phone and was keyed to show the location on the map app.
Emma shivered as if she’d felt even the small bit of magic the talisman released. She was something. He really wanted to get to know her better. If only he could tell her he was a witch. He wished like buttered hell he’d never heard of the Witch’s Council taboo.
A yellow dot appeared on a map of the city, heading rapidly east…and suddenly winked out.
“What does that mean?” Emma breathed.
It meant the witch had somehow countered or blinded his psychic eyes. “The thief found—and neutralized—both my tracers. Scrambled eggs and damn. Now how will we catch him?”
While in one way it was good the witch hadn’t been royalty—there’d have been more power flung around and Emma might have gotten hurt—in another, it was very bad.
The number of royals was small, and Gabriel knew most of them. He’d have had at least a chance of identifying the thief.
Masked and gloved, the pool of potentials in the thousands? No way.
The only thing Gabriel could say for sure was the thief wasn’t Emma or himself.
Although—terrifying thought—there was a real possibility the witch knew Gabriel was a mage, too. Even though he took great care to hide his magic and power, he hadn’t always been so discreet.
Right now, the thief held all the cards.
* * *
“Scrambled eggs and damn. Now how will we catch him?”
Emma stood beside Dr. Light, her tummy shimmying from his nearness, his heat, size, and male beauty, and suddenly realized she knew the answer to that question.
How will we catch him? I smelled him. I can identify him because I know his scent.
The sheer joy rushing through her at the thought, I can help Gabriel Light, the giddy, dizzy need to help him, threw her.
She’d smelled rancid beef that first day here, in the office, but hadn’t thought anything more of it. Then she’d sensed it at the crime scene, but passed it off as someone’s lunch.
But tonight, she smelled spoiled meat in the air the witch had whipped up. It was all too apparent the smell belonged to the thief.
And since she’d also smelled it when Omniss had gotten her arrested…
She opened her mouth to name him.
Another thought hit her. She slowly closed her lips and played it out in her mind.
“Dr. Light, I can name the thief. It’s Mr. Omniss.”
“How do you know?”
What could she say to that? Anything she named, he’d be able to verify.
“I saw a unique ring.”
“I don’t see any ring.”
“I heard a pattern in his voice.”
“I heard his voice too. No way anyone could tell that rasp was Omniss.”
“I smelled him…”
“I don’t smell anything. How can you?”
No, the only way they could arrest Omniss was if Dr. Light took her on faith.
He’d never do that. Even her own family didn’t just take her word for anything. How could a man she just met?
She wrapped her arms around herself—and felt the comforting weight of her new emergency bracelet.
She sighed. Since her father died and the Bloodfang debacle, she’d felt so alone. Then she’d waited with Dr. Light. Talked with him. Laughed with him.
Put on his bracelet.
Tell him. Tell him Omniss is the thief.
He won’t believe me. Not without proof.
Her arms loosened and fell. And there was that bracelet, rolling down her wrist. A commitment to help her. His commitment.
Of all the people she knew, Dr. Light was the only one who might actually take her at her word.
If she trusted him.
It scared her. But she had to try. I know you don’t have any reason to believe me, but I’m asking you to. I know the thief is Omniss.
She opened her mouth again to tell him.
A pounding started at the door.
“Gabriel Light,” a man shouted. “Your security is worthless.”
Emma exchanged a shocked glance with Dr. Light.
It was Omniss.