Page 7 of Contested Crown

“Can you do a net?” I whispered.

He shook his head sharply. I peeked around the edge of the mattress, but the only warning I got was a brief flash of yellow before it hit the mattress, burning through it. I shoved Cade out of the way, then sprinted toward the mage in the dark.

Magic flew at me, but I leapt over it, tackling him hard. We sprawled across the asphalt, rolling until I was on top. The mage was taller than Cade but not much more muscled, and I was able to get both my hands around his wrist before he reacted.

Too late, I realized my mistake. The mage’s magic crawled up my wrists, burning my skin. I screamed, pulling back, but the magic held my wrists together like manacles.

Standing, I kicked the mage in his side, and he groaned, rolling onto his stomach. For a half second, I thought about collapsing, the pain was so great. The magic was going to eat through my flesh all the way to the bone.

I turned back toward the motel room. Cade was illuminated, standing where the door used to be, squinting out into the darkness, searching for me.

Cade needed me. I couldn’t give up. I dropped down on top of the mage, wrapping my bound wrists around him so that his own magic was choking him as I pulled backward. The magic disappeared, and he elbowed me hard, but I was still on his back, my weight pressing him against the ground.

Something slithered up my leg, wrapping around it and yanking, dragging me across the asphalt parking lot until I slammed into a car. Then, it twisted around my torso, winding tighter and tighter.

I struggled, pulling against the yellow magic. I managed to get a few millimeters off the car, just free enough that when the magic slammed me back, I dented the metal door.

The mage stood, unsteady as he walked toward me. The expression on his face was infuriated, rage twisting his narrow features into something out of Dante.

“You dare attack me?” The mage wound his hands around each other, spinning them together, but I noticed something. As his magic spiraled around itself, building to something bigger, some of it slithered off me. Not enough for me to get free, but he didn’t have the endless stores of magic Cade used to.

He was running out of magic, and he needed to borrow some from previous spells in order to make whatever he was planning work. I caught movement behind him, Cade slinking out of the motel. The mage started to turn, but I roared, pulling against the bindings.

Infuriated, the mage thrust his power toward me, a wall of magic. It hit me hard, the glass windows of the car shattering. I grunted but pushed forward again, and even more power hit me.

If I could get him to push all of his tattoos onto me, then Cade might be able to get one over on him, use his anemic power to pull some last-minute Hail Mary. I roared again, struggling forward. The mage pushed his hand toward me, reinforcing the spell, but I saw the magic sputter off his palm.

He had nothing left, no power in his body. All of his magic was wrapped around me.

Familiar black tattoos crawled around the mage’s throat, cinching tight before pulling him back. He fell hard, the crack of bone on concrete loud.

“No,” he growled and reached his hand out, pulling some of his magic away from me.

He pushed it toward Cade, but Cade was ready, darting out of the way like I had taught him and using his fist to answer. The mage’s head snapped back, Cade’s punch brutal.

Cade stumbled back, shaking his hand and wincing in pain. A shot of yellow hit Cade in the chest, throwing him to the ground. He didn’t get up.

I pulled against the yellow magic, my rage and anger and fear giving me strength to move. His eyes snapped to me, and the mage pulled back his lips.

“I will kill you if I have to, wolf.” He raised his hand, and his yellow magic wrenched my head back, pulling at it like a noose around my throat.

Out of nowhere, a massive red wolf landed on top of the House Morrison mage, grabbing his wrist tight and wrenching it back.

He screamed, and I felt half of the yellow magic around me disappear, racing toward the wolf. The tattoos wrapped around the wolf in a familiar way, yanking it back, pulling it toward a nearby car. I struggled—the magic was almost weak enough that I would be able to get through. I was almost?—

Wolves bounded out of the night, an entire pack of them, each one growling, teeth bared and ready for a fight. The mage’s eyes went wide, and his hands spread, fingers sending darts of yellow magic, pushing the wolves away, gluing their paws to the ground. But he had spread himself too thin, and the magic holding me against the car went slack.

Tearing myself free, I sprinted across the asphalt, landing beside Cade. He was still breathing, and his eyes found mine.

“Did we win?”

“Not really.” I tried for a smile, but Cade rolled his eyes.

“Are we dead?” he asked.

“Not yet,” I said.

“Well, that’s good enough.” He pushed himself up, cradling his right hand against his chest.