coven. Like a pebble tossed into a lake, the effects of the Awakening echoed within them all.
So how could they have missed the Awakening of another witch?
“What do you mean where is he? Who is he?” Rune replied.
Over the centuries, the Eternals had drifted apart, each of them watching over the many incarnations of his witch. But being witness to a mate’s life and death over and over again during the course of hundreds of years eventually took a toll on all of them. Some elected to disappear, to seek solitude and remain apart from their brothers until the time of the Awakening. Not the wisest course, Torin thought, but understandable.
Still, that left the remaining Eternals with the problem of locating those who had gone missing when they were needed. Now, with the Awakening at last upon them, those absent Eternals should be making themselves known again—if only to guard their own Awakened witches. So if Kellyn had been telling the truth, where, Torin wondered, was her Eternal?
“Should have caught the witch before she teleported out,” Rune told him. “Forced her to talk. Tell us all she knew.”
“We’ll find her again,” Torin said, letting the problem go for the moment. Nothing was as important to him as locating Shea. “Just as we’ll discover who her Eternal is and why he isn’t with her. But for now—”
Rune smiled grimly as the shouts of the prison guards sounded, closer now. “Right. First witch first.”
Torin gave him a brief smile. “Exactly. We find Shea. We go to Long Beach—that’s probably where they’ve taken her. The prison there will be on alert after tonight’s business, so we’ll have to map out a plan.”
Rune smirked. “They can’t keep us out.”
“No, they can’t.”
“And if your witch isn’t there?”
Torin scowled off into the night, taking in the brilliantly lit prison with the women trapped behind its walls. Carefully tempered rage bubbled within him at the thought of his woman at the hands of prison guards. If they hurt her in any way, he would not leave a stone of their prison standing. “Then we keep looking. Nothing will keep me from her.”
They surrendered themselves to the magic in unison. Flames burst into life and they were gone an instant later. The guards saw nothing and the night held its secrets.
Chapter 14
Shea wandered the open area, grateful to be out of her cell even though there were walls topped with barbed wire surrounding her. She felt the heavy presence of white gold and knew there was plenty of that material placed around the edges of the prison as well. It seemed the chains around their necks were not nearly enough to assuage any fears the guards might have about their prisoners.
But at least, Shea thought, she could see the sky. She tipped her head back, watched seagulls wheeling and dipping in the wind above her and wished with all her heart she could join them.
The “exercise” yard was small, enclosed on all sides by yet more walls, with armed guards standing in turrets at each of the four corners. There were two guards at each post—one watching the prisoners and one scanning the open harbor. She shivered a little at the implication. They were all too prepared for any rescue attempts—not that people were lining up to help a bunch of accused witches.
She shifted her gaze away quickly, not wanting to be caught studying the guards. In the short time she’d been there, she had already learned to keep her head down. To stay under the radar. The nights were long and terrifying in this place. The guards wandered the darkened aisles, crashing their nightsticks against the bars just to watch the women in the cages jump.
Only that morning Officer Jacobs had shoved Shea’s face into a wall for daring to look directly at her. Then she’d used her nightstick to deliver a couple of quick blows to Shea’s side. The bruises had been horrific, but were already fading, thanks presumably to her newfound magic. The pain was spectacular, but more than anything it was the despair that continued to choke Shea. She couldn’t see a way out. Couldn’t think of a thing to help herself. And she had heard the stories of torture somewhere in the bowels of this place.
Sooner or later, she knew it would be her turn.
But it wasn’t only the guards she had to worry about. There were feds everywhere. Since her arrival, Shea had learned more than she wanted to know about Terminal