Page 47 of Hex and Scales

The witch’s response was devastating. Shadow constructs erupted from the darkness - writhing, formless shapes with too many teeth and eyes that burned with hunger. They surged forward with lethal intent, only to meet a wall of combined power.

Madame Zephyrine and Neve’s magic created auroras of destructive light while Eiji’s enhanced spells provided precise strikes that disrupted the constructs’ cohesion. Rook and Lux tore through shadow beasts with coordinated savagery, their shifter forms moving in perfect tandem.

FORTY

Ren’s dragon fire merged with the elders’ magic, creating a symphony of destructive power that decimated the dark forces. But for every construct they destroyed, two more formed from the writhing shadows.

“You cannot stop what’s coming,” the Shadow Witch snarled, her form growing larger, more monstrous. “The powers that were bound will be unleashed. The old magics will-”

“Yes, yes, darkness will reign, we’re all doomed.” Madame Zephyrine rolled her eyes. She flicked her wrist, transforming a cluster of dark artifacts into wind chimes that began playing “Another One Bites the Dust.”

The witch’s shriek of rage shook dust from the rafters. “You dare mock me?” Darkness coalesced around her, forming a creature of nightmare - all teeth and shadows and ancient hatred.

“Well,” Madame Zephyrine smirked, though her eyes blazed with power, “someone’s overdue for a makeover.”

The battle intensified. Three-way magical combat filled the warehouse with spectacular displays of power. Ren’s dragon fire carved paths through the darkness while the twins’ magic created patterns of light that burned away shadow constructs.Kaito’s shields held against waves of corrupted energy while Eiji’s enhanced spells disrupted the witch’s attempts to draw more power from the ley lines.

Just as they seemed to gain the upper hand, the Shadow Witch began to laugh.

The sound raised every hair on Ren’s neck. His dragon recognized the tone - the same mad glee that had filled Linus’s voice eight centuries ago when he’d driven a poisoned blade through Shiara’s chest.

“You really thought we’d face you at full strength?” The witch’s voice dripped with malicious amusement. “That we’d risk everything... together?”

Ren’s phone exploded with messages. His blood turned to ice as he read Romi’s frantic words:Linus attacking shop. Can’t get inside. Dark barrier.

The Shadow Witch’s laughter grew more maniacal. “He’s already there. You’ll watch her die again, dragon. Just... like... before.” Her form began to dissolve into darkness. “This time, you’ll feel every moment through your precious mate bond.”

Ren’s roar of fury shook the building’s foundations. Dragon fire erupted from his skin as rage threatened to trigger a full shift. Felix’s tablet displayed a massive dark magic surge centered on Katz ‘n Things.

“Go!” Madame Zephyrine commanded, her power holding back the encroaching shadows. “We’ll contain the aftermath here.”

They sprinted for their vehicles while Ren took to the sky, scales erupting across his skin as he shifted. His dragon form cut through the night like a blade, wings pumping with desperate speed. Eiji’s voice crackled through the communicator: “Her phone’s dead. Magical interference off the charts.”

Kaito’s scrying spells bounced off waves of dark magic, but through the mate bond, Ren felt Sabine’s fear - and her fiercedetermination. His heart thundered with memories of losing Shiara. The image of her falling, blood spreading across white silk, had haunted him for centuries.

Not again. Never again.

The city blurred beneath him as he flew faster than he ever had, dragon magic burning through his wings. Already, Rook and Lux were at the scene, throwing themselves against a dark barrier that encompassed the entire shop. Clover’s plants withered as they attempted to breach the shield. Romi’s strongest spells barely scratched its surface.

Through the shop windows, Ren glimpsed flashes of ice magic warring with encroaching darkness. Sabine was fighting back. His brave, powerful mate. Pride and terror warred in his chest as he landed before the barrier, his dragon form at full power.

Dark magic crackled against his scales as the mate bond pulsed with Sabine’s pain. The combination of past and present merged into a singular purpose. Eight centuries of loss and newfound love fueled the magic that blazed around him.

“Not again,” he roared, the sound shaking windows for blocks. Magic gathered in his chest, burning bright enough to cast shadows. His voice carried centuries of pain and protection as he faced the barrier separating him from his mate. “Not her. Not this time.”

FORTY-ONE

While restocking shelves in the shop, Sabine’s magic danced from her fingertips. The thought of Ren made her smile.

Her father’s locket warmed against her skin. Lately, it seemed to pulse with energy whenever she practiced magic, especially when thinking about Ren. The silver surface gleamed with an inner light that reminded her of dragon fire.

A shadow fell across her latest creation. The pristine crystal darkened, its clear facets clouding with an oily black substance that spread like poison. Around her, the protective charms woven into the shop’s walls flickered and dimmed one by one.

Her tigress growled a warning, hackles rising at the familiar yet wrong magical signature approaching.

“Your magic has always been extraordinary.” Linus materialized from the shadows, but something had changed. The polite mask he’d worn these past weeks had shattered, revealing something ancient and twisted beneath. His eyes burned with centuries of obsession, his smile cruel. “That’s part of why I chose you. Both times.”

Ice magic crackled instinctively at Sabine’s fingertips as the temperature plummeted. “What are you talking about?”

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