Page 89 of Dragon Unleashed
I look to Blossom and Mag, who are both looking at me with stunned expressions. Their sword points have fallen a bit like they can’t quite remember they’re supposed to be protecting me.
“And what’s in it for you?” I demand of Constantine.
His grin tells me all that I need to know. “Everything, of course. Nothing’s free. Especially not magic, dear. You should at least know that much by now.”
He touches the book again, and it vibrates with magic. I inhale a sharp breath. “I won’t help you hurt people,” I tell him.
His smile vanishes. In his angry eyes, I see the truth: he would never have let me access my full power—not without siphoning it from me and keeping it for himself. For whatever the hell he has planned.
“Put the book down and back away from it slowly,” Mag says, apparently recovered from his initial surprise.
Constantine shakes his head. “You should have helped me, Paige. Let me show you the truth. Then I wouldn’t have had to destroy everyone you care about.” In a blur of movement, he throws the book to the ground, uttering some magical command in a language I don’t recognize.
Something jolts through me—a rush of power that catches me off guard—and the cover flies open.
Water sloshes out from between the pages as four huge tentacles explode from inside. Before the creature has fully emerged, Constantine backs away, pulling books off the shelves and unlocking them as he goes. Several more creatures join the first, each one just as deadly—and angry—as the sea monster.
“Get back!” Aries shoves me to the side as he, Hoc, Mag, and Blossom rush forward to engage the creatures.
I duck behind the shelves, keeping an eye on their backs in case Constantine decides to show up.
Sinister laughter to my right has me whirling. Constantine stands at the end of the row, a triumphant grin on his face.
Fiery rage burns through me as I’m hit with another mental image of Aries bloody on the floor of my apartment.
“Come and get me, Paige.” Constantine grabs another book. “Before I release every fucking story and rain hell down on your world.” He grabs another title and flings it at me. I sprint forward and manage to catch it before it hits the ground and falls open.
He laughs and spins away, sprinting down the hall from me. The same tug from before activates in my stomach, and I gasp, feeling suddenly as if the air has been sucked from my lungs. At the far end of the row, a swirling pool of inky magic flares to life. My feet stumble as my energy is suddenly yanked from my body. The inky magic coalesces into a portal though it’s nothing like the ones the keepers can conjure. Through its hazy outer film, I can see what looks like a living room on the other side.
“Paige,” Aries bellows.
I turn. His footsteps are heavy as he runs toward me. I wait, unwilling to play Constantine’s game. Not when I know it’s exactly what he wants. But I don’t make it far before magic stops me cold. I struggle against it, but my feet remain frozen where they are. My vision dances as waves of dizziness overtake me.
Aries’s eyes widen at the exact moment hands grip me from behind.
I scream as I’m ripped backward and slammed into a hard chest. “Party’s over,” Constantine growls in my ear. “You’re coming home with me.”
I wiggle, trying to break free from Constantine. But it’s not until something hits me from the side that I’m thrown free of his grasp.
I go down on my hip, air hissing through my teeth at the jolt of pain. But at least I’m free. When I look up, I see Hoc standing where I had been, facing off with Constantine. Both men look murderous now, and Constantine’s lips are pulled back in a feral snarl.
His charming façade has been replaced with malice that has me tensing in fear for Hoc. But Hoc doesn’t bother attacking. Instead, he whispers a phrase I’ve come to know well, and magic sparks to life between the two men.
A portal.
This one isn’t transparent like the one Constantine tried to conjure, and I have no idea where it might lead. The moment it begins to form, Hoc roars and charges. Constantine tries to jump out of the way, but Hoc grabs him and tries to fling him into the open portal. Constantine grabs Hoc’s robes, sending him off balance and unable to step away in time.
They both go stumbling toward the portal opening.
I realize with blinding panic what is about to happen, but there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Constantine’s grip is too tight; their position too close to the portal for me to reach in time.
Hoc’s eyes are wild as he is ripped backward and into a swirling blue light—right alongside Constantine.
“No!” I scream and scramble to my feet, heart pounding.
I run for the man I’ve always seen as my father, willing to throw myself through the portal if only to save Hoc from being taken in my place, but before I can reach the portal, both Hoc and Constantine vanish through it, and it winks closed.
The others are frozen in shock. The world around me falls completely silent. Not even the books on the ground dare shudder with the threat of opening.
