Wynn hissed. The searing heat was becoming unbearable. Along with the sensation of being crushed. She wanted answers, but maybe it was time to consider how the hell she was going to get away from this dragon. She needed Azh to determine who she could trust.
Covertly she attempted to move her feet, not surprised when they were still trapped in the magic.
“If we’re connected, then why didn’t you help when the corruption was attacking me?” she demanded, trying to keep the dragon distracted as she sorted through her limited options.
Herverylimited options.
Gabriela clicked her tongue. “Obviously I’m still trapped by the magical barrier that surrounds this place. Once I’m released I promise you’ll never be in danger again.”
Wynn wasn’t comforted by the promise. “How do you intend to get released?”
“I’ll store the remainder of my power inside you, and once you’re away from this place, I can take it back.” Gabriela curved her lips into a smile that sent a chill down Wynn’s spine. “We’ll both be free.”
Wynn sucked in a sharp breath, recalling Gabriela’s explanation for why she’d rescued Wynn from the bloodthirsty coven.
“That’s what you meant when you said I could release you fromyour prison.”
“You are the only vessel capable of containing so much magic.”
Wynn shook her head. “I don’t want it.”
“It won’t be yours for long. Once my power is fully transferred I can escape through the barrier and reclaim it. You’ll be free to return to your life.”
“And if I don’t want to be your vessel?”
“You have no choice.” The smile widened as Gabriela waved her hand toward the gaping hole. “I’ve gone to a lot of effort to bring you here.”
Effort? What did she mean? The strand of magic that was growing inside Wynn? No. A tendril of smoke wafted through the air. A residue from the fire that had smoldered beneath the cauldron that was now at the bottom of the pit. Along with the witch who’d been haunted by the dead.
“Charlotte.”
“She didn’t have the power to shatter the barrier, but she was able to give me a small opening to reach out to you.”
Wynn felt a pang of sympathy for the poor witch who’d been tormented into believing her coven was calling out to her, but it was quickly smothered. She’d worry about the various people the female had used and abused once she had some much-needed distance between them.
“That’s why your power suddenly started interfering with my magic,” she said, allowing the darkness spell she’d tapped into earlier to flow through her blood. She wasn’t sure it was going to do anything but piss off the dragon, but it was all she had. She had to make it work. “And that was how the corruption got out. It was you.”
There was a surge of white-hot air as Gabriela spread the translucent wings that she’d had tucked against her back. At the same time, her eyes blazed with a fiery determination.
“It doesn’t matter. You’re finally here where I need you and it’s time to put an end to my confinement.”
“No.” Wynn held out her hands as if she were pleading for mercy. At the same time, she prepared to release the spell. “I’m not going to take any more of your magic. Not until I know for certain who and what you are.”
“You don’t have a choice.” Gabriela snapped her fingers. “Come here.”
Wynn smiled. “No one tells me what to do.”
Releasing the spell, Wynn felt a surge of relief as the magic abruptly cloaked them in a thick darkness that not only hid her from view but shattered the invisible bonds holding her captive, as if Gabriela had been distracted by the unexpected attack.
Her relief, however, was brief. Turning to flee, she gasped as a wall of crimson flames erupted from the large rocks that formed the circle. The heat blasted through the air, searing against her skin that was still raw.
Wynn snarled in frustration. Unless she was willing to walk through dragon fire, she was trapped.
Spinning around, she could start to see the crimson outline of Gabriela. Dammit. The female was using her magic to cut through the thick shroud of darkness. Any minute and she would have battled through the darkness and Wynn would be completely at her mercy...
Wait. Wynn was distracted from her fatalistic thoughts as another faint glow pierced the shadows. It was a silvery light coming from the ground.
Briefly confused, Wynn suddenly realized the glow was coming from the pit where Gabriela had been hiding. The one that had recently swallowed Charlotte and perhaps even Azh.
