Legacy of Deceit (PAPERBACK)

Chapter One

Magic flowed from his fingers. Power surged through his veins. Sebastian focused all his concentration on the ocean as the chilly autumn water swirled over his feet and caressed his ankles. Standing in his element fueled his power and replenished him. The contact helped him accomplish such a complicated conjuration. The waves’ white tips surged and crashed on the beach. Deep blues extended as far as the eye could see beneath the moonlit sky. Just beyond the jetty of rocks that extended a few hundred feet from the beach, where the ocean floor plunged and the depths rose, a current rushed by, directing the water to flow parallel to the beach.
Sebastian twisted his fingers as he grasped the current with his mind and bent it to his will. He circled his hands above the water, pulling and shaping the current into a whirlpool. Waves rose and crashed against the rocks as the water changed direction and followed his command.
The sea churned, but it wasn’t complete. Sending more magic into the ocean, he stumbled as his strength waned. He walked deeper until the surf buffeted his thighs, drenching his pants and plastering the material against his skin. The briny saltwater smell filled his nostrils as the water recharged his power, and he sent it out into the currents. When the rising waves disrupted his balance, he widened his stance.
The whirlpool needed to be stronger, bigger, to become the weapon he wanted. The current spun, dragging more and more water into its pull. Under the surface, a funnel formed. Sebastian willed it to grow and spin faster as sweat dripped down his temple and spine despite the cool wind whipping his hair and loose shirt.
At this size, it might be enough to drag a person down into the ocean depths, but what if I can create a true maelstrom? Then he could even capture boats if needed. It would certainly drown his enemies before they could strike against him.
A gut-wrenching scream pierced the night.
A flash of white appeared in his peripheral vision. His gaze snagged on someone being swept from the rocks into the ocean. Another scream. This one cut off. A pale hand waved above the water before it disappeared. Sebastian dropped his hands and cut off the flow of his magic like the slice of a knife.
How?
He’d checked the private beach. Nothing had stirred, and the detection spell he’d cast had sensed no one nearby. His was the only house along that stretch. The other houses were farther down, giving him more privacy—one of the reasons he chose it.
Where did they come from, and what are they doing out there? What did they witness?
Dark hair and pale skin surfaced closer to the whirlpool, which still spun, albeit less forcefully. Whoever it was, they were valiantly trying not to drown.
Sebastian scowled as he planted his fists on his hips and stared at the last spot he’d seen the person. Did they see me wield magic? Have they been spying on me? It would be so much easier to let them drown. No questions. Nothing to lead back to him. Accidental drownings happened all the time. No one would suspect him—not unless they knew about witches and magic.
He dropped his head and sighed when the person didn’t resurface.
His hands cleaved through the air and spread wide. The water parted and rose—higher and higher, farther and farther. A water tunnel formed along the ocean floor, and he stepped into it. The wet sand sucked at his toes as he strode along the path he’d created. Shells and rocks cut into his feet.
Sebastian held one hand out in front of him as he used his magic and pushed the water aside. His strength sapped, and he questioned the wisdom of trying to save whoever had been stupid enough to be out on the rocks in the middle of the night.
The whirlpool had dissipated. He reached the drop-off and searched through the water for a body. Am I too late? Did the currents drag the body farther out to sea? Am I risking myself needlessly?
The drain on his power weakened him, and he plunged one hand into the wall of water beside him. It replenished him while he kept his other hand raised in front of him, focusing his magic and keeping the tunnel open. The roar of the ocean pummeled his ears. The weight of his sodden clothes pulled on his weary muscles. The night shrouded the water in darkness. He would be lucky to spot anything in it.
There, pale skin floated in the gray depths.
He pushed the tunnel out in that direction, stalking closer. The body rode the wave of water into his tunnel and dropped at his feet.
A woman—he’d drowned a woman. His stomach clenched.
Black hair covered her face and wrapped around her upper body. Dark clothing covered the petite form. One sneaker still encased her foot. She didn’t move.
Sebastian cursed. Is she already dead?
He bent and hauled her over his shoulder before turning and making his way back to shore. The tunnel narrowed, brushing his sides. Water rose around his ankles and dripped over his head. His power was almost depleted. Despite being surrounded by his element, he’d expended too much.
Sebastian staggered. The woman bounced on his shoulder and slid sideways. He fell to his knees. Gritting his teeth, he repositioned her and climbed to his feet. Her wet hair dragged down his arm, her hands grazing his lower back.
The water swirled around his legs, and he struggled with each step. The tunnel collapsed. The water churned and battered against him, his own element working to bring him down. His body rose with the water, and he lost his balance. How pathetic would it be if we both drowned?
He plunged beneath the surface. Disorientation clouded his thoughts, but he kept a tight grip on the woman. His feet dragged against the bottom, then his knees. Something sharp jabbed his thigh. He pushed off the ground, and his head broke the surface of the water.
The current propelled them toward the beach, and as his feet found purchase, he pushed through the surf as fast as he could. How long was she under?
The empty beach stretched before him. He half-thought he would have spectators by now, but no one stirred along the dark-coated sand. The Connecticut shore tended to remain empty until spring and warmer temperatures returned. The only illumination came from the moon overhead and the kitchen light he’d left on in his house.
Sebastian stumbled out of the water and dropped to his knees. The woman slid out of his arms onto the sand. Gasping for breath, he lunged toward her and placed his fingers against her cold neck as he watched her chest for breaths. Her skin was pearly white. Is it a good sign that it isn’t blue?
Nothing. No pulse. No breath.
Her body flopped in his arms as he pulled her up and positioned his fist over her abdomen with her back against his chest.
“Come on, damn it. Spit the fucking water out.”
Water lapped over their legs as he tried again, the ocean slowly refueling his strength like a brief, regenerative nap when one was in desperate need of sleep. Helpful, but not enough.
Do I have enough power left to expel the water from her lungs with magic? Could I be that precise?
He wasn’t a damn doctor. He was a lawyer. He wasn’t familiar enough with anatomy. It wasn’t a required course in law school.
Sebastian placed her flat on the ground and started chest compressions while his magic pinpointed the water drowning her lungs. He’d used his powers to rapidly dehydrate people before, but that was to weaken or knock them out. She was already unconscious.
If I tried that with her, would it help or make things worse?
Then again, she wasn’t breathing and had no pulse. How much worse could it get?
Power hummed beneath his hands as he continued the chest compressions and leached the water from her body with his magic. He tried to focus on the water in her lungs, but he wasn’t sure it was working. Untangling her hair from her face, Sebastian bent and added rescue breaths. Her ice-cold lips didn’t move beneath his. No air flowed from her mouth.
“Breathe, damn you.”
On the third breath, she spasmed beneath him.
He rolled her to her side as she coughed up water and shuddered beneath his hands.
He sagged back on his heels as she continued to cough and shake.
She breathed.
Now what the hell do I do with her? Call 911?
There would be questions, attention.
Depending on what she saw, those questions could be very damaging to him.
Would she be grateful enough that I saved her life to keep her mouth shut—even if I’m the one who caused her accident in the first place?
It didn’t matter. He couldn’t trust in that.
She’d been under for a few minutes. Is it wrong to wonder if she has brain damage? He scanned what he could see of her head but found no visible wounds, so a concussion wasn’t likely. Could drowning give her amnesia?
She rolled onto her back. Round gray eyes blinked up at him from a pale elfin face, wet black hunks of hair dissecting her features. She stared at him, wide-eyed and silent, as if he were some sort of apparition above her.
Maybe brain damage or amnesia wasn’t such a far stretch to hope for. Or he could hope that she hadn’t witnessed the magic he’d used to make the whirlpool or save her. She had appeared to be unconscious during the entire rescue.
Can I trust in any of that?
No, trust wasn’t a luxury he’d ever had.
So, how do I ensure the drowned little waif keeps silent?
There were magical means of ensuring a type of amnesia. An adept mind-control witch could wipe her memory of the night. But the only witch like that he’d ever known was dead. Not that he’d known his father’s true power was mind control. He’d thought it was fire for most of his life. Almost right up until the end, when they killed him.
The girl wiped the hair from her face as she continued to stare up at him. Is she mute? Why hasn’t she said anything? Is she in shock?
He supposed he needed to decide. It was too late to toss her back into the ocean, not after he went to all the trouble of saving her.
“You saved me,” she whispered.
“Yes.” Don’t make me regret it.
Wait, I already do.
Perhaps he could secure a memory-wiping potion. But what to do with her while I get it? He couldn’t just let her go off on her merry way and talk to however many people while he contacted a witch who specialized in potions.
He sighed. “You’ll have to be my guest for a while.”