Page 43 of The Darkest Night

He kissed her?!

Mae glared at Oscar. “First kiss? What is this, a Harlequin novel? And FYI, your breath stinks, asshole!”

Oscar’s smile faded. Violet tried hard not to grin. Miles snickered.

Brimstone bared his teeth where he stood in front of his mistress, hackles rising in a faint crimson aura. Nikolai observed the fox worriedly. He could tell the familiar was also under the influence of the Sorcerer King’s binding spell, as was the pendant glowing weakly on Mae’s chest.

I have to set them free!

His mouth grew dry as he thought of the spell he’d been working on secretly for the last few years, the one he’d come up with for exactly this kind of occasion. He still hadn’t recovered from the powerful rituals he’d invoked in the past week and his magic reserves were at an all-time low. His fingers tightened on his spear.

Still, I have no choice but to try. Even if I only lift the seal for a moment, it might give her and the fox enough time to unleash their powers.

Nikolai turned to Violet and Miles, determination lending an edge to his voice.“Cover me. I’m going to break the binding spell.”

“Break the spell?” Oscar scoffed. “Have you finally gone insane, little brother?!”

Nikolai ignored him.

Violet held Nikolai’s gaze, her eyes unreadable. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

Nikolai nodded. “I do.”

Violet pinched her lips together. “Okay. But we need to have a serious talk after this.” She looked at Miles. “Together.”

Miles dipped his chin, his face full of resolve.

The sneer on Oscar’s face slipped as the pair squatted and pressed their palms against the ground, brows furrowed in concentration and magic flaring around them.

“Attack,” the devil in the form of Rose Blake barked. “Now!”

Oscar moved toward them along with the remaining Dark Council witches and sorcerers.

Violet and Miles’s familiars twined around each other, eyes glowing with power. The magic around the four of them exploded, a gold and purple haze that sparked and sizzled.

“Shield!” Violet growled.

The bubble solidified, forming a translucent dome some fifteen feet wide and high. Black spheres crashed into the shimmering wall as it settled into the earth.

The Dark Council’s magic never reached them.

Oscar cursed and swung his sword. Sparks erupted when the blade met the wall. The barrier held.

Nikolai paused where he’d started etching out the first circle that would break the spell binding the Witch Queen. He could feel an otherwordly energy in the shield around them. One that didn’t feel like magic at all.

“What is that?!” Mae shouted as the wind picked up.

Violet smiled fiercely. “Oh, just a little trick some friends of ours taught us. They did something like this in Rome once.”

The storm outside the bubble intensified as Oscar reinforced the Sorcerer King’s spell. Mae clutched her chest, pain leeching the color from her face. The pendant whined shrilly between her fingers. Brimstone swayed at her feet, his eyes and fur losing their shine.

Nikolai rapidly drew the spell in the dirt with his spear, his heart racing. Alastair stayed still on his shoulder, the familiar’s feathers fluttering slightly as he focused their magic through his core.

The devil transformed into his true form, horns sprouting from Rose’s forehead and dark wings unfurling from her back. A crimson-tinged portal formed next to the beast as he shot up into the air. He drew a jagged, black broadsword from within it and raised his hand to the sky, his expression furious.

Black lightning flashed high above. It arrowed down from the Heavens and crashed onto the weapon, drenching it in dark electricity. Nikolai’s pulse thrummed wildly as the devil brought the sparking blade down on the shield with a vicious roar.

The wall wavered, violent currents rippling across it.

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