“All good. You haven’t gotten close to draining my power.” There was a wild look in Gia’s eye, almost a sparkle. “Did it work?”
“I think so. Something snapped when I burned the last of the binding.” Aurora didn’t feel any different, but then the binding had never been something she sensed unless she actively struggled against it.
The flames cutting through the grass went out, but the fire had reached the trees and the shrubbery lining the house. Stan stirred in the grass beside them, recovering from the stunning spell and unharmed by the flames.
Aurora lashed out, this time with her power, not Gia’s, and Stan was thrown into the air, landing near the house with a thud.
“It’s gone.” She stared at him in dazed wonder. “The binding is gone.”
Gia grabbed her hand. “Thank god. We better get out of here. I don’t know where Viv is.”
Damn it. They’d have to find her.
A booming explosion rocked the earth, throwing them to the ground.What the hell was that?Aurora looked wildly around. There was nothing near the trees, but as her attention landed on the house, she froze.
The fire burning the bushes must havespread to the gas canisters stored along the wall. There was nothing but a gaping hole in the building where they’d been.
Fire spread up the wall, and screams came from inside as people spilled out of every exit.
“Shit.” Aurora hoped people hadn’t been in the back of the massive house. Well, there were more than a few coven members that she wouldn’t have cared had they been, but not every one of the Thornfields was like Stan.
There were other witches like her. Trapped and beaten down.
Another of Stan’s top men ran from the building, searching frantically until he spotted his fallen leader. Two other men ran in Aurora’s direction, pointing and shouting, their faces red with anger.
Gia’s grip on her tightened. “We can’t fight them all off. Not this many at once.”
Aurora raised her arms, ready to strike. “We have to try. At least enough to escape.”
Gia nodded, pulling Aurora toward the trees.
Two more men and a woman headed off the lackeys charging toward Aurora, and a fight broke out between the five of them. Another woman descended upon Stan, flashes of light filling the air as he fought against her attack. Not too far away, a woman near Aurora’s age attacked one of Stan’s junior advisors.
Other witches ran straight for the borders. More fights broke out, more people joining in the attack on Stan and his closest allies, until every upper member of the coven was outnumbered by the people they’d kept prisoner.
“Holy shit,” Gia muttered.
Aurora felt dazed. No one was paying attention to her any longer. It was chaos. They should run, but Aurora was rooted to the spot.
Her gaze returned to Stan. He was nothing more than a bloody heap, torn apart by the people he’d abused.
She flinched away from the sight.
“Let’s go.” Gia wrapped an arm around Aurora, shielding her vision and pulling her away.
A bellowing scream tore through the air, and it sounded like more people were running out of the house as the fire spread.
Aurora and Gia had almost reached the trees when an unfamiliar voice called out.
“Stop right there!”
Gia stilled, a tremble running through her as her magic raged, sparking along its connection to Aurora. But Gia wasn’t trembling in fear, Aurora realized with sudden clarity. She was seething.
Gia turned slowly, pushing Aurora behind her. “Franco, what the hell are you doing here?”
TWENTY-FOUR
GIA
