CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Hayley screamed as Blair dug her sharp nails into her neck and dragged her forcefully out of the house. “Let go of me!” Hayley shrieked and fought like a wild animal.
She kicked, punched and scratched, but Blair Morgan simply pulled her along like a sack of potatoes. Blair's hair was fully white now, and her hands were gnarled and wrinkled. One skeletal hand clamped around Hayley's neck like a vice. The witch's cold, hard eyes glittered from her sunken sockets as she raised her other hand and pointed skyward. A bolt of lightning struck the house and all the windows shattered at once.
“No!” A scream tore from Hayley's throat. “Grayson!” She saw Grayson rush out of the house and slam into an invisible wall. Scott ran out behind Grayson but both men were trapped behind an invisible barrier. They couldn't reach her.
Blair Morgan raised her hand again but before she could strike, a loud, smart thwack was heard.
A broomstick swooped down from the air and began to beat Blair over the head.
“Boris!” Hayley cried.
Blair Morgan tried to make a grab for Boris but the broomstick darted gleefully out of her reach.
Boris zipped this way and that, trying to trip the witch up with his bristles. The witch screamed an incantation and hurled a small ball of fire at Boris. The tip of Boris's handle caught fire and the broomstick quivered and zigzagged wildly in the air.
There was a loud whistle and Boris turned and scooted to Yaya's side. Boris's handle was burning and smoking, and the poor broomstick looked like he would become firewood in a minute.
Yaya clapped her hands twice and a tiny cloud appeared above her jumping broomstick. The cloud released a shower of rain and put out the fire immediately. Boris shook the water out of his bristles like a dog and stood obediently behind Yaya.
Blair tightened her grip on Hayley. “I think I'll rip out your tongue now,” she hissed in Hayley's ear. “A tongue in the hand is worth two in the mouth...”
Someone caught Blair's raised hand. “Oh no you don't,” Yaya said calmly.
“Yasmin Yager,” Blair sneered. “Do you want her tongue as well? We can share. Every witch knows that a human tongue is a prized ingredient for the most powerful potions.”
“No, Blair,” Yaya replied. “I don't use human body parts for my potions. Haven't you learned to harness the hidden power of plants? Move with the times, Blair. Or are you getting too old to learn new tricks?”
Anger flashed in Blair's eyes. “If you don't want her, then stay out of this,” Blair snarled. “This doesn't concern you.”
“I won't let you hurt her,” Yaya said.
“You can't stop me.” Blair laughed. “Why, you couldn't even see through my glamor!”
“I suspected that Madam Betty Morg wasn't just a simple, reclusive widow. But yes, your glamor was pretty sophisticated. Even I couldn't see through the glamor,” Yaya admitted. “I had my suspicions, but no proof.”
Blair smirked. “It's amazing what the heart and brain of an Alpha wolf can do. I'll be getting my hands on a fresh Alpha wolf soon. I can cook you a batch of my elixir, Yasmin. After all, we were friends once.”
Yaya canted her head. “We were, weren't we, Blair? We were even close. Do you remember the spells we used to create together, Blair?” Yaya said wistfully. “Magic was different then. The world was a different place then.”
Blair's expression softened and she loosened her grip momentarily on Hayley.
Yaya immediately snapped her fingers and Boris flew into action. Boris scooped Hayley up and zoomed away in a flash.
“Yaya...” Hayley cried. But she was already up in the air, clinging to the handle of the broomstick for dear life. Hayley let out a small shriek and clung on tightly as Boris soared higher into the air.
Hayley turned and saw Grayson and Scott ramming their shoulders against the solid, shimmering air. Boris kept a safe distance from the invisible wall. There was the soft hum of electricity from the wall and the broomstick wasn't too keen to get burned again.
Blair Morgan glanced over her shoulder and flicked a finger at Grayson. Grayson yelled in pain and crumpled to the ground. The hum of electricity died and Boris immediately flew straight down and landed beside Grayson.
Hayley clambered off the broomstick and saw that Scott was desperately trying to revive Grayson. “He's not breathing,” Scott said.
“No...” Hayley pressed her hand to Grayson's chest. “His heart is not beating! Why is his heart not beating?”
Blair was laughing as she deflected Yaya's combat spell with a wave of her hand. Blair pointed at Grayson and flung a bolt of light towards Grayson's body. Hayley screamed a warning and managed to shove Scott aside. She threw herself over Grayson to shield him.
Hayley felt a searing heat invade her body and burn through her nerves. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out.
She saw Scott's face. Scott seemed to be yelling something at her, but she couldn't hear his voice. Everything seemed to be happening at once but in slow motion and in silence.
Hayley saw Blair Morgan running towards the house as Yaya hurled balls of flaming light after her. The fiery balls exploded as it hit the walls, engulfing the house in blue flames.
Hayley watched as her house exploded. She saw psychedelic sparks and flames, but she heard and felt nothing. The magical fire burned everything away, leaving nothing but a spiral of colorful smoke.
Hayley felt hands on her and saw faces hovering above her. She recognized some of the faces. They were Grayson's packmates. She remembered seeing these people in the garage and the coffee shop. She knew they were trying to help her, but she didn't care. She tried to swat their hands away. “Save Grayson,” she whispered.
She tried to reach for him but her hand closed over empty air.