Page 100 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha
That left the staff in the kitchen. They would notice the lack of noise. But again, we’d taken the risk that Bastien would be able to get himself out before the surprised kitchen staff could find a guard to report the spell, assuming they were paid enough to care. That was perhaps the riskiest part of our plan.
And there was still nothing from my pre-cog.
Trusting my bodyguards to protect me, I turned my attention to my task. Pulling on my magic, I lifted my hands, arms spread wide. Power saturated the air, turning me into a pillar of gold.
I spoke the words for the spell, feeling the spark as my intent fuelled the power. I kept going, visualising a golden net, connected to Caly’s and Simon’s magic by the braid Simon had created earlier. My part of the net would join with theirs once it was in place.
With a nudge of my power, the net flowed out from where I stood, spreading towards the building, coating the ground in shimmering gold. In moments, it reached the edge of the building, then spread upwards.
I spared a brief second of concentration to notice that there was no outcry. No sirens or alarms. But that was all I could spare. The rest of my attention had to stay on the spell. If any one of us was unable to hold concentration on the words of the ritual, the spell would fail.
Power kept spilling out of me, feeding energy to the net. Everything underneath it was blanketed in silence.
Minutes passed while I kept repeating the words for the ritual. Over and over. The weight of the net grew steadily heavierthe longer we held it. Sweat trickled down my spine. I widened my stance, trying to alleviate the ache that had begun deep in my bones.
My tongue felt thick in my mouth. How long had it been? My eyes searched the night, hoping for Bastien’s massive form to appear in front of me.
Still nothing. But I couldn’t afford to stop. Couldn’t move. He needed me here. If he wanted help he would tell me down the bond.
Chapter 84
Bastien
I counted down the seconds. Twenty-nine. Thirty.
Nothing felt different. If the magic had taken hold, it was undetectable to my Shifter senses. But I could easily test it out.
Drawing back my leg, I kicked one of the wooden legs that supported my bed.
My foot connected. The bed jolted. Even with my sensitive hearing, there was nothing. Not a whisper of sound.
Yes! It was time for me to leave.
I spun and punched the wall.
The bricks shivered at the full force of my punch, but silence blanketed my cell.
Two more punches got me through the wall. Stepping through the hole, I quickly scanned the darkened cell next to mine. My Beast abilities expanded my sight beyond human vision, allowing me to see as see as clearly as if it was daylight. The space was unoccupied.
The silence was so dense I couldn’t even hear my own breathing. Moving at full speed, I crossed the space in aheartbeat. The cell door was shut. Grabbing the handle, I tested the lock.
Open.
I spilled out into the corridor. Silent. Deadly. Well lit, it stretched in both directions. Unhesitating, I turned right, towards the kitchen smells. My feet sped me down empty corridors. Following the scent was easy and it became steadily stronger as my legs ate up the distance.
But before I reached my destination, the sound of my feet pounding on the floor was suddenly loud in the corridor. The spell had failed.
Oh gods.Electra’s voice was shocked. Panicked. It didn’t even feel as though she was trying to talk to me, but her distress was so strong that she broadcast the words.
Electra, what’s wrong?
She didn’t answer.
Then she was gone.
I staggered, bouncing off a wall. Pain radiated up my shoulder, but I paid it no attention. It was nothing compared to the pain shredding my heart.
Electra!My shout echoed down the bond. My heart was racing, galloping in my chest and I couldn’t get enough air.
