Page 61 of Wrongfully Magicked
I tense as he steps out of his cell, warily waiting for him to make his move. When he remains standing in the hallway, motionless but for his heaving chest, I release the remnants of the fire lingering in my veins.
“What about me?” The girl practically floats as she edges closer to the door and points to the lock, turning her big, almost guileless eyes in my direction. “You’re not going to leave me here, are you?”
I hesitate, battling my first instinct to just leave her, but then I remember how many times I wished someone would have rescued me.
How different my life could have been.
I look at the cat-man, then cock my head to the side in silent question.
His lips peel back, revealing a very large double set of fangs, and a near soundless snarl vibrates the air. I touch my sternum in awe when the rumble resonates in my chest. “The choice is yours, but she is equally liable to thank you as she is to stab you in the back.”
The girl doesn’t protest the accusation, but I swear her hair wilts slightly, acting almost like antennas. She narrows her eyes, the inky darkness in the black orbs giving off a menacing vibe. “What’s to stop me from screaming and giving away your escape?”
The leopard-man shifts, his claws clicking into view from his paw-like hands, and I gulp a little. The insect must have some sense of self-preservation because she immediately flees to the back of her cage, her wings fluttering in agitation.
“I can help you.” She holds out a beseeching hand. “I can communicate with the insects around me. After months of being underground, your senses are muted. My insects can tell us who’s coming our way and also give us our best chance for escape.”
I walk toward her, taking care to stay out of reach of the snarling, drooling mess of the deranged werewolf. I stop in front of her cage, making no move to release her. “If you betray us, you’ll be the first person I kill. Understand?”
She pushes away from the wall, standing straight and proud, her chin raised. “Crystal. I’ll get us topside, but that’s it.”
Good enough.
That’s probably the best I would get anyway.
With a nod, I start the process over once again. The insect retreats, huddling against the cool dirt wall, cowering away from the heat.
It takes longer this time, my powers waning.
By the time I’m done, I’m panting from the exertion. The flames leave me abruptly, and I shiver, not used to feeling the cold. I curl and uncurl my hands, my fingers stiff and sore, as if I’d just shook hands with an overeager rock troll.
Darkness swims around me, my head feeling woozy, and I shake it away, refusing to admit to any weakness. If they think I can’t hold my own weight, then they might leave me behind, and I can’t take the risk.
Leopard-man reaches over my head and wrenches the cell door open, then he steps back, careful to keep himself between me and the insect. Heat radiates from him, and I sway toward the comforting warmth. A movement from my right snaps me back to awareness. The girl pushes away from the back of her cell, and a blush fills my face when I realize I’m only inches away from snuggling up against the man like he’s a cuddly teddy bear.
I hastily step back, doing my best not to look at him, cursing that my emotions are written on my face for anyone to see. My gaze clashes with the girl’s…just in time to see her shove a large black beetle into her mouth.
Even from a distance, the crunch is audible, and I swallow the bile clawing up my throat. When she smiles, the beetle wiggles in her mouth, then her teeth clamp down, and its juicy insides squirt across her lips.
The crunch has nausea swirling in my gut. A stick-like leg is caught between her teeth, and I shudder, saliva pooling in my mouth as I struggle not to puke. Not one to be intimidated, I lift my chin. “Is that considered cannibalism?”
Instead of being offended, she chuckles, then licks away the chunky remains of the beetle and swallows. “It’s the circle of life. We do what we must to survive.” She saunters forward with a spring in her steps, then pauses at the entrance of her cell.Her creepy smile is back in place, her black eyes liquid pools of darkness that reflect my image back at me. “Shall we go?”
I grit my teeth to resist the urge to retreat, swearing I can almost smell the stench from the beetle she just ate. “Good idea. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”
She practically flounces away, her wings fluttering happily behind her. I keep my distance, hoping I didn’t just make a mistake that will get us killed.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
STRYKER
Itrail after the little wisp of a girl who just worked a miracle, unable to take my eyes off her. When she wobbles, her stride unsteady, my leopard barely resists the urge to snatch her up to my chest with the need to make sure she’s okay. The only thing stopping me is, as a cat, I tend to forget other people have boundaries.
The last thing I want to do is scare her.
I don’t think my beast could tolerate it if she was afraid of us.
When she wanders a little too close to the unhinged wolf, the beast lunges for her, and my ribs take a beating as my heart tries to escape its cage. I gently nudge her away from the danger, then I snarl menacingly at the wolf until the beast retreats and cowers against the far wall of his cell.
