When we finally break apart, it’s my turn to blink dumbly as my surroundings come back into focus. I’m also pretty sure all my lipstick is gone, and I forgot to bring it with me. Oh well, maybe Mei will have some lip gloss I can borrow.
Donovan stares at Kaleb like a pod person has taken over his body. “What was that? Who are you?”
Kaleb wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me against his side. He smiles down at me. “I’ve decided it’s time to start focusing on what I want and not what others expect of me.”
“Fucking finally,” Donovan cheers, a grin that promises shared trouble taking over his features.
“Speaking of what you want,” I interject, holding up the now slightly mangled box. “Happy birthday.”
A curious gleam fills Kaleb’s eyes as he steps away so he can take the box from me. It’s tied closed with a red ribbon, which he slides off the end, and then he lifts the lid. He looks up at me with a tender gaze, his smile genuine as it crinkles the corners of his eyes. “Is this what I think it is?”
I nod, beaming with pride. “It seemed appropriate.”
The other guys look into the box to find a familiar broad sword and matching dagger, the blades now shimmering with an indecent sheen under the glow of the surrounding lights.
“It’s just like Donovan’s katana, spelled with all the elements of magic, plus my spirit magic,” I explain, pointing at the broad sword’s blade. “There’s nothing that will…”
I’m cut off by sudden shrill screams coming from the auditorium over the loud music. They aren’t shouts of excitement or surprise, but outright terror of a crowd of people trapped with the promise of death.
We immediately race toward danger, while innocents try to flee, only to have their necks snapped by a dozen undead vampires. With bloody smiles, they grin wickedly at Donovan before speeding back inside.
Donovan and Kaleb fall back on the training they’ve had since childhood, reaching for weapons they always seem to have on them. Donovan pulls two daggers from their sheaths tucked into his boots and hands one to Nolan. “Don’t drop it this time.”
“I’m never living that down,” he grumbles, handling the dagger in a way that shows he’s practiced since his last life-or-death situation.
Kaleb, with his spelled broad sword in one hand, tosses the matching dagger to Donovan. “We don’t have time to get your katana out of the truck.”
He nods with a grim expression, holding one dagger with the blade down and the spelled one blade up—one to hook, and the other to stab.
Kaleb lifts his pant leg to pull out another dagger strapped to his shin and readies himself like the warrior he was always meant to be.
Connor half shifts, his teeth and claws elongating into deadly weapons as the whites of his eyes turn black.
None of them are dumb enough to suggest I should stay away, even though my magic can be explosive. I’m determined to stay in control so the others can focus on the demons and notkeeping me from destroying the entire school—or the town, for that matter.
Without a thought toward their own safety, my guys rush forward as fast as they can. Nolan is gone in a flash, Connor running after him with his ridiculously long legs. Donovan and Kaleb summon their wings, the feathered limbs bursting through their dress shirts and suit coats. They spring into the air, soaring toward the skylights on the roof of the auditorium so they can get a drop on the invaders from above.
With a frustrated huff, I pick up the skirts of my dress and start running toward the entrance now littered with bodies. Each empty-eyed stare makes my stomach sick, and I have to take controlled breaths to stop myself from succumbing to the frightening depths of my magic. Tears burn my eyes as new confused souls gather among the carnage, gazing at their motionless bodies dressed for a night of carefree fun.
Suddenly, a figure hidden in the shadows grabs me by the arm and pulls me to a stop. My magic lashes out, lifting the figure off the ground and away from me. When the body hits the ground with a sharp cry, I realize it’s Neva, and she has a letter clutched in her hand.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I shout, marching over to her crumpled form.
The Neva I’m familiar with is gone, replaced by a terrified woman with tear tracks down her cheeks. She holds out the crumpled letter in her hand and sobs, “He has Gina. He’ll kill her if you don’t come.”
An icy fear floods my body as I take the letter from her hand. I try to reason that it can’t be him, that he’s safely locked away in prison, but all hope dies when I read the painfully familiar handwriting. My father has Felix. If I want to see himalive ever again, I’m supposed to follow Neva’s direction to a secluded location that he doesn’t specify. He says that Felix will die if I tell anyone or don’t follow his directions exactly.
“I thought he was a member of the council,” Neva states through her tears as she gets back to her feet. “He said he needed our help, and he’d give us our magic back.”
“It was severed for a reason,” I snap, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her toward the parking lot. I look over my shoulder at the auditorium, the sounds of battle a stark contrast to the warbled dance music, and I pray to the goddess that my guys will be okay without me. Every part of me screams not to leave them, but I know none of us would be able to forgive ourselves if I left Felix to whatever fate my father has in store for him.
“You had no right,” Neva protests, though there is no fight left in her. “He said you were sick, and that your magic was stolen from other witches.”
My fingers dig into her flesh as we hurry toward the senior lot. “Sounds like the bastard said a lot of things, and you were stupid enough to believe him. He’s a liar, and you’re his idiot stooge.”
“He had proof he was from the council,” she claims, but again, there’s no fight in her words, just a defeated woman desperate to save her daughter.
We march in silence for several minutes before I can bring myself to ask, “What did he ask you to do?”
