by G. K. DeRosa
Steeling my nerves, I forced my feet forward. I had to at least try. I held my breath and opened the door just wide enough to squeeze through. Tiptoeing by Darby’s desk, my heart thundered with each measured step. I was certain the pounding was so loud even a human could hear it. Neither of them even glanced in my direction.
Must be the spell…
I hurried across the foyer and raced down the steps, thanking my lucky stars my magic held. I wished I’d asked my professor what the ETA was on one of these things.
The main hall was quiet as I zipped through the corridor; luckily most students were still in class. Now I had to find the abacor demon before Ryder or Cillian found me. Hmm… how was I supposed to do that? Demon tracking wasn’t exactly one of my magical abilities. Not yet anyway.
Maybe if I just wandered around it would find me. The symbol on my chest pulsed, hot and angry. Another brilliant idea formed in the recesses of my mind. Yanking my coat from my backpack, I slid it on and headed for the forest. If I were a nasty abacor demon, that would definitely be where I’d be hiding out.
Frigid air slapped me across the face the moment I stepped outside. Pulling my coat tighter around me, I hurried toward the encroaching woods. My teeth chattered with every step, that and the crunch of snow beneath my boots the only sound for miles. As I trudged further away from the path, I cursed myself for not stopping by my dorm room to layer on a few extra sweaters and scarves.
Stupid Fae Winter Court.
The pines thickened around me, and I was forced to weave in between the evergreen monsters to avoid being stuck by an errant branch. I still didn’t trust those bastards not to poison me.
Just ahead, muffled voices seeped through the dark copse of trees. I quickly ducked behind a massive bark until I placed all three of them. Drake, Scarlett and Triston. No Ryder, thank goodness.
Emerging from my hiding spot, I traipsed toward them. No one even glanced my way as I approached their huddle. Nice! This cloaking spell was definitely a keeper. Now if I could only figure out how to turn it off…
“Let’s circle back toward the main building,” said Drake. “Either the abacor isn’t out here or he’s slipping by our scrying spell.”
Scarlett shook her head, holding up a crystal suspended from a leather cord. “It’s not the spell. I would’ve found him by now. Something’s shielding him, and it’s strong.”
Drake’s phone buzzed, and he scanned the screen. “Ryder and the others are inside. He just passed team two in the faculty dormitories. It’s all clear.”
Triston’s eyes sharpened, the gilded amber glimmering as he scanned the woods. “It’s gotta be out here somewhere.”
“Too bad we don’t have the half-blood with us, we could use her as bait.” Drake snickered.
Bastard! Wrapping my arms around my midsection, I seethed. At least the rising heat chased away the frosty air. Once I’d had a second to cool down, I fully processed his words and a light went off in my jumbled mind. The cloaking spell was keeping the demon from finding me. If I could turn it off, he’d come right to us and we could finally kill the demon scum.
So I sucked it up and did something I really didn’t want to do. “Hey guys,” I said, raising a hand I was fairly certain no one could see.
Drake spun toward me first as Scarlett and Triston glanced around in circles.
“Luna?” Drake’s eyes fixed just above my hairline.
“As insulted as I am about your half-blood remark, you may actually be onto something.”
“Where are you?” asked Scarlett, stepping closer as she sniffed the air.
“Apparently, I’m under a really kickass cloaking spell that I can’t quite seem to lift.”
Triston chuckled, his wolf eyes still searching for me.
“What are you doing out here anyway?” asked Drake. “I thought you were supposed to be hiding out with Cillian.” He was only a foot away from me now, pawing blindly at the air between us.
“I convinced Cillian I could be of help so he let me come out to find you.”
“Bullshit,” barked the prince. “There’s no way angel boy would’ve let you out of his sight. Not Ryder’s precious half-blood.”
My cheeks warmed, and I was suddenly thankful for the invisibility spell. I wasn’t Ryder’s anything. “Can you just tell me how to turn off the cloaking thing already? Or do you like standing out here freezing our butts off?”
“You forget the prince is from the Winter Court,” said Scarlett. “This is nice weather to him.” Her typically pale skin was tinged in pale blue today. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one affected by the cold. “I’m with Luna. I say let’s do it.”
Triston nodded. “Agreed. Let’s get this demon killing show on the road.”
Drake’s lips twisted into a pout, his light irises flickering with light and shadows. “Ryder’s going to kill us if anything happens to her.”
“So we’ll make sure nothing happens to her,” said Triston, shrugging. “It’s four of us against one of it. I’m pretty comfortable with those odds.”
“Fine,” hissed Drake, but his tone conveyed anything but. He turned in my direction with a scowl. “Just will the cloak away.”
“What do you mean will it?”
“It’s your spell—only you can control it. Imagine being seen and you will be.”
Sure, easy peasy. I drew in a breath, squeezing my eyes shut and pictured my crimson and black uniform coming to life. Come on! A burst of warmth seeped through my veins, and my eyes snapped open.
“Took you long enough,” Drake muttered, his cool gaze finally meeting mine. He practically leapt back when he realized how close we were, and I couldn’t help the little giggle that fizzled in my chest.
Triston scanned the tree line and licked his lips. “Okay, so now what?”
“Now we wait for the abacor to come to us.” My fingers drifted over the mark on my chest. “I have a feeling it won’t be long.”
Chapter 27
Drake held his hand up and a long, thin blade appeared in his palm. A lilac hue matching the prince’s irises shimmered across the sword. The weapon seemed to be crafted from faery magic itself. Scarlett spun around, her fangs sliding out from her top lip and revealed short daggers in each hand. Triston held no actual weapon, unless you counted the rows of pointed teeth and razor sharp claws curling from his partially shifted paws.
I suddenly felt severely underweaponed. “You guys have any extra weapons for me?”
Scarlett bent down and hitched up her pant leg, revealing another dagger. She tossed it over and panic exploded in my chest as it whirled end over end toward me. At the last second, my hand whipped out to catch the shiny metal hilt. Phew… those training sessions with Ryder were actually paying off.
The sound of snow crunching sent everyone’s head spinning toward the darkening forest. Drake’s eyes connected with mine, and he nodded. No one moved. I couldn’t have even if I wanted. Panic spilled through my veins freezing my muscles in place. Triston raised his elongated furry snout and sniffed the air. Turning to us, his irises blazed, the amber lit up like a thousand flickering flames.
Drake’s fingers clamped around my shoulder and he hauled me behind him, raising his sword. The uncharacteristically chivalrous gesture nearly knocked me on my butt. Triston and Scarlett flanked Drake so the three stood in a line, each within arm’s reach of the other. Were they going to pull the same stunt Raine had with the marai demon?
A dark blur whipped the tree branches as it hurtled toward us. A sharp shriek rang out in the stillness and sent a wave of goose bumps crashing over my skin.
“Look out!” shouted Drake as the creature pummeled right into the four of us. I jumped back, Drake’s body taking the brunt of the hit from the massive black beast. It was like a bowling ball whizzing by four wobbly pins. I staggered but managed to remain on my feet, but my friends hadn’t been as lucky. Scarlett had been thrown a few yards back. She pushed herself up, holding her head where a line of blood t
rickled down her nose. And Triston… where was Triston?
Drake snapped up a few feet behind me, his lilac eyes darker than I’d ever seen them as the hairy creature doubled back around. He thrust his sword at the demon, shoving me behind his back once again.
“Ah, the Fae prince,” the abacor hissed. “I’d heard they had you hiding out here, but I couldn’t believe it.”
“No one’s hiding, demon.”
A dagger whizzed through the air, burying itself in the abacor’s beefy shoulder with a sickening squelch. Scarlett stood a few yards away with the second dagger poised to strike. The monster barely flinched as he jerked the knife out of his arm and tossed it to the ground.
Dang it. Maybe we underestimated this thing.
It let out a ground-shaking howl and charged at Drake, its alabaster horns sharpened to lethal points. My heart leapt to my chest, and I squeezed my eyes shut at the last minute like a big baby.
The crash of metal against bone reverberated across the darkening sky, and I hazarded a peek through my slitted lids. Drake swung his sword in a mighty arc, sparks of lavender and magenta dancing across the blade. The abacor used his moose-like horns to deflect the blows, swinging his massive head back and forth like a wild animal.
The demon closed the distance between them and snorted. Thick, black smoke spewed from his nose and mouth, and Drake began to cough.
“Watch out!” I screamed. “That stuff’s lethal!” My hands shot out without my control and my safety bubble appeared, cocooning both Drake and me in its blue haze.
“Thanks,” Drake mumbled between coughs.
The abacor swiped at the shimmering orb with its sharp talons, but the invisible walls held. “Come out and play, little ones. Or I’ll make you watch as I disembowel your friend.” The demon’s crimson eyes turned to Scarlett right as she let her second dagger fly.
It zipped through the air, but the abacor swiped it away with its meaty paw. Then he lunged at her.
“No!” I cried out, but my voice was muffled within the safety of my little bubble.
Scarlett snarled, her fangs in full view. She dodged the first and second swipe of his clawed digits. The girl was nothing more than a blur as she zipped around him and beneath his tree-trunk legs.
Another howl erupted from a few yards away, and a gray wolf sprinted toward the battling pair. Leaping into the air, wolf-Triston landed on the demon’s hairy back and sank his fangs into the back of its neck.
Scarlett didn’t waste a second, revealing another knife strapped to her ankle. Freeing it from its holster, she buried it into the demon’s gut as he struggled against a dangling Triston.
“Drop the shield, quick!” shouted Drake.
Right. If only I knew how to do that. Sweat lined my brow as I scrambled to recall the words of the incantation.
Oily, black goo shot out of the demon’s extended hand, wrapping itself around Scarlett’s midsection. She dropped the dagger and collapsed to the ground, writhing against the magical bindings.
“Luna, just do it!” Drake yelled.
Oh, flying faeries! “I’m trying!”
His fingers wrapped around my hand, a little tighter than I thought necessary and a flash of brilliant purple exploded around us, annihilating our little enclosure. Raw power surged from my hand and tingled over every inch of my flesh as Drake released his hold and sprinted toward the others.
I staggered for a second, the rush of energy making my head spin before I got my legs underneath me and raced after him.
Drake speared the demon in the chest as Triston kept him busy from behind, nipping and snarling at his heels. Scarlett’s dark hair, splayed across the white snow, caught my eye. She thrashed wildly as the onyx goo crawled up her torso. “No, no, no!” I slid down beside her and tried to tear away at the mystical binds choking her.
“Don’t,” she murmured. “You’ll just make it spread faster.”
“So what do I do?”
“How confident are you in elemental magic?” The onyx ropes tangled around her like poison ivy, climbing higher and higher.
I arched a brow. This was not the time for a lesson in Magic 101.
“I want you to try to freeze it off me.”
I glanced around at the veritable winter wonderland stretching around us and nodded quickly. I could do this. I’d seen Drake do it a million times. Sure, he was a winter faery, but how hard could it be?
I dug my fingers into the snow, rubbing the soft powder between my frozen digits. Skimming the surface with my palm, I mumbled, “Venitem icem forae.” Icicles crackled between my skin and the frosty ground, energy zapping like a live wire. Raising my hands, I splayed my fingers out and channeled the icy minerals crystallizing over my skin.
Power surged through my veins, filling every nook and cranny of my insides. “Wait!” I cried out. “What if I freeze you too?”
Her lips trembled, the black goo crawling up her neck. “Even if you kill me, I’ll come back. This stuff is dark demon magic, and I’m not sure what its effects may be. Now just do it!”
Steeling my nerves, I pressed my lips together and stretched my arms out. Ice shot from my palms, covering Scarlett in a winter blanket. Her pale skin turned light blue then completely frosted over. My breaths came in ragged spurts, but I kept going until every inch of the vile goo was covered in ice.
I lowered my hands and slumped back, my head whirling. “Scarlett?” Her eyes were squeezed shut, tiny icicles coating her long dark lashes. Lowering my ear to her chest, I heard nothing. My own heartbeats stumbled. “It’s okay, she’s going to be fine,” I mumbled to myself. “I just gotta get this stuff off her now.”
All around me the sounds of a raging battle continued, wild animals’ fangs snapped and earsplitting growls swam around me. But I couldn’t focus on that. I had to save my friend.
Grabbing the dagger tucked into my waistband, I slid the blade beneath the now icy black tendrils around her midsection. With a sharp twist of the knife, the coil snapped.
“It worked, Scarlett, it worked!” I quickly repeated the exercise until she was free from the black icy mess. I was about to break into a happy dance when the yelp of Triston’s wolf sent my gaze flying in their direction.
The gray animal was splayed out on the snow, deep red gashes covering its furry torso. Drake continued to fight the demon, his sword never letting up, but from the look on his haggard face, he wouldn’t last much longer.
My chest tightened as I glanced back and forth between the two. I hated leaving Scarlett like this, but she’d be okay for now. Or at least I hoped. I shot to my feet and darted toward the battle.
Drake spun his head in my direction as I approached, deep lavender rimming his irises. “Go, Luna! Get out of here!” He swung his blade, but the demon jerked back, snarling.
“No, I’m not leaving you.”
His eyes were wild, his slick platinum hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. Bloody gashes spattered up and down his torso and arms. A twinge of fear ignited in my chest. I’d never seen the ice prince in such a state, and it sent a rush of panic through my veins.
A nearby whimper made my head spin in the direction of the sound. Triston’s naked body lay trembling in the snow. I forced my eyes toward the upper half of his form and bent down beside him. He was pale, and like Drake, had lacerations marring the entire length of his body. But they were healing…
“Are you okay?”
“I will be,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“Is there anything I can do?” I tucked my hands beneath his head and laid it down on my lap, his shaggy brown hair spilling over my knee.
“We have to help Drake,” he rasped, his eyes flitting toward the ensuing battle. Squeezing his eyes shut, a golden glow encompassed his body, the warmth seeping into my lap. A few seconds later, his eyelids opened, the amber of his irises already brighter. “Can you help me stand?”
I nodded quickly and wedged my shoulder under his armpit. He pushed himself to stand
, and I couldn’t help but notice the nasty cuts along his abdomen had nearly healed. New pink skin formed between the lacerations, mending the vicious slices of the demon’s horns.
From all The Seven, Triston was the one I’d had least contact with—until now. I shoved away the embarrassing thoughts of his naked body pressed against mine as his legs stopped wobbling, and he righted himself.
“You got a weapon?” he asked, peeling his bare torso from mine.
“Just this.” I held up the dagger Scarlett had given me earlier.
He grabbed it and flipped it over in his palm. “I’m too weak to shift so this will have to do.” Wrapping his fingers around the metal hilt, he mumbled a few words. When his fingers unclenched, two daggers lay across his palm.
“Wow! How’d you do that?”
“Just a quick duplicating spell. It’s the best I could do for now.” He handed me a blade and clasped his fingers around my other hand, tugging me toward Drake and the monster. “You think you can conjure me up some sweats?”
I nodded quickly. It wasn’t something I’d ever practiced before but how hard could it be? Squeezing my eyes shut, I visualized the training uniforms Triston typically wore. A blast of warmth sparked from my fingertips and when I opened my eyes, the shifter was fully clothed.
“Thanks,” he said, already pulling me toward Drake. “You ready?”
“For what exactly?”
“Aeria told me what you girls did in their dorm the other day. I’m going to attempt to replicate it. I just hope we have enough remaining power between the three of us.”
I gulped, trailing behind him as he yanked me through the soft snow.
The abacor had Drake cornered against a monstrous oak, its rows of fangs snapping at the Fae royal. Drake’s arms shook from the strain of keeping his sword up. Unlike the prince, the demon didn’t show an ounce of exhaustion.