Page 78 of Faeheart
But as he reached for the handle, the door exploded outward in a shower of splinters. Three hooded figures stood in the doorway, their faces hidden, but their magical signatures blazing with hostile intent.
“Found you,” one of them hissed, raising a wand that crackled with purple energy.
I reacted instinctively, my fae magic erupting in a chaotic burst that sent all three attackers flying backward. They hit the far wall with bone-crushing force, their bodies going limp as they slumped to the floor.
“Wild!” Elias gasped, staring at the unconscious forms. “How did you?—”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, looking at my hands in shock. The magic had felt different, wilder than usual, and more natural than anything I’d ever done. “I just... reacted.”
Through our bond, I felt a pulse of approval from the house around us. The mansion was watching, waiting, ready to assist when needed. But it was still holding back, waiting for the right moment to spring its trap.
“Come on,” Elias said, tearing a large piece of splintered wood out of his arm. Blood flowed, but not enough to be a cause for concern. “We need to get into the library before?—”
A scream echoed through the mansion, high and terrified. Not one of ours, but definitely human. Through the walls, I could hear shouting, confusion, the sound of running feet in multiple directions.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
Elias stood there, staring down at the wound on his arm. “The mansion,” he whispered. “It’s begun.”
Chapter 30
Elias
Screams filled the hallways, their echoes dying away as they reached the library. The Purity Front was trying to find us. But the mansion was findingthemfirst. All of my careful magic woven into the wards activated at once, drawing on the power Thorne had sacrificed to make it all work. However, I was surprised by the cries of pain and terror reverberating through the house. I’d intended for the wards to destroy the intruders, but I hadn’t thought much further than that. Hearing their deaths at the hands of my magic forced me to face the harsh reality of the situation.
It was kill or be killed.
Wild’s hand found mine, his fingers intertwining with mine as another scream cut through the air, closer this time. Through our bond, I felt his complex emotions, satisfaction that our trap was working, but also a deep unease at the sounds of death echoing through what had been our sanctuary.
“I know,” he said softly, reading my thoughts through our connection. “It’s harder than you think it would be, isn’t it? Even when they’re trying to kill us.”
I nodded, unable to speak past the tightness in my throat. The screams were becoming less frequent now, which meantthe mansion was efficiently eliminating our attackers. My spell, woven into every stone and beam thanks to Thorne, was methodically hunting down the Purity Front members who had scattered throughout the house.
Through our tetrad bond, I felt Atlas and Caden moving through the east wing, their emotions a mixture of grim determination and shared horror as they witnessed the mansion’s deadly work. They watched as a door sealed shut behind a group of robed figures, trapping them in a room that was slowly filling with poisonous gas. The next corridor had become a maze, its walls closing in on the remaining pursuers until…
“Stop,” I whispered, pressing my hands against my temples. “I don’t want to see anymore…”
Wild pulled me against his chest, his warmth grounding me as the psychic feedback of multiple deaths crashed through my magical senses. “It’s not your fault,” he murmured into my hair. “They came here to murder us, to trap our souls in that thing. You’re protecting us.”
But even as he spoke, I could feel something else through the mansion’s awareness. My father was still alive, still moving through the house with purpose. And he wasn’t alone. Several of the strongest Purity Front members had stayed close to the Cube of Binding, using its power to shield themselves from the mansion’s attacks.
“The cube,” I gasped, realization hitting me like a physical blow. “It’s protecting them. The blood magic is strong enough to resist the mansion’s defenses.”
Wild’s emerald eyes widened with understanding. “How many are left?”
I closed my eyes, extending my consciousness through the house’s magical framework. The mansion’s awareness showed me everything, empty corridors littered with bodies, rooms thathad become death traps, and the main foyer where a cluster of survivors huddled around their floating prison.
“Eight,” I said, opening my eyes to meet Wild’s worried gaze. “Including both our parents. They’re keeping close to the cube.”
As if summoned by my words, my father’s voice echoed through the mansion’s walls, magically amplified to reach every corner of the house.
“Clever, my son,” he called out, his tone carrying grudging respect. “Very clever indeed. But did you really think a few animated walls could stop the righteous fury of the Purity Front?”
Wild’s grip on my hand tightened as my father’s voice reverberated through the library walls. “Righteous fury,” he spat. “Is that what he calls murdering innocent people to power that monstrosity? And for what? Because they don’t want mixed marriages or something? Fucking prick.”
Through the mansion’s awareness, I could see my father standing beside the obsidian cube, his aristocratic features twisted with cold determination. The remaining Purity Front members formed a protective circle around the artifact, their combined magical shields creating a barrier that even the house couldn’t penetrate.
“They’re trying to draw us back to them,” I whispered. “The mansion can’t get to them with the cube’s protection. It won’t be able to finish them off or drive them away.” I glanced up at Wild. “Not without help.”
