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With their teeth bared, they roared, slamming themselves into the bars. I couldn’t stop trembling, and I hugged my knees, crying. Would the cage hold them back? But for howlong?
Talin had said the spell drew him back to the castle, keeping them indoors. And that meant there was no chance of them leaving my side to hunt for down anyone. I swallowed down the burning bile that scorched mythroat.
I gnawed on my hangnail, unable to stop rocking back and forth.What do I donow?
And how to undo not only a curse, but also the trap? Or would there be more surprises waiting for me when I tried again? I felt sick at the thought of trying to fix this, but I had to do something. And I couldn’t stay locked up without my herbs. It was only a matter of time before they broke this cage and ripped me apart for theirmeal.
But that meant playing with dark magic. And I refused to kill anyone to retaliate with a spell on Rek. That would make me no better than him. And I didn’t want to open up that portal to make a deal with a demon. What if I released them into our world? Because our situation wasn’t bad enough. Nope, that wasn’t an option now orever.
Goddess.What I’d give now to be home living my mundane life, dreaming about adventure, but never actually experiencing it. Yep, that what I needed right now. Nothing tohappen.
Maybe what I needed was to exchange spots with the shifters. Place them in this cage, keep them locked up until I found a solution. Buthow?
I patted the lump in my pocket, remembering the sleeping potion I’d thought to carry withme.
Scrambling to my feet, I pulled out the small pouch and opened it by tugging on thestring.
The bears growled, shaking the cage, and I swore they would break in at any moment at this rate. I focused on the potion and whispered under my breath, “I send you to sleep. A deep, peacefulslumber.”
But the moment I tapped into the energy in my chest, a chill coiled deep inside me, flooding my veins. It catapulted through me, owning me as a gust of windmight.
I stumbledbackward.
No warmth filled me… this wasn’t my usual power, yet it was me. And just like that, a fog drowned my thoughts, pulling me in every direction, laughing maniacally in myhead.
And the past came flooding forward. The day I’d turned thirteen and I’d had my first female bleed. Darkness had spread through me, unlocking unimaginable power, but it had come at a cost. The urge to kill had owned me. I’d craved it as if I might starve. Mom had found me rushing through the woods with a kitchen knife, ready to slaughter anyone who crossed my path. She’d stopped me with a calming spell, and that was when I’d learned bloodborne witches had two halves inside them, like me. I’d been born under a blood moon, and that meant the darker side was stronger, more powerful. For years, I’d practiced how to keep it hidden, under control. Never tempting it out. Untilnow.
Sweat dripped down my neck as fear overwhelmed every inch of me, and exhaustion had mestumbling.
“This can’t be happening.” I’d been careful for solong.
A hunger raced through me, warping my insides into barbedknots.
I screamed and fell to my knees. “You will not cross over. I command you toretreat!”
In that moment, Ash and Talin pulled apart two bars, the metal groaning, and already Raze had pushed his head through, his mouth gaping open with a growl, and his hand pawing the air to get tome.
I shivered, and death flashed before my eyes. Something snapped inside me like cracking bones, and a shuddering of energy burst outward from my mouth, covering the room in a blackmist.
