Page 107 of Savage Desire

No it shouldn’t.

I snarl, irritated at the fact she continues to cloud my judgment, when a sudden bright light beams from above. I blink, regaining my senses as I take in the room.

“What the fuck,” Minnie blurts, snapping my attention to her, but I swiftly divert to follow her line of sight instead.

Fuck indeed.

“Is this it?” Tatum asks, blinking at the far wall with the rest of us.

From left to right and top to bottom, the entire space is lined with keys.

Bronze, silver, and gold.

Tucked in the center, is a lock, waiting for its match.

“This is… new,” Minnie breathes, frowning at the scene before us as Asher sighs.

“He definitely didn’t mention this part, but it explains why he wanted me to do it,” he states, his words ringing true as Wylder grunts.

“So, what? We’re just supposed to go through all of these keys to?—”

The second the word keys leaves his mouth, the entire wall comes to life and every single one of them clatters to the floor. The clanging echoes around the room and I spy Midnight leaping back in surprise. She clutches onto Wylder’s arm and I hate him for it.

“This doesn’t look like a good idea,” she murmurs, stating the obvious, but it’s out of our hands. It was out of our hands the moment The Crow proposed the bargain. Asher never really had a choice of whether he was accepting or not.

“The quicker we get on with it, the quicker we leave,” I snap, stepping toward the pile of metal, but Tatum grips my arm, holding me back.

“Be careful, brother. Nothing is ever as it seems with this shit. Who knows what traps could be in place.”

Fuck. He’s right.

I nod. “Stay alert. Wylder, you start to the left, I’ll edge from the right and we’ll meet Minnie and Asher in the middle. Tatum, you help Polaris find a spell that might get this done faster.” It takes everything in me to use her actual name out loud, but her warning from earlier plays on repeat in my mind.

Everyone mutters their agreement, taking cautious steps to get into position, when Midnight clears her throat. “I don’t think I need a spell.”

I freeze, glancing over my shoulder at her, watching as she shuffles back and forth from foot to foot.

“What do you mean?” Minnie asks, ready to crouch and start digging through the keys. Midnight tucks a loose tendril of hair behind her ear as she steps toward her.

Tatum moves to hold her back, but I shake my head and his hand drops back to his side.

Midnight nervously approaches the lock that still hangs in the center of the wall, slowly running her finger over the space as she hums. “Well, the lock is slightly worn, but it’s definitely gold, you would assume the key matches color-wise. That fact could have us searching for a while, but if I focus, I might be able to…” Her sentence cuts off as she presses the pad of her thumb against the lock while grabbing a pinch of sand from her pocket. She rubs her finger and thumb together as she closes her eyes, whispering something under her breath.

The rest of us watch in silence as she does whatever a witch does, occasionally glancing at one another in confusion, until a sudden burst of fire flashes among the long line of mixed keys. Midnight claps her hands in delight and the flame goes out as she hurries to the site of the fire.

“This one,” she declares, retrieving a key. However, she quickly hisses and drops the metal as she shakes her hand, her cheeks coloring with embarrassment. “Maybe just give itanother second to cool down,” she mutters, a tight smile on her face.

“Are you sure?” Asher asks, eyebrows raised as she nods.

“I think so, but if not, we just keep looking, right?”

Minnie grins. “Then you, my friend, get the honor of seeing if you’re right.”

Midnight brushes her hands over her jeans, her smile turning nervous as she reaches for the key again. It must be cooler to the touch now because she doesn’t let it clang to the floor again. Instead, she steps back toward the lock, key aimed toward the hole. The tip of the key knocks against the entrance and the sound is jarring, but as I look at the others, they don’t seem to feel the shift like I do.

An uneasiness twists in my gut, my heart thundering as I approach her. I note the moment the key is settled, sense the lock disengaging as she turns, and her name is on my lips in the next breath. “Midnight, wait?—”

Her gaze snaps to mine just as the lock clicks open, and a door materializes around it, creaking ajar a moment later. A rush of wind sweeps through the air, intensifying the uncertainty in my stomach. I reach for her arm, desperate to pull her to me, but the instant I grasp her wrist, she gasps, and not from my touch.

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