Only when he collapsed back to the altar, panting for breath, did Ethan speak again. “You try anything, and I will hold my finger on this button until his brain is fried.”
Morgan gritted her teeth, not doubting him for a second.
She turned, unlatching the thick metal cuffs from Ascher’s ankles first, then unstrapping the chains around his waist, before moving to his head, getting her first look at his face. The damage was so extensive, his eyes so swollen, he could barely even blink. The white of one eye was filled completely with blood, and she knew he had a severe concussion, if not a fractured skull. Dried blood was caked around his nose and one ear, while his lips were so bruised, they had split.
He scanned her face, his eyes tortured, his only concern was for her.
Foolish man.
The total defeat on his face broke her heart.
Tears stung her eyes, and she closed them for a second, knowing she would be haunted by the image of his battered face for the rest of her life.
Because of her.
She gently brushed his hair back from his face, lightly running her fingertips down his jaw. When he flinched, she jerked her hand back, afraid she’d hurt him more, but he only leaned into her touch. “Why?”
The word was garbled, barely audible, his jaw clearly broken.
She flashed him a lopsided smile. “I’m rescuing you.”
When he flinched and closed his eyes in defeat, she clucked her tongue. “You can’t believe I would leave you here.” She struggled to unhook the shackle from his arm with shaky fingers. As soon as he was free, he latched on to her wrist.
“You would never have abandoned me. How could I do any less?” Morgan gave him a gentle smile, then her eyes widened as she saw the black cuff melt away from her arm to twine around his own forearm. “Don’t count me out yet.”
She reached over and unlatched the last cuff, then helped prop him up. He clutched his ribs, and she wasn’t even sure he was breathing. He had so many broken bones, she could practically hear them crunch when he moved.
“Hurry it up or the deal is off.”
Morgan glared at Ethan, wanting to leap the distance between him and rip his head off. Magic tingled along her arm, as if willing to aid her.
Ethan’s eyes widened, then glimmered with greed, and he wiggled the damned remote in his fingers. “Uh-uh. Careful.”
Using the utmost care, Morgan practically dragged Ascher’s abused body off the altar, shouldering most of his weight as she helped him toward the barrier. The warm heat of him seeped into her body, a deep possessiveness waking, and she struggled against the urge to shove him behind her and tell Ethan to go fuck himself.
As if reading her thoughts, Ascher lurched out of her hold and stumbled across the barrier. She lunged forward to grab him, only to receive a nasty shock for her trouble when she hit the barrier. The magic slammed into her hard enough to knock her on her ass. A persistent scratching began at the back of her mind, like a colony of mice had taken up residence, and were frantically searching for a way out. She pushed back, until a slight ache began to build behind her eyes, and the feeling of being invaded faded a fraction.
“So stupid.” Ethan lifted the remote and pressed the button, knocking Ascher to his knees, only letting up when two guards approached and began dragging him toward the cages. “Did you really think you were going to simply waltz in here and just rescue them?”
Morgan’s gaze automatically slid to the guys who were coming to mean so much to her. Sadness welled up in her at the thought of their time together being cut short. She didn’t even get a chance to know them, and everything in her rebelled at the idea of losing them.
It couldn’t end like this.
She wouldn’t let it.
A beginning of a plan started taking shape. If Ethan really wanted the primordial magic from the void, she would give him the void. If it was the last thing she did, she would drag him to hell with her.
“No,” she answered Ethan, then resolutely turned away from the guys as they prowled their cage.
She would not be distracted.
The dreaded bang of the bars clanging shut jolted through her, and she slowly began pulling magic from her bones, her skin tingling as it began to course through her veins.
“What about me?” Neil shoved his way toward the bars of the cage, his thin frame emaciated after only a few hours in this realm, his skin pale and pasty, sweat darkening his hair. “I did my part. I got her here. Release me, and give me what you promised.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
“What?” Morgan could only stare at Neil, feeling crushed after everything they risked to get him back. “Why?”
“Release him.” Ethan chuckled, taking pleasure in her pain. “He’s been a somewhat shoddy partner, but he did ultimately help me achieve my goal—locating you.”
Neil couldn’t look her in the eye as he was hauled none-too-gently out of the cage.
“Enter the circle and strap her down.”
“But you promised—”
Ethan spun and backhanded Neil so hard, his head whipped violently to the side, and nearly sent the kid to his knees. “Strap her down.”
Neil shuffled forward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and she struggled not to feel sorry for him. Morgan could overpower him in a second, but it would solve nothing. Neil crossed the barrier and the wards wobbled, but held. When he stopped in front of her, he couldn’t lift his gaze from his feet.
“Please.” His voice was a hoarse croak.
Everything inside her rebelled at the idea of being strapped down, but she was conscious of the guys still being held behind bars. If she fought, they would be the first to die.
No, she had to wait and bide her time.
It hurt to docilely lie on the altar.
Draven was yelling at her to fight, while Atlas watched impassively, his dark green eyes stormy with the emotions he so hated to show. Ryder was struggling to remain human, but Ascher and Kincade worried her the most. They stood side by side at the cage door, their faces carefully blank as they were forced to watch while she was slowly tortured to death.
It was beyond cruel.
Their rage and helplessness rippled through the bonds, and she did her best to sever her ties with them. If she couldn’t break free, she wanted to spare them at least that.
She was hurting them by not fighting, but she couldn’t bring herself to trade their lives for hers. Wouldn’t.
Something inside her would shatter if anything happened to them if she could’ve prevented it.
She ruthlessly kept gathering magic, until it practically crackled in the air around her. The barriers were doing their best to crush her control, but she refused to relent, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Cold shackles clamped down on her ankles first, the chains surprisingly heavy. Neil circled the altar, his throat bobbing painfully as he picked up a metal cuff. He moved jerkily, his chest heaving. “I’m sorry. I never wanted this.”
“Then why?”
“I’m dying.” For the first time, he looked up and dared to meet her gaze. His soft brown eyes were dark and tortured. “The void weapons were keeping me stabilized for a while. They staved off death, but didn’t stop the progression. My powers were consuming me from the inside out faster every day. I needed more. He promised me a cure, something only the primordial realm could provide.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve tried to help.” He secured the cuff on her wrist, studiously avoiding her eyes.
“You are helping me.” He scurried around to the opposite side of the altar, and clumsily snatched up the last cuff, hastily snapping it around her wrist before backing away. “You’re saving my life.”
“Weeeelllll, not exactly.” Ethan smiled from outside the circle, spinning a black dagger between his fingers. “I mean, if you asked her, she probably would have been able to save your life by filtering and purifying the magic—she has an affinity with the void like
none I’ve ever seen—but seeing as she’s busy and all tied up with other things at the moment, she just doesn’t have the time.”
“What?” Neil barely croaked out the question as he slowly straightened. “You promised.”
“And you took too long,” Ethan snapped, his patience at an end. “You’re too far gone. Your body interprets the magic you so love as poison, and it’s trying to rid you of it. We all know removing magic from a witch will kill them, you most of all—especially after all those girls you experimented on at the Academy. It would take too much valuable magic to reverse the effects of magical poisoning, and you’re not worth the effort, even if I was inclined to try.”
Neil slowly turned toward her, defeat slumping his shoulders, his spirit completely broken.
“I’ve been waiting years to finish this ritual, years waiting for just this moment.” Ethan entered the circle, practically crowing his victory.
The muscles of her back flinched as memories of the runes being seared into her flesh flashed in her mind. She tugged on the cuffs, surprised to feel a slight give, the metal thinning even as she watched.
“This bridge will create a vast new world of possibilities.”
Morgan tore her gaze away and focused on Ethan, not wanting to draw attention to the cuffs. “Too bad I won’t be around to witness it.”
Ethan nodded, completely missing her sarcasm. “Yes, it is unfortunate that the process has the nasty side effect of killing you, but the portal can only have one master—me.”
Before she knew what he intended, he lashed out with the knife, slicing a deep line down the length of her arm. The instant the blade came into contact with her blood, it glowed a deep red. Because it was a void weapon, it was sharper than most, and would take longer for her body to heal. Blood splashed to the floor in a steady drip, but instead of collecting in a puddle, small droplets began to roll toward the symbols etched in the circle.
When her blood struck the first symbol, it blazed a dark purple, and it felt like someone had punched a hole into her chest and squeezed her heart in their meaty first. Her back arched off the altar, her vision dimmed, and she struggled to stay conscious.
She now knew what it felt like to have her soul ripped from her body—every hint of emotion, every second of joy in her life was being taken from her.
The rusty color of the stones now made sense—they were stained with blood after decades of sacrifices.
She barely felt the cuts on her legs.
“It’s working!” Ethan sounded giddy, and she had to struggle to focus on him. She turned her head, her neck so stiff it felt like it was made of stone and creaked as she moved. “More than half the symbols are done. No one else has ever survived this far.”
He beamed at her like a proud father. “I knew you could do it.”
And he was right. Magic thickened the air, reminding her of what it felt like to travel in the void. The wonder and awe. The sense of coming home.
It was beautiful.
And it was slowly killing her.
A nasty cut on her arm yanked her back to the present, and her eyes snapped open. The magic around her wavered, reacting to her emotions. It didn’t like that she was in pain. The more she fought, the clearer her head became, but it also made the torture more painful. Pressure pounded in her skull like a pickaxe, the insistent thudding shredding her concentration.
Very slowly, the magic began to perforate her mental barriers, and blood leaked out of her pores like she was being wrung dry.
Neil shuffled slowly closer, watching Ethan like a mouse caught in a hawk’s gaze. “I’m sorry.”
Morgan tried to nod, but her head felt too heavy. “Me too.”
She couldn’t blame him, not really.
If one of the guys was dying, she wouldn’t even hesitate to kill if she thought it would save them.
“You were my only friend, and I…” His throat bobbed painfully as he swallowed, then a hard look settled on his face, and his gaze sharpened on Ethan. She could feel his magic, an almost alien thing compared to hers, gathering in the air. “I made a mistake. I hope someday you can forgive me.”
Despite knowing his magic would kill him, he didn’t stop. She tried to grab for him, stop him, but he remained out of reach. “You will never kill him, not within the circle. If you want to help, get the others out.”
Neil hesitated a moment, peering down at her for the last time, his glasses askew and smiling at her like he did when they’d first met. “As you wish.”
He brought his hands together, and a clap of thunder rocked the room when his magic exploded out of him. The screech of metal as the cage bars were wrenched open was like music to her ears. Neil dropped to his knees, completely spent and dying, blood dribbled down his face from his eyes and nose, staining his lips red as it bubbled out of his mouth.
The guys came out of the cave system swinging, tearing into the guards. Body parts, hell—whole people went flying across the room. The students were outnumbered nearly two to one, but it didn’t matter. Their rage fueled them, and blood quickly spilled on both sides.
Kincade and Ascher fought back to back. Ascher used her black blade to hack away at anything that got too close, while Kincade destroyed his opponents with one blow, his inhuman strength giving him the edge. Draven and Atlas were unstoppable, anticipating each other’s needs as they destroyed one soldier after another in a whirlwind of motion. Ryder fought alone, systematically working his way closer to her, his size and brute strength clearing a path.
Ethan spun in a circle, watching the chaos in disbelief.
“No! No! No!” Ethan stormed toward her, lifting his blade high, ready to plunge it into her chest, when Neil lurched to his feet and threw himself between them.
He gave a startled gasp as the blade sank into his back, staring into her eyes as life slowly drained out of him, his weight settling over her.
Morgan was stunned that he would sacrifice himself to save her, and she gave him the only thing she could. “I forgive you.”
He gave her one last, sweet smile, tears glistening in his eyes, before they slid closed for a final time.
She began to suffocate from much more than his weight as grief welled up in her, tightening her throat and stinging her eyes. When Ethan reached to pull his body off her, Morgan allowed her need for vengeance to break free. She pulled on her arm and the metal stretched, then shattered like glass.
She lifted her hand in time to catch Ethan’s arm as the blade descended, blocking the blow meant to slice her throat. A vicious roar of absolute fury thundered through the room as Ryder launched himself through the barrier, plowing his bigger body into Ethan’s much smaller frame.
Both men flew back, crashing to the floor in a bone-jarring thud, and she winced in sympathy. Morgan used the distraction to break the shackles binding her ankles, the metal twisting away at her command.
She twisted and sat upright in time to see Ethan and Ryder circling each other. Ethan was battered and bruised, but he managed to land a few good blows with his knife, the cuts on Ryder’s chest and arm bleeding freely.
Instead of being scared, Ethan appeared unconcerned as he calmly twisted his arm up and activated a sigil tattooed near his wrist. A bright red mist floated in the air around Ryder like little gnats attacking. Ryder stepped back, swinging his hand to dispel them, but with every breath, he inhaled more and more of the spores.
She watched in horror as Ryder slowed, then stopped completely.
“A nifty little safety measure I had installed. It freezes my enemies for ten seconds.” He gave her a malicious smile. “It was very effective on your mother, too, when that bitch had the audacity to whisk you away before I could follow through on my plans. She suffered for defying me.” Ethan smirked at her and lifted his blade toward Ryder. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
Morgan rolled across the top of the altar, only to lurch to a stop when the last chain on her wrist pulled taut, nearly jerking her arm out of her socket. She watc
hed in horror as Ethan walked up to Ryder and calmly gutted him while he remained frozen.
In slow motion, she watched the big wolf drop to the ground.
Devastation eviscerated her, and she watched as blood pooled under Ryder’s too-still form.
Something inside her snapped.
She ripped her arm free of the last chain, barely feeling pain when the rough metal edges tore into her wrist. Rage and loss twisted inside her like an unstoppable force, an untamable wildness that rekindled her magic like a spark to tinder, and the shimmering runes on the floor faded when the power was sucked back toward her like a giant, unstoppable wave.
The red barrier wilted until a light sheen of purple rose, preventing Ethan from escaping her wrath, and stopping anyone else who wanted to keep her from doing what needed to be done. “This ends now.”
“Agreed. I’ve come too far to be thwarted again.” His face settled into hard lines, his eyes darkening a little in desperation when he noticed the change in her, his grip tightening on the knife as he began circling her.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Ryder hold his gut closed as he dragged himself across the floor toward her. When Ethan lunged for her, Ryder dropped to his side and stretched his arm out as far as he could reach, catching Ethan’s ankle.
Her cousin shouted in surprise as he began to fall. Morgan didn’t hesitate and swung her leg, kicking the blade out his hand. She grabbed the torque around her wrist, and it easily uncoiled into a thin strip of metal. Before Ethan could push himself off the floor, she wrapped the garrote around his throat, knelt on his back, and heaved back with all her strength.
He bucked and twisted, but Morgan refused to relent, not really feeling the blows, nor his nails as he desperately clawed at her forearms like a frantic little rat trying to break free.
Blood trickled down his back, coating her hands and the knee she had pressed against his spine. Only when he stopped moving, when his arms dropped uselessly to his side, did she finally loosen her hold and watch dispassionately as his lifeless body thumped to the ground.
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