Had she been buried?
A scream tore from Aurora’s throat. She thrashed, banging her elbows and knees against wood. She had to get out. She had to escape.
The space closed in. She would run out of air and die. After everything, she’d die and lose her chance at having the life she wanted.
Aurora didn’t want to die. She never had. All she’d ever wanted was to escape, and now she never would.
Her eyes were wet, her throat burning, but Aurora forced herself to still, to stop screaming, stop using up her limited air. She had to think. She couldn’t bust her way out, not if she was underground—the thought nearly had her screaming once more—but no. She could figure this out.
Could she suspend her body again? Repeating her initial spell might mean she’d be pulled to Gia’s side. Or even the theater. Anywhere was better than here.
Would the spell work without the power of flame?
She had to try. Closing her eyes against the oppressive darkness, Aurora called on her magic and scrambled desperately to catch hold of it.Damnation. She could get it together and fucking do this. She had to. She wasn’t dying today.
Magic swelled inside her, and she seized it. The spell was complex, and her concentration and willpower were shot to Hell, but still, she pushed through.
Nothing happened. Her soul remained in her damned body.
A scream bubbled from the depths of Aurora’s chest, her ears popped, and every one of her muscles shook.
The faint sound of an answering scream tickled the edge of her hearing, and she stilled.Oh Satan, is that Gia?
The earth vibrated around Aurora, and she gasped, her arms flying out to catch herself. She heaved a breath, yet hardly any air seemed to enter her lungs. How much time did she have left before she suffocated? Would Gia reach her in time?
The earth vibrated again. And again.
Aurora couldn’t do this. Her breathing shallowed, chest clenching so tight her lungs burned.
With a scream, Aurora unleashed her magic, and power exploded out of her. She prayed she wouldn’t be crushed to death when the coffin broke, but she needed it to break. It was the only way out. Her magic would have to be enough to blast her way to the surface.
Wood cracked and splintered, everything around her shaking, but nothing changed. Nothing but blackness greeted her teary gaze, and when she pushed on the wood inches above her face, it didn’t budge.
Aurora swallowed her next scream and released another blast.
The coffin shattered. Thank the Devil, it seemed to be cheap wood rather than anything sturdy. Aurora released more magic and pushed upward to carve her way out. At last, her hands broke through cracked wood and sent soil pouring onto her face. She scrambled, tearing her hands through the dirt, her magic working to keep the earth from pulling her under.
She would not be crushed. Not by this. Not after the life she’d lived. Aurora surged upward along with her magic, but she was still underground, dirt all around.
How far was the surface?
There was no air left. She struggled, panic shredding her insides, the urge to breathe overwhelming, dirt on her face and pushing against her closed lips.
A vibration from above met Aurora’s frantic blasts of magic, and the crushing pressure eased.
“Aurora! I’m coming!” Gia’s voice rained down on her, sweeter than any sound she’d ever heard.
Aurora struggled harder, and her hand broke free, warm air enveloping her skin in a burning contrast to the cold soil crushing her body. Fingers wrapped around her wrist and pulled, another hand digging into the dirt along her arm until it met her neck.
Gia clasped Aurora’s nape in an iron grip and heaved, lifting her out of the earth.
Aurora gasped, the sound of her desperate breath rattling the air. Her lungs burned as she sucked air in.
“Oh my god, Aurora!” Gia cried as frantic hands wiped dirt from Aurora’s cheeks. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you. Oh god.”
Gia wrapped her arm around Aurora and pulled her farther out of the grave. Aurora tasted soil on her lips. Her vision blurred with renewed tears, mingling with the dirt in her eyes and on every inch of her skin.
“Gia,” she sputtered. “You saved me.”
