Page 65 of Cursed Magic

With him being in that state, where in the world was his mate?

My stomach churned when I noted Perry about twentyfeet away on the ground, his throat ripped out and his chest still.

Several other pack members littered the ground. However, my gaze landed on the two most important people in the world—Ryker and Briar.

Briar sat on a log, blood oozing from wounds on her arms. Her face was drawn, but her eyes locked onto mine. Ryker stood beside her with his arms crossed despite the injury on his shoulder where a shadow’s claws had cut through the material of his shirt.

Raven paced at the edge of the clearing with her phone in hand, her fingers hurriedly typing, while Kendric, Xander, and Gage, not being able to see the shadows, held guns and continued to scan the area on high alert.

I couldn’t believe it, but every single shadow was gone. They’d retreated this way and kept going?Right now, we’re in the clear.

Briar relayed the information to everyone.

Immediately, Ryker’s eyes met mine, and he hurried to me.

Cassi’s back straightened, and she jerked her head in my direction. “Wait. You’re telling me that Ember canseethe cloaked people?” Her shock and discomfort were too real for her to be faking. “I can’t believe it,” she muttered. “That’s not possible…unless—”

“Unless what?” Ryker stood next to me, scanning my injuries. His fingers threaded into my fur, causing my body to heat despite the dire situation.

Cassi’s gaze never left me. She answered, “Unless something more powerful is at work. Something that shouldn’t be possible. But I can’t ignore what’s going on here.”

Ryker looked around. “Perry’s dead. Reid was nearly killed. I think we’ve been wrong about the Blackwoods. Idon’t know if we can trust Cassi, but if what she said about the shadows is true, this isn’t making sense.”

“She’s messing with us.” Raven stopped typing and wrinkled her nose. “This whole time, you’ve believed it’s the Blackwoods, and just like that, you’re willing to forget all the evidence we’ve seen up until now because of awitch?”

The wind stirred, leaves rustling across the forest floor. In the darkening sky, I almost didn’t notice the iridescent shadow on the ground at the edge of the clearing until some leaves got stuck on its body.

I blinked, making sure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me.Briar, there’s an unmoving shadow over there.I nodded my head toward it.

Overriding my impulse to stay next to Ryker, I trotted to the body. I glanced around, wondering if there were more, but saw no sign of any others. The shadows must have carried their dead away, but they hadn’t been able to retrieve this one from behind the strange protective barrier.

Gage moved over to me and lifted a brow. “What’s going on?”

I linked with Briar.Tell them what I’m seeing. She informed the others.

Ryker, Briar, Gage, Xander, and Kendric ran to my side as Cassi’s head jerked toward the five members of the Blackwood pack who were still in the clearing. She said, “One of you take over here and keep pressure on his wound. If you don’t, he’ll die.”

A woman who was probably in her thirties rushed over and placed her hands on Reid’s wound. Cassi stood and marched to me.

“We should leave it alone,” Raven said in a tight voice. “It could be a trap.”

“Not possible.” Cassi held out her hands over the shadow. “I’m using magic to make sure the shadows are repelled and won’t return. Whoever is responsible for these attacks clearly didn’t anticipate the presence of my spells.” Her gaze was calculating as she took in the empty air around us. “I can feel the vile magic that Ember detected.”

Ryker’s jaw clenched. “Can you uncloak it?”

“I can try.” Cassi kneeled beside me. She reached out a hand and lowered it over the shadow.

“Holy shit,” Xander muttered. “It’s like her hand is resting on air.”

“This is a bad idea. This witch doesn’t have cloaking magic. None of us should mess with it.” Raven appeared on Cassi’s other side, her body so stiff she could easily pass as a statue.

Closing her eyes, Cassi ignored Raven. Her body swayed to a melody that only she could hear. Her lips moved, repeating the same words over and over until her voice strengthened and we could all hear her. “Uncloak the soul that needs to be free to rest from the magic that doesn’t belong to them.”

“We should go.” Raven’s eyes widened, and she gestured in the direction from which we’d come. “This really could be a trap.”

“We’re not going anywhere.” Kendric clenched his hands into fists. “I’m not moving if we can finally get answers.”

Cassi continued to repeat the words, and her voice became even louder, more forceful. The air around us shimmered with iridescent swirls and a cool sensation that put me on edge. It seemed similar to the pressure I experienced when the shadows came at me.

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