Page 110 of Magic's Rise

“You wanted freedom from your curse?” I shout, locking eyes with the monster as he nears. “Wish granted!”

I focus on the energy coursing through Jacob and yank everything that makes him paranormal right out of his body. As his magic flies free, it spreads like a net, taking the charm’s spell with it.

Jacob’s monstrous form dissolves in an instant, leaving only a confused man stumbling to his knees before me.

Stepping forward, I slam my fist into his jaw, and pain blazes up my arm.

My punch rocks Jacob’s head to the side, but instead of knocking him out, it snaps him out of his shock.

He lifts a hand to his face and laughs. “You’re still not strong enough to win this fight, even with whatever you did.”

“No, but I am.” Haut rises behind him and knocks Jacob over the head.

The younger man crashes to the ground, and his eyes roll back in his head before he passes out.

I cradle my throbbing hand to my chest, worried I broke it on Jacob’s face. “Did we win?”

Haut steps over Jacob’s body to draw me against his naked, bloody chest. “Yeah, we won.”

FADING LIGHT

Footsteps thunder down the steps, and I turn in Haut’s embrace as Tris jumps over the railing at the bottom to come barreling toward us.

Haut braces himself as Tris slams into us, joining our hug.

Levi comes down the stairs with more caution, Aspen limping behind him.

Tris buries his nose in my hair. “You seriously need to stop getting kidnapped.”

“At least you weren’t thrown off a balcony this time,” I say, my throat tightening with the threat of tears now that it’s all over.

“Ugh, that’s not funny,” Tris grumbles.

Haut chuckles, his moss-green eyes twinkling. “Actually, it’s a little funny.”

Tris rears back to glare at him. “I almost died.”

“But you didn’t. And neither did Rowe.” Haut pulls him back into the hug. “Everyone is safe.”

“How did you even find me?” I ask Haut. “Jacob said the charm he stole masked his scent.”

Shoving Tris back a step, Haut gently touches the spot over my heart, sending a shiver through me. “We’re mates, Rowe. I’ll always be able to find you.”

The low, tender timber of his voice makes my pulse skip a beat before I smack his chest. “Then why did it take so long? I had to encourage Jacob to give his villain monologue to buy time.”

“It took a bit to realize you were gone.” Tris turns a glare on Aspen, who leans against the stair railing. “Someone got caught up in the Rothaven grimoires.”

“With the chaos caused by the fire, we almost missed the stench of the potion burning. Once we realized you were missing, Haut tracked you through your bond.” Levi approaches and stares down at Jacob, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Why doesn’t he register as a werewolf anymore?”

Unsure if I should reveal what transpired down here, I opt for a partial truth. “Right as he was about to attack me, he changed back into a human. The charm stopped working, and Haut knocked him out.”

“Did the charm backfire?” Levi bends and yanks the little wolf necklace off his neck. “And it destroyed his werewolf side?”

“These kinds of magics are unpredictable.” Aspen limps toward us, then pauses and winces as he kneels to pick up my wand. “Did he say why he did all this while you had him monologuing, Rowe?”

“He admitted to hiring someone on the outside to stop Levi from bringing us to Silver Hollow.” My gaze drops to Jacob, and unwilling sympathy fills me. “He was behind everything. He found Aris’s latest attempt to replicate the charm by accident, and it made him believe that Griffen had a whole hoard of charms hidden away, keeping the werewolves prisoner in Silver Hollow.”

Levi’s eyes narrow as he takes in this new information, his tall frame tense with anger and disbelief. “We’ve never told the pack about the charms, because it’s unfair that we don’t have enough for everyone. But we were too loose with our use of the amulets around the other werewolves.”

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