Daresh’s blue features turned sickly gray. Even Zane no longer seemed excited.
Hearing Kai scream hurt me both physically and emotionally, and I closed my eyes against the agonizing pain in my head and chest.
Kenji popped back into view, one tail singed but otherwise unharmed.
“Hurry, fish boy doesn’t have long. Tell the idiot consort to open the door and then hit the witch with everything you have. She’s not expecting us.”
Farris cast a noise-canceling shield as I repeated Kenji’s instructions. We didn’t want her to prepare a defense. The witch might be an old hag, but she practiced dark magic, and after surviving one of her curses already, I wasn’t keen on repeating the experience.
Before I could force my way into the cave, Rasmus blocked the doorway.
“All of you, stand back. That bitch is mine.”
“But…” I tried to protest, but he raised his hand.
“No, you’re my queen, little witch. I will not let her hurt you again.”
“She might kill you too!” Tears spilled down my cheeks as Kai screamed again. The pain in my chest became almost unbearable. Kenji was right; we didn’t have long.
Maverick and Zane were more than happy to let my vampire mate be the first one through the door.
“Vampy is right, pet. He’s faster than all of us, so better placed to avoid any nasty curse bombs.”
“He can tear her head off before she even knows what’s hit her,” Maverick agreed.
Farris huffed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes. Just get on with it. I’m late.”
Daresh winced again as Kai screamed once more, but he lifted his palm to a smooth circle to the left of the door.
“Are you ready?”
We all nodded.
“If things go pear-shaped, which they inevitably will because it’s you, power-share with me, witch.”
I couldn’t remember exactly how we’d power-shared last time, but I nodded anyway. If Rasmus did his thing, the hag would be dead in seconds, and we could be on our merry way before the bitch queen even noticed. Hopefully she was way too busy being railed into the demon realm to have spotted her consort and part-time fae lover were missing.
“Let’s do this!” I punched the air and prepared to send the sea witch into the afterlife with the world’s worst migraine.
Daresh muttered a few words, and then the door slid open.
20
Rasmus
The sea witch and I were old adversaries. I’d said nothing to my mate, but the witch was more powerful than any of them realized. She was probably the only being in this realm capable of severing a soul-bond.
Whereas most magical beings believed soul-bonds were a gift from the goddess, the only thing the sea witch cared about was power.
There was a reason she’d lived for over two centuries: she stole power from other magicals and hoarded it like a dragon hoarded gold. Severing a soul-bond would release a tremendous amount of magic, magic she could absorb, thus prolonging her miserable existence for a few more decades.
After she cursed my youngest cousin and stole her life-force, I swore one day I’d end the bitch.
That day had finally arrived.
I used my vampire speed to move faster than the eye could see, but the sea witch must have detected our presence, for she was ready with defensive magic.
A suffocating cloud of noxious dark magic enveloped me as I crossed the cave, filling my lungs and turning my limbs to lead.
