Dead Man's Deal The Asylum Tales - By Jocelynn Drake Page 0,134

exhausted and distracted and worried, but it all came down to the fact that I didn’t check the area before I stepped outside.

As I pulled the door closed behind me, I looked up to see Gideon standing at the edge of the yard talking to a witch and two warlocks in low, tense tones. Of the faces that I could see, no one looked happy. And then they looked up at me, shock filling their expressions. Apparently Gideon hadn’t been telling them that I was inside with the runaways. Of course, I didn’t doubt Gideon for a second. He could act like a bastard at times, but he wouldn’t get rid of me like that. Not when I’d given him so many other opportunities over the years.

Gideon turned sideways to look over his shoulder at me. For a moment he looked sad, but the expression disappeared in a second and the hardness I was accustomed to seeing filled his eyes, wiping his face of any emotion. When he turned back, he was already reaching in his sleeve for his wand. None of the others saw it because all their attention was on me. A bright green flash hit one of the warlocks, throwing him across the street. His limp body bounced on the concrete once before he continued to roll until he hit the curb.

Taking advantage of the distraction, I dropped Sofie as I pulled the door shut and whispered a quick locking spell. I wasn’t sure who I was barring, but I didn’t need the Towers getting into the house and I definitely didn’t need the kids coming out to help. The locking spell wouldn’t keep anyone tied up, but it would buy Gideon and me some time while we dealt with this new problem.

The remaining witch and warlock were getting over their shock when I hit the weed-choked yard in a roll. Jumping back to my feet, I snatched up an old rust-laced shovel that was laying off to the side. The witch was squared off against Gideon in the middle of the empty street, her body partially blocking the unconscious warlock. The remaining warlock was approaching me with his wand drawn.

Holding the shovel in both hands like a bow staff, I smiled at my opponent. “I’m sorry. Were you looking for me?” Damn, why the hell did I travel without my wand? This world was getting just too dangerous for an ex-warlock to go about without a little protection.

“Master Fox wants a word with you,” the warlock replied in a heavily accented voice. His accent reminded me of some Brazilians I had met years ago, but his expression didn’t indicate that he wanted to swap stories about his former home.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to decline that honor.”

The warlock nodded with a grunt a second before whipping his wand in my direction. The conversation had given me enough time to summon up the energy for the defensive shield that popped into existence as the blue flash surged toward me. As I had hoped, the fucker had shot a stun spell at me. Fox was still trying to get his hands on my living body. Zombies were a bitch to interrogate.

As he lowered his wand, his mind searching for a new spell, I lunged forward and swung the shovel at his head. The asshole raised one arm, deftly blocking the weapon before he swept under it. Moving like flowing water, he spun and kicked out one leg at me. I jerked away at the last second so that the bottom of his shoe scraped lightly across my upper arm.

We both stepped back, taking stock. The warlock grinned at me and shoved his wand back into the holder up his sleeve. Not only was this asshole Brazilian, but he apparently was well versed in something, possibly Brazilian jujitsu. I was fucked because I was a beginner when it came to most fighting styles and he was obviously looking forward to knocking the crap out of me.

The warlock was on me before I could think of a way of dealing with him. He threw an intense combination of punches and kicks in my direction that kept me retreating across the yard if I didn’t want to get my head knocked off. I couldn’t spare a glance in Gideon’s direction, though I was aware of the continuous tingle of magic in the air. He was dealing with the witch and would be forced to keep an eye on the other warlock. All