"You're driving faster than usual," I muttered, shooting Cathy a sideways glance.
She flashed me a grin, her green eyes sparkling with a mix of worry and adrenaline. "We don't have time to waste."
Cathy braked hard in front of Rissa’s house, and I was out of the vehicle before it came to a complete stop. I burst through the front door, Cathy a few steps behind, and found Edward pacing in the living room, his face etched with worry.
"Where is she?" I demanded, dislike for him finding a way into my voice.
Edward gestured toward Rissa’s bedroom. "In there. I've tried everything I can think of, but nothing's working."
I brushed past him, my heart pounding in my chest as I crossed the threshold into the bedroom.
Rissa lay on the bed like a lifeless doll, her chest rising and falling with each shallow breath.
Cathy rushed to Rissa’s side, her fingers going to her wrist to check for a pulse. "Her heart rate is slow, way too slow."
I raked a hand through my hair, a frustrated growl building in my throat. Useless. I was utterly useless in this moment, all my abilities useless in the face of this specific threat.
Cathy glanced up at me, green eyes wide and worried. "Call Roma and Bran?"
I began to pace, my mind racing. Before calling Bran, the best mage I knew, we needed to gather more information.
Edward stepped into the room. I turned to face him.
His mouth was thin and clamped with what looked like worry. "I've tried every counterspell I know, but nothing seems to work. It's as if the magic is..."
He hesitated, glancing at Rissa's still form. I gestured for him to continue.
"It's as if it's woven into her very essence. I’ve tried everything I know to break it. Without calling in others to try, all we can do is wait."
I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to growl. I wanted to break something, but there’d be hell to pay if it was one of Rissa’s belongings.
Cathy pulled her phone out. “I’ll call.”
7
LUCE
I shuffledthe deck of cards for what felt like the hundredth time. Rissa lounged on the plush armchair across from me, her athletic frame curled into a deceptively casual pose.
We’d come up for air an hour ago and worrying at the prison around us had already made me irritable.
"This is ridiculous," I grumbled, tossing the cards onto the mahogany table between us. "Why can’t I come up with a way to bust us out of this fishbowl?"
Rissa arched an eyebrow at me, her expression an inscrutable mask. "Maybe you're just losing your touch. Slipping in your old age."
I leaned forward, my elbows braced against my knees as I fixed her with a pointed look. "Funny. Given what you are, you could blow this joint to smithereens if you wanted to. So why don't you just use some of that power you’re hiding under a bushel and blast us out of here?"
She bristled, her posture tightening almost imperceptibly. "Maybe this is an intelligence test for you."
I snorted, shaking my head. Of course she'd dodge the question. But I wasn't about to let it go that easily.
"Nice try, Rissa. I was there, remember? Back when you were in all your divine glory. It took every daemon, monster collaborator, and magical trinket we could scrape together just to banish your siblings." I jabbed a finger at her. "The goddess I watched could explode this trap with a snap of her fingers. Spare me the evasive taunts."
She glared at me, green eyes flashing with a warning I knew better than to ignore. I was dancing at the edge of thinnest ice.
I held up my hands in mock surrender, leaning back in my chair with a sigh. "Fine, keep your secrets. We still need to find a way to break out of this bottle. Before we get bored with sex, go stir-crazy and start using each other for target practice."
Rissa's lips twitched, the barest hint of a smirk. "Speak for yourself. I've got plenty of patience. You, on the other hand..."
