Page 47 of Tangle of Lust and Lethargy

“Yes, but it’s the closest one,” Garrick replied tightly. “Justice, you’ll know it when you see it. Look for the stump of a dead tree. That’s the portal.” He scrutinized the tree line, tension evident in his posture. “Come on. We’ve got to move. Now.”

Justice’s gaze swept over our group, assessing the situation. “Everyone, join hands again.”

“I hate flying Vampire Airways,” Damon muttered.

Justice glared. “I could leave you behind, and you could become a permanent statue at this little pond.”

“I said I hated it. That doesn’t mean I won’t fly it,” he retorted as he took Zara’s hand.

She was holding Garrick’s.

“Get ready,” Justice told us. “I hear them. They’re coming.”

I placed the mirror in my backpack before I clasped Justice’s hand firmly in my right. Maggie slid her hand into my left one. I braced myself for what was to come. Once more, Justice tapped into his vampiric speed, and we were hurtling down the grassy path.

As we tore through the forest, my ears picked up unsettling sounds. Low, menacing growls that echoed from all directions. The realization struck me with cold clarity. We were being pursued. Maci had clearly anticipated our plan and was doing everything in her power to prevent us from reaching that portal.

We pushed on, knowing our window of escape was rapidly closing. Every shadow held the potential for danger, every rustle of leaves a possible threat. Our fate balanced on a knife’s edge with the promise of safety tantalizingly close yet still agonizingly out of reach.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Justice’s grip on my hand tightened as we hurtled through the forest at supernatural speed.

Behind us, I could sense the others. Garrick’s labored breathing, Zara’s occasional gasp as she struggled to keep up with our inhuman pace, and Damon… Well, Damon was a whole different story.

“For fuck’s sake, Justice!” my brother snarled, his voice dripping with irritation. “I can run on my own, you bloodsucking control freak!”

Despite the gravity of our situation, I couldn’t help but smirk. Leave it to Damon to complain abouthowwe were fleeing for our lives.

Justice skidded to a halt. The abrupt stop sent a jolt through my body, and I stumbled as the world snapped back into focus. Leaves and twigs crunched under our feet as the others collided with us, a tangle of limbs and startled exclamations.

“What the—” Garrick started, but Justice silenced him with a sharp gesture.

I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the sudden stillness. Before us loomed the ancient tree stump, its gnarled surface etched with countless years of history. But something was wrong.The clearing was empty, devoid of the chaotic scene I had anticipated.

My heart pounded as I scanned the area, expecting to see Maci and her horde of demons emerging from the shadows at any moment. Yet only silence and the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze replied.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered. “Where are they? Where’s Maci?”

Justice’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the clearing. “Something’s not right,” he murmured. “Be on your guard, all of you.”

As we stood clustered at the edge of the clearing, an uneasy feeling settled over us. The absence of our expected foes was somehow more terrifying than any confrontation we had prepared for. Whatever was coming, we all sensed it would be far worse than we had imagined.

Suddenly, the air shimmered and distorted like heat waves rising from sunbaked asphalt. A faint, iridescent glow appeared, growing stronger by the second. We took instinctive steps back, our bodies tense with anticipation.

The glow intensified, coalescing into three distinct shapes. In a flash of brilliant light that momentarily blinded us, the empty space abruptly filled. Our vision cleared, and we found ourselves face-to-face with an unexpected trio.

Lisa stood at the center, her expression filled with determination and regret. A magnificent phoenix perched to her right, its feathers a mesmerizing blend of crimson and gold, embers smoldering at the tips of its wings. On her left, a muscular German shepherd stood at attention, its intelligent gaze scanning our group warily.

The sudden materialization left us speechless. It was as if they had stepped through an invisible doorway, crossing some mystical threshold that separated our realities. The air aroundthem crackled with residual energy, tiny sparks of magic dissipating into the forest.

Lisa’s gaze locked onto ours, and her voice broke the stunned silence. “I’m sorry, but Maci is making me do this.”

The tension in the clearing ratcheted up another notch as we all realized the confrontation we had been dreading was about to begin in a form none of us had anticipated.

Zara blurted, “Flames of truth, bind and reveal! Break the chains of deceit and let free will prevail!”

The words tumbled from her lips with an urgency that surprised even her. The air crackled as her improvised spell took shape.

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