Page 41 of Midnight Magic

A loud roar cut across the clearing and my eyes darted to Callan, who was distracted in his own fight against Cas as he saw the predicament I was in. Cas took advantage of the opening, blasting Callan in his side as Oliver swooped in to deflect Cas.

Above me, Lexi growled, saliva dripping from her mouth onto my face as she pushed against me. I called to my lightning again, drawing on whatever it would give me, small sparks shooting out of my hands and attacking her face. It was enough of a disturbance that she let up a few inches, and I was able to dip my arm down, reaching for the dagger. My fingertips just barely brushed the cold steel as I tried to keep away from her teeth, unable to grip it.

‘You smell like him,’her voice was in my head, and I struggled to focus on her words as I simultaneously tried to keep her at bay, my body quivering with the continued effort. It wasn’t the first time she’d said that to me, her words when I was imprisoned echoing back to me.

“Go fuck yourself,” I grunted out. Now was not the time for stupid conversation.

‘I don’t mind,’she giggled into my head, high-pitched and childlike.‘I always knew he would find his mate someday.’

That got my attention, struggle be damned. “What did you just say?” The thread of fate that I could see between Lexi and Callan was still there, still the same tattered and broken connection it had been before, but still tethered.

My eyes flicked to Callan, who had recovered from his fight, trying to make his way toward me but Cas kept pulling him back in. Our eyes met, but it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be able to save me. No one would get there in time, and my arms were getting weaker. I had to do whatever it took to get her off of me. Even if it could get him killed.

‘Don’t worry. When I kill you, it’ll be quick. Cas wants to keep you alive, but I think it’s better with a little chaos. I won’t rip your heart out torturously slow like I did that little bird girl, or we’d be here all night. She was a feisty one.’

Blind feminine rage was a great motivator. Rage-fueled energy burst inside of me, and I dug deep within myself to try and find whatever I had left. There, a tiny sparking energy inside of me. I clung to it, demanded it come to me. The small amount obeyed, flowing to the surface as black dots danced across my vision, threatening to pull me under. Could I die from using too much magic?

I was about to find out.

My fingers sparked, and she yelped in pain as it connected with her face. She let up a few inches, and I took advantage of the distraction, dipping my arm further down until I felt the dagger hilt firmly in my hand. I wrapped my hand around it, barely able to wedge it between us as she renewed her intensity on trying to rip out my throat.

Unable to move my hands much further, I channeled energy instead, urging it to go through the dagger, no idea if it would actually work or not. Both of our eyes widened when it did, the electricity already sparking toward her. As the power got bigger, she shifted, and it was just enough space that I could pull my arm out, and I thrust the charged dagger into her rib cage with all my strength. She cried out but I didn’t let go, staring into her eyes as I channeled as much lightning into her body as I could. My vision went red, blind in my anger, the scent of burnt flesh assaulting my nose.

I expected to pass out, my magic to cut off when the well was tapped, but instead my hand burned hotter, the metal of the dagger’s hilt heating up until it was so hot I almost dropped it. Lexi’s eyes widened as her body seized, and I watched in amazement as her fur started to fade, her limbs elongating into their human form as she slowly transformed back into human. She struggled against me, a strangled scream pulling from her mouth. The well of power inside me increased, swelling until I couldn’t handle it anymore and it ripped into my arm, rushing through the knife and into Lexi. I tried to cut it off, tried to hold back, but I couldn’t. Vibrations echoed in my hand as the dagger hilt burned hotter, before completely breaking apart into sharp pieces that sliced into my palm.

A deafening explosion ripped through the clearing, carrying the weight of an invisible force that no one stood a chance against, a benevolent firestorm. It was as if the very air had ignited, the sheer power of it sending everyone in the clearing hurtling backward. The air itself seemed to turn a fiery shade of crimson as it surged and billowed outward. Even more impressive, the cloud seemed to suck away all the magic.

From everyone except for me.

The elemental Fae powers failed, the witches’ hands didn’t glow, and the shifters seized, triggering their shifts back to human form.

As I watched, the bond connecting Lexi to Callan snapped, eating itself until it disintegrated into nothingness. A sharp pain erupted in my center, and I arched backward. My peripheral picked up a similar reaction in Callan as he finished his shift, and for a brief second, I wondered if we had been struck by a god.

The pain subsided, and I looked down, marveling as an intricate tether formed, weaving a mesmerizing pattern that stretched across the clearing, ending in Callan’s chest. Our eyes met, mirror images of shock and confusion, and I knew he could see it too.

Lexi slumped against me, pulling my attention away from Callan, smoke rising from her bare body, and I knew she was dead. I shrugged her off to one side, taking careful notice not to rest my eyes on her scarred face. A weight was in my hand, and I looked down, my eyes going wide in shock.

My fingers closed around the intricate ring that sat in my palm, a few remnants of the dagger hilt littering its surface. The band was a deep midnight, so dark it resembled the night sky. Swirling patterns were engraved on the outside, that seemed to come alive as they circled the band, a glittering trail. Nestled at the heart of the ring was a multifaceted stone, just as inky as the band, but speckled with tiny pinpoints of light, like stars. It pulsed with an inner radiance, a beauty I struggled to take my eyes off of.

Staring at it, I couldn’t resist the urge, and I slipped the ring onto my finger and instantly, I felt stronger. Powerful.

And I knew exactly what to do with it.

ChapterTwenty-Seven

Istood, not sparing Lexi another glance. Nia had recovered quickly from the blast, already weaving her healing spell over Lily. Wolfe kneeled beside her, gently patting Lily’s head and whispering soothing words to her. Beyond them, Oliver and Callan were back to engaging with Cas, who was sporting a new cut on his face, his clothes singed and dirty. They were in a standoff, all of them exhausted.

I strode closer. All three pairs of eyes dropped straight to my finger where the ring rested, a slow smile breaking across Cas’s face. “Give it to me, Olette! Give me the ring, and this can all be over with.”

I thrust my arms out, calling the wealth of power that resided in me to my command. It was easy. It flowed through to my palms, and I gasped at the color. My magic had always been yellow before, but now it was wrapped with a dark blue haze, a coolness settling over it as it crackled. Was this . . . Callan?

“True mates,” Oliver whispered, I think more to himself than anything.

“Oh, that’s just great.” Cas barked a laugh, throwing out an overdramatic eye roll. “True mates with the rogue. Of course.” I tried to wrap my head around what he was saying, my mind racing with millions of questions. How could Callan be my true mate when he had already been mated to Lexi? Was it possible for someone to have more than one mate?

“You’re done, Cas. Your halfling is dead. You’re stuck on this side of the realm.” We circled in on him and he took a step back, keeping a close eye on my lightning hands that were primed to go at full force.

His eyes flickered to a spot behind my head, and I tensed, just as a loud explosion rocked the earth and we were all knocked off center. Cas took advantage of the distraction, calling a strike of lightning down and beaming himself up with it. We turned, Roxy standing behind us, throwing magical charms that exploded upon impact. Cas appeared right behind her. We fired shots at them, but another witch ran up to join their side, her dark hair billowing in the wind as she threw her hands up, casting a wide shimmering shield. We branched out, and I threw blast after blast at it with no success, but it was no use.

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