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“I love you.”
The kiss on her lips was brief as Maddox moved like a tornado, thundering his way toward the opening and already gone before she could blink. Ruby kept her eyes on the barrier until it had fully closed, then ducked at the warning tap from Pearl. An idea popped in, but she needed help.
“Em, I need cover.”
Emerald was on her in a second, protecting her back and taking over in dizzying the demon up. Ruby shifted her energy to scoop soil from the ground and form it into an imperfect ball. She hardened it as fast as she could, then tossed it toward the demon.
“Push with me. Keep pushing as hard as you can,” she ordered.
The ball slammed on the creature while she and Emerald slammed it with magic. They took turns, then pushed their energy together until the skin gave, and they heard the crunch of bones. They didn’t stop, though, until they saw the creature collapse, all its insides squashed. The stench made her want to retch, but Emerald fixed that with a little wave to eliminate it. They smiled at each other, sharing the moment.
“Thanks, Em.”
“Anytime.”
Pearl tapped the barrier twice, cheering from the outside.
Then Sapphire screamed, and they turned to watch as the hole grew into her height and half a dozen demons leaped out.
Chapter 15
Moon was his first stop, though finding the boy cranky and itching for a fight wasn’t in the books. Because there was no time to talk the boy into relaxing, Maddox went for what he knew would work faster.
“Ruby’s in trouble. So are her sisters. I know you are not their fan at the moment, but they all need help.”
That perked Moon up, his body language already adjusting into a stance that Maddox knew all too well, considering they had fought pirates together from time to time.
“What do I need to do?”
“Go to them. Stay with Pearl. Be her third hand—oh, and before that, go to the cottage and get as many potions as you can. It’s all labeled in their library.”
Maddox barked out directions toward the cliff, mapping out forest shortcuts for the boy to use. Moon nodded and was off while Maddox continued his run, the next destination tricky. He didn’t know if the man lived with his uncle or had any idea that he and Ruby had gotten together, and he still wasn’t sure how the man would take it. When he reached the place, the first worry was eliminated as he was certain that a council member would never live in a small, slightly shabby wooden house like the one in front of him.
It was weird, but he supposed it was the man’s way of further distancing himself from his family. He knocked, then stepped in.
“Brian? Are you home?”
No one answered. But he checked inside, anyway, in case there were hidden, magical rooms, and discovered that the shodden, unused kitchen had a nice, decent food cabinet—and that cabinet didn’t contain food.
“Brian?”
He entered the cabinet, mouth dropping open when it led to a living room with sleeker furniture than James’ office. Everything was neat and organized, with the kitchen at the side fully stocked, but that wasn’t his purpose here. Maddox went for the doors, opening one after the next to check for more hidden rooms. At the back, he reached what looked like a potions room and glided in, deducing that the weaponized magic could be the next option if the warlock wasn’t around.
He snatched one of the empty boxes stacked at the side, his gaze already sweeping over rows of colorful liquids in vials to read labels. Unlike Sapphire’s clearcut labels, Brian used initials and symbols. Maddox just went for it and took the ones where he either recognized what the initials stood for or had the most threatening-looking symbols, stacking them carefully in the small box until it was full. He peeked at the next row, searching for more to help.
There were glass balls similar to the one in James’ private file room. But whereas James had a couple of boxes, Brian had a whole row sitting on display, the shelf massive and sturdy. Curiosity warred with urgency, but the former won out when he surmised that a little knowledge could get him other means of help.
“What files do you have stored like trophies, Mr. Businessman?”
He read through the labels and noted every council member had a glass ball, including their assistants and relatives. The impressive hierarchy ran through the back, where the lesser-known residents of the community were also available. When he spotted a ball for each Sutton sister, then two for Silver, he raised his brow, then snatched one. He didn’t anticipate the second ball falling from the shelf to the floor before he could stop it, his hands already full. It broke on his foot, the shiny liquid splattering all over.
“I already told you to stop that. Stop smuggling those things. Stop doing this kind of business.”
The image was vivid and colorful. Brian and Silver were opposites facing each other, one golden blond and the other dark, except for his silver eyes. Those eyes were snapping with conviction while Brian’s deep brown ones were offended.
“This is important to me, Silver. Why can’t you just support your best friend?”
“Because it’s wrong. Because it has consequences.”
