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A primal scream was ripped from Peri’s throat, her back arching as the tempest blasted out of her with shocking force.
When the wild magic had first manifested all those years ago, it’d exploded with enough strength to knock out her mother and the surrounding witches. The astounding power had lasted less than a minute, but it’d been enough to save her.
This time the magic continued to sizzle through her, bursting from her hands to send jolts of lightning dancing through the air. The dazzling display was blinding as it struck against the mist,scorching and burning the miasma as it writhed in an effort to escape.
Peri watched in amazement as the lightning continued to strike over and over, driving back the evil magic until it was forced to retreat into Destiny. But even then the lightning didn’t stop. It slammed into the witch’s body, leaving behind charred flesh that filled the air with a horrifying stench.
Hissing in revulsion, Peri tried to halt the magic that ravaged through her. She was almost certain the real Destiny no longer existed. And that the only way to destroy the miasma was to kill the host it was using to move through the world. But she didn’t want to be the one to kill the poor woman.
The magic refused to be controlled, however, and it continued to strike against Destiny until she crumpled to the ground with a piercing howl. Her head flopped to the side, the crimson flames in her eyes sputtering before they went completely dark.
Peri stepped back as a sudden breeze rippled past her, the scent of ozone replaced by the stench of sulfur. As if a doorway to hell had just been opened.
And maybe it had, she acknowledged, watching as Destiny’s body seemed to shrink, her face becoming mummified and her hair turning from gold to gray. The miasma that had infected her had disappeared, leaving behind the dead shell of the young witch.
Regret washed over Peri, but the magic refused to be contained. It scoured through her, the glow of the lightning revealing she was standing in the center of the cabin. She had a brief glance of Valen and Tia crouched on the floor watching her with wary gazes, but before she could acknowledge the sharp relief that they’d survived, her body was being tugged toward the statues at the back of the room.
The magic was in control and she was nothing more than a puppet. It wasn’t until she was standing in front of the pileof statues that remained nestled in the packing straw that she realized why she was there. The magic had appeared to destroy the miasma. It wasn’t going to stop until the job was done.
Holding her hands toward the statues, Peri quit trying to fight against the magic and instead released the thunderous power. Lightning smashed into the statues, shattering them one by one.
When there was nothing left but a powdery residue, Peri tilted back her head and laughed.
It was over.
At last.
But still the lightning danced.
* * *
Maya was lying in her bed, pretending she was trying to sleep. A wasted effort, but it was better than the hours of walking the floor that she’d done the first half of the night.
She didn’t know exactly what was troubling her. Well, beyond the obvious fact that Peri was missing. And the Benefactor was being more stubborn than usual. She wasn’t the sort of woman who went about her business while her loved ones were facing danger. Even when she was being held captive by the bastard Batu, she’d felt the need to rush to the rescue when someone was in trouble.
Lying in this bed was very close to torture.
She was considering drinking a potion that would force her to sleep when the sound of soft footsteps creeping down the stairs had her shoving aside her covers. Thank God. A distraction.
Grabbing a robe to pull over her silk teddy and shorts, Maya opened her door and followed the footsteps. She didn’t bother to turn on the lights as she headed through the silent bookstore. If Skye was sleepwalking she didn’t want to wake her. It would bebetter if she could lead the young mage back to bed without her realizing she’d been wandering around.
Her caution was ruined as Skye entered the bakery and began switching on the overhead lights, as if she was afraid of the dark. Accepting that her efforts at stealth were wasted, Maya moved forward to touch the woman’s shoulder.
“Skye,” she murmured softly. “Is something wrong?”
Skye twirled to face her, the corkscrew curls bouncing around her pale face. She was wearing an oversize T-shirt with a cartoon character on the front that made her look ridiculously young. At least until she looked into the velvet-night eyes. Those were as ancient as time.
Maya grimaced. Skye was a rare, unique creature who Maya was fiercely protective of, but there was a power inside her that could be terrifying.
“I don’t know.” Skye wrapped her arms around her waist, her expression troubled. “I feel…”
“Yes?”
“Itchy.”
Maya stroked her hand down her friend’s arm, feeling the shivers that were racing through her.
“Itchy in a bad way?”
