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Power snaps along her arms, showcasing the powerful witch she’s become. “You okay?” she asks, without turning her back to the witch on the bed.
“Fine.” I blur to my feet, still a little dazed, and retrieve the syringe.
“Is this any way to greet an old friend?” The witch rips her arms free, the silver-laced bindings tearing away like they were made of paper.
How the fuck is she using magic right now?
“You got that syringe ready?”
“Yes.”
The witch sits up and climbs off the bed, rolling her neck as the bones pop. “I have to say, you are delicious. Perhaps I’ll have you, too.”
“Not a fucking chance.”
“I will have everything I want.” The witch begins to stalk back and forth in front of the barrier. “Do you truly believe your pathetic light magic will stop me? I already managed to find a way around your ridiculous shackles. I mean, honestly, do you know nothing? I exist beyond your pathetic tricks.”
“Maybe. But you have one thing wrong,” Delaney growls. “I’m not just light magic anymore.” She snaps her fingers, and threads of steel weave through the green.
The witch beams at her. “Quite delicious, indeed. I see now why this host thinks so highly of you. A warning for you, though, light witch: When you walk so close to the shadows, you’re bound to get drawn in.”
“Not a chance in hell.”
“It’s funny you should say that.” She raises both hands, and black magic slams into Delaney’s barrier. Sparks fly in all directions as Delaney works to hold it in place. I blur forward, hoping to catch her off guard, but I don’t make it two feet before her hand closes around my throat and I’m flying back into the wall. “If it weren’t for the sedative still in my system, I would have killed you both already. No matter, it’ll burn off soon.”
The door slams open behind me, and Rainey rushes in with Elijah. “What the fuck!”
Bronywyn’s dark witch is distracted just long enough that I rush forward and drive the needle into the side of her neck. She growls as her magic sputters out and she collapses to the ground.
Delaney drops her barrier and falls to her knees. Rainey rushes toward her, and I kneel beside an unconscious Bronywyn, my heart still racing. After feeling for a pulse, I leave her on the floor and blur toward Delaney. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll survive.” She forces a smile as she leans against Rainey. Blood drips from a gash in her temple, and her breathing is ragged as she draws breath after breath. I can sense her adrenaline, the heavy hammering of her heart as it begins to slow now that the immediate danger is taken care of.
Elijah looks from Delaney to me. “What the hell happened?”
I look up at my oldest friend. “She tricked us.”
“What do you mean she tricked you?”
“Her vitals never changed,” Delaney replies. “Her heartbeat was steady—blood pressure normal—just like they have been when she’s been out.”
“Then how did she get around the shackles? They should have prevented her from using magic. Shit, they even block fae magic.”
“She said she existed beyond our ‘pathetic tricks’.”
“What the fuck does that even mean?”
Standing, I turn toward where Bronywyn is still passed out on the floor. She looks so peaceful now that if Delaney weren’t bleeding on the floor, it might be easy to forget what she is capable of. Easy to forget the danger I put everyone I care about in just by refusing to accept what I think a part of me already has. “I have no idea,” I manage, despite the massive lump in my throat.
“We have to assume the cuffs don’t work and that she figured out how we were monitoring her before we dosed her.”
“Fantastic,” Rainey growls.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Elijah asks as he and Rainey help Delaney to her feet.
“I’ve suffered worse. Some sleep and a hot shower, and I’ll be fine. Maybe some aspirin for what is going to be an epic headache.” She presses a hand to her temple and winces.
I move forward. “Let me give you some blood. It will heal you.”
