“I’ll tell you why, but only after the demon inside you comes out to play.”
Senator Smith’s spine straightened, and a bone-chilling smile that I’d never seen on his face stretched impossibly far over his chiseled cheekbones. “You want me to come out and play, little witchling?” he growled.
I took a nervous step back, and Senator Smith began to laugh, a low, rumbling, non-human sound.
“Oh . . . did I scare you?” The senator stuck his bottom lip out. “Pretty little things like yourself should be careful what you ask for.”
“Well, maybe you should be careful who you possess,” I shot back. “You were careless, if we’re the ones here to stop you.”
“Careless? Or brilliant?” The senator cocked his head, but before I could puzzle out what he meant, he charged.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Evellam!” Hunter thrust his hands out, and his magic surged, slamming into the demon-possessed senator.
Under the tide of magic, Mr. Smith began convulsing and whimpering. I winced, but kept alert. When the demon emerged from its victim, I wanted to be ready.
“Evellam!” Hunter yelled again. This time when his green power hit the senator, the man’s jaw cracked open wide, and the demon flew toward the door.
Spotting my opening, I shot a burst of pink magic across the room and swept the unconscious senator behind us, depositing him against the wall. If the demon wanted to possess Mr. Smith again, he’d have to go through Hunter and me first.
“Damnable witches!” The demon’s shriek lifted all the hairs on my body.
I whipped around to face the vile creature, and recoiled.These things are even more hideous in person.
The wraith’s skin was dark gray, the color of a rotting corpse, and slimy. His three rows of teeth glinted, sharp and jagged. His hand moved, and my eyes locked on his claws—half the length of my fingers, and dripping with slime. To top it all off, the wraith’s eyes shone an eerie garnet red.
Hunter moved, and I followed. We advanced just as we’d planned, Hunter at the forefront, green power flying from his palms. I flanked him, my magic primed to shield us from any demonic energies the wraith might spew.
Professor de Spina’s lessons ran through my head as we prowled forward. Wraiths were cunning. They had magic, but weren’t the most brutal fighters—just the smartest. We needed to expect sneaky attacks.
The thought had barely registered when the wraith leapt into the shadows of the massive nursery.
Shit. Right . . . And wraiths are difficult to see in the dark.
My eyes scanned the room, and I shook my head. Ethan Smith had way too many damn toys, most of them oversized. Hiding spotsaboundedin the vast, dark nursery.
“Turn on the light,” Hunter whispered.
“And separate?! But—”
“We need it, and I should stay central,” he cut me off.
I huffed an annoyed breath, but didn’t argue. Hunter was right.
“Okay, be ready.” I took one step, and then two, my gaze never leaving Hunter.
“Go,” he insisted. “I’ll be fine.”
Though my intuition screamed not to, I listened to Hunter. He wasn’t the third best wizard in our year for nothing. And the sooner I got the switch flipped, the quicker we could do away with the demon and get the hell out of here. I was across the room seconds later, my hand reaching out, touching the switch and then flipping it.
“Argh!” I wrenched my eyes shut as light flooded the room.
Hunter grunted. Neither of us had been considering that, which was pretty freaking dumb. We may be fighting a demon, but even a human knew . . .
I tensed as a cold, wet finger trailed across my collarbone. My eyes snapped open, and a scream ripped up my throat. The wraith stood right in front of me, three rows of sharp teeth bared, and crimson eyes gleaming.
My heel slammed down upon the beast’s instep. The demon screeched, and I bolted.
