Page 24 of Hunted on Halloween

The necrotechs never thought that she’d get past Esmer and the blinding anger she carried at being left alone all these years to defend the curse when her sisters in crime were living their lives. Tieran caught the door and moved it until it was flush against the wall. They stood outside the smaller room looking for another line or trap of magic.

Tieran and Bryce scented the air while she looked around for a trap that would spring if they stepped into the chamber. Seeing nothing, Bryce stepped through first. Tia followed him, and Tieran was right behind her.

In the middle of the room, there was a single sheet of paper floating in the air being held up with a force field. When she got closer, she realized it was a spell.

The room was dirty and dusty. Tia bent and ran her hands through the dirt until she picked up a handful of it and then she threw it at the paper in the air. When it touched the spell that was surrounding it, sparks flew.

“One of us has to break this curse and we don’t know which one," Tia said.

“My queen,” Bryce said. “You have done what no other could do. It must be you.”

Tieran placed his hand on his mate’s neck, making her want to snuggle into his body. “I agree with Bryce. What you have accomplished tonight has been amazing,” her mate said. “Break the curse and set us free.”

Tia extended her hand, then stopped. Something about what she saw when she tossed the dirt onto the spell protecting the paper was tingling in the back of her mind.

She bent down and this time she found little wood pieces, and she threw them at the spell holding the paper in the air and the sparks were brighter and she knew.

“There are three of us because it’ll take three of us to break this curse. It takes me as the witchling, half human, half Vargari. Tieran, it takes you because you’re the high king of your people. And Bryce, it takes you because you represent the people, the ordinary Vargari. Did you see when I threw the wood at the spell that it flared blue? When’s the last time you saw blue?”

“Your mother’s door,” Tieran said.

“Yes,” Tia replied. “And mine because blue says safety. but for us to be safe, it’ll take all three of us. I need each one of you to put a hand on my shoulder and then put your hand on the back of each of mine.” When they were organized and their free hands were on top of Tia’s hands, they pushed her forward until her hands were pressed against the spell that was protecting the paper.

The ground beneath them trembled violently, forcing Tieran and Bryce to widen their stance, gripping Tia firmly as the earth shook. Sparks erupted from the swirling spell, lighting the air with blinding intensity. The rumbling deepened, rolling like a wave beneath their feet. Then—BOOM. The spell detonated with a deafening roar, blowing itself apart and leaving only a single, fluttering piece of paper.

Tia reached out, snatching the paper mid-air. Her chest heaved as she tore it apart, piece by piece. As the fragments fell, the edges sizzled, turning black and burning away faster with every rip. At the last second, Tia released the paper, watching it disintegrate into ash, vanishing into the air.

“Let’s go,” Tieran said, picking up Tia and throwing her over his shoulder.

They still had to get through the distortion field if they wanted to live.

Chapter Eleven

The ground began tocrumble underneath their feet as Tieran and Bryce ran as fast as they could for the distortion field. The world around them was collapsing.

This world wasn’t going to explode or go out with a bang. It was going to implode, and if they didn’t get through that distortion field in the next fifty or so seconds, they were going to implode with the world. When she saw the field up ahead, she held her breath.

They might make it. When they got to the distortion field, Tieran insisted that Bryce go first. He literally picked him up and threw him through the field and then he ran.

They sprang forward, leaping headfirst into the distortion field as the world around them twisted and unraveled, dissolving into the cold expanse of outer space. In an instant, they plummeted through the distortion field, their bodies crashing onto the solid ground of their newly shared world. The last bell tolled, ringing out at midnight, a sound that echoed across the changed landscape.

Tia’s heart pounded as she took in the aftermath. Across the planet, monsters staggered back to their senses, eyes wide with the weight of what they had done. A piercing cry rose into the night—monsters mourning the lives they had taken, while humans wept for loved ones who hadn’t survived the horrors of the night. The air crackled with anguish as both sides faced the destruction left in the wake of their shared nightmare.

Tia watched as her mother moved between the humans and the Vargaris. She smiled as she watched her mother hand out cups of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate and Rylin was right there by her side talking to not only his people but to Tia’s people.

She knew that soon reporters would be flooding the area, and she didn’t want to talk to them. She’d leave her mother and father, oh wow, to become the ambassadors of not only one group of people but both. They would represent them well.

“What now?” Tia asked Tieran.

“We sneak away to your house and spend the rest of this night making love.”

“I had Rylin fix your door,” Calista called out, making Rylan laugh.

“Son, I’ll give you some pointers on kicking down the door later,” Rylin said.

“I’m never gonna live this down,” Tieran murmured into Tia’s ear making her laugh.

“We’re alive,” Tia shouted, jumping up to hug Tieran around his neck.

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