Page 24 of After Midnight (Skye Druids #7)

The thunderous wind suddenly lost some of its bluster.

He swung his head to Sabryn . A frown creased her brow as she strained.

It was just as he had suspected. The wind had chosen Sabryn , and the battle had changed grounds.

He hated that he could do nothing but lend his support when he’d rather be fighting alongside Sabryn .

But she was the wind talker. Little by little, it died down until it was gone.

“ You did it,” he stated proudly.

Sabryn’s smile was huge when she looked at him. “ Let’s check the internet.”

“ Good thinking.” He rushed to his room and grabbed the laptop, but his excitement died quickly. He made his way back to her. “ Still nothing.”

She shrugged and headed toward the door. “ Then , we leave.”

Warnings sounded in his head that it had been too easy. He lobbed the computer onto the sofa and ran to her as he shouted, “ Wait !”

But it was too late. Sabryn had already unlocked the door and cracked it open. A loud hissing sound filled the room as the very air was sucked away with a violent gasp, and he was slammed into the door. The force of it lodged him painfully in a crevice.

The seams of his shirt started to come apart as the material was ripped from his body. Kurt bellowed in agony as he was pulled through the gap.

“ Kurt !” Sabryn screamed, trying to pull him out.

Somehow , he got his hand on the wall and his shoulder underneath him, but no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn’t break the seal of his body from the door.

“ Hang on. I’ve got you!”

He hadn’t come back from a knife wound only to be extracted through a gap the size of his palm.

He sought the edge of the door with his other hand.

Sabryn placed his palm on the frame. Next , she helped him get his feet placed, one on the wall next to the doorframe and the other along the edge of the door.

She moved in behind him, molding her body to his back.

She squeezed her hands between him and the gap while setting her feet next to his.

“ Now !” she yelled.

They both shoved with everything they had, but he didn’t budge.

“ Magic ,” Kurt bellowed.

“ On three,” she shouted. “ One . Two . Three !”

He used every ounce of his magic, pushing it from his body and into his palms and feet as he pushed away.

He felt a slight loosening in the seal around him and doubled his efforts.

Hope filled him when the hold loosened more.

And then a little more. Until he could breathe easier again. With one final heave, they broke away.

The minute Kurt felt them falling, he tried to shift so he didn’t land on top of Sabryn , but her hold was too tight.

They fell hard, the impact jarring them both.

He barely realized they were on the floor as his feet were dragged toward the crack when the suction began again.

He kicked at the door and slammed it shut, rolling off Sabryn . She blinked up at him, a little dazed.

“ Are you hurt?” he asked.

She sat up and gingerly touched her head. “ No . You ?”

He looked down at his torn shirt and what would be a huge bruise running the length of his torso. “ I’m fine.”

“ I have to be honest. I didn’t think about the landing.”

“ Me , neither,” he said with a chuckle. “ Thanks for the assist.” He held out his hand to help her up.

She stared at it but ignored it and climbed to her feet. “ I got the wind to stop. I don’t know what that is.”

“ My guess is Edie . She wants something, and she’s not going to quit.”

“ Yeah . She wants us. Here . Alone .”

Kurt shot a look toward the door. “ She wants us away from the others. We’re threatening as a whole. It’s a good strategic move.”

“ One Kerry didn’t employ.”

“ It won’t take the others long to realize they can’t get ahold of us.”

Sabryn wrinkled her nose. “ Actually , they might. I told them I wanted to speak to you privately. I think Elias , Finn , and Carlyle are hoping we make up.”

Kurt was, too. “ In other words, you’re saying no one will bother us.”

“ Precisely . Look , I’m the one who asked Balladyn to bring you here. I’m the one who put us in this position.”

“ This isn’t on you. Edie saw an opportunity and took it. It would’ve been the same for any of the group who went their separate ways.”

Sabryn nodded. “ Sure . Like when Ferne and Theo go home alone. Or Callum , when he’s all by himself. Then there’s Kirsi , who lives by herself above the co-op. And Filip . But we can’t forget about Scott and Elodie .”

“ Okay ,” he said, holding up his hands in surrender. “ I get the point. Edie has had opportunities.”

“ Then why hasn’t she taken them?”

He drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. “ That brings me back to you, me, or us.”

“ You , I can see, since you have that relation to Parker .”

“ Unfortunately . I take it you think she’s focused on me?”

She shrugged. “ Makes sense that she’d come for you the moment you were alone.”

“ Except she didn’t. Nothing happened until you arrived.”

“ Fair point.” Sabryn raked her fingers through her short, black hair. “ What do we do about it?”

“ Find a way out. And quickly.”