Page 68 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

He frowned as if we’d offended him. “I guess you don’t need me anymore.”

“We’ll always need you.” I put a hand on his shoulder without thinking.

My first reaction was to stiffen, but when only an itch bothered me, I smiled.

“No tricks this time,” I said. “It’s genuine.”

Darius’s face brightened. “Interesting.” He returned the gesture and put a hand on my shoulder. He hadn’t touched me in years. “I’ll be jiggered.”

We hugged each other at the same time, clapping each other’s backs. It felt familiar and nostalgic at the same time.

“That’s wonderful. As soon as we’re out of here, you’ll tell me everything.” He patted my back. “Let’s go upstairs. I found Cara.” His serious tone sobered me.

Cara was in her bedroom in the east wing, lying in her bed. Dark vines spread underneath her pale skin, curling and reaching out for her eyes and lips and disappearing under her hairline.

“Heaven.” Irene stared at her. “Her aura is completely dark and still.”

The fog slithered inside, but it avoided Irene, Darius, and me. Instead, it coiled around Cara, producing thick snakes.

“Darius? We need you.” Irene shoved the snakes away.

He gestured towards the fireplace. “Irene, start the fire. Alex, find a thick blanket to cover Cara. She needs to stay warm.”

As we followed his orders, he drew symbols in the air, ignoring the fog. Sometimes I thought I recognised a letter or the shape of a star, but the symbols merged together to form a beautiful design, like the ornate pattern of damask.

Golden light spread from him, and the glow of the log fire flashed orange. I tucked a thick quilt around Cara, listening to her slow heartbeat.

When the room became warm and the golden light spread around, the snakes were banished, hissing and twitching angrily. A bright, dome-shaped shield protected her. She stirred and groaned.

“Cara?” Darius gently shook her shoulder. “Say something.”

She blinked and cast a slow gaze around. Shivers shook her as she got sight of the snakes smacking against the glowing shield Darius had conjured.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“We came for you.” I leant over to stare at her face.

“For me?” A shaky breath eased out of her.

“Of course.” Irene took her hand. “You’re part of the Dark Court. We were worried about you. Can you tell us what happened?”

“I can’t believe you came for me. It’s the first time…” A tear trickled down Cara’s cheek. She cleared her throat. “I lost my powers. I have nothing left.”

“What?” Darius placed a hand on the bedpost. “Was your magic the price for the spell?”

Irene nodded. “Her aura has no magic in it.”

Cara let out a shuddering breath. “Ravenhill was supposed to pay the price, but since I cast the spell for me, I paid it. How stupid of me. I should have known. Magic was the only thing I had.”

“I’m sorry.” Irene looked at me, terrified.

“And the snakes are draining me.” She heaved a sigh.

“The snakes come from our fears,” Irene said. “They’ll leave you alone if you focus on something happy.”

“Like what?” She scowled.

“How can we get rid of the fog? And what was it supposed to accomplish?” Darius asked.