Page 178 of Blue Moon Mistress

Darkness threatens at the edges of my vision and I know we’re all in trouble.

Not because I can’t control the spell Aphrodite’s chosen… but because there’s no chance in hell that she can complete it.

If I’ve taken a wrong step…

I don’t have to tell the wolves to get the guys out of the circle.

“Change us!” Thomas says, his words a hiss as his wolf bullies him back.

“You’re too weak. If I force that change on you, you’ll go back to the way it was before.”

“I don’t care.”

“I do.”

I push him, a gentle thrust of magic and his wolf takes over the rest.

The two women who aren’t bound to Aphrodite anymore drag the third away. But when I look up to Aphrodite, she’s smiling.

“It’s just you and me now. And you’re going to lose.” She sneers at me, her smile more beatific than she deserves. “You think you’re so powerful, but you stepped into this trap without a moment’s thought, just because I put your little wolves in harm’s way.”

She hasn’t looked at them once.

“This was about me?”

“Of course it was about you. It wasn’t at first, but then you had to get in my way. What do I want with werewolf magic when I can take what belongs to the Mathis line… takingyourpower means I can take anything I want.”

The laugh that falls from my lips is a broken, dark thing.

“Once I’ve drained you, I’ll go stake your bloodsucking grandmother and with the family ring, not even your mother can stop me.”

I don’t tell her she’s wrong. I won’t waste the breath. Even if she pulls this off. My grandmother doesn’t have the ring… And four werewolves will tear her to pieces the moment I’m gone.

But that’s not going to happen.

I clutch the coal in my hand.

“There’s more skill than inherited talent to what I do, Aphrodite. It dook decades to learn. You can take the latter, but the former requires time. Even if you could manage this… the power would eat you alive.”

She watches me and I expect her to bite back. But her stance tells me she thinks I’m going to rush toward her.

When I don’t…

“Aren’t you going to fight me?”

“No.”

She glares at me and then lets out a bitter laugh.“Every second you waste with this, I get stronger. But I’m feeling generous. As soon as I’m done with you, I’ll kill them, so you can enjoy the afterlife together.”

“I am getting weaker. No one will deny that.” A few more minutes of this and I won’t be able to cast a spell at all. “But you’ve forgotten something very important.”

Letting out an irritated groan, Aphrodite turns to me with a glare filled with impatience. “What?”

“You can’t cheat with magic.” I manage to drag myself to my feet.

She rolls her eyes. “Magic is the cheat, Scarlette. We live our lives cheating all the poor magicless souls out of anything we need. How the hell do you think your family got so rich?”

“I know some of the darker secrets of my family. But that doesn’t mean I need to repeat them.” One more step to the side… the coal rests hot and heavy in my hand.

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