Page 59 of Cursed

The Enforcer leading the group spots us and instantly shoots a bolt of electricity at Shayla. It looks like just enough power to knock her out.

The bolt hits her, but instead of making her body arch and tremble and possibly kill her, she seems to absorb it.

Her hand shoots out, and a bolt of electricity flies at him.

So her affinity isn’t mirror magic, since that relies on a bond for her to mimic. Sheisshifting with whatever kind of magic she encounters—magic she comes into direct contact with.

I would marvel over that, but a ball of fire almost smacks into my chest.

Spinning, I dodge the strike, but several more fireballs keep me moving to avoid getting hit.

Shayla gets blasted with another bolt of lightning, bigger this time. She falters. Her steps become shuffling, then she falls to one knee.

Instead of retaliating with electricity, a shadow unfurls from her body. The tentacle-like thing wraps around the male’s leg, and she yanks.

The Enforcer falls to the ground and hits his head. He’s dizzy with the blow.

She unleashes her shadow on the others.

But through my bond, I feel Shayla’s energy ebbing.

When I glance over, Landis looks like he’s been hit with something. His steps are unsteady as he shoots his shadows out to help Shayla. He knocks the Enforcer guarding Rourke to the ground.

Rourke takes this moment to snap the restraints on his wrists and kick the downed male in the head. Not hard enough to kill him, but I can see it’s close to it.

Quade has been dropped to the ground and still doesn’t seem to be conscious.

Rourke goes after the leader next. The male is currently getting back up after Shayla knocked him down.

But the Enforcer must be a vampire because he moves so quickly that Rourke is taken by surprise. He’s kicked backward several feet, crashing into the wall. Fortunately, he’s still conscious and upright.

Shayla shouts an order at him, “Go, help Branden!” She must worry that her friend and her vampire mate are being left vulnerable.

Rourke shakes his head, clearing the dizziness from the blow and partly at her order. “I’m not leaving you here.”

Shayla absorbs another blast of lightning. She shifts the magic into her shadows and attacks the vampire-lightning mage again. She then locks eyes with Rourke. “Go! He needs your help!”

Landis whips his shadow at the lead Enforcer and slams him against the wall.

Quade groans and begins to prop himself up to fight.

Rourke sees we aren’t defenseless and races out of the fray to assist Branden and Myra. But his torn expression tells me he’s already regretting following his mate’s orders.

The professor raises his hand, and wind rushes around the half-troll Enforcer now coming for him. But the troll dives under the wind funnel and crushes Quade in a tackle.

I can’t really use my earth powers in here without damaging the hospital, so I race by the lead Enforcer and knock the troll off Quade.

The half-troll is still huge for only being half. He has almost a foot over me and is twice as wide.

I call upon my earth abilities, and I feel my fists harden, almost like stone. I pound into the corrupt officer’s head.

When the troll is knocked out, I turn to see Quade unconscious again, but Landis’ shadow has pulled his body toward them.

Shayla’s on her knees, falling over Quade, and no longer returning the lightning strikes.

The other officer must be a water mage. He created a mask of water over Landis’ face, attempting and succeeding to suffocate him. The incubus’ shadows fly in a wild assault, but he passes out.

Shayla collapses next to her shadowmate and on top of her wolf.

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