Page 120 of Dream Weaver

The more magic Liselle stirred up outside, the louder the sound became, going from a whisper to a roar.

The air vibrated all around me, and iron and steel shone.

“Yes…” Liselle coaxed more smoke out of the brazier — and more power out of the earth. Power that flowed into her and into me, too.

I faced the man who’d thrown the hammers, daring him to try again.

He did, flinging a chisel this time. It sliced through the air, smooth as an arrow. But when I swatted upward, it detoured and pinged off the ceiling.

All around me, metal hummed.

Me, me!clamps, tongs, and files begged. Even the bolts of my anvil jiggled.

“Oh!” Liselle’s tone changed to one of alarm as the flames in the brazier rose higher.

“Not so big,” Jay warned. “Someone will see.”

Ha. If he only knew.

A pair of feline eyes glittered nearby — one of Liselle’s men had changed into cougar form. The man who’d targeted Cooper followed suit, and both advanced on Cooper, who roared.

Yes, roared. He’d shifted too, and the flames of the fire added the outline of a huge grizzly to the two cougars shadowed on the wall.

I picked up a sledgehammer and advanced, then retreated from the blur of fur and fangs.

“Liselle…” Jay warned, skittering away from the fire.

“I’ve got it,” she cried.

No, she didn’t. The brazier shot flames as high as the roof. They swirled and spiraled outward, covering a wider and wider area.

Liselle’s lips were peeled back, her eyes wild. “I’ve got it…”

The earth rumbled, angrier than ever. A powerful witch or warlock might have been able to control that power, but Liselle was out of her league — and in serious trouble.

Flames swirled, reaching over, around, and behind her. She made a patting motion, trying to douse them. But the flames closed in, igniting her sleeve.

“Help! Help!” she yelled, swatting at the fabric.

I looked away. Helping Cooper was my priority, not a witch who’d dug her own grave — or lit her own funeral pyre.

Screams pierced my ears, and Jay shouted, but none of that mattered. Not with two cougars fighting Cooper.

Wait. Two cougars… Where had the third guy gone?

I dove aside as an ax sliced past my shoulder. It clanged against the cement floor, but the man raised it again. Flat on my back, I looked up at the wide, gleaming blade.

The man swung, and I screamed, throwing up a hand.

I cringed, expecting a crushing blow. But nothing happened.

I blinked as the man strained at the ax. It hovered inches over my face, near the end of its deadly swing.

“Dammit,” he grunted, pulling this way and that.

Sweat broke out on my brow, and I kept my hand up, pushing at air thick with magic. The hum of metal became a roar, and I gritted my teeth.

“Fucking witch,” the man snarled.

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