Page 4 of Chaos Carnival

“You're not thinking straight,” Maverick whispered in my ear. “Look at what he's doing. The wraithshade's feeding off us. He'll kill you both and tear this place apart in the process.” Blue lightning crawled up the walls, warping the kitchen into impossible angles. The air itself was wrong, heavy with the stench of sulfur and ozone.

Ivan's free hand thrummed with electricity, casting writhing shadows. “Tick tock, little witch.”

I shifted my weight, testing Maverick's grip. His fingers tightened in response. “Let me go.”

“No.” The word rumbled through his chest. “Look at the silhouettes behind him. They're not his. They belong to something much worse.”

I forced myself to focus past Addie's terrified face. The shade Ivan’s form cast stretched wide and low as if struggling, separate from his movements. And the lightning crackling from his hand wasn't steady. It flickered, dimming with each pulse.

“He's drained,” Maverick murmured. “That fight at the shop took more out of him than he's letting on.”

The realization hit me like ice water. Ivan was running on fumes, trying to end this quickly before his magic gave out completely. His eyes darted between us, shoulders tensed—

a predator backed into a corner.

“Last chance,” Ivan snarled, but the threat in his voice wavered.

I met Addie's gaze and tapped my fingers against Maverick's arm—one, two, three. Her eyes widened slightly. She remembered our old signal from college parties, duck and run on three.

“Fine.” I relaxed in Maverick's grip. “You win.”

The electricity in Ivan's palm flared brighter for a split second, then dimmed again. He smiled, triumphant. “Smart girl. Now step forward, nice and slow.”

I counted silently.

One...

Maverick's arms loosened, playing along.

Two...

Ivan's smile spread wider as he watched me move closer.

Three.

Several things happened at once.

Addie dropped and rolled as Ivan's power flickered. The knife clattered to the ground as his concentration broke.

Maverick burst from the darkness, his fist connecting with Ivan's jaw. But Ivan landed in a crouch, blood trickling from his split lip, eyes gleaming with manic glee.

He struck with inhuman speed, pain exploding across my face before I hit the floor. His knee pinned my chest, hand curling around my throat. The air constricted as I clawed at his arm, lungs burning against his iron grasp.

“You think you can beat me, little witch?” His voice distorted, dropping to impossible depths and rising again. His fingers dug deeper, and the wraithshade's ancient force tried to seep into my veins.

“I OWN YOU.”

His free hand slid down my body, tracing my curves, leaving trails of crackling blue electricity in its wake. I bucked beneath him, but the floor itself seemed to hold me down. The world sparkled at the edges of my vision, or maybe those were tears.

I twisted, writhing under his weight, but his strength was monstrous, inhuman. Desperation clawed at my chest as his grip tightened, cutting off what little air I had left.

With a final surge of panic, I drove my knee up. Agony ripped through my entire body from the contact, but Ivan's hold loosened for just a second. It was all I needed. I bucked again, harder this time, and scrambled out from under him.

I rolled, every muscle in my body screaming in protest. The room spun, and Ivan's laugh rang in my ears as I forced myself to my feet on shaky legs.

Maverick lunged, grabbing Ivan by the shoulder and spinning him around. They crashed into the wall, sending pictures tumbling to the floor. Ivan's knife lay on the ground, just out of reach.

“You son of a bitch,” Maverick snarled, his fingers curling into fists.

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