by Linsey Hall
Panic clawed at my throat. We were only halfway through the tunnel. The water was to my knees. Running became a slog.
We sprinted harder but slower. Connor grabbed my hand, and we pulled each other along.
The water was to my thighs. It felt like running through pudding. Fear chilled my skin.
“We’re almost there,” Connor said.
Lungs and muscles burning, I gave it one last burst of speed and climbed onto the stairs. We raced up, leaving the flooding cave behind, and spilled out into the dark night.
I turned around, expecting the lake to be in turmoil. There was a slight ripple on the surface, but nothing more.
Panting, we raced deeper into the forest, taking cover in the trees.
I turned to Connor. “I think we did it.”
“Your magic is back?”
“It is, and I bet my sisters have—”
“Ana?” Bree’s voice whispered out of my comms charm. “Our magic is back.”
“Yes!” Connor fist pumped.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“We’ve just arrived in the woods to the east of the house. We can see it.”
“Perfect. Wait for us. We’ll come find you.”
Connor and I raced through the forest as silently as we could. Magic flowed through my veins, making me feel complete again.
“How did you know how to stop the curse?” I asked.
“I didn’t. The potion in the cauldron was fueling the curse, which was trapped in the crystal hanging above. So I just decided to screw it up.”
“Like a cake recipe?”
“Exactly.”
At the edge of the forest, I spotted our backup. Lachlan caught my eye first, and something in my chest fluttered. I didn’t want to call it butterflies, but yeah, it was definitely something like that.
Bree stood next to Cade and Rowan, and at her side stood Caro and Haris. Ali must have been recovering from his wounds. Everyone looked a bit beaten-up and tired, but I was so glad to see them.
Bree and Rowan threw their arms around me, then drew back and scowled.
Lachlan greeted Connor with a manly hug. The kind with back slapping that men seemed so fond of.
“I’m sorry,” Lachlan said.
“Don’t worry about it.” Connor nodded. “I’m responsible for myself.”
“That was so stupid,” Rowan scolded me. “Going through an unknown portal!”
“It worked, didn’t it?” I met Lachlan’s gaze. He was standing close, his eyes glued to mine.
“Are you all right?” His voice was slightly rough. Worried. Tension stretched between us like a wire. The memory of the kiss flashed in my mind, but I banished it.
“Fine.”
He nodded, then backed up, clearly trying to maintain the professional distance he’d insisted on.
I turned to Connor. “Do you have any idea where we might find the spell that they stole?”
“Not a clue,” he said. “I can only guess that it’s with their leader, and when they talk about him, they always refer to a garden.”
“A garden?” Lachlan asked.
“Yes,” said Connor. “But I’ve no idea why.”
“Hmmm.” I thought about the Creeper in his hidden lair beneath the lake. “Maybe it’s supposed to be hidden and protected. Better than staying in the big house. That’s an obvious target.”
“True,” Lachlan said. “Let’s go find this garden.”
We were about to leave the protection of the trees when a whisper came from behind us. “Connor.”
A figure hurtled out of the trees, running on silent feet. She had dark hair and wore the leather clothing that was favored by mercenaries. A sword in a holster across her back completed the look, and a large bag hung at her side.
Claire, Connor’s sister.
She hugged her brother hard as three others stepped out of the woods.
The FireSouls.
I grinned at Del, Nix, and Cass. “Perfect timing.”
“Are we in time for a fight?” Cass asked, her red hair gleaming in the light of the moon. She wore a brown leather jacket and had two daggers strapped to her thighs. She was a FireSoul and a Mirror Mage, able to mimic anyone else’s magic for a short while.
At her side stood Del, a half-Phantom FireSoul with black hair and clever blue eyes. She was dressed entirely in black leather. Nix, the third FireSoul, was a conjurer. Her cartoon cat T-shirt was at odds with her tough demeanor.
We’d helped them in fights in the past, and they’d never hesitated to return the favor.
“Yep, a big one,” I said. “We’re going to try to retrieve the ancientus spell.”
“Ah, right.” Understanding flicked in Nix’s eyes as she looked at Lachlan.
Del nodded. “Well, seeing as we’ve finished with our other emergency task—because you found him—we’re happy to help.”
“We’ll be backup,” Cass said.
“Anything for the people who saved my brother,” Claire added. She was a Fire Mage and mercenary, the closest friend of the FireSouls trio.
Heck yeah. With these four as backup, our odds of success had just doubled.
Claire handed her brother the sack that hung around her body. “Your potion bombs, brother dear. I thought we might need to fight our way out if we found you.”
“Thanks, sis. You know the way to my heart.” He handed me the sword I’d loaned him back in the Creeper’s lair and patted the bag. “I’ve got my weapons of choice now.”
“Thanks.” I took the sword, then updated the newcomers on our plan to find and storm the garden, then turned to Bree. “Can you use your illusion to conceal us?”
“Partial invisibility, coming right up.” She grinned. “Just enough to keep others from spotting us, but if we stick close, we’ll be able to see each other. Barely.”
“I’ll dampen our sound,” Lachlan said.
“Perfect,” I said. “We’ll head for the garden.”
Bree’s magic swelled on the air, and my friends disappeared. I squinted, just barely able to make out their outlines.
We set off at a jog across the vineyards, running up the rows of dormant vines toward the walled compound on the hill. Luck was with us, because there was no guard at the little gate. I turned the key, and we slipped inside, one by one.
I remembered seeing part of an amazing garden as I’d been carried in over the demon’s shoulder. So I turned that way, whispering for my friends to follow.
They did, and we moved quickly alongside the outer edge of the house. A demon walked by, then stopped. He peered hard in our direction. Tension tightened my muscles, but he just shook his head as if he were seeing things and kept walking.
I grinned and kept going. We turned the corner of the house, and the familiar garden caught my eye. In the distance, a row of hedges stood. They looked merely decorative, but I doubted it.
We were close.
Then the hounds appeared.
Oh, crap.
Six of them stood in front of us. They were the size of large dogs, and each was covered in scales.
“Bad news,” Bree muttered next to me.
The hounds looked toward us, confusion in their dark eyes. Around me, the faint outlines of my friends disappeared. Bree was upping her magic, making us fully invisible. I couldn’t hear a single breath or rustle of grass beneath anyone’s feet, so Lachlan had our sound completely dampened.
Then the hounds sniffed the air, their nostrils twitching.
Dread slipped like ice through my veins.
As one, the hounds lifted their heads and howled, their loud cries echoing in the night.
Demons burst out of the house to our right, spilling from three different doors. The hounds ran for us, circling our group. Helping the demons find us.
There had to be two dozen of them, all different species. Burnished red skin, gray, pale white, and dark green. Many were draped with weapons, but others were empty-handed, clearly planning to use just their magic
. We were still fifty yards from the hedges.
“Drop the illusion, Bree!” I cried. We’d have to fight, and we didn’t need to hit each other by mistake.
I didn’t know if she could hear me through Lachlan’s silence charm or if she just had the same idea as I did, but we all appeared.
The demons charged. So did we.
Caro, the Water Mage, shot a jet of water straight at the closest demon. It plowed through his chest, shooting out the other side as a pink stream of blood-tinged water.
Haris did his usual, sprinting for a demon. A half second before he reached him, he turned invisible. Then the demon jerked upright and turned around, raising his hand and shooting a fireball at another demon. Haris would keep it up until his host was almost dead, then he’d jump out.
To my right, Lachlan shifted into his lion form. His black fur and mane gleamed in the light of the moon, and his roar shook the insides of my chest. He leapt toward a crowd of demons and tore off the head of the largest one. Blood sprayed, a violent display in the moonlight.
Rowan fought with her sword, fast as a burst of wind, while Bree struck down a demon with lightning.
Nix conjured a small fort made of sandbags. From their protective covering, Cass and Claire shot blasts of flame at the demons, taking them out one by one. Connor stood at their side, hurling his potion bombs with deadly accuracy. Del transformed into her Phantom self, a pale blue apparition that fought with a sword. Nothing could hurt her in that form, and she raced through the crowd of demons, dealing blows wherever she could.
But there are just so many of them.
More poured out of the house, heading straight for our group.
I flung a dagger into the chest of a nearby demon who blocked my path toward the garden. It pierced his heart, and he fell backward, arms whirling.
The battle raged all around as I fought my way toward the garden, Bree and Rowan at my side.
It was slow going, and no matter how many demons we killed, more appeared. Whoever owned this place was armed to the max. They purposely blocked my way to the garden, which only fueled me more.
The spell is in there.
Cass caught my eye. “Go! We’ll cover you.”
She and Claire began to shoot fireballs right into the crowd of demons who blocked our way.
It lightened the crowd, but it was still fierce.
There had to be twenty between us and the entrance between the hedges. It seemed impossible to get through.
Until Lachlan appeared at my side and knelt low on his front legs. The message was clear.
Get on.
Whoa. That was really personal. After our kiss, it’d be insanely personal.
But we needed to recover the ancientus spell before it could be used to bring back terrible magic from the past. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to climb on.
I climbed onto his back, almost immediately overwhelmed by the sense of him. Strength and honor and determination and fury.
He was enraged by what was happening, determined to do anything it took to make it right.
My heart thundered at the connection between us, at the raw ferocity of him.
Lachlan took off, bowling through the crowd of demons. I clung to his back, crouching low. Ahead of us, lightning struck as Bree took out some of the demons. Others fell to fire blasts and Connor’s potion bombs.
Bree and Rowan raced after us.
A demon with long claws swiped at me, raking his claws across my arm as we ran by. Pain flared and blood flowed. I clung harder to Lachlan, wind tearing at my hair.
We plowed through the demons, and I leaned out with my sword, taking the head off one. Another reached for me, claws glinting in the moonlight, but I took off his arm.
Finally, we reached the entrance between the hedgerow walls. I looked behind, just briefly, catching sight of the FireSouls, Claire, Connor, Caro, and Haris holding off the rest of the demons.
We wouldn’t have stood a chance without them. But there was more ahead.
I turned to face what was coming.
15
The garden was quiet inside. Though a few demons tried to follow us in, our friends on the outside picked them off with fire and potion bombs.
Lachlan slowed his sprint as I clung to his back, muscles aching from desperately trying to hold on. Bree and Rowan caught up, slowing to a walk as they caught their breath. The four of us passed through multiple rows of hedges.
“This place is way bigger than it looks on the outside, isn’t it?” Bree asked.
“Definitely,” I said.
Beneath me, Lachlan rumbled his agreement. He moved with leonine grace, stalking toward the topiaries.
Should I get off of him?
I didn’t really want to. This was fun.
“And we’re onto something,” Rowan said.
We passed another row of hedges, finally reaching a corridor lined on either side with topiaries. Animals of all different varieties bordered the path.
I inspected the topiaries, spotting giant monsters of all sorts. Snakes, tigers, griffons, and demon dogs. They prowled and pranced, frozen in time.
As soon as we passed the first topiary, it burst to life. The cobra leapt off the platform, rearing its hooded head back to strike at Bree.
She called on her magic, and lightning struck, piercing the night sky and obliterating the topiary. It burnt to a crisp, ashes scattering to the ground.
The rest of the animals leapt to the ground, prowling near. I called on my sword, drawing it from the ether, and leapt off of Lachlan’s back. For this, we were better separate.
He charged a panther topiary, while I raced for a bear. I struck out with my sword, doing a bit of gardening around the head. I sliced it right off. Headless, the bear swiped out with its front foot, swiping me across the stomach with its claws made of thorns.
Pain flared, and I doubled over briefly.
Keep fighting.
The wound wouldn’t kill me—it would just hurt like hell. I straightened, aiming my sword for the bear’s front leg. I lopped it off, then went for the next.
At my side, Rowan fought a stag. The antlers swiped out at her, coated with thorns.
I finished off the bear just as a shriek sounded. The Cats of Catastrophe appeared, racing toward the topiary beasts. They each leapt on their own monster, claws flailing. Snippets of leaves flew left and right as the cats each destroyed a topiary.
Lachlan cut through others, making quick work, while my sisters and I fought our way past three identical topiary alligators. Their tails whipped out with incredible strength. One knocked me off my feet, and I rolled out of the way of its snapping jaws. My hip ached where the gator’s thorny tail had hit me, and blood soaked my jeans.
I turned and lunged, sword outstretched, and took off the monster’s head.
Finally, we destroyed the last of the topiaries.
In the quiet calm, I surveyed what was ahead. About fifty yards away, a large stone building sat in the middle of a beautiful rose garden. Dark magic rolled out from the structure.
Our targets were in there. “Jackpot.”
We stalked closer on silent feet, keeping our pace quick. We’d only gone about ten yards when dark figures melted out from the walls, stalking toward us. They had gray skin and black eyes, with long pointed ears close to their skulls. Black claws tipped their hands. Their auras were as black as pitch, swirling around them like fog. Pale yellow eyes gleamed at us as they licked their fangs.
“Dark fae.” Fear echoed in Rowan’s voice.
The Cats of Catastrophe hissed and ran backward, putting distance between themselves and the creatures.
Cold shivered across my skin.
The dark fae’s touch was deadly. And they were super fast.
They streaked toward us. My heart leapt into my throat as I threw up my arms, creating a massive white shield. They slammed into it, hissing and clawing.
There were at least twenty of them. They were so fast and
so deadly that we couldn’t fight them. Not all of them.
“Shit, what do we do?” Bree asked. “I can electrocute some, but how long can you hold that shield?”
Sweat broke out on my brow, and my arms shook. “Not long.”
Next to me, Lachlan shifted back into his human form and raised his arms.
“Hurry.” I gasped as my shield began to flicker. Whatever he was going to do, he needed to do it quick.
The dark fae were so strong that they were breaking down my shield. They’d overwhelm us in seconds. Fear like I’d never known shivered through me, turning all my muscles to ice.
I could take out one or two, and my sisters probably more. But not enough. At least one could touch us, poisoning us with a fast-acting dose of lethal paralysis. For this, they were one of the most feared species of magical creature.
Lachlan raised his hands. His magic surged. Behind the dark fae, the earth rose up. A wall of dirt and rocks cut off our view of the stone building as it curled over the fae like a tidal wave. It crashed down on them, dirt and rocks pouring down, crushing them.
Shocked, I stared. All I could see was piles of displaced dirt and stone. The fae were pulverized beneath.
“Come on!” Lachlan started to climb over the piles of dirt and rock.
I followed. “How the hell did you do that?”
It must have taken so much magic.
“Practice.” His voice sounded a bit strange. “And I’m nearly tapped out. It took almost everything I have.”
“So we’re on our own in there.” I pointed to the building, which was only ten yards away now.
“I can still fight. Maybe even shift.”
We reached the building and rushed inside, Lachlan taking the lead.
The interior was far larger than I’d expected. Shelves of books and scrolls bordered the walls, along with massive iron safes full of who knew what. Tables were scattered here and there with papers spread about. Maps and documents.
But it was the people in the middle who caught my eye.
Our targets.
And they were ready for us.
The cloaked figure and the two women from the Roman baths stood there. The dark-haired woman and the blonde one had brought him the spell and hadn’t left his side, it seemed. His minions. They were guarded by two hulking demons who each held massive swords. The cloaked figure’s magic rolled out, dark and fierce. It made my stomach turn and my muscles tremble. In his hands, he clutched the package with the spell.
