My attention was drawn back to Brett, his skin a fiery opalescence within the flames. The fire spread over the wall several feet past the circumference of the sphere of fire that enclosed him. The marble didn’t char nor melt, it simply seemed to be consumed without residue.
When at last Brett lowered his arms, his skin glistened, slowly dimming, as if the fire were retreating back inside his core.
Through the now-open space, Cynthia rose from the bed and strode with calm determination toward Brett.
Wordlessly, she stepped up to him, her body only inches from his, and craned her neck up to look him fully in the face. Raising her hand, she placed her palm on his cheek.
I gasped as fire ignited over the side of Brett’s face, half expecting him to scream in pain. The impulse was stupid, as fire couldn’t harm a demon, but it was so unexpected. As we watched, the flames seemed to separate from Brett’s skin and encompass Cynthia’s hand. They grew in size and brightness as the embers flickered over her upper arm, descending toward her face. By the time the fire reached her shoulders, however, her body seemed to have absorbed the flames.
Cynthia nodded to him, almost as if in thanks, then looked toward us.
If seeing her interaction with Brett hadn’t been proof enough, when her fear had made it nearly impossible for her to be in the same room with him before, the power in her eyes confirmed she’d become something new, someone we didn’t quite know.
As if emerging from a chrysalis, Cynthia stepped past Brett and out of her prison. Within a few feet, she was before us. She paused in front of Caitlin and touched her face, the same as she had with Brett.
“Cynthia, no!” For a horrifying moment, I expected to see fire consume Caitlin. At her flinch, it would seem Cate had feared the same thing.
Ignoring me, Cynthia leaned closer and kissed Caitlin’s cheek, then pulled away.
She touched my face in the same manner, kissing me in turn.
She was still Cynthia. I could feel my sister, the familiar bond between us still there, but barely. She felt foreign. Not only less like family, but less like any witch I’d ever known. The sensation reminded me vaguely of the Square, for some reason. More benign than evil, but it scared me just the same. More than ever, I was glad she hadn’t stayed imprisoned any longer. Our sister might have disappeared completely.
I’d expected tears and hugs and a rush of emotion from all three of us. Instead, Caitlin and I matched Cynthia’s silence. Somehow both of us knew she wasn’t going to respond any more than she already had.
When I looked back at Brett, he stood beside the werewolf and was tying the string of his shorts. He glanced up and caught my eye.
The six of us stood there, matching the stillness of the place.
Finally, Newton’s monotone voice broke the silence. “Well then, let’s do this.”
Forty-Five
BRETT WRIGHT
Floating inthe air under a sheet was the last way I would have chosen to enter a room filled with vampires, even if it was a golden and jewel-encrusted sheet. I already didn’t feel up to the challenge, and even less so when I wasn’t supposed to move any part of my body.
Apparently the bait and switch had been Newton’s idea. Though I didn’t like it, I had to admit it made sense. If I walked through the room looking all demon-like, the fighting would be instantaneous. This way, Finn, Schwint, and I could at least get fully into the room.
“Wait!” Newton’s hushed whisper startled me, and I flinched, which only caused me to dip awkwardly in the air. This was going to cure any desire I’d ever had to be able to fly.
Irritation laced Schwint’s words as he answered back. “Newton, we don’t have any more time.”
Even with the silencing spell Caitlin had cast to keep our voices from being heard by the vampires in the room, the murmured tones on the other side of the sheet seemed to be screams.
“He looks like a man under the sheet. They’ll notice it instantly.”
A pause followed, and I assumed they were looking at me levitating a few feet off the ground. I probably looked like a cadaver being wheeled down to the morgue, sans gurney.
Another second passed, and I felt fluttering around my feet.
Schwint spoke up, his voice closer to my head. “You think that will work, Finn? I haven’t seen the mers yet.”
“Looks like a tail to me. Good thinking, Newton. I should have thought of that earlier.”
“We’ll wait for your call.” I strained to hear the fairy walking away but then realized he was probably flying. No steps to hear. The others were waiting just around the corner. Close enough to hear if things went south—whenthings went south—but out of sight of the doorway.
Without any other warning, I heard a door creak open, and my body floated forward of its own accord. I simultaneously focused on being ready to spring into action and keeping my nerves under control. The ploy wouldn’t give us any advantage if I burst into flames.
