Chasing Steel: Capturing Magic Books 1-3 Page 28

  I roll my eyes. “We do not.”

  He disregards me. “And I’m betting, at this rate, we’ll be lovers by sunrise.”

  I roll my eyes so damn hard they nearly get stuck in the back of my head. “You’re so delusional.” But he’s wearing on me. A smile twitches at my lips.

  “You know what I think you need?” He winks at me. “A little sugar.”

  Thinking he means sugar in the form of kisses or some dumb shit like that, I open my lips to protest, but then he sticks his hand out in front of him and his palm sparkles, forming a small bag of glittery purple cotton candy.

  “Asher mentioned you like it,” he tells me when I make no move to take it.

  I’m surprised Asher remembered that story and feel stupidly touched. Still, I scrutinize the bag of cotton candy.

  “Is that real?”

  East smiles widely. “Of course it’s real. My magic is one of the realest among the faeries.”

  “I have no idea what that means,” I say, but I tentatively open the bag anyway because I’m too starving to care. Then I reach in and peel off a fluffy chunk. “If this, like, makes me fall asleep or something, I’m going to kick your ass when I wake up,” I warn, lifting the piece of cotton-like candy toward my lips.

  “My magic rarely works on you,” he reminds me with a twinkle in his eyes. “And an ass-kicking from you seems more like a treat than a punishment.” Smirking, he makes a big show of reaching for the cotton candy. “Maybe I should lace it with my magic.”

  I tuck the bag behind me. “No way.” Then I pop the piece of candy into my mouth and let out a moan as the sugary taste dissolves into my taste buds.

  East sinks his teeth into his bottom lip as his gaze dances from my lips to my eyes. “Good?”

  I bob my head up and down. “It’s the best I’ve ever tasted. Although, I’ve only had cotton candy one other time, but this stuff is way better.”

  His eyes sparkle brighter. “I’m glad my magic tastes delicious to you. I should feed it to you more often.”

  I’m not even positive why, but my cheeks warm with heat.

  Shifting my weight, I stuff another piece into my mouth to stop myself from saying anything stupid.

  East’s grin broadens. “Is your mind going to the gutter?”

  “No,” I lie, more warmth rushing to my cheeks.

  Chuckling, he tugs me to him and brushes his lips across my forehead. “You’re adorable.”

  “If you say so,” I murmur against his chest that smells similar to the candy currently dissolving in my mouth. For a mind-losing minute, I consider licking him just to see if he tastes the same. Then I mentally kick my ass and lean away. “So, what am I supposed to do now?”

  “For now, you’ll hang out on the vehicle for a while until this investigation blows over. And until we can find out if Maxton and Maple are the only ones here who are helping August,” East says, wiping a drop of cotton candy off my lips with his fingertip.

  I’d probably seize the opportunity to bite his finger, except his words remind me of something very important.

  “The reason I walked back toward where Maxton was in the first place is because this blond male creature with illuminating eyes came up to me and told me there was food back there,” I tell East and Arrow. “There wasn’t any, so I’m guessing he was helping Maple and Maxton.”

  “Was he staff?” East asks worriedly.

  I nod. “Yeah, he had a badge.”

  East frowns deeply. “It was probably an acquaintance of Maple’s.”

  I stick another piece of cotton candy into my mouth. “I should also probably mention that I think … I think I may have accidentally killed her.”

  East shakes his head. “Maxton told us what happened, and there’s no way that fall killed her, unfortunately.” He slumps back on the sofa. “She’s probably going to show up sooner or later if we don’t find her first.”

  “We should check the magic repair shop tomorrow,” Arrow suggests. “If she’s hurt, she’ll be there.”

  East nods in agreement. “You and I will go at dawn.”

  “And if she’s there, what’re you going to do?” I wonder, stuffing my mouth with more cotton candy.

  “That’s for us to worry about,” he says, and I respond with a dirty look. He grins. “I’m really, really glad we get to keep you.”

  I let my head bob back as I groan. “You’re not keeping me.”

  He just keeps on smiling, totally amused.

  Rolling my eyes, I go back to stuffing my mouth with more sugar. “You think you’ve won this argument, but you’re wrong.”

  “We’ll see,” is all he says, shooting Arrow a conspiratorial grin.

  I give up, which means I must be super tired.

  East flashes me another grin before focusing on Arrow. “I think, while we’re out tomorrow, we can also work on getting those incubus’ and succubus’ souls.”

  “But I thought you said you wanted me to get the incubus’s?” I interrupt through a mouthful of sugary deliciousness.

  East trades a cautious glance with Arrow then looks at me. “I think we can probably handle it.”

  I lick a drop of cotton candy off my lips. “Look, I know I fucked up with the whole knocking down the Arch thing, but I’m good at stealing stuff, and I want to help with this.”

  “You can help steal the books. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to make you seduce this incubus so we can get his soul.” He traces a finger down my jawline. “We’ll find another way to get it.”

  I glance between the two of them, and Arrow tries to offer me a reassuring smile while East continues to stroke my jaw.

  “What’s going on?” I demand. “Because something is.”

  East looks at Arrow again then sighs, looking back at me. “We just think that, after the incident with Yellow, it might be easier on you if you don’t have to flirt with a creature that’s going to get handsy.”

  Confusion whisks through me. Hardly anyone has tried to do something to make things easier on me. In fact, I’ve spent the majority of my life feeling as if the world is against me. Suddenly, I don’t feel that way, and that makes the strangest, most uncomfortable sensations twirl through me.

  “I need to go … do something,” I mutter, rising to my feet then bolting out of the room.

  I haul ass to my bedroom, lock myself inside, and collapse to the floor. Tears burn my eyes like dirty, little bastards. I try to suck them back, but a few manage to escape.

  I don’t even know why I’m crying. It’s not like Jason has never done nice things for me or tried to make my life easier. He has … a couple of times. I have to admit, though, that most of the time, I was the one helping Jason. Like when he got in trouble with the underground mafia, or the tons of times he pissed someone off and I had to step in and fight for him. Plus, every time we needed something, I was the one who stole it.

  I wipe the tears from my cheeks but more trickle out.

  The sad truth is, while I thought Jason and I were best friends, being here and being so open with these guys, being able to talk about my curse with them, them helping me without expecting anything in return is very new to me. And that new feeling not only makes me realize I’ve never had a really close friendship, but also makes me painfully aware of how emotionally attached I’m getting.

  I need to get my act together and keep this friendship from progressing into anything else. If I can’t and I end up feeling too much, I’m going to have to bail and protect them like they’ve been protecting me.

  “Yep, if at any moment I feel like I might be tapping into that curse, I’m going to bail,” I vow, trying to convince myself that the possibility of that happening is probably pretty low.

  After all, they’re paranormals, and I just can’t see myself falling in love with one. Plus, there’s a long way between liking someone as a friend and loving them …

  I hope.

  Asher

  “Are you sure these chains will hold me?”
My younger brother, Maxton, asks as I secure the last of them to his wrists.

  We’re in a cave out in the middle of the Steel forest. I hauled him out here to keep him as far away from Harlynn as possible so that, when the lockdown is removed, we’ll have plenty of time to leave before he can get to her. Because he’s going to try the moment he has our father’s powers back. He has no control over it; hasn’t since he was born a Wishing Shadow and our father deemed him his servant.

  That day was awful. I cried. My mother cried and begged him not to, tried to curse him into not being able to.

  He killed her for it, right in front of me, and watched as she died in my arms.

  Yeah, our father is a fucking cruel bastard—always has been—which is why I’ve been gathering powerful objects that will hopefully help me kill him.

  “Hopefully,” I reply as I rise to my feet and dust off my hands.

  The truth is, I don’t know if the chains will hold, but as long as Maxton isn’t being controlled, we don’t have anything to worry about. My brother is a kind man underneath the scars, torture, and decades of being controlled.

  “You better be certain.” He leans against the rock behind him, bends his legs, and rests his hands on his knees.

  “I’m as certain as I can be.”

  I turn to leave, hating having to leave him like this, but I don’t have a choice. Any second the lockdown could be removed, and then he’ll have more power than me.

  “You should make sure to cover up that mark on her back,” he suddenly grits out.

  I glance at him confusedly. “Huh?”

  “The star on Harlynn’s back…” He swallows forcefully then strains out, “It… Just keep it hidden.”

  “Okay.” I wish he could tell me why, but I can see on his face that he’s struggling to speak right now. “Thanks.” Even though it pains me, I turn to leave, torn between wanting to stay with him and wanting to get back and make sure Harlynn, East, and Arrow are okay. With the lockdown going on, it makes me anxious being away. “I’ll come back tomorrow morning to bring you some food and check on you.”

  “Don’t bother,” he mumbles miserably.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow,” I repeat then start to walk away.

  “I know a way to get around your curse,” he whispers so softly that, at first, I think I hear him wrong.

  I pause, twisting back around. “What did you say?”

  He lifts his head to meet my gaze. “I said, I know a way to get around your curse. You know, the one our father put on you that’ll eventually make that lovely creature I met today die.”

  “The curse won’t happen if I don’t let it,” I remind him.

  He carries my gaze. “He sealed your curse with Destiny. There’s no way of getting rid of it.”

  “Then I guess you really don’t know a way to break it,” I point out, turning to completely face him.

  “I never said break it,” he says. “I said get around it.”

  I eye him over, questioning if he’s toying with me or not. Maxton himself wouldn’t, but if our father has even an ounce of control over him, he would. “How do I get around it?”

  He chews on his bottom lip, contemplating. “I’ll tell you, but I need a favor first.”

  “What?” I ask warily.

  He lowers his head and takes a deep breath. “I want you to kill me.”

  I gape at him. “You’re fucking joking, right?”

  When he lifts his head and looks at me, I can tell he’s not. He wants to die.

  “I can’t live like this anymore.” His voice cracks. “This isn’t a life, Asher. This is hell.”

  “I can’t kill you,” I whisper, shaking my head.

  “Even if it meant Harlynn could live and that you could finally fall in love?” he questions. “Think about it, brother. You could finally be free from this curse, and I could finally be free from mine.”

  I shake my head, stepping back. “I promised that, one day, I’d find a way to free you. I’m working on it now.” With the objects, but I can’t tell him that and risk word getting back to our father.

  “Dad is planning something awful with her,” he croaks out, his face bunched in pain as he strains out forbidden words. “If you get rid of me, it’ll make it harder for him to get to her.”

  “I can protect Harlynn without killing you,” I insist, balling my hands into fists at my side. “I won’t do this. I’m going to save you like I promised the day Mom died.”

  “You can’t save me—he’s too strong,” Maxton grits out, tears flooding his eyes. “Please … please agree to put me out of my misery, and I’ll tell you how to get around the curse.”

  Shaking my head, I whirl around and stride toward the front of the cave. “I’ll be back tomorrow with some food.”

  “Please think about it!” he cries out. “You don’t have a lot of time! Please, Asher! Come back! Do this for me!”

  His words fade as I run out of the cave, running away from him like a coward.

  No, I can’t do it. Can’t watch another creature I care about die.

  But what about Harlynn? Because, if my father did seal the curse with Destiny, then me falling in love with her will happen. And then she’ll die.

  Rage boils under my flesh as I realize that, in the end, I may very well have to make a decision I don’t want to make.

  One that might get someone I care about killed.

  Chasing Promises (Capturing Magic, Book 3)

  Chasing Promises

  Jessica Sorensen

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2020 by Jessica Sorensen

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

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  Cover Design by MaeIDesign

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  East

  “So, what do you think is the best way to approach this?” I ask Asher as he and I wander into the cave where his brother, Maxton, is tied up. We had to put him there to keep him from following Asher’s father’s order to capture our little thief because of what she is. Although, we still don’t know what she is.

  Since Steel is currently still on lockdown, Maxton’s powers that he obtained from Asher’s father are still in lockdown mode, too, so he’s powerless at the moment.

  While it might be a little bit risky to be here, seeing as how, the moment the lockdown is lifted, he’ll regain his power and have to turn into Asher’s father’s puppet again, we need to figure out a way to get him to tell us what he knows about Harlynn, about what she is, and how to break the curse.

  The last time Asher was here, Maxton told him he knows a way. But the only way he’ll tell us is if we put him out of his misery and kill him, something neither of us our willing to do.

  While Maxton may be doing evil things, he has no control over what he does. Being a wishing shadow, he’s bound to Asher’s father and has to do what he’s told, except when planets are on lockdown. That’s the loophole. And, right now, we need to work with that loophole.

  “I’m not sure,” Asher mutters with a frown. “I mean, I’m not going to kill him, but he seemed pretty damn adamant about not telling me anything unless I agree. I hate that he’s in that much pain.”

  “Me, too,” I mumble, thinking about a time when I kind of felt the same way.

  It was when I was forced to be a sex slave to one of the leaders of
our kind, and it’s part of the reason Asher, Arrow, and I are searching for powerful objects—so we can take down all the leaders who cause harm to paranormal creatures.

  “I just need to find a way to convince him to stay alive,” Asher says with a sigh as we near the area where Maxton is tied up. “And to tell us what he knows.”

  “You should tell him we’re working on something that will hopefully free him one day,” I say. “I mean, we are, so it wouldn’t be a lie.”

  Asher dithers. “Maybe that could work. We’d have to be extremely vague about our plan, because whatever we tell him could get back to my father.”

  I nod in agreement then press my lips together as Maxton comes into view. Whatever we say from this point on, he’ll probably hear, so we need to be cautious.

  Asher is on the same page as he sinks into silence, approaching his brother cautiously.

  Maxton is hunched over, his legs and arms bound, his eyes shut. At first, I think he’s sleeping, but then his lips move.

  “What do you want?” he whispers without opening his eyes.

  Asher stops in front of him and crouches down. “I want to talk to you about what you said yesterday.”

  Maxton cracks open his eyes. “You came here to kill me then?”

  Asher shakes his head. “No, but I came here to tell you something that will hopefully help you not want to die.”

  He eyes Asher over warily. “Nothing you say can change how I feel.”

  “How about you decide that after I tell you,” Asher says in the most patient tone I’ve ever heard him use, which is saying a lot.

  I’ve known Asher for a long fucking time, and he’s never patient. Well, he has been a few times with Harlynn, but only because he likes her.

  We all do.

  A lot.

  I’m worried that that’ll eventually complicate things. Normally, I’d say no—Asher and I have had quite a few threesomes—but this isn’t just about fucking some woman. This is about having feelings for the same woman. And Arrow also has feelings for her, even though he won’t admit it. I’m not even sure he’s ever had feelings toward anyone before.