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Noxx shoved him, and Tai stumbled forward to his knees.
“Don’t.” Wrapping her magic around her, Joelle healed him as she hurried him into his mother’s arms. She didn’t sense injuries beyond the emotional and whatever psychological wounds might follow. If anything, the boy’s anger blasted her, scalding her in a way that made her wonder about his powers in addition to telekinesis. This kid would be worth any price she had to pay. “Take him and go now.”
Yulia clutched Tai to her, but the fear and uncertainty in her eyes screamed as loud as the dying and suffering below. “I can’t—”
“You can.” She needed this to be between her and Noxx with no collateral to distract her. She borrowed Alexei’s stern command voice. “Go. Now.”
The rage on the boy’s expression from the tense jaw to the blazing gaze matched his mother’s, but they left.
Good. Now, she could focus on eliminating the threat that Noxx posed to everyone she loved so she could get to her mate who had to be alive and move on with their happiness.
“You will always be mine. I own your magic.” Noxx grinned, and the expression sent a chill crawling over Joelle’s skin. “I brought your new collar to replace the shackles.” She held up a golden circlet with two globes in the front.
“The siphon.” Keeping her voice meek, she didn’t hint at any rebellion. Let the woman believe she had the same control of her as she’d had throughout her childhood. She stepped back, closer to the edge of the silo.
“I added modifications to the witch’s artefact.” Noxx twisted the necklace to show the inside of the metal. Chips of meteorite shone the same as the interior of the shackles she’d worn.
Another step back. “Star iron.”
“You’ve been studying.” Her guardian made it sound like an accusation. “Where you came from is what binds you. My star goddess mated with a demon prince so now your magic’s ready to reap.”
“To resurrect your sister?” Her heels hung over the air, a hundred feet dropped behind her.
“She’s all that matters.”
“More than all supernatural lives?”Wings. She needed wings. Her magic would manifest. She’d done it before to save Alexei. Now, she would save their happily ever after. She just had to take a literal leap of faith.
“You wretched beings should’ve never existed. I’ll wipe you out so my sister won’t risk herself for you perversions again.” Noxx brought the siphon forward.
Joelle bunched her muscles to jump into the darkness, trusting the magic that the horrible woman had twisted and condemned to save her. She wouldn’t be shackled ever again.
ChapterThirty-One
Alexei cursed, pushing the blazing beams aside to wade through the carnage he’d created. Taking out two dozen monsters born of Frankenstein nightmares had required excruciating focus which meant his lava and sparks had spiraled out of control and brought down most of the building. Worse, he hadn’t been able to follow Joelle as he’d promised, but he knew his mate still lived. She had escaped and that was all that mattered. He needed to get to hernow.
Outside the collapsing factory, he tossed aside a monstrosity with the face of a serpent shifter and the body of a low-ranking demon hybrid complete with hooves. His sister had several beasts writhing in pain on the ground, Roman took out others, and Nita sat in the driver’s seat of a military transport. Dirty-faced children crowded around her, sticking to the backseat but seeming eager to watch the destruction. Eddie stood guard on the passenger side, beating back any monsters who got too close to the young ones.
Yulia floated down with her son wrapped around her, her protective bubble coated with soot and ash. The kid looked as if he would prefer to join the fight, and his mom appeared as shaken as she’d been when he’d left her at the warehouse.
He would deal with her and demon hybrid politics later. “Where’s Jo—”
Tai answered before he could finish the question, pointing to the top of the silos. “Up there with the mean lady. You have to save her.”
Staring where the boy pointed, Alexei saw only shapes and shadows outlined by the few hazard lights around the edges of the silos. If she was up there alone, he didn’t want to think of what could happen to her with Noxx. His mate didn’t have wings. She’d be helpless. Pushing into the sky, he heard female voices as he went faster, faster, faster still.
Cresting the top of the first silo, he watched in horror as Joelle jumped off the last.
A scream cut the air. “No.” Noxx grabbed for her, stumbling and falling behind her.
His heart stopped, his breath caught in his chest, and his magic reached for her even as it flamed out into nothing but quakes and a burst of sparks. He couldn’t lose her. A gun shot went off, theboomdeafening as it echoed and reverberated from the giant metal towers. He pushed harder, making it to the top of the last silo to dive after her.
The world went black, an inky darkness engulfing him. He stopped, unable to tell up from down.
Alys’s voice came from somewhere close behind, followed by Eddie calling out, but he couldn’t see them. He couldn’tseeanything. Like the moments on the ship when he’d been blind, nothing—no light, no color, no sunshine glow from his beautiful mate—came to him.
“Who set off the magical blackout?” his sister asked.
“Are you airborne?” he demanded, rushing his question.
