Page 69 of The Secret Life of a Witch

While I’ve never heard of such a combination, they all share one thing in common—they have a lot of power. So, if Max is telling the truth … I shudder.

What if he’s telling the truth, though? Think about the stuff you can do!

An almost violent shiver rolls through my body at the possibilities.

“Eva, go through the portal now!” Hunter cries, reaching for me.

I start to run toward the portal, but Max grabs my arm and hauls me back toward him.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he hisses, sounding very unlike the Max I’ve been talking to.

“You said you weren’t going to keep me here forever!” I yell, throwing my weight forward.

He snakes his arms around my waist, holding me against his body. “Hate to break this to you, sweetheart, but all demons lie.”

My heart thrashes inside my chest. “You were lying to me?”

“Not about everything.” He kisses the back of my ear. “Just about letting you go.” Another brush of his lips, and this time, a very not so good shiver vibrates through my body. “Like I would ever give something like you up. Besides, if you go back, you’ll be in danger.”

I laugh hollowly. “Like I’m safe here?”

“Safer than you are in Mystic Willow Bay,” he whispers in my ear, moving backward as Hunter runs at us with his wand poised to cast a spell. “Now that word has gotten out about you, every demon and hybrid in the underground is going to come after you.” He backs up around the bed. “There’s a reason I told you to stay away from The Illuminating Horror House of Truth. Because there are demons plotting to capture you and use yourpower. For what, I’m not sure. But trust me when I say it won’t be good.”

“How can they even use my power?” I make my body go limp in an attempt to get him to stop moving. “I thought it killed them?”

“It does. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a way around it. Trust me; I know.”

He knows, as in, he’s found a way?

Panic flares through me, potent and scorching.

I need to get out of here.

“Let her go!” Hunter shouts as he chases after us.

Max laughs as he continues to drag me deeper into his demon lair bedroom. “Or what?”

Hunter screeches to a stop with his wand out in front of him, the tip sparkling silver. Then he opens his mouth and starts to chant a spell. “Alofor?—”

Max cuts him off as he begins to yell the incantation to a petrifying curse.

My panic doubles, knowing that if Max gets all the way through the curse, Hunter will die. Just like Ryleigh.

Wait a second. This is the second time I’ve heard Max throw a petrifying curse. It’s not a very common curse, either. Most demons use the torture spell to kill their victims.

Did Max kill my sister?

EVALEE

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God! What if he did?

I want to ask him, demand to know the answer, but Hunter and Max are in the middle of a spell and a curse that is potentially going to lead to disaster. I need to stop them—well, Max, anyway—before he kills Hunter.

Do something, Eva! You may be mad at Hunter, but if he dies, a part of you will die, too.

I look around the room for something to grab and hit Max with, but the only thing within reach is the bed. Therefore, I do the only thing I can think of to do. I open my mouth and out comes the most bloodcurdling scream I can make. I hold the sound for as long as I can until I run out of breath. The moment the noise dies, the two of them start right back up again.

Panicking, I lean forward and lift my leg to kick Max in the shin. However, he jumps back while holding me and somehow continues on with his curse.

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