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protective gesture.
"Whoa. Careful there, hon. I'm not here to hurt you, so
there's no call for that." He raised his hands up in surrender,
taking a couple of steps backwards.
"What do you want? Why are you here? How did you get
in?" He glanced over her shoulder at Cash.
"Do we have time for the twenty questions? My brother
over there isn't looking so good. I'll admit that I'm impressed
with your protectiveness of him, but right now you need to let
me get to him before it's too late."
She lowered her hand, extinguishing the flames. "You're
the brother he called for?" She watched him walk around to
the other side of Cash.
"Yep. I'm Denn Scott." She knew exactly who he was, but
she thought it wise not to mention that right now. He knelt
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down on the floor next to his brother, checking for a pulse.
His lips pressed together tight in a grim look. "Pulse is barely
there. How long has he been like this?"
"I'm I'm not really sure. The fight seemed to go by really
fast, but time is irrelevant when fighting for life. He uh got
shot first and then pulled some seriously dark magick out."
Denn looked up at her. "You know about his magick?" She
nodded. "You know that using dark magick destroys him piece
by piece?" He ripped away Cash's shirt to reveal his blood
covered chest and stomach. "Damn it, Cash, what were you
thinking? You know better than this."
"What do you mean?"
"My dumb ass brother here knows damn well that
unleashing the black magick will destroy him. The more often
you use, the faster the deterioration. Apparently he has been
using way too much."
"But he's been shot. That's why he's like this?"
"Partially, Selene. It is Selene, right?"
She nodded and watched as Denn pulled a black pouch
from a bag that he'd carried in. Opening the velvet cloth, he
reached in and pulled out what looked to be some dried
herbs. She couldn't really tell. He sprinkled them across the
wound before placing the bag on the ground next to his feet.
He returned his hands over his brother's abdomen and
chanted something under his breath.
"What are you doing? We need to call the paramedics. Get
him to a hospital."
He looked up at her. "That won't be necessary. I can fix
the gunshot. But that's the least of his worries right now."
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"The black magick?"
"Yes." He went back to chanting and moving his hands
back and forth across his brother's body. She felt the crackle
of energy seconds before she saw it flow from his palms. The
power was tinged blue on the edges and seeped into Cash's
body. Worried for him, she grabbed at his hand to lend
support.
Their connection sizzled as the power surged forward from
Cash to her, whispering along her skin. Startled, she jerked
her hand away, looking up at Denn as she did.
"Can you feel that?" he asked.
"Yes, his body is fighting it. Trying to expel it." He shook
his head. "Black magick is powerful, that's for sure."
"Not to mention it tastes and smells disgusting." She
scrunched up her nose as a fresh wave of the dark settled
around Cash.
"You can smell it? And taste it?" He looked at her with a
strange puzzled expression.
"Of course. Can't you? It's overpowering."
"No, I can't. I can sense it. Feel the weight of it but that's
it. Are you an empath?"
"Not exactly. I have developed some psychic ability. But
I've not ever felt anything like this before." Cash's body
jerked and stiffened beside her. "What's happening? What are
you doing? You're hurting him?" She grabbed at Cash again.
"The pain is excruciating."
"The gunshot wound is healing. Unfortunately that gives
way to the stronger dark magick consuming him."
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She whimpered in response. The searing pain took her
breath away as she clutched at Cash.
"Selene, let go. It's hurting you. You're absorbing it, I can
feel the transfer." He rushed over to where she sat, grabbing
at her arm to pull her away. "Shit!" The heat of her skin too
hot for him to hold on to. She couldn't let go. Didn't want to.
She had to help him. Save him.
Pain sliced through her as the dark aura ripped from
Cash's body and flooded into hers. His limbs jerked and
spasmed while her own shook with the intensity.
"Goddam it, Selene. You are going to kill one or both of
you if you don't stop. Cash wanted you safe. Away from the
danger he represents."
She ignored his protests and shot up flames around her
and Cash to keep him out.
The agony in her body grew to unbearable levels as she let
loose a scream of anguish. Pulling on every ounce of
discipline she ever had in her body, she held fast as the last
of the magick left Cash for her. It rumbled and roared
through her like a violent storm. She wouldn't be able to hold
it for long.
She let go of Cash, and he fell limp to the floor next to her.
His pallor was even more deathly than before but his heart
beat strong.
"Are their fire extinguishers in this apartment?" She looked
at Denn.
"Yes, why?"
"You need to get them now." She pulled herself upright,
fire growing around her, and made her way to the door. She
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tried to form the excess power into an object she could get
rid of to no avail. It clung to her like a second skin. With a
last look at Denn, she walked out the door and back into the
townhouse garage.
Flames and power crawled across her skin, pulling her,
forcing her to expel it any way she could. With no control of
it, she watched the fire spread from her body throughout the
room, surrounding the gas tank and exploding in a fiery
burst.
Cash will survive.
* * * *
Cash's eyes shot open, blinded by the harsh sunlight
streaming in through the sheer white curtains billowing in the
breeze from the open window. He looked around the room,
unsure of where he was, and admiring the ornate moldings
throughout. His gaze rested on the open French doors,
revealing a terrace just outside. Soft strands of jazz filtered to
him from outside on the street as well as the scents of Creole
spices. Realization dawned as he acknowledged his location.
New Orleans.
He lay there trying to remember what had happened when
the door swung open and his brother sauntered in. "You're
finally awake. About time. Thought I was going to have to
cast a spell to get your ass out of my bed."
"What the hell happened?" His voice came out rough and
gravelly even to his own ears. "Where is Selene?" He gingerly
lifted his head and shoulders, trying to push himself into a
sitting position.
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"Slow down, Cash. You've just woken up after nearly two
weeks in a coma. Too much too soon and you'll find yourself
right back where you started." Denn grabbed his shoulders
and pushed him back down on the bed.
"I need to get up and check on Selene. Make sure she's all
right."
"She's all right." Lie still and follow my finger. His brother
raised his finger in front of his eyes moving it back and forth.
"How do you feel?" Denn asked.
"You mean other than feeling like I have been dragged to
hell and back?"
"Yeah, there is that. Although I don't know what you
expected, the way you have been using."
Cash cringed at the admonishment in his brother's voice.
He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the anger there.
"What happened, Denn? How did I survive? I felt the
darkness win."
"You're right. There was nothing even I could do for you."
"Then what the fuck happened?" He pushed past his
brother's hands and sat up in the bed.
"Selene did it, Cash. She saved you. It nearly killed her to
do it, though."
"I need to see her. Now. Take me to her." He swung his
legs over the side of the small bed, testing his strength with a
little weight at a time. He looked down at himself, realizing he
only wore a pair of shorts.
"I'd like some clothes, too." Finally he stood and stretched
his stiff limbs, feeling every pull and strain of his muscles. All
considering, he felt pretty damn good. He walked across the
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