Slipping past a fallen tree, I crouched as the coven came into view. Dressed in black robes, the witches stood in a circle three-deep. I couldn’t see past the witches on the outside, and I had a feeling Veronica had designed it that way. The witches in the outside circle were those who were disposable. Those who’d been recruited into the coven to be nothing but bullet fodder. If they’d had true power, they would’ve been in the inside circle, shielded from anyone who thought to attack.
One of the witches began to scream orders. “Find that bitch. Now!”
Hello, Veronica.
I recognized her as the voice of the attacker who’d attempted to take back my knife. I hoped she’d had to expend precious power creating a new one. I smiled as the underlings began to spread out, their movements uncertain. The fewer witches in my way, the easier it would be to hit those who were building their power.
Samael was in the middle of that circle. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel his rage down the end of the bond. I flipped the safety and sighted down the end of my gun. I’d only have a few shots before the witches panicked and the most powerful aimed their magic at me.
I aimed, waiting as one of the younger witches turned, gazing uneasily behind her. Veronica was staying hidden, but I now had a shot at one of the other witches in the inner circle. I steadied my hand, took one long breath and went still.
The shot took her in the forehead and she was dead before she knew what was happening. Screams sounded, and I picked off two more witches as the outer circles scattered.
Something snatched at me, pulling me from where I was crouched on the ground. I was suddenly in the air and rising fast, the sound of wings flapping as someone held me by the back of my t-shirt. I aimed my gun up, but it was snatched from my hand and dropped into the small clearing below us. I angled my head until I could see the demon.
Botis. He was the traitor.
He grinned at me, taking me high above the circle. “Safe flight, bounty hunter.” He dropped me.
I bent my knees but the ground was uneven.
My ankle snapped like a twig.
26
Danica
Ascream ripped from my throat as I landed in the circle. Across from me, Samael met my eyes.
If I’d thought I felt rage down the end of the bond before, that was a shadow compared to what I felt now. Samael’s fury was vicious, eating at me with sharp, pointed teeth.
They’d bled him. He was covered in so much blood I couldn’t tell where he was bleeding from. Each of Samael’s limbs was encircled with Naud Chains and my heart skipped a beat. Had they somehow stolen them from the Mage Council? Or had someone given them to them?
The chains encircled a fallen tree trunk. Without the Naud Chains eating his power, Samael could’ve ripped every one of the witches apart with a single thought. He was lounging against the tree trunk as if he was at the beach, his face blank. But the look in his eyes as they met mine made me shiver. That look told me quite clearly that he was tempted to rip my head off himself.
Botis landed next to me, and then his arms surrounded my body in a bear hug, holding my arms against my sides as several witches stripped me of my knives. I threw my head back and smashed it into Botis’s nose. He cursed, dropping his hands and my head swam as the witches moved away and he let go. I leaned to one side, puking noisily. Mental note: don’t use your head as a weapon when you already have a head wound.
Veronica approached. The hard lines around her mouth made her look older than she had in her Facebook profile picture. She laughed at me and I shivered. Yep, she was definitely the woman who’d tried to have us both killed when she came after the knife.
“You’re going to learn to respect your betters, you little bitch.”
I rolled my eyes. “What am I supposed to respect? Your shit-brown ward? I broke it, dummy.”
Veronica snarled. Then a slow smile crept across her face and she took one step closer. She lifted her leg and swung. Her foot met my broken ankle and my vision went white as pain engulfed me.
I must’ve passed out for a few moments, because when I next opened my eyes, Veronica was on the other side of the circle, murmuring something to the witch next to her. I squinted, fighting through more nausea.
Mary.
My ankle throbbed like an open wound. They’d taken my gun and most of my knives, but they hadn’t checked my boot. I’d only have one chance at freedom, and I needed to wait until the moment was right.
“Look at me,” Samael said softly and I did. “You shouldn’t have come here.”
“That’s not helpful. How’d you let your ass get kidnapped anyway?” His eyes went cold and I shivered as he stared past me. Botis pulled Mary into his arms, smacking a kiss on her lips. He turned and winked at us.
Mary held up her phone and played a recording. On it, my voice sounded, high and desperate as I screamed for mercy. I glanced at Samael and my heart flipped. Someone had sent him that. His demons had been busy searching for their traitor, so he’d only brought one man for backup with him. And that backup had betrayed him.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
