Page 5

The next morning dawned gray and overcast. I barely slept, my mind spinning with too many what-ifs and unanswered questions.

Levi had woken up early, slipping out to scout around the perimeter, though I knew it was more to give me space than out of necessity.

I appreciated it. The warehouse had become a pressure cooker of worry and frustration, and we all needed the occasional breather.

But that breather didn’t last long. As the sun tried to pierce through the thick cloud cover, the air in the warehouse shimmered, and a portal opened near the edge of the witch circle.

Keeran strode through, his expression as stern as ever, but it was the figure that followed him that caught my attention.

Almae, her long braid grayer than I had seen before, moved with a grace that spoke of years spent wielding magic far beyond what most witches could dream of.

At first glance, you would think she was just a nice old lady, but underneath her kindness was knowledge and power.

She glanced around the warehouse, taking in the circle that kept me confined, the makeshift furniture, the faded scorch marks on the walls.

Her lips curved into a faint, knowing smile.

“Well, it’s certainly no five start hotel,” she said, her tone dry. “But it’s functional.”

“Glad it meets your standards,” I replied, trying for humor but it didn’t feel right. “Why are you here, Almae? I thought you were at the DuMoir Castle.”

“I was. But there wasn’t much I could do while in lockdown, so I requested to be excused. They didn’t want to break the lockdown for me, but it worked out well as Zadkiel used the same opportunity to join them.”

“Thea cast a mean shield around the castle,” Keeran said. “It was hard for us to break through it with her consent. I have to guess they are safe from Sarki in there.”

The sound of footsteps echoed through the warehouse and Levi reappeared from his office. He quickly approached us. “I heard there were sightings of Sarki around the castle.”

Almae nodded, her expression grim. “In a nearby town. She took the heart of a human. Drake sent vampires and witches after her, but she’s slippery.”

A chill crept up my spine. Memories of our encounter with Sarki in the underworld surfaced, unbidden—the way she’d toyed with us, the darkness in her eyes as she cast her curse on Drake’s daughter before slipping away.

The knowledge that we had set her loose gnawed at me, a reminder of how easily things could spiral out of control.

“I’m surprised they let you out,” I said. “Not just because of the lockdown, but because of your help.”

Almae tilted her head, offering a faint smile.

“Drake and Thea are strong, and they have a lot of supernaturals on their side, ready to help … and judging from Sarki’s actions, it seems she wants to taunt them, dragging this out for who knows how long.

I couldn’t stay in the lockdown for weeks, perhaps months, without any other perspective. ”

“We did promise to do what we can from the outside, though,” Keeran said. “After we help you, of course.”

“Any help is appreciated,” Levi said, his tone very sharp.

“Actually, I already reached out to the other witch queens,” Almae said. “Only Queen Rosalia and Queen Corvina got back to me so far and said they didn’t know of any spells that could extract only the unwanted magic from you. I’m suspecting the others will say the same.”

“But they will research about it,” Keeran added.

“In the meantime, I also talked to Francine,” Almae continued, “and she mentioned something interesting.”

“Who’s Francine?” Levi asked.

“A former Wildthorn witch who married a Blackthorn Hunter,” Keeran explained. “She lives in Chasseur Ville now.”

“She mentioned a legend, something buried deep in old lore,” Almae said, sounding a little hopeful. “She said her late husband used to work on some supersecret missions for the Blackthorn Hunters and once he told her a legend about a demon that could absorb magic from supernaturals.”

Levi and I exchanged a glance.

“A demon that can absorb magic?” Levi repeated, his brow furrowing. “How come I haven’t heard about this before?”

“It’s rare, even for demons,” Almae said.

“Most demons that absorb magic are unstable, dangerous even to those who summon them. But there are whispers of a few who can be more selective. Sometimes, if the conditions are right, they can take only the magic you want to get rid of, leaving the rest behind.”

My pulse quickened at the idea, but doubt quickly followed. “And we’re supposed to believe this demon would just leave me with my own magic intact? Sounds like a recipe for disaster.”

“It’s a risk,” Almae admitted. “But it might be the only option you have left.”

Keeran crossed his arms, studying the circle around me. “We need more information before we consider something like that. If there’s even a chance this could work, we have to find out everything we can about this demon.”

Levi turned to me, raising an eyebrow. “Ready for another round of calls, sweetheart?”

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “We’ve got nothing but time, right? Let’s get started.”

Before we could call the hunters, Almae and Keeran told us they would leave for a while, so Almae could check on Unity—the town she had founded several years ago—but they would come back soon.

Then, we called Erin and Rey, hoping that as demon hunters, they might know something about the kind of demon we were looking for.

But the call went straight to voicemail, the telltale sign that they were in the middle of a mission or dealing with something at the Academy.

I bit back my frustration, leaving a message and hoping they’d get back to us sooner rather than later.

“Worth a shot,” Levi said, hanging up. “They’ll call back when they can.”

He tapped away on his phone for a minute, then fished a coin from his pocket and I recognized it immediately.

It was one of the Great Eternity Hall’s enchanted coins.

He closed his hand around it, a faint glow appeared between his fingers, and a moment later when he opened his hand, the coin was gone.

And a shimmering portal stood right beside him.

“Be right back,” he said before stepping through.

I let out a long sigh, a little upset that I couldn’t just go with him.

A moment later, he was back, with Lacey and Abbie in tow. Abbie had dark circles under her eyes, and Lacey’s usually bright smile was dimmed with worry.

“What’s going on?” Lacey asked.

I quickly explained what Almae had shared. “Do you think there’s anything in the Hall’s archives that might help us track down this demon?”

Abbie exchanged a look with Lacey, then let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t guarantee it, but we’ll dig through whatever we can find.”

Lacey placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “Hang in there, okay? We’re not giving up.”

I managed a small, grateful smile, the warmth of their support easing some of the tension in my chest. “Thanks, both of you. I really appreciate it.”

They disappeared back through the portal, and it winked out behind them, leaving the warehouse feeling strangely empty again. I stared at the spot where they’d stood, trying to keep my mind from racing ahead to all the ways this could go wrong.

The door at the far end of the warehouse creaked open, and Burgin stepped in. The demon was a stocky male with a serious expression. I had seen him before a couple of times and neither of those times had I liked him very much. Granted, our interaction had been brief, and back then I hated Levi.

At least, I thought I did.

Burgin stopped a good way from us and stared at Levi. “My lord, you summoned?”

Levi didn’t waste any time. “There’s talk of an old demon that can absorb magic from supernaturals. I need you to reach out to our contacts, find out if there’s any truth to it. Locations, lore, anything.”

Burgin inclined his head, his voice a low rumble. “As you command, my lord. I will return with whatever I discover.”

With a final nod, Burgin turned and exited through the door, his heavy footsteps echoing through the space as he left.

I let out a slow breath, running a hand through my hair. “And now we wait?”

Levi leaned against the edge of the containment circle, folding his arms across his chest. “Seems like waiting is all we do these days.”

I huffed out a breath, feeling the frustration twist in my gut. “I hate it, Levi. I hate sitting here, feeling like I’m wasting time while everything’s falling apart. Elysium, Sarki, my family—I’m stuck in this damn circle while everyone else is out there, doing something.”

His expression softened, but his voice remained firm. “You’re not useless, sweetheart. And you know that if there was a way to get you out of here safely, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

I met his gaze, the sincerity in his eyes cutting through some of the bitterness. “I know. I just… I can’t help feeling like we’re running out of time.”

Just then, my phone buzzed, and I glanced down at the screen. “It’s Erin.”

I put the call on speaker, and I heard Erin’s familiar voice crackle through the line. “Hey, sorry it took us a bit to get back to you. What’s this about a magic-absorbing demon?”

Levi quickly filled her in, explaining the potential lead.

There was a pause on the other end before Erin sighed.

“Honestly, this is new to us. Rey’s never come across anything like it in the Blackthorn Hunters’ records either.

But we’ll start digging, see if we can find anything. It might take a while.”

I squeezed my hands into fists, trying not to let my disappointment show. “Thanks, Erin. Anything you can find would be a huge help.”

“We’ll get back to you as soon as we have something,” she promised before hanging up.

Levi looked at me, a half-smile tugging at his lips. “So, now we wait. Again.”

I let out a small, wry laugh, shaking my head. “Story of our lives, isn’t it?”