Magic On The Hunt

Allie Beckstrom #6

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There aren’t many girls who can say they’ve gone into the realm of death and lived to tell the tale. But to restore her lover Zayvion’s soul, Allison Beckstrom had to pay a bitter price–and things are about to get worse…

It turns out the leader of the Authority, the council that decides what can–and can’t–be done with magic, is being held, hostage. But when the trail leads Allie and Zayvion to the secret prison where the Authority locks away magical criminals who are too dangerous to be held anywhere else, they find more than they bargained for. An undead magic user has possessed one of the prisoners, and he wants his freedom–and then some. Now Allie and Zayvion are the first line of defense against the chaos he’s about to unleash on the city of Portland…

Magic At The Gate

Book 6 – Allie Beckstrom

 

Zayvion stretched out in my bed wearing nothing but his boxers under the covers. He lay on his side, elbow propped under his head, wide, bare shoulders blocking most of the view of my door and apartment beyond. I faced him, wearing boy shorts and tank top, the covers tucked under my free arm.

We were not touching. We were not talking. We were at war.

β€œTwo out of three?” Never go into battle without laying basic ground rules.

β€œFair,” he said.

Zay threw rock; I threw scissors. Damn.

β€œOne,” Zay said.

I threw paper; Zay threw rock.

β€œMine.” I looked into his eyes, brown and filled with that gold fire that came from using magic. And let me tell you, he’d been using it very nicely over the last three days since we’d sealed the undead magic users in Maeve’s Inn. Three days we’d spent almost entirely in bed.

We both knew our rest would be short-lived. Victor had called last night and asked me to come down so he could talk to my dead dad, who was possessing my mind. Wanted to know what my dad knew about the solid Veiledβ€”dead magic users who used the disks my dad invented to reclaim bodies.

Yesterday, the higher members of the Authorityβ€”Victor, Maeve, Hayden, and a few othersβ€”had broken the magical lock on the inn my dad had left there. They transported the solid Veiled to the secret prison the Authority uses to deal with magic users who break the law.

Leander, who had followed me into this world through death’s gate, had not been among them.

Zay had been angry he hadn’t been asked to help. Shame, the only one of us who they requested go along, didn’t talk much about it afterward. All he’d said was: β€œFreaks are still alive-ish. We have no idea how to remove the disks. Victor will probably want to ask your da about that, and what he knows about Leander. But that place . . . that prison?” He’d shaken his head. β€œNothing can break out of those walls.”

I was actually glad I hadn’t been a part of that. Those people had died once. As far as I was concerned, they had no right to be living againβ€”especially when they were bent on killing me and my friends.

I didn’t want Victor or anyone else digging in my head to talk to my dad about undead magic users, but there were still disks out there that could be used to create more solid Veiled. And the longer we waited to find those disks, and whoever was behind the undead using them, the higher chance we’d have of more solid Veiled to deal with.

β€œStill with me?” Zay asked.

β€œSorry. Tie breaker?”

β€œWinning hand.” He gave me a quick smile, then schooled his face into that impenetrable Zen mask.

β€œThink that’s going to throw me?”

β€œWhat?”

β€œThat Zen thing.”

β€œWhat Zen thing?”

β€œYou know what I’m talking about. It won’t work. How many times do I have to tell you, you are the easiest man in the world to read, Mr. Zayvion Jones?”

One eyebrow quirked. β€œBring it.”

It’s one of the most underrated survival skills in historyβ€”winning at rock, paper, scissors. Zay had thrown rock twice in a row. Would he stick with his game and throw it again? Or would he expect me to think he would and instead throw scissors to cut my paper?

I studied his eyes, his lips, his smile. Nothing.

We fist pumped one, two, three.

I threw paper.

Zayvion Jones threw rock.

β€œA-ha!” I crowed. β€œI win. I’d like my eggs scrambled, toast buttered, and coffee hot.”

β€œYou get a bowl of stale cereal.”

β€œOh, no. Hot breakfast was the deal.”

β€œTrue.” He pushed the covers down a little, kicking his feet free. β€œWhat do you think about omelets?”

β€œI’m pro-omelet if there’s cheese involved. If not, then I’m totally on scrambled’s side.”

β€œMaybe I’ll make a nice, slow quiche.” He leaned over me, forcing me to roll onto my back.

I made a face. β€œI don’t like quiche.”

β€œI can make you like quiche.”

He kissed me, soft, easy. Moved down to my neck and the edge of my breast and kissed me there, his teeth catching my nipple.

β€œNo, you can’t,” I gasped. Which was a lie. When he kissed me like that, I was pretty sure he could make me like anything.

β€œTell me you want quiche.”

β€œI want coffee.”

β€œAnd quiche?”

β€œScrambled,” I breathed.

He grinned. β€œStubborn, stubborn, stubborn.” His lips pressed against mine, silencing my objections and sending a pulse of heat coiling down my spine. I squirmed to get my hands free, then wrapped my arms around his wide back, ready for more than just a kiss. His muscles bunched under my palms as I dragged fingers over his skin, silently thankful for how quickly he was recovering from the coma. I slipped my fingers up into the soft, short curls at the back of his head and shifted so our bodies fit together as one.

His mouth remained soft, easy, slow. Too slow.

I wanted out of my clothes. Wanted him out of his. I caught at the waistband of his boxers and drew them down just enough I could stroke the edge of his hip bones.Finally, his tongue dragged delicious warmth across my lips. I opened my mouth and his tongue dipped deeper. A shock of need rolled beneath my skin, and I caught my breath.

Oh, baby. If he kept kissing me like that, I’d eat all the quiche he wanted to cook.

Then he pulled away, dragging all of the covers with him.

β€œWait, where are you going?”

β€œThose omelets aren’t going to cook themselves. Deal was hot breakfast.” He mercilessly shucked the covers down to the foot of the bed and grinned.

Cold air sent goose bumps over my bare legs and arms. β€œOh, you are such a sore loser. Winner gets to stay in bedβ€”warm.” I sat and crawled down for the covers, bringing them back up over my shoulders. It was ten o’clock in the morning. I wasn’t planning to get out of bed until noon if at all possible.

β€œSore loser? You do know I let you win?”

β€œYou did not.”

β€œThrowing rock three times in a row? Yes, I did. You make your eggs too runny.”

β€œI cannot believe you are critiquing my kitchen skills in my own home.”

β€œNot your skills. Just your eggs.” He stood. β€œSince you’re awake, how about winner sets the table?”

β€œWinner doesn’t want a formal breakfast.”

He strode out of the room wearing nothing but his boxers and the fine skin he’d been born with, though he grabbed a T-shirt from the dresser top.

β€œNot feeding it to you in bed,” he called back. β€œAgain.”

I smiled and snuggled deeper into the blankets. β€œDidn’t want you to.” Okay, that was a lie. Even though breakfast in bed would be a really nice way to begin the day, it was probably time to start behaving like regular people instead of honeymooners.

I took a minute to stretch out and hog the bed all to myself. Zay’s half was still warm and smelled of his cologne. I closed my eyes and savored the uncommon sensation of not hurting, not worrying, and not running for my life.

Things were good in my life. Right here, right this minute. It felt good to be happy. And I wanted it to last forever.

The sizzle of bacon hitting the pan made me smile, and then the salt and maple aromas were joined by the rich, almost chocolate scent of fresh brewed coffee.

I knew I should get out of bed. If not to set the table, maybe to harass Zay while he cooked. But the bed felt too good to leave behind. Just five minutes more of blankets and bliss.

I woke to the sound of my front door opening.

We weren’t expecting anyone. Maybe Shame decided to drop in. I heard voices. Two. Zay and a man I couldn’t quite place. My landlord?

I got out of bed and put my robe on over my shorts and tank. I strolled into the living room. Zay stood in the middle of the room, his back toward me, hands up and out to the side.

It was not my landlord who had walked into my apartment.

It was Dane Lanister, Sedra’s bodyguard. He was not a handsome man, his eyes too close together in his long, squared-off face, his lips too thin, but he had that thief or professional hit man way of fading into the crowd. His clothes were indistinctβ€”slacks and a gray jacketβ€”and even though he was a member of the Authority, he’d been absent since before we fought the Veiled. I’d last seen him during the wild-magic storm when Jingo Jingo, my ex–Death-magic teacher and current Authority betrayer, had kidnapped Sedra.

The gun in his hand was new too.

He lifted the gun and aimed it at both of us.

β€œDon’t move, don’t cast magic, and don’t make a sound, or I will kill you both.”

Magic is fast. Bullets are faster. And neither Zay nor I was in any shape to dodge bullets.

I held very still, the thump of my own heartbeat in my ears so loud, I almost couldn’t hear Dane over the noise of it. How had he gotten in? I realized it wouldn’t have been hard. Last I knew, last Zay knew, Dane was a good guy. One of the people in the Authority who was trying to make sure magic was safe for everyone. There was no reason to suspect he would want to point a gun at us.

β€œWe are going to do this quietly,” he said. β€œVery quietly.”

He stepped into the room, and two other men, one who looked like he wrestled in the heavyweight division and another, shorter man who looked like he could take him, followed behind. I didn’t know them, or at least I didn’t think I did. They shut the door, and it made no sound. Mute spells.

They were using magic to make sure no one above or below us heard what was happening.

β€œI have business with you, Allison,” Dane said. β€œSomething I should have finished months ago. Don’t,” he said to Zay, who had opened his mouth and inhaled, β€œor I will shoot her between the eyes this time.”

This time? My stomach twisted, and I wanted to vomit. I didn’t know what other time he was talking about, but I had two bullet scars I didn’t remember receiving. And even though I had no memory of him shooting me, my bodyβ€”my adrenalineβ€”made it clear he was responsible for at least one of my scars.

Zay did not move, did not twitch a muscle, did not cast magic, did not say a thing.

I tried to pick up the pieces of my brain, to think of what I could do to stop this so we didn’t wind up dead. What weapons did I have? Magic. But I’d have to move to use it, and then I’d be dead.

I knew Zayvion was going over the possibilities too. I wasn’t touching him, so I had no idea what he was thinking. We couldn’t read each other’s minds enough for this to be a coordinated effort.

The two men strode across the room, smiling and silent, straight toward Zayvion. Without breaking stride, they both flicked their fingers, releasing an Illusion they’d been holding. I could hear more people behind us, maybe twoβ€”no, three.

They’d used Illusion to give them time to spread out into the room. Illusion so well cast, I couldn’t smell the magic they were using for it. There could be an army of people in the room right now, with guns, knives, and swords at our backs.

My skin crawled. It was everything I could do not to turn and look, but Dane’s gun was unwavering. Soft footsteps scuffled across the carpet. I counted up to six intruders in the room. Two in front closing in fast on Zayvion, maybe three behind doing the same, and Dane, still just on this side of the closed door, the barrel of his gun steady, finger on the trigger.

They hit Zayvion from behind. The Mute spell made sure I didn’t hear what they hit him with. It might have been magic. It might have been a crowbar. He grunted and crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

β€œEyes on me, Beckstrom.”

I did as he said, trying to see what they were doing to Zayvion with my peripheral vision. No luck.

β€œWhat do you want?” I asked.

I heard the ratchet of handcuffs opening, and then Zay was dragged to the far corner of my living room toward the radiator.

I chanced a look over my shoulder.

β€œYour attention, Allison,” Dane said calmly, far too calmly, β€œor I will shoot you. You don’t have to be standing for what I want out of you.”

Zay was bleeding, out cold. Five men, not four, were handcuffing, gagging, and blindfolding him. They all had guns too. I heard the meaty thump of a boot slamming into muscle. Probably ribs. I hoped it was just ribs.

I turned back to Dane. Furious. I didn’t know how, but I was going to take him down.

β€œWhat the hell do you think you’re doing? Do you even know what will happen to you when the Authority finds out about this?” Buying time, really. I didn’t care what he thought was going to happen. I needed a minute to figure out what I could do to him and his five friends without hurting Zay. In theory, I could call on enough magic to burn this place to the ground. I had enough magic at my fingertips, even without the small magic I’d sacrificed in death to do it. But I’d have to pay just as big a price as the spell I cast, and then I’d be nothing but ashes and burnt bones.

I didn’t have any weaponsβ€”which scared the hell out of me, and that, in turn, only made me more angry.

I was good at angry.

He motioned with the gun. β€œNow that Zayvion is out of the way, you have two choices. Do what I tell you to do, or bleed.”

If I lifted my hand to cast magic, I’d be on the ground bleeding. And I did not want to fall to the floor with six angry, armed men in the room.

β€œAll right,” I said. β€œWhat do you want?”

Dad? I thought. I knew he was still there, still in my mind. But he had been silent for three days. Either he was too weak to help, or he was hiding from Dane. I didn’t think Dane knew my dad was in my head.

No, he had to know. I’d been trying to convince everyone in the Authority my dad was in my head for months now. Great.

β€œYou are a problem,” Dane said. β€œAnd the easiest way to get rid of a problem is to kill it. Simple, efficient, gone. A gun to the back of the head, a knife through the spine, magic to boil your blood, crush your skull, stop your heart. The kind of death we gave your father, Greyson and I. The kind of death I will give you. But first, I want to know where Daniel is keeping Sedra.”

Holy crap. I knew Greyson was a part of my dad’s murder, along with James Hoskil, but I did not know who else had been involvedβ€”had no idea Dane had been involved.

β€œMy dad’s dead,” I said, anger steadying my voice. β€œHe’s not keeping Sedra anywhere. Jingo Jingo has her.”

β€œA technicality. Jingo is working for your father. Carrying out what I admit is a very comprehensive plan to hold Sedra hostage and use her as sacrifice to bring Mikhail back into power. I don’t know what Daniel intends to get out of that. And I don’t care. Tell me where she is.”

β€œI don’t know. Dad never told me his plans.”

β€œOh, he told you. You may not remember it.” He paced toward me. β€œDaniel was paranoid about how much information any one person should be allowed to access. But not you. He told everything to you. You just don’t remember.”

He stopped. Not close enough for me to make a grab for his gun, but close enough that I could smell the old-vitamin stink of him. One sniff and a wash of fear rolled through me. I remembered that smell. That smell meant pain. Even though I was furious, a whimper filled my throat.

β€œThe information, your father’s information, is in your head,” he said with a tight smile. β€œAll I have to do is pull it out of you.”

The men behind me were moving. I couldn’t hear them, but I felt their footsteps vibrating beneath my bare feet, coming closer.

β€œYour father Closed you many times. Used you. He’s been taking your memories away since the accident when you were five years old.”

A high ringing started in my ears; my heartbeat thrummed behind it. I was breathing too fast. I didn’t know if I was angry, panicked, or about to be sick. I didn’t remember an accident. I didn’t remember my dad Closing me.
That didn’t mean those things hadn’t happened.

He had to be lying. He had to be trying to knock me off my footing, to break me down so he could get me to tell him where Sedra was.
I didn’t want to believe the bastard, but I knew, somehow I knew, every word was the truth.

His eyebrows lifted. β€œYou didn’t know, did you?” He shook his head. β€œHe never even trusted you with that much. Isn’t that sad? And now he’s in there, isn’t he? Filling up the holes in you he’s been making for himself all these years. Taking up the room he’s carved out in you.”

β€œI told you I don’t know where Sedra is,” I said. β€œWe’re all looking for her. If you’d been here the last few weeks, you’d know that. Where have you been? Why haven’t you been helping us look for her?”

β€œI know who my allies are,” he snapped. He lifted the gun slightly, aiming at my head. Then, in a voice clipped with anger: β€œTell your father I want to talk to him.”

CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ALLIE BECKSTROM SERIES.

41 Comments

  • Jackie Evans

    Hi Devon
    love your Allie Beckstrom books but can you tell me if book 6 will be available in Kindle at the same time that it is released in paperback?

    Thanks

  • Shelby D.

    Hello Devin
    I love your Allie books as well! I was able to get my library in Tucson to carry your books just recently. I read Magic to the Bone and fell in love with your world. I went out and purchased all of them! Just finished Magic on the Storm and Magic at the Gate in three days because I could not put them down. I am soooo happy to see that another one is coming out in April just before my Birthday. Yea for me!! Early birthday present!!! πŸ˜€

    • Devon

      Hi there!

      Thank you so much! I am so glad you like them! I had a ton of fun writing MAGIC ON THE HUNT. I hope you enjoy it too. Have a great birthday!

  • Sarah

    I just happened to pick up one of these books this weekend and I quickly read through the series. I just finished Magic at the Gates last night and now I’m bummed that I have to wait until April for the next one! I think this is the best books series I’ve ever read. April 5th can’t come fast enough : )

    • Devon

      Sarah–Oh! That is so nice of you! Thank you! I can’t wait for April 5th either. I had a LOT of fun writing MAGIC ON THE HUNT, and I hope you’ll like it when you get a chance to read it.

  • Sharon

    I love the books and is looking forward for the next book. I do have a question will u ever touch on What really happen to Allie’s mother

    • Devon

      Hi Sarah,

      I’ve posted excerpts from MAGIC ON THE HUNT here on the blog on Fridays. Hope you’ve had a chance to catch them!

  • TatyannaRose

    Hi! I’m a huge fan of the Allie Beckstrom series, and I was wondering how many books are going to be in the whole series?

  • sooz

    Like all the others, I love your Allie Beckstrom Series! I discovered you via Ilona Andrews and Good Reads and have loved all your books! Got A Cup of Normal from the Library the other day, and am chomping at the bit for Magic on the Hunt. That teaser chapter is killer!

    • Devon

      Hi Shirlene,

      Book titles (so far) in order are:
      Magic to the Bone
      Magic in the Blood
      Magic in the Shadows
      Magic on the Storm
      Magic at the Gate
      Magic on the Hunt
      Magic on the Line

      πŸ™‚

  • Krysten LaFever

    I just wanted to say that I really love this series. I was wondering do you have any idea how many book will be in the total series? I don’t want them to end. I love Allie, Zay, and Shame. They are great.

    • Devon

      Hi Krysten,

      Thank you! I don’t want them to end either, lol, however, it’s a nine book series, so there’s four books still to read!

      πŸ™‚

  • Lilly

    ‘Ello!!

    I am thrilled that my brother got me a Hasting’s gift card for my birthday because it means I will be picking up ‘Magic on the Hunt’ on the 5th!! I love your books and style of writing and strongly recommend you to others. It’s great being able to get such wonderful feedback from you as well, and my advanced copy signed by you of ‘Magic at the Gate’ holds a place of honor on my bookshelves. It is the only author signed book I own, and will always be treasured as my first. Thank you so much, and you have also given me great inspiration in my own crafting projects!

    Sincerely,
    Lilly

  • Yanet

    OMG i am soo totaly inlove with the Alie Beckstrom..lol so much i even preorderd it from england…i live in the netherlands…it should be arriving anyday now..haha thanks so much for writting such a wonderfull series:D xx

    Yanet

  • Jeanne

    I just finished reading Magic on the Hunt. . . needless to say. . . I’m already going to withdrawals! I absolutely loved it. When are you releasing Magic on the Line? I guess I need to get all the other books back from the friend I loaned them to just so I’ll have something to read until your next release. Thank you to my friend Lori for turning me on to your wonderful Allie Beckstrom series!

  • Meagan Watts

    Devon, finished Magic on the Hunt on the 7th πŸ™‚ DEVOURED it, LOVED it, so glad you decided to become a writer! I was really worried about Shame for a while, though… that boy sure can find trouble! Loved all the Crowne Point/Multnomah Falls stuff, too… who knew all that had been there all along! *tongue firmly in cheek*

  • TimD

    Just wanted to say that I love your books and cannot wait until #7 comes out. I hope that the series lasts for a long long time to come.

    Thank you for inviting us into the world of your imagination!

  • Becca

    Hi,
    I absolutely love this series!! They are my favorite books. My mom and I are sharing the books and we always argue over who gets to read the new books first.I won this time for magic on the hunt =). I am so excited that there are many more books coming! I can’t wait to read them!!! Thank you for such wonderful stories and characters. They are so real sometimes I feel like they could walk right off the page.

  • Charles Griffith

    Just wanted to say GREAT SERIES. Thanks. I had to thank my son for giving me the first book in the series. I have loved the first five and am looking forward to mthe rest.

  • Pooja

    I eat up fantasy and there hasn’t been much recently that’s made me pause and think ‘wow, I really can’t wait till the next book comes out in this series’. But your books are amazing and I have to say thanks for making my day every time I pick up one up! πŸ™‚

  • Angie

    Hi Devon,
    It’s Angie,thanks to your sister De and Michelle (they let me borrow the first 4), I cant stop reading your books. I read the first 3 in less then a month and I am on book 4, thanks for the copy of book 5. I know I will be done with 4 & 5 by the time 6 comes. The books are so additive. See you at the family event.

    Angie

  • Jake W

    Hey Devon. Glad to hear your going to release 2 more Allie Beckstrom books. Its hard to find a good read most of the time. And these are deffinetly my favourites.And being 14 but an excellent reader, finding a interesting but challenging book in a school libarey is hard. to me they are childish books. Hoping you are well.
    Jake w

  • Nina

    Nina
    May 7, 2012 at 12:47 pm | Permalink | Reply

    Not so much of a question but a feedback.. I bought the audio version of magic to the bone (just 10 days ago) and got completely dazzled by it.. I can’t put it down! So much that I bought all the other ones that followed and are available on audible and I’m already almost finished listening to #6 (Magic in the hunt).. I’m also already crying because there is no telling when or if there will be an audible version available for #8 and forth so consider this plead.. Please please pretty please make all books available on audible.

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