To Take Up the Sword

  TWO TAKE UP THE SWORD

  Elemental Magic, Book Two

  By Brynna Curry

  LYRICAL PRESS

  http://lyricalpress.com/

  KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/

  A teacher’s heart is so precious. With their infinite wisdom and unending patience, they guide their pupils unerringly through life long after they’ve left the classroom. This is for my mother Dianne–my first teacher–and for all those who choose to make teaching not only a profession, but a way of life.

  In memory of my Aunt Brenda, who welcomed all children through her classroom door with a questing mind and a loving Christian heart. She passed away on a beautiful June day with injuries she suffered in an automobile accident while on her way to teach vacation bible school. Brendie, thanks for believing in that kid who kept her head in the clouds, for always reading my daydreams, and not being afraid to tell some racy stories yourself. I miss you more every day.

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to my family for putting up with me and being there, I love you all. As always, a huge thank you to my editor Piper, and Renee and Frank Rocco. A very special thanks to C.J. Ellisson author of Vampire Vacation for her help critiquing and keeping Gabe in line. You rock, C.J

  Foreword

  As with Earth Enchanted, I decided to go with the old adage ‘write what you know’ for To Take Up the Sword. Gabe’s cabin is fictional but it is set in a real town called Bear Creek. There are actually two gas stations, a school, a carwash, a bank and the usual municipal building in town and that’s it. The rest is rural country roads, farmland and forests. It’s beautiful here, especially in the spring and fall when everything turns green and changes color. The trip from here to Florence, Alabama is one I’ve traveled more times than I can count. Between here and there is a lovely old home called the Belle Mont Mansion. They offer tours even though the renovations are only partially complete. Unlike some house museums which have the rooms displayed but barred or roped off, the curator takes you through every part of the grounds and all the rooms which are structurally sound. You can literally walk through history. If you’re ever in the area, you should take the tour. It’s an experience you won’t forget. I knew I’d write about it or at least include it in a story. A special thank you to the curator for his informative and easygoing approach and wonderful tales of Belle Mont and times gone by.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for taking this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed Gabriel and Leannan’s story. Look for Wait for the Wind, the next installment in the Elemental Magic Series. Love is the truest magic and with it life is an adventure.

  Prologue

  Washington, DC

  FBI Headquarters

  Special Agent Gabriel Spiller took the cup of coffee his assistant offered him and flipped through the thick manila file Serena had left on his desk the day before. In-house security photos of Niccolo Gueraldi stared back at him, along with the details of his next heist. Damn. The pictures were too grainy to identify the jewel Gueraldi examined. They were so close to having enough evidence for an arrest, if he could just connect him to the stolen diamonds.

  Around him was the chaos of men and women at work, chasing down leads. The diplomacy of working with local law enforcement wasn’t something he enjoyed, but he and Serena Roarke had managed to work well together. Almost too well.

  His cellphone vibrated, alerting him to a call. He opened it and answered.

  “Spiller.”

  “Hello, angel.”

  Lust swamped him with the sound of her voice. “Serena. I thought we talked about this.”

  “We did. I’m not changing my mind. This is what I want.”

  “You’re married, Reni. That’s not a line I’m willing to cross. As long as you are, this discussion is over. I won’t talk about this now.” Gabe tapped his pen on the desk in an effort to calm his irritation. They’d been over this before.

  “I filed for divorce this morning.”

  The pen fell from his hand, rolled across the floor and underneath Agent Wyatt’s desk.

  Stunned into silence, he let the words hang in the air between them.

  “I love you, Gabriel. Marrying Jack was a mistake. I’ll be back in Washington this weekend. Meet me.”

  “No.”

  “Just to talk.”

  “Here, then. That should be safe enough.”

  “Afraid I’ll jump you?” Her laugh floated out to him, dark and smoky.

  “Maybe.”

  “I’ll call you when I get into town.” She paused on the line. “I love you, angel.”

  “I know.” Gabe put the file in his briefcase and shut his computer down for the day, torn between what was right and what he wanted.

  * * * *

  Serena clicked the button on her Bluetooth headset to end the call. The black catsuit and leather boots she wore made it easy for her to blend in with the night. She was beginning to enjoy these little larcenous trysts with Devin far too much for anyone’s good. Grabbing one end of the cable, she wrapped her ankles around the thin but strong line and slid to the museum floor.

  Devin shimmied down the line and dropped soundlessly beside her. Like her, he wore all black. The only colors shining in the room were his amber eyes and a brilliant yellow diamond. “Gueraldi knows you’re a cop. Be careful, cherie. He isn’t one to dally with.”

  “We’ve talked about this before. I know what I’m doing. He found out I’m undercover, but he thinks I am a dirty cop playing the FBI for part of the take. It wasn’t that hard to convince him.” Serena winked at Devin and knew her longtime friend caught the aside.

  “Jack would kill you if he knew what you were doing right now. Hell, he’d probably kill me, or he could try anyway.”

  “It’s rude to brag. Besides, that’s for me to know, and you to keep your mouth shut. Jack won’t be mine much longer. Maybe he never really was. Let’s get this rock and get out of here. Come on. Twitch your nose or something, Dev. This place gives me the creeps.”

  “You’ll hurt him, you know. There’s no way around it.”

  “I’ll hurt him worse if I stay. I do love him, but I’m not in love with him.”

  “Love is the most damning power and the purest magic. As long as we live–and I should know–we’ll never understand it.”

  “Gabriel’s my heart. Do you know what’s it like to be cut off from your soul, Dev?”

  “If you only knew.”

  “Will you do something for me?”

  “Of course.”

  “If I don’t make it through this. If Gueraldi…well, you know. Will you tell Gabriel I love him?”

  “You’ve my word.”

  He flicked his wrist–just a hint of heat brushing the air–and mumbled the spell under his breath. The glass cover over the twenty-carat yellow diamond dissolved. An eye blink later, it was back in place, the exquisite stone in her palm, the fake under glass. “I wish you’d teach me to do that. I could make a ton as a locksmith.”

  This elicited a rolling laugh from the man she’d known for years. Devin was a true friend, in spite of his larcenous traits. Sometimes it paid to know people.

  “You know I can’t. You have a different kind of magic, the kind that requires no spell, just a fiercely protective heart. Fly or climb?”

  “Fly.” Serena held tight to him as he stirred the air, lifting them through the ceiling to land safely three alleys away.

  * * * *

  Haleyville, Alabama

  Two days later

  Devin woke from the darkness of sleep to the sound of sirens ripping the night air and knew with a sickening certainty Serena Roarke was dead. He’d kept a mental thread tied to his
friend since she’d gone undercover.

  He snapped his fingers and was dressed completely. This time he threw caution to the wind. He followed the sirens in his mind and flashed to their destination. Cloaked in a shield spell, Devin remained in the shadows watching the cops pull Jack away from Serena’s lifeless body. He wanted to reach out to his friend, close her eyes, but was so lost in his grief he couldn’t. Serena was one of the few people he’d trusted with his secret. Not just his magic, but the whole of his existence, all one thousand years of it. She might have betrayed Jack and the FBI, but she’d kept his secret.

  Back in his apartment, he picked up his cellphone and dialed the number Serena had given him. A code between friends, he accepted the task of notifying the man she loved of her death.

  “Spiller.”

  “Special Agent Gabriel Spiller?”

  “Yes, who is this?” Devin heard the irritation in the other man’s voice.

  “A friend of Serena.” He could tell when worry began to creep past temper, when panic began to take hold.

  “What’s happened?”

  “She’s dead.”

  “No.” And there was the hitch of heartache, the silent scream of pain. “How?”

  “Sniper’s gunshot wound to the chest. She’s lying in an alley behind a crack house in the south part of town, in her husband’s arms. She asked me to tell you she loved you. I’m sorry for any loss you feel.”

  Devin quickly disconnected the call before Spiller could trace it. He would have vengeance for the loss of his friend, in his own time, his own way. Gueraldi would suffer.

  Chapter 1

  Birmingham, Alabama

  A year and a half later

  Gabe watched as Judge Leroy “Mad Dog” McCoy stared down a courtroom full of noisy lookie-loos and thugs. A few folks who needed to be there, and ten times that many looking to stir up trouble. Press from every major network throughout the US had flown in to get the story firsthand on one Ashton Smythe.

  Smythe was once Niccolo Gueraldi’s right-hand man and his favored hired killer for knife work. Gabe was sure Judge McCoy knew it. The jury knew it, but the law demanded evidence to prove Smythe’s involvement. There was none, or at least not any longer since the diamonds that would have sealed his fate had never been recovered. The judge stared the defendant in the eye, knowingly. Worst of all, Gabe was sure Ashton Smythe knew he’d be acquitted. Legally, the court’s hands were tied. Sometimes he hated the law he fought so hard to uphold.

  The courtroom fell silent as the judge slammed his gavel on the wood block for order. “Now, listen here. I’ll have order through these proceedings or the room will be cleared.” The judge turned toward the jury. “Mr. Foreman, how do you find the defendant?”

  “We find him…”

  He sat behind the prosecution and waited for the verdict to be handed down. Gueraldi had ordered Serena Roarke’s death and died for it, but Smythe had a hand in it just the same. He had to pay for that. Gabe held his breath and prayed a miracle would happen.

  “Not Guilty.”

  The words echoed in his head, through his heart, and shattered it.

  Chapter 2

  Lea fished her keys out of the pocket of her windbreaker and unlocked the front door of her sweet little house. Uneasiness swept over her for the second time this morning. Turning, she scanned the empty street behind her. Nothing looked out of the ordinary as far as she could tell. At six-thirty, it was too early for the school bus riders in her neighborhood to be waiting outside. She’d be at her desk in her warm classroom if she hadn’t forgotten the graded test papers. Those really needed to be added to the signed papers she sent out over the weekend.

  Though it was an hour before she’d have to report to her first class, she’d go in at seven o’clock to catch up on grading homework. The smell of Dunkin Donuts’ coffee and sweets lingered on her jacket, beckoning her back to the car. She just had to get one thing she’d forgotten.

  Opening the door, Lea froze. Oh my God! What had happened to her house? She picked her way over the broken glass of an old vase in the foyer and looked into the living room. Couch cushions were ripped apart, stuffing all over the floor. Mirrors, shattered lamps tossed into corners. As she picked her way through the destruction of her home, down the hall she found her office and bedroom the same way. Completely trashed. She’d never get the blood out of her clothes or mattress.

  Were the criminals who’d done this still here? Why would they want to attack her home? Unless... This was about Serena’s statue. Lea thought back to the last meeting with her sister here in her home.

  “Lea, I need a favor, a gigantic one.” Lea watched Serena’s red curls bounce around her face as she emphatically pleaded with her sister.

  “Sissy, calm down, I’ll do it if I can.” Lea noticed Serena kept her back to the wall, alternately looking between the windows and her watch.

  Serena thrust a statue into her arms. “Keep this safe and with you always. Never let anyone know you have it. When I need it I’ll come back for it.”

  Lea looked at the cheap trinket curiously and shook it, but it made no sound.

  “I will, because it’s important to you. Can you tell me why?”

  “No, I can’t. I will return for it, Lea.” A chill went through Lea and she hugged her sister so tightly she could scarcely breathe. “I love you. I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I have no one else to trust.”

  “Not even your husband? You’re scaring me, Sissy.”

  “Especially not Jack, his life depends on it. I know you’re scared. You need to be. If I don’t come back or you find you’re in danger, go to this man and only him. Promise me.” She grabbed a ballpoint pen off a nearby table and scribbled something on the back of a small white square. Serena gave her Gabriel’s business card. “Tell him who you are. He will help you. I’d trust him with my life, and in a way I guess I am.”

  “Are you going to be okay?” Lea asked.

  “I don’t know...” She paused as she opened the door. Her eyes were grave as they met Lea’s gaze “Tell no one I was here. We’re estranged. You don’t know me. No one does, not anymore. Take care, I love you.”

  The next time she’d seen Serena was in a casket.

  Whoever had done this must have been looking for the statue. Thank goodness she kept it with her, even on her morning donut runs. She took stock of the damage. In her bed, on her pillow, covered in blood was a mannequin’s head that bore a striking resemblance to her.

  Get out now! Serena’s voice flitted through her mind.

  What the hell?

  Hurry! Run! Find Gabriel!

  Covering her mouth with her hand, she backed into the dresser. Lea dug through her lingerie drawer and found the small cloth bag with stars on it she’d hidden there after Serena’s visit. Checking the contents, she found the roll of twenty-dollar bills she’d saved, one of her two credit cards and all her identifying papers. She switched her flats for tennis shoes, ran back to the front door and said goodbye to her house.

  * * * *

  October fell on northern Alabama with a hopeful chill to the air. Most of the maples and oaks still had their leaves, while a few had begun to change color. Gabe admired the different hues of them as he drove down the tree-lined dirt road leading to the little cabin he’d rented on Bear Lake. It was country quiet, which meant something was always chirping, skittering or bounding through the woods.

  He had no close neighbors unless he counted the deer or occasional raccoon. The creek flowing behind the cabin made him watch for snakes and other things that liked to live in or around water. He kept his pistol handy if he went out, but with his training he’d have done so in any case. The nearest house was about a mile down the road and set back in the woods, and empty. He enjoyed the solitude, if not the climate. No wonder Serena had chosen to spend her adult life here too; she loved the outdoors.

  He’d found himself back in Alabama after the trial of Niccolo Gueraldi’s right hand, Ashton Smythe.
He needed to be out of Washington, and though the heat was pure unadulterated hell and the town so tiny it had three gas stations and a school but no grocery, it seemed like the perfect place to hide away for a while.

  A jury of his peers had found the knife-wielding, but seemingly innocent, old man not guilty. Smythe had played his appearance and regal British demeanor to the hilt, and without sufficient evidence against him, they had not been able to convict him.

  Serena Roarke had stolen diamonds from Gueraldi, and had kept them for Gabe as evidence. Smythe checked each piece before culling or passing the diamonds on to his boss. His prints would have been all over them. Serena had been killed before turning them over to the FBI. The court had let Smythe go free.

  He’d failed again, failed to secure the evidence he needed to convict her killer, not once but twice. Gabe had been unable to find even the tiniest hint of where she might have hidden the diamonds, and he’d lost his second chance during the raid on Gueraldi’s estate. By the time Gabe had calmed Olivia Corrigan down and handed her off to another agent, Smythe had rid himself of any damning evidence.

  Pulling into the gravel drive, he got out of the bright yellow Jeep he would have never thought about owning in DC. The traffic and upkeep wouldn’t have been worth it to him, but out here a decent shopping center was a good twenty-mile drive away. Used to the finer things, his inner city boy shuddered at the thought of living off the land.

  A slight breeze caught his hair, sending waves of it everywhere. He ignored it and with eyes that were deceptively calm scanned the trees and house for anything that might have been out of place, but found nothing to set off an alarm. No one knew where he was, but Smythe was free. Gabe had been instrumental in building the case that should have put the criminal on death row. Smythe could use the opportunity to come after him. Even after all this time, he had to remain wary.