Page 84 of Midnight Witch

Mae crouched above Nikolai and Alastair. Brimstone shielded them as she raised a barrier to block the debris and a roaring tempest that reeked of magic.

A deafening silence buzzed in her ears when the storm finally abated.

Did I—did I get to him in time?!She swallowed and looked at the man beneath her.Did he touch the altar?!

Vlad shouted out her name just as Nikolai blinked his eyes open.

“Nikolai?” Mae mumbled.

He stared at her for moment, his expression blank.

Hate filled his eyes.

No!

The denial tore through her mind at the same time Brimstone’s warning rang in her ears.

“My witch!”

Time slowed. Mae was vaguely aware of Nikolai pressing a hand to her belly and Alastair’s angry squawk. But she refused to accept what her horrified subconscious was screaming at her. What her eyes were telling her as she met the sorcerer’s darkening gaze.

“Moon Spear!”

She gasped and went rigid as the bolt of white magic he’d conjured lanced through her body and tore out of her back. Hot blood drenched her clothes and oozed down his wrist.

Hellreaver arrowed toward Nikolai with a sound of pure fury.

Mae’s stomach twisted when the sorcerer caught Hellreaver with his bare hand. He lowered his brows and conjured up another spell, heedless of the serrated blades slashing his palm.

“Moon Fire!”

White flames engulfed Hellreaver. Redness bloomed under the pale blaze as the weapon resisted the attack. Mae’s heart lurched.

Hellreaver was struggling to fight Nikolai’s magic.

Brimstone raised a giant paw to bat away the sorcerer and the angry crow flapping around Mae’s head.

“No!” Mae screamed. “Get away, Brim!”

Hell Flareengulfed the fox. He flinched amidst the storm of black and red flames, his eyes blazing crimson and his tails making the air vibrate as he endured the devastating effects of the sorcerer’s magic.

Nikolai kicked Mae off him.

She landed on her side and skidded several feet across the floor, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. A buzzing filled her skull. She blinked dazedly.

This—this can’t be happening!

Crimson slowly pooled beneath her body.

“Mae!” Vlad yelled from across the church. “You bastard! What the hell are you—?!”

The incubus gasped and took Tarang to the ground as Nikolai cast a volley of Hellfire spell bombs at them. One of the attacks scorched Vlad’s left shoulder.

Mae bit her lip and swallowed a groan.

Unlike the last time she’d absorbed Nikolai’s magic into her body, his power filled her with an agony that scorched her senses. It was as if the loathing she had seen reflected in his eyes now imbued his magic.

I—I need to stop him!

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