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I discharged the spell and relaxed my pose.
“Damn,” Phalen panted, hunched over with his hands on his knees. “As much as I love being dominated by a gorgeous female, that wasnotpleasant. I couldn’t shake your hold.”
“Do the same to me now,” Draven ordered.
The Shadow Lord didn’t give me any time to feel for the altering energies of his shift. The male was mostly translucent by the time I got a handle on him. He fought, caught in mid transformation. My powers held on, my limbs straining. Sweat broke out across my brow.
It took a lot out of me to press against his resistance as I spun and wrapped cords of energy around him. Looking through my witch’s eye, I studied our warring magic. Golds and silvers vibrated, struggling for dominance. The silver was outpacing the white gold. Draven was about to get the upper hand.
I threw more at him. My legs felt like jelly and shook to the point I was forced to lock my knees to remain upright. I called forth more powers, weaving my witch and fae electric vitality together. The thickened ropes added another layer overtop the initial, reminding me of the binding used to secure grave cloths.
Once I was sure I had him encased fully, I was forced to alter my strategy or else I’d be on the ground soon. Theorizing I didn’t have to continuously push back—I only needed to hold—I pictured the shell I created as a balloon, one that would expand and contract with what it was housing.
Yes!I silently celebrated. It was working. The outflow of my power drain slowed. I felt the muscles of my neck and jaw loosen enough to where I could move my mouth once more.
“I’m going to let go now,” I called out in between mouthfuls of air. “You should … stop exerting yourself.”
When Draven backed down I pulled the energies that I could back into my body. Only some of the powers could be reabsorbed. The rest faded away into oblivion. Quickly, I had the magical shroud unraveled and the demon was free.
Draven appeared before us, fully solid. With his mouth tight, he rolled his shoulders and shook out his limbs. Though, his expression was more thoughtful than angry.
“How was the ride?” Lyric pressed.
Looking directly at me, he answered, “Bumpy. How long do you think you could have held that?”
“Not long. A minute, maybe a little more, if I really had to. Would you have been able to break free?”
Draven lifted his palms. “Possibly. Your hold was strong. I was almost through the barrier and then you added that secondary spell. I’d like to practice that again in the near future. You should try to hold for longer next time.”
“I can do that.”
A pinch of excitement built in my gut. After my mother left, no one in my life encouraged me to push my limits with both sides of magic. Father was an excellent teacher, but his lessons were always about keeping a level head and besting our foes with our cunningness, not relying solely on brute force. I hadn’t truly pushed myself past what I thought I was capable of in years.
“Also,” Draven added, “I’d prefer to keep this quiet.”
“That I was able to stop your transition?”
“Anything pertaining to your powers, outside of things the general population would already know about a Dianic witch or a Seelie fae. Who knows what Sersha is willing to promise in exchange for your return? Someone somewhere would be tempted, I’m sure. While I have scanned the minds of those residing in Embour, I can’t possibly know the inner workings of every mind in the Shadowlands. Let’s keep the element of surprise on our side, shall we?”
“That’s fair.”
Draven wiped his mouth. “I can’t believe we have two females at Embour who can control our shifts.”
Lyric’s hands went to her hips. “My sister has the same ability I have, Big Guy.”
“Yes, but we all trust Kree to not do it for sport. That leaves you two, who are of questionable temperament.” Draven winked in our direction.
“Just like I said!” Phalen exclaimed theatrically. “The gods are punishing us. I just know it.”
“For what?” Lyric threw back.
“For being so incredibly handsome and strong and irresistible to all creatures. It’s terribly unfair to the rest of the population. This is our penance.”
“We really need to work on your self-esteem,” Lyric deadpanned. “Besides, neither of us are your soulmate. I hope you find yours and she kicks your ass.”
“Me too, Lyric,” he sighed dreamily. “Me, too.”
Casimir brought his fist to his lips, but I could still see the stretch in the corners. When it came to my mate, Phalen was spot-on in his assessment. Incredibly handsome and totally irresistible.
