Chapter
Crapballs. They’d only arrived and Kady had dampened her magic as much as she could to be able to give Black time to fill in his team on what they’d learned about the spectral warriors.
Plus, she’d wanted to ask Lacey and Topper about a million questions about magic, including if they had to get down and dirty to access their powers too.
“Russet and Dun report that a squad of fifty human troops with – what the fuck - Spectral Warriors attached to them are headed inbound to our location. ETA less than one Earth hour.” The guy from Black’s team, who was too good looking for his own good, tapped on some sort of communication device. “You’d better fill us in on what you know, boss, and fast.”
“Yeah, like what’s a Spectral Warrior?” Lacey said.
Black nodded and became the soldier Kady had seen before. Calculating and ready for a fight. “Spectral Warriors are a hybrid of soldier, weapon, and souls stolen from beings all over the galaxy.”
Even the Star Ranger Frost’s eyes went wide at that description.
“They hide in the parts of the light spectrum most beings can’t see without specialized equipment, and attack without impunity. Their mission, as far as we know, is to steal the soul of anyone they encounter.”
“Steal their souls? That sounds mighty bad.” Topper shook her head.
“It is worse than death. A husk of the person is left, still alive, but unable to communicate, function beyond basic daily routines, and only if they are monitored and told or shown what to do. Basically, undead.”
Stark whistled, expressing with only a sound, how horrified they all were.
“My team, minus mine that were lost in the crash, has high-tech visors that has helped us them see them.” He indicated to goggles Titian had dangling around his neck.
“What’s your plan to defend ourselves if we can’t see them coming?” Frost asked.
Black glanced at Kady and nodded. “We can see them, thanks to Kady. There is something about her powers that make the spectrals visible to the naked eye, but it also attracts them.”
Frost did not look impressed by that bit of news.
“The Gunderson’s wards were a temporary wall, but they can be shattered under a concentrated attack.”
Titian threw his hands up in the air. “Why the fuck didn’t Passion send us to Frost and his mate when this whole shit storm started?”
Black wondered the same thing. Late in the night, between bouts of love making, he’d confided in her. He didn’t understand why his superior, Passion, was her name, had she waited until news that the spectrals were gathering on Earth to have them meet up with Frost.
Passion had seen what the magic bearers of Earth could do. She and another Star Ranger named Cole were the few in the force that did, until Black and his team had been briefed.
Margreth spoke up giving the other witches the information Black couldn’t. “It’s a simple no-entry protective ward. You witches can probably make stronger ones than I can.
“Yes, but how long do the wards last?” Lacey asked.
Black filled her in. “Depends on how many attack and how badly they want to get in. Spectrals will sacrifice themselves to break through to get to fresh souls.”
His words gave Lacey a visible shiver. “What do we do once they break through the wards?”
“Kady has also learned to injure them, more or less, but it’s temporary.”
Lacey frowned. “Is it a spell? We can replicate that.”
All eyes turned on her. Uh-oh. A few days ago, she was just a chubby geek girl hiding out in her tiny house in the woods. Hold up, though. She’d come a long way since then. She had some badass powers that could do amazing things. She pushed her glasses up her nose deciding it was time to get her butt in the game.
“I don’t really understand what it is. I’m new to the whole magic thing. I was hoping you could help me understand it better.”
Topper touched her arm. “Show us, Kady girl. We’ll figure it out from there.”
Kady glanced over at Black, who had a lusty look on his face. Thank goodness, they’d worked on this, so they didn’t have to make-out or get naked to get this part of her magic revved up anymore. Kady reached out and took Black’s hand. “See, uh, the first time we realized it was my magic that made them visible, we were…”
Black had a big ole shiteatin’ grin on his face. Just like a dude to be all proud that his dick had made the magic.
Swirls of light rose from her skin and drifted between the two of them.
Topper and Lacey exchanged glances, seeming to confirm something with each other.
“Then when we escaped the attack from the TFO and on the trip down here, I used my power both as the shield you saw and kind of like a bomb going off.” Kady continued to push the power she’d learned to harness out, first surrounding her and Black until they were inside her shield and they disappeared from the rest of the group’s view.
“Nice stealth, boss. You wanna let us in on that?”
Kady pushed the shield out further until it encompassed everyone. “I’ve only been able to do the explosion part when, well, ahem…” Kady could feel the heat bubbling under her skin like she’d had too many glasses of red wine.
Black continued for her. “I kissed, wait, what did you call it, mah wah? Ah, I remember. I kissed the bejeesus out of her and was getting into her pants to make her come.”
Kady turned purple. She had to remember to council Black on his use of earth vernacular, and about the privacy of their sex lives.
Topper nodded. “I see. I know where Kady’s magic comes from now.”
The rest of the group looked at her, waiting. This Aunt Topper had a flair for the dramatic and waited another minute before she let the rest of them in on the knowledge. “It’s Soul Magic.”
Lacey nodded, confirming what Topper said. “Few witches have access to its powers, notably those with shifter lineage. It has something to do with how and why you can shift between forms.”
Black tilted his head to the side. “Yes, when I was trying to help Kady use her power I explained it to her in the same way the shift was taught to me as a cub.”
Lacey tapped her lips, thinking. “I don’t think we have any other bear decedents in town, though.”
“But we do have soul mates.” Topper took Stark’s hand. “We may be able to use that to our advantage.”
“Can you show us the explosion?” Lacey’s mate asked.
Kady nodded. She closed her eyes, trying to pull up the feelings, the passion Black brought out in her. Something glimmered to the surface, but it was weak compared to before. Black squeezed her hand and rubbed his thumb across her wrist.
She tried again, and a small whoosh blew past the group. They all got a glazed over, I-need-a-cigarette look on their faces.
Frost was the first to recover. He pulled Lacey into his arms and nuzzled her. Then he addressed Kady. “Interesting. There’s something in your magic I recognize. It’s very cold.”
Lacey cuddled into Frost’s arms. “Don’t say that, Frost. I kind of liked it. Besides, she’s putting her heart and literally her soul into this.”
Frost kissed Lacey on the top of the head. “I don’t mean she is unfeeling. There was a hell of a lot of emotion in that spell. But, I can feel the telltale power of Glacier in her magic. Whatever she’s yielding is near absolute zero. I don’t entirely understand it, but I think I can use it to our advantage when you call upon our souls for the same spell, my love.”
“I like it. Phooey on those spectrals, I’ll take that spell home and use it all night long.”
“Auntie.” Lacey used a chastising tone.
“What?”
Titian dropped to one knee and pulled a weapon from his boot. “You all can have fun with your sex spells later. Spectrals dead ahead.”
“We need to get into the canyon.” Frost pointed to the trailhead behind them. “There are defensible locations, caves. I suggest we pair off and work at the spells to hide and push them back. Gundersons you come with us.”
“Frost, wait. It won’t do us any good to hold them at bay. We could be doing that forever.” Lacey tugged at Frost’s arm.
“She’s right. There is one more thing I hadn’t gotten to yet.” Black’s voice had gone deep and dark.
The sound of it sent a chill through Kady that she hadn’t expected. For the first time, she saw the toll being a warrior had taken on him. Lines around his mouth and eyes she hadn’t seen before.
“There is a way to kill the spectrals.”
Titian rolled his eyes like he’d known Black was keeping something back. “Fuck, yeah. We’ve scoured the universe for that kind of intel. Why didn’t you tell us in the first place, boss?”
Muscles worked in Black’s jaw as if he were trying to hold in the words that could mean their safety. “Kill the body of the stolen soul.”
Titian lost his excitement and some of his color. “Fuck me,” he whispered.
Oh no. Black’s mother’s soul had been stolen. How many more family members had these brave warriors lost? How many might be lost today?
If he or any of them had to kill a loved one to fight these horrible monsters, the spectrals wouldn’t have any souls left to steal, because they would all be lost.
Kady hadn’t called upon the Universe to help her since she’d become more acquainted with her magic, but she did now.
Dear sweet Universe. Thank you for bringing Black into my life and helping me realize the power within me. Please help me keep him safe and help him find a way to defeat the enemy without losing his own soul.
Kady’s magic rose to the surface, swirling around her in a dance of light. Screeches wrenched through the air above them. She looked up into the sky and saw the forms of dozens of spectral warriors swarming like killer bees.
May all their souls be saved.