rocky ground; it would take
hours before he woke. The sphere vanished from my wrist, unable to imprint.
My gaze flew to our newcomer. I spread my legs, flexed my
knees for a better launch, and hunched forward, baring my fangs.
Eric’s palms lost their glow, and his shoulders drooped.
“What? You afraid?” I goaded.
“No, but I have priorities.” He turned to face Mira. “Hey,
sugar.”
“Hi.”
I rolled my eyes again, surprised she could speak at all.
Her gooey grin would have suited her better if she had shifted to a teenager
hitting puberty—something she’d experienced five to ten years back.
“Let’s get you out of these.” He pointed to the magical
light-cuffs.
“I already tried. They’ll burn you,” I warned.
“That’s why I’m here, you nitwit,” Eric murmured, his eyes
on Mira.
The remark boiled the blood in my veins. I was certain I
turned green, the way I always did when rage consumed me. The evil-bender
pushed me in ways only Mira and a handful of people knew how to.
“Xander, don’t,” Mira pleaded, sensing my anger.
But it was too late. The evil-bender would get what he had
coming. First he interrupted our marking, and now he was throwing punches at
the most powerful shape-shifters in the world. I hadn’t met anyone else like
us, so I guessed that statistic might be inaccurate, but still, we weren’t the
usual demons trailing an acidic stench and burning with their claws. We didn’t
know exactly what our calling was, but it would take only one kill for us to
begin our work in the underworld.
What work would there be for us otherwise? Trying to stop
the demons from ruining the world without killing them? How exactly were we
supposed to gain the alternate—the water mark? We’d tried and tried, and
nothing worked. The only reasonable solution was to give in to the first kill.
I wondered how the evil-bender got his, but the fury inside me boiled and I
imagined it steam through my ears, evaporating logical thoughts.
I launched myself toward the evil-bender—only to be stopped
in my tracks. Stunned, I looked down to my feet, now embedded in blue-glowing
soil. Momentum carried my body forward until my nose almost touched the ground,
then I sprang back to stand tall, sputtering, “What the hell?”
“You’re not marked yet, you little monster, which means I
have power over you,” Eric drawled.
“Take it off.” I kept my eyes on the blue glow. My ears
flattened against my head and I tightened my jaw until one of my molars
cracked—something I instantly regretted; I hated tooth pain.
“Hold still,” Eric whispered to Mira as he removed one
strand of the magical light, then another.
“How did you . . .” I felt my jaw drop.
“Years of practice.”
I pictured his mouth curving up in a smirk. Of course it was
all for show; Mira would love it.
“You all right, sugar?” he asked, taking her hand to help
her step out of the magical bindings.
“I’d be better if you stopped calling me sugar,” she said.
There was my sister! I stood taller, squaring my shoulders. Ha!
She’s not as easy as she looks, is she? Mira would have smacked me if she
knew what I was thinking. Then I caught her dirty look. Shit! She did know what I was thinking. That was the problem with twins, especially shape
shifter twins.
“All right, what do you want me to call you?”
“Mira—just Mira.” She fluttered her lashes.
Jeez! Is this really happening in front of me? I
pointed to the blue glow at my feet. “Do you mind?”
Eric looked back as if he’d forgotten about me. “Are you going
to behave?”
“He will. Take it off.” Mira walked toward me but, of
course, stroked Eric’s arm on the way past. By the time she reached my side,
the blue light was gone and I could move my feet again. And just in time.
“Are you meddling in my businesss, evil-benderrr?”
No one could mistake Aseret’s slow hiss for that of anyone
else. I turned and saw the demon lord standing at the
hours before he woke. The sphere vanished from my wrist, unable to imprint.
My gaze flew to our newcomer. I spread my legs, flexed my
knees for a better launch, and hunched forward, baring my fangs.
Eric’s palms lost their glow, and his shoulders drooped.
“What? You afraid?” I goaded.
“No, but I have priorities.” He turned to face Mira. “Hey,
sugar.”
“Hi.”
I rolled my eyes again, surprised she could speak at all.
Her gooey grin would have suited her better if she had shifted to a teenager
hitting puberty—something she’d experienced five to ten years back.
“Let’s get you out of these.” He pointed to the magical
light-cuffs.
“I already tried. They’ll burn you,” I warned.
“That’s why I’m here, you nitwit,” Eric murmured, his eyes
on Mira.
The remark boiled the blood in my veins. I was certain I
turned green, the way I always did when rage consumed me. The evil-bender
pushed me in ways only Mira and a handful of people knew how to.
“Xander, don’t,” Mira pleaded, sensing my anger.
But it was too late. The evil-bender would get what he had
coming. First he interrupted our marking, and now he was throwing punches at
the most powerful shape-shifters in the world. I hadn’t met anyone else like
us, so I guessed that statistic might be inaccurate, but still, we weren’t the
usual demons trailing an acidic stench and burning with their claws. We didn’t
know exactly what our calling was, but it would take only one kill for us to
begin our work in the underworld.
What work would there be for us otherwise? Trying to stop
the demons from ruining the world without killing them? How exactly were we
supposed to gain the alternate—the water mark? We’d tried and tried, and
nothing worked. The only reasonable solution was to give in to the first kill.
I wondered how the evil-bender got his, but the fury inside me boiled and I
imagined it steam through my ears, evaporating logical thoughts.
I launched myself toward the evil-bender—only to be stopped
in my tracks. Stunned, I looked down to my feet, now embedded in blue-glowing
soil. Momentum carried my body forward until my nose almost touched the ground,
then I sprang back to stand tall, sputtering, “What the hell?”
“You’re not marked yet, you little monster, which means I
have power over you,” Eric drawled.
“Take it off.” I kept my eyes on the blue glow. My ears
flattened against my head and I tightened my jaw until one of my molars
cracked—something I instantly regretted; I hated tooth pain.
“Hold still,” Eric whispered to Mira as he removed one
strand of the magical light, then another.
“How did you . . .” I felt my jaw drop.
“Years of practice.”
I pictured his mouth curving up in a smirk. Of course it was
all for show; Mira would love it.
“You all right, sugar?” he asked, taking her hand to help
her step out of the magical bindings.
“I’d be better if you stopped calling me sugar,” she said.
There was my sister! I stood taller, squaring my shoulders. Ha!
She’s not as easy as she looks, is she? Mira would have smacked me if she
knew what I was thinking. Then I caught her dirty look. Shit! She did know what I was thinking. That was the problem with twins, especially shape
shifter twins.
“All right, what do you want me to call you?”
“Mira—just Mira.” She fluttered her lashes.
Jeez! Is this really happening in front of me? I
pointed to the blue glow at my feet. “Do you mind?”
Eric looked back as if he’d forgotten about me. “Are you going
to behave?”
“He will. Take it off.” Mira walked toward me but, of
course, stroked Eric’s arm on the way past. By the time she reached my side,
the blue light was gone and I could move my feet again. And just in time.
“Are you meddling in my businesss, evil-benderrr?”
No one could mistake Aseret’s slow hiss for that of anyone
else. I turned and saw the demon lord standing at the
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