Page 102 of A Fury Of Shadows

Dammit!

Fire filled her cores.

Together, Na Ri grunted inside her.

The spell formed with a slowness that made Mae’s chest tighten.

“Ab…sorb…” they invoked.

It suddenly got easier to breathe.

Brimstone shuddered and shook himself, the dimming light in his eyes brightening anew. He flinched, his head swinging.

The air shifted behind Mae. Something clamped around her neck. Her magic winked out.

“My witch!” Brimstone yelped.

Horror filled her as she grabbed at her throat. It was a collar like the one Oscar had used on her at the warehouse in New York.

Hellreaver carved the space at Mae’s back with an unholy sound.

But Vedran was already gone.

Mae swayed and dropped to her knees, Brimstone and Hellreaver’s cries resonating in her ringing ears. Vedran’s insidious magic was drowning her consciousness. Tears burned her eyes.

I can feel Nikolai’s Hellfire Magic in this too!

She was starting to lose hope when golden light bloomed on her left wrist. She blinked. Her pulse thrummed as she stared at the bracelet Serena had given her. Artemus Steele’s divine energy warmed her cold skin. She tugged at the collar. It came apart in her hand.

Vedran bellowed in rage, the sound echoing all around her.

Whiteness sparked at the edge of Mae’s vision.

* * *

Nikolai’s breathscame in sharp pants as he sprinted toward the Sorcerer King’s chambers, Alastair’s claws digging into his shoulder. He’d stopped sensing Mae’s magic and Vedran’s corruption a minute ago.

Fear churned his stomach when he saw the open doors.No!

He crossed the threshold and stumbled to a stop, his heart in his throat. The suite was empty.

Panic made him dizzy.

Where are they?!

Something resonated with his core. Nikolai froze. He touched his belly with trembling fingers. It was a faint trace of Hellfire Magic.

Blood thundered in his veins as he stared in the direction where he could sense an intangible connection.There’s something there!

Alastair flapped his wings. Nikolai scowled, drew on their cores, and dropped down on one knee. Dazzling light detonated around them as he pressed his hands to the floor and tapped into the nexus where he had hidden mere hours ago.

A roar left his throat. He brought a tidal wave of white magic to the surface of the earth and straight into the Sorcerer King’s chambers.

* * *

The black holeMae had been trapped inside disintegrated with a hiss of corruption. She lurched as she found herself back inside Vedran’s suite, the remains of the magic-infused nanorobot collar disintegrating around her.

Nikolai caught her in his arms before she could fall.

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