Page 43 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)

Through our tetrad bond, I felt each of their immediate reactions. Wild’s reckless determination to volunteer, Caden’s quiet courage warring with his protective instincts, and Atlas’s absolute refusal to let any of us face that kind of danger alone.

“I’ll do it,” I said before anyone else could speak. “My magic is the most precise. I can dispel the binding ritual faster than?—”

“No,” Wild interrupted, his emerald eyes blazing. “Absolutely not. You’re the one they want most, Elias. The moment you get within range of that thing, it’ll try to suck your soul right out of your body.”

“He’s right,” Caden added, his face twisting with concern. “The cube is designed to target powerful magical bloodlines. Your family’s legacy makes you the perfect fuel for their ritual.”

Atlas stepped forward, his massive frame radiating protective energy. “I should be the one to approach it. Werewolves don’t have natural magic beyond our healing and shifting abilities. It won’t recognize me as a target, but through our bond, you can work your magic.”

“And what happens when my father realizes what you’re doing?” I asked, shaking my head. “He’ll kill you before you get within ten feet of that thing.”

The mansion shuddered again, more violently this time. Dust rained from the ceiling as another pulse of corrupted magic rippled through the walls. Whatever ritual my father was performing, it was accelerating.

“We’re running out of time,” Wild said urgently. “The cube’s getting stronger. I can feel it pushing against the house’s defenses.”

Through the mansion’s awareness, I watched my father raise his hands above the floating artifact, his voice rising in an ancient chant that made my skin crawl.

The obsidian surface rippled faster, its red symbols blazing like miniature suns.

Cracks formed along the surface as the magic ached to be set free.

“By the gods…” I whispered, realization flooding through me. “I know how to destroy it.”

Everyone stared at me, waiting for an explanation.

“The cube is already so massively powered by souls that it seems almost unstable,” I explained. “Even now, it’s starting to crack, and the magic is becoming erratic.” I looked to Wild. “But where is the mansion located?”

Wild furrowed his brows. “It’s in the Veil. You know that—” He stopped. “Oh my god…”

Realization spread through the bond as everyone caught on at once.

“The Veil is full of souls,” I said, my grin spreading wide.

“All we have to do is move it out of the house while it’s still activated.

It’ll suck up so much energy that it’ll destroy itself.

Teleportation magic with our bond should be easy.

We won’t have to get that close, either.

And when it explodes… well, the mansion should protect us. ”

“Elias…” Wild whispered. “You’re a mad genius…”

He moved to wrap his arms around me, his smile wide. But before he could reach me, there was a bright flash of emerald light. The light slammed into Wild’s back, sending him crashing into a bookshelf. My heart stopped as I watched his body crumple to the floor, books raining down around him.

“Wild!” I screamed, lunging toward him.

“I wouldn’t, darling,” came a cold, familiar voice from the library doorway.

Wild’s mother stood there, her perfect features arranged in a mask of aristocratic disdain. Her hand still glowed with the remnants of the spell she’d cast at her own son. Somehow, she’d snuck up on us without anyone noticing, not even the mansion itself.

“Mother,” Wild groaned from the floor, pushing himself up on shaking arms. Blood trickled from a cut on his forehead, but through our bond, I could feel he wasn’t seriously injured.

However, his magical signature was dangerously low.

Her spell hadn’t just hit him, it had drained his power in an instant.

“I always knew you’d stab me in the back someday.

Just didn’t think you’d be so literal about it. ”

Lady Briar’s emerald eyes, so much like Wild’s, yet utterly devoid of his warmth, surveyed the library with cold calculation. “Wilderain, you’ve always been such a disappointment. Wasting your potential on... this.” Her gaze flicked dismissively over the rest of us.

“How did you find us?” Atlas growled, moving to stand protectively in front of Caden.

“The mansion may have its tricks,” she replied, stepping fully into the room, “but a mother always knows where to find her child. Especially when that child is so magically inept .”

Wild laughed harshly, staggering to his feet. “Inept? Is that what you call surviving your little death squad? Look around, Mother. Your friends are decorating the hallways now.”

A flicker of something like anger or respect crossed her perfect features before disappearing. “A temporary setback. The Cube is nearly ready. Time to go.”

Through our bond, I felt Wild’s pain and betrayal, buried beneath layers of defiance. I reached for him through our connection, sending waves of support and love to bolster his strength.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Wild spat.

In another flash of emerald light, Lady Briar disappeared. In less than a heartbeat, she was standing next to Wild, her clawed hands wrapped around his neck.

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice, my dear,” she growled.

Another burst of green light and they were both gone, the space where they’d been standing covered in a smattering of autumn leaves. I stared at the spot, my heart sinking.

Wild was gone. She’d taken him from me.