Page 34 of The Mating Magic
The gators had made quick work of the ogre, who diedscreaming.
He’d saved Evie from a horrible death and now she wanted him to go…swimming?
“It’s the only way to cure you of the dragonspice potion, and restore your humanhalf.”
“Where did you hearthat?”
Guilt crossed her expression. “Lacey told me… sheknows.”
Lacey, the one who’d stolen the Bloodmoon flower potion from his house? He was supposed to trusther?
“I’ll call on Drust. He must have answers.” Chase lifted his arms to the sky and chanted the words Drust taught him to call uponhim.
Nothing.
No Coldwire Wizard appeared. Nothing stirred in the stillair.
Numbness struck his hands again, and his arms fell to his sides like deadweights.
“Now, Chase. If you go into the water, you’ll be yourselfagain.”
But his legs became lead weights, and breathing became difficult again. That little bit of magick had taxed him. He could notmove.
Summoning his magick, he felt only a small pulse of power. Not enough to shift intodragon.
“If you won’t do it, then I’ll force you into it. The only way you’re getting me out is by pulling me out, Chase.” Evie kicked off her shoes and shrugged out of herjeans.
She started for theswamp.
“No, you’re not. I won’t let you.” Forcing his numb limbs to move, he hooked an arm around her waist and started to drag her away from the murkywater.
Suddenly a whistling noise cut through the air. Chase looked up. Horrified they watched a baby descend through the clouds and land in the swampy water with a loudsplash.
His blood froze in hisveins.
Evie stared, and then wriggled out of hisgrip.
Chase made it to the water before she did, diving into the swamp, swimming frantically toward the child. Giggling, the baby girl gripped onto a log and splashed the water as if the swamp was abathtub.
Alligators lazily began swimming toward the baby, snapping their jaws. Tentacles snaked out of their open mouths. He knew those tentacles, knew the acid they emitted and how it ate at flesh, leaving the victim screaming inpain.
He thought nothing except Evie and her strong, sure strokes taking her closer to the baby, and the baby herself. Power faded from him, leaving his arms and legs shaky, but he pushed on as the gators closedin.
The log was within reach, almost there… he touched it and reached for the baby as Evie grabbed the log’s otherend.
“Evie,” he gasped. “Grab the child and get the hell out ofhere!”
But as he spoke the words, the first alligator reached them, and a deadly tentacle wrapped around the child’smiddle.
Cursing, Chase moved in for thekill.
Chapter 13
She could not letthe baby or Chasedie.
Evie paddled toward both, and reached for the child to yank it free from the alligator’s grip. At the same time, Chase seized the tentacle holding the child fast and grimaced as acid sank into hishands.
Suddenly the babyvanished.
