Witch Heart

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Something made a sound behind Mira and she turned toward it. Through the smoke. Claire could make out a hulking figure growing closer to Mira and the baby in her arms.

"Fuck!" Adam drew a burst of fire and melted the lock on the door. "Claire, get out of here. Run! I'm going to help Mira, but you have to go now!"

Too late, even though she never would've run anyway.

Kai spotted her and came striding toward the door. Mira clutched baby Eva to her with one arm and drew power, directing it at Kai, but he deflected it with a wave of his hand and kept coming. Mira stumbled backward and nearly fell. The cries of her child reached Claire's ears as Adam opened the door and rushed within.

Adam came in with all guns blazing, just as he had at the hospital. He knew how to fight the daaemon now and he gave Kai no quarter, sending up a white-hot wall of flame that made the Atrika roar in frustration. When Adam was angry, his power seemed greater and he was livid now, probably out of fear for Mira and her child, who were inching toward the door.

Mira hadn't given up, though, and was lending her air magick to making Adam's fire even hotter and stronger.

Kai bellowed again and Claire watched in anguish as the gorgeous plants and flowers in the conservatory caught fire, curled up from the heat and died. Kai stepped through the wall of flame, letting it sear his skin into blackened strips that Claire knew would soon heal. Fire dripped from his clothes and extinguished in curling bursts of smoke.

Thankfully, Mira extended her hand and removed the air feeding the fire. It died quickly in a rush of hot air that blew Claire's hair around her face.

Kai fixed his gaze on her and Adam drew his sword. He'd strapped it on almost as soon as the name Rue had passed Thomas's lips that morning. The soft whisper of copper against the leather sheath sounded loud in the suddenly quiet air. He held it at the ready.

Her own copper blade lay against her skin, hooked on the waistband of her jeans. It was her last resort if one of the demons got so close she could cut him. So far magick had been more effective, but there was always a first time.

"Come here, Claire. I'm sick of chasing you," said Kai in a low voice. He spoke in Aemni. "You know you've got nowhere to hide. Wherever you go, we'll hunt you, and you know better than any aeamon the extent of our patience. Mine is at an end."

Claire's rage grew in a swell of power within her. Gathering her magick fast and hard, she drew four threads and wove them together in a heavy chain of force. Then she took that chain and smacked Kai with it face on. He fell backward, onto the floor, and bowed his head, shaking it. His burnt skin was already healing and Claire could see that his fangs were extended and his eyes glowed a deep, murderous red.

"Don't make me hurt you, little girl," said Kai in a low voice without looking at her. "More importantly to you, don't make me hurt your friends."

Claire stepped forward. "Mira, get out of here. Go now!"

Holding her whimpering child in her arms, Mira didn't hesitate.

Kai laughed. "If I want her and her baby, she can't hide from me. Come with us, Claire, and you guarantee your friends, all of them" — he glanced at Adam—"will live."

Adam unclenched his jaw long enough to tell Claire, "I don't know what he's saying, Claire, but don't let him manipulate you."

Claire switched to English. "I'm through being manipulated. I'm through being scared." She took a step toward Kai. "I can wield my magick at you directly now. I learned how. How about a fight, Kai? Just you and me? Winner take all."

"Claire!" Adam shouted at her. "What are you doing?"

Claire took another step forward. "I'm not being afraid anymore."

"Did you go straight to stupid? Get out of here!"

"No. I'm not running."

Kai took a step toward her. "If you want a fight, Claire, I'll give you one."

Immediately, Claire dropped down and rolled, gathering her power and sending it at Kai in a punch to his solar plexus. The Atrika went down with a thud and screeched out a battle cry, an animalistic sound that Claire had hoped in all her years on Eudae she would never hear.

Kai rolled to his side and shot at her. She managed to use her magick to throw up a shield — just like a demon — but the blast still rocked her to her core. Scrambling to her feet, she darted into the still-smoldering foliage, trying to draw Kai away from Adam as far as she could.

Her feet pounded on the soft earth, trampling plants and carrying her over bridges and across streams. She had the advantage; she knew the conservatory and Kai didn't.

Plus, her magick felt stronger here, lighter and easier to control. Even when she threaded the elements together to form the pseudo-demon magick, it felt stronger because of the carefully balanced environment.

She had an advantage. She had to keep telling herself that.

The tromp of heavy boots met her ears. Kai wasn't far behind. There were too many trees and bushes in here, though. Kai didn't have a clear shot at her. Although having an Atrika chasing her made her heart beat so fast that she feared she'd have a heart attack and save everyone the trouble of extracting the elium. It would just die with her.

She nearly tripped as a possibility rose in her mind. Maybe she had an ace up her sleeve after all. It wasn't one she actually wanted to play… but she could bluff.

Exerting all the physical energy she had left, Claire increased her speed, jumping over bushes and streams until she had a lead on him. Once she'd reached her destination, the open area at the front of the conservatory where there was a fountain and several benches, she hid behind a tree and readied herself.

She wasn't going to use just any magick on Kai, not even her newfound, ever-so-powerful almost-demon magick. She was going to wield the elium, using her magick as the delivery method. The two powers within her could finally find accord, could finally work together.

And it would mean Kai's end, hopefully.

"You want the elium so bad, Kai?" she murmured as the Atrika approached. "Here you go."

As Kai emerged from the trees, she drew four threads of elemental power and tapped the elium at the same time. Using her magick to shield herself and Adam, whom she knew was close behind Kai, she directed the demon weapon at the Atrika squarely.

It was a gamble. Not only was it a gamble, it was the magickal equivalent of a triple midair twist with a flip and she wasn't working with a net.

The elium exploded out of her and threw her backward to land painfully on the gravel-strewn walkway. Her breath woofed out of her and all she could do was lie there for a moment, looking up at the glass ceiling of the conservatory.