Page 24 of Cursed Magic (Rejected Fate Trilogy #2)

The warmth dissipated as quickly as it had come. The shadows closed in, unfazed by whatever magic had hit us. If the shadows weren’t worried about it, then maybe this magic would make my death more tragic and painful than I had initially realized.

The dark limb reaching for me lowered toward my chest, making its target clear. I braced and flipped to my stomach, pain from my injuries exploding down my side and legs.

I lifted my head, preparing to attack, and the shadow struck. I bared my teeth just as its hand seemed to collide with a solid wall. The impact sent a shock wave through the air, leaving a ripple where there should have been nothing.

An invisible barrier? That shouldn’t have been possible, but the magic that surrounded me was now caressing my skin. The strange new presence inside me vibrated as if in tune.

The shadow recoiled and hesitated before striking again.

I flinched, hackles rising, but the shadow merely collided with the invisible barrier again, causing an even bigger ripple.

Realization hit me: This was similar to the shield that had saved me during the attack on the Shae pack territory when we were freeing Briar. Whatever magic had guarded me then was protecting me now.

But how was that possible?

A chill bled in from behind me, and I spun around and found another shadow right on me. I steeled myself, muscles coiled for pain that didn’t come. Instead, another resounding shock wave echoed around me, and another shadow reeled back, unable to touch me.

I had no time to investigate the barrier. Most of the shadows that had followed me were going back, and I needed to rejoin the others. Gunshots continued to fire from that direction, and there was no telling what was happening. I headed forward, right into several shadows that tried to block me, but as I stepped toward them, the barrier pushed them away from me. The ripples were disorienting, but I had a mission that I refused to fail—getting back to Ryker, Briar, and the others. I had to protect them from the Blackwoods, and this barrier around me would help me do it—if it lasted.

Shadows lunged again and again, assaulting the barrier with relentless force, but no matter what, they couldn’t get to me. In fact, I couldn’t even feel them ramming into the barrier.

Despite the agony from my wounds, I increased my speed, needing to help the people that I loved—in fact, the only people I truly had left.

The gunshots stopped, which had my chest clenching tight. Briar, please tell me you’re okay.

Believe it or not, we are. Are you? Hurry back. Her dread wafted through the bond, adding to the huge knot forming in my gut. I wanted to reach out to you but was afraid I’d distract you. The witch is here with us.

The witch.

I opened my mouth, my tongue rolling out as I took in deep, gasping breaths. I pushed myself to get there faster. I’m coming. Don’t worry.

It’s the Blackwood witch, Cassi. She’s confused by the magic she’s sensing here, but the shadows have retreated.

I glanced behind me, and my legs slowed of their own accord. All the shadows had vanished. This had to be a trick.

“I’m telling you, the Blackwoods would never work with a witch who uses this sort of magic.” Cassi’s voice was a little high with surprise or panic but still strong. “If they did, I wouldn’t be here with them. That would cross the line of what I’m comfortable with.”

“She could be lying,” Raven said quickly. “We shouldn’t trust her.”

“I hate to say this, but Perry is dead, and Reid is near death.” Ryker sighed. “The Blackwoods being behind this attack doesn’t make sense.”

Ryker.

My pulse pounded.

When I burst into the clearing, Reid’s pale form was the first thing I saw. His neck had a deep wound, and blood soaked his gray shirt. Cassi was leaning over him, applying some sort of ointment with practiced efficiency and pressing a cloth to his neck.

With him being in that state, where in the world was his mate?

My stomach churned when I noted Perry about twenty feet away on the ground, his throat ripped out and his chest still.

Several other pack members littered the ground. However, my gaze landed on the two most important people in the world—Ryker and Briar.

Briar sat on a log, blood oozing from wounds on her arms. Her face was drawn, but her eyes locked onto mine. Ryker stood beside her with his arms crossed despite the injury on his shoulder where a shadow’s claws had cut through the material of his shirt.

Raven paced at the edge of the clearing with her phone in hand, her fingers hurriedly typing, while Kendric, Xander, and Gage, not being able to see the shadows, held guns and continued to scan the area on high alert.

I couldn’t believe it, but every single shadow was gone. They’d retreated this way and kept going? Right now, we’re in the clear.

Briar relayed the information to everyone.

Immediately, Ryker’s eyes met mine, and he hurried to me.

Cassi’s back straightened, and she jerked her head in my direction. “Wait. You’re telling me that Ember can see the cloaked people?” Her shock and discomfort were too real for her to be faking. “I can’t believe it,” she muttered. “That’s not possible…unless—”

“Unless what?” Ryker stood next to me, scanning my injuries. His fingers threaded into my fur, causing my body to heat despite the dire situation.

Cassi’s gaze never left me. She answered, “Unless something more powerful is at work. Something that shouldn’t be possible. But I can’t ignore what’s going on here.”

Ryker looked around. “Perry’s dead. Reid was nearly killed. I think we’ve been wrong about the Blackwoods. I don’t know if we can trust Cassi, but if what she said about the shadows is true, this isn’t making sense.”

“She’s messing with us.” Raven stopped typing and wrinkled her nose. “This whole time, you’ve believed it’s the Blackwoods, and just like that, you’re willing to forget all the evidence we’ve seen up until now because of a witch ?”

The wind stirred, leaves rustling across the forest floor. In the darkening sky, I almost didn’t notice the iridescent shadow on the ground at the edge of the clearing until some leaves got stuck on its body.

I blinked, making sure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. Briar, there’s an unmoving shadow over there. I nodded my head toward it.

Overriding my impulse to stay next to Ryker, I trotted to the body. I glanced around, wondering if there were more, but saw no sign of any others. The shadows must have carried their dead away, but they hadn’t been able to retrieve this one from behind the strange protective barrier.

Gage moved over to me and lifted a brow. “What’s going on?”

I linked with Briar. Tell them what I’m seeing . She informed the others.

Ryker, Briar, Gage, Xander, and Kendric ran to my side as Cassi’s head jerked toward the five members of the Blackwood pack who were still in the clearing. She said, “One of you take over here and keep pressure on his wound. If you don’t, he’ll die.”

A woman who was probably in her thirties rushed over and placed her hands on Reid’s wound. Cassi stood and marched to me.

“We should leave it alone,” Raven said in a tight voice. “It could be a trap. ”

“Not possible.” Cassi held out her hands over the shadow. “I’m using magic to make sure the shadows are repelled and won’t return. Whoever is responsible for these attacks clearly didn’t anticipate the presence of my spells.” Her gaze was calculating as she took in the empty air around us. “I can feel the vile magic that Ember detected.”

Ryker’s jaw clenched. “Can you uncloak it?”

“I can try.” Cassi kneeled beside me. She reached out a hand and lowered it over the shadow.

“Holy shit,” Xander muttered. “It’s like her hand is resting on air.”

“This is a bad idea. This witch doesn’t have cloaking magic. None of us should mess with it.” Raven appeared on Cassi’s other side, her body so stiff she could easily pass as a statue.

Closing her eyes, Cassi ignored Raven. Her body swayed to a melody that only she could hear. Her lips moved, repeating the same words over and over until her voice strengthened and we could all hear her. “Uncloak the soul that needs to be free to rest from the magic that doesn’t belong to them.”

“We should go.” Raven’s eyes widened, and she gestured in the direction from which we’d come. “This really could be a trap.”

“We’re not going anywhere.” Kendric clenched his hands into fists. “I’m not moving if we can finally get answers.”

Cassi continued to repeat the words, and her voice became even louder, more forceful. The air around us shimmered with iridescent swirls and a cool sensation that put me on edge. It seemed similar to the pressure I experienced when the shadows came at me .

The iridescent sheen flashed like the magic was being impacted.

My jaw ticced.

“It’s working!” a male voice called from behind us. “I can see the outline of a body.”

Cassi didn’t pause. She repeated the words louder and faster. The air shimmered again, her spell weaving tighter around us.

Voice strangled, Raven hissed, “We need to leave. This is dangerous.”

I didn’t have to ask because I knew none of the wolf shifters would be going anywhere. We needed to see the final reveal, and we could only hope it wasn’t a trap.

Cassi’s voice rose, and the iridescent waves pulsed outward as if exploding from within. The air fractured before it seemed to crack wide open.

Before us, our enemy lay in plain sight, revealing who it truly was.

The world stopped spinning, the silence so profound we were all holding our breath, trying to comprehend what we were staring at.

All this time, we’d thought it was the Blackwoods.

We’d been so very wrong.

Lying before us was a vampire.

A vampire that smelled like a shifter, albeit faintly.

And the icing on the whole damn cake was…it was the vampire that Ryker and I had believed had saved us the other night from the Blackwoods’ attack.

David.

Eyes widening, Briar stumbled back a step. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

Unfortunately, I did.

The first vampire for whom I’d let my defenses down was the very one who’d betrayed us.

All at once, every eye turned on Raven, who stood there frozen and paler than a ghost, her dark eyes wide with fear.

“I…I can explain,” she rasped.

Continue Ember’s and Ryker’s story by clicking here to order book 3, Wicked Fate.