“I want a trade,” Elliot said. “You for him.”
No. There would be no trade. There would be a dead mage and a safe shifter.
The opening grew in size as I neared it. Above, the basajaun stayed stationary while the others spread out farther, searching. If they found an opening, it would still be a chore to get through the tunnels without a map, unless they were all as straightforward as this one. My hope for reinforcements probably rested on the basajaun making friends with an inanimate object.
“Say yes, and I will put him outside with the rest of your crew. You’ll feel him out there. You’ll know he’s safe. You know I don’t have the forces to take them on. I just want to talk to you, Jacinta. I want to have a conversation with you. You’ll be perfectly safe too.”
I squinted when I reached the opening and slunk to the side, peering in. The space opened up into a large chamber with a sparkling chandelier hanging down over a dark, polished wood floor. Couches and chairs lined the sides, not unlike the setup of our common room, only it was much bigger, with more gaming tables and a few arcade games.
“I have something you need, Jessie,” Elliot said, and his voice stopped echoing, now coming directly from the source. “I have training that will be very valuable to you. I’ve spent these long years learning more about magic than anyone would ever dream of knowing, waiting for you to be ready.”
Then I saw him. At the side of the room, a metal cage hung from a chain. Austin lay inside in his human form, sprawled out. His chest rose and fell, but his breathing was too shallow for comfort.
My world tilted. My beast came roaring out, consuming me.
My wings snapped out, and then I was running into the large room. I sensed him before I saw him, off to the side, standing in front of a stone dais.
“I only want to talk!” He held out his hands, but I was already opening fire.
The magic I shot at him, one jolt after another, was simple but full of power.
He deflected the first two shots and danced to the side, the third slicing into his shield. He swore and then fired a shot back at me. It hit my shield but didn’t soak into it as it should’ve. As everyone else’s did. This one stuck and then festered, starting to unravel my defenses.
I had to kill him before he could get my magical shield off me. I had to beat him with power before he crushed me with experience.
I kept at him. All of my practice had prepared me for this moment. All of those long hours I’d spent battling my team had given me the ability to fight for my freedom.
A blistering spell crunched into his defensive shield, but he quickly erected another. I tore that one away too, slicing through his shoulder with my follow-up spell. He jogged to the side, making me turn. He fired back. My defensive spell started to smoke. I dropped more power into it and fired another spell at him, this one complex and intricate, taken from the second of Ivy House’s training books.
“Damn it, you’ve gotten so much better,” he ground out, still moving, hitting me with spells intent on breaking through my defense. Spells that were breaking through my defenses. He almost had me. “You learn magic so damn fast. You’re a natural, Jessie. I wish I could take more credit. Also, I wish I was powerful enough to combat these spells.”
Doubling down, summoning my power, I rocked him with a blunt-force spell. It slammed into him and knocked him back against the wall. I was on him in a moment, tearing at him with claws and slicing at his shield with magic.
“Think it through,” he said, his voice shaking, the smug arrogance gone. “Think it through.”
He sounded exactly like Sebastian when we’d taken on the phoenix. His tone, cadence, timbre.
I pummeled him with another spell, cracking through his defenses and leaving him wide open. His shoulders dropped and his face fell. He was beaten and he knew it.
“We didn’t have much time together,” he said, “but I’m proud of what we accomplished. I would’ve liked to be your mentor and your friend, please know that,” he whispered. The tension fled from him and then he closed his eyes, finding peace and ready to die.
Twenty-Six
My world came to a grinding halt.
The tone…the cadence…the words…
I stood over him, poised to kill. Ready with the spell.
The tone…
The cadence…
The words…
I straightened, confused. Elliot Graves lay prone at my feet, hands down, eyes closed, face peaceful. He would accept his fate.
I staggered backward a few paces, turning back into my human form, memories flitting through my mind. Pairing up Sebastian’s voice with what I’d just heard. Considering the fact that both he and Elliot shared an obvious (and rare) appreciation for shifters. Thinking through how he’d set up this whole thing to make me stand out.