Page 6

I take a step forward, ready to put this asshole in his place, but Raven beats me to it. She reaches out, grasping onto thin air as her jaw tics. “And I can read yours.”

Laughter echoes around us, booming from Erikel with a gulp of excitement while the rest of the onlookers remain as confused as ever.

“Ah, mirror magic. How fun, you’re going to quickly learn you’re no match for me,” the warrior promises, the two of them at an impasse, refusing to back down.

I need to do something, but the reality is I’m the brute force. Raven is more powerful than me in every sense of the word. We already know my strength means nothing against Creed’s father, not in that armor.

“Help! Help!”

Panic swarms the air as hurried footsteps approach, interrupting another intense moment, but I’m thankful for it this time.

Gasps distract me, pulling my attention to Sebastian, who continues to approach, calling for help. He doesn’t stop until he’s standing directly in front of Erikel, where he drops to his knees and places something on the floor.

The golden warrior finally relents, turning to see for himself what all of the commotion is about, and that’s when I see what has everyone worked up.

Fuck.

“It’s Genie… she’s dead,” Leila whispers in shock as murmurs travel through the crowd around us.

Her limp body lies between Sebastian and Erikel. The latter stares with wide eyes as Sebastian kneels with his head in his hands.

Does he really care, or is this the magic? Either way, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. As much as Raven has a sudden soft spot for him and his situation, I still can’t see past the shit he’s done, and seeing him full of despair is barely a drop in the bucket of what he deserves. If he’s that sad about the loss of Genie, I can sure as fuck help him join her if he wants.

“Who did this?” Erikel bites, darkness wrapping around us as silence quickly greets him. His eyes snap to Raven and I know what’s going to come next before he even opens his mouth. “Bring her back. Now.”

She assesses him while I fight to keep my mouth shut. I want to demand that she stay away and cut her magic off from them, but I know she has her own mind. This is her decision, and we both know she’ll have a better game plan at this moment than me.

I’d probably wind up dead, and she probably doesn’t need the added stress of that right now.

It’s no surprise when she starts to move. I grip her hand tight this time, pinning myself to her side as she swoops past the golden warrior and through the parting crowd to where Erikel stands.

The closer we get, the more noticeable his tremble becomes.

He’s mad. Mad mad.

Raven tries to release my hand and I frown down at her. She gives me a pointed look and I reluctantly relent, instantly hating the loss of contact as she drops to her knees beside Genie. Sebastian doesn’t move an inch, seemingly happy to keep his face in his hands.

“Now,” Erikel barks, and I don’t miss the eye roll my woman gives him even though he can’t see.

I inch closer, acutely aware of everything around us as I stand guard.

A few moments pass, Raven’s hands hovering over Genie’s body without actually touching her until she shakes her head. “I can’t.”

“Try. Harder.”

Raven rolls her shoulders back, moving her hands to Genie’s chest, but quickly shakes her head again. “I can’t. It’s too late.”

Her voice cracks ever so slightly at the end. The reality of what happened is washing over her, and I swiftly reach down and pull her to her feet. She spins in my hold, pressing her face into my chest, and I shield her from the world.

She’s not crying, shaking, or disheveled beyond words, but it helps turn her away from Erikel, who lets out an almighty roar of rage before falling to his knees beside Genie’s lifeless body. His fur cloak drapes around him, providing a blanket between him and the gathered crowd, who stand in complete shock.

He may be slightly hidden, but the words that part his lips remain etched into my mind.

“You won’t have died in vain, my darling. I’ll take this realm and the next for your mother, and now for you.”

THREE

ELDON