Page 100 of Fighting for Her Heart

“Evanora.” Zuben approaches the bars of the cage. “ What about the bindings on your daughter? Are you leavingherin those torturous shackles?”

“The bargain I struck involved only you three.” Smirking, she turns toward me. “Although, I do hate to see my darling daughter in pain.”

In the blink of an eye, all the silver falls off me too, but when I step forward, I discover I’m encased in some kind of transparent enclosure, which gives me only a few inches of room to move in any direction.

I slam the heels of my hands against the invisible hard surface, but the glass-like material barely vibrates. It certainly doesn’t break.

I wonder what element could be shatter proof against a vampire’s strength, but then realize that the only thing likely to break the glass that surrounds me is magic.

Concentrating, I take hold of the amulet, and focus.

Light builds up inside me. The illumination swirls and grows, but refuses to release. It’s almost as if something is keeping it trapped, as if there’s something inside my body that’s mirroring the invisible box that’s trapping me.

Frustration builds in my belly, alongside the useless light.

Why can’t I control my magic? What am I doing wrong?

I’m doing everything Nora taught me.

Realization floods through me. I’m a fool.

Removing the amulet, I throw it forward as I thrust my arms toward the invisible box.

Light bursts from inside me, shattering my enclosure, and the amulet strikes Nora in the chest.

Her eyes widen, first with surprise, and then anger.

“Sisters,” she calls out. “We are under attack.”

The three of them line up in front of me, blocking Nora. They raise their hands toward me.

Flames lick around my body, but I stand undeterred. The false fire is painful, but I ignore it. It’s not real, even if I can feel and smell my skin sizzling.

My magic continues to build. It’s swirling around me now in a tornado of light. I use it to keep the witches from getting closer, and they strain as they try to break past it.

On instinct, I throw my arms up and to the sides. The light pushes all three witches up and back, trapping them high against the room’s walls, one of them against the ceiling.

Nora is pushed back too, flat against bookcases at the far wall of the room.

My surroundings shift, yet again, and my instincts tell me that what I’m seeing now is the physical reality.

The cell containing my men still lies at one end of the space, as do the shackles along the walls in the middle, but at the end of the room, the one nearest the entrance, I discover that the fireplace and chairs were not only real but part of a comfortable living space.

“Release the men!” I point toward their cage.

The witches fall from where they were pinned. Crap. When I moved my arm, I accidentally freed them.

Nora lands gracefully on her feet, but the other three land hard. They remain unmoving on the floor. It could be a trick.

“Stay away!” Gathering my light, I move my arms again and the three slide together on the floor, slamming into each other. Nora, on her feet, is pushed toward the pile of her so-called sisters. She’s clearly the strongest, at least against me.

Her eyes narrow.

I turn to see what she’s looking at. The cell holding my men has vanished, replaced by the stone wall that was there when I first arrived. I can no longer see my loves.

My body is shaking, exhausted by the effort of creating the light and I’m not sure how much more energy I’ve got. Focusing my thoughts, I swirl my hands. A tornado of light surrounds all four witches, three on the floor and Nora standing.

I’m not sure if it will hold, but I need to know if the men are okay.