Page 73 of Kiss of Magic

“Is that why you collapsed?”

“The voices suddenly got a thousand times worse. As if they were closer, somehow. I couldn’t stand it.” She frowned. “But they’re bearable now. They’re quieter when I’m near you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“No. Unless…” Before he could stop her she unbuttoned his shirt.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“The barrier spell.” Dani ran her fingertips over the dragon tattoo on his chest. “I think it acts as a barrier for me too, when I’m close enough.”

“It dims the noise in your head?”

She nodded.

“Whoever did this tattoo was quite powerful. Did she use basilisk blood?”

“She did. But it won’t last forever, Blue. It’s a limited time deal.”

“And then the voices will be back.” Dani closed her eyes wearily. “I always thought it was just my weird fucked-up psyche, you know? My temper, my impulses, the dark thoughts in my mind. I thought it was all because I was born into a destiny I didn’t want. But it was the demons all along. Somehow, I’m connected to them.”

“Maybe there’s something we can do.”

“Don’t you get it? This is how the angels designed it to be. It’s their insurance policy.” Her lips twisted bitterly. “They made it so the key would finally, truly understand what was at stake and make it impossible to ignore. You should be pleased, hunter. It means you win.”

Blake looked at her helplessly.

“We can get another dampener. We can…”

“No. It’s too late.” Tears squeezed from the corners of her eyes. “Hearing the demons… it’s made me realise how cruel they are.Beyondcruel. They have no mercy, no compassion, They can’t be reasoned with. They’re like locusts, they just want to consume until there’s nothing left. I can’t turn my back on that. I can’t abandon the people they want to destroy.”

“What are you saying, Dani?”

“I’m saying I understand what I have to do now. And I’m ready.” She turned her face into his chest. “Take me to England, Ethan. I need to stop them before it’s too late.”

He put his phone away and sat on the side of the bed.

“Plane’s sorted. We have to be at the airfield first thing tomorrow.”

“Cool.” She gave a faint smile. “I’ve never been on a private jet before. At least I can cross that off my bucket list.”

“It means we can bypass the hassle of airport security. We have Countess Tala Lemar to thank for that.”

“She a friend of yours?”

“Sort of. Fellow hunter.”

“Ah. And you hunters stick together, right?”

“Right.” He studied her closely, noting the shadows under her eyes. “I think you need some sleep. Why don’t you take the bed and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Alarm flashed across her face.

“No! I mean… the floor’s too far away. Could you… um, would you sleep next to me?”

“On the bed?”

“If… if that’s okay with you. The voices aren’t so loud when you’re close.”

---