Page 67 of April's Fool
Basil let out a yell of impotent rage, even stomping his little feet. Huh, he was smaller than me. The smile on my face seemed to make him angrier. Yep, he had small dog syndrome.
Magnus would have slapped me upside the head if he’d caught me laughing to myself and underestimating my enemy. Basil caught me off guard,pushing a massive amount of energy, which shoved me into the wall and stole my breath for a second.
With me fighting to fill my lungs and distracted, Basil ran past me, back the way we’d come, since he was trapped.
Nope, no way was he getting away.
My temper got the better of me. I rushed him and tackled him to the floor. The book fell from his hands and slid along the carpet, just out of his reach.
I slammed his head into the floor. He gave a satisfying grunt of pain.
Basil wasn’t out just yet. I might have had him pinned, but he fought like a wildcat before relying on his magic when his physical strength failed him.
Avoiding the shots of pure magic, the heat of fireballs, and even electricity became too much. Basil knocked me off him and scrambled to his feet.
My hand shot out, grasped his ankle, and yanked him off balance. He fell again with an “oof,” that was just so gratifying.
We tussled on the floor, trying to sling magic and fists at each other. If this was what having brothers was like, count me out. One out of ten, do not recommend.
He slipped out of my hold, got to his feet, but I was a second behind him. I pinned him by his neck to the wall and punched him clean in the face. There, we hadmatching broken noses. I clipped his jaw before he electrified me.
I hit the floor, covering the damn book, and tried to recover my senses.
Basil, clearly giving up on the book, ran for the nearest exit. Fucking place had too many of them. I kicked the book into an alcove where it was hidden, and followed.
He was just clear of the building, my heart hammering double time, when I fell back on my training.
This idiot was not getting away. He’d tried to kill a fucking baby! That spell wouldn’t have knocked Sage out. I felt it deep inside.
In a blink, the gun in my pocket was in my hand. I took aim, put magic behind it, and fired.
The fucker was hit! He floundered, recovered and kept running. Close to his heart, but not close enough.
I returned to the alcove for the book and picked it up. The aged leather warmed on contact with my skin and gave off a faint glow.
“Damon!” Mori cried, relieved to see me as I returned to the others. He rushed me, pulled me intohis arms, and kissed me soundly. I returned it with all the emotion I could spare. I was so grateful he was okay.
“You scared me!” he admonished. I felt the love, the fear for my safety behind it.
Kissing him again, I apologized. “Sorry, I had to get the book.”
“Did you kill him?”
Shaking my head, I said, “He’s tougher to kill than he looks. I didn’t want to risk shooting him while he had the book in case I damaged it or it protected him.”
“Shit. So he got away?”
“Yeah, I did manage to shoot him. Bullets and magic are effective.”
“He’ll be expecting that, next time, I mean,” Thyme said from the floor. He and Oak looked groggy, but okay. Oak was checking him over. Thyme batted his hands away. “I’m alright. Check your sister.”
The two women were fussing over Sage, the little baby’s cries now whimpers.
Poppy, she could only be Poppy since Zinna had dark hair like her brother, approached me. She wrapped me in her arms. “Oh, thank the goddess for you, Damon! I didn’t even have time to shield Sage. Yet, you, a perfect stranger to her, just automatically saved her! I can’t thank you enough.”
I felt the dampness of tears on my shoulder. I tucked the book under one arm to give her a couple of awkward pats. Displays of emotion like that made me uncomfortable.
“You’re welcome. It was just instinct.” My gaze found Mori, who looked so proud of me. I managed a smile for him, despite my anger at letting Basil get away. I wanted the wicked witch dead.
