We might have done everything we could to brace ourselves against his magic, might have done everything we could to counter his spells, but there was no way we could ever have understood or appreciated the sheer depths of depravity and power of it. Not until we’d stepped into it.

It was unlike anything I’d ever felt before—a living thing that tore at every part of me. It was hundreds of needle-sharp claws ripping into my skin and burrowing into my body. Pinpricks of blood began to dot my skin and stain my clothes as the invading threads dug deeper and deeper, as if trying to reach the very heart of me.

Fear surged, overwhelming the pain as realization hit. This spell wasn’t trying to kill me. It was attempting to do something far worse.

It was trying to tear my magic away from my soul.

A single wave of power broke away from the force that resided within me and washed through the layers of my being. It wrapped around each of those tiny claws and stilled them in an instant. Then—slowly, and almost lovingly—it crushed them, until there was nothing left but the ashes of ill intent.

While Waverley’s magic might have failed in its ultimate task, the remaining threads of it still spun all around me. It was a foul and suppressive weight that had my body trembling and my knees buckling under its force. I somehow managed to lock them and remain upright, but between the wild magic within me and the dark threads pressing down on me, I wasn’t sure how much longer that was going to be the case.

I shook my head, trying to clear it, and tried a simple healing incantation—one of the very first spells taught in witch schools. Nothing happened. My magic was still within me—I could feel it stirring, trying to respond—but a barrier had now been placed between us.

I swore and swiped at the sweat dribbling down the side of my face. The claws might have been contained, but it still felt as if a thousand tiny ants were biting at my skin. Only this time it wasn’t the blood magic but rather the wild. It wanted out.

Desperately.

A sharp hiss had my head snapping sideways. The glamour was still in place, but Belle’s fists were clenched and her thoughts were ablaze with pain.

I wanted to reach out, to offer both comfort and strength, but I didn’t have enough of the latter and I certainly didn’t dare touch her. The glamour might be holding against whatever exclusions Waverly had woven into his spells, but something as simple as a light touch might just shatter it.

I’m okay. Her gaze met mine; determination and fury gleamed in the silver depths. We can beat this bastard. He may be magically stronger than us, but he’s also overconfident. That will be his downfall.

You’re reading him?

In bits and bobs. Not enough to attempt any sort of mental control.

Damn. And your magic?

Unhampered. But I didn’t throw up a mental wall fast enough, and got caught in the backwash that was hitting you.

Fuck, I didn’t even think to—

Like you had the time. But you were right—my magic alone will not counter his.

It might be enough to help Aiden, though. And right now, that was all I was worried about. Keep your eyes down, Belle. The glamour isn’t quite reaching them.

Well, fuck. She instantly looked at the ground. Is it failing anywhere else?

No.

“So nice of you to join us, Lizzie,” Waverley said, so unexpectedly I jumped. “I can call you Lizzie, can’t I?”

He was, as I’d presumed, standing on the far side of the fire. Sitting on the ground beside him, his hands tied securely around a tree with a thick piece of wire, was Aiden.

He looked like death warmed over. His skin was gray, and sweat poured down his face and soaked his shirt. I couldn’t immediately see the reason, as he didn’t appear to be wounded, and other than the gash that stretched across his forehead from his right temple, there was little blood.

And then I spotted something sticking out of his shoulder—something that looked a lot like a small letter opener. One that gleamed brightly in the firelight.

Silver. It was made of silver.

No wonder there wasn’t any blood. The silver blade would have cauterized the wound even as it slid into his flesh. He was in no danger of dying from blood loss, but he certainly could die from silver poisoning.

And very quickly.

The wild magic was roiling within me, eager for release—to rend and tear. Something very strange was going on here—something that was more than mere sentience. The emotions I sensed were human, even if they were wrapped within the wilder energy of this world.

And that was not only dangerous, but there was a very real risk of staining.

I clenched my fists and silently explained to the awareness within the wild magic why its goal had to be containment rather than killing. I had no idea whether it could—or would—listen to me, but I had to at least try. The angry stirring within me didn’t ease, but it didn’t pour out and attack Waverley, either.

“You can call me Lizzie, as long as you don’t mind me calling you Waverley. Or would you prefer Frederick?”

Surprise briefly broke through the smugness. “It would appear someone has been in contact with the registrar. That does make things a little more awkward.”

“Indeed,” I said. “Especially given they aren’t exactly pleased about your exploits here.”

Aiden raised his head as I spoke. Though his expression was tight with pain, there was nothing but fury in the blue depths of his eyes.

“Fuck, Liz,” he growled. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Saving your life.” I dug my nails deeper into my palms as the wild magic twisted and churned inside. Those ants weren’t just biting now, they were burning. Any fiercer and I’d start melting.

“Not at the cost of another, for fuck’s sake.”

Waverley kicked him hard enough to draw a hiss of pain. “Shut the hell up, my dear ranger. This conversation doesn’t involve you. Though I will admit that I am, like you, somewhat surprised at Redfern’s presence here this evening.”

Sweat glinted off Aiden’s lashes as he continued to glare at me, but a heartbeat later his eyes went wide. Belle had just told him to shut up and play along.

I stopped several feet short of the bonfire. Its heat rolled over me, a warm caress that did little to ease the growing chill in my body—a chill not even the violent presence of the wild magic could erase.

“Why? Isn’t that what you asked me to do?”

“Indeed. I just didn’t think you’d give in so easily.” His gaze narrowed as it flicked to Belle. “There is magic around him.”

I smiled, though it held little in the way of satisfaction. He might not have sensed the reason for that magic, but there was no guarantee it would remain that way. “You surely didn’t think I was going to make it that easy on you, did you?”

“Indeed, but I have measures in place—”

“Indeed,” I echoed. “But such measures were designed to render any attempt of spellwork within its boundaries inert. It wasn’t designed to counter spells created outside of it, was it now?”

A delighted smile creased his features. “Bravo, Lizzie. I’m almost saddened by the thought of having to kill you.”

“If I die, Redfern dies,” I said evenly. “And you forgo your chance of revenge.”

His amusement deepened. “What makes you think I’d care? All I want in the end is his death.”

“If that were true, you could have killed them all months ago, rather than concocting such elaborate plans to make them all suffer before you murdered them.”

“That is also true.”

He took a step toward me, and that was when I saw the fishing wire that was looped around Aiden’s neck. It had snapped taut when Waverley moved, and though it wasn’t cutting deep enough yet to cause major damage, blood was beginning to trickle down Aiden’s neck.

But that wire wasn’t the only thing connecting the two men. Twining around the fishing line was a needle-fine black thread—something I shouldn’t have seen in the darkness. I narrowed my gaze and, after a heartbeat, I realized what it was—a rebound spell.

Any attack we made on Waverley would be felt by Aiden—and that meant it was even more imperative we got him out of harm’s way before we tried anything against Waverley.

“If you want Redfern, then release Aiden.” My voice was surprisingly even considering the turmoil in my body and the toll it was beginning to take. It wasn’t just the ants now—my muscles trembled and even my bones began to ache. Everything felt like it was turning to mush. Perhaps I was actually melting. “Once he’s free of this clearing, we’ll deal.”

Waverley laughed. “You, my dear witch, are in no position to barter right now.”

There’s someone sneaking up behind us, Belle said. He’s armed.

I reached into my left pocket and wrapped my fingers around the charm. Location?

If Waverley is standing one o’clock, then our sneaky thug is at seven.

“Oh, but I am,” I said to Waverley. “And will be for as long as I hold the strings of Redfern’s life in my hands.”

With that, I turned and threw the charm into the forest. There was a brief retort and then someone started screaming—it was a high-pitched sound that was both fear and confusion.

But then, suddenly seeing a dozen or more hairy huntsman spiders crawling all over you often had that sort of effect.

Waverley’s moving, Belle warned.

I immediately swung back around. Waverley had taken several steps closer and the garrote had again tightened. Blood ringed Aiden’s neck and stained his shirt collar.

“Release the ranger, and you get what you want,” I said bluntly. “It’s as simple as that.”

“I will not fucking leave you to face this madman alone.” Aiden’s voice was raw—harsh—but the anger pulsing from him wasn’t aimed at me. It was aimed at the situation, and at his own helplessness.

“You, Ranger, will do precisely as ordered. This fight is not yours. It was never yours.” My words were almost as harsh and as pain-filled as his. I needed this ended and quickly, otherwise our small chance of surviving would melt away as quickly as my strength was beginning to.

Waverley studied me for several seconds before his gaze flicked to Belle. His eyes narrowed and, for one terrifying moment, I thought he’d seen through our ruse. My heart was racing so hard now it felt ready to tear out of my chest—and maybe that played to our favor. As a vampire, he’d hear the siren call of it, even from where he was standing, and it would suggest fear rather than confidence. Artlessness rather than scheming.

“Fine,” he said abruptly. “We’ll play it your way for the time being.”

He pulled a knife from his pocket and moved back to Aiden, first cutting the ropes that bound him to the tree, and then the wire. It remained embedded in his neck, as Aiden made no move to remove it. He was too busy fighting unconsciousness after the sudden release of his wounded arm had jarred the silver letter opener in his shoulder.

My psychic senses were at least in working order. It was a shame one of us didn’t have telekinesis—it would have been a useful skill in a situation like this.

He shoved the knife away then grabbed Aiden by his good arm and roughly hauled him upright. Aiden hissed and his face went grayer. He was barely holding on. I crossed mental fingers that he had enough strength to get out of the clearing—out of harm’s way.

Except for one thing—Waverley’s rebound spell hadn’t been severed along with the wire.

Fuck, fuck, fuck….

“You may leave, Ranger.”

“Except that he can’t,” I said. “I may not be able to create magic, but I can still see it, vampire. Kill the rebound spell that holds the ranger in your power, or I’ll follow through with my threat.”

He studied me for several too-long seconds, and then murmured an incantation. Power surged, a dark sensation that had my skin crawling, and the black thread connecting him to Aiden disintegrated. Relief stirred, but it wasn’t as if he was actually safe yet.

“Go,” Waverly said, and pushed Aiden forward so hard he stumbled for several steps before he caught his balance.

Just for an instant, our gazes locked.

He had no intention of leaving.

Belle—

On it.

But even as she reached for Aiden’s thoughts, Waverly made his move. There was a flick of power, and then flames erupted from the bonfire, a huge wall of heat that reached for the treetops and cut the two men from sight. Belle and I jumped back to avoid getting burned, but the fire snagged the edge of her jacket and it went up in a huge whoosh. She cursed and quickly stripped it off and threw it to the ground… and then looked at me in horror.

From the other side of the fire, there was a roar of fury. Waverley had heard her. He knew.

The wild magic poured from me, a violent wash of energy against which even fire gave way. I caught its tail, demanding restraint rather than death, but I had no idea if it was in any way paying attention to me now.

A shot rang out and I froze, my heart beating somewhere in my throat as I waited for the thump of body hitting the ground.

There was nothing to be heard other than the roar of the fire.

Nothing to see except movement to our right.

Waverley, coming at us so fast he was little more than a blur.

I shoved Belle sideways, reached for the stake behind my back, and lunged forward to meet him. He saw it at the last possible moment and threw himself sideways. The stake stabbed through his side rather than his black heart. He rolled to his feet and staggered away, the smell of burning flesh stinging the air even as he ripped the birch free and threw it on the ground.

I grabbed another one. Belle, get Aiden and get out of here.

I won’t fucking leave you here with—

It’s an order, Belle. Go.

I didn’t often give her orders—in fact, I couldn’t even remember the last time I had—but she had no choice in the matter when I did. Her fury and frustration hit me but I slammed my mental barriers down hard and swung the backpack off my shoulder.

At that moment, Waverley turned and raised a gun.

Without thought, I dropped the pack, threw myself at Belle, and knocked her away. The bullet aimed at her spine punched through my upper arm, and sent me spinning. I hit the ground hard, and so damn close to the fire that my clothes and hair began to singe.

Before I could move, a hand twisted around my hair and hauled me upright. I yelled in pain and fury, and lashed backward with the stake. He dodged the blow without releasing me, then caught my hand in his and ripped the birch from my grip.

Then he pulled me close, his grip viselike. I couldn’t move. I could barely even breathe. Blood was dripping from my fingertips, pain was white-hot heat pounding through me, and my vision was fading in and out.

“Using the wild magic was a clever move.” Waverley’s teeth grazed my neck as he spoke. “But it perhaps would have been wise to order it to protect you rather than the wolf and your friend.”

And with that, he tore at my neck and began to feed. I screamed and, with every ounce of metaphysical strength I had left, reached for the wild magic.

It came.

Not from the force I’d carried into the clearing, but rather from the trees and the ground and the air itself. There was no sense of sentience within it this time; there was simply power. Mind-blowing, incredible power.

Waverley gave no indication that he sensed its rise, not even when energy wound around the two of us. He was too far down the path of blood rapture, just as Maelle had said.

When the wild force had totally surrounded us, it grabbed Waverley, pulled his teeth from my flesh, and then flung him across the clearing. Wisps of power touched both the bite and the wound on my shoulder, and the blood flow instantly stemmed. I was still shaking with weakness and pain, and there was an odd disconnect gathering speed in my brain, but I was alive and upright.

And I still had a vampire to kill.

I pulled the last stake from underneath my sleeve and slowly, but carefully, turned around.

Waverley was suspended in the air, three feet off the ground. The wild magic pulsed around him, a cage that rippled with all the colors of creation. Anger contorted his features and the black threads of his magic began to twist and tear at his prison. They had little effect.

He’d obviously used most of his strength on the spells that guarded this place; otherwise, he would not have used a gun against us rather than magic. And even though he’d fed from me, it had not been enough to boost his strength for long.

As the black threads faded and his spelling stopped, I took a step. But my legs felt like jelly and simply gave out. Pain reverberated through me as my knees hit the ground, and I sucked in air, fighting the deepening call of unconsciousness.

If I couldn’t get to Waverley, then he’d have to come to me.

“Loop the fishing wire around his neck and his feet,” I ordered. “Then bring him to me.”

Again the wild magic obeyed. Waverley was brought forward and then forced into a sitting position in front of me. The fishing wire appeared, and was quickly wound around his neck and his feet.

He didn’t say anything. He simply glared at me as the wire got tighter and tighter, until a gaping wound appeared and blood washed down his neck.

“Tie the wire off then release your hold on him,” I continued. The wild magic could not be involved in his death in any way. I had no idea if it could be stained by something as simple as holding evil still while I erased its presence from this place, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to take the chance

As the powerful rainbow somewhat reluctantly pulled away, I pressed the stake against Waverley’s heart. Though his shirt lay between the birch and his skin, it didn’t remain that way for long. As the material smoldered away to reveal his flesh to the sharp point, I said, “This is for Karen, Mason, Marjorie, and Anna. May you rot in hell for all eternity for the pain and the suffering you inflicted on them.”

And with every ounce of strength I had left, I shoved the stake deep into his heart.

He didn’t scream. He didn’t get the chance. His body simply burst into flame and consumed him.

But even as hell reached for his soul with eager fingers, the unconsciousness I’d been fighting finally overcame me, and I knew no more.