Phantom Wolf. Bonnie Vanak

Curt said, his gray gaze steely. “My men killed the vamps and both Mage guards on the island. When the Mages died, they assumed their original forms. One was the nanny.”

      “So she was working for you.” Rogers turned his attention back to Kelly.

      Curt and Shay exchanged glances. No words needed. Shay could read his CO’s mind. The powerful Primary Mage had little tolerance for a slick politician with a hell-bent agenda.

      What an asshole.

      “Your organization is a front for stealing Elemental children to drain their magick and enrich your own powers. You would have killed my son had you the chance!”

      “Never! I was protecting him.”

      “Where did you get the knowledge of siphoning Elemental magick? The dark spell books were all destroyed.”

      Kelly rolled her eyes. “Now who’s naive? Knowledge isn’t contained by a book. Ever hear of our oral history?”

      Shadows darkened her face. “This goes a lot deeper than you realize. The Arcanes behind Billy’s kidnapping want to kill Phantom Elementals to take over their extraordinary powers and duplicate them. They’re going to create a Dark Lord.”

      A few harsh intakes of breath from all the Mages. Alarm filled Shay. Hell, she had to be wrong.

      Curt gave her the penetrating look he used to interrogate tangos, but it looked more thoughtful than menacing. “There hasn’t been a Dark Lord in three hundred years.”

      Rogers looked uneasy and then scoffed. “We have kept close watch over every Arcane through a regular sweep of ID cards. Until now, not one single Arcane has stolen Elemental magick.”

      Shay shifted uncomfortably. Curt glanced at him. “You’re wrong, Senator. There was one twelve years ago. We have no proof, though. He vanished off the radar.”

      A small, cruel smile played on the Mage’s lips. “I forgot. Your father, Denning. You’re just like him.”

      “I am not my father,” Kelly said, fire flashing in her eyes. “I save children. I’m about justice, unlike you. Just because you’re Elementals doesn’t make you better than me. Are you going to listen to me, you pigheaded fool? The real threat is still out there!”

      “Really, Robert. Are you going to let her talk to you like that?” Mrs. Rogers studied a manicured nail.

      Kelly gazed at Rogers without fear. Shay felt a surge of admiration. Same Kelly. Always standing her ground.

      Rogers raised his hands, power humming in the room. “I will tolerate no disrespect. Especially not from an Arcane. You will give me answers.”

      The senator sent the energy ball sailing toward Kelly. As it struck her, she cried out and flew backward, hitting the wall.

      Shay lost it. All his male protective instincts surged. Senator or not, Rogers could not treat a woman that way. You try talking without a tongue, you bastard…

      As Shay lunged forward, ready to leap over the desk, Curt reached out an arm and yanked him back. Waves of calming magick pulsed from the Mage. “Steady, Shay. Take it easy,” his CO murmured. “Not here. Not now.”

      Releasing Shay, Curt scowled at the senator. “I told you, interrogation by the rules. One more violation and I’ll toss you out on your ass myself.”

      Shay struggled to keep a civil tone. “Since when did we allow torture? We’re better than that.”

      “They’re both right. Do that again, Robert, and you’re leaving the base,” Admiral Byrne said quietly.

      Rogers laughed. “You can’t do that. I’m a U.S. senator who sits on the Armed Services Committee. I’ll cut the funding to your precious team of navy SEALs.”

      Byrne’s mouth twisted. “Don’t get into a pissing contest with me, son. You’ll lose. I’m fifteen hundred years old and can reduce you to ashes before you can say ‘defense budget.’”

      Ignoring them both, Shay crouched down by Kelly, who rubbed her side where the energy bolt had hit. A small, charred hole showed in the yellow print fabric.

      Their eyes met. A jolt went through him at the intense blueness he saw in her eyes. Shay reached out a hand, clasped hers. An internal shudder raced through him. So warm and soft.

      Up close, she smelled great, her delicate floral scent cutting through the ozone stench of energy Rogers had tossed at her.

      Shay cleared his throat. “You okay?”

      As he helped her stand, she gave a rueful smile.

      “I’m fine. That jolt works better than a shot of espresso. Maybe I can hire him to roust me out of bed in the morning.”

      Still the same Kelly, putting up a brave front. Shay studied her face. A bruise shadowed one perfect cheekbone. He touched it and she winced. His temper began to rise.

      Those blue eyes, once clear and sparkling as a summer sky, clouded with worry as she caught his expression.

      “I’m fine. I mean it. Thanks, Sam,” she said softly.

      She brushed off her jeans, nodded at the gray folding chair. “By the way, need that? Is it special? Other than for serving as the hot seat for suspects?”

      “It’s just a chair,” Shay told her, puzzled.

      “Okay. Let me show you something, Senator.”

      Digging into her jeans pocket, Kelly retrieved a silver necklace and draped it around her neck. She closed her eyes and extended her slim arms skyward. “Earth, earth, earth, water, water, water, fire, fire, fire, air, air, air.”

      Shay’s blood ran cold. The ancient chanting spell used by Arcanes to gather power from the elements. But they needed a secondary source to properly channel the power, such as an enchanted staff, a wand or an amulet, and all those had been banned… .

      The three swirls on the pendant around Kelly’s neck glowed. White light suffused her body, the energy pulsing steadily. Then she opened her eyes and flung out her hands toward the chair.

      KA-POW!

      The chair was a mangled, crumpled mess of metal. The little secretary taking notes gasped and stared at Kelly, who calmly regarded Rogers.

      “I can take care of myself. I chose not to attack you in return. You’re not dealing with a weak Arcane you can bully like you’ve bullied others.”

      Rogers sputtered as his wife gasped.

      “Where the hell did you get that power?” Rogers demanded. “Did you kill other Elemental children?”

      “If I had, would I allow you to hold me prisoner? My powers come from another source, a source for good.”

      Awareness shone in the senator’s eyes. “A triskele. No Arcane has one.” He approached Kelly and seized the pendant. It sizzled, and he jumped back with a yelp.

      “I put a spell on it so the humans couldn’t find it when they searched me. Oh, and enchanted it so any Mage trying to steal it will get burned.” Kelly gave a serene smile. “Oops. Forgot to mention that little fact.”

      Blood drained from Shay’s face. The triskele…Damn. She still had the pendant he’d given her. Now she’d learned to use it as a weapon.

      If the council found out Shay had illegally helped an Arcane…My ass is toast, he thought grimly.

      “Do you know who I am? I’m a U.S. senator and an Elder on the Council of Mages.” A vein throbbed in Rogers’s temple.

      “I know who you are. You’re Billy’s father,” Kelly said quietly.

      Silence draped the room.

      “He’s a very brave little boy. He needs you.”