Page 491 of Axis of Fire

"Someone... summon your magic," he said quietly.

His voice remained calm, but I caught the almost imperceptible tremor in his hands.

I opened my palm, searching for the familiar voice of my magic—the one that always lingered somewhere between my mind and my body.

Silence.

I closed my eyes, concentrating harder.

Nothing.

"I don't understand..." Rosalie whispered.

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"I don't even know how to check."

"Didn't your mentor teach you how to do that?" I asked, turning to Rosalie.

"He taught me how to dissolve my magical currents," she replied.

My gaze shifted to Taylor, who looked far too calm for the situation.

"What about you?" I asked. "Can you still feel your magic?"

God, I wanted to know what kind of magic he actually possessed.

"I can."

He nodded, drawing all of our attention.

"But without your physical abilities, it's useless here."

I let out a quiet hum.

"So you figured out what kind of demon it is?" I turned back to Aaron. "Do you know how we're supposed to fight it?"

He didn't answer right away.

I watched the muscles in his jaw tighten.

"We won't be able to use magic as long as it's holding it."

He paused for a brief moment.

"We'll have to fight it without it."

His words landed at the exact same moment my heart lurched heavily in my chest.

It had understood the truth long before my mind finally caught up.

Illariana Arden's POV

And, of course, at the worst possible moment, my fire stopped listening to me.

I reached for it.

Called to it.