Circle of Fire (Damask Circle 1)

Mack caught up with him as he strode down the steps. “Leave this to the experts, Barnett.”

He wrenched his arm from Mack’s grip. “In this case, that’s me. Eleanor is something you’ve never seen before, something you have no experience in handling.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Mack stated grimly. “I’ve seen a lot of strange things in my twenty years of service.”

Jon smiled impatiently. He’d bet his life Mack had never seen the likes of Eleanor. Or him. And maybe he needed to see it.

He glanced around. The other officers were inside the cabin and no one appeared to be taking any notice of them. In many ways, what he was about to do meant his life now rested in the FBI agent’s hands. At the very least, Mack could make his life hell with the knowledge he was about to give him.

“Maybe.” He studied Mack a moment longer. Maddie and Seline were right. He couldn’t handle Eleanor and Hank alone—at least when Maddie was around to get caught in the middle. “Have you got a spare cell phone handy?”

Mack frowned, but dug a small phone out of his pocket. “You know my number.”

Jon nodded. He’d called Mack less than a handful of times in the ten years they’d known each other, but he knew the number by heart. Once it had even saved his life.

Maybe this time it would save Maddie’s.

He shoved the phone into his pocket, knowing it would change when he did—though the how and why of it escaped him. It was just a part of the magic that enabled him to shift shape. “I’ll call when I find them,” he said, and stepped away from Mack. “Damn it, Barnett—”

The rest of Mack’s comment was cut off as Jon made the change. With a flick of his wings, he flew skyward, ignoring the rain, the wind, and Mack’s startled curse as he began his search for Maddie.

THERE WAS A MADMAN INSIDE HER HEAD, BEATING A THOUSAND drums. Maddie groaned softly and wished he’d leave her alone. Though it wasn’t only her head that felt ready to explode. Her whole body ached, as if the madman had thrown her around like some rag doll.

She opened her eyes. The light, though murky, made her eyes water. She blinked the tears away, and dark gray vinyl met her gaze. She frowned in confusion and blinked again. The stretch of gray vinyl became a seat—the back of a car seat.

She was in a car. Hank’s car, she thought, without really understanding the reason for her certainty. And they were still moving.

She shifted slightly, struggling to look around without letting him know she was awake. She couldn’t see the second teenager, but Eleanor and Hank were both in the front seat.

She tried to shift again, but a sharp twist of pain ran down her arms and stopped her. She bit back a yelp and tried to ease her arms forward. They wouldn’t move. She pulled again, then realized they were tied—and so tightly that she was beginning to lose feeling in her fingers.

Cursing silently, she glanced up at the back window. Rain beat against it—a torrent that made it impossible to see anything. There was no hope of telling where she was, or where they were going.

“Damn you, Hank.”

The sudden sound of Eleanor’s voice made Maddie jump. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed they hadn’t noticed she was awake.

“How was I to know he’d already be

en inside? I told you, he came around the side, and the windows were shut.” Hank’s voice was an odd mixture of contempt and fear.

Eleanor gave an unladylike snort. “Shut, but not locked, you fool.”

Opening her eyes a little, Maddie saw Hank hunker down in the seat. “We still got one kid. Can’t we just go kidnap another?” This time there was definitely an edge of fear to his voice.

“I told you, we need the Gaskell kid for the ceremony. There’s not enough time to go through another cleansing.”

“Barnett’s probably handed him over to the police by now.”

“No doubt.” Contempt ran through her sharp voice. “But the police station is the least of our problems.”

Hank grunted. For several long minutes, the growl of the engine was the only noise to be heard above the heavy pounding of rain against the windows.

“Stop here.” Eleanor leaned forward in the seat as the car jerked to a halt. “Get the kid out of the trunk.”

Maddie shut her eyes again. The car doors opened, then there was a sharp rap of boots against loose gravel. I should run while I have the chance. But what hope would she have against Eleanor, who had the shape and speed of a panther?

The trunk opened, and Maddie risked a quick peek again. The dark branches of an old Christmas-tree-type pine hung low over the car, protecting it from the worst of the weather. They were somewhere in the mountains, obviously, but beyond that there was very little to be seen.