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His face turned a shade paler, and the boyish grin he always carried vanished. “When you said help, I didn’t think you meant performing dangerous spells.”

“Well, where would be the fun in that?” she countered.

Harrington chuckled. “A woman after my own heart.” He eyed the books in her arms suspiciously. “Don’t you dare say this is for class.”

“It’s not.”

“Why don’t you ask Dawson?” Evren wondered.

Before she could respond with an excuse, Harrington answered for her. “Because there’s no way he would watch her get tortured, which is basically what this is.”

“I wouldn’t call it torture,” Mira insisted. “I only need a tiny amount.”

The three Wielders exchanged glances.

“Dawson will kill you for this,” Amelia said to her boyfriend, taking an elegant sip from her Goldwine flute.

“I won’t say a word,” Mira insisted. “Please. I’ll owe you.”

They looked unmoved so Mira tried a different tactic. “How often do you get to practice a Dark Magic extraction spell on a willing participant?”

“I’ll do it.” Amelia volunteered with a bit too much excitement for Mira’s taste. “Dawson won’t kill me.” She smiled triumphantly at Harrington.

—

Apparently, every billionaire Wielder had a healing wing in their mansion. Mira lay down on an examination table.

“How do we do this?” Evren wondered.

Mira opened her notebook to the page of base magic extraction. “Just follow my notes.”

“I can do that.”

“I cast the extraction spell,” Amelia explained. “Kane holds her down while Evren administers the direweed potion.”

Another fun part about base magic extraction: The patient had to be conscious during it. Direweed was all she had to at least minimize the pain.

Harrington stepped closer to the table. “Are you sure about this, Winters?”

“Positive.”

Mira cast a calming spell on herself and felt like she was wrapped in bubbles.

“This will hurt,” Amelia said as she held her open palm above her.

Mira closed her eyes and exhaled. Amelia read the spell from the book, and pain exploded in Mira’s arm. Sharp. Burning hot. Amelia’s spell pulled on the base magic. Mira tried not to move, but with the next pull, she seemed to have little control left over her body. Harrington’s grip tightened on her while Evren injected her with direweed potion, to little avail.

“It’s not wanting to let go,” Amelia said with frustration.

Mira kicked her legs and screamed. All she could focus on was the burning-hot pain in her arm, stabbing through her flesh.

“Give her more direweed,” Harrington screamed at Evren.

“She has the maximum already,” Amelia responded. “Any more and she will pass out, and then you won’t be able to get the base magic. I’m almost there. I can see it.”

Another strong pull and Mira’s body arched from the table, but Harrington kept her pinned down. And then the base magic was severed and the relief was instant.

“Easy,” Harrington said as Mira tried to get up.