Wheezing, I push myself again, handcuffs digging into the flesh on my wrists. My vision is fuzzy, and it doesn’t help that the only source of light in this room is the uplighting in the bookshelf.
“I didn’t plan on getting my hands dirty tonight, Acelina,” Mr. Trent goes on. “But maybe I’ll have a little fun.” He strides forward and grabs me by my hair. Yanking me forward, he pulls me right through the broken glass again.
I’ve never been in this much physical pain in my life. But my will is still strong, and it’ll take killing me to get to my guys. Because I love them more than life itself. More thanmylife.
“And this suit.” He shoves me to the ground. “This suit was a special order. I can’t imagine my tailor will be too happy to hear I got blood on it.”
“Then change, dumbass,” I say through gritted teeth.
Mr. Trent laughs. “You know, I’m starting to like your spunk. It’s a nice change from the witches I usually deal with.”
“You mean the children you kidnap and brainwash?”
Mr. Trent goes back to the bookshelf and picks up the same dagger he used to cut the ropes. I slowly inhale, doing my best to ignore the pain in my ribs. I stagger to my feet and blink blood hard to focus my vision. The world spins around me and I might fall over and collapse at any second.
But not yet.
Mr. Trent looks out the window at the night sky, and that’s all the hesitation I need. I rush forward, slamming into him with my shoulder. He’s taken off guard and pushed back. The dagger falls from his hands, and I kick it across the room. He makes a move for the dagger and I pick up the amulet that he left on top of his desk. My hands are still bound together in the handcuffs, binding my powers. I have no idea if the amulet will work or not, but I’m going to find out.
I lean my head down and slip it over my head. The world around me goes silent and dark for a moment, and then everything fades back into view. I look down at my hands and see them start to fade again.
The cuffs are blocking out the magic of the amulet, but not entirely. I reach up, taking a hold of the charm hanging around my neck, and squeeze it in my hand. The last thing I want to do right now is stop, close my eyes, and shift my attention away from Mr. Trent, but if I can go all shadow-ninja like he did, I have a chance of getting out of here.
I pull in energy around me, feeding it to the amulet. Everything goes dark again and the world turns black, but only for a few seconds. Come on…come on…I pull in more energy and look up, seeing Mr. Trent grab the dagger. He brings his arm back, making a move to throw it at me.
Now.I feel more energy swarm in. The room goes dark again, but this time I can see. I make a run for it, narrowly avoiding being hit by the dagger Mr. Trent just threw. It hit the bookshelf and clatters to the ground. Two of the gems that were embedded in the hilt pop out and roll across the floor.
“Dammit!” he yells, and I’m not sure if he’s mad about missing me or damaging his priceless dagger. I dodge behind the desk and risk another few seconds to power the amulet. This time, a wave goes through me and I become the shadow.
The handcuffs slip from my wrists, clattering to the ground. A sudden surge of energy flows through me, and my fingertips spark.
“What the…” Mr. Trent stops dead in his tracks.
“It ends now,” I say, voice echoing throughout the room. “No anti-aging potion can help you now.” I run across the room, liking how fast this amulet makes me. I just might keep it.
Mr. Trent holds up his hands, edging closer to his desk. “You won’t kill me. You’re a cop.”
“Not today.”
Fire erupts from my hands and Mr. Trent falls to the ground, covering his head. I want to burn him. I want to hear him scream.
But I need him alive if I want to kill the demon that murdered my parents.
“You messed with the wrong witch, asshole,” I say, and turn, setting fire to his bookshelf.
“No!” he screams, and jumps up, reaching through the flames to grab a large, leather-bound book. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
My ears start to ring, and the pressure from the amulet gets too heavy. This thing wasn’t meant to be worn for long periods of time, and I’m still weak and depleted of magical energy. I have to take it off before I pass out.
I turn around, holding a ball of fire in one hand, and pick up the magical handcuffs in the other. I bring them to the flames and watch the fire grow hotter and hotter in my hands, melting the metal. The fire alarms start to sound, and water from the overhead sprinklers rains down on us.
The pressure is building up fast and I’m struggling to stay on my feet. Blobs of melted metal fall to the floor around my feet and I let go of what’s left of the cuffs, putting the fire out by closing my fists. I yank the amulet off and take in a deep breath.
I just need a minute and then I’ll put the thing back on and leave, coming back with reinforcements. But before I can turn to make it out the door, I feelhim.
He’s coming to save me, but all I can think isoh shit.I stumble, feeling weaker by the second, and shift my eyes to the window. It’s dark outside, but I can see his large outline coming closer and closer.
“Get her!” Mr. Trent yells, and everything happens all at once.
Jacques crashes through the large windows, sending shattered glass flying. Stars dot my vision and the amulet falls from my grasp. And then something hits me in the arm, sharp and stabbing like a needle.
“Ace,” Jacques breathes, striding forward.
“Oh God!” someone behind me shouts. I tear my eyes away from Jacques and look at my arm. I’ve been shot, but not with a bullet.
They fucking tranquilized me! I pull the dart out of my arm, but I know it’s already too late. Jacques gets to me right as I pass out.
