Page 95 of Unhinged Magic
A surly fog lingered around our waists, molding to my torso. It shifted with my every movement, like death’s caress. Like it knew what this forest had planned for us tonight. Being here in daylight was one thing, but nighttime conjured thoughts of every horror movie I had ever watched. It was so thick I could barely make out the line of dense forest ahead, and I wasn’t convinced I could find the start of the track.
Turning my attention back up the road, I noted the overhead streetlights had ended a while back, leaving the area we currently occupied pitch black under a hidden moon.
A shiver tore down the base of my neck, lifting the hairs on my arms.
Morgan’s voice came from beside me. “Wes, it’s going to be okay. We will find her.”
I held back my grimace, setting my jaw tight.
Ty turned to me, igniting a flame from his palm, and I felt the shift in the group in response to it. Relief. “Where to from here?” he asked.
Searching the tree line in the dark wasn’t easy, but I located the rock that was the key to finding the start of the barely-there track I remembered.
“Over here.” I started toward it, thankful for Ty’s help.
I flat out refused to acknowledge my instincts currently hell bent on encouraging me to get the fuck out of there.
Ty moved in front of me. “Stay close,” he ordered, the flicker in his palm the only thing keeping us from sinking into the forest’s dark cover.
With Morgan behind me and Reid holding the rear, we made our way in silence, the still of the forest making our footsteps seem louder.
Morgan’s hushed voice suddenly pulled me from my thoughts. “What the hell was she doing out here?” she hissed.
“How do you even know where this place is?” came Reid’s voice from behind me.
I answered simply, unwilling to go into further detail of our last visit to the manor: “Skye took me there.”
Relieved the group seemed satisfied with no further questions, I let my thoughts wander back to our last visit. Memories of us flashed in my mind, numbing the deathly cold around us. The manor was where I had watched Skye use her magic for the first time, and I recalled how phenomenal she looked as flame licked her eyes and danced on her fingertips. It was also the first time I had touched her in a way that made her gasp. The ache inside me intensified tenfold.
Frustration curled throughout me as I kept walking. I needed to see her. Shoving my hands into my jacket pocket, I froze as my fingers brushed the paper inside. Landon’s death notice. I cursed under my breath.
A heavy thud pressed into my back. “Wes!”Morgan complained as she crashed into me.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, moving again. I ran my fingers over the thin square of paper in my pocket, its presence an infliction I wanted to desperately ignore. So much had happened since I had been reacquainted with Skye, and we still had so many unanswered questions. If she had gone back to the manor to summon my brother again without me…
“Wes.” Ty’s voice broke my thoughts. “This it?”
Even in the dark, the silhouette of him towered over me by a good few inches. Unlike me, the guy was built like a brick shithouse. A rim of gold circled his irises, his element fully present as he stared back at me expectantly.
Stepping beside him, I looked to where the manor glared back at us. Its two glassless windows on the upper floor resembledsoulless eyes drawing us to its merciless center, the front door ajar slightly.
Ty scanned our surrounds on high alert. “What the fuck was Skye thinking coming here alone?” he snapped.
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“This place looks haunted as all hell,” Morgan said.
She wasn’t wrong. It looked creepy as fuck. And, after the incident with the photo last time, I didn’t doubt it.
Searching the area for magic, desperation lodged in my throat when I found none other than our own. “I can’t feel her,” I gritted out, hating the words as they left me.
Where are you, Skip?
Edging forward, we closed the distance to the house with cautious steps, dewy residue leaving evidence of us on the verandah as we stepped onto it. Aged boards groaned under our weight, the front door emitting a low creak as Ty pushed it open.
He turned to Reid, a knowing look passing between them before he stepped inside.
“I’ll be fine,” Morgan hissed behind me, picking up on Ty’s vibe.
