Page 63 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

My hunter’s instincts to protect and kill took over. I lunged and parried, and Ryder maneuvered out of my way. The other witch threw darkness at him, but he avoided it with a graceful leap, which drove the ghost-witch into my path. I sliced the Sol sword through her neck. She gasped and dissipated.

“Walker!” Cady yelled.

The remaining daughter pressed her against the wall and reared her arm back to strike my sister. I drove my sword through her ribs and basked in her demise. Breathing raggedly, I met Madame Delphine’s smug gaze.

“You reallyarea masterpiece,” she whispered in awe.

“And you’re a psycho,” I spat. “Where’s Freya?”

“Shit,” Ryder muttered.

Madame LaLaurie’s daughters flickered back into existence at her sides.

“Miss me?” the revived ghost-witch taunted.

I balked.

“Did you really think us so easy to destroy?” Madame LaLaurie chided.

As a door swung open on creaking hinges, power—so brilliant and strong it vibrated my chest—blasted into the room. The air thinned and something shimmery and silver attackedthe yellow-toothed sister. Her shrill scream rattled the walls, and the others lurched away from her. Flames erupted from the ghost-witch’s chest, until they swallowed her body whole and all that was left was a singed mark on the tiled floor.

“Yes,” Freya said. “I think youarethat easy to destroy.”

Despite the magic that radiated off her in waves, she half-crawled down the stairs. The left side of her face was mottled with bruises, and her left shoulder hung awkwardly at her side.

As Freya’s copper eyes met mine, they blazed with magic.

“Duck!” Freya yelled.

I grabbed Cadence and threw myself over her on the floor. Ryder and Arion hit the ground beside me, and Freya launched a gust of wind so powerful it howled in my ears and wrenched the mansion’s door wide open.

Dark magic rattled the walls, and one of the witchy sisters towered over me. She threw liquid darkness at Cady and me, but I sliced through it with the Sol Sword, then drove it into the witch’s stomach. Both she and her magic dissipated into nothing, but it wouldn’t last long.

“Salt!” Freya screamed. “We need salt!”

Leaning against the damaged stair railing, Freya faced off Madame LaLaurie alone. With her hand outstretched toward the infamous madame, Freya held her in some kind of magical vice. Though Freya trembled like a leaf, her hold on the ghost-witch remained strong.

“Walker,” Cady instructed, “bring the breeze, and I’ll pry the salt from it.”

I hesitated. I had succeeded in using my magic a few times, but I had never summoned wind without summoning a whole storm.

“Now!”Freya screamed.

Cursing under my breath, I raised my hands to the open door and willed the salty, sea breeze to come into the mansion.Wind swept into the entryway so violently it knocked a painting off the wall and the door slammed shut.

“Cover me,” Cady ordered and rose to her feet.

As Cady whispered a spell, Arion, Ryder, and I fought off the remaining witchy sisters. At the behest of Cady’s buzzing magic, a wave of shiny, silver particles filled the high ceiling of the mansion.

Realizing what was headed for them, the ghost witches fought harder. The shortest one disappeared through the wall, only to emerge once again with rage in her eyes and dark magic in her hand. She launched it at my sister, but I dove in front of its path and swung the Sol Sword through it.

As salt pelted my body from above, I squeezed my eyes shut and crashed into the far wall. Screams shook the walls and pierced my ears, then heavy silenced replaced the cacophony. All that was left were ragged breaths.

Warily, I opened my eyes.

Eyes still blazing with magic, Cady breathed hard. The dark magic had singed her side, but she remained otherwise whole. Ryder stood and rubbed his eyes, and Arion raced down the entryway to Freya.

She wobbled on her feet.

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