Judith knew Blythe was right, but now they were all feeding one another, trading intense emotions that Judith couldn't rein in. Rikki's storm gripped all of them, and the sheer force of it was shocking.
Where are you? Judith demanded, searching for Stefan.
She reached out, pushing her spirit further than she'd ever consciously tried before. Power swept through Sea Haven, rattling windows and shaking buildings. The ground buckled.
Judith?
She could feel Stefan's instant rejection, the impression of great danger, pain cut off, and fear for her. She knew at once that he was wounded. For a moment the world around her disappeared and there was only Stefan. She caught glimpses of blood, thick and congealed on his shoulder and running down his arm. Her heart stuttered in her chest and for a moment the edges of consciousness blackened. The earth buckled and a narrow crack raced down the shoulder of the street closest to the ocean.
Oh, God, you're hurt. Nothing else mattered. No one else mattered in that moment. She saw him and she saw her brother, fallen, bloody, lifeless.
Thunder crashed and lightning struck the street, exploding a small shrub, setting flames dancing and blackening the earth around it. The flames should have gone out with the drenching rain, but instead, they took on a life of their own, growing and spreading until they were a long train, rushing down the middle of the street as if the water was jet fuel.
Get out of here now. Ivanov is at his most dangerous when he's cornered.
A volley of shots rang out and Judith's heart skipped a beat. Stefan!
Levi!
Rikki's voice burst through Judith's head, anguished, terrified for him.
I'm all right, baby. Calm down a little, I'm drowning. That was definitely Levi, finding a little amusement in his wife's storm.
Judith realized she was connecting all of them, all five elements, Levi and Stefan. She even felt Blythe's presence.
Judith, since you're here, stay where you are. Keep out of sight. I'm going to use the boost of power to try to free Levi's leg. Stefan was the calm in the middle of the turbulent storm. Levi, whatever you do, resist the impulse to move around. You know he set more traps.
Then I'll have to find them and spring them before some innocent kid stumbles on them.
Judith couldn't fail to hear the pain in Levi's voice. He was every bit as calm as Stefan, but he was hurting.
Thomas. Even in the middle of a crisis, she noted Levi kept to Stefan's cover. Don't take any chances. He's all over you.
Stefan didn't reply and two more shots rang out. Lightning slammed to earth a street over and flames raced up and over the houses following the lightning. Fortunately Rikki's violent thunderstorm seemed to be able to keep the glowing blaze from setting the wood on fire.
"Lissa!" Blythe hissed her name. "Reel it in. I'm telling all of you, get control before something terrible happens."
"If we could see this Ivanov," Rikki said, "we could keep him away from both Stefan and Levi. Maybe even drive him out of the village."
Judith didn't bother to point out that Ivanov would surely return, he'd already come and gone once before, but Rikki did have a good idea.
"We came to keep him off our men," Judith affirmed, "so let's do it."
Blythe sighed. "You know not only are those men going to wring your necks, but so is Jonas. And I've got my cell phone out to dial. The storm's interfering with the signal so back it off, Judith."
Judith didn't care if Jonas was called, all she cared about was making certain Stefan and Levi weren't in immediate danger. She sprinted to the narrow space between two storefronts that connected the street to the one behind it where some of the residents had homes. Her sisters followed her. The moment they were close to the street, still hidden from view, she halted and peered cautiously around the corner.
She was disappointed when she couldn't locate any of the three men, but she knew she was much closer to the actual battle zone. The street pulsed with violent energy. A bullet splintered wood on the back gate of the neighboring house. The shot came from across the street, but she couldn't see anyone, nor could she see Stefan, but he had to be in that yard somewhere.
You hit? Levi asked.
No, he's fishing. But I've got to get that trap off you before he circles around.
"Why isn't he shooting back? They have enough weapons for a small army," Rikki said.
Judith shrugged, trying to pinpoint Stefan's exact location. She felt his concentration, an intense energy focused directly on an object a great distance from him. She caught the picture in her mind and nearly cried out. The surge of fear added to Rikki's mounting terror. Both caught a glimpse of the medieval, vicious-looking device--a modified bear trap with serrated teeth honed to a razor's edge.
Judith's breath caught in her throat. A collective gasp came from her sisters and Rikki gave a shattered cry.
Is that thing on your ankle, Levi?
Rikki's wail of horror was loud in Judith's mind, amplifying her own near panic.
Raindrops turned icy cold, pummeled the street in the form of small icy golf balls. The wind bit at the fences.
More like my calf, honey, but Stefan will get it open. Stay put and trust us to handle this. I need you out of harm's way.
The love in his voice only added to the mix of emotions the women were sharing. Clouds swirled and the wind blew sheets of rain down the street. In the center of the dark overhead mass, lightning danced and on the street, driven by the wind; a tower of flames rose high in spite of the rain--or maybe because of it. The flames fed by Lissa's fiery element.
Another volley of shots sprayed the dancing fire tower, but the sheer force of the wind caught the bullets midflight and held them hovering in the air.
"Airiana," Blythe hissed. "Stop playing with ammunition."
"Sorry," Airiana said. "I didn't mean to do it."
"At least those bullets won't go into someone's house," Judith pointed out.
Through it all, Stefan's concentration didn't waver. He seemed to be the eye of the storm. Everything around him was chaos, the hail pounding cars and rooftops, the wind swirling in a vicious twister rushing down the street to sweep up everything in its path. Stefan blocked it all out. Judith could feel his absolute composure.
Two shots rang out again in quick succession, and Judith winced, as they hit just past the fence into the thick shrubbery where she feared Stefan had taken cover. Stefan never flinched, keeping his mind focused on what he was doing, slowly separating the wick jaws clenched around Lev's ankle.
She actually felt the draw on her power and she gave him everything she could, reaching for that deep well inside of her to boost his abilities. Instantly, the lock on the gate close to her popped open with a rusty creak. Up and down the streets, gates flew open and doors unlatched.
"Whoops," Judith said. "Didn't mean for that to happen."
"Take control, Judith," Blythe urged. "I've called Jonas, but you can weave all the elements and push that man far away from Thomas and Levi. You weave them all together at the farm, you can do it here."
"Everyone's all over the place," Judith said, shaking her head.
Because you are, Stefan said. You have the power and control, angel, you can handle anything. You just have to believe in yourself.
Thomas.
Levi's voice was absolutely calm. He didn't say anything else, but Rikki moaned and Judith felt the tension in Stefan coil tighter. Not just tension. Resolve. Something in him changed, grew cold and she knew immediately what he was going to do.
Levi had spotted Ivanov coming back toward him.
"Rikki." Judith's voice rang with authority. "Locate Levi. Show him to me. Everything around him. Do it now. Take a deep breath, connect with him and let me see where he is."
Judith knew every street and yard in Sea Haven. She'd owned her shop for five years and she'd walked every street over those years, up and down, unable to contain her restless energy.
Levi? Rikki reached for her husba
nd with every bit of strength she possessed, amplified a hundred fold by Judith's spirit element.
For one moment Judith was disoriented, her mind so divided she felt sick and knew she was feeling Levi's emotions, but she caught glimpses of an old water tower and a broken fence, a wooden cart partially sunk into the ground and filled with flowers. Triumph burst through her. She knew exactly where Levi was.
She could feel Stefan's absolute confidence in her. I've seen you at work, angel.
Judith took a breath, glanced over her shoulder at her sisters and raised her hands. At once the symphony began. Fire danced into the sky and rained embers, the wind pushing the wall of flames over the street, impossible to see through. Rain fell in sheets in front of the flames and behind it, building a tower that seemed impenetrable.
Stefan broke out of his cover, running behind the dancing wall of flames, across the street to the yard she was certain Ivanov had deserted. The fire and rain pushed forward, straight toward the yard behind where she was certain Levi was. In the distance, the sound of sirens penetrated the edge of her consciousness. Jonas was on the way.
Levi and I have illegal weapons on us. If you're going to trap Ivanov and keep him from hurting anyone, do it now. We have to be gone when your friend gets here.
Judith hurried across the street, behind Stefan, keeping Lissa's advancing wall of fire moving forward fast, pushed by Airiana's wind.
Levi, leaning heavily on a large branch, hobbled toward the far end of the yard where the wooden wagon with flowers lay. Blood ran heavily down the leg dragging along the uneven ground as he made his way toward the fence to get out of the assassin's minefield. Ivanov burst around the corner of a building, weapon out, aiming for Levi. Simultaneously, Stefan rushed from the other side, firing, the first bullet catching Ivanov and spinning him around.
Hoses reared up like angry snakes, water shooting out of the gaping mouths, whipping at the exterminator, driving him away from the two men, making it impossible to fire a shot. One hose lashed at him repeatedly, wrapped around his wrist and wrenched the gun from him. Ivanov dropped to the ground and crawled behind the shed. Stefan kept running across the yard, tackled Levi, taking him down and dragging him toward cover.
The shed exploded, wood flying outward as a heavy car burst through the front of the structure, aimed straight at Stefan and Levi. Even as Stefan wrapped his arms around his brother and rolled to try to get out of the path, the pounding water curved, formed a tunnel and engulfed the car. A second tunnel merged with the first, a violent wind that caught the car and spun it, pushing it away from the men, into the street and down toward the ocean.
Levi caught Stefan's arm and pressed his mouth to his brother's ear in order to be heard above the shrieking wind. "Get out of here now. Take the weapons, and get to the Jeep. Go back to the farm. Let me handle Jonas. If you're caught with all these guns, you'll go to jail. Jonas will take me to the hospital and Rikki and Blythe will stay with me. Judith, get him out of here now."
The sound of brakes screaming told them all that Ivanov was frantically trying to control his car. Judith kept the pressure on, pushing the vehicle almost into the sheriff's path before she eased up on the wind. Ivanov responded by shoving a machine gun out the driver side window and letting loose a barrage of bullets at the sheriff, spinning his car around and heading out of town. The sheriff's car followed, lights whirling, sirens blaring.
Judith directed the slashing rain over Ivanov's car, hoping to not only slow him down, but make it impossible for him to see Jonas or Aleksandr through the sheets of water pouring from the turbulent skies. More shots rang out and she dropped a twister of wind and water right over the car. Drawn to the sea, the wild cyclone swept the car closer and closer to the edge of the bluffs. It crashed through the wooden fence and tumbled onto the grass-covered bluff.
Judith nearly screamed in frustration, desperately trying to control the terrible force of five elements interwoven and feeding each other power and fear.
Lexi pushed dirt upward in an effort to stop the forward momentum of the vehicle. The twister whirled, the rain poured down and the car slid closer to the edge of the bluff. Judith tried to shut down the fury of the weave, easing back on the wind and rain. Lissa's flames had long since gone out. The car seemed to hesitate and then it went straight over the edge.
The storm collapsed in on itself. Judith slumped against the side of the building. "I tried to stop it," she whispered. "I wasn't trying to push him over the edge."
"You didn't," Stefan said. "Ivanov sent the car over. It went in a straight line."
"You've got to go," Levi reiterated as Rikki and Lexi reached his side. "Now, Thomas. And none of you can say he was here." He looked around at the women. "You don't have to lie, just leave him out of it. Ivanov was hunting me."
He wasn't satisfied until all of them nodded in agreement--even Blythe.
18
"YOU drugged me, you cretin," Judith accused the moment they were inside her house, whirling around to glare at Stefan, hands on hips. "In the chocolate--your old Russian recipe. You drugged me. And don't you dare tell me you didn't."
Stefan nodded his head. "I can see that was probably a mistake."
"Probably? It was probably a mistake?"
Judith looked around for something to throw at his head. All that she could find was a kaleidoscope sitting on the end table. She launched it at him, instantly regretting it, not because it might dent his thick skull but because she loved that kaleidoscope. It was one she'd created for all of her sisters, a mandala for each of them, and one for herself. Each of them had one in their homes.
The ornate cylinder stopped in midair, inches from him. Stefan reached out and carefully wrapped his fingers around the kaleidoscope and set it gently back on the end table, wincing a little as his bloodied arm protested.
"Definitely a mistake. I clearly should have said definitely," he stated. "Do you have a first-aid kit? I think I need a couple of stitches." As a bid for sympathy, he thought a little reminder that he was wounded might be just the right touch.
Judith's scowl deepened. "Do you have to play hero all the time? You made me crazy with the way you were just inviting him to shoot you. You have a gun. Lots of guns. I didn't see you shooting back at him."
"I shot him," he defended, allowing his gaze to drift over her body.
Judith was drenched. Completely, utterly drenched and dripping water on the carpet. Her long hair hung in thick black tails and droplets of water beaded on her skin reminding him of dew on rose petals. Her clothes were nearly transparent and she was shivering continually, her teeth actually chattering, although she was so upset she didn't appear to notice. She was shivering and it wasn't all due to the cold. She believed herself responsible for a man's death and that sort of thing could take its toll on a civilian. She was bordering on shock.
Stefan frowned and took a step toward her. She stepped back and swift impatience crossed his hard features.
"Judith, you're soaked. We can do this after you've gotten in a warm bath."
When he saw her head shake, he turned his back on her and walked down the hall to her bedroom, stripping as he went. He wasn't about to argue with her. If she didn't follow him, he was going to do more than act a cretin, he was going to throw her over his shoulder and dump her shivering little ass in the bath.
His shoulder stung like hell and he had to limp with the heel of his boot missing. God, he was tired and worried about his brother. The last he'd seen of Levi, he'd been taken away in an ambulance. Stefan would never believe Ivanov was dead, not until he saw the body.
He piled his wet clothes in the sink, started Judith a bath and wrapped a towel around himself, more for warmth than modesty. He was every bit as soaked as she was. He waited there in the bathroom, studying his arm. It was the second time he'd gotten nailed and he had a fresh chunk of muscle missing. His shoulders were just too broad for cat-and-mouse games with killers.
He heard her padding down the hall
on her bare feet. The moment she stepped through the door he reached for the buttons on her jeans, yanking the waistband open and jerking the denim down to her thighs. "Off," he commanded. "Just take the damn things off and get in the bath." Even as he let go of her jeans, he caught her tank top and dragged the soaked material over her head, tossing it on top of his wet clothes before she could protest.
Judith steadied herself by placing a hand on his chest as she kicked off the wet jeans. "I'll look at your shoulder first."
"You'll get into the bath. You're shaking like a leaf. This is nothing I haven't had happen before. Hurts like hell, but won't kill me." He took her arm and urged to her toward the bathtub. "Get in. I'll take a shower and wrap it."
"You're so bossy," Judith complained, making a face at him as she stepped into the steaming water.
"Your teeth are chattering and if you shake any more you're going to break something." She was understandably upset, although he still wasn't entirely convinced of Levi's "truth under any circumstances policy," but if she wanted him to, he'd give it a try--as long as she wasn't in any danger. Of course, she'd handled herself very well and she'd probably use that as an argument. It wouldn't fly with him, but he'd listen.
"What did you mean when you said Ivanov drove his car off the cliff?"
"I doubt he was in it." There. That was the truth. Her face went white and he cursed his brother under his breath. "Go under the water and get your hair wet with hot water. You're still cold, Judith. And don't worry about Ivanov. If he's still alive"--and he had no doubt in his mind Ivanov was alive and nursing his wounds somewhere--"we'll find him."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "By drugging me and going out every night to search for him?"
He caught up a towel and stood behind her until she did as he'd asked and dunked her long hair under the hot water. He waited until she wrung it out, and threw the thick mass over her shoulder with a careless gesture and a smoldering glare. He towel-dried the long, silky strands, rubbing and massaging her scalp to get her warm.
"I admitted that was a mistake, Judith," he said quietly. "I've never been in a relationship before, and my first instincts are always to protect you. I thought I was doing that. Apparently I was wrong."