Some days, I’d give just about anything to go back to being human.
“I won’t be the last, you know,” Nemius chuckled. “There will be many more. They’re going to come for you, halfling.”
I didn’t want to listen to anything more. I looked at Marcella and nodded.
Quick as a hummingbird, she lashed out and sliced off a horn. If it hurt Nemius, the only sign was the small grunt he let loose.
“Get out of that circle, Elle,” Marcella ordered.
Immediately, Mom stepped over the red border and hurried back to us, Marcella hot on her tail.
“You are a fool!” Nemius shrieked.
Suddenly, the comfortable hold my magic had on him started to disappear. Nemius grunted and seethed, and the bright-blue glow started to grow larger and larger, overpowering my bright-white magic.
Until, all of a sudden, I felt the magic within me snap apart, and, in a flash of bright-blue, Nemius disappeared.
All that was left was a tiny little whirlpool of dust where Nemius had stood only moments before. Silence fell over all of us as we stared at the now empty, red circle.
“That was intense,” Marcella finally muttered, holding up the little piece of hard, white bone that she’d taken from Nemius.
“You’re telling me,” Grams chuckled. “I haven’t fought like that since the fae woman attacked. And before that, I hadn’t fought like that in years.”
I rubbed my temples, trying to rid myself of the growing headache as the three of them celebrated our slight victory.
Step one was complete. That was a good thing.
Hunter was still laying flat out on the ground, staring up at the sky. I dashed over to him, only to find that he was laughing quietly to himself.
“How’s that for a fight?” he asked. “Having no magic sucks. How’d you live like that for forty years?”
“Try not knowing what magic is,” I shrugged. I reached down to help him up, noticing how his burned shirt was sticking to his back in the worst way.
“Yeah, that might need some time to heal,” Hunter grimaced, glancing over his shoulder.
The skin was raw and red where the fire had tried to eat him. Just the very sight of it made my skin burn. It had to hurt. Instinctually, I put my hand out and laid it flat on the middle of his back.
“Ouch,” he complained, trying to pull away.
“Just wait,” I told him. I didn’t even know for what, but the magic inside of me was telling me that this was the thing to do.
And it was right.
Seconds later, the raw skin started to sew itself back together, creating new skin that didn’t look like it wanted to blister up any minute.
“Better?” I asked Hunter.
“Better,” he nodded before he turned to look at me in confusion.
“What?” I asked before I felt three other pairs of eyes on me. Turning, I saw that Mom, Grams, and Marcella were all staring at me in much the same way Hunter was.
“That’s a rare power,” Marcella finally breathed. “What on earth are you, kid?”
The question made me shiver. I knew it was asked in wonder, but I didn’t want it to be asked at all. Because the truthful answer was that, clearly, nobody here had any freaking idea.
“That’s step number three,” I told her instead.
“Huh?” Marcella raised an eyebrow.
“Shannon likes to do things in steps,” Mom explained. “It helps her keep a handle on her crazy brain.”
“And it’s also just the rational, organized way of doing things,” I pointed out. “So, Marcella, the answer to that question doesn’t come until step number three.”
“What step are we on?” she shot back.
“We just finished step number one,” I replied, nodding at the grimoire.
“Speaking of which, we should get this thing back into a safe place,” Mom interrupted, glancing around the forest worriedly.
The rest of us followed suit. Even though Nemius was gone, we still had an eerie feeling, like someone could be watching us at any moment.
“Let’s go,” I nodded.
We headed through the forest. At first, Hunter was by my side, but then he peeled away and started walking farther and farther from the group. I glanced over at him and smiled softly, but the grin he gave me in return didn’t even meet his eyes.
He wanted to kill me. Hunter was trying to contain it, but I could see the burning desire in his eyes. The Council had given him an order, and he had to follow it.
Magic licked at my fingertips, hot and angry. I had no doubt that if the Council were there right now, I’d give them a piece of my magical mind.
“Hey, Shannon,” Hunter murmured, just loud enough for me to hear him.
“Yeah?”
“What’s step number two?”
I glanced back over at the massive grimoire, tucked safely in Mom’s hands.
“Step number two is opening that thing up and finding a spell to break your bond with the Hunter’s Council.”
Thank You for Reading!
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- Mel
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Potions and Pearls
About the Author
Melinda Chase is an emerging author of Paranormal Women’s Fiction.
Over forty years young, Melinda loves writing tales that prove life—romance—and ‘happily-ever-afters’—do exist beyond your twenties!
Her debut Series, Midlife Mayhem is a snarky, hilarious, romantic adventure, sure to please fans of traditional paranormal romance and cozy paranormal mysteries!
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Divorce, Divination and Destiny Page 13