Page 105 of Fighting for Her Heart

For an instant, the idea that her magic can easily break mine makes me trust her more, not less. If she’d wanted to trap me right off the bat, she could have. But instead of using force, she’s trying to convince me to work with her. She does care.

But I return my inner skeptic to its full on-guard position. Nora’s a master manipulator.

Turning, I quickly make eye contact with Axe, and then with Zuben and Ryker. Even though the men can’t move or speak, even though they have wooden stakes threatening their hearts, I see trust in their eyes.

I see their faith in me. Their love.

My magic rises inside me again, a growing swirling light that’s now becoming familiar, more like part of me than something foreign and strange.

Fortified, I return my gaze to meet Nora’s. “If we’re going to work together then we need to trust each other.”

She nods.

“If I release your sisters, then you will get rid of those stakes and let the men out of that silver cage.”

“It’s a deal.”

I swish my arm to the side and the ropes of light holding the three witches vanish. I feel an immediate relief followed by fatigue.

“Evanora,” one of the witches asks. “What will you have us do?”

“How can we best assist you?” asks another.

Smiling, Nora drops her hands from my face and turns toward the three women. “Go inside the barracks,” she says. “Prepare our guests to return to the blood retrieval stations.”

“Yes, sister. Right away.” The three of them enter the still opened cell, and then, retrieving the key from the waistband of my leggings, I quickly lock them in with the men.

“Why did you do that?” Nora asks, calmly, as if it’s no real bother.

“So you and I can talk in private,” I say softly. “One on one.”

Drawing a deep breath, I continue to let the light build inside me again, because I hope to do much more than talk.

Thrusting my arms forward, I make circular motions, and thick ropes of light flow out to bind my mother, blindfolding and gagging her too.

Quickly, I turn toward the cell. I need to get the men out, or at least get rid of the stakes pointed toward their hearts.

“You are a foolish child.” Mom’s voice comes from behind me.

I scream in pain. My entire body is now encased in chain mail, head to toe, every inch of me covered, and the fine silver weave is etching itself into my burning skin.

Closing my eyes, I concentrate on the light inside me. I spread my arms. The chain mail shatters into tiny pieces. They scatter over the floor, then disappear.

I thrust my arms forward. Bright light flies toward Nora, tossing her back more than twenty feet and into a wall.

A forest grows up around me, more like a jungle that’s so thick I can no longer see her smug face through the foliage. Vines wrap around my feet and legs and arms, growing quickly, trapping me, choking me. Panic rises as the vines encircle and squeeze.

Again, I concentrate to gather my light, and the illusion disappears.

But Nora is laughing. This is a game to her. One she feels certain she’ll win.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Ryker

I’ve never felt so helpless. Even when I was confined to a cage on that ship, even when I was bound in silver and dumped near a beam of sunlight, I felt more in control than I do right now.

I can’t move a muscle and the woman I love more than anything on earth is in danger.