Page 35 of Magic of the Damned

That was a troubling thought. Not even he could stop her? He promised my safety but how effective would he be against his sister?

“I want her unharmed.” There was that unspoken “for now” that laced his words. “My objectives are no concern of yours. Stay out of this. Don’t force my hand and make you honor my request.” The threat lingered in the air.

Any sibling congeniality had been stripped away. Before me were just two magically powerful people grappling for dominance. I eased away from them, placing myself in a position where I could keep a careful eye on them both.

Helena’s cold smile turned warm and honey sweet. “I do hate when we fight.” She pressed her palm to Dominic’s face before turning for the door. Dagger-sharp claws formed on her fingers and before I could shriek out a warning, they slashed across his face. Other than the quick jerk of his head, there was no other reaction. If it hurt, he did a hell of a job hiding it.

“I’m sure you do as well,” she said tenderly before leaving the room.

If she’d do that to her brother, I had no intention of finding out what she’d do to me.

Rushing over to the table, I plopped my bag on it and started loading it, stuffing in as many of the books we hadn’t gone through that would fit.

“Take me home,” I demanded. “I’ll do the research there.” Fueled strictly by blinding anger, fear, and frustration, I didn’t wait for a response before heading for the door. If he didn’t follow, screw him. I’d track down Anand and ask him—plead, if necessary—to take me home.

I was met with a force so strong it rebounded me back several feet. I rushed to the door again, pushing into it with greater force, but it returned the favor, sending me sprawling to the floor.

“The books cannot leave this room,” Dominic said, his tone indifferent.

I whipped around to face him. “Find a way to make it so,” I demanded. “Because I can’t stay here.”

He sighed. “You aren’t at any risk of harm.”

“Really!” I stood and jabbed my finger at his clawed face. The pads of his fingers ran lightly over the gashes, closing them and removing the crimson lines of blood. When the healing was complete, there was no sign that his sister had mauled him. How many times had he healed injuries inflicted by her?

I sagged against the wall. No matter how many slow, measured breaths I took, I couldn’t get a handle on the panic. Nailah easing into the room, breaking some of the tension, was the closest thing I was going to get to calm. At the sight of me, her violet eyes turned a gentle earthy brown that complemented her appearance. Watching someone’s eyes change in a matter of seconds paled in comparison to the unsettling things I’d already encountered.

Acknowledging my presence with a genial smile, she immediately went to Dominic and whispered something to him. He blew out an exasperated breath and quickly left the room. Her presence was enough to redirect me to get a handle on the things I could control. Research. That was the one thing I definitely could do.

CHAPTER 11

Find the spells, leave this world. That sentence played as a continuous loop in my head as I returned to the table and removed the books from my bag. Without Dominic to translate, I simply made notes for him and continued scrolling through the books to find the spells. My markings’ response to the spells hadn’t diminished, but it was still alarming.

“Helena’s bruised ego often requires a lot of management,” Nailah volunteered, taking a seat at the opposite end of the table near the door. Considering the heaviness of her voice, she didn’t agree with the indulgence.

“What about her temper, how is that managed?”

Nailah huffed a sigh. “That, too, requires a great deal of patience and delicacy. Her propensity for violent overreactions has caused a great number of problems. Helena’s last one nearly led to a war. Had the witches found a way to get to her here in the Underworld, it would have been a battle that I’m not sure Dominic would have been able to win. Despite Dominic’s and Helena’s considerable power, they’re no match for a coven of Strata Three witches. She’s made enemies of so many covens. They tend to only protect their own, but they would have formed an alliance to punish Helena. She causes unlikely people to unite.”

Her fingers idly made designs along the table as she spoke. It felt like she was venting and I remained quiet, hoping to glean more information. “That’s Helena. Her response to anyone who displeases her is to go for the jugular, literally.”

“Strata Three?”

“Those are the strongest. Able to create spells, perform strong magic: manipulate time, telekinesis, advanced spell casting, magic mimicry by stealing another practitioner’s magic, which is illegal. Necromancy—controlling the dead—and some minor shifting abilities.

“Strata Three witches aren’t limited to simple magic, which makes them dangerous and unpredictable. Strata Two witches’ magic is more limited: Elementals usually fall into this category, although they can do wards, basic spell casting, and illusions. Their talents lie in controlling elements. The same with techno-witches. Although their skills are highly sought after, they are still considered a Two. Except for Celeste, Mors have the limited magical ability of taking a life with a single invocation and touch, but they’re classified as Strata Three. They consider themselves beyond reproach or rule,” she added.

That may be why they were given a death sentence rather than imprisonment.

“Witches are watched carefully because they are so powerful and there’s always the risk of abuse,” Nailah went on. “Madeline is a Strata Three, as are most of her family. Their line is the strongest and most talented. Helena learned that firsthand, but despite the consequences, she still hasn’t learned restraint.”

I held my breath, hoping she’d continue. It yielded great information for me.

But maybe it wasn’t about getting this information off her chest. Perhaps it was driven by compassion. There was undeniable warmth and empathy in her eyes. I found comfort in her since that was the only place it could be had.

Leaning forward in anticipation, I realized how desperate I was for the peace that knowledge brought. She was providing me with information that would unravel some of the complexity of a world I didn’t belong in. Tools for survival that I desperately needed. And what seemed to be basic humanity, in a place where it was missing. For all I knew, Nailah could be as cold and vengeful as the others. She could be offering me a deception, but I was willing to accept it because I was thirsty for it.

Instead of continuing, she leaned forward, picked up one of the books, and started perusing it.

---