“The cavalry is on its way,”Kenji announced in my head.“So you can quit blubbering.”
I jumped in shock at my familiar’s sweet voice. How I’d missed my kitsune!
“KENJI! You’re alive!”
“Wow, you must have gained a few IQ points during our vacation from each other. I’m impressed.”
I brushed his sarcastic riposte aside to preserve my delicate mental health.“Are my mates safe?”Goddess save us all if Tiberius had harmed one hair on any of their heads.
“Maybe ask them while I plan your escape. I’m kind of busy right now.”
“Oh my goddess, are they here already?”I usually couldn’t talk to them unless they were in the same local area. Then I froze. If Kenji was talking to me, he had to be inside the facility.“Are you here?”
“No. You leveled up, so we can communicate no matter where you end up trapped. Good to know, eh?”I pictured him rolling his eyes because he was almost certainly rolling his eyes about now.“Seeing as you get kidnapped more often than the average witch.”
“Are witches kidnapped a lot?”I wondered if Glynda had ever been kidnapped. GLYNDA!“Oh my goddess, where’s Glynda? Is she safe?”
“No idea. Now concentrate!”
Alaric pulled a sheet over my legs.
“You did exactly as I intended, Alaric. Fucking the witch was the key to unlocking her magic.”
“She already had magic,” Alaric scoffed. “You’re losing the plot, old man.”
I focused on the magic kernel inside my chest and tensed. It felt different. Colder than my usual fire magic. Less witchy, if that was a thing. Oh my goddess, what was I?
“A hybrid,” Kenji said.“Get over yourself.”
“She had witch magic; now she has demon magic too.” Tiberius beamed like someone had just published a super flattering article about his rise to fame and fortune. For the record, a biography on his life to date hit the bestseller list the previous year. I’d scanned theLook Insidefeature on Magizon and concluded it was a pile of…
Demon magic?
Oh my goddess, was my witch-melting magicdemonmagic?
I supposed I could thank my deadbeat dad of the year for such a useful addition to my gene pool. It was the only thing he had given me, aside from PTSD from repeated exposure to ugly-ass demons.
“Guards, take the hybrid witch to the lab.”
“You’re not taking my mate anywhere!” My jaw gaped open at Alaric’s tone. Did that mean he actually liked me?
“Of course I like you,” he huffed. “We’re soul-bonded mates. I am programmed to like you.” Then he stiffened at the realization he’d read my mind. Oh great. Now I had another eavesdropper in my head, listening to all my cringeworthy thoughts.
“I advise you to maintain a strong mental shield,”Kenji told Alaric in our now group chat.“The witch has no filter, and her random musings are often deeply disturbing.”
“Can you read my mind too?” Alaric asked in my head as two guards appeared in the doorway, both armed with automatic weapons. My magic flared in alarm. Shit was about to go sideways.
“No time,” I squeaked, wishing I had pants on. Being dragged away with nothing on was embarrassing. Dammit, I needed to ask Rasmus to teach me how to conjure clothes. It was a skill I could use about now.
Speaking of…
“Can you allhear me?!”
I waited for my mates to respond, but there was nothing but static.“You told me they were safe!”I cried to Kenji.
“They’re busy. We’ll be there in…”
I blocked him out as a guard tried to grab me. Alaric punched the mage in the face, sending him to the floor bleeding. When the second mage raised his weapon at my grumpy storm mage, I saw red.
