Before I’d even reached what I deemed a safe distance, I heard Hunter grunt, and then the sound of something falling to the ground.
I whirled around and a gasp flew from me. The wraith had reached Hunter, who’d probably been distracted by my dumb ass running away, and ripped open my partner’s thigh. Blood had already pooled on the floor around Hunter, who was clutching the gaping wound.
A low rumbling sound cut through my terror. The asshole demon was laughing.
“Stupid witchlings,” he chuckled, and black tendrils of magic began dripping from his fingertips to wrap around Hunter’s neck.
Oh hell no!
The guttural sounds of Hunter choking pushed me past my terror, and I rushed forward.
This had so not been the plan. My weak power and a few punches wouldn’t do shit against a demon. Hunter was supposed to be the hero of our squad.
But now Hunter depended on me.
I was halfway across the nursery when the demon wrenched his attention from choking out my partner and turned his glowing eyes my direction. He sneered and pulled the sinister tendrils tighter.
My heart stopped as Hunter wheezed.
“Music to my ears.” The demon hurled a bolt of black magic at my feet. “A perfect tune to dance to, wouldn’t you say, beautiful?”
A second ebony ball of energy soared past my shoulder, followed by another, and then another. I yelped and performed some fancy footwork that had me thankful for my dexterous feet. Yet even as I leapt and darted lithely out of the way, the demon was yanking the life from Hunter. Desperate to help, but unable to get closer, I directed a beam of pink power at the wraith. It floated across the room, its pace languid compared to the demon’s bullet-like magic.
The wraith’s eyes widened, and he swept my power to the side. “This is what Spellcasters sends to best me? Thank Hell!” He barked out a laugh. “My lords and ladies of darkness will see their time on Earth sooner than we hoped!”
My jaw tightened, and I shot another assault at him. Though this one was brighter and faster, the demon flicked it away and continued to roar.
“If that’s all you got, you’d do well to jump out that window and save yourself, witchling. Because this boy ismine.” The demon whipped around and gripped Hunter by his neck. “Open wide.” Black tendrils of magic rose from the floor, pooling around Hunter’s mouth and opening his jaw wider and wider.
I forgot how to breathe.He’ll possess Hunter. The demon will have access to Hunter’s powers on top of his own.
Throwing up a prayer to the universe, I sprinted across the room, watching in horror as the demon’s lips curled back, exposing razor-sharp teeth. Once they latched onto Hunter, only an incantation could force the demon out of him. As I hadn’t gotten any other incantations to work, I didn’t have hopes for this one.
God dammit! Why does my magic suck?!
“Say goodbye to your pretty boy.” The demon chuckled, and the sound of his mirth, juxtaposed with Hunter’s terror, sent rage bubbling over my fear.
“Over my dead body!” I roared and thrust out my hands.“Nex!”
As soon as the spell left my mouth, the unexpected happened.
Bright fuchsia magic burst from my palms, stopping me in my tracks and wrenching a gasp from my throat. It was power like I’d never seen, a million times faster and more potent than the watery pink power I’d grown used to seeing.
And it hit the demon square in the back.
He roared as the energy I’d produced seared a hole through his fiendish flesh. Black pus dripped to the floor, as smoke twisted and twirled upward. The wraith dropped Hunter, who scooted backward.
We both watched wide-eyed as a plume of blackness filled the room and the stench of sulfur from the demon’s rotting body threatened to overwhelm us. A second later, the demon’s body fell apart, like a stone turning to sand—albeit with a lot more goop.
I stared at the spot in disbelief.
“Holy shit,” Hunter rasped after a prolonged silence.
I shook myself back to the moment. “Are you okay?” I knelt at his side, and Hunter’s blood and acrid demon pus soaked the silk of my dress.
“Will be. Once we get back.”
As if his words had conjured it, the warphole expanded before us, and I blinked. Everything had happened so fast that I barely believed it. But ithadhappened. We’d done it. Hunter and I had passed the Samhain Trial.
