Page 78 of Mage Massacres

York

Friday, June 12th

Night

Getting Pete, the miniature giant, back to Amelia’s and in a bed was more difficult than getting Pete, the pedmar, to do anything. I knew it was because he was unconscious, and Sloane was worried that he wasn’t awake, but still.

She’d spent the better part of an hour trying to rouse him from his sleep, to no avail. As soon as she magicked him to the estate, we got stuck in the yard. The comatose man had shifted into his hellacious elephant form, so we had to decide if she should make him smaller or put him in the garage.

All the mages in the house had attempted to force him into his human shift again, but nothing worked. Sloane said his essence was being smothered by the darkness once more.

She had let fragments of Pete’s curse latch onto her, hoping that Millie would have a cure. Or be able to identify it, at least. Sloane had pulled the night witch into her mind to help wrangle the dark magic. They had spent hours fighting to break it loose and give it a physical form to study. It didn’t want to let her go, but they finally won.

Miller was giddy at the prospect of a new challenge, asking Vaughn and me seven dozen questions about the magic of the land.

Between the two of us, we were able to answer nine of her inquiries.

When she got bored with us shrugging our shoulders, she turned to Sloane. “Did you know there were guest rooms here?”

“No.” Lo furrowed her brows. “I don’t know much about this estate.”

“I found three of them yesterday,” Miller divulged. “But I had to draw a map of the halls so I didn’t forget where they were. This place is a maze. I don’t know what they did to make the inside so much bigger than the outside, though.”

“Magic, Mills. Nate’s house in Baton Rouge is the same way.”

“I need that spell in my life,” the night witch playfully whined. “My apartment is cluttered from all the work I’m bringing home.”

Sloane tucked her arm in Millie’s as they strolled through the house. “I’ll let you know if I figure it out, but I’m slapping a not for resale clause to it.”

“Damn. Just rip my soul out while you’re at it, Lo.”

My mate shook her head, laughing at Miller’s word choice. “I would never, though I may bring it up with Palmer to get a rise out of him.”

We had barely made it out of the back door when the hellhounds came barreling from the treeline edging Amelia’s estate. They gave no fucks about plowing through the group of guys in the yard.

Their English Mastiff disguises might help them blend in, but they were still heavy as Hell. And those tails? They were right at dick height and capable of putting me in the fetal position.

Hyde’s mates and Murphy were finding that chunk of knowledge out on their own. I chuckled at their misfortune, happy not to be the one getting trampled.

The boys stopped in front of Sloane, attentive even though they were wired. The island Amelia’s estate sat on wasn’t small, but it wasn’t near the space they had to roam in the Tennessee valley.

“You want to play?” she asked them, smiling when Cronus crooned. Atlas and Helios echoed their brother’s sentiment.

The vibrations that came from the hellhounds’ chests gained everyones’ attention. The boys barked and growled at Lo, instigating a reaction. The bass in their tones’ was far too deep to hide what they truly were.

She lunged at them, and they darted away.

“I’ll be back.”

Sloane shifted into her silver wolf, her paws hitting the grass as she closed the distance between them in three steps. They raced back through the yard, causing some of the guys to dive out of their way. My mate weaved between them, dodging people with agile grace and hidden strength.

“Those aren’t regular dogs, are they?” Millie inquired, studying them until they faded into the treeline.

“They’re hellhounds,” Hyde answered, arriving behind us after checking on Pete. “Did she talk to them?”

“Yeah.” Miller nodded. “But not with that high-pitched baby voice that people use.”

I scoffed. “Helios would burn the house down if she did that.”