Page 105 of Bitten By the Basilisk

Roaring furiously, Silas shoved him hard enough to send Lance’s considerable bulk sliding several feet, freeing his other arm in the process. The sudden movement evoked a loud reaction from their spectators.

Lance recovered quickly, still wearing that ugly smirk, and the two of them resumed circling each other.

“That’s right,” Lance said. “Don’t make it look too easy.”

“You pathetic bastard,” Silas growled, as much at himself as his rival.

He had been so focused on winning Alice’s heart, he had failed to anticipate how low Lance could sink.

Now, if he didn’t intentionally lose, someone would hurt his mate. But if he let him win—if he died in hopes that Alice wasn’t harmed—Lance would be in a position to hurt the entire nest.

Lance clearly meant for the choice he made to be agony.

But Silas had little trouble deciding. His mate would always come first.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Alice

What time was it now? How long past seven?

Alice couldn’t move her eyes, so she couldn’t see the clock on the wall somewhere behind her—not that she could see much through her tears.

She had been trying for a while to calm down enough to summon her fox fire, thinking she could use it to set off the smoke alarm in the kitchen and thereby summon help.

However, her plan had a major flaw. Just like she couldn’t see the clock in the living room, she couldn’t see the smoke alarm in the kitchen. Even if she managed to conjure a flame, she wouldn’t be able to direct it with any accuracy.

She could end up setting her mom’s apartment—the whole building—on fire, and her situation was already bad enough.

But she had to do something.

Breathe, she told herself, even though she couldn’t control that, either, as her body did it automatically.

The venom in her veins was so cold. Even though she wore a full-length gown and a disheveled fur wrap, she felt as if she were lying naked on the floor of a freezer.

“Close your eyes. Remember the feeling.”

She couldn’t do the former, but for the latter, she replaced the hot mug of coffee by imagining herself in a steaming bath, calling up her memory of reclining upon Silas in his enormous tub. Her back against his chest, his arm wrapped possessively around her middle, the soft swirl of his fingertips on her skin—not far, in fact, from where Eric had bitten her.

That same place on her arm began to feel warm, as though Silas were actually touching her. From there, the warmth began to spread and deepen, until it encompassed her arm and fanned across her shoulder, permeating her flesh to ease the bone-deep ache the venom had produced.

Could she summon her fox fire yet, now that her hand felt warm again?

The moment she tried, her fingers twitched.

They twitched.

She tried again, her heart pounding, and this time curled her fingers a bit.

Keep going. If I keep going…

Urgency driving her, she stoked the heat still spreading across her chest and back, pushing it faster and even hotter—as scalding as she could stand—until it reached her toes.

Before long, she was able to blink and clear away her tears.

Wait, was she glowing?

Holy shit!