Chapter 28

TWENTY-EIGHT

Tara

I rush to my men, ignoring the pain in my shoulder. They need me right now. Pictures of them hurt by the witches rush in my mind, making it hard to catch my breath.

My heart races as I explode into the middle of their battle. They're all hurt, bloodied, and torn up, but I'm just grateful they're alive. Battle Magic is dark and twisted, and these women are done playing with them.

"My mom is dead!" I shout. "I'm queen. If you stop fighting now, I'll let you go. You can just walk away."

I don't know what I expected, but the fact that nothing changes isn't as surprising as it maybe should have been. These women have been my mother's weapons for too long. They don't know any other way of life.

A witch points her finger at Arlys, ready to send a spell his way. Without hesitation, I point at her. "Tree," I command, and a small, gnarled tree with black leaves sprouts where she stood.

I feel sick, but I turn away from the tree. Rinan is trying to run away, but long scratches are appearing on his body with every step he takes. He whines loudly as blood trickles down his body. But he can't escape the pain.

My gaze moves around until I spot her, then I glare at the witch who is hurting him. She turns to me, ready to send a spell my way, but I'm faster. I'm fighting for my men rather than a wicked curse.

"Melt."

In seconds, her body starts oozing black liquid as she screams until she's nothing but a puddle on the ground. I swallow, bile rising in the back of my throat, but I focus my attention on the next witch, who has finally noticed what I'm doing.

"You can't have Battle Magic. It's impossible," she says.

Without hesitation, I smile. "I guess I've finally become what my mother always wanted."

Rolling out of the way of her spell, I shout, "Mouse!"

Her eyes widen in horror, and then she shrinks before my eyes into a tiny mouse, then scurries away. I don't have time to be amused. I can hear Garrick's quiet moans of pain.

The witch attacking him uses magic to stab him over and over again. He's trying to get to her, but he falls each time he's stabbed, dripping with blood in a way that makes me sick.

I take a page from my mother's book and scream "Burn!" Only, I put more power into my spell than my mother ever did.

The witch bursts into bright orange flames. Her screams are piercing, and we watch as the fire engulfs her so completely that within seconds she's become nothing more than a pile of ash blowing away in the breeze.

Garrick collapses. The other three rush to his side, looking hurt and exhausted, but alive. I kneel down next to him, my gut churning as I look down at his matted fur. "Fucking bitch," I mutter, tears in my eyes. Then I meet Garrick's gaze. "You're going to be okay."

He whimpers.

Closing my eyes, I whisper, "Heal."

My magic is tired. It's spent. But still, it responds to my desperate cry as I feel it washing over him. The wounds are deep, so it takes a lot more of my magic to knit them all back together and heal him completely, but I push past the exhaustion until I see every gash on his body close.

He opens his eyes and shifts back into his human self. Panting, he says, "You see? You are the best witch in your coven."

"Even after all that you're a flirt," I whisper, leaning down and kissing him.

Then I turn to the rest of my men, healing each of them. By the time I'm done, I'm sweating and panting. I've never used so much magic in such a short amount of time. I didn't even know you could get this tired from using magic, but I'm spent, and my men can see it.

"Your mother?" Rinan asks, leaning against a tree.

I shake my head.

"Are you okay?" Garrick asks, his expression worried.

I consider his words for a minute. "I think I am."

All three men look relieved, and, again, I'm blown away by how much they worry about me, even after all they've been through.

"Your shoulder?" Drogo whispers, suddenly inspecting it.

I wince. "It's not as bad as it looks."

His air comes out in a rush. "We need the first aid kit."

My shifters respond like I've just been declared an emergency, rushing around, setting everything up with such frantic movements I'm left smiling. Then, with the utmost care in the world, Drogo cleans, treats, and binds my shoulder, before planting a kiss on the top of my head.

When he's done, he repacks his pack, and everyone collapses together. Spent. Ready to be done with this mess.

"Let's rest," Arlys suggests tiredly.

I look around at all of them, wanting to give them time to rest, but also knowing that I need to get this done. That I need to undo all the damage my people have caused, before more people get sick.

"No. First, the curse. Then, we rest."