Page 20 of Magic Unmasked

Oberon’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to reveal the cracks beneath his perfect mask.

“I warned you,” he hissed, his voice curling with malice. “This isn’t over. You’ll regret crossing me, Lilith Silverwing. All of you will.”

Before either Ronan or Lilith could react, Oberon’s form shimmered, and with a wave of his hand, he disappeared into the night—leaving behind only the bitter scent of magic and the promise of vengeance.

Lilith turned to him, her expression unreadable, but there was a flicker of concern in her eyes as she took in his injuries. “You good, shifter?” she asked, though the bite in her tone was softened by the smallest hint of warmth.

Ronan rolled his shoulders, wincing as he wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’ve been worse.” He glanced at the shimmering barrier that still held the Duvall sisters. “We need to get them out.”

Together, they approached the barrier, its oily magic writhing like a living thing. Lilith knelt, her fingers brushing the edge of the enchantment. “This is old magic,” she muttered. “Oberon’s using the sisters’ own power to hold them in place.”

Ronan’s jaw clenched as he looked at Savannah, slumped against the barrier, her skin pale and clammy. They didn’t have much time.

“Stand back,” Lilith said, summoning every ounce of magic she had left. Ronan watched as the air around her crackled with energy, her wings spreading wide as she poured her magic into the barrier.

The barrier fought back, resisting her magic, but Lilith gritted her teeth and pressed harder. With a sudden, deafening crack, the containment field shattered, dissipating into the night like mist.

Phoenix was the first to rise, her fiery magic sparking weakly around her hands. “About time,” she muttered, giving Lilith a sharp nod of thanks.

“You’re in it with us now,” Catalina said, her blue eyes locking onto Ronan’s. “Oberon’s not going to let you live.”

Geneva nodded as she looked at Lilith. “And the Council will never let you return.”

Lilith snorted. “Wasn’t planning on going back anyway. They don’t have beignets.”

“Why didn’t you reach out along the bonding link?” asked Ronan.

Phoenix shook her head. “I tried, so did the others. The only thing I can figure is the first thing Oberon did was to somehow block us, but I don’t know that for sure.”

“We’re damn well going to find out,” said Catalina.

Savannah nodded. “I’m not getting caught flat-footed like that again.”

“We can ask Maeve when we get back to see if she has any ideas,” said Geneva. “Why don’t you two head back to the mansion with us. Don’t worry about the wards; they only work against those who mean us harm.”

Savannah, her usual playful grin back in place, added with a laugh, “Of course, if you’re playing us false, trying to walk through them will get you killed.”

Lilith met Savannah’s gaze, the hint of a smile on her lips. “Good to know.”

They made their way back to the Duvall estate in the Garden District. At the edge of the property, Lilith hesitated for only a second longer before stepping through the gates, the wards shimmering as they acknowledged her presence. She could feel the magic in them, powerful and ancient, but they didn’t reject her.

Ronan watched as she crossed the threshold, a part of him still wrestling with the idea of trusting a fae—of trusting her. But Lilith wasn’t just any fae, and he was already too far gone to turn back now.

As the gates swung shut behind them, the consequences of their decision were not lost on the group. The game had changed, the stakes higher than ever before. But even in the midst of all the danger, Ronan’s gaze remained locked on Lilith, the heat between them simmering just below the surface.

And no matter what came next, he knew one thing for certain: there was no going back.

Not for any of them.

Chapter

Nine

LILITH

The Duvall mansion was eerily quiet, the usual hum of magic that permeated the air now a muted thrum beneath the surface. It felt as though the entire house held its breath, waiting for the storm to break. Inside, Lilith paced back and forth, her bare feet gliding across the smooth, polished wood floors. Each step made a soft sound, almost inaudible, but to her sharpened senses, it was a drumbeat in the stillness of the night.

Her mind raced as she felt the gravity of her decision. The Duvall sisters, Ronan, Zephyr—all of them were part of a tangled web she had chosen to step into, a web that had her standing on the edge of betrayal. She had turned her back on the High Council, the one she had served faithfully for centuries. The one that had shaped her into the warrior she was.

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