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“A spell is using my magic in real time. It’s still attached to me.” Valen accepted her explanation with a nod. “And a potion?”
“The magic is contained within the ingredients I’ve mixed together. It doesn’t need me to fuel it.” She grimaced. “In theory it should prevent the miasma from gaining power.”
“Do you have potions?”
“Of course.” She nodded toward the trees. “In my vehicle.”
Valen snapped his fangs. Did she think he was stupid? “Convenient.” “Not really.”
“There’s no way in hell I’ll allow you out of my sight.”
She made a sound of impatience. “I’ll send my servant.”
“Fine.”
“Lynch,” she called out. “Bring my case.”
There was a rustle in the trees as Lynch obediently dashed off, presumably to retrieve the mysterious case. Once he was gone, a thick silence blanketed the swamp, pressing against Valen with a tangible force. It wasn’t just the evil that pulsed in the air. Or the thick, humid air that carried the stench of rotting vegetation.
It was the knowledge that every second that passed, Peri was trapped alone with the miasma. The need to battle his way to her blasted through him like acid. A corrosive need that was distorting his ability to think clearly.
Dangerous. The word whispered through the back of his mind.
It wasn’t just his strength that made him the most lethal predator in the world. It was the cunning he’d gained over the past two thousand years. Now, when he needed that wisdom more than ever, his mind was clouded by his frantic urge to pound against the barrier until it shattered.
He was no closer to leashing his primitive impulses when Lynch appeared through the trees. On full alert, he watched as the demon inched his way across the clearing.
“No surprises, demon,” he warned.
The male was visibly shaken as he crouched low to place a leather case that looked like the old-fashioned satchel human doctors would carry on the porch. Then, bowing his head toward Valen, he backed away, once again disappearing into the trees.
Tia clicked her tongue as she moved to grab the bag off the lower step. “I will be seriously pissed if you’ve broken him.”
Valen dismissed the demon from his mind. “He won’t be the only one broken if you fail.”
Tia opened the bag and peered inside. “I never fail,” she informed him in cold tones, pulling out a slender vial filled with an orangish liquid. “This should create an opening long enough for you to enter.”
Valen stepped back, fully prepared to strike if Tia twirled and tossed the potion in his direction. She was a mage who would do anything and betray everyone to achieve what she desired.
“Do it,” he commanded.
Thankfully, he had no need to kill the woman. She lifted her hand and tossed the vial toward the center of the doorway. It entered the reddish mist as if it was going to sail through with no impact. But after disappearing into the haze, it must have smashed against the unseen barrier. There was the sound of shattering glass followed by a sizzle of power as the potion reacted with the mist. And then there was nothing…
Not until a deep, thumping vibration could be felt beneath his feet. As if there was an unbearable pressure beginning to build. At the same time, the mist started to pulse in rhythm. The potion was doing something. He just had no idea what that something was.
Next to him, Tia was obviously more prepared. Still clutching her potion bag, she widened her stance as the air thickened until it pressed against them. Valen clenched his fangs as the cabin seemed to hold its breath. Something was about to happen.
The thought had barely managed to form when there was a rumble from inside the mist. It started low, like the sound of an approaching freight train. Then it changed, the rumbling transforming into a high-pitched screech. Was the potion hurting the miasma? Or pissing it off?
Impossible to say.
The screeching was abruptly cut off as the mist swirled and jerked before it reluctantly parted. It was more a crack than an opening, but Tia sent him an impatient glare.
“Go! Now!”
Valen didn’t hesitate. Launching himself forward, he reached out as he passed Tia, grasping her arm. Ignoring her struggles,he plunged through the doorway. Until he was sure he was standing next to Peri, he wasn’t letting this mage out of his sight.
Together they squeezed through the crack, which thankfully widened to allow them inside. Valen felt the mist brush over him, clinging to his skin like a cobweb. He dismissed the unpleasant sensation as they stumbled through the last of the magical barrier.
