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“Have you been talking to Maya?” Peri demanded, stepping into the small space that was painted white from floor to ceiling. There were no windows, no furniture, no smells, or sense of magic.
It was like being smothered in a white box. Or a coffin.
“No, but I’m not going to be the one who has to tell Valen you’re dead,” Aston answered her question in dry tones. “Unlike my nephews I don’t have suicidal tendencies.”
Peri twisted around to glare at the fairy. “Why would you tell—” The door slammed in her face. “That stupid vampire?”
With a muttered curse, Peri shoved all thoughts of Valen from her mind. Maya could be overprotective, but she was right when she warned that testing the shard would be dangerous. Peri needed her full attention on what she was about to do.
Walking to the center of the empty room, Peri pulled the shard from her pocket and bent down to place it on the smooth floor. Then, wiping her suddenly damp palms on her shorts, she stepped back and touched the magic that raced through her blood.
She was accustomed to using magical objects to amplify her powers, but she’d rarely tried to manipulate them to perform other tasks. Right now, she wanted to determine if the statue had been responsible for the death of the coven. And if so, she wanted to make sure any lingering magic was destroyed.
Releasing her power in a thin thread, Peri directed it at the shard. It connected with a loud sizzle, warning Peri that there were still residues of the spell clinging to the statue. She widened the thread to encompass the entire shard, puzzled by the reddish glow that was beginning to bloom just above it.
It was a power she didn’t recognize. Usually a spell or portions of one tingled with an electric energy. As if they were alive. This one was just the opposite. It felt as if it was sucking the air from the room.
Peri frowned, recalling Destiny’s claim that her mother was attempting to draw the magic from the earth. Was that what it was doing? Trying to find magic to absorb?
She continued to watch the shard even as the thought of Destiny brought back memories of her mom and the coven. They were dead now, but obviously their evil legacy lived on. Not only in this strange artifact, but in the wounds she carried.
Years of being judged and found unworthy by her mother. Endless days and nights, cooking and cleaning for the coven as if she was a slave, not a member of the family. And then the ugly jealousy as Brenda realized her daughter possessed what she so desperately wanted.
The red glow started to pulse, growing larger and larger as her anger at the thought of her mother sent a swell of fury through her. Why hadn’t she gone back to the ranch and exposed Brenda Sanguis as a narcissistic bitch who would eventually destroy her coven?Not that they deserved my concern,a voice whispered in the back of her mind. They’d been eager to get rid of her once they discovered she was a mage. Maybe they deserved exactly what they got…
A bitter pleasure at the image of the coven lying lifeless on the ground was still passing through her mind when the red glow struck out, slamming into her with the force of a hurricane. At the same time, she felt a painful tug in the center of her being.
Stumbling backward, Peri struggled to regain her balance. The pain was debilitating, bending her double as the glow became a tangible mist and wrapped around her. Was she dying? It felt as if the mist was digging into her and hollowing her out. Emptying her of her very soul.
Or was it her magic?
Yes, that was it. It was sucking away her magic.
She was being drained. Just like her mother and the other members of her coven.
It was sheer instinct that had her cutting off the magic connected to the shard. That, and the words from a poster Skye had hanging in the bookshop:When you’re in a hole, stop digging.
There was an audible snap as the red glow recoiled back into the shard. Like a door being slammed by an angry neighbor. A second later a hauntingly human screech shattered the silence of the room.
With a wince, Peri forced herself to her feet. The pain was gone, along with the sense of her magic being drained. But an acute fear remained firmly lodged in her heart.
She didn’t know what was clinging to the shard, but she knew it was bad. Really, really bad. And she had to get the thing locked behind an indestructible ward before it could escape.
Grimly moving to snatch the shard off the floor, Peri hurried to the door and jerked it open. Her breath tangled in her throat when she discovered Aston standing a few inches away.
Had he heard the scream? Something had alerted him that things had gone sideways. His elegant features were set in worried lines.
“Peri, are you okay?”
“I’m…” Belatedly realizing that she must look a mess, Peri reached up to run her fingers through her tangled hair. “Yes, I’m fine.” She moved forward, trying to inch her way past his muscular form. “Thanks. I’ll have your potion sent to you tonight.”
“Let one of my staff drive you home.”
“No.”
The word came out sharper than she intended, but she wasn’t going to risk anyone getting their hands on the shard. And while she enjoyed flirting with the handsome fairy, she didn’t trust him any farther than she could throw him. Especially not witha powerful artifact that would be worth millions on the black market.
“Are you sure?” he demanded, continuing to regard her with blatant concern.
