"Not often," he said, setting a hand atop mine so I wouldn't let go. "But I'm not there anymore. Thank you. Let me… do the spell."
He steadied himself, and while I felt like a whore on the corner, he flicked a nervous gaze at me with his beautiful, deep blue eyes. "Well?" I prompted.
"I'm not of a mind to hurt you," he admitted.
"Then don't pull so much," I said, glancing at Robbie. God, did he think I was a child?
"Um, yes," he stammered, and I shifted my shoulders when I felt a soft draw through me.
"You're fine," I encouraged, and he pulled more until my hair was floating from static. Intrigued, I watched Pierce close his eyes as if. trying to remember something. His lips moved and I heard the faintest hint of Latin, dark and alien sounding. His free hand sketched a quick figure, and then my ears popped.
"A moment," he said, his hand atop mine tightening to keep me from breaking the link.
My gaze shot to Robbie. "Oh, wow," I breathed as his voice came clear, as if I was listening to a phone.
"Wow. Yes," Pierce repeated, smiling from behind his beard, and we turned to listen.
"But I know he took her," Robbie said forcefully, his lips moving in time with the spoken words. "Can't you just get a car out there or something?"
The I. S. officer he was with had his back to us, but I could see he was typing. "Mr. Morgan. I assure you we're giving the matter our full attention."
"Are you?" my brother said. "She'll be dead by sunup if you don't do something. He's done this before. He just made the mistake of taking someone who would be noticed this time."
The man in his wrinkled suit clicked a window on his computer closed. One hand on the mouse, he gave my brother a long look. "And you know this how?"
Robbie said nothing, and I looked at the entry way floor when the vampire turned to see Pierce and me.
"Mr. Morgan," the man said, his voice thick with dismissal. "I've taken twelve statements like yours over the past three hours. We're working on them in turn, but you can understand we can't devote all our manpower to one missing child who is angry she isn't getting what she wants for Christmas and has run away to her daddy."
"I'm not a crank," Robbie said tightly. "My father used to work in the Arcane Division, and I know real from fake. This isn't a joke."
I breathed easier when the vampire focused on my brother again. "Monty Morgan?" he said, and I nodded even as Robbie did.
Pierce's grip on my hand twitched when the vampire stood. The ghost's expression of concern surprised me.
"Wait here," the officer said. "I'll be right back."
Pleased, I smiled at Pierce. "See?" I said, feeling like we were getting somewhere.
But Pierce's brow was creased in a deep worry. "Spawn." he muttered, and while I held his one hand, he made a small gesture with the other. I stifled a jump when the energy he was pulling off the line through me shifted. His lips pressed tight, he pointed to the I.S. officer, now bending to speak to another, clearly higher-up, officer.
"Sir, do you have a minute?" Robbie's interviewer said, his voice clear.
I couldn't see the new man's face, but his tone was bothered as he brought his attention up from his paperwork and said, "What?"
"It's the missing girl," the first officer said, fingers moving nervously behind his back.
I caught a glimpse of the supervisor's face when he turned to Robbie. It was smooth and nice looking despite his expression of annoyance. Young. "So?" he said.
Shifting his feet, the older man bent closer. "He knows things not released to the press."
The vampire went back to his paperwork, the pencil skating across the form too fast for a human. "So?" he said again.
"So he's one of Morgan's kids."
I felt a stir of satisfaction when the officer set his pencil down. "Who?"
"The witch in Arcane," Robbie's interviewer prompted. "Died about four years ago?"
But my pride shifted to a stark fear when the vampire looked at Robbie, his pupils swelling to black. Crap, I could see it from here. He was vamping out. But why?
"Morgan's boy?" he murmured, interested, and my pulse quickened. Something was wrong. I could almost taste it. "I thought he was out of state."
Pierce let go of my wrist and I jumped when the connection between us broke. My chi was suddenly overfull, and I forced most of the energy back into the ley line. I didn't let go of the line completely, ready for anything.
"I expect we should leave," the small man said, eyes darting over the three floors to linger on the building's main entrance.
I rubbed my wrist to get rid of the remaining tingles. "What's wrong?"
Pierce eased to the front of the chair and held his coat closed. "It's been my experience that instinct, not what you've been taught, is the clearest indicator of direction. They have a mind that your brother is involved with the girl's abduction and is finding reason to beg clemency by cooperating. We need to pull foot."
"Wait up," I said when he rose and drew me to a stand. "What about Robbie?"
As if having heard me, my brother met my gaze. His face was ashen. Behind him, the two vampires were headed his way. Clearly frightened, he mouthed, "Go!"
"Your brother won't come to any hurt," Pierce said, and I fell into motion when he gripped my elbow and started us toward the wide stairway. "They will give him Jesse until sure of his innocence, but by that time, the sun will be risen. Blame it all, I should have been of a state to fix his flint myself."
I had no idea what he was saying, but Pierce had us on the first step before the first shout. My head whipped around, and I stumbled. Two brutish men were heading our way, and with a little gasp, I pushed Pierce down faster. A chime rang through the air, and my skin prickled. "Lock down!" someone shouted.
"Damnation," Pierce swore, but our feet were still moving, and we had passed the second floor without trouble. My pulse was too fast, and my lungs hurt, but I wouldn't slow down. We wouldn't be caught because of me. Apart from the two guys following us and the uniformed woman standing in front of the doors with her arms crossed over her chest, everyone seemed content to watch. Actually, they were moving back, making room. Swell.
"Mistress witch," Pierce said, his tone terse as we neared the ground floor, my steps barely keeping up with his. "I'd respectfully ask that I might commune a line through you." He glanced at me, shocking me again with how blue his eyes were. "To help make our escape. If there were another way, I would use it."
I slid my hand into his, gripping it firmly. "Pull on a line." He shot a bewildered look at me and I shouted, "Commune with the ever-after!"
My breath hissed in as he did, and I squeezed his hand to tell him it was okay. Power burned like ice as we found the first floor, and I felt my tongue tingle. Pierce gathered himself, and with a shout, a head-sized sphere of ever-after enveloped his free hand.
That came through me, I thought in wonder, even as we continued to head for the doors.
Pierce threw the ball. The witch waiting for us yelped and dove for the floor. Green power edged in red and black hit the glass doors, spreading out like slime. A boom shook the air and almost sent me falling. Glass pushed outward in a silent cascade.
"Are you well, Miss Rachel?" Pierce said earnestly when my ears recovered.
I looked up as he steadied me with his grip tight on my elbow. For an instant we stood, focused on each other, linked by way of the line and our need to escape. My inner ear pulsed from the blast. Behind me, shouts started to make sense. Past the shattered doors came the sound of traffic and the crisp cold of a winter night. The witch on the floor looked up from around her fallen hair, shocked. "Wow," I said, and Pierce's concern eased.