Page 21 of Sweaty Nights & Gator Bites

The rest of us nodded, our minds already working in unison. As we stepped away from one another, we began weaving our magic together. It had become automatic at this point. We needed to cast a spell designed to disrupt Garrick's concealment. The air shimmered with our combined energy. Following my sisters’ lead, I poured more power into my efforts. We were rewarded when tendrils of light snaked out to probe the darkness.

Garrick laughed again. The sound was filled with contempt. "You think your paltry magic can reveal me? You underestimate my power."

Ignoring his taunts, I focused on the spell. I drew on the natural energies of the bayou to amplify my magic. Dre chanted a few feet to my right in a steady rhythm that anchored our spell. Dea was on my left and my skin prickled like it usually did when she called upon the spirits of the swamp. I hoped they could give her guidance and support. Adèle was conspicuously quiet at the moment. That didn’tbode well for us finding this guy and figuring out what he was up to.

Slowly, the darkness around us began to shift. A faint outline of Garrick's form cleared so the edges weren’t as blurry. He was still a shadowy figure cloaked in a swirling vortex of dark energy. However, I could see how his eyes glowed dark blue. Everything about him radiated a chilling malevolence.

Phi and Kota sprang into action first. Their magic flared brightly as they launched a coordinated attack. Fire and light burst forth. Both were aimed at Garrick. He retaliated with a wave of dark energy. Unfortunately, the force of it nearly knocked us off our feet.

Pain flared in my backside when I landed hard on some rocks. A protective spell sprang from my lips as I rolled over with a groan. "He's strong," Dani gritted out.

I snorted and climbed to my feet. "Nah, he’s weak as a kitten. We need to break his defenses."

Laughing, Dea stepped forward. Her hands glowed with her purple flames. “Leave that to me,” she said. She began chanting an incantation that made my skin prickle. She was using spirit magic and her words wove a powerful spell. I said a silent prayer that it was designed to weaken Garrick's dark magic.

She released the fire first, making him react to that. The other spell exploded from her while he was busy fighting her witch fire. The spirit magic hit him in the chest, making his form flicker. His concealment started to waver. "Now!" I yelled, signaling Dani and Dre to launch their attacks with me.

Dani summoned a whirlwind of elemental magic, the forces of wind and water converging on Garrick. Dre added vines and branches to entangle and restrain him. I added fire, hoping to incapacitate him. The combined assault wasrelentless. We pushed Garrick back and weakened his defenses.

I got a little cocky and was almost on my ass again when Garrick roared in fury. His dark energy lashed out wildly. Thankfully, my reflexes were better this time around and we all held our ground. The others joined Dani, Dre and I and our magic created a united front against his onslaught. We kept pushing our power at him. The moment reminded me of the scene in the last Harry Potter movie where Harry is facing Voldemort and their streams clash against one another. I didn’t think anything was happening until bit by bit, his form became more defined.

"We've almost got him!" Kota shouted, her flames blazing even brighter.

The swamp was alive with the clash of magic, shadows, and elements. Garrick’s presence was a dark storm roiling in the heart of the bayou. Each time he struck the air seemed to shudder. Every counterattack we launched barely kept his dark power at bay.

“We need to contain him!” I shouted over the din. My voice barely carried over the crackle of magical energy and the sounds of our battle.

Dea and I locked eyes and a silent understanding passed between us. We began weaving our magic together. Our hands moved in synchronized motions as we chanted the words of a containment spell. A shimmering barrier of light started to form and encircle Garrick. My heart leaped when I saw it begin to close in on him.

“Keep him busy!” Dre called out. She hurled a barrage of blinding light bursts at Garrick. Kota was right beside her with her flames swirling around as she manipulated fire into traps and barriers. She designed each one to slow Garrick down and keep him from focusing on us.

Dani and Phi moved around the perimeter of ourgrowing containment field. Their magic joined with the effort of keeping the field stable. Dani darted in and out, setting environmental traps that tangled Garrick’s movements. She wasn’t the most graceful while doing it, but she was damn effective. Phi added elements to create obstacles and barriers.

As if sensing his impending capture, Garrick became more desperate and aggressive. His dark energy lashed out, striking at us with renewed fury. The containment field shimmered and flickered under the strain. We held firm and channeled every ounce of our magic and strength into maintaining it.

“Hold it together!” Dani urged.

With a final push, Dea and I managed to close the containment field around Garrick. The barrier shimmered with a radiant glow that pulsed with the combined power of our magic. For a moment, it seemed like we had succeeded.

But Garrick wasn’t finished. With a malicious grin, he gathered his dark energy for one last attack. “You think you’ve won?” he sneered. “This is just the beginning.”

He unleashed a powerful burst of magic. The force of it caused the containment field to waver and crack. We struggled to hold it, but the energy was too much. With a final, defiant laugh, Garrick disappeared into the shadows.

My entire body was shaking as we stood there in the chilling silence he left behind. We were all breathless and battered in the aftermath of the battle. He might not have touched us physically, but he didn’t need to. His power had beat us to a pulp.

“We had him,” Dre muttered, frustration clear in her voice.

“But he got away,” Kota pointed out. “And I’m exhausted. I wasn’t made to fight like this all the time.”

“You’re getting in better shape from it, though,” Dani toldher. “Garrick’s escape signifies a greater threat than we anticipated. We need to know more about what he is and his plans.”

Dea nodded as she gazed into the distance. “We need to strengthen our relationship with the shifters. They know the bayou better than anyone and might be able to help us track Garrick and uncover his true motives.”

Phi looked around. “Great idea. We need all the help we can get. I get the feeling this isn’t just about Melanie anymore. The safety of everyone in the bayou hangs in the balance.”

“Let’s find the gators,” I said under my breath. The feeling of being watched made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and my heart pound in my chest. Was Garrick back?

I almost threw the magical bomb I’d been building before I caught myself when a figure darted out from the shadows. Its presence was barely perceptible before disappearing again. Magic crackled in the air. “It's not Garrick. It’s the shifters. They don’t trust outsiders,” Adèle murmured. Her voice in my head caught me off guard for a second.

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