Page 58 of Midnight Rules
Marric got to his feet.
Everyone stopped moving, even the poisoned wolves. Time stopped, or so it seemed, for everyone else except for him and Riley.
Riley met his gaze. When he spoke, it was as if each word turned to glass. Each shard was sharp, ready to pierce the nearest heart. “Give the bottle to me.”
The glass didn’t cut Riley as he came closer. He took the bottle from Marric and then created some sort of poison-repelling dome around himself and Marric as he helped Marric out of the barn.
Griffin stood outside the door, waiting for them. He lifted Marric in his arms.
Riley went back inside with the bottle, shutting the door behind him. They were halfway across the yard when the screams started.
Marric tried not to picture the carnage that was happening to his pack. He tried to think of them as the enemy. They had tried to kill him and might still because they didn’t have a cure for the curse yet.
Tears lodged in his throat, gathering on his lashes. He shut his eyes.
It was then that all hell broke loose outside, too.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The sirens were so loud it was as if the cop had stopped the car on top of Iven. The witch’s spell felt as though someone was cutting his insides with a spoon. Death would be a relief.
The pain stopped as abruptly as it began, but still Iven lay on the ground, trying to recover. He forced himself to take deep breaths, focusing on something simple for a second.
But he couldn’t ignore the sounds of fighting. When he finally tried to stand, someone was beside him, helping him to his feet.
Iven thanked the person who helped him. “Silas?”
Silas nodded. “Got a call from Miss Ester’s son. He said you requested the coven’s help.”
“They set a trap.” Iven took stock of his body, making sure he was in one piece.
He scanned the area. Fortune Falls coven members were fighting and winning against Timeston’s coven.
Cass and Kinnison fought together, fighting off spells as much as they fought the witches creating them.
But the Fortune Falls witches were fierce. They didn’t back down even a little, not even when the Timeston witchesoutnumbered them. They made progress, and the police took over by making arrests. Every cop there was a part of the council.
The fighting stopped immediately when the police started making arrests. Those in handcuffs, or zip ties, were the Timeston coven. The police seemed to know who the Fortune Falls members were and left them alone.
Jones, his contact with the state police, closed the distance. He shook Iven’s hand.
Cass and Kinnison dressed in their forgotten clothing.
“Some of the Timeston witches said you stalled their magic. If that’s true, the council might talk to you. Unless the Timeston pack alpha vouches for you.” He raised his eyebrows as he glanced at Kinnison.
Iven intended to confess and take the punishment, whatever it was. Before he could speak, Kinnison, only half-dressed in his pants and shoes on and nothing more, slid next to Iven.
Cass stood on Iven’s other side.
“Iven and my son are mated. That makes him family. Considering the Timeston witches helped my pack try to kill me and my family, one would think they’d say anything to keep the upper hand. Don’t you agree?” Kinnison met Jones’s gaze with the most stoic, believable expression Iven had ever seen. If Iven were the one questioning him, he’d believe every lie Kinnison told, including the most recent one. Not that he told an outright lie, but the implication was there.
Cass blinked at Kinnison and then met Jones’s gaze. “Hypothetically speaking, if a warlock steals someone’s magic, what’s the punishment?”
Jones shrugged. “It depends on the circumstances. In this case, where the coven’s intent was so obviously murder, I’d say Iven would get a couple of years without magic and probably his job stripped away.”
“That’s pretty severe.”
“Not as severe as what the witches will get for attempted murder. That will be years in the council prison and their magic stripped from them, maybe for the rest of their lives.”
