Dreamwalker (Stormwalker #5) - Allyson James Page 0,94

me as planned, but he smacked me down with magics I’d never seen before, and he took the shard away from me. I tried to fight him. But he was too strong. Too wily.” She gave me a haunted look. “Then he did a horrible spell and split me in two. He took the best part of me away.”

“Not the best part of you.” I squeezed her hand to my chest. “You’re more than your magic, Gabrielle. You’re my sister.”

Gabrielle’s dark eyes welled with fresh tears. “It was worse than anything my father ever did to me. Worse than what those guys in Winslow wanted to do.”

“I know,” I said quietly.

Emmett had violated her the same as if he’d raped her. For a mage to strip another of power was a terrible thing. Magic was part of their essence, an integral piece of who they were. Even when Mick’s dragon had been split from him in my dream, he’d still had latent powers that he’d trained his human self to hone.

Gabrielle, however, didn’t have even that. She’d identified herself with her magic for so long that she was terrified of facing the world without it. Like being stripped and put on display, she’d have nothing to hide behind, no defenses.

And now Emmett wanted to take everything I was away from me.

“I’ll take care of you,” I promised her. “I’m going to fix this.”

Whether I could put back Gabrielle’s magic even if I bested Emmett I had no idea. But whatever the outcome, I’d protect her.

“I couldn’t fight him,” Gabrielle repeated. “I tried so hard.”

“I know, sweetheart.”

Gabrielle’s vast confidence had come from her equally vast power, an awareness that she could hurt anyone who messed with her. Now she was shivering like a newborn chick, weak and alone.

“I want you to let Grandmother take you back to Many Farms,” I said. “You’ll be safe there. When it’s over, I’ll come get you, and we’ll decide what to do.”

Gabrielle shook her head, a little of her old fire rising. “No. I’m not running away from him. If he kills me, so what?”

I scowled. “Don’t you dare talk that way. Don’t act like you don’t matter to anyone. I want you alive and well.”

“Why, so you can get back at me for all the things I’ve done?” Gabrielle flared. “I bet you’re loving this. I’ve done a lot of bad things to you.”

“And you’ve already paid for most of them,” I pointed out. “You’ve had to live with Grandmother—that should be payback enough.” I gave her a brief smile. “Families forgive, Gabrielle.”

“You didn’t know my family, then,” Gabrielle said darkly. “My stepmom forgave my dad many times, usually right after he beat her up again.”

“Not the same thing,” I said, my tone brisk. “And you know it.” I stood up. Nothing to be gained by us sitting here mourning. “If you insist on staying, then you can help. I need someone to escort the hotel guests somewhere safe—I suggest the diner in Magellan. And let Barry know that something very bad is going to go down here, in case he wants to lie low.”

Gabrielle struggled to sit up. “Seriously? You want me to play babysitter?”

I gave her a calm nod. “You’re good at motivating people to do things. Plus you need to find Nash and tell him to get his ass up here. I don’t care if he’s banging Maya right this second. Just find him.”

Gabrielle looked a little more cheered by that errand. “Okay.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’ll take your sheep to safety and find Nash.”

She stumbled out of bed, brushing off Colby’s offered hand. She rummaged in my dresser drawer for clothes, then ducked into my walk-in closet to change.

Drake, who’d stood in silence since his arrival said quietly, “I will alert the barkeep,” and ducked out.

Colby remained, a frown in place. “You need to fix this, Janet. If you don’t, I’ll rip his head off myself.”

“Help Gabrielle take the guests to safety,” I told him. “If I need head ripping, I’ll let you know.”

Colby growled, but I could see he agreed.

Mick had grabbed clothes from his own drawer and slipped them on. “You want to face him here?” he asked.

I pressed my palms together. “Might as well. The mirror has him cornered, and we’ll have the home-team advantage.”

My original plans when I’d decided to take the fight to Emmett had not included battling him in my own hotel. But somehow I realized having