CARLYLE

Within minutes, I was deep in meditation. I imagined every inch of the interior of Killian’s car - its leather bucket seats, the tiny floor area I’d been squashed into, and its low, dark roof. I pictured the inside of the house’s garage, where I knew it had been parked, and where I hoped it still was.

When I was sure I had every single detail in place in my mind, I did exactly as Dair had taught me. Throwing all other caution to the wind, I siphoned myself from Florida back to New York.

My body slid through the cosmos for way too long. I had enough time to repeat the spell a dozen times and question my sanity for trying to do this errand for Killian.

I had enough time in the weightless dark for fear to grow round in my belly, and for sweat to break out on my brow. Still, I gritted my teeth and poured my energy into gripping that image of the garage tightly.

Finally, something collided with my body, and I sank into a sitting position. The seat was cold and smooth to the touch like leather. It molded around my ass the way a bucket seat was supposed to, and I grinned.

Opening my eyes, I laughed out loud.

I was sitting inside Killian’s car. I had fucking done it.

I’d siphoned from south Florida all the way to upstate New York and landed right in the driver’s seat of Killian's goddamn car. I was a fucking badass mage.

Excitement woke up my sluggish muscles, zinging through my body like I'd been struck by lightning. I patted my pocket, finding the keys. Shoving them in the ignition, I turned the car on, then the headlights. The inside of the garage lit up, showing a quiet, empty space, just as I’d hoped.

This was too perfect. A small part of me worried that it had been just too damn easy, but I was halfway finished with my plan, and I had two options now: Try to drive all the way to Florida, without any money for gas, or take this puppy to a parking garage like I had planned.

I rolled down the window and listened for a few minutes. If there was anyone in the house behind me, surely they would have heard the engine rumble to life.

Nobody came to investigate, and I didn’t need to waste any more time.

Fumbling in the visor above my head, I found the old school garage door opener. I pressed the button, and the door before me rattled to life.

Trying to remember exactly what I had looked up online, I maneuvered the gearshift through the various gears, getting the feel for the motion again. My right foot hovered between the clutch and the gas pedals as I psyched myself up. This was going to be a fast, rough ride.

I snickered to myself. If I didn't pull this off, Killian would have my ass.

Then again, if I didn't pull this off, he would never need to know about it. If I wrecked his car, it would be my secret to keep.

I eased the car forward down the slight slope of the winding driveway. As I turned onto the road, I noticed a shadowed figure lurking at the edge of the wooded front lawn. Fear began to prick at my heart, deflating my excitement.

Crap. The guys had been right - someone was watching the house. Ah, shit. I needed to get out of there, and fast.

Revving the engine, I flew through the stop sign at the end of the deserted road without even looking. The shadowy figure behind me burst into action. I heard a shout beyond the open car window, but I didn't stop or even look in the mirror to see if I was being followed.

If this person was on foot, I had a major advantage. If they had a ride, I need to get the hell out of there.

Hoping there were no little kids getting ready to cross the street or anything, I shoved through the gears, grinding them like crazy and hoping to God I wouldn’t have to stop - I’d probably stall out.

Luckily, my brain remembered the map I’d looked up, so I didn’t need to look at the paper in my pocket while I sped toward the parking garage. I followed the memorized turns at lightning speed.

Much faster than I’d calculated, I found myself swerving into the parking garage entrance and skidding to a secluded parking spot on the empty fourth floor. It had only been about thirty minutes, but I was still pretty far from the safe house.

My breathing began to slow as I slid low in my seat and watched to see if anyone would arrive. I hadn't had time to really check my mirrors to see if I was being followed, but no cars pulled in after me. It was a good ten minutes before my hands stopped shaking from the extra adrenaline.

Since it was a Saturday afternoon, the business-district parking garage wasn’t very busy. I’d hoped as much when I chose it, and I forced myself into a calmer state as I scanned each person and car that crossed in front of me.

None of them looked like an Underbelly person. There were a few women with shopping bags, and some couples looking like they are out on an afternoon date. Nobody with shifty eyes or weapons that I could see. Slowly, my fear began to ebb away, and excitement flickered back to life in my chest.

I was nearly done with my plan, and the worst that had happened was I might've been seen by an Underbelly person guarding the house. The only intel they might have gotten from my actions was that the car was in play again.

We could deal with that - surely Killian could glamor it or even leave it here until we’d beaten that fucking Ringmaster.

Of course, if that person guarding the house had somehow seen my face, they could possibly know I’d gained siphoning magic. Frowning, I turned the car off and flipped the keys around my fingers. Hopefully, with my hair out of sight and dark glasses covering half my face, it wouldn’t be obvious that it was me who had siphoned in.

I set my jaw. Whatever. It wasn't like I could undo it now.

It was past time for the last part - I’d already been gone long enough. I closed my eyes and relaxed my muscles.

I ignored the edge of fatigue seeping into my mind and slipped quickly into my meditative state. This would be the hardest step. I prayed to whatever gods or moons Haret had that I’d left myself enough magic to siphon back to the safe house in Florida.

Gathering all the magical strands left in my body together into a tight bundle, I visualized them as a rope connecting my current location to the beach house. Since I’d also mapped the route back, I imagined running the line of magic like a glowing pencil across my mental map, tracing the path back to safety.

I had to have enough magic left. There was no other option.

If I got stuck in transition... no. I wasn't going to get stuck.

I was going to fucking make it.

Taking a deep breath, I pressed my fingers together and flung myself into the darkness of the siphon.

At the exact same moment, something or someone caught my attention outside of the car, and my fractured attention left me wheeling in space. I lost the snaking light of the map in my mind. I was free-falling, or floating, or drowning.

My body seized up as the unfinished siphoning process began to rip and shred at my muscles. I struggled to force my fingers together again, straining to complete the motion.

Part of my body desperately reached for Florida, but the other seemed fixed in an iron grip back in the parking garage in New York, like someone was actually holding onto me and keeping me from siphoning completely.

With a primal scream of anger and ferocity, I ripped myself away from whatever was holding me back.

“Killian,” I cried out, hoping his name would reach that part of my brain that was searching blindly for the right place to land.

I gathered my remaining magic around me like a net, holding my broken body parts together. I didn't have time to die today. I needed to get back to my guys.

Heaving myself through the darkness with pure willpower, I cleared away everything except the idea of the beach house and Killian's face, floating like a vision behind my eyes.

Gulping my last breath of air before I drowned in the depths of the shadowy cosmos, I shoved myself out of the darkness and into the light.

A shout greeted me, but my eyes seemed fused shut against the searing brightness. My throat closed as I choked on fresh air, and my lungs felt frozen in my chest. My ribcage ached as I tried to force air into a place that already seemed too full.

Then the pain began, all-encompassing, like my body was being ripped to shreds by a thousand needles piercing and threading a thousand strings through my flesh and muscles.

A scream ripped from my throat, and my brain gave up trying to make sense of anything.