Page 13 of Magic Unmasked

“I thought you were trying to bring them down,” Lilith said, confused.

“Not down. I want them to dial it back. They’ve become a bit too bold as they’ve come into their power.”

“What do you mean? They’ve always been a threat, and they belong back in the fae realm.”

“It’s your council that kicked their mother and aunt out, but the prophecy is that they wouldn’t come into their full strength until they were grown and had found their fated mates.”

“Fae don’t believe in fated mates.”

Ronan laughed. “Just because you’re raised not to believe in them, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

Lilith snorted and turned away. The heat of his body, the rich scent of the forest and wildness that clung to him, was intoxicating. Lilith hated how her pulse quickened just from standing near him. Every instinct screamed to push him away,to remind him that she didn’t need his help. But before she could respond, something else caught her attention—a familiar presence that made her blood run cold.

Oberon Whisperwind.

Lilith stiffened as she sensed the High Councilor’s presence at the far end of the room, his figure tall and regal, dressed in the silvery robes of his station. His silver eyes scanned the crowd, calculating and cold. The air around him seemed to shift, charged with power that made her skin prickle. He wasn’t supposed to be here. His appearance was sudden, and the cold malice in his gaze sent a wave of unease through Lilith.

Ronan’s expression shifted the moment he noticed Oberon, his posture tensing, his golden eyes darkening with suspicion. “What’s he doing here?” Ronan murmured, closing the distance between them, his voice barely above a growl.

Lilith shook her head, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn’t know, but Oberon’s presence was never a good thing. His sudden appearance and the way his gaze swept across the room with predatory precision made her nervous. She could feel his attention even from across the ballroom, like a dark cloud hanging over her, suffocating her.

Before she could voice her thoughts, something shifted in the air—an emotion, sharp and sudden, that wasn’t her own. Lilith’s breath hitched as she felt it, a wave of anxiety and unease washing over her like a cold breeze. She wasn’t the only one who felt it. The entire room seemed to change, the laughter faltering, the smiles fading as a palpable tension rippled through the crowd.

Lilith’s eyes snapped back to Phoenix, her pulse racing.

Phoenix had felt Oberon’s arrival, too.

The eldest Duvall sister’s expression darkened, her fiery eyes narrowing as she picked up on the emotions swirling around her, the ripple of fear and uncertainty spreading through theroom. And just like that, Phoenix acted, her power surging as she tapped into the collective unease, amplifying it until it was no longer just a ripple, but a wave.

A wave of panic.

It hit the crowd like a physical force, people gasping and stumbling back as fear and confusion swept through them. Voices rose in alarm, chairs toppled, and suddenly, the elegant gala descended into chaos. People pushed and shoved, trying to flee, their emotions manipulated by Phoenix’s magic.

“Damn it,” Lilith cursed under her breath, her hand gripping Ronan’s arm as the crowd surged around them. “She knows Oberon’s here. She’d never cause a panic like this if she wasn’t trying to throw him, not to mention me, off.”

Ronan’s eyes were sharp, scanning the room as the chaos unfolded around them. “We have to stop this before someone gets hurt,” he said, his voice tight.

Lilith nodded, her mind racing. She could feel the panic spreading like wildfire, threatening to consume the entire gala. Phoenix was out of control, her emotions twisting the room into a frenzy. If they didn’t act fast, it could turn deadly.

She glanced to where Oberon had been standing and saw that he was gone.

Ronan stepped closer, his hand brushing against her back as he guided her through the crowd. “We need to work together on this.”

The words sent a jolt through Lilith, but she didn’t argue. There wasn’t time. Her body hummed with the urgency of the moment, her heart pounding as she and Ronan moved as one through the panicked crowd, their steps quick and decisive.

As the chaos swirled around them, Lilith and Ronan closed in on Phoenix, only to discover she too had vanished. The energy between Lilith and Ronan had become a perfect blend of tensionand purpose. Lilith could feel the heat of Ronan’s presence grounding her, and for once, she didn’t push it away.

The Duvall sisters had started a fire, and together, she and Ronan were going to put it out.

Chapter

Six

RONAN

The echoes of chaos slowly faded, but it took everything Ronan had to bring the panicked gala guests back from the edge of hysteria. Phoenix’s empathic attack had swept through the ballroom like a wildfire, lighting up every fear and insecurity hidden beneath the surface of the well-heeled, oblivious humans. Most of them didn’t understand what had happened—they only knew they had been overcome by a terror so fierce, they’d nearly trampled one another to escape.

Ronan had to force down his own rising anger as he helped calm them. If only he could have let his tiger out to use its power to intimidate the crowd into quiet submission. But that wasn’t how it worked with humans. Coming face-to-face with a sabretooth tiger would only have made things worse—it was the last thing the situation needed, not with the chaos already threatening to spiral out of control. So instead, he used his presence, his steady, commanding voice, and his natural aura of authority to soothe them, guiding the humans back to their senses with low, calming tones. They eventually responded, their shaking hands steadying, their frantic breathing slowing.

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