Shades of the Wolf Page 7

  While she didn’t personally know Tyler’s sister, she could only imagine what kind of hell the younger woman now faced. Similar, she thought, to what Lilly Gideon had once faced. The parallels of the two women’s predicaments didn’t escape her.

  Once she freed Dena, she would have wiped her own slate clean once more.

  And Tyler could... She couldn’t help wondering what would happen to Tyler once they’d succeeded in freeing his sister. He’d go back into wherever ghosts went when it came time to move on. The light, she assumed. At least she hoped so. The alternative would be very bleak.

  Glancing at her watch, she saw it was nearly nine. If she wanted to get her day started, she couldn’t hide out in her bedroom forever. One thing she’d learned since her meltdown was she had a lot more inner strength than she’d ever suspected. Magic would be a definite bonus.

  So she straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath and opened the door. When she walked back into the kitchen, Tyler’s ghostly form hovered exactly where she’d left him.

  Again struck by his large, masculine frame, she sucked in a breath. How he, even though a ghost, could practically radiate virility stunned her. Though this time, she noticed an air of isolation around his tall, broad-shouldered figure.

  The question in his hazel eyes made her heart skip a beat.

  “I’ll do it,” she said, not giving him a chance to speak. “I need to see if I can take a crash course in learning how to access my magic. Once I have some sort of grip on that, I can seriously hunt for whoever abducted your sister.”

  He bowed his head, a swath of dark hair falling onto his forehead. “Thank you.”

  Uncomfortable with her visceral reaction to so much male beauty, she nodded. Keeping busy would be the best distraction from those kinds of crazy thoughts. “Let’s go.” Snatching up her car keys, she headed toward the door. “We’ll stop and talk to Juliet. I think her first yoga class of the day just finished up. I’m hoping she’ll have some pointers for me.”

  Trying not to smile as Tyler crammed his long legs in the passenger seat of her Fiat, she sang along to the radio during the short drive downtown.

  As it turned out, Juliet had a lot more than pointers to help Anabel. “You’ll need to read these,” she said, grabbing a short stack of books from a bookcase behind her desk. “This will be a good starting place. Once you have, come back to me with questions.”

  Anabel glanced at the books, then at Tyler, who gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. “Juliet, I’d love to read them—and I will, eventually—but right now I’m short on time. Tyler’s sister’s life is in danger, and I’m afraid I’m going to need a crash course in magic in order to save her.”

  Appearing nonplussed, Juliet swallowed and slowly put the books down on top of her desk. “It’s not that simple,” she began.

  “Make it as simple as possible, please.” Though she hated to interrupt her kind friend, Anabel knew every second must be an eternity to the poor woman being held prisoner.

  Eyeing her, Juliet appeared to consider. “All right,” she finally said. “But you need to know, magic can be dangerous without knowledge. Extremely dangerous.”

  Anabel locked eyes with her friend. With her smooth face and long gray braid, Juliet always radiated peace and tranquility. And strength, Anabel thought. “Teach me how to protect myself.”

  “I’ll do my best. But understand, you could still be killed. I don’t know how powerful this warlock is.”

  Tyler began to flicker, his form wavering in and out of view. Anabel glanced once at him, bracing herself for the swooping of her stomach as she did. Their gazes locked and held as he slowly solidified. I’m okay, he mouthed.

  Once she knew he was all right, she refocused all her attention on Juliet. “Teach me as much as you can in as short a time as possible.”

  Juliet nodded. “How long do I have?”

  “A woman’s life is at stake, so I don’t have long.” Anabel glanced again at Tyler. “A day?”

  Frowning, he shook his head.

  “How about twelve hours?”

  This time, Tyler reluctantly nodded.

  “Twelve hours?” Eyebrows raised, Juliet glanced at her wrist even though she wasn’t wearing a watch. “Sorry. What time is it now?”

  “Nine thirty. That gives us until tonight.”

  “It’ll have to do, I guess.” Juliet sighed, her soft blue eyes sharpening. “It’s not nearly long enough, but let’s get started on some basics.”

  After a quick explanation of what magic was—not so much an external thing, but part of Anabel’s inner spirit—Juliet told her it was time to see if Anabel could feel her power deep inside herself.

  Anabel didn’t even have to think. “No.”

  “Well, then we’re going to try and feel it.”

  “I already tried last night. Nothing happened.”

  “We’ll try again.”

  “How?”

  “Take a deep breath,” Juliet advised. “First, you need to slow down your pulse. Your heart is beating so fast I can see the fluttering in the hollow of your throat.”

  Self-consciously, Anabel raised her hand to her neck. “Sorry. I’m a little nervous.”

  “Deep breath.”

  Obediently, Anabel inhaled. “I can’t help it,” she said, fidgeting in her chair. “This is all very odd.”

  “Then we’ll wait until you’re tranquil.” Rising, Juliet lit a candle, moving it over so the scent was close to Anabel. “We may have to do some yoga if this doesn’t help. Breathe. It’s eucalyptus. Very calming.”

  Desperate, Anabel inhaled the scent, trying to think calming thoughts, using the same mantra she used when meditating. A moment or two later, she blinked. Darned if she didn’t feel better. More confident and stronger.

  “Now we’ll talk about power,” Juliet said, smiling slightly as if she knew Anabel’s thoughts. “Everyone has a spark of magic inside. Some just have more than others.”

  Anabel nodded, the fear trying to creep back in. She couldn’t really explain her intense nervousness, but for some reason the entire idea of having magical powers scared her.

  If Tyler’s sister hadn’t needed her help, Anabel figured she would just have let the so-called magic stay locked up inside her. If she’d even ever learned of its existence, that was.

  “That you are able to see ghosts as more than energy speaks to your level of power. That’s one of the ways it manifests itself.” Juliet grinned. “And the fact that your ability to see and hear spirits didn’t make you go stark, raving crazy is another testament to your strength.”

  Strength. “I rarely feel strong, though I’ve realized what I’ve been through and overcome has given me strength. But that doesn’t matter. Tell me what else I should be able to do. Most important, I need the ability to track this creep who has Dena.”

  “And fight him,” Tyler chimed in, making Juliet jump.

  “I forgot about you,” Juliet said, shooting a stern glance in his general direction. “Fighting won’t be possible, not without a lot of practice. But I can teach Anabel to protect herself.”

  “That will have to do,” Anabel said grimly. “As long as I can hold him off long enough to get his captive—or captives—out.”

  “And then what?” Juliet asked, her sharp voice telling Anabel what she thought of that idea. “He’ll likely be furious. You won’t be able to hold him off forever.”

  Again Anabel and Tyler exchanged a glance. Again, her heart turned over in response. Tearing her gaze away, she focused on Juliet. “Then you’d better do your best to teach me as much as you can. It’s not like I even have a choice.”

  * * *

  Tyler didn’t know what it was about Anabel—other than her beauty—but every time their eyes met, he found himself entranced. H
is fascination deepened the more time he spent with her, which was not only impossible, but an unnecessary distraction. He’d come back to the earthly plane with one objective—to save his sister—and he couldn’t let this compelling attraction detour him.

  So he decided to leave the two women alone. There wasn’t much he could do anyway, other than be a disruption. Anabel had asked Juliet for twelve hours—an eternity for his sister, trapped and tortured. But this was only the second day since he’d appeared and begged Anabel for help. She needed to learn how to tap into her power if she wanted to have a prayer of finding Dena. He had to allow himself to trust and to hope.

  He left the human plane and went to the gray area he privately thought of as the in-between place. Not earth, but not the afterlife either. Once there, he made himself still and then sent himself out. Seeking, searching, for the spark of life force that belonged to his sister.

  There. Faint, but still burning. He zoomed to it, passing through nothing and everything, clouds and earth and night sky. When he reached her, in that damp, dank place where she was being held, he once again tried to communicate with her and comfort her.

  But Dena had no power and couldn’t sense his presence. In fact, he realized she’d sunk into a state of consciousness where she couldn’t sense much of anything at all.

  Horrified, he took stock of her condition. Her once slender body had become emaciated, and even though she lay curled in a corner in the fetal position, he could see the sharpness of her bones. Her labored breathing attested to her general state of unhealthiness, as did her lank and tangled hair. Even her aura had changed, becoming speckled with brown and black, as if a rotting poison festered inside her system.

  She didn’t have much longer. Tyler wanted to weep. And rage and storm. Most of all, he wished he had substance, so he could free her from the metal shackles tethering her bony ankles to the concrete wall.

  As his emotions roiled inside his spirit, he felt the approaching force of a heavy blackness descending on him. On them. Not just dark, but...evil.

  Which meant the warlock had sensed his presence. Magic, reaching even into the realm of spirit. Dangerous. Deadly, even.

  Tyler tried to retreat but found he could not. Invisible chains bound him, as surely as if a giant arm had reached out and held him against the concrete.

  Shocked, horrified, he made his form as ethereal as he could. Still, he could not escape the grip of the other. How powerful was this man, that he could not only sense a ghost, but also hold him down without saying a word?

  Magic. Something inside him stirred in response.

  Again, he eyed Dena, aching at the palpable pain radiating from her. Even in her comatose state, his sister must have sensed the presence, as well. She began to shake, making faint sounds—protests or pleas for help.

  Tyler concentrated on her. With every bit of energy he possessed, he willed her to lift her head, to realize he’d come in answer to her entreaties. From the light, bringing a small illumination to the shadows.

  The instant the thought occurred to him, the dark energy coalesced into a black flame of energy. And laughed, a chilling sound that echoed in the concrete chamber. Whatever part of the warlock that held Tyler became a fist. And the fist began to squeeze.

  Despite the fact that none of this should have been able to happen, Tyler felt the tightening grip crush the spark out of him. He stifled panic, struggling to fight. Another few seconds, and he didn’t doubt it would be snuffed out permanently.

  How was it possible for someone—anyone—to have this much dark power?

  Anabel. He called out her name with every fiber of his being, hoping against hope that she’d somehow hear him. And that she’d be able to save him.

  * * *

  Tired, Anabel once again allowed Juliet to put her through the paces. “Focus, concentrate and expand,” she chanted obediently, trying like heck to send her energy outward. She felt extremely foolish that after three hours of trying, she still had not succeeded even once.

  This time, she did. Something pulled her, tugged at the edges of her consciousness, and she allowed herself to follow the shining threat tethering her to him. To Tyler. Shocked, she realized he was in some sort of trouble.

  The instant she reached him, she understood. She felt the dark oppression of the other’s magic like a heavy weight on her physical chest, even though her actual body still sat in a chair in Juliet’s office.

  With her heart beating a rapid tattoo, she tried to do as Juliet had instructed. Focus and concentrate. Tyler was a ghost. While it shouldn’t be possible to trap an ethereal spirit, the other had done so, using magic.

  Therefore, it followed that Anabel could use her magic to free him. “Come to me, Tyler,” she ordered. “Come to me now.”

  Air whooshed—physical or otherwise—and Tyler came to her. All at once, she found herself back in her body in Juliet’s office. The impact of what she’d done knocked her from the chair to the floor. She felt dizzy and weak, as though her legs might not be able to stand. Taking a shaky breath, she held on to the back of her chair as she slowly climbed to her feet.

  “Are you all right?” Juliet rushed around the desk to help her up.

  Anabel waved her away, searching for Tyler. “I’m fine.”

  “What happened?”

  Spotting Tyler, nearly incandescent, in the doorway, Anabel smiled. “I just freed Tyler, my ghostly friend. It looks like the warlock had trapped his spirit. Such a thing shouldn’t be possible, should it?”

  “No.” Juliet gaped at her, her faded blue eyes wide. “You seriously went up against this evil psycho and won?”

  Dropping into the chair, Anabel put her head between her knees, willing the vertigo to stop. “Whatever I did seriously zapped my strength.”

  “But you succeeded?”

  “Apparently so.” Anabel gestured at Tyler. “Maybe I do have a prayer of saving your sister after all.”

  “Maybe so.” Tyler drifted closer, flickering in and out of existence. Even so, the maddening hint of arrogance about him made Anabel smile.

  Rather than smile back, Tyler shook his head. “We need to be careful. He wasn’t aware of us before. Now he most certainly is.”

  Then, before Anabel could react or respond, Tyler vanished in a tendril of smoke.

  “Ask him what happened,” Juliet urged. “How’d the warlock get him?”

  “He’s gone.” Anabel rubbed her aching temples, missing Tyler more than she should. “I’ll ask him later, when I see him again. In the meantime, let’s work some more. If that warlock does come looking for me, I want to be as prepared to face him as I possibly can be.”

  Eyes bright, Juliet nodded.

  They practiced drills over and over until Anabel could barely see straight. Eventually, she was able to focus her concentration enough to light a wadded-up piece of paper on fire. Juliet clapped. “Very good!”

  “That’s something, right?” Anabel asked, desperately in need of an encouraging word. “I’d hate to think we’ve spent all this time for nothing.”

  “It is something,” Juliet responded, her smile slowly fading. “And that shows your potential. But if you really want to win against a warlock, it’s not nearly enough.”

  Anabel groaned. “I’m exhausted. I think I’m finished for today. I have no more energy. Let me sleep on this tonight and I’ll practice in the morning.”

  Something in her tone made Juliet lean closer, concern in her eyes. “Practice what? Promise me you only mean to try these simple exercises like we’ve been working on.”

  Anabel didn’t even have to think. “I need to do more. And to do it better. The clock is ticking and I must find where Tyler’s sister is being held. First thing in the morning, I’m going to try to locate her.”

  “How?”

  “I’m not
sure. But if Tyler could use her energy to find her, surely I can do the same. And since I’m alive and can’t float through the air, I’m hoping I can trace her that way.”

  “It’s not much of a plan.” Arms crossed, Juliet sighed. “And since the bad guy now knows someone with magic is looking for him, it could put you at risk, as well.”

  Frustrated, Anabel pushed to her feet, stumbling slightly. “If you have a better idea, please let me know.”

  “I don’t,” Juliet admitted. “But still...”

  Anabel hugged her friend. “I know you’re worried, but I’ll be fine. I’ve got to pick up the pace. Tomorrow will be the third day since Tyler came to me asking for help. That’s entirely unacceptable. His sister has been held prisoner for way too long.”

  Juliet opened and then closed her mouth. Looking nearly as exhausted as Anabel felt, she nodded. “Fine. Practice. Read the books. And call me if you have any questions.”

  Driving home, Anabel kept expecting Tyler to pop into her car. When he didn’t, the disappointment felt way deeper than it should have. After all, he’d been in her life for only two days. Had she really gotten used to having him around that quickly? If so, her loneliness had made her more vulnerable than she’d realized.

  Despite giving herself a stern talking-to all the way home, she felt a sense of urgency in her need to see him. When she got home, it was all she could do not to run into her house, looking for him.

  But he wasn’t there. Stopping short of calling his name, she felt the emptiness of the place in a way she hadn’t since David’s death. Just great. Despite her self-imposed isolation and her confidence that she’d become self-reliant, put a sexy man in her path for a few days and she’d already become—not dependent, but intertwined with him somehow. Not fair. She of all people didn’t deserve the ache of missing someone again. Especially someone she barely knew. Who happened to be a ghost.

  Putting him from her mind, she fixed herself a bowl of cereal for her dinner and then got ready for bed.