Devilish Game (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 4)

The fear blasted through my mind, a tornado that cleared away the cobwebs. Memories of her surged to the surface, crowding out everything else. They’d been lost only a day ago, yet it felt like they’d been gone forever.

Now I could recall them all. Cyrenthia’s spell was breaking, and every moment I’d spent with Carrow was unearthing from my mind.

I nearly went to my knees.

How had I gotten rid of these? How had I borne it?

And she was gone.

A voice sounded in the distance, and I felt the party receding. The music and shouts all drifted away, my surroundings turning shadowed.

“Grey,” Carrow shouted.

I spun around, searching for her. But all I could see was darkness. Stone walls. My eyes adjusted, taking advantage of the thin sliver of light that turned the space from black to gray.

I stood in a cell, a lump at my feet. My chest felt strange—different. My heart raced.

“Carrow.” Fear pierced me. I fell to my knees, reaching for her. My hands passed right through. “Why can’t I touch you?”

She blinked up at me, dazed. “I don’t know. Maybe the spell on the temple.”

“They’ve taken you to the temple?” I reached again for the ropes around her wrists, but my hands passed through.

“Yes. I think I’ve called you here with my magic.”

I nodded. “You did.”

“Wild.” She swallowed hard, clearly in pain. What had they hit her with? “You need to bring everyone you can to the temple. I’ve seen dozens of cult members, and we’re going to need an army to fight them.”

“I’ll bring one.”

“Good. Get here and wait silently. In shadows. Don’t just burst in. I need to get out of this cell and find the lever that will disable the magical barrier that protects the temple.”

How the hell was I supposed to wait quietly while she was in here, tied up?

As if she could read my thoughts, she said, “You must do this as I say. There are so many of them. If you show up here and try to break your way in, they’ll have warning, and they could start the ritual. I was the last person they needed, remember?”

She was right. I nodded. “I’ll bring an army, and we’ll wait in the shadows until the protection on the temple drops.”

“Perfect.” Her gaze moved to mine. “Now go. This will work, I promise.”

I wanted to reach for her again, but her magic shoved me backward, out of this half world and back to the Witches’ Guild.

I swallowed my fear and rubbed my chest. What the hell had just happened?

I’d been called to Carrow, but something else had happened.

The mate bond.

The spell that Cyrenthia had cast to break our mate bond was fading. I could feel the fated connection growing, fighting past the blood sorceress’s magic. Every time Carrow called me to her, it must fade a little bit.

I couldn’t think about it now.

I turned back to the party, spotting nearly forty witches nearby, standing in a semi-circle, shock on their faces. Mac and Seraphia pushed through the crowd, their faces white.

“They got her.” Mac’s wide eyes searched the area that was now empty.

“I saw her,” I said. “She called me to her with her magic.”