His face was white and drawn. He looked like agony was tearing him apart. Just how I felt. Tears welled in my eyes as I struggled to stay upright. But he managed to draw his sword and turn toward the demons.
What the hell was going on? Panic made my heart race.
The little white demon hurled another blade. I was too weak and slow to stop it, and it sank into my thigh.
I ignored the demon who was hurling blades at me and looked to the mage with the package. I had one job here, and I had to finish it.
Shaking, I dragged a blade from the ether and hurled it at him, but weakness made my aim wonky.
The mage dodged the steel, pulling a little stone from his pocket.
“Lachlan!” I screamed. “Transport charm!”
But Lachlan was fighting for his life. His skill was still incredible—I’d never seen someone fight so well. Not even me and Bree, and that was saying something. But his speed was like that of a normal man’s—not the crazy whirlwind I’d seen before. And he used no magic. Where the hell was his magic?
He was incredible with his blades, but he was far outnumbered by enormous demons. He needed his magic. They were overpowering him, delivering as many cuts as he gave to them.
My gaze darted to the mage with the package. He hurled a stone to the ground. Glittery black dust puffed up, and he stepped inside, disappearing.
I stumbled to my knees, pain taking me down.
The little white demon approached me, a grin on his face. The dagger gripped in his hand gleamed, but he didn’t throw it. Clearly he wanted to make the kill up close.
“Bastard.” I spit. Pain tore through my thigh and my shoulder where his other blades had hit.
I called a dagger from the ether, but came up short.
I was out.
Shit.
So I called on my sword.
On the other side of the room, the five demons abandoned their attack on Lachlan so they could race to the dissipating cloud of glittery black dust. They leapt through it, escaping the sewers before the transportation charm faded.
I staggered to my feet, facing the demon who approached.
I couldn’t kill him—I needed to be able to question him.
He took one look at my blade, then my face. Indecision flickered over his ugly mug, and he hurled his knife. I dodged, barely, and the steel sliced over my arm.
“Bitch,” he hissed, then ran.
He sprinted for the last of the black cloud. It was nearly gone. He might not make it. Too weak to chase, I threw my sword. It hurtled end over end and then plowed into his leg. He stumbled, giving it one last burst of speed, and made it through the glittery cloud, disappearing.
I stumbled to my knees.
Shit.
Triple shit.
“What happened?” I croaked.
Lachlan didn’t answer. He was laid out on the ground on the other side of the room, surrounded by the disappearing bodies of the demons he’d felled.
I crawled to him, my wounds aching. Blood dripped down my arms and thigh, leaving a gruesome trail.
Lachlan was rising to sit, his face twisted in pain. Gashes covered his torso, the claws of some demon that had gone to town once he’d shifted back to his human form.
“Are you all right?” His gaze trailed over my body, concern replacing the usual blankness.
“Sorta?” I wasn’t quite sure. The pain and blood loss were making me woozy. “You?”
“Same.” Pain echoed in his voice, and frustration.
We’d lost the lead.
He dug into his pocket and withdrew a little vial. He uncorked it and took a tiny sip, leaving the vast majority of the potion in the bottle. Then he handed it to me. “Drink.”
I didn’t ask questions, just swilled the liquid. Warmth and comfort flowed through me immediately, relaxing my muscles and clearing my mind.
“What’s in that stuff?” I asked.
“Healing potion. Enough for one.”
“Thanks for sharing.” My wounds weren’t fully healed, but they were a bit better. Enough that I had the strength to stand.
So did he, staggering to his feet.
I stumbled toward the body of a disappearing demon. Its arms and legs were almost invisible now as the body returned to the underworld. I fell to my knees and dug through the creature’s pockets. Demons didn’t normally carry ID, but maybe I’d get lucky.
On the other side of the room, Lachlan did the same.
After a minute, there wasn’t enough of the demon left to search.
“I’ve got nothing,” I said.
“Aye, same here.”
I staggered toward him. He wasn’t looking much better.
“What the hell happened to us?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Felt like my magic was being sucked out,” he said.
“Can you make a portal?”
“I can try.” He held out his hand. His magic barely flared.
Shit.
Slowly, a hazy portal appeared. Sweat dotted his brow, and his arm shook.
“Go!” he said.
I leapt through, letting the ether suck me in.
7
After a whirlwind ride, the ether spat me out in a field in the country. The moon shined brightly, and night bugs made a racket, chirping and screeching. I stumbled away from the portal exit, and Lachlan appeared, staggering.
“That was the last of my magic.” His voice was strained, weak.
Fear turned my blood to ice. What was happening to us?
“Where are we?” I asked. We needed to be somewhere safe to figure this out.
“My country home.” He pointed behind me, and I turned, spotting a pretty manor house that looked historic, though I couldn’t pinpoint an age.
My feet felt like lead as I staggered toward it. Lachlan wrapped an arm around my waist, supporting me. Together, we stumbled toward the large stone barn in the backyard.
The heavy wooden door looked impossibly heavy as we neared. Lachlan pressed his right hand to a metal medallion set into the wood, and it glowed golden.
Magic sparked, and the door swung open. We stepped inside.
The scents of hundreds of magics bombarded me. Tables were cluttered with all manner of magical tools, herbs, and jars. He led me to one, his trembling hands seeking two large blue vials.
He handed one to me. “Drink.”
I gripped the container in one hand, sinking to my knees near the wall. Apparently I’d lost more blood than I’d thought. I spun around to sit with my back against the wall. He joined me, and we quickly swilled our potions.
I rested my head against the stone wall as warmth and strength flowed through my body. Through bleary eyes, I stared at the ceiling above.
“It’s a full dose.” His voice sounded stronger. “You should feel better in a bit.”
“You only travel with one potion?”
“I’m used to working alone.”
“Maybe bring two from now on?”
He chuckled. “I will.”
My vision began to clear as my body healed. Suddenly, I realized that I was leaning against his shoulder. His heat burned me, making my breath catch. I looked over at him, catching sight of him looking at me.
His dark eyes were warm as they traveled over my face.
My heart thundered.
Why did people call him cold? He wasn’t that way. Not with me.
It almost looked as if he were leaning toward me, his eyes on my lips. Then reality seemed to hit him, and he looked away. The shutters closed over his eyes again. “We have a problem. Two problems.”
“Our magic and the spell.”
“Aye. Something happened back there. I had no control. My magic leached away like water pouring out of a tipped-over bucket. And when I made the portal to come here, it felt like I was using up the last of my power.”
“My shield just faltered and died.” Which actually wasn’t that weird. My magic had been going haywire lately. But I’d felt the same pain he had, and it definitely felt like something was even more wrong inside of me. Though there was kind of an explanation for my magic faltering, there wasn’t one for Lachlan. Or for the pain we’d felt.
That was the scary part.
Lachlan climbed to his feet.
“What are you doing?” I really didn’t want to get up yet. Though my wounds no longer stung, every part of me ached. It felt like I’d run a marathon. No, two marathons.
“I’m going to test my magic. I won’t go far. Stay here.” His voice was unusually gentle. He looked away quickly, then went to the open door and stepped out. True to his word, he went no farther.