Page 110 of Untraced Magic
A curtain fluttered before the door creaked open. Betty stared at us blankly, as if we’d woken her from a deep sleep. A purple nightgown hung to her knees, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around herself as the cold air pressed against her.
A pained expression embedded the usually soft lines of her face. “Morgan’s missing?”
I nodded. “We need your help to find her.”
Hell, I’d get on my knees if I had to.
Betty motioned us inside. “Of course, dear. Come in, tell me everything.”
Skye filled her in on the evening events, and Betty’s irises widened at the mention of Wes.
“And you’re certain he’s not gallivanting about with some woman?” she asked.
“He’s not out with a woman and he didn’t do this,” Skye said firmly. “He wouldneverdo something like this. He’s known Ty his entire life!”
The room tensed at her outburst.
Reid’s fingers thrummed his bicep as he stared awkwardly at the both of them. “We don’tknowit was Wes,” he cautioned. “He just happened to be there, and now both him and Morgan are missing. At this stage, who took Morgan is … unclear.”
Betty’s voice cut the silence. “When was the last time you all used your magic?” she asked, leading us into her living room.
Skye shrugged. “I’m at full strength.”
Reid and Scarlet agreed.
I gripped the base of my neck with my hands. “Colt and I used ours last night, but we should be at full strength by now.”
Betty nodded. “Tyler dear, can you please fetch the candles in the spare room? Skye, the matches are in the second drawer down.” She motioned across the room to a dresser standing against the wall.
I located the candles, handing them to Betty, where she placed them in a circle on the living room floor.
“Please sit,” she beckoned, and we dropped to the faded rug that covered the floorboards. “Tyler, you need to prepare yourself for anything, or anyone. There are many people who would sacrifice Morgan to claim her magic as their own as you know.”
I nodded.
Dread had a taste, and it had settled in my mouth. A heavy weight of lead lodged in my throat. I gulped and it sank deep within me, a dark, dreaded thing that clung to my heart.
Betty instructed us to hold hands, then turned her attention to me. “You’re about to learn how far your magic can take you. You need to call on your mate bond and its connection to her. It will lead you to her if you let it.”
I nodded once more.
Betty hummed in approval. “I need everyone to channel your magic. Open it up to me. Let me use your strength.”
Our circle joined as one, with Betty speaking syllables I didn’t understand. It was clear she knew the real craft, a bit like Scarlet. She started to chant a verse, the same verse over and over, and the group joined her, our whispers turning louder with each anxious second.
Energy whipped around me as I forced my eyelids shut, pulling deep within myself. Magic scalded my sides as it entered me, its current an unimaginable force of every element in the room.
I felt them all. The warmth of Skye’s fire element swept against me in a subtle wave. Colts earth element climbed my limbs, its strength an incredible presence I had underestimated, mirrored by Scarlet’s, only gentler.
Betty’s air element ghosted through me, and I almost threw up at the raw slash from Reid, the taste of blood filling my senses as his gift muddled with mine, sliding through my veins.
I shut off my mind, letting them in, Morgan my only focus.
I’m coming for you, my love.
Morgan
Darknesshauntedmefrombeneath my eyelids, cold palming my cheek as damp air crept over my skin. A shiver curled my legs to my chest, the pads of my fingers scraping against a grainy surface.
