Page 25 of Unbroken Magic

“I can. You’ll find us both.” More tears dripped down her face. Her eyes were no longer dazed and lost. No, they were filled with a dark determination. “You have to understand. She went to the main lab too—she’s more powerful than me. She’s my baby sister. It’s my job to protect her.”

The backs of my eyes burned.

I had a big sister. And I knew, deep in my bones, that Danica would make the same choice. Goddamn it.

Nathaniel’s voice was a low caress as he leaned over my shoulder to murmur in my ear. “What if we can track Hellaphine? She could lead us straight to the lab.”

Hellaphine’s eyes widened. “Yes,” she said immediately. “Yes, do it.”

“They could kill you as soon as you arrive,” I said. “The moment we leave this realm, we can no longer help you.”

“But my sister could still be alive. She’s the one who matters.”

“I have a big sister. I wouldn’t want her to throw her life away.”

She gave me a shaky smile. “But if she was taken, you’d do the exact same thing. Wouldn’t you?”

Without hesitation.

Hellaphine nodded at whatever she saw on my face. “Can you do it? Can you track me?”

“I can. But if I use my power, it’s going to attract something nasty. His Majesty has wards in place that detect magic and respond accordingly.”

“We’ll leave immediately after,” Nathaniel said. “And whatever it summons will follow us.”

A door clanged. I shoved the ring into my mouth and reached for Nathaniel, my heart rate tripling.

While I had gone still, in the way a rabbit was when caught by a flashlight, Nathaniel was motionless in the way of a giant predator, deciding whether he would strike.

“I’m telling you, I heard voices,” one of the guards insisted.

“Probably the prisoner talking to herself. They all go crazy eventually.”

Fury thundered through me, but I allowed Nathaniel to pull me into his arms. He held me a few inches above the stone floor and slowly moved backward. I couldn’t blame him for picking me up. He moved silently, like a panther, while I’d likely scuff the floor with my shoe or something. Even now, I was conscious of my every move. People made noise even when they were trying to be quiet. I wanted to sniff, itch my cheek, clear my throat, crack my knuckles…

“No one here,” the second guard said with a sneer. “Like I told you.”

The younger guard’s eyes narrowed, and he stalked toward Hellaphine’s cage.

“Who were you talking to?” he demanded.

“No one.”

Compared to the woman we’d met just a few minutes ago, this was a completely different person. Funny what hope could do for a soul.

The guard cursed. Then he pulled his sword and began sweeping it through the air around him. He wasn’t stupid. He was making sure no one was here.

Nathaniel tensed, took another step backward, and slowly placed me back on the floor.

Uh-oh.

The older guard rolled his eyes. But he stalked over to the cage and gave Hellaphine a look that made my blood run cold. She dropped her gaze.

“You wouldn’t be hiding anything from me, would you? You know what happens to bad prisoners.”

She shook, and I memorized his face.

“Tell me what you’re hiding, and I’ll tell the humans to go easy on you. Maybe they’ll play with your liver once you’re dead, and not while you’re still alive.”

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