I really missed working alone.
“I’m just going to…” I took out a casing and pretended to break it against my blade while moving to shield my movements. “I have this spell here which should subdue the volatile magic…” My voice drifted away into mumbles.
He leaned forward to ask another question, but before he could get it out, I steadied myself and struck, aiming to tear through the thick, gooey magic as fast as possible. My blade sliced in and slowed. The working was much more intricate and intense than it had appeared. The mage had disguised the real meat of the thing, which was now sucking the power from my sword. Once depleted, the spell would attach to me like a leech, stealing my life with each beat of my heart.
Hell’s doorbell. This was very tricky spell working.
Straining with effort, sweat beading on my forehead, I pushed more power into my sword. It slogged through, fighting. Losing. Only halfway to the ground, its power was almost depleted.
Tapping into my life force, where I could store magic like a battery, I pumped more into the sword. My sword turned an angry shade of red, and black tendrils ran through the wall, crystallizing it.
My arms were quivering, but my shining blade was once again making progress. Breathing hard, knowing the spell needed direct contact with my magic—not through the sword—I summoned a tiny bit of fire. It flicked along the bottom of my blade, hopefully not noticeable to the nosy parker looking over my shoulder, and seeped into the spell. The fabric of the spell tore, little by little at first, then faster as I bled in more fire. My toes tingled and spikes of pain jabbed my eyes and temples. My power was almost out.
“Blood would be good about now,” I said through a clenched jaw, squeezing my eyes shut against the pain and putting everything I had into the sword, cleaning out the corners of my body and wringing myself dry.
“My blood can help revive you, not lend power,” Darius said, his face suddenly close but his voice so far away.
“Almost.” The word fell from my lips, vague and wispy. I should’ve risked using more of my direct power in front of Darius. The decision to protect my secret might’ve been my undoing. “Almost.” The last of the power gushed from my blade. The spell unraveled in a whoosh. Metal snapped. I saw black.
Chapter Nine
“That’s better. Yes, drink,” a deep, sexy voice urged me. A strong arm held me tightly against a rock-hard body. “Drink.”
The sweetest elixir I’d ever tasted dripped past my lips and exploded on my tongue. I couldn’t even describe the flavor, only that it was the best thing I’d ever had the pleasure of tasting in my entire life. Joy and adrenaline surged through my core, blossomed in my middle, and blasted into all the dark, depleted magical wells inside my skin. My life’s force filled up and overflowed, a feeling that made me want to laugh manically. Even my skin felt healthier. My head fuller. My nails stronger.
The dripping stopped and I groped wildly for more, finding a smooth face and latching my palms on to the cheeks. I claimed the full, warm lips, which quickly moved against mine. Passion rose up between us. A moan welled in my throat. But as good as it felt, the taste of that delicious, lifesaving decadence was missing.
I pushed away. Sunlight danced in my eyes, but I didn’t have to squint. The most beautiful man, with gorgeous honey eyes, gazed down at me. His muscular arms held me on his lap as we sat in the middle of a bright green meadow. Wildflowers danced and played in the soft breeze, their movements like laughter. His hard, pulsing heat pushed against my butt.
Ten feet from where we huddled together, two bodies entwined as one, stood a cream-colored, regal animal. Light glowed from around it, and rainbows flickered when it moved.
“No fucking way.” I blinked a million times it seemed like, laughing, or maybe crying, from joy as I beheld the most glorious animal that had ever walked the Brink or the Realm. “Am I tripping on acid?”
“In a way.”
Oh man, that voice was sexy. Perfectly tuned for my listening pleasure.
Speaking of pleasure…
I leaned my head back as kisses trailed down my neck, making me shiver. When Darius sucked in the sensitive skin on my neck, I twisted so I could wrap my legs around his middle. His hardness was now right where I needed it. If it weren’t for these danged clothes, he could enter me. Over and over.
“Taste me,” I groaned as a fang trailed along my artery. “Take me, Darius.”
His fingers snaked through my hair and he made a fist, clutching tightly. His other hand hardened at the base of my neck, trapping me in his hold. A surge of desperation overcame me—a need so strong that I was panting with desire.
“Yes,” I cried, gyrating against him. “Yes. Harder.”
He shook me a little, proving his dominance. Ready to claim what was his. In contrast, his lips glided softly across my fevered skin, leaving a trail of scorching wetness.
This seemed so right in the presence of that great animal. Mating. Bonding. Celebrating life.
What the hell?
Shock, fear, and—most importantly—reality bitch-slapped me.
Have I gone fucking crazy?
I tried to struggle away, but Darius wouldn’t release his hold. The dull, delicious ache of fangs pressed on my skin, ready to puncture. “Don’t you fucking dare, Darius!”
I slapped my hands to the sides of his face and dug my thumbs into his eyes. His grip loosened. He flinched away. I used the space to my advantage by hooking my arms under his and ripping them upward, flinging his hands off. I hopped up and wobbled across the meadow, patting my body to make sure my weapons were in place. Once I was far enough away, I turned back and prepared to physically fight the man while I mentally fought his effect on me.