Fuck.
If I had my magic, I’d help in a heartbeat.
“Nick isn’t part of the paranormal police,” Dathal said quickly. “None of them should even be here,” he added, and I bristled. I knew he was trying to protect me and my secret, but it still stung. “I know you want to end this, but won’t that jeopardise our case against Yates and his group if we go against your rules and regulations?”
Max stared at us, incredulous. “I think that’s the least of our fucking problems right now.”
Dathal went to protest, but Wyn groaned and his legs buckled.
“I can’t help him,” I whispered, ripping the leather cuff off and pulling up my sleeve. “The council bound my magic as punishment.”
“Fuck,” Wyn muttered, realisation dawning.
Max stared at me for a moment longer, and I knew we’d be having words if we all got out of this alive, but to his credit, he accepted me at my word and refocused on Wyn. “Can you break it on your own?”
“I’ll have to drop my shield as soon as they halt their attack.”
Max didn’t hesitate. “Do it.”
Talis ever so subtly stepped in front of Axel.
As abruptly as it had started, the attack on Wyn’s shield stopped, leaving a disturbing quiet in its wake. “Now,” I hissed, more for the other’s benefit, as Wyn didn’t need me to point out the fucking obvious. I felt his magic slip away as he switched his focus from his shield.
At first, nothing seemed to be happening. Wyn swore under his breath, his face screwed up in concentration, and everyone around me froze. We didn’t have long before the witch would realise what was happening, and each second that passed felt like hours. My heart beat so fast and loud, I fully expected it to escape my chest any second.
Then little by little the air in front of us shimmered, then began to clear, like a fog lifting, revealing the building hidden behind it.
It was way bigger than I’d expected.
Max let out a low whistle, still holding Wyn steady. “How long have they been using this place for production?”
Dathal grumbled, “Far too long—”
The second the illusion dropped, a bolt of magic shot out of a ground floor window, way weaker than the previous attack, but so was the shield Wyn hastily threw up. It collapsed under the hit, and with a pained grunt, he flew backwards into Max, forcing him to catch him as the rest of us dropped to the ground. The sound of gunfire shattered the sudden silence as bullets aimed at Wyn blasted from another window.
Dathal was the first to react. Lurching to his feet, he dived in front of Wyn as he struggled to resurrect his shield.
Magic surged through me, erecting a defensive shield of my own around us, just like David said it would, kicking in when I was in danger. But not fucking quick enough to save Dathal, and I watched in horror as the bullets slammed into him one after another.
“Dathal!” Axel yelled, struggling against where Talis shielded him.
Dathal grunted in pain and slumped sideways, blood seeping out onto the ground underneath him. Rage swirled inside me, starting behind my ribs and swelling outwards in a furious wave. A red haze filled my vision until it was all I could see, all I couldfeel.
I grabbed for Dathal, my heart clenching as my hands slipped in his blood. His magic reached for mine, andthistime mine answered. Pain spiked in my wrist, a white-hot heat that flared brightly for a second as my magic burst forth, unleashed from six years of suppression. The force of it made me stagger backwards, Dathal slipping from my grip.
With a roar, I thrust my hands towards the building, magic pouring into my shield like a thundering waterfall. It glowed white, swelling in size until the sheer strength of it crashed forwards like a tsunami. It slammed into the building in front of us, shattering the windows and blasting the door off its hinges. Glass showered down around us, bouncing harmlessly off my shield, and splintered wood littered the ground.
Max shifted, his terrifying snarl filling the air as he charged toward the wreckage and whatever fucking arseholes remained inside.
Dathal groaned, the pain in it snapping me out of my rage like a bucket of iced water. I dropped to my knees next to him, hands cupping his jaw.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” I hissed, tears filling my eyes. I blinked rapidly, wiping them away.
“Instinct,” Dathal mumbled, then coughed, specks of blood marking his teeth and his lips. Axel appeared on his other side, taking his hand.
“I thought you had magical protection?” My voice cracked, and I reached for his other hand, holding it tight in mine. “And super fucking fae healing. Why isn’t it working?”
He laughed, actually laughed, until he started coughing again. I sat him up a little, resting his back against my chest.
