Page 66 of Jagged Souls

“All the witches are her friends!” Maddox calls out.

Except for Eduardo. But I don’t tell him that. I want to be the one to kill him.

The demon makes no sign of having heard him. As the gym door shuts behind him, Maddox hurries over to me and starts to undo my binds.

“Why did he call me sister?” I ask warily. That is not a name of address for them.

“So that’s a funny story,” he says as he frees my arms. I try to sit up to help him remove the straps on my feet, but my limbs are too numb and tingly to listen to me.

“I could use some humor right now,” I say.

“Mmm. Well, short story, that’s going to be your brother-in-law. I think. I think he’s planning on kidnapping her now that she’s pregnant with his child, but –”

“What?” I shout. “She’s sixteen! What did you do?”

“Hey, why is it automatically my fault?”

“She was sogooduntil she started hanging out with you.”

He grins, proud of himself.

“Maddox…” I growl.

Finished untying my ankles, he helps me off the table. My legs refuse to hold my weight, so he sets me on the floor, well away from Zita.

“What. Did. You. Do?” I grit out.

“Well… I might have, theoretically, allegedly told her to have hot, dirty sex with a more powerful guy than Rudy so she wouldn’t have to marry him?”

“Maddox,” I growl. My savior or not, I’m going to kill him.

“In my defense,” Varius’ soon-to-be dead brother says as he starts to pull on his shadows, “I thought she was asking for a friend. She said, and I quote, ‘What would you advise for afriendof mine who’s getting married for their virginity to someone she doesn’t want to –”

“She doesn’t have any friends getting married!” I yell. “She’s sixteen!”

“Yeah, I hear you, but she clearly wasn’t talking about herself because we don’t care if she’s a virgin.”

My eyes narrow at him as he pulls out the cage he kept Zita in. “No one who says I’m asking for a friend,” I bite out, “is ever asking for a fucking friend.”

I’m so pissed at him that it takes me a few seconds to clock what his plan is. Then my eyes widen. “Oh hel no. I’m not getting in that.”

“You won’t survive in the Shadow Domain until the bond is completed, and you’re not fit to walk, let alone fight. So in you go.”

I grit my teeth. I hate this plan so much.

“Don’t you want to survive long enough to yell at her and kill me?” he asks sweetly.

My eyes are fucking slits at this point. “Fine. But when you bring me out, I don’t want anyone there. I want to get dressed and showered first.” If I’m yelling at my sister, I’m sure as hel not doing it naked. She’ll twist the conversation around with all her concern for me, and I’m not having it.

“Varius –” Maddox starts.

“Varius,” I spit, my anger at him coming back now that my rescue is imminent, “got me into this fucking mess. He can damn well wait for me to get showered and dressed before he goes all neanderthal.” I swallow hard. My voice lowers. “Don’t let him see me like this. Please.” If he’s going to try to send me away for my “safety,” then I’m going to look like a fucking lady.

His lips in a tight line, Maddox nods. Then he helps me into the cage. He shuts the door, but before he can seal it with magic to keep the monsters out, the gym’s door bangs open.

“Shadow form!” I scream as three chimeras race towards his back. They’ve changed into their monsters, and they are moving fast. There’s no way Maddox is going to be able to turn in time.

The only way he can survive this is if he shifts into his shadows. They can’t touch him then.