“Vaughn,” Xi said, and from his tone, this guy was as deadly as he sounded.
A woman followed him.She was younger—late twenties maybe—but she had pure white hair, olive-toned skin, and a tattoo at her temple.Xi didn’t address her, so either he didn’t recognize her or she wasn’t a threat.
Leander wasn’t willing to bet the second was true, not if Druwolf had sent her.He stepped in front of Heng.Unfortunately, Heng moved to Leander’s side and brought his hands up in a defensive pose.Gritting his teeth, Leander quashed the urge to call Heng an idiot.With his magic damaged, he couldn’t fight these people.Instead, he focused on drawing and distilling the plant magic he’d dragged with him from the market.
“I didn’t think I’d see you here, cop.”
“Surprise,” Xi said dryly.
“Fuck you, and fuck this traitor.Where’s the boy?”Vaughn raised his hands, and the surrounding shadows darkened, several reaching for Xi.Shit.He controlled shadows too.Leander looked at Xi in panic, but he was focused on Vaughn, sweat breaking out along his hairline.He was using his own shadow magic, but as much power as Xi had, his magic was bruised.
Leander concentrated the pepper magic he held, drawing it down from the air and holding it close to him.He had to let go of several other threads to manage it, but he finally got enough to be a lethal dose.Raising his hands, he pushed the magic toward Vaughn.The asshole was so focused on Xi he didn’t twitch as death approached.
The woman raised her arm, but Heng grabbed a small chunk of broken concrete from the floor and flung it at her with remarkable accuracy.With a cry, she stumbled back, blood dripping from a cut on her forehead, and Leander shoved the magic of the peppers into Vaughn.he choked immediately.Tears ran down his cheeks, and he gasped for air, his breathing ragged and pained.
Within seconds, Vaughn couldn’t make any sound at all.His chest heaved as though he was trying to draw breath, but his throat had closed.His body jerked and spasmed before he tumbled to the ground.Xi took several steps back, and even from this angle, Leander could see his shock and horror.
“You asshole,” the woman screamed, and she threw her hands up.Heng had been in the middle of launching another piece of concrete, but wind blasted him, knocking him off his feet and slamming him to the ground hard enough that he didn’t get back up.
Leander scrambled to gather the plant magic he had released when focusing on the peppers.Wisps of it still hung in the air, but too much had dissipated.The woman raised a hand toward Leander, and he stumbled back, bracing himself for a wind attack.She launched her wind at the same time as shadows wrapped around her body.Leander was thrown back several feet, but he stayed on his feet.
The woman turned her attention to Xi.Wind crashed through the warehouse, and even at the edge of the attack, Leander felt the bitter cold in his bones.Xi was knocked to his knees, and he shivered.When Leander couldn’t find enough magic around him to form another attack, he took a lesson from Heng and picked up a chunk of concrete.Only he didn’t throw it.He charged the woman, his impromptu weapon held high.
She turned on him, and ice clawed at Leander’s skin.He tried to press forward, but his muscles shook so much he fell to one knee.She looked at him with such vicious glee that Leander knew he was about to die.Even the fear wasn’t enough to give him the strength to get off the floor, though.She raised her hand, but before she could gather her weather magic again, shadows crawled up her body, tendrils encircled her head, and she gave one scream that was cut off as shadows covered her mouth and nose.
Like with Vaughn, her body jerked, and she clawed her face—the shadows solid enough to suffocate her.Her struggles slowed before she fell to the floor.Leander turned to Xi.He was still on the floor, as was Heng, but his hand was raised and sweat dripped from his chin.With bruised magical pathways, creating solid shadows must have been an unbearable pain.
Leander took a step toward Xi, but he froze as a slow clap echoed through the warehouse.
“My, my.I had not expected to find such trouble on this trip.I suppose I shall have to handle this problem myself.”Cadell stepped out from behind a half-crumbled wall.Druwolf’s second-in-command had come for them himself, and the darkness around him was much more terrifying than Xi’s shadows.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Leander had once thoughtCadell radiated darkness, and that had never been more true.He stepped out of the shadows radiating menace.
“Cadell,” Leander whispered.
