Wicked Wish (The Royals: Warlock Court Book 2)
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Wicked Wish
Megan Montero
For Uncle Joe
#f**kcancer
Keep fighting. With all my love.
Xoxo- Megan
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Also by Megan Montero
About the Author
Chapter 1
Astrid
“Right, because friends know the way you taste.”
Dead silence surrounded me like a bomb had been dropped and not a single one of them knew what to say. That needle sticking up from the pandora configuration called to me. I had to touch it, had to know once and for all if I was the Lockwood heir. I reached out and pressed my finger to the sharp point.
Throbbing pain shot through the tip of my finger. It ran down my arm like marching fire ants. Flames spread through my shoulder and across my chest. It knocked the breath from my chest. My lungs contracted painfully, and I gasped. My body felt like burning putty and I stumbled back off my stool. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see anything but that damn needle receding back into the top of that box. The metal clinked and folded in on itself and the book fell to the floor at my feet.
Pain like I’d never know flowed over me then something clicked inside me. Like all my life I’d been holding this part of myself back. The dam of my power shattered and it felt like a million little paper cuts covered my body. Magic flowed out of my hands like a waterfall.
Maze shot to his feet. “She’s gonna blow!”
Beckett raced forward. “Hold on, just hold on, Astrid. Don’t let it go yet. I’m going to get help!”
I tried to hold it back, tried to stop whatever was happening from coming. Tremors wracked my body, cold sweat broke out over my skin, and the more I tried to hold it back, the more pain shot through me. My knees quaked and my muscles gave out. My face rushed toward the ground.
A moment before I cracked my cheek on the marble tile, two strong arms wrapped around me. The scent of clean fresh linens surround me and my cheek pressed to his chest. Golden smoke poured out of me, flooding the room. I couldn’t stop it. The pain was too much. Dots swarmed my vision, my body contorted of its own accord. I threw my head back and screamed.
I’m going to die.
Chapter 2
Beckett
Cold sweat broke out over my skin as I faced my queen, begging for her help. My throat closed around the words. “She’s going to die.”
Astrid, my infuriating girl, was lying in a pool of her own magic in my house while I was here trying to get help. So much power, her tiny body couldn’t control or contain it. If we didn’t do something, it’d kill her and most of Warwick Academy. Somehow over the past few days I’d grown accustomed to her challenging me at every turn. Now I didn’t know what I’d do without it, without her.
There, in the middle of the witch court throne room, sat my queen and the only hope I had of saving my girl. I needed her power. I needed her to save Astrid.
Zinnia’s crown was perched on her head and those wild midnight locks fell down the sides of her face. She jumped to her feet. “I’m coming!”
Tucker, one of my best friends and the lead knight of the witch court, jumped into action. Flames danced down his arms and his eyes widened at the sight of me. “Let’s go.”
He ran headlong into the portal without hesitation. Zinnia was hot on his heels with the other queens right behind her. I swallowed hard and stepped through my portal, the last man to go back to hell.
The instant I was back in my kitchen I saw things had gotten so much worse. Logan, Cross, and Maze were plastered up against the walls, trying to contain her power within the sphere they created. Their hands shook. Magic poured from each of them in an array of colors, but their skin was pale and soaked in sweat. I didn’t know how much longer they could hold her.
Maze turned to me with black locks of his hair falling over his milky white eyes. “Stop this now or we’re all finished.”
Zinnia pointed to the circle. “Take up positions and hold that barrier!” Silver streams of magic wound up and down her body, sending her hair flying around her face, tangling with the gothic crown on her head. Wind whipped through the room, making it hard to move.
Tabi staggered to Maze’s side and threw her hands out. Ribbons of her yellow magic filled the room and wrapped around the sphere. Their magic was a smoky mix of green, burgundy, and orange that blended in with Astrid’s massive golden cloud. The wind died down in the room but intensified within that sphere. Zinnia pressed her lips together and marched forward.
His honey-colored eyes sparked with burning embers as he grabbed her arm and yanked her back. “You can’t go in there, it’s too dangerous.”
Zinnia placed her hand over his. “If I don’t, she’ll die. No one deserves to suffer like this.”
He pressed his lips together and let her go. She took a step forward into the wall of magic and nearly fell back. I ran up behind her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders.
I yelled over the howling wind, “I’ll get you to her!”
“You can’t stay in there.” She held her hand out to block the turbulent gusts from smacking her in the face.
Nova moved directly across from us on the outside of the circle and threw her hands up. Purple sparks hit the sphere and the ground started to shake. Serrina moved to the other side opposite Tabi. Her red magic seeped in through the boundary and over to where Astrid lay. It drifted over Astrid’s face and nose yet nothing happened to her. Her body didn’t relax a fraction.
Serrina threw her hair out of her face. “She’s too strong. I can’t get her to calm down.”
I turned my shoulder against the wind and shoved forward with Zinnia wrapped in my arm. “I’ll do what I have to do to save her.”
“Get me on top of the island!”
“Serrina, hold that side!” Tuck ordered. “Nova, push in on the right. Hold it, Tabi! Hold the wind!”
Electricity sizzled through Tabi’s hair, making it stand on end. Her hazel eyes burned with determination as more of those yellow ribbons of magic streamed out of her. “I’m trying!”
I pulled Zinnia forward. Inch by inch we made our way to the island in the middle of the room. A shock wave of energy pulsed out of Astrid. I grabbed Zinnia’s arm and shoved her down to the ground and cover
ed her. “She can’t take much more of this!”
“Neither can the house,” she screamed over the sound of the walls cracking around us.
She grabbed the edge of the counter and hauled herself up. I wrapped my arms around her legs and lifted, trying to get her to where she needed to be. I placed her on her feet on the island. Zinnia stood over Astrid with her feet on either side of Astrid’s hips.
I didn’t want to see her suffer through this. But there was nothing I could do, nothing I was capable of to take away her pain. Silver streams of magic wound around Zinnia’s body and up her arms. She held her hand just above Astrid’s chest and shot her magic straight into her. Astrid’s back arched up off the island and a gut-wrenching scream broke from her lips. Another shock wave of power exploded out of her, throwing Zinnia through the air.
Tuck’s fire wings shot from his back and he caught Zinnia. With one pump, he flew into the sphere of Astrid’s powers. I scrambled to stand by her head.
Zinnia moved above her once more. “Hold her down.”
Before I could place a single hand on her another wave of power rolled out of her. My feet flew up and over my head. I crashed into the wall and slid down. My vision wavered and then the blackness took me.
Chapter 3
Beckett
The room was still. So still I could hear my own breaths, the thumping of my own thundering heart, and my footsteps as I turned. The room was sterile white with subway tiles on the floor and four walls. When I looked up, only bright shining light shone down on me . . . no roof? Even though it should hurt my eyes, it didn’t. Where the hell am I?
I heard a soft gasp, when I turned, I found Astrid standing next to me. Her deep red hair was smooth down the side of her face, her cheeks were pink, and her lips were full like strawberries. When she looked up at me with those sparkling emerald eyes, I sucked in a breath.
“You’re okay?”
She held out her arms, examining her hands and touching her face. “I-I’m not sure?”
“What happened? Where are we?” It felt so real yet somehow, I knew it wasn’t. I was supposed to be in my kitchen trying to save the girl standing next to me. Yet I was trapped in a room with no doors or windows.
“I have no idea.” She pressed her hand to her chest and hunched over, hissing in pain. “But I don’t feel well.”
I grabbed her hands and dragged her to my chest. I threw my arms around her, pulling her in closer to me. The smell of strawberries surrounded me, and I lowered my face to run my cheek over the smooth strands of her hair. When her arms wound around my waist and her body pressed against mine, my pulse raced. I’ve wanted her so close for so long. To have her near me even for a second where we weren’t fighting was . . . heavenly.
“Everything is going to be okay, I swear.”
Was I knocked out? Was I dreaming this? Had that last hit of magic portaled us somewhere? Her small hands wrapped in my shirt, tugging me closer.
She pressed her face to my chest and shook her head. “No, Beckett. I really don’t think it will.”
“All you have to do is fight to take control of what is rightfully yours.” I reached up and smoothed her hair back from her face, cupping her cheeks in my hands. I wasn’t sure why, but here in this place I felt free to touch her, to be how I wished it were between us. Here there was no anger or frustration. If I was dreaming, I didn’t want to wake up.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” She blinked up at me from under thick eyelashes.
“I always want to be nice to you.” I ran my fingers over her cheek and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I want to be way more than nice to you.”
She stumbled back from me with her hand pressed over her heart. She hunched over, sucking in gasping breaths. Her body wavered from solid to ghostly white, nearly transparent. I reached out for her, and my hand drifted through her torso. I called upon my magic, hoping to hold her here with me, but nothing happened. No blue smoke, no orbs at my fingertips.
Where the hell are we?
When she peeked up at me, her face wavered and crumpled in pain. “I don’t know if I can do this for much longer.”
I wanted to hold her in my arms, to protect her. I needed her like I need air to breath. She wavered back to solid and I dove at her, wrapping my arms around her waist. I turned my body in time to take the hit from the floor with her on top of me. Electricity sparked between us, it pulsed beneath my skin. Our legs tangled together and her silky hair fell over me. Our faces were only inches apart. I pulled her up my body and pressed my lips to hers. Heat flashed through me and I wanted her closer. I wanted her so much it ached deep in my soul. Her tongue danced with mine, I flipped her onto her back and levied myself over her.
“You’re brave and strong. I know you can.”
Black streaks forked out over her hair and for a moment, her lips flashed to an impossible blood red. She looked like an enchantress ready to consume my soul. Then her body started to fade once more, and she smiled at me.
“If you think so.”
My arms dropped to the cold ground through her. “Just stay with me.” I couldn’t hide the pain or pleading in my voice. I wanted her always.
“It’s my time.” Her voice sounded so far away and then she faded to nothing. Was she gone? Was she dead? My heart nearly exploded with panic. The deafening sound of my racing pulse was like a beating drum.
I jumped to my feet. “Astrid!” I spun in a circle, trapped in this room with no windows and no doors. “Astrid! Come back to me.”
A wave of dizziness overtook me and I swayed on my feet. I glanced down at my hands only to see them fading to nothing. I pressed them to my chest…nothing, I felt absolutely nothing. What the hell is going on?
Chapter 4
Astrid
I forced my eyes open but I couldn’t see Beckett anywhere.
My panic rose as the face of a terrifying girl came into view. Silver rivers of magic flowed into her from all different directions. It coiled around her like snakes, thick silvery glittering snakes. Her midnight hair fanned out around her face and mixed with the tornado of my magic. Perched on top of her head was a gothic looking crown with sharp points at the top of it. Her sapphire eyes glowed bright and terrifying when she looked down at me. I wanted to scramble back away from her, but my body wouldn’t listen to a single command. Fear and pain paralyzed me. I lay there shaking and wanting nothing more than to get away from her.
She bent down and met my eyes. “This is going to hurt.”
Hurt? I didn’t want it to hurt, I didn’t want to be here, and I didn’t want to feel this. She held both of her hands over her head and more power flowed into her. Her skin glowed with it, and the others around us watched with wide-eyed amazement. She was about to kill me and they were going to stand by and let it happen. My chest heaved with breaths and I couldn’t stop the panicked tears from leaking from the corners of my eyes.
I whispered, “Please don’t kill me.”
I would give anything for her to stop, anything but the powers that were rightfully mine. I didn’t know what was about to happen, but this terrifying girl promised pain and I knew she would deliver. Would I live through it? The agony was so intense, my organs were boiling from the inside out. The drops I felt gathering on my body could’ve been sweat or . . . blood.
I tried to sit up, to fight back, to do anything but lie here in a pool of my own magic. Everything hurt and my muscles quaked with the effort it took for me to hold back. I gritted my teeth and met her eye. If she wanted to take it, then she was going to have to fight me for it.
Chapter 5
Beckett
“Beckett! Beck man, get up! We need your help!”
I blinked my eyes open and shook my head. What the hell was that? Grogginess overtook me as I lurched to my feet. I rubbed at my head and winced at the bump forming on the back of my skull. The throbbing pain snapped me back to the present in a rush. The wall behind me cracked even more, and a piece of sheetroc
k fell to the ground. Tucker was behind Zinnia, using his wings to keep her steady over Astrid.
His eyes locked on mine. “Let’s go!”
I jumped back into the sphere of her power. The air was oppressive and thick with magic. The ground rumbled under my feet and I struggled to get to her. I leaped forward just as Zinnia stood over her. She threw her arm out and silver streams of magic wound up and down her body like snakes and shot right into Astrid’s chest. Her eyes flashed wide-open and her back arched up off the table top. Golden magic erupted from her palms and flew toward the ceiling. A hole exploded through the roof. Like a vacuum I felt myself being sucked toward it.
Zinnia pressed her lips together and shoved more magic into her. “She’s fighting me! Serrina!”
Serrina turned and blew a kiss across her palm. Streams of her red power flowed through the turbulent sphere of Astrid’s magic. Her streaked blond hair blew out from around her face, and she narrowed her eyes, focusing her energy on Astrid. Those red ribbons flowed around Astrid but never touched her. Serrina took a step closer. “I can’t get to her.”