Page 62 of Midnight Witch

Ice filled her veins when she finally saw what she’d felt back at the church when she’d usedReveal.

Dark runes had been scored inside the creature.

It’s black magic, alright.But why couldn’tNullifyshow it to me before?!

The stench of corruption had faded to a whiff probably only she could discern. Dread sent a shiver dancing down her spine when she picked up on a distinctive undertone to the spell. It was one she’d encountered once before.

Vedran!Mae clenched her jaw.Shit! Have Barquiel and Dietrich found a way to hide the Dark Council’s magic from me?! Or it this one of Vedran’s abilities?!

“What is it, my witch?”Brimstone growled.

She opened her eyes. “The Dark Council has overwritten her bond with her magic user!”

A feral sound left Brimstone. Hellreaver whined angrily.

Their fury resonated with Mae’s. The reason for the harpy eagle’s unpredictable behavior was now clear. She had gone insane from having her original bond forcibly suppressed and her soul bound to the will of another.

Mae didn’t have to make an educated guess as to who the culprit was. The rest of the spell stank of his power.

That bastard Oscar!

She recalled what Nikolai and Vlad had reported about their fight with the Sorcerer King’s heir on Staten Island. That he’d grown stronger, thanks to his father’s magic.

Her belly grew hot as she reached for her magic. The room filled with a scarlet light that made the windows tremble and sent her hair fluttering around her face.

“Negate!”

Her power clashed against Oscar and Vedran’s spell. Mae grunted as the collision pushed her back a step. She ground her teeth and dug her heels into the floor.

Some of the runes started to fade. The rest resistedNegate.

The harpy eagle screeched.

Dread brought a sour taste to the back of Mae’s mind.She’ll die if I keep going!

She retracted the spell and swallowed, her mind racing frantically.

I need to protect her core until I can figure out how to undo Oscar and Vedran’s magic! But how?! Think, Mae!

She focused on the infinite grimoire locked inside her mind, bringing forth and casting aside spells she knew and some she was yet to invoke. One caught her attention.

She had only used it once before.

It might work!

Mae took a deep breath. “Soul Conjure!”

The sound of agony that left the harpy eagle made her bite her lip and had Brimstone grunting in sympathy. The bird convulsed for long seconds insideContainbefore going motionless. A pale orb floated out of her body as she levitated limply within Mae’s prison.

Mendes sagged. “Oh God! You’ve killed her!”

He covered his face and sobbed. His hare whimpered at his side.

Brimstone lowered his head and nudged Mendes with his nose. “Calm down, sorcerer. The bird is not dead.”

Nikolai and Vlad burst through the suite door. “Mae!”

They rocked to a halt, their eyes rounding. Cortes appeared behind them, Violet and Miles on his heels. The three of them froze behind the sorcerer and the incubus.

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