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I flexed my fingers and hoped like hell Maelle hurried. There was a storm rising in the middle of the living room, and I wasn’t really sure I could withstand its force for long.
“You forget, I have your familiar.” His voice was low, vicious. The veneer of civility had been stripped away by that one remark. “You will entertain me however I wish, or she will pay the price.”
“And how long do you think that will last, Clayton? How long do you think it’ll be before the council and my parents rain hell down on your sorry ass?”
“They have to find me first.”
“And you think they won’t? Your DNA was registered at birth, right along with every other witch born. How long do you really think it’ll take seekers to find you?”
He smirked. “Except my DNA isn’t in the registers. When you have the pull and the power, it is amazing what you can do. Strip.”
My gut was churning so hard that for a moment, I thought I’d misunderstood his order. “What?”
“You heard.” He motioned up and down. “Remove your clothes. I want to see the full bloom of your body.”
Bile rose and magic stirred, bright sparks that danced across my fingertips. It only made the gleam in his eyes fiercer.
He appears to be warded against both your natural magic and the wild came Gabe’s comment. I also suspect he actually wants you to attack him that way.
Why would he want that?
Magic shimmers around him. The spell is not one I’m familiar with, but it has old bones. Perhaps he found some means of both protecting himself against the wild magic and using it against the user.
If that sort of protection were possible, surely my mother would have used it before she tackled the wellspring that almost killed her. To Clayton, I added, “It’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever—”
He clicked his fingers before I finished. Power rose and energy spun through the air, striking Belle with such force that her body jumped and shook. As a muffled scream was wrenched from her lips, I yelled, “Enough!”
He obeyed. Belle’s head dropped, her nostrils flaring as she sucked down air, h
er whole body shaking.
You’ll pay, you bastard, you’ll pay… The promise ran through my mind, a song that could not be sung. Not yet.
He raised an eyebrow. “Strip, or the next one will burn off her fingertips.”
I hissed, but there was little I could do right now but obey. I slowly stripped off my jacket. I could feel Belle’s gaze on me, could feel her demand that I do anything but obey, but I ignored it. Until Maelle got here, I couldn’t react. Not when she was at his mercy.
You do have one option, Gabe commented. The knife.
Using it means getting far too close to the bastard. It wasn’t practical to throw it, given it wasn’t designed for that sort of thing and I certainly wasn’t trained for it. Besides, wouldn’t he guard against something like that?
Sane witches would, but I suspect that word doesn’t currently apply.
Which doesn’t mean he hasn’t.
No. Gabe paused. I cannot see a thread that indicates protection against non-magical retaliation, but that doesn’t mean it’s not in the deeper layers.
Which isn’t comforting. Not in the least. How far away is Maelle?
She’s weaving an entry into his barrier, but it will take a few minutes if he is to remain unaware.
Meaning I had no real choice. Bile surged, closing my throat and briefly making breathing difficult. Though I could think of nothing better than puking all over his shiny black shoes, I was too far away even for that. I swallowed heavily, then tugged at my sweater’s left sleeve. As I pulled my arm free, I took one step forward. I repeated the process and then threw the sweater at him with as much force as I could muster.
He laughed and casually knocked it aside. I’d half hoped it’d hit him and perhaps indicate whether his protections ran to real-world items.
“These delaying tactics only increase the anticipation, dear Elizabeth. Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“What I want is you on your knees bleeding from multiple wounds, begging for your life.”
