Page 43 of The Magic of Revenge
‘Where in the Amazon did you come from, big kitty?’Napoleon squealed with excitement as we left the room of dark secrets.
I wonder if I can push my thoughts to him in this form…
‘We’re leaving. Now. Thank you for your help, Napoleon. We will do everything we can to shut this down, I promise you that.’
‘Fuck that, I’m coming with,’he squeaked indignantly.
Bagheera huffed, reminding me with urgency that we needed to keep moving.
‘Get on.’
Bagheera growled at that.
‘He helped me when he didn’t need to,’I explained to my panther.‘Get on, Napoleon. We’re going now.’He didn’t need to be told twice. With a whoop of excitement, he scurried up our leg and settled in right between our shoulders. All four of his tiny feet gripped our fur tightly and then we were barreling up the stairs and out the front door.
‘Finally, a steed worthy of a warrior! Guard your baguettes,messieurs!’Napoleon screamed and I laughed. The first genuine laugh I’d had in over a week. Everything was going to be okay. Fischer was alive. Sprout was safe. We were going home.
We nearly collided with Sloane as he came around the corner.
“Holy shit, Bagheera!” he exclaimed, a slow smile creeping across his mouth. “Where are you running to like your tail’s on fire? Wait—” He stepped closer, eyes zeroing in on our back. “Is there a mouse riding you?”
I shifted, unable to tell him what all I needed to in my other form. Napoleon scurried onto the top of my head.
“Sloane, I don’t have a lot of time to explain. Fischer is alive and he reached me telepathically to restore my memories. Bagheera returned too. We’re leaving. Now. We just need to get to Cam. Just, trust me on this okay? These people are bad news. We have to move,” I rushed and Sloane did what he did best. He smiled like a fucking monster from the depths of hell.
“Let’s kick some ass then.” He gave a nod, fire flickering in his gaze.
With a flash, Bagheera’s paws were thundering across the ground, sniffing out our target.
Bagheera and I both perked up as we picked up the scent of fresh rainfall that was comforting and familiar.Boss,we thought at the same time and threw our head back, unleashing a terrifying roar. Sloane was hot on our ass as we entered an orchard.
“What the fuck are you doing?” A voice called out from behind us.Water mage.
“I’ll handle him. Get to Cam,” Sloane urged, stopping to face off with Bryce. Our heart was racing with adrenaline and anticipation as we raced on. Cam had Laurie by the neck, her face turning red with her air being cut off when we found them.
“Kai, I remember. I remember everything. This–this bitch. She fucking killed—” Cam’s voice cracked with emotion and Laurie’s eyes widened in fear.
I shifted back to my mage form. “We have a plan, but we need to move.Now.” I held up a hand at Cam’s startled expression. I stepped closer and whispered in his ear, “Fischer is alive.” With my senses back I could hear Cam’s heart thundering at my words, but I knew he’d be schooling his expression so he didn’t give the bitch any ammo. “Khol is on his way with Bram. We have to trust that they’re on our side. We have to be ready.”
“How? Where’s Sloane?” Cam asked, not taking his eyes off of the sneaky witch in his grip.
Snapping twigs and the sound of footfalls had me ready to spring back into my panther form just as Sloane burst through the row of trees.
“I’m here. I knocked that fool out and left him in the dirt, where he belongs.” Sloane looked at us, panting a little from the physical exertion. “What? That guy has major creep vibes. He did belong in the dirt, right?”
Before we could answer him, the air seemed to shimmer, causing me to take a step back. My ears popped and in a blink, Khol and Bram were standing before us.
‘They have pure murder eyes,’Napoleon sighed from his perch on my shoulder. He wasn’t wrong. The two demons towered over Laurie, staring her down in such a way that I would have melted in fear.
“Take my hand. It’s go time,” Bram ordered, extending his hands to Sloane and myself.
The air rippled once more and then Asrael was standing there, looking furious and scary as fuck with leathery wings, corkscrewed horns, and a tail that whipped through the wind like a weapon.
“Khol The Cold. To what do I owe this visit? Oh, and my nephew. Long time no see, Bram,” Asrael smiled wickedly at the other two demons and the atmosphere seemed to charge with palpable tension.
We all tightened together, not leaving room for any of us to be attacked or separated from the group.
“Don’t speak as though this is a social visit, Az. I’m already tempted to pull your spine out of your ass. If you call me that name again, I’ll make sure I strangle you with it afterward,” Khol growled and my eyes widened. Fuckin’ demons don’t play around.
