Page 14 of Wicked Bite
Ophelia threw a vial at the guy and a huge bubble wrapped around him. He banged against it with his fist and yet it did nothing. He simply floated away into the night. I threw another one up and they blasted them with magic, binding their power and forcing them to the ground. It was lucky for them. I’d seen Ophelia do far worse than trap a couple people.
I spun through the crowd, using my speed to strike out quickly. Dislocating a knee here, breaking an arm there, and causing complete havoc. Screams followed in my wake, but I didn’t care. Screams came from within the walls, and I ran back toward the school. I had to be everywhere and nowhere all at once. I pumped my arms, feeling the adrenaline fly through my veins. Wind breezed through my hair and over my face. I hurled myself back over the wall and landed just next to the main gate.
The portal shimmered once more, and Maze sprinted past. Zinnia lashed her magic around him like a silvery, glittering whip. He froze for a moment with his hands trapped by his side. Neon green power seeped from his fingers. Tarot cards shot from the pocket of his black tactical pants. They swirled in a circle of madness above his head. She yanked on her power, dragging him back to her side. She dropped him to his feet and pulled her power away from his body.
He rolled his shoulders and narrowed his green eyes at her. “Don’t. Do that again.”
I flinched for a moment, ready to step in. Maze was the deadliest psychic known in the world. His magic was both volatile and damaging. He glanced in my direction and gave a quick head shake as though he knew I would leap between the two of them. I froze, waiting to see what he did next. My friends always trusted him, but he was questionable . . . at best.
Zinnia got in his face. “Why the hell are they attacking us?”
. . . I mean I was wondering . . . sort of.
“Our house got blown up.” Maze shrugged. “They think it’s you.”
“What?” Her eyebrows shot up. The castle shook as a blast of magic struck the front gate.
“Vengeance is a way of life, and council wanted its due.”
The Warlock Council were the bastards who ruled all the Warlocks of Evermore. The evil sort that myself and my mates had been working to overthrow for weeks. In truth, the Vampires had been working for years on killing off the High Witch King, which Zinnia did, and now the Council. We had to unite them all for what was to come.
Maze’s eyes went milky white for a split second. It sent shivers down my spine, and I waited for him to come out of whatever trance he was in. He grabbed Zinnia’s arm and yanked her to the side just as a car hurled over the gate and smacked into the ground then tumbled end-over-end right toward where she’d been standing. The sound of crumpling metal filled the air, and pieces of the car flew off in different directions. Tuck landed behind the flipping car, and flames shot from his hand in two long streams. It slammed into the car, stopping its thunderous tumble. The car stood on its front bumper, teetering back and forth. Flames caught on the engine, and the whole thing erupted in a ball of fire. Black smoke billowed from it like a mushroom touching the sky. The smell of burning rubber and gas filled the air.
It was going to tip back on them. I darted into the courtyard, running so fast I was a blur. I propelled his body forward and slammed my shoulder into the flaming wreck. The car launched up off the ground and soared through the air back over the other side of the gate. Screams sounded and a loud crash filled the night.
“What kind of wankers throw bloody cars into a school?” I mean, really.
“Who knew you could throw cars?” Zinnia arched her eyebrow at me.
“There’s lots you lot don’t know about me.” So much they all didn’t know. I wanted to tell them, but how could I? My life was never meant to be my own.
Another car came flying over the gate and I moved to the side, catching it easily. The metal crumbled and bent around my hands. Glass exploded out from the windows and rained down around me. I spun in a circle and threw the car back over the wall. A ball of fire exploded up from the street and smoke billowed up to the sky.
A huge ball of magic slammed into the front gates, cracking them wide open. I rolled my eyes. “Bloody fantastic, that is.”
Shards of metal flew in all different directions like arrows searching for a target. I let my speed carry me around the courtyard, catching piece after piece and stopping them from stabbing anyone. I dropped them to the ground then stomped down on them until the metal curled up into a harmless ball and not a lethal weapon. “If you can’t play nice then you don’t play at all.”
A flood of Warlocks rushed over the beat-in gate, using it to climb inside. They moved like tiny ants, running in all different directions, leaving hell and magical bombs in their wake. Heavy smoke and dirt hung in the air, forcing me to cough with each gasping breath. Maze hesitated with me by his side, like he wanted to stay to fight beside me, but also wanted to face the line of Warlocks that had begun to overrun us.
I glanced down at my watch and back to the chaos that rained down on us all. I was not going to make it to see the girl I’d made a promise to. Apologies, Piper. And I ran headlong into the fray.
CHAPTER FIVE
PIPER
Salem, MA
My picker is good and damn broken. I am never trusting it again.
“You sure you want all of this?” Jimmy the cook behind the line arched his eyebrow at me.
“Don’t ask questions with your judgy-judge face on. Just give me the food.” My shift was over, and Grayson was a no-show.
Tuesday had come and gone. No sign of the Sexy Brit. Was I going to eat my feelings? Yes. Did I care? No. Because French fries were reliably delicious and so was cheesecake.
Jimmy chuckled and ducked his head to meet my eye through the metal shelves. He was younger than me, maybe twenty, and lived as hard of a life as I had. He was gaunt, with dark skin and a bright cooking cap. The night was nearly over, and they were wiping down the counters and flat top.
“Bad night?”
