“NO!” Trevor howled, scrambling to his feet. “Get away from him!”
The sigils of my prison flickered uneasily as she drew closer, I shifted forward instinctively, reaching for her despite knowing the barrier would prevent contact. My fingers pressed against the invisible wall of magic, sending ripples of blue light across its surface like stones dropped into still water.
“I said GET AWAY!” Trevor’s voice cracked with desperation as he lunged at Jade slamming into her.
They crashed to the ground with Jade’s shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. The pain of it echoed through our bond, making me wince as if the injury were my own. She twisted immediately, kicking at Trevor landing a solid blow to his shoulder that did nothing to loosen his grip.
“Let her go!” I roared, slamming my fist against the barrier.
Trevor yanked Jade backward, dragging her away from my circle. His face was a mask of fury, blood still streaming from his nose where she’d struck him earlier, smearing across his lips and chin.
“You fucking idiot,” he snarled at her. “You think you can break a warlock binding with just your blood? It doesn’t work that way!”
But I could see the fear beneath his anger. The way his eyes kept darting to the spot where Jade’s blood had disrupted the smaller circle. He was dragging her away from my prison rather than simply trying to subdue her. He wasn’t certain and was afraid she might actually succeed.
Jade fought with everything she had—kicking, clawing, twisting her body to break his hold. She managed to roll onto her back, bringing her knee up sharply toward his groin. Trevor blocked it with his forearm, but the move created enough space for Jade to slam her palm into his already injured nose. Fresh blood sprayed as he howled in pain, his grip on her loosening.
She scrambled backward, trying to put distance between them.
I used the distraction to chip away at the barrier, it was easy to see the flaws in Trevor’s amateur work, they stood out like cracks in glass, places where symbols didn’t quite connect and power pooled unevenly. It wasn’t the work of a true warlock because hehadn't been raised and taught by one making it imperfect and weak.
I focused on the largest weakness, rather than throwing myself against the entire circle, I gathered my power directing everything I had into the most vulnerable spot. The sigils began to vibrate, the blue light pulsing erratically as I pushed against that weak point.
“What are you doing?” Trevor’s head snapped toward me, his eyes widening as he noticed the fluctuations in the binding circle. “Stop that! It’s not possible—“
I ignored him, pouring every ounce of power I possessed into that single point of attack. The sigil’s light went from steady blue to an unstable flicker, then began to crack like stressed glass, thin lines radiating outward from the center of pressure.
“No!” Trevor dropped Jade’s wrist and lurched toward me, panic replacing rage on his blood-smeared face. “You can’t—that’s not—“
The binding fractured with a sound like shattering crystal, a high, musical tone that reverberated through the warehouse. A single crack appeared in the previously impenetrable barrier, then widened as I pushed harder, driving everything I had into making the opening large enough to pass through. With one final push that sent pain lancing through every nerve in my body, I tore the opening wider, creating a gap just large enough for me to step through. The binding screamed in protest.
I locked eyes with Trevor, letting my human disguise fall away completely. Then I stepped through the shattered circle, free once more.
Jade chose that moment to run towards me, the distance between us closed with each passing microsecond. My arms opened to receive her, to pull her against my chest where nothing could harm her again.
But Trevor moved with the speed of cornered prey, he lunged forward, fingers closing around the knife he’d dropped during their struggle. He rose and drove the blade forward plunging the knife into Jade’s back, her body jerked forward from the impact, a small gasp escaping her lips as her eyes widened with shock.
“NO!” The roar that tore from my throat shattered windows high in the warehouse walls, glass raining down like deadly tears. I closed the final distance between us, catching Jade as her knees buckled. The knife remained embedded in her back, Trevor still gripping the handle, his face frozen in a rictus of savage satisfaction as he pulled it free.
With my free hand, I seized his throat, claws puncturing skin as I lifted him from the ground. The urge to crush his windpipe was nearly overwhelming. But Jade’s weight sagged against me, her blood warm and wet against my skin, and I knew there wasn’t time for the vengeance he deserved. I slammed him against the nearest concrete pillar with enough force to crack the structure, ensuring he wouldn’t be moving anytime soon, then turned my full attention to Jade.
She was terrifyingly pale, her normally warm brown skin taking on an ashen undertone that made my heart stutter with fear. Blood seeped through the wound, staining my hands as I lowered her gently to the floor, cradling her upper body in my arms trying to keep pressure on it in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
“Jade,” I whispered. “Stay with me. Please.”
Her eyes found mine, unfocused, pupils dilated with shock. Her lips moved, trying to form words that wouldn’t come.
“No, no, no,” I muttered, we were too far to fly her somewhere and all my magic was drained.
The world narrowed to the woman in my arms, nothing mattered but the stuttering rise and fall of Jade’s chest and theweakening pulse of our bond. Her eyes began to drift closed, lashes fluttering against her cheeks.
“Stay awake,” I begged. “Look at me, Jade. Focus on me.”
She struggled to comply, her lips moved again, and this time a whisper emerged, barely audible.
“Not...your fault,” she managed, each word clearly costing her tremendous effort.
The thread between us pulsed once, strong and golden, before fading again to a dim flicker.
