Page 79 of Cocktails & Cauldrons

Before she completely processed the fact the tide had turned in Reggie’s and Eoin’s favor, time snapped back. The pressure in Brenna’s ears was similar to the clogged sensation one got during a plane takeoff. With a slight wiggle of her jaw back and forth, she managed to clear her ears. She didn’t expect the obnoxiously loud percussive sound in her head, though, and in reaction, she dropped the small ceramic pot containing the necklace.

As she reached for it, the amulet rose and drifted out of reach, then immediately flew toward Loman, whose expression was one of supreme satisfaction.

“No!” Brenna hollered as she ran, hoping to get to him before the necklace.

But she didn’t need to, because it appeared to hit an invisible wall and dropped to the ground, cradled by the lush grass they were standing on.

“What the f—agghhh!” Loman’s eyes bulged as he clutched his stomach and bent double.

“Ronan,” murmured Alex. He retrieved the coveted prize from its resting place in the grass. “Cloaking spell.”

It was the second time she’d seen cloaking in action, and now that she had, she intended to discover how it was done. It could be useful in future confrontations should she need it. Loman turned a concerning shade of fuchsia, and had Brenna not grasped how immoral the man was, she might’ve been concerned for him.

The ground rumbled, and the grass rolled back upon itself as a steel enclosure worked its way up from beneath the soil and encircled him. The pulsing silver bars caught the last of the sun’s rays as they met overhead and fused together to completely contain him. Loman was a caged canary, and he was singing an ugly tune.

Ronan instantly appeared. His lack of emotion when he looked at his father was strange, but Brenna probably looked at Aunt Odessa in a similar fashion. There was no love lost between either couple.

“Let’s hope that ends your fuckin’ reign of terror.”

“Likely it won’t. We have to find out how he escaped the Otherworld before we attempt to dispatch him again.” Castor strolled to the cage and tapped the bars. “They look good on you, Loman.”

“Fuck off, you dryshite! Always the bleedin’ hero, ya are!”

“I try.”

Castor’s delivery was so dry, Brenna fought the urge to laugh. “Will his temporary prison hold until reinforcements arrive?”

Ronan nodded. “Sure, and it should.”

Eoin shouted Brenna’s name, and she turned in time to see him charging in her direction, worry for her etched clearly on his face. Behind him, Reggie followed at a more sedate pace.

“Don’t!” She held up her hand to halt Eoin’s progress. “I don’t have the necklace.”

He swore as he stopped short, roughly ten feet from her. “Did you destroy it, then?”

“Not yet. But I intend to.”

A single tear trailed down her cheek as she thought about their future together—or rather their lack thereof.

Eoin jammed his fists into his jeans pockets and shook his head, his expression tortured. “Don’t cry, love. We’ll figure it out.”

“There’s nothing to figure, Eoin.” She was a thousand-percent defeated. Moira and Loman had effectively destroyed her easier than they realized by giving her no choice but to permanently get rid of the amulet. If she didn’t, someone would someday realize what that small blood droplet could do for them, and she’d be an empty-headed tool at the mercy of whoever possessed it. “We can’t be together.”

“Don’t say that. Don’t ever say it,” he told her fiercely. “You and I were meant to be, Brenna Sullivan. We just have a few trials to face first, all the same.”

A wave of dizziness hit her squarely between the eyes, and she dropped like a stone. Thankfully, Ronan was close enough to catch her.

CHAPTER 30

An eerie lavender and green infused light filled the clearing seconds before Narissa appeared with a surly Odessa by her side.

“Did I miss all the fun, sugar?”

“Not at all.” Castor grinned. “Welcome to the party, sweetheart. We’ve been holding back all the fun while we waited for you to join us.”

Brenna put a shaky hand on her forehead and rubbed. “I think I’m okay, Ronan. Thank you.”

He released her but retained a hand on her elbow, and she appreciated the small courtesy.

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