Page 43 of Baneful Magick

The door handle felt normal now, but there was a new sense awake inside me. I somehow knew that after today, I would be able to find the greenhouse again. This place wasmine.

What the hell had just happened? What was that? There was a hum of something ancient in my mind now, lingering just outof reach, waiting. It felt comforting and terrifying to realize that the magick that had just overtaken me was there to stay.

What about Cassius? Would he be okay?

Would I?

‘You can’t get rid of me, beastie. I’m fine.’Cassius’ usual confidence was missing from his reassurances. Despite everything that was whirling through my mind, it didn’t slip my notice that he didn’t say anything about the state ofme.

It had only been a few seconds since the power drained away. I’d barely managed my check-in with Cassius before the edges of my vision darkened. My knees began to buckle.

Wells and Echo called out my name as I lost the fight to stay conscious.

Chapter 16

Echo

TUESDAY

My body was still shaking, but I managed to catch Isla before she hit the ground. Kneeling down, I carefully situated her in my arms and prayed that she was okay. Wells was right next to me, anxiously checking her over, as I tried to wrap my mind around what had happened.

A rundown greenhouse that appeared out of nowhere.

A prophecy.

Reality unraveling.

I couldn’t even begin to analyze what that all meant.

During the entire interaction, I had seen not just Isla standing there, but a man as well. He was lurking right beside her, his body hidden in swirling shadows, but I caught a hint of glowing amber eyes and tattoos before he disappeared.

The mystery man’s focus had been completely on Isla, and the concern on his face deepened the further Isla was dragged beneath the swell of power. He never acknowledged Wells or me, and there was just something about the incident that made me hold my tongue instead of asking the witch if he had seen the person as well.

What the hell was going on?!

“I think she’ll be okay. She’s out, but her power levels feel fine and she’s breathing normally,” Wells announced, bringing me back to the present.

He rocked back on his heels and shakily exhaled as he rubbed his face. His shoulders slumped, like knowing that Isla was okay had lifted a huge weight off of him. My eyes narrowed at the guy, and I shifted Isla closer to me as if that would prevent him from getting any more interested in the girl I’d had my eye on since day one.

He squinted at the greenhouse, his curiosity barely contained, but then he shook his head. “I don’t think we should go in there without Isla. It feels… It feels like we wouldn’t be welcome, like we would be invading her space.”

I had to agree with him. The building looked beautiful in the way abandoned old buildings were. There was history in every stone of the greenhouse, but that history didn’t feel as…deadas it should. Something about the structure felt alive. It was a relic of the past, but I could never consider it dormant. There seemed to be some level of awareness there that wasn’t normal. It felt like the greenhouse was waking up, and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Echo? Wells?” Isla asked, her voice rough and confused. Slowly, I helped her sit up, and she grabbed my hand, squeezing it. My chest puffed up with pride. She needed reassurance, and she wanted it fromme. I barely had a moment to bask in that feeling before the warmth was followed by a pang of hunger. The sensation radiated in the pit of my stomach and deep in my bones. My cock ached, and it took everything in me to keep myself in check.

I need to feed. Soon.

The prospect wasn’t as appealing as it used to be.

“What… What just happened?”

“The Crone. She moved through you,” I answered, using the name of the ancient goddess I honored. Ancient, powerful, wise, the Crone was the oldest face of the goddess. She could be the comfort you needed at the end of your life or unflinching merciless cold.

I didn’t know if witches worshiped the same goddess as me, but Wells and Isla didn’t seem confused by my explanation.

“How are you feeling?” Wells asked, his voice soft. He reached down and helped Isla stand up. Following suit, I brushed the dirt off my pants.

“Shaky. Confused.” Isla’s rough laugh couldn’t distract me from the way her hand shook as she ran it through her hair. “That didn’t happen the first time I found this place. I’m not sure I ever want to experience that again.”

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