Page 169 of Magic of the Damned

Both Dominic and Ileana gave the vacant space a look of suspicion. She frowned. “Be mindful of Areleus. His loyalties are tenuous when acquisition of power is on the line. You’ve never showed those flaws but”—her eyes softened as she looked at him—“your relationship with Helena has been riddled with misunderstanding.”

Ileana had diplomatically placed a creative PR spin on her daughter trying to claw her brother on more than one occasion, and betraying him. She moved directly in front of him, concern blooming over her features, eyes whetted with curiosity.

“Helena’s return is important to you?”

“I care for her safety.” The strain of his conflicting emotions clung to his words, making his assertions sound insincere. “If her life is ever put in jeopardy, it needs to be because of betraying me, not being a pawn for power or destruction. I will not allow her magic to be used against us in any way.”

Ileana’s movements were graceful and light as she paced a small trail in the room, periodically sweeping her gaze around at the signs of the fighting. “If you were in the Dark Caster’s position, tell me the ways you’d attempt to use Helena’s magic,” she said.

While Dominic considered her question, she watched him with intense fascination and something that wavered between pride and apprehension.

“I’d use something similar to the Garon.” he said. “But, use of it against Peter was only possible because the magic was the same. That is why it was used against Luna. I’m not aware of anything that could strip us of our magic. Even if such an object existed, would the Caster have the power to do it? “

“The Dark Caster didn’t use anything to take my magic. It’s not an ability Peter possesses, because when I denied him, surely he would have taken mine to increase his power,” I said.

Ileana and Dominic considered this.

“You restricted Helena’s magic. Can the same be done to the Caster?” Anand asked.

Dominic shook his head. “Her magic mirrors mine, which was how the sigils were created to restrict hers.”

“Is magic mimicry possible?” Emoni asked, lifting her gaze from the floor where it had been directed while she listened to the discussion.

Ileana and Dominic froze at the idea. Perhaps with just standard magic it wasn’t possible. Three times the magic, and Helena, changed the potential. The implication marred their faces with worry. Dominic’s lips parted to speak before he gave his words more consideration.

“I don’t know.” The words slipped out in a low, stiff rumble, washing a look of concern onto Ileana’s face. They’d never experienced powerlessness and weren’t faring well at the idea.

“I need to speak with Peter again. There has to be a way for us to locate the Caster through him,” Dominic said, exiting the warehouse and waving me to come with him. Emoni rushed to my side.

“If they can’t be of help they are a hindrance,” Ileana said when Dominic didn’t stop Emoni, who’d somehow become my self-appointed guardian.

He spoke up. “Having a team is advantageous. It’s the reason the Dark Caster went after Luna initially. With Luna’s refusal, I suspect she’ll take Peter as a consolation. I need to be there when that proposal is made. Make no mistake, Luna is still wanted. I want her at my side so she won’t be taken.”

Ileana’s attention fixed on Emoni who met her look in a challenge, wearing her defiance like armor. “I won’t let anything happen to my friend,” Emoni asserted.

“Is there something you can do to prevent it?” Ileana responded with a taunting dark humor. It reflected her low opinion of the magicless.

Emoni ignored the question and headed out the door.

“They both will be protected,” Anand added, closing the distance between him and Emoni.

As we neared the SUV, Dominic looked over his shoulder at his mother. “If I need anything, I will call on you. I will return Helena to you, where I think she should stay.”

Ileana’s jaw clenched, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of Dominic’s unsubtle way of asking her to leave or that she’d no longer be welcomed in his world. I clung to what that meant: When this was over, Dominic planned to be Lord of the Underworld and his father no longer a situation.

Ileana’s disapproving gaze was felt with every step until we were in the vehicle. Emoni remained stiff alongside us. Even her breaths seemed to have changed to infrequent and shallow in an attempt to remain inconspicuous.

A look of shocked wariness was shared between me and Emoni when there was no mention of taking us home and we headed in the direction of Peter’s apartment.

Why did they want us with them? Was it safer to be around them than at home? Was our presence necessary for the best outcome? I was sure of only one of the three things: that if the goal was the least amount of violence, death, and human autonomy, our presence was necessary. Maybe that was our role in this. Who knew?

Dominic’s persistent knocks at Peter’s went unanswered. The knocks were a simple courtesy. A small whirl of his fingers near the door, and it opened for us. Expecting to see a bedraggled Peter, I was surprised by the empty apartment and all evidence of his failed magic gone.

Dominic and Anand searched, looking for reasons for his departure and hints to where he’d gone.

I looked for the book he’d used to communicate with the Dark Caster. It was gone also. Had Peter finally had success with his attempts to communicate with Ophelia, or, after I refused her, was he chosen as an alternate? Despite all evidence that the book was gone along with Peter, I continued scanning the room for it.

My eyes snagged on an ivory-color infinity knot at the far end of the room. Moving closer to it, I felt ominous energy suffusing from it, crawling over my arm, making it tingle. Tendrils of the strange magic lingered. When it settled, I was tugged forward. I dug my heels in, but it didn’t help. The pull was too strong, and I found myself just inches from the object. I winced at the sharp blaze of heat that wrapped around the skin just above my wrist. I pulled my attention from the magical object to the red symbol that appeared on my wrist. It was identical to the black one that suddenly appeared on the infinity knot.

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