Page 117 of Possess Me at Midnight

But the effort costs him. He looks drained, his green eyes dim in his too-pale face. No doubt, Ice needs me at the break. But will he make it that long? He must. He has to. Then I’ll go to him, plead with him, insist this challenge isn’t necessary, swear that I’ll love him no matter what.

Mathias nods and crosses his arms over his chest. “I grow tired of toying with you. Perhaps you’ll enjoy this. Your friend Rion did.”

An evil smile settles over Mathias’s features as he bangs his wand in Ice’s direction. A moment later, my worst nightmare emerges. It’s a thick, swirling black cloud!

The Devouring Shadow spell.

I clasp my hand over my mouth to contain my clawing fear. Bram appears at my side and takes my shoulders in hand, comforting me as I watch that deadly black mist wisp its way unerringly toward Ice.

Behind me, Bram tenses, his breathing harsh. I want to turn to my brother, beg him to help—something. But I can’t look away.

“What can we do?”

“Nothing. That damnable spell isn’t something he can outrun. It will find him. Whatever his worst instincts, they will rise up and overwhelm him. Choke him.”

In Bram’s case, his need for control, his ambition. Terror claws into my heart. “It’s painful?”

“Like your soul is being split in half.”

Because it is.

I grab Bram for strength, refusing to look away from Ice and refusing to let hopelessness defeat me. But I’m terrified. In moments, Ice will be swallowed whole. And he’ll emerge a different man…if he lives through the destruction of his soul.

“How much longer until the break?” Maybe I can reach him quickly, somehow heal him before it does too much damage.

“Less than five minutes.”

Please, Ice… Hold on.

Chapter

Thirty-Nine

Ice

* * *

The black cloud of the Devouring Shadow spell draws closer. Body taut, shoulders rising up and down with harsh breaths, I watch it. I’m bloody drained. Exhausted. Levitating to avoid the mass uses the last of my energy.

When I lower myself to the ground, the cloud follows me, chasing me…closing in on me.

I conjure a bottle. Perhaps I can contain the hex, cork it. But I know so fucking little about this spell. Can it penetrate glass? If it touches me at all, will it instantly fell me and start splitting my soul in two?

I can’t surrender. I can’t leave Gailene unavenged. I can’t abandon Sabelle.

But I also can’t outrun this cloud.

My hand trembles as I hold the bottle, its wide mouth open and directed at the floating black mass. The dark vapor flows into the bottle, and I throw the stopper over it, hoping I’ve captured it all.

Moments later, it leaks out the bottom as if the glass is no impediment at all. Quickly, the cloud reforms inches from my face and heads straight for me.

Think, think, think!

I abandon the bottle and leap away, blinking hard against my hazy vision. Fists clenching, I focus on staying upright and present, despite every nerve in my body feeling depleted. My head throbs with the need for energy. I cannot give out, cannot give in.

Using the last of my magical reserves, I summon a mirror. It quickly appears in my hand, and I flip it toward the black mass, praying this deflects the floating dark menace back to Mathias. Instead, it passes around the looking glass, re-forms, then darts straight for my chest.

Now what? Trying not to panic, I step back, then back again until I hit the force field. I’ve nowhere else to go. I don’t dare look at Sabelle. I feel the fear coursing off her.