Page 102 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

“A sargasm?”Michael asks.

“She’s so overwhelmed by the urge to respond sarcastically, she can only roll her eyes and grunt.”

“I love it,”Michael muses.

I roll my eyes, confirming Jed’s analysis.“Yes, I’m sure.”

“How can you tell?”Barney asks, returning us to the moment.

“Air currents.”

A tendril of power curls around my neck, and I struggle to breathe as it tightens like a boa constrictor. Just as I’m going to pass out, it releases me, and laughter echoes around the warehouse. Light floods the space, and everyone springs into action. Aaden, Zee, Duncan, and I form a line blocking the exit then stalk forward to force him to the back wall. I take three steps before an invisible force sweeps us off our feet and dumps us on our asses outside. The doors bang shut.

I jump up and put my hands on my hips. “Shit, Archan just pushed us out!” I glare at Duncan. “Can you get us back inside?”

He studies the door. “Not that way.”

Grabbing my arm, he teleports us to the roof of the warehouse then returns for Zee and Aaden. I crouch and stare through a skylight in the center of the roof, watching Archan’s men pop in and out of existence, trying to catch Khalkaroth. I study his movements carefully, observing his technique of evading Archan’s men; he’s using the shadows created by the various leftover boxes in the warehouse. We should have cleared it completely.

I turn to Duncan, mulling a plan over. “Can you remove the glass without any sound?”

He nods. “Yes, what are you thinking?” I describe my plan, but Zee isn’t on board.

“Zee, you need to remember who I am and what I can do. You saw what I did outside earlier. We need to use these powers to our advantage.” I look around at all three of them. “Stop letting your emotions rule you. This mission has brought us all closer, and I’m so grateful to call you my friends. But we still have a job to do,” I finish, kissing Zee’s cheek. “Anyway, I have an awesome bodyguard.” That earns me a smile.

I nod at Duncan, who makes the glass disappear, take one last look at the fight, then silently countdown my entrance.

Unwinding the whip from my belt, I coil it around my arm and walk toward Zee. He reaches out to clip the tether to my waist, and seconds later, I run toward the opening and flip in the air at the last minute. Time seems to slow down as I descend into the center of the room, landing directly over the Jar. I expel the power I’ve allowed to build inside of me and, with a gust of air containing the strength of a hurricane, knock every single person off their feet, including Khalkaroth. The building groans against the pressure.

Snapping the whip to wrap around Khalkaroth’s foot, I jerk my arm, sliding him toward me.

Leaping over Barney, I loom over Khalkaroth, drop the whip, and with a metallic whistling, pull my swords from their sheaths.

He shrieks as I plunge one into his left shoulder, pinning him to the floor.Capture not kill, capture not kill, I repeat.

I raise my other, ready to administer an incapacitating blow just below his heart.

As I thrust down, he grabs the sword, and the sharp blade slices through his palm like butter. His hand hits the butt of the sword between the two protective prongs as something thick, warm, and spiky wraps around my throat.

I glance behind me, seeing a tail protruding from his torn trousers. The darkened, forked end grazes my cheek. He grins up at me, revealing those gross, sharp, yellow teeth. “Thought you would never arrive, darling. Now we can go.” He reaches for the Jar.

Archan’s boot slams on his hand, crushing his long fingers.

Khalkaroth rips the sword out of his shoulder, grabs me, teleports to a corner of the warehouse, and slinks into the shadows; his tail unwinds from my throat and is replaced by his uninjured hand. “Give me the Jar, or she dies.”

Archan narrows his eyes and slides his hands into his pockets. “Go ahead—she doesn’t matter.”

Khalkaroth clucks his tongue. “I don’t think so. I’ve watched you with her. You like her, my old friend, more than any other. She intrigues you… Quite the enigma, isn’t she?”

“Your information is out of date. She is nothing special. Women with twice her beauty and half the trouble fall at my feet every day. Take her—she’s a toy, a used and broken one I have lost interest in.”

My heart stutters as that tsunami wave threatens.

Khalkaroth whispers in my ear loud enough for Archan to hear. “Is that true? Are you such a disappointment, or are you too dark even for him? Don’t worry, I can handle you.” He licks my ear, thick saliva sticking to the shell. I cringe at the sloppy, wet sound.

Archan’s words confirm he’s lost interest, and now he’s giving me away like a possession he owns. Blood pounds in my ears, as embarrassment turns to anger. My skin prickles with power. I thought I was all out of juice after my entrance. It’s different now—hot, wild, and dangerous.

An image pops into my mind, one I haven’t seen before—but I somehow know I need it. Closing my eyes, I concentrate and push my power out. The air around me heats, and Khalkaroth cries out. I open my eyes to find myself inside a circle of blue fire, with symbols drawn on the floor—identical to the image that flashed before my eyes.

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