Broken Bonds (Lizzie Grace 3)

Sweat trickled down my spine and my grip on Belle’s fingers started to slip. Her fingers clenched mine tighter, her nails digging into my skin as she fought to hang on. I drew the wild magic inside, using its strength and power to bolster my own. Heard her gasp. Felt her tremor. It wasn’t in pain, though, and right now, that was all that mattered.

Our magic surged—silver against purple—flowing up from the ground to fully encapsulate the heretic’s spell. His magic pulsed and writhed and fought, but it couldn’t escape.

But our task was not over yet and every movement of the heretic’s magic took its toll on our strength.

Belle, we need to create the gateway so Aiden and the paramedics can get in.

Okay. It was little more than a whisper.

We needed this done, and quickly.

My focus went to the cluster of men standing behind our circle, and I began whispering the incantation that would open a gateway in our magic. After a few seconds, a silver line rose up from the ground and swept around in an arch, creating a safe space through which to walk.

“Go,” I croaked.

Aiden, Byron, and three paramedics immediately entered the safe space. They raced toward the back door, kicked it in, and then disappeared inside. I returned my attention to the building; the heretic magic was becoming increasingly violent. I wasn’t sure how much longer we could hold on to it.

“Hurry,” I whispered, hoping the keen ears of the wolves would hear it.

The gentler magic protecting that one pocket of the building started to ripple, and a massive crack appeared in the brickwork, spreading like a canker sideways from the broken edge of the top floor to the one remaining solid corner of the building.

Two men reappeared, carrying a third between them. I didn’t recognize him, meaning it had to be the HIC witch.

More cracks joined the first and dust was now drifting like dark snow through the door. The building was collapsing from the inside out.

Byron and another paramedic appeared, this time with Eli between them. He was battered and bloody, but he was conscious and walking.

Which left Aiden still inside. As the plumes of dust got stronger and the entire building shook, I yelled, “Aiden, get out.”

He didn’t. Not immediately. But as the building began to collapse, he leapt out of a cloud of dust and debris and ran for our gate.

Alone.

Denial screamed up my throat but I clamped down hard on it. Once he was through, we shut the gate and made the protection circle complete again. But before we could do anything else, the house collapsed and the heretic’s magic exploded. The force of it blew a hole through our containment net and hit us both like a ton of bricks. It tore our hand

s apart and sent us rolling, end on end, until we stopped by the barrier of our still intact protective circle.

For several seconds, I couldn’t move. Pain swept through every inch of me, and my head was pounding like a bitch.

The buzz of Belle’s energy through my brain told me she was okay—aching like me, but okay—and the wild magic was once again stirring around me rather than through.

“Liz!” Aiden, his voice edged with fear.

“I’m okay.” I rolled onto my stomach. The building in front of me was little more than a mound of bricks and wood, and the purple glow had disappeared. The only thing staining the sky now was dust.

But we hadn’t been able to save everyone. Ashworth was still in there. I closed my eyes briefly against the sadness and wished his soul peace and a speedy journey on to his new life.

“Fuck,” Belle muttered. “I have never felt so shitty in my entire life.”

Despite the sadness, amusement rose. “Yeah, you have—that time we were on the Gold Coast and you got into a drinking contest with Mr. Beefcake.”

She laughed, then winced and raised her hands to her head. “It appears I have the hangover without the satisfaction of alcohol.”

“And it’ll get worse because we still have to take the circle down.”

She groaned, but pushed upright and sat back on her heels. I didn’t bother moving—I just stayed on the ground, on my stomach. As her magic rose around me, I silently followed her around the circle, unthreading my magic from hers and then letting it dissipate, until the circle was completely gone and the stones were just stones again.

“Okay,” I said, “all magic has now gone. The area’s safe.”