Chasing Steel: Capturing Magic Books 1-3 Read online

  Between all of Easton’s touching and the way Asher keeps licking his lips, I momentarily get lost and forget who I am, my past—I forget everything. Then my gaze travels to the hologram and I pull my head out of my ass.

  Stupid, sexy genie and faerie! They’re messing with my head.

  “Okay. I don’t even want to know what you guys are up to, but the Worlds Patrol is closing in on us, so we should probably take care of that problem.” I loathe the shakiness in my voice. “That is, unless you guys want to lose your thief.”

  With another skim of his tongue along his lips, Asher tears his gaze off me and fixes his smoky eyes on East. “What do you think? Plan A or Plan S?”

  “Plan A or Plan S?” I stare at them in confusion. “Okay, first of all, you guys never discussed a plan. And second, you skipped about twenty letters.”

  “We always have plans on hand. And the letters, they stand for something.” Asher’s gaze sweeps up and down my body, then he nibbles on his bottom lip. “I’m not sure Plan S will work, no matter how much I want to try it.”

  Don’t do it. Don’t ask.

  “What does the S stand for?” Why, oh why, can’t I keep my mouth shut?

  Asher sucks on his lip ring. “As much as I’d love to tell you, I don’t think you’re ready to hear the answer.”

  Warmth floods my skin as words that begin with S invade my thoughts. Sexy, sweltering, suck, scream, sex, sex, sex.

  Asher chuckles. “You’re ridiculously cute when you blush.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m not blushing. I’m pissed off.”

  “Liar,” he starts to tease, but then sighs, his gaze shifting to the hologram window again. “So, Plan A?”

  “Unfortunately, I think so,” Easton replies with his gaze on me. “She’s definitely not ready for Plan S yet.” He strokes my upper arm with his wing. “No matter how much I want her to be.”

  “You guys are so annoying,” I scoff, crossing my arms.

  “If you say so,” Easton whispers in my ear.

  Before my body can work up a shiver, Asher claps his hands. “Let’s get started then.” Wrapping his fingers around my wrist, he guides me toward him with what looks like a hint of jealousy in his eyes. “East, go get Arrow and fill him in.”

  East salutes Asher then whisks off toward the hallway, laughing to himself.

  What he thinks is so funny is beyond me.

  “Now, for your part in the plan …” Asher leaves the anticipation hanging as he tugs me toward the hallway.

  “Can you please tell me what I’m going to be doing,” I plead as I stumble after him, “so I can try to mentally prepare myself?”

  “You, little thief, are going to be doing what you do best,” he explains as he steers me into my temporary bedroom.

  “Which is what? Stealing? Smarting off? Being a pain in your ass?” I grin when he shoots me an unimpressed look. “What? I’m good at all those things.”

  “That might be true”—he leans toward me, smoke swirling in his eyes—“but as of right now, all I need you to do is sneak around.”

  “In the vehicle or outside? And where’s the end point?”

  “Outside. And the end point is …” Hesitancy crosses his features. “I need you to make it to the forest.”

  I slant away from him, blinking in shock. “The forest? But I thought you guys said I couldn’t go in there until we found out what I am?”

  “That’s the tricky part about this plan. You need to go far enough into the forest to wait for us, but under no circumstances are you to actually cross into the borders of faerie territory. The distance between the edge of the forest and the border into fey territory is very small. So small you won’t be able to squeeze in there.” He pulls me toward the hologram window that’s in my room, which is currently displaying a waterfall cascading into a river. “However, I know of a place on the far east side where there should be enough room for you to hang out for a bit. The problem is, you’re going to have to cross a river.”

  “I can do that. It doesn’t actually sound too bad. Although, I don’t get why you guys don’t just transport away from here.”

  “The patrol has our vehicle on lockdown right now. We could override it, but that would be part of Plan S, which we already agreed you aren’t ready for.” Wariness shines in his eyes. “And don’t be so relaxed about the river. It’s full of sirens.”

  Chills break out across my skin. “As in, those winged creatures that lure men to wreck their ships?”

  “That’s more of a myth than truth. The truth is way worse.” He presses a few buttons on the hologram and the waterfall scene fades into a massively wide, flowing river that weaves between the towering trees of the Shimmerland forest. Moving up behind me, he reaches over my shoulder and traces his finger along a faint silver line on the hologram. “See that line right there?” he asks, and I nod. “Well, that lines marks where the faerie territory starts, which means, if you cross that line and another creature registers that you’re not human, you could be in some serious trouble, depending on what the creature is. It’s not nightfall yet, so you shouldn’t have to worry about the Banished, but that doesn’t mean the forest isn’t less dangerous—”

  The vehicle suddenly jerks harshly to the right, sending me slamming into the wall. Asher stumbles, too, his body pressing against mine, and my head ends up pinned between his arms.

  “Holy shit,” he breathes into my hair.

  “What the hell was that?” I whisper, moving to push back, but he doesn’t budge and my ass ends up grinding against his genie goodies.

  He groans into my hair, his hand lowering from the wall to my hip. “Gods, it’s been too long.” His fingers delve into my waist. “Way, way too long.”

  My heart thunders in my chest, and those crazy-ass butterflies in my stomach get stupidly excited again. I want to tell them to calm the hell down, but holy freakin’ what-the-shit-is-happening right now? Because I can’t seem to do anything other than pant. Loudly.

  “Are you okay?” Asher whispers, his grip on me tightening.

  I’m not even sure what he means. If I’m okay because I was thrown into a wall or because I’m breathing as loudly as an elf participating in a tap dancing competition.

  “Yeah,” I manage to croak out.

  “Harlynn,” he groans, sounding pained.

  I feel the same way. Pain. An aching deep inside me. A longing perhaps?

  I’m not sure.

  I’m not sure about anything anymore. Whether these … butterfly feelings are from the magic of the curse his father cast on us, or if the last eighteen years of not getting any has finally caught up with me.

  Get your hormones in check, Harlynn. Right now!

  “Asher.” It takes a lot of effort, but my voice comes out steady. “What the hell just shook the vehicle?”

  A drop of silence goes by, then …

  “Fuck.” He pushes away from me, and I turn around, my heart still a mess in my chest.

  Our gazes connect for a faltering, breath-stealing moment before the door swings open and the moment poofs away like genie smoke.

  “They put a shield around our vehicle,” East announces as he rushes into my room with Arrow trailing behind him. “So, it looks like we’re going to have to do Plan S.”

  Asher gives me a strange look that makes my heart rate quicken while East grins, seeming pretty happy. Arrow, on the other hand, offers me a remorseful look.

  I sink my teeth into my bottom lip. “All right, will you guys cut the shit and tell me what the hell Plan S is? Your weird, contradicting looks are starting to freak me the crazy genies out.”

  “Crazy genies?” Asher cocks a brow at me then quickly shakes his head and points a finger at me. “All right, you need to stop talking.”

  My lips part in surprise. “What the heck did I do?”

  “You’re distracting,” East explains as he rolls up the sleeves of his shirt. “Every time those gorgeous lips of yours part, we end up fo
rgetting our vehicle is surrounded, and we need to deal with the problem.”

  “I’m not doing it on purpose,” I sulk, wrapping my arms around myself.

  “I know.” East steps toward me. “But you have this way about you. An allure. I’m starting to wonder if perhaps it may have to do with whatever you are.”

  “You make me sound like I’m a siren.” My gaze skates to the hologram. “Like the ones in the river. Which FYI, do I still have to go there?”

  East shakes his head. “Nope.”

  I’d be ecstatic about that, except for the fact that we’re about to do Plan S and I still have no clue what the S stands for.

  “Don’t look so frightened, little mouse.” East moves to stand in front of me, crowding my personal space. “No one here is going to hurt you. In fact, what we’re about to do …” A grin curls at his lips. “I have a feeling you’re going to like it.”

  I shake my head. “I really doubt that.”

  East eyes me over. “I guess we’ll see then.” Then his hands come down against the wall, trapping me between his arms.

  I glance worriedly at Arrow, since he’s the only one I really trust. Remorse remains in his eyes, but he offers me a tentative smile.

  “He’s not going to hurt you, I promise.” Arrow rubs his lips together. “None of us are.”

  While I believe him, his words do nothing to alleviate my nerves. It doesn’t help that a voice suddenly blares from outside.

  “This is the Worlds Patrol,” they declare. “Our radar has registered an illegal and potentially dangerous paranormal on your vehicle. You need to turn it over immediately. If you refuse to do so, you will be detained. And don’t even think about trying to escape. We have you surrounded, there are hellhounds nearby, and we’ve put a restriction shield around your vehicle.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot of work they’re putting into this,” East teases, but nervousness resides in his eyes. “Whatever you are, sweetheart, you must be important.”

  “Or dangerous,” I whisper. “Did you hear what they said?”

  East shrugs. “They’re just trying to get us worried so we’ll toss you out.”

  Then why does he look a bit uneasy?

  I glance in Asher’s direction. He appears edgy, as well. Are they afraid of me? Should I be afraid of myself?

  “No one’s afraid of you,” Asher insists, either because he read what I was thinking all over my face, or I accidentally said my thoughts aloud again. “We’re just concerned over what’s about to happen.”

  I can’t tell if he’s being truthful or not, but I guess it doesn’t really matter at the moment.

  I may have said before that perhaps it’d be better if the Worlds Patrol arrested me, but after what the announcer just said … yeah, I’m thinking it might be better to stay with the cocky genie, flirty faerie, and sweet cyborg.

  “What’s about to happen?” I dare ask aloud.

  East’s eyes twinkle with excited glee. “Our lips are about to get reacquainted.”

  “Reacquainted?” Asher growls at the same time I say, “No freakin’ way.”

  “What do you mean reacquainted?” Asher asks more calmly this time.

  East pulls a whoopsie face. “I may have licked some frosting off her lips earlier, but only because I was hungry.”

  “For what exactly?” Asher snaps with raised brows.

  “You two are getting off the subject again,” Arrow intervenes, giving a pressing glance at the hologram. “And we’re running out of time.”

  I start to turn to see what’s happening on the hologram when East’s lips come down on mine. I suck in a sharp breath through my nose, then lift my hands to his chest to push him away. However, he captures my hands and parts my lips with his tongue, kissing me deeply while pulling my body against his. Then his wings begin to stroke my shoulders; soft, velvety tickles across my skin.

  Somewhere between the kissing and the touching, I forget about everything and end up kissing him back. I blame it on my hormones. After years of trying not to get intimate with anyone, I’ve finally lost all my self-control. Leave it to a tricky faerie to make that happen.

  Damn faeries. They’re so annoying and crafty, but really good kissers. And their wings are so soft …

  Wait. When did I start fondling his wing?

  East’s body shudders as I trail a path along the tip of his wing, his teeth dragging across my bottom lip. I moan, traveling from his wing to his side as my knees begin to wobble.

  This feels so good …

  With one last suck on my bottom lip, East pulls away.

  “I think someone may have liked that,” he teases, the corners of his lips kicking up into a smirk.

  I get control over myself and raise my hands to shove him back. “In your dreams, faerie—”

  In the snap of a wish, Asher is in front of me and crashing his lips against mine with so much force I swear I’m going to have a bruise. But it feels so good, like heat and sparks and fire. Scorching. Blazing. Powerful.

  When I gasp, he slides his tongue into my mouth. The taste of warmth and cupcakes flood my senses, and a groan escapes my lips, embarrassingly loud. I clutch the bottom of his shirt, while he finds my waist, skimming his fingers along my sides as he tugs me closer, devouring me with his mouth.

  I have no clue what in the hell of all orgies is going on, but I let him keep kissing me and even bite his lip a few times, basking in the taste of him, basking in the way he touches me, basking in—

  He jerks back, smoke funneling in his eyes. Then he spins me around and straight into Arrow’s lean, mechanical arms. I gasp as our chests collide, still struggling to catch my breath.

  “I’m sorry,” Arrow whispers, then slowly lowers his lips to mine, giving me plenty of time to move away.

  I don’t. Again, I don’t have a good reason to blame my stupidity on. I just like being kissed, I guess.

  I mentally shake my head at myself. One day, if I make it out of here alive, I’m going to look back at this moment and kick my own ass.

  Or maybe I won’t. Maybe I won’t live very long—with everything going on, it might be a very high possibility—and I’ll look back at this moment with relief that I at least got the experience of kissing a handful of times.

  And man, are they good kisses, I think to myself as Arrow’s lips tentatively touch mine.

  Unlike Asher and East, he’s much gentler, his kisses carrying a soft spark. And I mean, a literal spark, tiny zaps of electricity flowing from his bronzed lips. The sensation is amazing, like gentle grazes of teeth along the most sensitive spots of flesh. I moan. Gods, do I moan. So does Arrow as he winds his arms around my waist and holds me like I’m something precious, instead of some weird-ass, unknown, possibly dangerous creature who tried to steal from them only days ago.

  “Are you okay?” Arrow whispers after he breaks the kiss.

  I bob my head up and down, feeling dizzy and lightheaded and sparkly inside …

  Wait. Sparkly?

  “Why did you guys do that?” I direct my question at Arrow.

  His lips part, but Asher speaks first.

  “We need you to be able to confuse the patrol’s radar so you can sneak out and access the lockdown override in the chamber of the vehicle. The only way to confuse their radar so they don’t register you immediately is to put a little taste of all our magic inside you. But since you block most of our magic, we had to put it directly inside.” He steps toward me, his eyes drifting to Arrow’s hands on my waist.

  Arrow swiftly pulls away, causing me to frown.

  They kissed me to put their magic in me?

  I wrap my arms around myself, feeling a bit used.

  “It’s not like we didn’t want to kiss you,” East says when he notes my offish behavior.

  “That’s not why I’m upset.” A partial lie, but whatever. I stare down at my hand, half-expecting my skin to be glowing. Everything appears normal. “You guys put magic in me without my permission.”

&
nbsp; “I’m sorry,” Arrow apologizes again, raking his fingers through his hair. “If there was another way, we would’ve done it.”

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t go that far.” East gives me a look that makes my pulse speed up. “But maybe we should’ve asked for your permission first. We just figured you’d say no.”

  “Yes, you should have,” I agree, lowering my hands to my sides. “And if it was necessary … I wouldn’t have said no.”

  “Well then, I’m sorry for kissing you without your permission.” East takes my hand and lifts it toward his mouth, kissing my knuckles.

  I sigh with exhaustion, struggling not to smile. “Oh, whatever.” I slip my hand from his. “Can we just get Plan S over with so I don’t have to go with the patrol and their big-ass hellhounds? Although, I’m still a bit confused why I’m the one who has to override the lockdown. And what about the shield?”

  “East, Arrow, and I are going to take care of the shield while you override the lockdown.” Asher steps closer to me. “The trapdoor that you have to use to get to the chamber is extremely small, and you’re the only one who can fit in it. And the only way to get into the chamber is to go through a door on the front right side of the vehicle. And you’re going to have to do that without being seen.”

  I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, my brows pulling together. “How am I supposed to do that when the entire vehicle is surrounded?”

  “You’re going to do one of the things you do best.” Asher leans closer, his eyes darkening with smoky magic. “Be sneaky.”

  I wish I could tell him I got this, but this is entirely new territory for me. Usually when I break in somewhere, I spend weeks planning and scoping out the area. My main rule: never go in blind.

  I guess I don’t have much of a choice in this matter. Either I succeed at this and stay with Asher, East, and Arrow, or I get arrested and hauled off to who knows where with a bunch of paranormals who think I’m some dangerous creature.

  When faced with the two choices …

  Yeah, I’m going to override the lockdown no matter what it takes.

  Chapter 14