“He’ll never let you get away with this,” I vowed, turning my head back to look at him.
“I’m counting on that, love,” Ian said. He gathered both of my hands above my head, crushing my wrists together.
A burst of red light hit Ian and he flew off of me. Scrambling to me feet I made a run toward the front door where Annabel stood.
“Get down,” Annabel yelled and I threw myself to the floor as something flew over my head and crashed into the wall next to her.
Plaster exploded around the room as an orange globe formed in Annabel’s hand. She threw it at Ian and he jumped out of the way just in time.
“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” Annabel said motioning for me to come to her.
As I stood, green tendrils of electricity shot past me and hit Annabel directly in the chest.
I watched horror stuck as she fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. “You’re not going anywhere.” Ian seethed from behind me.
“What did you do to her?” I dropped to my knees and crawled over to her writhing body. Where the hell was Robert?
Ian leapt across the room and grabbed my arm. “You really should have stuck with the Healer as your body guard.”
He kicked Annabel out of the way, her body still convulsing and dragged me toward the front door. His grip on my arm wasn’t as strong now that I had the rest of my body free. I kicked and squirmed until I slid from his grasp. I made a run for it but hit an invisible wall. Ian lunged on me in an instant and we rolled over each other on the floor. I ended up on top of him and pressed my forearm against his throat, cutting off his air supply.
He squirmed under me and then without warning an un-seeable force sent me flying across the room. I tumbled over the couch and slammed into the bookshelf. Several books fell on top of me as I scrambled to my feet. Before I could feel the pain from any of it, I jumped up and ran to the backdoor, sliding it open and stepping onto the balcony. I placed my hand on the ledge to jump over the veranda when Ian caught my arm and ripped me back inside, throwing me over the coffee table and onto the couch. I twisted off the couch, kicking the cushions to the floor as I hopped over the back and ran for the front door. I swung the door open but before I could take a step the door slammed shut in front of me with some invisible force of Magic.
“I told you. You’re on the losing side. It was a nice try, though,” Ian said as he stood up and adjusted his clothes.
I turned to face him, wracking my brain for a way out of this. Nothing presented itself. He was too strong to physically fight off and his Magic was far more advanced than mine.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said, shrinking back against the wall.
“Oh, yes I do,” he said, closing the gap between us.
I threw up my hands, focusing on creating a shield. I’d never needed it to work more than I did at that moment. He reached out to grab me when a transparent, golden veil appeared in front of me and blocked his hand. The colorful barrier was beautiful, and kept Ian from getting any closer. I sighed in relief and kept my focus on the shield.
“Very cute,” he said. Ian waved his palm in front of me and my shield disintegrated. “And now we’re going to do this without any more interference from you.” He grabbed me by the neck and cut off my air supply.
I clawed at his hand and tried to kick myself free but to no avail. The corners of my eyes blurred and my body started tingling. I kept kicking and pulling at his hands but the darkness soon closed in on me and my body went limp.
Chapter 19
A low ringing pierced the darkness around me and my body jostled back and forth. Every inch of me felt bruised and tender as I bumped around on a cold, hard surface. My eyes refused to focus and my mouth tasted like salt and copper from the blood that had pooled on my tongue.
“Why didn’t you take the connection spell off her?” a familiar woman’s voice screeched.
I strained to focus my eyes but couldn’t see anything. My vision was blurry and when I tried to lift my head I felt like I would throw up.
“Because I want him to feel her die." A menacing grin spread across Ian's face.
My body bounced up and down as we hit a pothole. My head hit the floor and stars shot across my vision as I desperately tried to hold onto consciousness.
“You’re brilliant, you know,” the woman said. I could hear the admiration in her voice and it made me sick.
I tried to sit up again, only to fumble and slam into several boxes that fell over with a loud crash.
“I thought you said she was out?” the woman asked sounding annoyed.
“She was. I’ll handle it, just keep driving,” Ian ordered.
Ian grabbed me by my waist and I kicked him in the stomach. As I wiggled away from him, I slipped and my head crashed into the side of the van. Darkness bled into my vision as I fought to stay conscious.
“Bitch!” he exclaimed and grabbed me again. He flipped me over and pressed his full weight against me so I could barely move.
“Get off me!” I yelled and struggled to squirm free.
Ian slapped me hard across the face, stunning me into submission. My left eye watered and my cheek stung where his hand had caught me. He grabbed me by the neck and I clawed at his hands. Terror burst through me as I struggled to breathe.
“Cyspan,” he said over me. My arms and legs went rigid.
He smashed my head against the van’s bare metal floor and my vision went black. He got off of me and kicked me in the ribs, sending me over on my side stiff as a board.
“Some Waker,” the woman huffed from the driver’s seat. Her low, cruel laugh was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.
>>>><<<<
I woke up again with a splitting headache. Blinking my eyes open I realized I was sitting up with my back against something wooden. The ground felt soft beneath me. Water lapped at my legs and the even rhythm of the tide soothed me into a false sense of ease. My arms had been wrapped around a wooden pillar that dug into my skin where it had splintered. Turning my head I took a cautious look around. My vision was still a little blurry but I could make out the scenery by squinting. I was under a pier and facing the ocean. The rain had calmed to a light drizzle but the wind had picked up, bringing the dark, ominous clouds on the horizon closer with every gust.
Ian and the woman were nowhere in sight but I could hear muffled voices coming from somewhere behind me. I tried to pull my hands free but found it impossible. Whatever bound me to the pillar refused to budge. A million thoughts ran through my head as I tried not to panic. Robert should have reached me by now. I cursed myself for not asking him to spend the day with me. Peace and quiet seemed like the last thing in the world I wanted now. I searched my surroundings for a sharp rock or stick that I might be able to turn into a weapon but saw nothing but sand. How ironic that I might die on the beach when it had always been such a place of peace for me.
I pulled my legs in close in an attempt to keep them out of the cold water but the tide started coming in and I knew the water would reach me soon.
“Finally awake I see,” the woman said as she came into view and stood in front of me.
“Lila.” Horror gripped me.
“So Robert told you about me then.” She knelt down in front of me. “I'm sure he didn't tell you everything.” Venom coated her voice.
“What are you going to do to me?”
“Kill you of course.” She chuckled as if the answer was humorously obvious. “You see, you’re a burden to the Magical world and my father wants to stop you before it’s too late.” The corner of her mouth pulled up.