Page 11 of Madness of Her Mages

“Children,” Samael said in a sing-song voice. “Young children.”

Thorin’s heart shattered. Anya’s children. Flora’s grandchildren. Why had he agreed to submit to these monsters?

“Witch children are so tasty!” Licking her lips, she rubbed her clawed hands together. “Do they have magic?”

Noo!Thorin’s voice surged through his skull like water breaking from a dam as he tried, and failed, to silence his demon.

“Not as strong as their mother,” Samael taunted, “but strong enough.”

She jutted a clawed foot toward them. “What do you have?”

“Tucked deep inside the side pocket of Thorin’s bag,” Samael said, the words spilling past his traitorous tongue despite Thorin’s struggle to regain power over his body. “She dropped it when she escaped.”

Their mistress lunged for the bag that Thorin had been wearing when he’d been caught by her demons. Letting out several curses, she dug around the bag before losing patience and ripping open the bottom with her talons.

With a squeal, she held up the rusty silver object. “A hairbrush.”

Thorin cried out, his shoulders slumping in defeat.I hate you,he said to his demon.

The feeling is mutual, you useless old man, Samael hissed, then he forced Thorin’s mouth to curve upward in a wicked grin. “Used by all the Avias women. The pale hair was from the witch after a masking spell. Use the darker strands beneath.”

Their mistress’s ugly eyes bulged as she plucked strands of dark hair from the brush. “All of the Avias witches?”

“With the exception of Queen Malvolia,” Samael answered.

Why would you give her that?Thorin chided.

Shut up, you old fool.

Their mistress let out a wicked cackle. “I will use their hair to conjure a tracking spell.”

“To do what, Mistress?” Thorin blurted.

Her nostrils flared as she scowled down at him. “Never you mind, Thorin.”

“No. I won’t let you harm Flora’s family.” Thorin fought against his restraints, putting every ounce of strength into his magic. Though his blood boiled and soured, he still manifested enough power to strike his mistress with a blinding ball of light.She fell back with a squeal, hitting the wall before disappearing in a flash, taking the brush with her. He collapsed to the floor, her venomous magic boiling him alive. But then he saw it, the key to his chains. It had fallen before she’d disappeared.

Don’t do it,Samael warned.

Fuck off,Thorin seethed ignoring the fire that raced through him before lunging for the keys. If he could get away, he might just survive his mistress’s wicked magic. The other prisoners cried out, begging him to free them after he unlocked his chains. He ignored them. He didn’t have time for them to slow him down. He had to get to Flora and Anya before his mistress did.

Chapter Three

Princess Shirina Avias

Present day

Abyssus Castle, Southern Delfi

“Is Aunt Malvolia going to kill us?”

My heart twisted as if it had been strung up in a noose as I knelt beside my four-year-old niece, Aurora, taking her small hand in mine. “No, darling, but you both need to listen carefully to me.” I looked from Aurora to her identical twin, Ember. Both had the same silver-blue eyes and slightly sharpened canines (thanks to their shifter blood) and slick chestnut hair, though Ember’s hair was longer, usually worn in braids down her back. “You must stay in your nursery tonight,” I said to them, giving Aurora a stern look while recalling just a few days ago they’d both nearly been killed by demons when Aurora teleported them outside the castle. “No leaving unless your lives are in danger.”

Ember’s eyes were wide with fear. “Will our lives be in danger?”

Drae, the oldest of my three mates and Lord of the Castle, knelt beside me, his long black wings draped behind him. “We will do whatever we can to keep you safe,” he said as he stroked Ember’s cheek with the back of his hand, “but we haven’t found those bad demon mages yet.”

Ember leaned against his knee as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And to think, a week ago my nieces were terrified of him. My heart warmed to see how affectionate my mate was with the girls, and I couldn’t stop thinking of all kinds of naughty ways to reward him.

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