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And with that, she stepped back into the shadows and was gone. As was the barrier that had stood between us.

Had she been nothing more than a projection? It wouldn’t be the first time, but there hadn’t been such a heavily layered spell between us previously. There hadn’t been any spell evident atall. Did that mean the unknown threads layered into the spell separating us had been some sort of transport spell?

Possibly.

I studied the rest of the cavern for a moment longer, not seeing or sensing anything untoward, then swung around and made my way back to Aiden. His relief when I emerged out of the crevice was so strong it briefly overwhelmed my senses.

“What happened? Did you find Jaqueline?”

“Yes. She came with another warning.”

“They seem very big on warnings, which is rather odd, considering.”

“They’re aware of the wild magic. I think they want to avoid unleashing its wrath via pissing me off.”

“Which is very sensible, given it’s never a good idea to piss you off. I know this from experience.”

I laughed and let him catch my hand and pull me into his embrace. For several seconds, I did nothing more than rest the side of my head against his chest, drawing in his strength and warmth and love, replenishing the well that fear and trepidation had drained.

Continued to drain.

“Belle, Monty, and Ashworth are on their way here,” he said, his voice a deep rumble that vibrated through me. “They’ve protected the main entrance as best they can.”

“Good, although according to Jaqueline the demon is leashed.”

Pissed off, but leashed.

“I wouldn’t think it a good idea to trust the vampire who not so long ago threatened to kill you.”

“Actually, she threatened to ‘have’ me, which isn’t quite the same thing.” I glanced around as Belle came into view.

“What the fuck has happened to our link?” she immediately asked.

“The wild magic has somehow cut us off.”

“Yourwild magic?”

I shook my head and lifted my wrist, revealing the luminous threads that remained attached. She frowned. “I thought the wellspring—and the Fenna who command it—had abandoned you, except in times of need?”

“Apparently I was wrong.”

“Huh.” She frowned. “Any idea why it has cut us off, then? That never happened when you’ve used it before.”

“I don’t think it’s a result of the wild magic per se, but rather the Fenna. The minute their whispers started, we were cut off.”

“What are they whispering?” Monty said, as he stopped beside Belle.

“They warned me about Jaqueline, and they want that cavern cleansed ASAP.” I switched my gaze to Ashworth as he appeared “What do you know about Stragulum demons?”

“Stragulum? Now there’s a breed of beastie I’ve not heard mentioned in a very long time.”

“Then you do know about them?”

He nodded. “I take it that’s what awaits us?”

“If Jaqueline is to be believed, yes.” I quickly updated them, then added, “She told me not to kill it because doing so would leave a gateway open and risk us being overrun by evil. Is that true?”

“It’s not so much evil as darker emotions,” Ashworth said gravely. “They’re demons that feed off the worst excesses of the living. Unlike most of their kind, they do not barter for the soul of the summoner but rather an alliance—a boost in magical energy for negative energy feasts.”