Page 30 of April's Fool (Northarbor Coven Book 2)

Basil

Damon

Reacting reflexively may have saved mine and Mori’s lives. Somehow, my magic had identified the one other person in the room incapable of looking after themselves; baby Sage, and threw up a shield for her, too.

For the first time, I truly thought having magic might be a good thing if I could save the one I loved from coming to harm.

As soon as the others fell to the wave of magic, Basil bolted to another door, book in his arms.

My initial response was to go after him, but I needed to know if the others were alive.

Without having to ask Mori, he was running forward to check for a pulse on Thyme’s neck.

“Alive.” He reached for Oak, the pair having landed on each other in a tumble of limbs that would be funny under any other circumstances. “Him too. Check Poppy and Zinna!”

I was on my knees next to the women in the next second, finding each of them also alive but knocked out cold. I had no idea how long this magic would last. Likely too long for them to help me.

Basil couldn’t get away, not after this attack.

Without thinking, still working just on pure instinct, I shot to my feet and chased after Basil. There was no chance he was getting away from me. He might be a powerful witch, but I was a hitman. I’d trained for nearly half my life, was in perfect physical condition, and was furious. My anger fueled me, giving me extra speed.

The building was large, yet Basil’s gasping breaths led me to him easily. Dude could really do with laying off the donuts and trying some cardio. I followed the sounds of slapping steps and heaving breathing until I’d closed the distance between us.

Scanning for something to stop him, I spotted a picture, yanked it from the wall, and with a burst of magic, flung it at Basil, nailing him in the back of the head with a satisfying thump.

“Aaahhh!” he wailed as he pitched forward onto his pasty face.

Not going to lie. After what he’d just done, I got a sense of satisfaction from using my magic against him.

Basil got to his feet and rounded on me, his nose bloody, cheeks red with fury. His eyes were like mine, almost the same shade of blue, certainly the same shape. We had the same nose, or we would have if mine hadn’t been broken and improperly reset.

People could probably guess we were related. I couldn’t really see it. Basil was so alien to me, the antithesis of who I was, I couldn’t bring myself to find things in common with a madman. I certainly wasn’t looking to claim him as family.

He muttered strange words and fired magic at me which I shielded without a thought, pushing it back on him and forcing him to brace his own barrier against it.

We exchanged magical blows, with me successfully backing Basil into a corner.

“You’re not leaving here with that book, Basil. It belongs to the coven. You aren’t coven.”

“It belongs to me! I am the rightful High Witch! Not that weak little girl. Not you, either.”

I couldn’t help my laugh. “I want nothing to do with that book if it just makes you a target of losers like you.”

Basil let out a yell of impotent rage, even stomping his little feet. Huh, he was smaller than me. The smile on my face seemed to make him angrier. Yep, he had small dog syndrome.

Magnus would have slapped me upside the head if he’d caught me laughing to myself and underestimating my enemy. Basil caught me off guard, pushing a massive amount of energy, which shoved me into the wall and stole my breath for a second.

With me fighting to fill my lungs and distracted, Basil ran past me, back the way we’d come, since he was trapped.

Nope, no way was he getting away.

My temper got the better of me. I rushed him and tackled him to the floor. The book fell from his hands and slid along the carpet, just out of his reach.

I slammed his head into the floor. He gave a satisfying grunt of pain.

Basil wasn’t out just yet. I might have had him pinned, but he fought like a wildcat before relying on his magic when his physical strength failed him.

Avoiding the shots of pure magic, the heat of fireballs, and even electricity became too much. Basil knocked me off him and scrambled to his feet.

My hand shot out, grasped his ankle, and yanked him off balance. He fell again with an “oof,” that was just so gratifying.

We tussled on the floor, trying to sling magic and fists at each other. If this was what having brothers was like, count me out. One out of ten, do not recommend.

He slipped out of my hold, got to his feet, but I was a second behind him. I pinned him by his neck to the wall and punched him clean in the face. There, we had matching broken noses. I clipped his jaw before he electrified me.

I hit the floor, covering the damn book, and tried to recover my senses.

Basil, clearly giving up on the book, ran for the nearest exit. Fucking place had too many of them. I kicked the book into an alcove where it was hidden, and followed.

He was just clear of the building, my heart hammering double time, when I fell back on my training.

This idiot was not getting away. He’d tried to kill a fucking baby! That spell wouldn’t have knocked Sage out. I felt it deep inside.

In a blink, the gun in my pocket was in my hand. I took aim, put magic behind it, and fired.

The fucker was hit! He floundered, recovered and kept running. Close to his heart, but not close enough.

I returned to the alcove for the book and picked it up. The aged leather warmed on contact with my skin and gave off a faint glow.

“Damon!” Mori cried, relieved to see me as I returned to the others. He rushed me, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me soundly. I returned it with all the emotion I could spare. I was so grateful he was okay.

“You scared me!” he admonished. I felt the love, the fear for my safety behind it.

Kissing him again, I apologized. “Sorry, I had to get the book.”

“Did you kill him?”

Shaking my head, I said, “He’s tougher to kill than he looks. I didn’t want to risk shooting him while he had the book in case I damaged it or it protected him.”

“Shit. So he got away?”

“Yeah, I did manage to shoot him. Bullets and magic are effective.”

“He’ll be expecting that, next time, I mean,” Thyme said from the floor. He and Oak looked groggy, but okay. Oak was checking him over. Thyme batted his hands away. “I’m alright. Check your sister.”

The two women were fussing over Sage, the little baby’s cries now whimpers.

Poppy, she could only be Poppy since Zinna had dark hair like her brother, approached me. She wrapped me in her arms. “Oh, thank the goddess for you, Damon! I didn’t even have time to shield Sage. Yet, you, a perfect stranger to her, just automatically saved her! I can’t thank you enough. ”

I felt the dampness of tears on my shoulder. I tucked the book under one arm to give her a couple of awkward pats. Displays of emotion like that made me uncomfortable.

“You’re welcome. It was just instinct.” My gaze found Mori, who looked so proud of me. I managed a smile for him, despite my anger at letting Basil get away. I wanted the wicked witch dead.

She smiled, something almost bittersweet. “I guess that’s why the book chose you.”

“Chose me?” I asked, frowning at the still lightly glowing book in my hands.

“That glow? It only does that when it’s picked someone new to lead us.”

“Lead?” I repeated, a kernel of worry settling in my gut.

“Yes. The Northarbor grimoire has chosen you, Damon, to be the new High Witch of the coven.”

Well, fuck. How had I gone from hating witches to leading them?