Two
STEVIE
Jareth isnothaving it.
His ear-piercing screech and the frantic beating of wings against the glass outside gives me and the guys just enough warning. Without a second to spare, we dive behind the bed and take cover.
The fucking window explodes.
In a tempest of glass and fury, my owl swoops inside, circling the small room twice before finally coming to perch on my shoulder. He’s trembling, tiny shards of glass raining from his wings like snow, but despite the epic break-in, he doesn’t seem to be injured.
“Way to make an entrance, buddy.” Gingerly I rise from the rubble, careful not to jostle him too much. He hops down to my forearm, his weight familiar and comfortable, and for a single heartbeat I allow myself the luxury of closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
All I smell is blood.
A tremor rolls down my spine, and Jareth’s talons dig in deep. His energy fills me at once, his fear and rage mingling with my own, his protective magick pulsating through my body in warm, electric waves. It zips across my skin and makes the hairs on my arms stand on end.
Suddenly, I want to move.
To run.
To fuckingfly. Out the window, across the desert sands, all the way to the ends of the known world until I’ve left every terrible nightmare behind.
Do it, Stevie… Just go…
A firm grip on the back of my neck brings me back to reality, and I open my eyes to find Baz standing before me, his eyes glowing with a strange light.
“Baz?” I reach up and touch his lips, my fingers trembling. His skin is hot, his breath ragged. “Are you… What’s happening?”
“You tell me.”
I draw back, my fingers still vibrating. It’s not his light, I realize. It’s mine. My skin, my hair, my entire body is bathed in a soft, golden fire, pulsing in time with my heartbeat.
“Rein it in, Little Bird,” Baz whispers, sliding his hand up to cup my cheek. “I love a magick show as much as anyone, but right now we need you calm and focused.”
“We need to get to Cass and Ani,” I say, remembering the mission with sudden, shocking clarity. “Why are we still standing here? We need to go. We—”
“Wewill. But not like this.” He brings his other hand up, cradling me, beseeching me with those deep, red-brown eyes. “Breathe it out, Stevie. Let it go.”
I hold his gaze for a beat, then finally nod, blowing out a breath and stamping my feet to dissipate the energy. The glow fades away.
From his perch on my arm, Jareth lets out a soft hoot and tucks his head under my shoulder.
“Hello, Handsome.” I pick a few shards of glass from his wings and stroke his feathers. “It’s okay. We’re all okay.”
“Stevie? Kirin?” Muffled voices call out from the other side of the door, frantic and tight. The rest of our friends are still beating madly on the wood, but Ani’s wards are holding strong.
With a quick spell, Kirin calls on his air magick, and Baz offers an assist with his earth magick, attacking the wood. The door begins to rattle in its frame, and with one last push from the outside, the whole thing finally gives.
Five witches rush into the room. Poor Jareth takes off, rocketing back out the window where he so dramatically entered only moments earlier.
He doesn’t go far. I can feel his presence on the roof, my stately familiar keeping watch over us all.
“Goddess, whathappened?” Professor Broome sweeps me into her arms, then pulls back to check me for injuries. “You’re bleeding!”
“It’s not my blood. I’m okay.”
Nat, Isla, Carly, and Professor Maddox surround us, all eyes wide with shock as they take in the devastation.
