Page 49 of Bullied Wolf Mate

Hand trembling, the black now to my wrist, I pulled the diadem from his fingers and ran. Panting, grimacing at the pain creeping up my arm, I staggered deeper into The Trove. I could stop the curse if I could find that curse-lifting staff. The problem was, while I knew it was here, that didn’t mean I knew exactly where it was, and this place was more expansive than I thought.

Maybe it was fate, or maybe I just got really, really lucky, or maybe I had some deeper connection to this place because of my family. Regardless, I rounded a corner and found it. A simple wooden staff resting against the wall.

The instant my black fingers closed around the staff, the pain vanished. I watched in wonder as the withered hand healed and became whole again.

I let myself marvel at the magic and savor how wonderful my hand felt with the curse lifted, but only for a moment. I didn’t have the luxury to linger here for long. I grabbed the staff, knowing I only had a few precious minutes. Inara would suspect something was wrong before too long. I needed to get Holly away from Inara before I did anything else. My mind spun as I tried to come up with a way to do so without Holly ending up on the ground with her throat slit.

I debated trying to trap Inara in The Trove and destroying the door forever but dismissed that idea. Even if I could trick her into The Trove, there were plenty of artifacts in here that could get her out if she learned how to use them.

Right now, all that mattered was getting Holly and me out of this situation. I could worry about Inara when we were both safe.

I could use the diadem; I wanted to. But the instant I stepped out of the portal with it on my head, Holly’s neck would be slit, so that wasn’t an option. I needed something more subtle.

My mind began to craft a plan. It might not work, but if it did, Holly and I might both get out alive.

A few minutes later, I staggered out of the portal where Inara and Holly still waited.

“Where’s Orin?” Inara demanded.

“He touched a cursed object,” I lied. “Nothing I could do.”

Inara tutted. “He always was a bit impulsive.”

She looked at the staff in my hand, the faintest frown crossing her features as she saw it. Before she could ask about it, I held up the diadem, pulling her attention away from it.

Her eyes glinted again with that avarice, and she broke into an almost psychotic smile. “Excellent,” she breathed. Shoving Holly to the side with so much force that she stumbled and toppled onto the grass, Inara stepped forward, stretching her hand out. “Hand it over.”

I glanced over at Holly, trying to silently communicate to her that she needed to run. I didn’t know if she understood my meaning or just had strong survival instincts, but she scrambledto her feet and hurried into the woods, far away from Inara’s grasp.

I held onto the diadem, white-knuckling it. Inara stopped, watching me.

“I told you to hand it over,” she hissed. “You’re going to listen to me.”

I tilted my head, my brow furrowed as if considering an offer.

“Nah,” I said. “You want it? Come get it.”

Without waiting for her to respond, I took the diadem and flung it back into the portal, where I heard it clatter to the floor. While Inara looked on, stunned, I turned around, pulled out the inscribed hammer I had taken from Mark’s house, and slammed it down on the boulder, directly on the sigil keeping the door open.

My ears rang out as the stone shattered, cracking right through engravings. The stone split, large chunks tumbling away. I turned just in time to watch the portal ripple and destabilize before vanishing entirely, leaving only a clearing with a shattered stone behind.

Turning back, I saw Inara, her mouth partly open as she stared at the empty air where, moments earlier, we could see a wealth of magical items. She stood rigid, staring at the spot in disbelief, as if her mind refused to accept what she was seeing. After a long moment when the only sound was that of the wind blowing through the trees, Inara’s head slowly turned toward me.

Her eyes flashed with a harpy’s rage, her face contorting in fury as she let out an ear-piercing shriek. She held out herhand, uttering an incantation. I crouched, squeezing my eyes shut as I sensed the magic careening toward me.

The magic dissipated a foot away from me.

I cracked one eye open and nearly burst into laughter at the outraged expression on Inara’s face as she tried to understand why her incantation didn’t work. She hurled another spell toward me, and I watched a mass of dark magic speed toward me, only to vanish in a puff of smoke before it slammed directly into me.

Inara stared, eyes wide in bewildered confusion, until I pulled an amulet out from underneath my shirt, an elaborate sapphire and emerald-encrusted piece with elegant symbols covering every surface.

“It’s really fun what I found in there,” I said, letting the piece fall against my chest. “This one prevents all magic from affecting me, even the things normal talismans don’t protect against.” I gave Inara a sly smirk as I tilted my head. “You really should have come in with me. I’m sure you would have loved it. I guess you won’t get to see it now, seeing as the way is closed forever.”

“You bitch,” Inara hissed. “I’m going to make you suffer for this.”

I shrugged. “Catch me first.”

I tried to keep the relaxed, at-ease façade on my face as Inara stalked forward, but that didn’t stop me from taking several steps back. Even if I was protected, I was no match for her when it came to magical talent. I couldn’t stop her. All I could do was avoid her, but she would catch up to me eventually.

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