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“Don’t hurt them!” she called out to Klaus, who was too busy fighting for breath.
She slammed a hand on the ground and let her magic streak out. Harold jumped when it hit the soles of his feet, but the vines she formed grabbed him back. Then more wrapped around his hands and mouth, seizing him downward until his entire body was flat on the soil. The hold on Klaus disintegrated as she sealed Harold tightly.
“Don’t hurt them,” she repeated, meeting enraged black eyes.
The three pirates tried to run. She grabbed another vial and slammed it behind her, then roped them in with her other hand. It fisted tight to hide the blood as she stepped in between the four and Klaus.
“Don’t hurt them.”
His wings expanded again. He looked ready to burst into his dragon form and exact the worst revenge possible. Tension at the possible bloodshed gripped her throat, but his tight answer had her blinking.
“I heard you the first time.”
There was a warning there, one she heeded. With a short nod, she spun to face the four, her hand dipped in her pocket for a third vial. She bit back a hiss as the acid-like liquid touched her wounds and quickly splashed it on their faces. They had no wounds, so they didn’t feel its pain. But the sheen told her it was in place.
“Who are you looking for and what do they have?” she demanded.
“Nothing. I—”
Sapphire pushed out her magic, infusing it with the liquid on them. Power and a dazed sensation surged.
“Who are you looking for and what do they have?”
This time, her voice held a dreamlike, smoky quality, as if it belonged to someone else. Their eyes glazed.
“Four humans. We tracked them to this place. We collect slaves to sell to Centro. They can be put to good use in Ostrov Krov or La Fleur, where the vampires and Fae are always in need of servants. The pretty females, we keep in our ships for higher bidders.”
Fury formed, her hand fisting tighter with the urge to punch Mr. Fancy.
“Where’s your ship? Do you have any prisoners at the moment?”
“We have none. We sold the males while the rest died fighting us. Our ship is moored nearby. We thought this was an unoccupied island.”
“How many crew members?”
“None in our ship. It’s our reserved one. Our main crew is elsewhere and waiting for news. We have about twenty.”
“I see.” It took everything in her not to let her temper go and give in to the darkest urge inside her: to just end all of this with the snap of her fingers. Sapphire reminded herself of who she was and what she represented. Then she exhaled slowly. “I’ll handle this.”
Silence met her words. She bit back her tongue, toned down her demand, and glanced back. “May I?”
Klaus was looking at her with an unreadable expression. Finally, he nodded.
“Be my guest.”
Not about to waste what she was granted, she blasted more energy out until her muscles trembled from the effort. The infused magic thickened and hummed.
“You will forget about this island and your encounter with us. You will tell your crew members that you have a new lead and guide them in a different direction.” She spewed out coordinates, one that Ruby had given her out of trust. She turned to Harold next, his glazed eyes ensuring that he wasn’t immune. “You will forget how to use your magic. Every time a memory comes, it will vanish like a cloud and you won’t question it. You will not protect them when their enemies come for them.”
She did a little seal, then cut off the contact with a shake of her fingers. Head spinning, she stumbled back and felt a muscled form closing in behind her. Sapphire tried not to tense.
“I assume that spell’s going to hold.”
“You assumed right,” she clipped out.
She waited for Klaus to disregard it, anyway, and follow them. But the dragon shifter surprised her yet again when he stayed where he was, watching as the four left in a daze. The itch to prove herself had her climbing a tree, anyway, until she was perched on the highest branch and could see the four further. After a few seconds, Klaus joined her.
“Whose coordinates were those?” he asked.
