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Carnon pursed his lips, but nodded tightly. “Fine,” I shouted back to my grandmother. “But I want your word. A binding bargain.”
“Of course,” my grandmother purred, producing a piece of chalk and drawing a pentagram between us. “I wouldn’t dream of anything else.”
“Elara, don’t,” wheezed my mother. One of the witches holding her gave her a kick, and she fell to the ground with a cry.
“Stop,” I shouted, “please!” But Mama lay wheezing, blood dribbling from her lip.I can heal her,I thought.I just have to get to her.
When the pentagram and elements were cast, my grandmother held out a hand to me. “Take my hand, Elara, and I will swear to release your mother to this demon.”
I glanced back at Carnon, who shook his head slightly.Trust me, I mouthed. He grimaced and lowered the wall, still holding my hand. No one approached us, or moved to attack, so I took a tentative step forward, and then another. Akela growled, walking close to me as I finally released Carnon’s hand.
With a startling clank, I turned to see chains dropping from the ceiling and wrapping around my mate. He roared in agony, falling to his knees as more chains shot from seemingly nowhere, controlled by some magic I didn’t understand. Carnon didn’t use his magic, and I didn’t understand why until I saw the chains glow faintly as his face contorted into a grimace. Hecouldn’tuse his magic. Something about the metal was preventing him.
I turned in horror to look at my grandmother, who twisted her fingers, wrapping the chains more tightly around him. Was she using blood magic?
“That should keephimout of my way,” she said, looking at me with icy indifference. “And now for you.”
With another clanking above me, chains dropped. I was ready, diving out of the way just as they tangled in the air where I’d been. Akela shot for my grandmother with a growl that told me he intended to rip out her throat, and she twisted into darkness away from the wolf, using more magic she shouldn’t be able to. Two witches dove for me, and I shot out my withering magic, cursing as I missed them both. Akela struck, taking one down with his jaws as I slammed my elbow into the other, grasping her arm and withering her on the spot. Carnon roared again and I whirled to see my grandmother holding a dagger to his throat.
“Enough,” she commanded, her icy blue eyes intent on mine. She pressed the dagger more firmly to his throat, a line of blood appearing. “Or I will kill him.”
“What have you done?” I breathed out, shocked and horrified at howwrongeverything had gone. Akela whined, padding over to my side, always protecting. “Blood magic is forbidden.”
“Know thy enemy, Elara,” my grandmother responded, confirming my suspicions about the blood magic while she pressed the knife harder against Carnon’s throat. I felt myself pale as my strong, untouchable mate was held by my grandmother, his power somehow wrenched from him. “Why let the demons wield it against us, when we can share in that power?”
“What did you do to him?” I spat, anger burning through me like a raging wildfire. My fingers twitched by my sides, the urge to protect him—to attack—fueling that blaze within me.
My grandmother waved a lazy hand. “Just a little iron,” she said, completely unconcerned. “It’s the only thing that can keep a demon down for any length of time. You’re lucky I only bound him. There’s far worse I still might do.”
My blood turned cold, and I held Carnon’s gaze in the darkness. His eyes were telling me to run, true fear in them as they bore into me, but I wouldn’t leave him there. I felt paralyzed, frozen to the floor as I watched him helpless before me.
“Now, will you and that beast come quietly,” my grandmother added, sneering as she waved her hand and produced even more shackles, “or will I have to do this the hard way?”
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“Ah, here we go,” my grandmother said. I heard clanking and groaning as a metal grate opened. “In here, if you please.”
I yelped as I was shoved into what felt like a prison cell, walls cold and damp. My grandmother had cuffed me in iron, and the metal bit into my skin like ice. I tried to tap into my magic, but nothing came. Akela had been muzzled, and Carnon was shoved in after us, going to his knees as iron cuffs around his neck and wrists jangled. Before we had been taken from the room, my grandmother had slit each of our palms, on top of the place our blood bargain bound us. She had collected the blood in small vials, looking satisfied. I had dire forebodings about what she would do with that blood.
“Where is Mama?” I shouted, voice tremulous as anxiety rose in me, my heart thundering in my chest. “What do you want with us?”
“With you, my dear,” my grandmother corrected, turning to face us through the bars, no more than a menacing figure in the shadows. “I’ll be back in two hours. If all goes to plan, your mother will be free to go when I’m done with you.”
I heard shuffling feet, the sound retreating as they left us in the dark.
“Are you alright?” I whispered. “Why can’t we use our magic?”
“Iron weakens us,” Carnon gritted out. “Blocks and drains our magic. It’s the only thing we are truly vulnerable to. All beings with innate magic are.”
“It hurts,” I said, trying to keep the whimper out of my voice.
“I know,” he said, sighing heavily. “Come here.”
“What?” I asked, kneeling before him. I could just make out a bright flash of eyes in the darkness, and then his lips were on mine. He broke away after a moment. “What was that for?”
“Just in case I don’t get another chance,” he murmured, brushing his nose against mine. “We’re in a bit of a mess, if you hadn’t noticed.”
I laughed, but it came out more like a sob. Carnon brushed his nose against mine again, and for a long moment we just sat there, taking in the reality of our situation.
