Page 6 of Deadly Reckoning (Broken Ashes #7)

Doc nods, looking amused for a moment before he refocuses and carries on his task of healing him. It’s taking him even longer to heal Merrikh than it took him to heal Asher, and he was on death's door, literally. I was watching his light fade on the map.

We all silently watch for a few more moments until Ransom makes a sound of frustration.

Merrikh smiles sadly, “I told you that I couldn’t be freed.”

Ransom growls again, and I have to admit that I have never seen him so fucking mad. I know I shouldn’t find it hot, but of course I do.

“Every time I pull a spell apart, another one replaces it. I begin to get ahead of them, and manage to pull several apart, and then it catches up to me, and replaces them again. It’s like it’s on an endless loop.

It’s going to take me days to do it, if I even can, and my magic is tired.

I was working on the wards all morning, and then everything that happened here, and keeping several sets of magic-dampening handcuffs working without them being anywhere near me, is draining my magic.

I just don’t have enough right now. I’m not even sure that I would have enough magic even if I were at full strength and well rested. We could ask Murray . . .”

Ransom’s words are cut off by a fierce growl.

I raise my eyebrows at Merrikh, “Care to explain?”

“That cunt is the one who put the spells on here to begin with,” he replies.

My heart sinks, and I reach out with my instincts to make sure that he’s telling the truth, “Are you one hundred percent sure that it was her?”

Merrikh’s wolf eyes meet mine, “Yes. He called her by her name, and I saw her. She didn’t seem too happy about it, but it didn’t stop her from doing it.”

“Fuck,” I growl, and his eyebrows rise. “I’ll deal with it.”

“You’ll deal with the High Mage of this territory?” Merrikh asks. And then he asks, sounding completely confused, “Wait, you believe me?”

I nod, “Unfortunately, yes. My instincts are never wrong, and although I haven’t wanted to admit it, not even to myself, something has been off about her for a long time. This explains that feeling.”

“Shit,” Ransom curses. “There is absolutely no way that I can undo her spells. Like most supernatural leaders, she’s got the power of her people behind her.”

Anger burns inside me. I’ve trusted her, and I hate it when people that I trust prove to be assholes.

Funny that.

I push my anger away. I can deal with that later, and I will be dealing with it. I do wonder exactly how much she knows about me. She obviously knows about my parents. She was there, and that could make all of this very complicated. I’ll figure it out.

“Doc, is he healed?” I ask.

Doc frowns at me but nods, “Yes, I just finished.”

“I haven’t felt this good for years, shame I’m still trapped,” Merrikh says.

I nod, “I’m going to fix that. I need you to crouch down as low as you can.”

He narrows his eyes at me, but something in my expression must stop him from questioning me because he simply does as I’ve asked.

“Neith, what are you planning to do?” Coen asks, cautiously. He knows what I’m like in this mood.

“Step back, please, right to the edge of the room. Although I wouldn’t recommend touching the walls,” I reply with a grimace.

The guys all share a look, but they step back and do as I ask.

Following my instincts, I shift. Not just my wings, but everything, my teeth lengthen, and my eyes burn with the change.

I glance down at my hands as that sensation that I associate with shifting buzzes through them, and I’m surprised to see that each of my fingers is now tipped with a sharp, two-inch-long black as night claw that looks like it’s been dipped in blood, the tips a deep, almost black burgundy.

That’s really fucking cool.

I grin down at a shocked Merrikh, all snark and teasing finally gone from his expression.

“Whoa, did not expect that,” he mutters.

“Erm, Neith Love,” Coen starts. I glance over my shoulder at the guys. His eyes heat as he takes me in, “You look absolutely beautiful.”

“Thanks, that’s what you wanted to say?” I ask, with a slight frown.

The guys all chuckle, clearly catching onto something that’s gone over my head.

Van grins, “That’s definitely not what he wanted to tell you. I think he got distracted. To be fair, we all did.”

Coen shakes his head slightly, “Sorry, Love. Do you want to explain what’s going through that beautiful head of yours?”

I grin, “It’s really hard to explain, and if I do try, it’s going to get all muddled and confusing. I’m running on instincts.”

“Er, should I be worried?” Merrikh says, and I turn back around to see him grinning. He doesn’t look worried.

I shrug, “Probably. Crouch down again, and cover your head, just in case.”

Merrikh watches me closely, “Alright. The alternative is death if you fail. I’m willing to try anything to get out of here, and if you think that you can get me out, then go for it.”

He crouches down, but doesn’t cover his head, his eyes watching me closely.

“I would rather watch my death coming for me than hide from it. There’s something more exciting about it that way,” Merrikh tells me, with a bite of honesty in his tone.

My gaze narrows as I raise my eyebrow, “You’re a little bit unhinged, aren’t you?”

His grin is sharp, “All the best people are, wouldn’t you agree? After all, you’re almost as unhinged as I am.”

I burst out laughing, and so do the guys.

“You’re not wrong,” Reed chuckles.

“I know,” Merrikh grins. “Alright, let's do this.”

I nod, and I let my magic build, willing it to burn through the spells and break Merrikh out.