trap, we’ve got a decent chance of escaping it. Humans are dying. We can’t risk the wait.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “Besides, you’ve got my back, what could go wrong?”
Groaning, she kissed him back. “You had to say that, didn’t you?”
Her heart slammed against her chest and her stomach flopped around like a beached whale as he moved into the circle of runes. But nothing happened. There was no explosion. No catastrophic event. Gray was fine.
It didn’t make sense. Her intuition was never wrong. Either her time on this plane had weakened her abilities, or she had overreacted.
“What’s in the bowl?” She remained behind the line of runes, not wanting to push her luck.
“Blood.” He picked up the bowl to take a closer look. “It smells acidic, not metallic.”
“Demon blood.” She shook her head. They should have known. “Can you tell what he mixed with it?”
“Not yet.” He knelt to replace the bowl. “I don’t recognize the runes either. They’re not the same ones Orien carved onto his victims.”
“We’ve got demonic blood and runes. That’s something.” She turned away to search the rest of the tunnel. “We need to take a sample back to Lucy. She’s been working day and night trying to find a cure, and this might help.”
Several seconds passed and Gray didn’t answer. Brenna turned to find him still crouched before the bowl. “Gray?” She stepped closer.
He didn’t respond.
The runes began to glow, so brightly she could barely see him through the glare. She opened their psychic link, and a wave of demon magic invaded her mind. The pain was so intense she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Something powerful was feeding off him. She hurled herself into the circle of runes.
And hit a wall.
Magic wrapped around her and squeezed until she couldn’t breathe. It slammed her against the dirt wall, playing against her skin as it tried to sink inside her body. She fought the onslaught with everything she had left. If she fell, they were both dead.
Sinking inside herself, she called on the power in her blood to force the invading essence out. Something shrieked inside her head, piercing her eardrums and rattling her brain. Nearly mindless with agony, she bit down on her lip. The contrasting pain help her focus, and she pushed again with her power. She heard a loud popping sound, then she was free.
She stumbled backwards, unable to see Gray clearly. He appeared as a dark mass several feet in front of her. Smog-like tendrils of dark magic wrapped around him until he disappeared from sight. She wasn’t sure how, but this magic functioned on a sentient level. With Gray subdued, it was only a matter of time before the spell returned its attention to her, and she was too weak to defeat it a second time. Her only hope was to get above ground and find help. Leaving Gray behind was perhaps the most difficult thing she had ever done. But it was her only choice.
It seemed like an eternity had passed before she pulled herself out of the ground. Blood dripped into her eyes, impeding her vision. She wiped it away as she crawled to her duster and pulled out her phone. But when she invoked the magical imprint that powered it to contact Seraph, it wouldn’t work. Cursing, she tossed the phone onto the ground. Even though her magic was weak, she closed her eyes and focused on Mira. Mira had drunk her blood, which would forever connect them. The vampire should be able to hear her call, if Brenna focused hard enough.
It was several moments before she felt Mira stirring in her mind. Their connection wasn’t strong enough to communicate through words, so Brenna mapped out their location. Mira would know to hurry. Out of respect for the vampire, Brenna never used their mental link unless she was desperate.
The communication with Mira drained the rest of Brenna’s power. Trembling, she collapsed onto the ground, the world spinning around her in chaotic abandon.
Groaning, she kissed him back. “You had to say that, didn’t you?”
Her heart slammed against her chest and her stomach flopped around like a beached whale as he moved into the circle of runes. But nothing happened. There was no explosion. No catastrophic event. Gray was fine.
It didn’t make sense. Her intuition was never wrong. Either her time on this plane had weakened her abilities, or she had overreacted.
“What’s in the bowl?” She remained behind the line of runes, not wanting to push her luck.
“Blood.” He picked up the bowl to take a closer look. “It smells acidic, not metallic.”
“Demon blood.” She shook her head. They should have known. “Can you tell what he mixed with it?”
“Not yet.” He knelt to replace the bowl. “I don’t recognize the runes either. They’re not the same ones Orien carved onto his victims.”
“We’ve got demonic blood and runes. That’s something.” She turned away to search the rest of the tunnel. “We need to take a sample back to Lucy. She’s been working day and night trying to find a cure, and this might help.”
Several seconds passed and Gray didn’t answer. Brenna turned to find him still crouched before the bowl. “Gray?” She stepped closer.
He didn’t respond.
The runes began to glow, so brightly she could barely see him through the glare. She opened their psychic link, and a wave of demon magic invaded her mind. The pain was so intense she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Something powerful was feeding off him. She hurled herself into the circle of runes.
And hit a wall.
Magic wrapped around her and squeezed until she couldn’t breathe. It slammed her against the dirt wall, playing against her skin as it tried to sink inside her body. She fought the onslaught with everything she had left. If she fell, they were both dead.
Sinking inside herself, she called on the power in her blood to force the invading essence out. Something shrieked inside her head, piercing her eardrums and rattling her brain. Nearly mindless with agony, she bit down on her lip. The contrasting pain help her focus, and she pushed again with her power. She heard a loud popping sound, then she was free.
She stumbled backwards, unable to see Gray clearly. He appeared as a dark mass several feet in front of her. Smog-like tendrils of dark magic wrapped around him until he disappeared from sight. She wasn’t sure how, but this magic functioned on a sentient level. With Gray subdued, it was only a matter of time before the spell returned its attention to her, and she was too weak to defeat it a second time. Her only hope was to get above ground and find help. Leaving Gray behind was perhaps the most difficult thing she had ever done. But it was her only choice.
It seemed like an eternity had passed before she pulled herself out of the ground. Blood dripped into her eyes, impeding her vision. She wiped it away as she crawled to her duster and pulled out her phone. But when she invoked the magical imprint that powered it to contact Seraph, it wouldn’t work. Cursing, she tossed the phone onto the ground. Even though her magic was weak, she closed her eyes and focused on Mira. Mira had drunk her blood, which would forever connect them. The vampire should be able to hear her call, if Brenna focused hard enough.
It was several moments before she felt Mira stirring in her mind. Their connection wasn’t strong enough to communicate through words, so Brenna mapped out their location. Mira would know to hurry. Out of respect for the vampire, Brenna never used their mental link unless she was desperate.
The communication with Mira drained the rest of Brenna’s power. Trembling, she collapsed onto the ground, the world spinning around her in chaotic abandon.
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