And only their feelings did.
The dream burst apart into a shower of sparks. Kelly halted, staring in horror at the stately Shaymore mansion with its columned portico, black shutters and marbled hallways.
Orange flames licked the windows, smoke pouring out of the house in thick, black ribbons.
Now they were running across the field. Not fast enough. Every step they took, the fire grew. Oh, gods, she thought in terror, Sams family was inside.
Her father, as well. Hed been charged with setting out the antique oil lamps and lighting them. A centuries-old tradition insisted upon by Annabelle Shaymore, who banned electricity for this special night.
Then a tall man burst out of the house by the front door. Laughing crazily, he rubbed his hands together like Lady Macbeth. White bolts of energy shot from his fingertips, crackling in the air. He turned, his face showing clearly in the moonlight.
Cedric Denning. Her father.
You goddamn bastard, what did you do? Sam screamed at him.
Her father ran down the driveway. Numb, she watched her lover race toward the smoke and flames pouring out into the night.
With shaking hands, Kelly tried channeling her own powers to help put out the flames, knowing it was too late. Knowing the fire consumed the mansion, Sams family dying inside.
Knowing her world would never be the same again.
Chapter 1
Please, dont let him take me.
Kelly Dennings heart twisted as his large blue eyes beseeched her. I wont, Billy. Ill do my best to keep you safe.
Promise?
Kelly made a large X over her rapidly beating heart. Nothing was going to happen to Billy. Cross my heart and hope to...
Die. Not today. Not on my agenda this week.
She forced a bright smile, hoping the terrified child could see it in the dimness. Cross my heart and hope to never lie.
But youre an Arcane. My mommy says Arcanes lie all the time because your magick is weaker, not like us Elementals. Is she right? His voice shook. I dont know what to believe anymore. I just want to go home.
Not wanting his mothers prejudice to shake his faith, Kelly chose her words with care. I promise you, Ill do everything I can to get you back to your parents.
They wont want me anymore after this, Billy said in a small voice. I wont be an Elemental if they drain my powers like they keep saying they will.
Emotion clogged her throat. Billy wouldnt be alive, either. But she had no intention of scaring him further.
Your powers are still inside you. No one can take away who you are, honey.
Not even a Dark Lord?
Kelly sucked in a breath. Dark Lords were rare, but they were the most powerful Mages of all, created from pure evil. Only Arcanes were known to achieve this transformation through an ancient spell, which gave Elementals a natural fear of their weaker brethren.
Especially not a Dark Lord.
Will anyone save us? My dad knows some navy SEALs. They rescue people. Billys voice trembled.
The two fangers upstairs would drain a navy SEAL dry. Ordinary navy SEALs couldnt save them. They needed someone higher on the food chain.
Her thoughts drifted to Sam Shaymore. He was a powerful Elemental Phantom Mage and, her sources said, a navy SEAL. Sam would rescue Billy, but Kelly doubted hed take her along. Because, like other Elementals, Sam Shaymore blamed her father for killing his entire family.
Im not like my father, Sam.
Maybe, Kelly ventured. But if they dont, we have to save ourselves. Just stick close to me, and do as I say.
No matter what happened to her, Billy must live.
Kelly hugged her knees, winced. Not a good idea. Still hadnt healed yet. Scanning the inside of the cramped, dark room, she assessed their prisons weak points as Billy huddled close.
He was the privileged son of a powerful Elemental Phantom Mage. Someone had stolen Billy out of his bed and brought him to this island to siphon away all his ripening magick. The process would kill him.
Not as long as Im here, Kelly thought grimly.
Kellys organization, Sight Finders, rescued Mage children. Shed discovered the missing Billys whereabouts through an anonymous email tip. But the words that chilled her the most had been these: Arcanes are conspiring to create a Dark Lord. They plan to execute all Elemental Mages.
The email warned Billy was in Florida, where hed be transported to this tiny island in the Caribbean. Shed stolen aboard the boat in Miami and nearly succeeded in freeing him. But the fangers had caught her and imprisoned her, as well.
Kelly stood, wincing at her protesting leg muscles. She peered out the slats of a narrow window. A thin ray of sunlight speared the darkness. Theyd have to make a break for it now, before the vampires awakened. She could create a diversion and...
Someones coming, Billy whispered.
Heavy footsteps. Her palms grew clammy. Kelly rubbed them against her dirty jeans. Oh, gods, she knew what was coming next. She slipped the silver pendant off her neck and put it around Billys neck.
This will keep you safe. The triskele has much power.
Billys eyes grew huge. No, Kelly, what about you? You need magick protection, too!
Ill be fine. Stay in the corner. They cant hurt you if you wear the necklace.
Kelly. The little boys voice came as a whisper. Youre an Arcane. My mother says Arcanes are bad people. Theyre different from us and cant be trusted to be anything more than servants.
Grief twisted her heart. She knelt by the little boy and gathered his hands into hers.
Listen to me, Billy. Whatever youve been told is wrong. My people are gentle and would rather practice their craft of chanting spells. Yes, theyve been subservient for generations to Elementals. But they would sooner die themselves than turn to darkness and kill another to gain more power.
Billys eyes were solemn. But someone among your people has.
She squeezed his hands, unable to argue that point.
The door opened, showing a shaft of sunlight. Kelly winced as someone seized her wrist. The Arcane Mage grinned, showing a row of yellowed teeth. Her stomach roiled at the thought of a fellow Arcane hurting an innocent child. She laughed, hoping to calm Billys fears. Time to play the game again, right boys? Its a fun game.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another Arcane slap a heavy stick against his fat thigh. Her knees felt weak.
Right, said the voice thick with menace. Time to play the game.
As he swam through the clear Caribbean water, U.S. Navy SEAL Sam Shay Shaymore fought the instincts of his Mage shifter magick to change into an ocean-dwelling animal. With the three other SEALs using the nav boards equipped with compasses, they moved silently in swim pairs, their Dräger rebreathers showing no telltale bubbles.
He kept his breathing even, slowed his banging heart rate. Dangerous as hell executing an op in broad daylight. But their orders were clear. Attack in the daylight, soon as possible. Ensign Grant Sully Sullivan had done recon on the targets mansion. Billy was being held in a first-floor room, guarded in daylight by two Arcane Mages armed with M16s and two nasty vamps at night. The heat sig from the night-vision binocs showed that he was still alive as of last night. A female, probably the nanny whod kidnapped Billy, remained with him.
The top brass ordering this op knew nine-year-old Billy Rogers, the only son of a powerful U.S. senator, was being held captive. Keegan Byrne, the four-star admiral and Primary Elemental Mage who commanded the SEALs, knew a little more. Like the fact that Billys dad was also a Phantom Elemental and an Elder on the stately Council of Mages.
It was an op loaded with policy-maker land mines. The worst kind for a SEAL on the elite Phoenix Force, a secret group of navy SEALs who were all paranorms. A human media explosion would ensue afterward, followed by the paranormal uproar created by the powerful Council of Mages.
Shay didnt care. The hell with afterward. Billy was all that mattered.
He and his teammates surfaced near the seawall. Blending in with the craggy rocks, they removed and stashed their gear.
Shay slicked back his hair with a hand, scanning the lush grounds for movement. Their point man, Lieutenant Matthew Dakota Parker, gave the signal for all clear. No one around. Time to move in, boys.
With a flick of his wrist, Shay cut the alarm by sending an electromagnetic current rippling into the system. The four SEALs crept up near a stand of palms, HK416 assault rifles at the ready. Silent as wraiths, they slipped away.
Shay hunkered down behind a group of palm trees, watching the other SEALs. Dakota shifted into a wolf and ran up the outside stairs. The Mages on the balcony would catch his scent and investigate, leaving the way clear for Sully and Petty Officer Third Class Ryder Renegade Thompson to capture the nanny and dipatch the vamps and Mages and grab Billy.
He clicked his radio twice. Answering clicks signaled as they all moved into position.
And then a woman stepped out of the house onto the patio and sank into a chaise longue by the pool.
Damn! Shay lifted his binoculars. The female daylight hugger must be the nanny. He bit back a curse and spoke into his throat mic, breaking radio silence.
Alpha One, this is Bravo Two. I have a visual on Tango Five. Oscar Mike.
Double clicks on the radio acknowledged the transmission.
It took seconds for him to analyze the new threat. He could take her out, but brass wanted her for questioning. Instead of stealth, he opted for shifting. His magick was powerful, but the form was nonthreatening.
Inside he smiled.
Little Miss Sunshine, youre all mine.
Every bone in her body hurt. As part of the game, theyd beat her while she tried to stifle her screams to keep from terrifying Billy. Kelly refused to talk as they tried to get information on how shed discovered their operation. As punishment, the Mages would dump her in the cell for a few minutes to assure Billy she was still alive and then put her into the sunshine.
Unlike other Arcanes, Kelly healed from exposure to direct sunlight. Probably a result of wearing the powerful triskele for so many years.
Theyd bring her back into the darkness when she recovered. Just to hurt her all over again. Only this time, theyd beaten her a little harder. Billy had given her back the triskele to wear.