Page 58 of Handcuffs and Hexes

There was a knocking on the door, followed by Mateo asking, “Is it safe to open up?”

Hazel looked a bit flustered as she smoothed her hands down her hair, but to her credit, she did not release Seth.

“It’s safe,” I exclaimed.

“Come on, Seth,” Mateo taunted. “No more snoozing. Get out here and finish the job.”

Chapter 28

Seth

Irefusedtoreleasethe two special souls that had brought me back from the brink and brought them with me, one in each arm, to the circle instead. I arrived to see that Tansy had Eamon there too, and Penny had Prax. Sybil had her two familiars, Salt and Pepper, but also her mate Zayn was next to her for support. I was just like everyone else here, stronger with my people.

The only thing missing from our family was Little Bit. Except she wasn’t missing at all! Mateo returned with the plastic bin I used as Little Bit’s travel carrier, then promptly draped the rather confused ball python over my neck.

The second I started reciting and joining the mass spell, Little Bit quieted. She knew what was up. Ball pythons were about as intelligent as a single orange cat, by which I meant that the adorable doofuses all shared one single brain cell, and took turns with it. Ball pythons had a similar setup, but we were still waiting for Little Bit’s turn with the brain cell. So she was happy just to hang there in our combined body heat. Ever attracted to warm, dark places, the little danger noodle decided to drape most of her long body over my shoulder, but stuff her face between the buttons of Hazel's uniform top. This time, no one stopped her.

I rejoined the group incantation, and this time it was personal. That bitch had shown me Liam lying in a ditch, eyes lifeless and body decaying. To be honest, I should’ve known it wasn’t real because demons were not made of real flesh and bone. And in my visions, Hazel had refused to acknowledge me, even in my despair. That had been false too.

But the realistic visions, more convincing than any nightmare, combined with my being exhausted from lack of sleep and this extensive spell, had tricked me. It promised me a world with Liam still in it, and Hazel at our side.

But Seth, we could’ve had so much fun, the voice crooned.And we’d be so powerful together. It’s not too late to change your mind. Come to me and you’ll be the richest man on the planet; I’d make sure of it.

Now that she couldn’t fool me anymore, The Bitch was back to promising power and fortune. It wasn’t going to work.

The knowledge that I’d been a breath away from losing everything I’d ever worked for and ever loved spurred me on. With Liam and Hazel in my arms, it was easy to ignore her and continue to cast the spell forcing the portal closed. It was tiring work, and I didn’t know how long we’d been at the fissure, but every time the remaining EA representative from Rome came around and drew another red line, it gave me another burst of energy.

Did I notice the way Hazel stiffened when Tommy noticed her in my arms and yelled, “What the fuck is she doing up there withhim?” I did. But I also felt her arms tightening around me when Mike gave her a thumbs-up and yelled back, “Holding up our MVP.”

Perhaps it looked to those on the ground that she and Liam were propping me up, and even if they hadn’t been when we first started, they were now.

Then, all of a sudden, several balls of energy shot out from the portal, one of them aimed straight at me. With so much of my power caught up in the spell, I was unable to cast another one to protect us in time. Liam jumped in front of me, trying to protect me with his body.

The idiot! Demons were incredibly resilient but not impervious, especially if magic was involved. I had no idea what The Bitch was capable of. She wasn’t even of this dimension. Liam could get hurt.

It happened in slow motion. I reached for him, trying to pull him back. But Hazel was faster. She grabbed onto Liam even as the ball of light reached them.

No! Not her too! Why did the loves of my life have to be so heroic?

But they did not incinerate before my eyes. A yellow shield protected them. No, not just them, all of us.

It wasn’t mine. That much I knew. And the color…it was Hazel’s magic!

It must’ve concluded that Liam and I were integral to her safety and happiness and extended out to include us. I was still stunned when I finally got my body to move, and I pulled them back.

There was chaos all around us, and the building across from us was on fire. The circle of spell caster was scattered, and from the sounds of it, there were more than a few injuries.

The Breach was tiny now after using so much of her energy offensively, but only a few of us were holding on, and I felt ready to collapse. Sybil wasn’t faring much better. Her Naga mate was coiled around her in his naga form, holding her upright.

I watched, appalled, as The Breach started to grow again. Realizing that this was as close to winning as we were going to get today, I shouted, “We need to contain it.”

Sybil nodded, coming to the same conclusion. “We can’t close it today,” she shouted into her speaker. “But we can containit while it’s small.” Then she started a spell. Recognizing it immediately, I chanted along with her, and soon, everyone who could still cast was joining in.

The Breach shrieked and begged so pitifully that I almost felt bad for it until I remembered the horrible images it had forced into my brain.

In the end, the whole ordeal had lasted less than an hour, but everyone was exhausted. We had a small hole about the size of a toilet, surrounded by the world’s most complex yet thrown-together containment spell. Every caster had added his or her own signature to the lock. The whole thing was now only about the size of a car. It was quite heavy since everything was compressed, and there were so many layers, but it was silent.

I heard nothing. There were no more promises. Not even a peep.

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