My sisters and I moved to Michel’s position in the binding circle while the other Guardians took theirs. Each carried the preserved gris-gris bag from their family. Dre was holdingMichel’s. Claude raised his grandmother's trumpet. The brass instrument gleamed with more than reflected sunlight.
Cecilia Ashford lifted her hands. The earth elemental had appeared at Willowberry sometime while we'd been running around the city, tackling one crisis after another. Thank the gods, too, because now she was taking charge. Without the seasoned Guardian, we would be screwed.
"The Ashford bloodline offers earth strength and the power of growing things," Cecilia said as her blood, thick with the scent of rich soil, splattered onto the stones. "Guardian representatives, provide your blood offering," she told them.
A Light Fae, Elena Beauregard, pricked her finger with a silver blade. Lifting it, she let drops of luminescent blood fall onto the ancient stone. "The Beauregard line offers light magic and protection against shadow." Her blood started glowing like captured starlight where it hit the ground.
Isabella Marigny was a water witch. She could also call storms when she was really pissed. She drew her ritual blade across her wrist. "The Marigny family offers the power of tides and tempests," she intoned as she cast a spell. Her blood ran blue-green like ocean depths as her enchantment took effect.
Claude raised his trumpet and blew out a few notes before he set it aside to cut his thumb with a tuning fork he pulled from the instrument’s case. "I offer the magic of sound and harmony," he proclaimed. His blood sang a single pure note as it struck stone.
Thomas drew a blade across his forearm. "I offer communion with the dead and the wisdom of spirits," he declared. His blood carried the chill of tombstones and the whispers of the departed.
Margaret opened a vein with her sanctuary knife. "The Boudreaux family offers shelter magic, and the power of nature," she announced. Her blood gleamed with protective wards.
That left the Drake family spot. The corrupted bloodline that had started this whole mess. The six of us sisters clusteredtogether. The success of this fight boiled down to our being able to trick an ancient binding ritual. Easy peasy, right?
"The ritual requires seven bloodlines," Cecilia reminded us. "You have the essence of the Drake line. The six of you can channel that fallen bloodline's power. Their blood magic and shapeshifting abilities are essential to the success.”
“Combine your magic and temporarily bind the blood to your magic," Adèle advised us. “Your genetics make the six of you uniquely able to do this. You possess all of the necessary powers.” If only we could shift into our dragon forms and chomp on the Collector.
Dre held up the gris-gris bag. Its leather surface pulsed with contained power. "The Drake family is ready," she said.
"This is dangerous as hell," I muttered when I felt the corruption in the bag. It was like an itch I couldn't scratch. "Channeling a fallen bloodline could mess us up permanently."
"I will anchor you," Adèle promised. "The six families will keep the ritual grounded while you channel the Drake power. I ensure it does not taint your power."
Above us, the air began to darken as the Collector's influence pressed harder against whatever concealment spells were keeping us hidden. Shadows gathered, and frost started forming on the ancient oaks despite the Louisiana heat. We were out of time.
"You need to do this now," Cecilia barked.
Dre tore open the gris-gris bag, spilling the mixture of blood and herbs onto the stones at our feet. The moment it hit the ground, our magic slammed into it like a tsunami. I focused on temporarily binding the blood the second it ignited. Power surged through all six of us as the corrupted bloodline essence bonded to our magic. It felt wrong for my energy to merge with something so dark. It was like swallowing poison that alsohappened to be rocket fuel. With no other choice, I pushed through.
"Holy shit," Dani gasped, making me clutch her hand tighter. Adèle’s power washed through us, as her magic wrapped around our consciousness like a safety net. It kept us anchored while we channeled the fallen bloodline's strength.
"Hold steady," Cecilia commanded, raising her hands as power began building around the circle. "Now we reinforce the prison."
Magic exploded around us like a fireworks show on steroids. Seriously, I'd seen some wild shit in my time, but this? This was like watching the universe have a laser-focused mission. Streams of power—thick as my torso and twice as determined—rocketed skyward from every conceivable angle. They werepurposeful, writhing and pulsing with a single-minded drive. We were witnessing something extraordinary.
The magical columns twisted upward. Each one radiated unwavering resolve. One crackled with electric power, tasting like copper pennies. Another undulated with shadow-dark energy that hummed with steady hatred. A third blazed with fire so pure and focused it made my eyeballs water from the sheer intensity of its commitment.
They slammed together overhead with the subtlety of a freight train meeting a brick wall. It wove into a dome that bore down like the world's most pissed-off security system. The magic wasworking, and working hard. Each pulse of energy hammered against the invisible prison walls like a blacksmith. It was reinforcing every crack, every weak spot, and every place the Collector might have been slowly chipping away at his cage.
I could feel the prison solidifying between dimensions. That got the Collector’s attention. He wasn't going down without a fight. The bastard was pushing back. His malevolent energy pressed against his cage like acid trying to eat through steel.Every time our magic reinforced a section, his rage spiked. His power clawed at the barriers with the desperation of something that knew this was its last shot at freedom.
The magical dome pulsed and strained as our protective spells battled his attempts to break free. It was like watching the world's most terrifying tug-of-war. The prison walls were getting stronger andfighting. Our combined magic was wrestling with his dark power. The sensation made my soul want to hide under a blanket.
"It's working," Margaret breathed with a smile.
A smile spread across my face, and I turned to Dani who was beaming back at me. That was when Michel Drake materialized like a nightmare given flesh. He had transformed him into something barely human. His skin was as gray as old bone. His eyes were black pits that seemed to suck in light. And shadows writhed around him like living things. The moment he appeared, the Drake essence we were channeling went haywire, trying to answer his call.
"You will not complete this binding!" he snarled as power erupted from his twisted body in waves of malevolent energy.
"Lia! Kota!" Dre shouted over the magical chaos. "Handle him! We need to maintain the bloodline connection!"
I didn't hesitate. My witch fire blazed as I threw myself at Michel. If I could distract him, they could complete the ritual. Behind me, Kota shifted mid-leap. Her human form dissolved in a shimmer of scales. Where a woman had been launching herself through the air, a compact dragon now soared. It was sleek and deadly. She moved with lightning speed that her human shape never could have matched. I threw a magical bomb at Michel.
The asshole caught my first strike and hurled me across the square. Fortunately, Kota was already on him. Her compact dragon body twisted through the air like liquid mercury. Her claws were extended and glittering with fire. She raked themacross his rotted flesh with surgical precision. Her smaller size allowed her to dart in and out before he could react. Dark blood sprayed, hissing where it hit the ancient stones.
