Forcing myself to act, I joined the others in firing on the magical creations. The gun bucked in my hand, so real that in seconds I totally forgot it was all make-believe. When any of our people were shot, their guns vanished from their hands, effectivelykillingthem.
Anytime all of us were killed, or all the intruders were killed, the spell reset, and we started all over. It was awe-inspiring and gave me a whole new appreciation for Sinthy’s powers. After three straight cycles of us defeating the intruders, the human forms and weapons all vanished.
It was so surprising and fast, like a light switch being flipped. I turned and saw Sinthy making her way to her feet, a tired smile on her lips.
“How was that?” she asked.
All I could do was laugh. “It was amazing.” I stepped closer so no one could hear our words. “Just how powerful are you?”
Her smile faded, and a shadow passed across her eyes. “Powerful enough for my family to be killed for it. My parents and I were probably the strongest witches on Earth. The royals coveted our power.”
It reminded me of all the young woman had lost. She had as much to gain from the fall of the royals as we did. Sinthy had spent her whole life working toward this final fight.
“Sinthy, that was outstanding,” Nico exclaimed. “It was so real. How often can you do that?”
“The first time is always the hardest. It should get easier to harness the spell each time I do it. Though, I doubt I could ever hold it for more than an hour.”
“This could be a game changer for training. I wish the other packs could experience this.”
“I can work on a spell that would work at a distance. It may not feel as real for them, but it might be better than nothing.”
“I don’t want you to drain yourself,” Nico said.
“It won’t drain me. Not as long as I get a chance to refuel and rest between trainings.”
“Amazing.” Nico took her hands in his. “Thank you. You’ve already done so much for us. You’ll have to tell me how I can repay you one day.”
Sinthy smiled sadly. “You’ve given me a family. Besides, we’re gonna take down Viola. That alone is enough for me.”
He patted her shoulder and nodded. “Thanks.” He turned and addressed everyone. “That’s enough for today. Get some rest.”
The crowd dispersed, leaving Nico and me alone. As Luis and Felipe hauled the gun cases back to the house, Nico pulled me aside.
“You did great, but next time I’d like you to stay farther from the action. I want you to learn, but if this were to happen for real, I’d prefer you have to defend yourself be a last resort.”
I’d been shot—andkilled—multiple times during Sinthy’s little mirage. If that had been a real fight, I’d be dead. I nodded. “Got it.”
He then grinned and looked over his shoulder toward the woods. I could almost taste his pent-up energy. Even knowing the fantasy hadn’t been real, my adrenaline had still spiked, andI wanted to work it off. From the look he gave me, Nico felt the same.
Grinning, he nodded to the trees. “You wanna go for a run?”
As an answer, I sprinted away from him, shifting as I did. Nico laughed behind me before he shifted and joined me. The wind in my fur and the scents and sounds of the forest exhilarated me. As we ran through the trees, an overwhelming sense of longing and desire hit me, along with a surge of heat across my whole body. I ran faster, my feelings toward Nico building with each minute. It was a strange and wonderful sensation.
114
NICO
That evening I called Tiago and shared the training mirage Sinthy had come up with. “Do you think the other alphas would want similar training?”
“If what you’re saying is true, I’d damn sure say so,” Tiago said.
“Okay. She said she needs to tweak the spell a bit, but she can do it. Apparently, it’ll get easier for her each time she does it. I really think this will help.”
“That sounds like a plan. I’ll discuss it with my son, and then I’ll get reach out to the other alphas. I think they’ll be on board.”
When I hung up, I was in a great mood. But my mood quickly soured when Maddy walked in, a look of frustration on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
