Page 37 of Magical Mischief

Gideon.

Even from a distance, I felt the press of his magic, a claustrophobic weight in the air.

My heart pounded as he advanced, each footfall echoing unnaturally loud in the stillness of the snow.

The thick fog around him parted in a show of reverence, as though it recognized its master.

My breath caught.

Despite my readiness, despite the Wards and magic at my fingertips, a tremor of fear rippled through me.

Gideon’s presence was as potent as ever, a living embodiment of shadow and cunning.

He paused at the perimeter of the ancient runes, head tilting slightly, and a cold, triumphant smile curved across his lips. His features were even more striking in person. The blue in his eyes looked like a cavernous underwater tunnel, beckoning me in.

I steeled myself, lifting my chin.

My dad’s image flared in my mind and fueled the wave of defiance rising in my chest.

If Gideon thought he could intimidate me into handing over Stonewick, letting him keep my dad hostage, and getting his hands on me… well, he was in for a surprise.

Yes, I had invited him. But only so I could flip his plans on himself.

Gideon took one more step forward, the lamplight catching the silver gleam in his eyes. My spine prickled with the sense that every second now counted. The runes under my feet thrummed, responding to the magic I’d seeded there earlier.

Gideon was in place, but the night embraced him with an almost eerie hush.

The moment of truth had arrived, and I stood ready to spring the trap that no one knew about but me.

The magic buzzed beneath my ribs.

“Maeve,” he said, his voice slicing through the air like a fine blade. “You’re even more radiant than I remembered.”

“I’m not flattered.”

“Oh, but you should be.” Gideon’s smile was infuriating. He walked closer to me, and his boots crunched crisply over the snow. “You came alone. That’s brave.”

“I came because I want my dad back where he belongs.”

He tilted his head. “And you’re willing to trade… yourself?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

A lie wrapped in truth.

He looked amused. “I thought it would take longer to win you over. But here you are. Offering yourself to me like a gift. Our discussion must have hit a nerve.”

My throat tightened, but I held his gaze.

“I’ve seen what you can do. What you’re willing to do. And I know how important I am to you.” I let my voice tremble just enough. “You said you wanted me. That I wasyours.”

His eyes sparked with silver fire. “You remember.”

“Hard to forget a promise like that.”

I felt Keegan’s energy shift from the hotel. He didn’t know what Gideon had said to me in our meeting, and I could sense he wasn’t pleased now that he did.

Gideon stepped into the center of the circle. Right where I needed him.