Page 111 of A Summoned Husband

“Any mortal… but not your sister? I thought witches were so much better.” Was trash-talking a witch who had just handed me an ass-whooping a good idea? Nope. Not right now and not before but it was my only chance. “Hmm… doesn’t seem all that great to me if you can’t even do something as simple as get married. I didn’t even know what I was doing and I got the husband your sister was trying for. What’s wrong with her? Is she fucked in the face or what?”

Her glowing eyes snapped to me and my heart leapt in my chest.

I got her.

That filled me with excitement and terror in equal measure, but there was no going back now.

“I mean. A drop of blood and it would have been done, no? That’s all it took for me and I was practically fighting him off. He’s a lust demon though, so maybe your sister wasn’t up to par.” I swallowed hard, forcing myself to continue. “Maybe her blood was as ugly as her face and the book wouldn’t take it.”

“My sister is beautiful.”

“Aww, but you have to say that, don’t you? Because she’s dead and all that. Or whatever the hell she is.” Ugh, this witch was going to beat my ass. “I mean, if she’s dead she’s probably nowhere near beautiful now though. Or else she wouldn’t need a new body. She probably looks like that dude from The Mummy, waking up missing half her face.”

“You talk too much.”

I forced a grin. “Yeah, I’ve been told that.”

“Well, let’s see if we can do something about that.”

“Careful now… wouldn’t want to do something you’d regret like mess up the body for your ugly, dead sister.” My heart was pounding.

“Bodies can be mended,” her threat was clear.

“Apparently not your sister’s.” That was it. That was the one. I saw her whole body change and realized I was going to learn that when you played stupid games, you won stupid prizes. I only hoped when she came over to hand me my prize I had enough of a chance to run like my ass was on fire.

The anger on her face told me it had worked as she abandoned whatever supernatural thing she was doing and her hands dropped. She looked like something from out of the depths of my darkest nightmares as her hands dropped to her side, looking longer than they were with the length of her pointed nails. Her head cocked and her hair curtained over one eye, the eye with the tattoos scrolling through it the one that stared at me as she shot me a wicked smile. It was unhinged. The kind you saw before the person who was about to kill you abandoned the notion that they’d let you go. Her steps were unseen under the length of her skirt as she almost floated across the floor toward me.

I braced myself. This was going to hurt like hell.

We collided.

The dome that held me prisoner was suspended in pieces in the air around us. An unseen and silent explosion sent the pieces out where they waited to be summoned by the witch again and put to use.

Ready for her attack, my hands immediately dove into her hair. My back slammed off the ground and I shoved my knees up to put distance between us. I ran my nails against her scalp, getting a good grip right by the roots as I yanked her head back. The heat of her stomach pressed against my knees as my mind fogged and drowsiness pulled at me. I yanked her head to the side, grinning as her teeth bared.

Pain erupted in my cheek as her hand whipped out and her sharpened nails raked against my face.

Ignore it, Eden. Get her off you and run!

She was so strong. Even with her head jerked back, it was like trying to wrestle a bear. I yanked her head down hard, bringing my fist up to meet her nose. Somehow it felt like the weak little bone fractured my fingers with the blow. Desperation clutched my chest as she came at me like she was feral. Her nails scraped at my flesh, her hands reaching for my throat. I might have pissed her off so much she forgot about her plans for me.

Not my best move. I was regretting my plan now as blood slicked my arms and jolts of electricity burned through me, making me clench my teeth.

Summoning every last bit of strength I had, I shoved my legs up. She barely moved but as I internally pleaded a blast of energy shot out of me. It sent the shards of my snow globe — eerily suspended all around us — further out to shatter against the walls, disappearing in bursts of light, and the witch back across the room.

What the fuck was that?

My heart was a constant thrum in my chest. I couldn’t tell when one beat stopped and another began. A nervous laugh swelled my throat.

She landed hard on her side, sliding against the lit stone before scurrying to press her palms on the floor. She hissed through her teeth, each one elongated and eyes blazing. The stone cried out under her as her nails scratched into them.

This bitch was literally carving stone. I gaped at the bizarre sight.

Swallowing hard, I quickly got to my feet as my wide eyes searched and found the arched doorway with the shadow of stairs tucked inside.

I ran.

My heart leapt up to sit in my throat as I crossed the weird, circular room and my hands, still slicked with blood, pressed against the archway. When my foot hit the first step, I could barely breathe. That familiar haze clouded my mind again but the questions batted it away.