Page 7 of Wrongfully Magicked
Her smile wobbles as she gazes at us, a spark of curiosity in her eyes as she surveys our half naked asses. “Oh, wow, I think I might have actually burned out my brain this time. Not that I’m complaining, but I don’t suppose any of you have the keys to the shackles somewhere? While I love being cuffed in certain sexy situations, these aren’t the fun, fur-lined kind. They are really killing the mood.”
Surprise and arousal flare through me for a millisecond as I take in her figure.
Only one thought goes through my head—mine.
She barely finishes speaking before her eyes roll back up in her head. I curse, wrapping shadows around her even as I leap forward, knowing I won’t reach her in time. Dark shadows slow her descent, gently lowering her, and I drop to my knees beside her so she lands in my lap.
Her touch is electrifying, and I have to battle my shadows, struggling to peel them off her, but they fight me every step of the way like they are claiming her for their own and don’t want to let her go.
Once my shadows are finally back under my control, I shake off my foolish thoughts and quickly scan the unconscious girl. Without her smile and snarky mouth, she feels small in my arms,her delicate frame almost fragile. She can’t be more than five feet if she is an inch.
It feels wrong to see her so vulnerable, and I barely resist covering her in my shadows again.
When my gaze lands on the cuffs around her tiny wrists, my heart wrenches in my chest and stops.
Fuck me sideways.
“Find the keys.” I bark out the command, fear trying to claw its way down my throat. Because, whether the girl knows it or not, she’s right about the cuffs.
They are doing more than killing the mood—they are slowly killing her.
Darby and Soren search the guards while Cassius scans the room with his steely gaze, then he spins on the balls of his feet and marches out of the room.
“Nothing,” Soren grunts, abandoning his search to hover over the girl. He picks up her arm and studies the cuffs as if he will try to physically snap them off.
If anyone could, it would be the big beast of a man.
We look toward Darby, who has somehow stripped the soldier of every stitch of clothing, the guy’s bare, white ass hanging out for all to see. We watch him turn the soldier’s boots upside down, then shake them out. When he turns toward us, his shoulders slump, and he shakes his head. “No key.”
Shadows curl protectively around the girl, as if they could keep her from death. I gently hand her over to Soren, my arms aching to snatch her back. “I’m the fastest. I’ll head toward the office. Keep her alive until I return.”
I take a step back, reluctant to leave, my gut dropping because even with all my abilities, I know I won’t make it in time. My shadows darken the corners of the room, as if they could block her spirit from leaving. Just as I head toward the darkcorner, ready to walk through the shadows, Cassius strolls into the room with a set of keys dangling from his fingers.
He tosses them across the room, and Darby easily snatches them out of the air. Not wasting any time, he turns and fits the key into the first lock.
It’s only when it clicks open that my knees weaken.
Thankfully, no one is paying attention to me.
Everyone crowds closer and watches with bated breath as the second cuff unlocks and falls from her wrist. Thick, black veins fork their way up her arms, almost seeming to pulse like they are feeding off her. The lines streak past her elbows, nearly reaching her shoulders, and I’m not sure how she’s resisted the cuffs for so long, much less remained alive.
Most people pass out from the pain before the curse can do any permanent damage.
No magic, no curse.
I’ve seen men walk around with the black veins etched into their skin like tattoos gone wrong. Some people are so infected that they are no longer able to even cast magic again.
Feeling irrationally attached to the girl, I clench my fists and something inside my chest hitches at the thought of that being her fate. It takes all my control not to march back into the hallway and take Scotts’ fucking head for doing this to her.
While the other two hover over her, trying to stabilize her, Cassius stands next to me, his arms crossed to keep from reaching for her. A scowl darkens his face as he studies the girl, then he mutters, “We can’t take her to medical. The fuckers will treat her like a lab rat and do more harm than good.”
“You want to bring her back to the barracks?” I can’t keep the surprise from my voice. Don’t get me wrong, Cassius is a skilled medic, but he much prefers research. He’s never been a fan of having patients, other than one of us.
His scowl turns thunderous, then he flips down his ever present sunglasses before turning away and stalking down the hall. “Do whatever you want.”
Soren doesn’t hesitate, he just scoops the girl up then stands. She’s so small compared to his six-foot-six frame that she looks like a toddler cradled in his arms. He doesn’t hesitate to follow Cassius, not even bothering to look up, too busy studying the girl in his arms as he makes his way toward the stairs.
While I want to rush after them, not wanting to be away from the girl, I pause and survey the remains of the room. It looks like a bomb went off in the confined space. The walls, ceiling, and floor are covered with a thick layer of soot—all of us are covered in it—but that’s not what captures my attention.
