She shook her head. “Nope. Just hide you from prying eyes.”
Whoa. I looked at the little crystal with newfound respect. At least part one of our plan was a success. I tried to stop fidgeting while the others finished setting up the dark crystal spell. I was scared. What if mixing the mecca power with the dark crystal caused some kind ofexplosion? Or turned all of us dark and we joined the dark fae? What if it tainted the mecca itself? There were so many risks.
Violet reached out and briefly swiped her hand across mine, only enough contact for a fleeting spark between us. “Baladar said it was a good plan. I trust him.”
I nodded, managing to keep my feet still. I trusted Baladar too, but it was a queen’s job to worry about her people.
Violet crossed over to Nikoli. He turned straight to her, as if he’d been aware of what she was doing the entire time. She leaned into him.
“Are you sure?” she whispered.
He nodded, his expression softening. Violet’s did the opposite. Her back straightened and she shifted away from him, stepping back. Her face was carefully blank — she was shutting him out, afraid of losing him, which was very unlike Violet. She normally threw caution to the wind. Her time in the Winter Court had destroyed a piece of her childlike innocence, the part of her I’d always adored the most. Instinct was telling me that I needed to have a heart-to-heart with my best friend; she couldn’t keep burying it inside.
After we survived this, of course.
Kade’s comforting presence pressed in behind me, and I was thankful that the necklaces didn’tseem to interfere in our bond. I could still feel him as strong as always in my mind. Gently spinning me around, he cupped my face with both hands, pressing a kiss to my forehead. It was so sweet that I let out a deep sigh, enjoying that moment of pure bliss.
As he pulled back he said, “I’ll stay close to Nikoli, in case he needs help controlling the mecca.”
I wasn’t at all surprised. Nikoli was a close friend of his. Like me and Violet, they had known each other most of their lives. He would not let his friend face the darkness alone. His ability to filter mecca, allowing only little pieces to leak through, was a powerful weapon. It still made me nervous, though.
“Be careful. If it’s gets too crazy, just stop. We will find another way. There is always another way.” Both of my hands lifted to press against his, which were still on my face.
He nodded, but before he could say anything more, Baladar’s voice boomed across the large room. “Okay, time for you all to leave and wait in the hall. Kade and Nikoli are the only ones to remain in here.” He moved away from his position behind the round copper pot; the book was inside it, just waiting for the powder to be added.
All of us leaving had been Kade’s idea, in case the spell went awry and lashed out. It was smart, but shutting those doors on my mate and his magic born, leaving them with that evil book, was physically painful. I blew Kade one last kiss and he gave me a wink. I loved his confidence; it always seemed to make my worries lessen. But … there was nothing that could make them disappear completely.
Especially when he shut off the bond between us, erecting those mental blocks we rarely used.
We walked a few feet down the hall. I wanted to be close enough to get to them quickly if they needed help. Minutes passed with no sound, no change in the energy around us … not even a change in scent. Then a pop ripped through the air and a heaviness pressed into me. Baladar’s eyes widened and Violet took a protective stance in front of me. I quickly quieted my frantic mind and attempted to push into Kade’s mind through our bond. He was still shielding me, so I couldn’t tell exactly what was going on, but I felt pain and darkness. And a bone chilling evil washing over my mate.
“No!” I screamed, pushing through my friends without thought. I was not letting my mate succumb to that darkness. What I had just felt, that inkling of the dark stone, absolutely terrifiedme. It was as bad as being in the presence of the dark fae.
Worse actually, because this time, it was Kade who felt like the Dark Fae Lord.
Violet latched on to my arm, trying to hold me back. “Let go, Vi!” I gave her a look that said if she didn’t let me go I would never forgive her. Her eyes locked on mine for a few long moments, and she swallowed hard, loosening her grip on me. I ran for the double doors, kicking them open. I felt for that wild magic inside of me, bringing it closer to the surface as I readied myself for anything.
Nikoli was hunched over the book on the ground and Kade stood behind him, his back to me, and both of his arms in the air. Every vein and muscle in Kade’s back and arms were bulging as he used all of the strength within him to contain the giant, black, oily ball of hell that had opened above Nikoli’s head. Nikoli was chanting, and with a final word he slammed the book shut and the black oil pushed against my mate.
Kade’s feet began dragging backwards as if someone were bulldozing him across the room. I stood there frozen, terrified, and unsure of what to do. It was only when Nikoli turned around and looked up at the blob, muttering a curse word, that I spurred into action.
My magic vibrated inside of me, so alive I could feel it like a tangible thing, with a scream I threw everything I had at the ball, focusing mostly on the spell-breaking side, since I had no idea what this ball of darkness was — but it felt like a spell.
Baladar, who must have followed me in, did the same. The mixed hues of purple and deep blue of my magic lashed out and saturated the dark mass, covering it like a magical cocoon. I stumbled as the room shook, a roaring filling my ears until I could hear nothing else. Somehow I stayed on my feet, funneling more of my magic at the thing. The roar then turned to a shrill whine. I was about to cover my ears when all noise abruptly cut off. There was an eerie silence for two heartbeats … then the ball exploded.
Kade was blown backwards, and using every ounce of my shifter abilities — howls rocked my chest as my wolf rose up, ready to save her mate — I sprinted and dived forward just in time to break his fall with my body. He slammed into me with such force that it knocked the wind out of me.
He was off me in a moment, and I reached across his chest to take his face in my hands. “Are you okay?” I asked him frantically, searching for any injuries.
A shadow moved across those stunning eyes, and for a moment the color wavered from its normal bronze to something more like a murky brown. By the time I blinked again it was gone, and the swirling copper tones were back.
“I’m fine, Ari,” he said, almost breathless. That dark mass had exploded with such huge force, he’d been launched across the room. My aching ribs could attest to that.
Needing more confirmation, I latched onto the mate bond again, pressing into Kade’s energy. The block between us had eased, but he wasn’t completely open either. From the flickers of information I was getting, he did seem to be okay. I couldn’t sense any major injury or pain, so … I’d accept what he said. For now.
Baladar knelt down and ran a hand up Kade’s arm, but before he got further than the bear’s shoulder, Kade pushed him away. “I’m fine. I promise.” He dismissed us by turning to Nikoli.
“Did you get a location on the stone?”
