Page 109 of Discovered Magic
“Keep your fear suppressed, Wild Man,” she warned via their link. “No matter what he does, don’t react.”
“Whatever you say, sweetheart.”
* * *
Abbie shot a glance at Royal, and he nodded, seeming to understand her request. He closed his eyes, lifted his arms from his side, palms upward.
“Find him,” he ordered.
Birds rose from their perches, taking flight in every direction at once.
“No need for theatrics,” Morcant said, stepping into view.
A series of gun cocks told them he wasn’t alone.
“We have a very eclectic group here, don’t we?” he purred, as his beady eyes drifted from one face to the next. “Such power!”
“I’m the one you want, Morcunt,” Abbie replied. “Come and get me.”
The devil cocked his head as if trying to determine what was different about her. She hoped he never figured it out.
He sniffed the air wild-animal style.
“You have no fear. No pain. No anger.” Confusion clouded his face. “Where has it gone?”
So much for her hope.
Abbie shrugged and pasted on a taunting smile. “It took a hot minute, but I realized I’m stronger than you. I don’t need to be afraid of a pathetic little boy.”
“Be ready, fellas,” she mentally telegraphed.
Irritation flared on Morcant’s gaunt face. “You dare?—”
His arrogant speech died on his lips as the atmosphere buckled under the Aether’s unchecked power. A slow ripple bled through the surrounding trees, and Morcant’s mortal men traded nervous glances.
The crawl of energy along Abbie’s skin preceded the telltale hum of the Aether’s movement. As he stepped up beside her, their gazes locked, and an acknowledgement of their purpose passed between them.
For certain, Morcant wouldn’t understand the significance of their shared look, but their team would recognize a plan when they saw one forming.
His voice rang in her head. “Morcant believes you’re the only one with power as significant as his. He hasn’t recognized who or what I am. That works in our favor.”
“Yep, big mistake on his part. Ready to cage the bastard?” she asked.
Damian lifted a hand, slicing through the thickening atmosphere. Ancient symbols, likely known only to high-level warlocks, unfolded around Morcant, illuminating and spinning faster than the human eye could follow.
The first gunman fired, but his bullet froze inches from the barrel. Dust particles hung weightless, held in limbo by the Guardian.
When Isis gifted Abbie the charm, it had unlocked an intrinsic understanding of her Traveler abilities. It took her only a heartbeat to thread her magic through Draven’s, bolstering the construct and removing some of the strain.
“Includo,” Damian commanded, fisting his hands chest level, then slapping his palms together. The echo of his forceful clap was painful to the ear.
Instantaneously, the glimmering light around Morcant solidified, trapping him mid-sneer.
“He’s contained.”
Abbie exhaled, unweaving the threads and dropping her arms.
Motion resumed around them.
