Shifter Magnetism by Stormie Kent Page A

the SUV.” His voice was so low she doubted she would have heard him pre-wolf girl.
    “I’m staying with you.” He might need her.
    He cursed again but entered the dark house.
    She pressed close to his back. When he stopped, she ran into him. The man shut the door and enclosed them in full darkness. She quickly cast an illumination spell, formed a ball with her hand, and infused it with the magic from her spell. Blue light filled the narrow hallway.
    The older man flinched from the light. Was this Radkin Lewis? He was unbearably gaunt. Dark, dirty hair hung limp around his face. His eyes were dull. He was dressed in a too-large flannel shirt and questionably clean khaki pants.
    He started off down the hallway and entered a room to the left. They followed, and Leila watched as the man walked to the fireplace. A small wooden table and chair comprised the only furniture in the room.
    There was something wrong here. She could feel it.
    “Radkin Lewis?” Nic asked.
    “Yes.”
    “Where were you the night of July twelfth, Mr. Lewis?” Nic sounded agitated again.
    “I was here in my home, Detective. I don’t get out much.” Radkin Lewis smiled. It was a sight she never wanted to see again.
    “Is there anyone who can corroborate your story, Mr. Lewis?”
    Leila’s skin prickled. She inhaled deeply. There was a sulfuric stench in the air. The smell became more overwhelming the longer they were in the sorcerer’s home. She wanted to keep her focus on the conversation, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
    She whispered, “We have to leave, Nic. Now.”
    Radkin turned to her. “Your magic is surprising.” He stepped closer. “Delicious, even.”
    “Keep your eyes on me, Lewis.” Nic’s body seemed to swell, and he stepped toward the sorcerer.
    She tried to raise her hand and jerk him back, but her body wasn’t responding to her directions. She knew he shouldn’t be anywhere near Radkin Lewis. She would drag her mate to safety as soon as she figured out what the sorcerer was doing to hold her in place. She whispered the words to a simple unbinding spell and added a short burst of her innate power to it. Her foot slid forward slowly.
    Lewis’s gaze never left her face. “I think I will invite your witch to stay awhile. I think she might prove entertaining.”
    Her limbs returned to her control, and she shook out her arms. Her goal was to get them out of the house as quickly as possible. Nic went for his gun just as Radkin reached back and pulled a lever she hadn’t even noticed on the wall near his shoulder.
    A rumble was followed by the sound of creaking, like someone walking on extremely old wooden floorboards. Leila stumbled as the floor began to shift under her feet. The floor was moving, sliding out from under her feet. She lost her balance and fell backward. Right into the empty space where the floor used to be.
    “Nic!” She clutched desperately at the edge of the trapdoor but only caught it with her fingertips.
    He fired on Lewis before turning to reach for her. She tried reaching back but lost her grip instead. A silent scream welled in her throat as she plummeted. Her legs and arms flailed. Her back slammed into something hard, and she started to skid along a smooth surface. She grabbed at the metal, but it was sleek and burned her hand like a playground slide when you go down too swiftly on bare skin. She couldn’t find purchase or stop her descent.
    There was red light below her. She was in some type of tube. It veered to the left, and her head banged against the side. Her eyes closed, and pinpricks of light flashed behind her lids. Suddenly she was free-falling again. Her legs and arms thrashed.
    She expected to crash into a hard, unforgiving surface, cracking bones. Instead, she smashed into something far more yielding and prickly. The impact still jarred her bones and caused her to bite her tongue. She lay there for a moment, swallowed the trace of blood in her mouth, and attempted to