“Damien,” I hissed.
“What? You’re mine. Everyone knows that,” he countered with a wink as he shadow-traveled us into Norman's lab below the library.
“We could have just done that from the start.” I stepped back.
“Could have, but it wouldn't have been as much fun.” He winked, causing me to blush again.
Norman and Trixie stumbled out of the nearby closet, and Damien tilted his head. “See, little bird. We weren't the only ones.”
Trixie and Norman both rolled their eyes.
“I'm glad you are here.” Norman adjusted his shirt and cleared his throat before stepping toward a glass container containing one of the human specimens from yesterday’s attack.
“It’s a warded container so our powers are not affected outside of the container. Tabitha and Trixie were able to form a new type of ward that can counteract the effects of the tourmalyke. I actually have a suit you can put on to use your powers in there with it now.”
A protective ward to maintain our powers, even when the tourmalyke was being used, was one of the most useful things I’d heard of in a while.
“Do you think you can put the wards in a bracelet or something?” I asked.
Trixie nodded with a big smile on her face. “Yes, actually. Tabitha is working on that right now. We should have them ready in about a week. We’re trying to make a ton of them for our allies.”
“That’s amazing.” Relief spread through me at not having to worry about our powers being drained by a crystal. Alister getting shot had terrified me, and the thought of being up against strength like the specimens possess without our powers made me horrified.
“No chance that they would also work for the relic’s effects?” Damien ran a hand through his hair and stepped forward, studying the container.
Trixie’s smile faltered. “Not sure, but I definitely wouldn't test it.”
“Better than nothing,” Norman reminded her as Damien focused in on the specimen but growled. “My telekinesis isn't working at all. Even with the wards.”
“Well, that's because the wards spell is cast on the container, keeping the effects of the crystal within it. Whereas the bracelets we are making will be altered to not allow the effects to bother the individual wearing the bracelet.”
“Two sides of the same coin.” Norman waved his hand back and forth. “I was thinking I can open this thing up, send you in it with the suit, and you can see if it talks.” Norman crossed his arms.
Damien blew out a breath. “Essentially, these specimens are the same exact thing as before. The only difference is the tormalyke, right?”
“Well, that's mostly true—”
“Then it can't feel pain, so I'm not getting much out of this.”
“But it's fun, isn't it?” Norman tilted his head.
Damien’s lips tugged into a cruel smile. “Only if I had a new toy to torture with.”
“I have just the thing.” Norman’s eyes twinkled.
“Well, you two have fun,” Trixie interrupted, looping her arm through mine. “We're gonna go get lunch.”
“See you later,” Norman said, winking at her.
But Damien blurred forward and grabbed my chin between his fingers and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Stay safe.”
He broke off the kiss, and I smiled. “Have fun.”
Excitement thrummed through the bond. “I will, little bird.”
TWENTY-TWO
Kian
