Page 125 of House of Pain
Blaze cocked a brow but didn’t argue.
Val wasn’t wrong.
Even if it annoyed the fuck out of him that Val always seemed to turn to him when she needed…
Not him, really.
His status.
“Well then, let’s do this,” Alecto said.
Blaze came to stand on her left, Andro on the right. They all weaved their hands together.
Consciously or unconsciously, Blaze circled his thumb over the inside of Alecto’s palm; to his surprise, she didn’t jerk her hand away.
Val closed her eyes and started chanting, “Renoeum.”
They all followed, and the air around them stilled.
Not a sound of a bird. Not a breath of air.
Blaze scrunched his nose when pain prickled his chest. When he glanced down, he found a thin line, like a delicate cut of a knife right in the middle of his pecs.
Blood trickled in a tiny line, and then a large drop floated away to the middle of the circle.
It joined with the blood of the others, and the moment their blood collided and merged, an electric current zipped through Blaze’s body.
They continued chanting, their blood molding in the air, swirling together with each word.
Blaze’s eyes widened when the blood orb floated over their heads, moving over to the brownstone.
It collided with the wall, and the magic of their protective wards rippled, tendrils of magic turning red as it merged with their blood.
For a moment, Blaze’s hands trembled as he felt the wards draw strength from his blood, but then it was gone as if nothing happened. The birds chirped once more, a cool breeze ruffling his hair.
“Done,” Val said, clapping her hands. “Now, if anyone tries to mess with the wards, we’ll be able to feel it.”
“Did we trigger the Dean’s spell?” Andro asked.
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.” When his face dropped, Val laughed. “I’m joking, you idiot. It wasn’t triggered. We’re clear.”
“If it did trigger, you know I’ll blame it on you,” Andro said, walking past her.
Val only laughed harder. “Pussy.”
“All bark and no bite,” Blaze teased, draping an arm over Andro’s shoulder.
41
It’s been a long time since Alecto was exhausted.
Tired even.
Thanks to her witchy side, Alecto never got sick or tired or even felt under the weather.
But getting clawed by a Hellbate and having to detox its venom was taxing even for a witch.
Sadly, there was no rest for the wicked; the Snakes had things to do. Houses to ruin. And tonight, they were making their final move on the Tigers.
