by Linsey Hall
“I know.” She flattened her face into a calming expression, and it kind of worked on me. “But you need to survive the fight first. Get some sleep. If there’s time later to help, come on down. But for now, we’ve got it under control.”
“We promise.” Connor squeezed my arm.
“Thank you.” I tried to put every bit of gratitude that I could into my voice.
“‘Course.” Hedy grinned. “Now go. You have to sleep so you can kick arse tomorrow, and we have to work.”
I saluted and left, hurrying across the lawn. The moon was high in the sky, gleaming on the mountains that surrounded the castle. The castle looked enchanted on nights like this.
I couldn’t help but think of Maximus as I climbed the stairs to my apartment. Memories of the last couple of days flashed in my mind’s eye, along with longing. He haunted me as I walked down the quiet corridor.
When I saw him standing outside my door, I stopped and blinked.
12
“What are you doing here?” I asked, dumbfounded.
He turned to face me. “I forgot that I had something to say.”
“Yeah?” I approached slowly, then stopped to stand in front of him.
“You’ve been so concerned with having lost your magic. With the months you spent powerless.”
“Of course.”
“Well, you weren’t powerless. I’ve never seen anyone fight like you. Your arsenal of potion bombs are your magic. You just turned your skill in that direction. I’ve never met anyone as adaptable and powerful as you.”
I blinked like a goldfish, my heart warming at his words. “You’ve been holding on to this?”
“Been thinking about it, yes.” He nodded, his gaze serious. “You were never powerless. You were never down. I wanted to make sure you knew that, because you didn’t seem convinced before.”
I swallowed hard. “Thank you.”
He shrugged, the motion elegant. “It was obvious. I had to say it.”
It hadn’t been obvious to me, but I didn’t mention it. Mostly because I was realizing how close he was. How good he smelled. Cedar and soap, and that indescribably manly scent that I’d come to associate with him.
This close, I could see all the shades of blue in his eyes. The fullness of his lips. Sharp cheekbones. He truly looked like a fallen angel. The type who got into brawls.
The warmth in my heart spread through the rest of me, making me shiver. “Do you want to come up?” The words escaped before I even realized. I wanted to smack my hand to my lips, but I resisted. “For a drink.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Love to.”
As I led him up the stairs, I realized that I didn’t really have anything to drink in the house. But then, if I were honest with myself, that wasn’t the real reason I was inviting him up.
Did he realize that?
I stepped into my living room, grateful to see that the Menacing Menagerie wasn’t here. They would really put a damper on any mood.
Maximus followed me in and shut the door. I turned to face him, deciding not to waste any time. I’d run out of courage, anyway. The tension of wanting to kiss him was just too much.
I’d wanted it for centuries, it felt like.
I moved toward him, standing on my toes and pressing my lips to his.
Immediately, he growled low in his throat and pulled me toward him, his strong hands gripping my waist and pulling me up onto my tiptoes. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body to his, reveling in his warmth and hard strength.
My head spun as we kissed, every inch of me prickling with pleasure. He turned me so my back was pressed against the door. We kissed like that for ages, every moment like a dream. His scent twisted around me, his touch imprinting on my every cell.
When I thought I might die from the pleasure, a knock sounded at the door, right behind my head.
We both stiffened, our breaths coming fast.
“Oh shit,” I muttered.
Maximus pulled back.
I sucked in a steady breath, straightening my clothes and hoping that my cheeks weren’t too red. “Want to take a seat on the couch?”
He nodded, his cheeks flushed and his eyes hot. Warmth still raced through me, impossible to banish.
Once he’d sat on the couch, I turned and opened the door.
Ana stood there, brows slightly raised.
Oh fates. Had we been making noises? Moaning, even?
Ana would never let me live that down.
Her gaze moved from me to the living room beyond, landing on Maximus with interest. Her lips quirked up at the corners, and I could tell she was going to demand the details later.
“What is it?” My voice was a weird combo of breathy and snappy, like a pissed-off phone sex operator. I winced, hoping she wouldn’t notice.
Ana’s smile just got wider. “Lachlan requested a few pieces of your hair. They want to try something different with the potion.”
Her words banished every sexy thought from my head, and guilt flooded in.
They were working all night, while I was up here making out with Maximus. It was literally my job to sleep and get rest. I was representing the Undercover Protectorate Academy, and if I didn’t rest, I wouldn’t be strong enough to win.
Shit.
“Of course.” I turned and headed into my cluttered kitchen, searching through the masses of stuff on the counter for a pair of scissors. I found them, sitting between a pack of unopened glass globes meant to hold potions and a bag of loose Moroccan clay.
I grabbed the scissors and snipped off a bit of hair, then returned to Ana, who hadn’t left the doorway. “Will this do?”
“It should.” She smiled. “Now get some rest.”
I nodded. “On it.
She left, and I turned back to Maximus. Though my insides still vibrated with pleasure at the sight of him, it was easier to force the thoughts away now. Guilt was a hell of a lust dampener.
“We’d better do as she says. Rest up, and all.”
He nodded, standing.
“You can sleep on the couch if you want.” I smiled. “If you’re lucky, Romeo will join you. Maybe even Poppy and Eloise.”
He laughed. “I’m not sure how I’d feel about that, but I’ll take you up on the offer.”
I nodded. “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. Which is pretty much nothing.”
Before he could speak, I hurried up the stairs. The room was empty, and it didn’t take me long to climb into bed. When I finally lay down, my mind was spinning with thoughts of Maximus. Thoughts of tomorrow.
At two p.m. the next day, we gathered on the front lawn of the castle. The sun glinted brightly on the grass and made the windows sparkle. The air was crisp with spring, with just the bite of winter left over.
Jude, Bree, and Ana had come to see us off, but Lachlan was still holed up with Hedy and Connor, hard at work on the potion we hoped they could make.
“Good luck today,” Ana said.
“We’ll be watching on the mirror.” Bree smiled. “Kick ass.”
“We have faith in you,” Jude said.
I nodded at all three of them, their words warming me. I could do this. I had to do this.
After a quick goodbye, Maximus hurled a transport charm on the ground, and we stepped into the glittering gray cloud. The ether sucked us in and spit us out into the bright Croatian sun. I blinked, my eyes slow to adjust.
“We aren’t near the water,” I said. “So it can’t be a boat ride.”
“This is the address on the ticket.” Maximus turned around. When he was facing the area behind me, his eyes widened. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
I turned to see whatever had made him curse, and my brows jumped up. “Holy fates.”
“Hot air balloon.” Maximus whistled. “That seems like a death wish.
“There are four of them.” One for each team. The other teams were nowhere to be found, however. Hopefully we’d get a good, solid lead.
By the time we reached it, it was nearly three o’clock in the afternoon. Oliver Keates, the rat-faced representative of the Intermagic Games, stood right next to it.
He smiled and waved. “You’re just in time.”
“Where are the others?” I asked.
“Delayed. You get a head start since you found the slipper first.”
As I’d hoped. I grinned.
He gestured to the balloon. “Better hurry or you’ll lose your lead.”
I took his advice and picked up the pace toward the balloon, climbing into the big basket. Maximus followed.
Oliver met my gaze. “Any chance you have another one of those vine-killing potions on you? I know my colleague at the Order of the Magica is anxious to inspect it.”
I swallowed hard at his tone. There was a bite to it that I didn’t like. “Forgot to bring it. As soon as this is over, though, I’ll do it.”
He nodded, his gaze sharp. “See that you do.” He released the lines, and the balloon began to float upward. “The balloon will steer itself. You just have to keep it in the sky.”
Keep it in the sky?
Oh, hell. Something was going to attack us. I could just feel it.
Silently, the balloon rose, the air growing colder the higher we got. White wisps floated around our heads, annoying as flies at a picnic. The balloon began to carry us toward the sea, and I leaned over, watching the city glide away below. When I looked back at the balloon field, I caught sight of the two fae approaching their balloon.
“Not much of a lead,” I said.
Maximus shook his head, then turned back to face the open ocean. The balloon carried us out over it, the cold wind whipping my hair back from my face.
He squinted into the distance, frowning. “Something is coming.”
I joined him, leaning over slightly and trying to see whatever it was. “I don’t see anything.”
He pointed. “The winged things.”
I spotted them, my heart thumping. “The witches?”
Maximus shook his head. “I don’t think so. Serpents, maybe. Winged serpents.”
I shivered, then dug a hand into my potions bag and pulled out a bomb. “Might as well get ready.”
The winged serpents came fast, hurtling toward us through the clear blue sky. They were a pale green color, their scales dull and their wings gray. Four of them screeched toward us, their battle cry making my hair stand on end. Long fangs dripped with venom, and their eyes were onyx crystals.
My heart thundered. These things could knock us right out of the sky if we let them.
I dug into my bag and handed Maximus a couple of potion bombs. “Use these.”
I eyed the closest one. It was twenty yards away and gaining speed. I pointed at him. “I’ve got him.”
With precision, I threw my bomb, aiming right for its broad chest. The glass exploded, sending blue liquid splashing down over the beast. It hissed and flailed, clearly about to go down. Then it exploded in a poof of dark magic.
Maximus nailed another one right in the head. Within seconds, it, too, exploded.
I turned my attention to another monster that was closer. I nailed it in the head. It hissed viciously, then poofed away.
Maximus nailed a fourth monster.
This was working, except they were gaining speed. More were coming, and they’d split up, approaching from two sides. In a few seconds, they’d be upon us. Especially the ones that were coming from the right.
Oh, crap.
“I’m switching to a sword for close-range defense,” Maximus said. “You take long-range. Your aim is killer.”
I nodded. Maximus drew a sword from the ether and climbed up onto the lip of the basket, holding onto the ropes that attached to the balloon. My stomach dropped at the sight of him hanging out over open sky with a thousand-foot drop below.
I wanted to scream “be careful!”, but I bit it back. There was no point. He’d do what he felt like, and he was a pro.
I turned my attention to the serpent that flew toward me. I hurled another potion bomb and took him out. But two more replaced him, appearing right out of thin air. They raced for us, their forms undulating through the air like they were swimming through water.
I dug into my bag as Maximus leaned out with his sword, swiping at the serpent that was close enough to strike.
I threw my potion bomb, missing the one that charged us. Damn it! I didn’t have a ton of bombs to spare. I dug back into my bag, the edges of my vision catching Maximus as he beheaded the snake. More were coming for him, and he moved quickly.
One after the other, I threw potion bombs, taking out the snakes. My heart thundered in my ears and my breath heaved. There were so many!
We’d never make it.
They were beginning to attack the fae who were a few hundred yards behind us. For every one that the fae blasted out of the air with their glittery blue magic, more seemed to appear, replicating like rabbits after a carrot buffet party.
In the distance, there was a shriek.
My blood chilled. I’d only ever heard that sound from one creature.
I searched the sky, horror dragging me down as I hunted for the witches. That was the sound they made in their bird form.
We couldn’t handle another attack. The snakes were more than we could take. And we were right out over the ocean. They couldn’t maim with their beaks and claws, but that didn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t pop our balloon. We were so high that we’d never survive the drop, even with my power over water.
“Do you see them?” I screamed.
“No, but they’re so loud that they must be near!” Maximus swung his sword while shouting, taking out two serpents with one strike.
Ice filled me as I hurled my potion bombs at the snakes, continuing to search the sky. Finally, I caught sight of the birds. Two of them, both as massive as I remembered.
They attacked the serpents, unable to pierce them with their beaks or claws but able to drive them away from us.
“What the hell?” I said in a rush.
“What are they doing?” Maximus asked, having finally caught sight of them.
“I have no idea. It makes no sense.”
Maximus sliced his sword toward a serpent that was only a few feet away. Blood sprayed as the beast’s head toppled toward the sea. A moment later, the whole thing exploded in a poof of foul dark magic. At least they weren’t real animals. Just spells.
Because fates, I hated to kill real animals, even mean ones.
Confused, I continued watching the witches as I reached for another potion bomb. I hurled it, taking out a serpent that neared, but I was unable to wrap my mind around what the witches were doing.
“They’re protecting us,” Maximus said. “Keeping the snakes away.”
“They wouldn’t turn nice now. I don’t buy it.” But the proof of his words was in front of my eyes, despite my denial.
“Whoever said it was nice?” Maximus leapt down from his perch on one side of the balloon basket and rushed to the other, leaping up in time to stab a serpent through the middle. “Might be a means to an end.”
That made more sense. But what end?
Right now, it didn’t matter. I had to survive this before I could even think about the witches, and the serpents kept appearing. An insane number. More than I could count.
They focused on our balloon, and there were so many we’d never be able to take them all out. In less than a minute, they’d be on us, a horde of beasts bent on our destruction.
Wasn’t that how people in the last competition had died? In a snake pit?
It seemed the Intermagic Games had a thing for snakes and a lack of self-control. Or an inability to decide what was an appr
opriate number. This right here was not an appropriate number.
My heart thundered in my ears as I searched for a way out of this. We were too far from land, and too slow. Not to mention the fact that we didn’t know where this balloon was headed. If we wanted to get there, we couldn’t abandon our ride.
Panic made my head buzz and my muscles freeze. I’d never felt so trapped before.
A few fluffy clouds floated on the horizon, too far away for us to hide within.
But that was what we needed. A bunch of clouds. Regular white ones to hide us, and vicious storm clouds to drive off the snakes and the witches.
I ached to grab the clouds and pull them toward me. It was a deep, physical pain that was entirely foreign, but so real.
I blinked.
What the hell?
I’d never felt that before.
Magic began to swell in my chest, something new. My connection to the clouds increased, surging within me. When I breathed in, the air felt almost damp. Like it was a cloud. Like I was a cloud.
Holy fates, what kind of magic was this?
The power surged within me, and the faint cloud that now surrounded us seemed to wobble in the air. All around, serpents flew. The witches swooped in front of our balloon, trying to drive them off, but there were so many. Some of them slipped by, darting right toward us.
Maximus stood on the rim of the balloon basket, holding on to the balloon rope and leaning out to slice at the attackers.
Magic pulsed through me as I tried to reach for a potion bomb, but my hands shook. There was so much of the power in me. It had to be released.
Create the clouds. The voice whispered in my ears, strong and deep. It shook my insides like an earthquake, and I had no doubt that it was a god speaking to me. A god of clouds, or something.
But it made sense, what he said. As the battle raged around me, all I could focus on were the clouds in the distance. On the clouds that seemed to be filling up my soul.
I let the new magic surge inside of me, filling every inch of my being until my skin felt tight. I imagined creating clouds. Shooting them from my fingertips and filling the sky with them.
Finally, it was too much. I released the magic, imagining dozens of clouds filling the sky.