Page 54 of The Mating Claim

“We have to slow it down,” Xavier shouted, conjuring another silver net. When Willow appeared again near a display of candles, he threw it but she vanished again, the net sinking into the candles likeacid.

Something clicked inside Lacey.Slow itdown.

“You can’t catch me, you fucking wizards. You’re too slow,” Willow taunted and vanishedagain.

And then it struck her like a hard slap. Sheknew.

Lacey ran to the shelves and pulled out a jar containing Himalayan rock salt, one of the few jars that had not been smashed. Knowledge flowed through her, as clear as if she read from the pages of book. She ran into the back room and chanted words she remembered from long ago, words she did know containedpower.

Materializing before her, Willow’s smirk faded as she saw the rock salt. The demon backed away, but before she vanished, Lacey hurled the jar. It smashed into Willow’s forehead. Screaming, she clawed at herface.

“Now Drust, use the coldfire!” Lacey screamed, pulling out of target range. “Go back to hell,bitch!”

Bursts of cobalt energy shot from Drust’s hands, striking the now slow-moving demon. Willow released an unearthly scream and then her face dissolved, running down her body like melting water. A few more bursts of coldfire and Willowevaporated.

She simply was nomore.

Panting, Lacey stared at the empty spot where Willow had stood. Only a patch of darkness remained on the floor to indicate the demon’s presence. Xavier approached it, crouched down and flicked his fingers at the dark stain. It glowed and thenvanished.

Standing, he dusted off his hands. “Just to be certain. You can never tell withdemons.”

“Lacey, how did you know the vanquishing spell?” Drust askedslowly.

All three wizards lined up to face her. Not exactly menacing, but she shivered from the ominous power crackling from them. They were the Brehon, and could easily take down this entire cityblock.

And yet she had helped to kill the demon with words andsalt.

“I read about it.” She spread her hands out, like a gunfighter showing lack of weapons. “In a book long ago. A book of spells. The words just… came to me. Like a long-lost memory. Anyone could who read it could do thesame.”

“But not anyone could, for only witches can put the power behind the words,” Gideon said, frowning. “And you are a dragonshifter.”

“Fascinating,” Caderyn murmured. “Perhaps you are not fullydragon.”

Before she could sputter her indignation at his assumption, the big wizard approached and laid a palm on herforehead.

Warmth flooded her body, as if she were immersed in a delicious bath. The Shadow Wizardnodded.

“As I suspected. There is much witch blood inside your DNA. That is how you conjured the spell at the correct time.” Dropping his palm, the Shadow Wizard glanced at Drust. “It is why the book came to her. Not through her father’s handing down a stolen artifact, but handing off a powerful book only witches candiscern.”

“My father was no witch!” But the words seemed feeble. How did she know exactly what her father was, when she had met him onlybriefly?

“Warlock,” Xavier said absently. “The gender term iswarlock.”

“He wasn’t a warlock either, wizard, so leave me the hell alone and get the hell out of my shop.” She drew in a quivering breath, her hands shaking despite every attempt to appear cool and collected. “I need to take photos for the insurancecompany.”

She pulled out her cell from a back pocket, and then released a shaky laugh. “How the hell do I explain this? Oh sure, Mr. Insurance Adjustor, it was only a demon from hell who trashed everything, that’s all. Why no, I didn’t do it for the insurancemoney.”

The phone trembled in her hand. What was the point? She’d stopped paying the premiums two monthsago.

Everything seemed to crash around her. Fingers shaking, she dug into a nearby drawer for a match and lit a scented candle, filling the air with fragrance. Lacey breatheddeeply.

“Candles. Ah,” Xavier murmured. “Quitetelling.”

“Yes,” agreed Caderyn. “Witches adore lightingcandles.”

“I am not awitch!”

“But you are a dragon, and dragons breathe fire,” Drust said slowly. “So why use amatch?”