Jonas (Darkness #7)(26)

But I could work toward it. Oh yes. Someday.

With Delilah’s help, I let the magic sift inside the cracks. I found the pitfalls and pockmarks Cato had created and planted windings of pure fire. Once done, I nearly pulled out. What I’d planted would work, I was sure of it, but it would come blasting back out at us. That was no good. Plus, I wanted to stay with this spell just a bit longer. I wanted to understand it. To feel it. To internalize it and revel in the mastery of it.

Lingering, I let a piece of myself sink in deep. Sink down to the fiber where even Delilah couldn’t go and just hang out for a moment. I let my mind drift, then, thinking of Jonas. Thinking of the best ways to get him out of there. To tear the place apart. To really stick it to these *s who had come to America to raise hell.

I started shedding spells and ideas of spells and things that might work. I let my magic creep along the floor. I felt the foundations of the building through the cracks and let my magic crawl up through it. I felt people, then, hanging around inside. Standing guard. I felt their magic and their swords. I felt their confidence in their assurance that they were hidden and protected. I felt their vulnerability.

I let fire creep along the floor with me and all around the walls. I planted demons in the dirt and ghosts in the halls, items that would erupt or spin or fog. I planted distractions like Toa had shown me and fire bombs along the roof to let in the sunlight and momentarily blind them.

When I was done, and somewhat at peace and tranquil with the magic running through me, I felt the hitchhiker. An earth-shatteringly strong white power rode my coattails, tweaking my spells and glossing my attempts. He turned a crude idea into a shining example. He turned a distraction into a crippling pitfall. Cato was taking my ideas and applying his experience to make them better.

“Micro-manager,” I said with a huffed smile as I disengaged my mind while leaving all my work behind.

I opened my eyes and then gasped. Cato was standing right in front of me, staring at my face. He wore a serene expression of pride. “You are a marvel, Sasha. What must your life have been that you can so aptly feel your way through dire situations? You have displayed a mastery well beyond your years. You and Stefan will take my place, someday. No one will stand in your way.”

“Okay, but about the space issue. When you are an inch from my face, it makes me a little uncomfortable…”

“I wasn’t about to stop him, Sasha. I’m afraid of what he would do to me,” Charles muttered.

Cato’s eyes crinkled in mirth. “We will talk about moving you to the Council after this is done. Where are your shifters?”

“Get Delilah out of here,” I said behind me as I stepped around Cato. My foot slid off a cabbage plant. My balance jolted off center, having me staggering to the right. Paulie put a hand to my shoulder as Charles put a hand on my head, steadying me.

“My head, Charles?” I said as I regained my footing.

“Well? He had your shoulder. I would’ve grabbed your boob if you weren’t all hopped up on magic.”

“Yeah, right.” Paulie chuckled as we threaded between huge bodies to the center of the street. I found Stefan and Dominicous talking with a few other scary men, who must’ve been the battle commanders, behind a large van. Tim was standing with him in nothing but a pair of sweats. Ann was to his right in a muumuu. I couldn’t help but smile as she turned to me.

“Hi, Ann!” I gave her a hug. “Fancy seeing you here.”

With effort, the corners of her lips dipped down into a grimace. Her eyebrows fluttered like a vaudeville act until they finally furrowed into a comical-looking grimace. “I’m supposed to be serious.”

“Oh. Sorry.” I grimaced back at her. “Better?”

Her eyes sparkled and a smile threatened to break free again.

“Sasha, what is the situation?” Dominicous asked with a firm voice.

I turned to a wall of muscle and glowing tattoos. Every single commander had flares of burnished gold. These six people were packing power. Except for Tim, who turned into a huge, angry bear that could swipe heads off with nasty five-inch claws.

I gulped and inched away. I wanted to go back with the mages again.

“Where are we with magic?” Stefan asked. His comforting presence pulsing through the link again.

“We’re going to try and implode their spells. It’s all set up.” I turned to Tim. “Get your people furry and in place.”

“That’s my job, Sasha,” Dominicous said quietly. Even though his face was grim, I could see a sparkling of pride in his eyes. Also a warning.

I gulped again. I hated it when these guys were territorial. It was like walking in on a pride of lions when they were feasting on a kill.

I ticked the air. “Yes. Right. Okay. Then we just need the go-ahead that you are all in position and we’ll blow this place. They’ll be stunned. Hopefully. Their first line of defense probably won’t know what the hell is going on. In addition, I’ve—we’ve—left some spells that should create some fierce holes in their building. You shouldn’t have any problem getting in. You should also have the element of surprise. It seems like, to me, they were really confident in their disguise.”

Dominicous nodded and turned to Stefan. He said, “My guys are good to go.” Dominicous looked at the others and got the same answer. He focused on Tim. “You can change as you will. They’ll send out their shifters, first. I have intel that they don’t have many. And we captured the one they valued the most highly. The rest aren’t much more than second-rate citizens. They won’t fight that hard. In fact, don’t be surprised if they take off and hook up with you later. Our faction has overstepped a great many prejudices of late. We are the first in the world to scale these walls. You might have some joiners.”