Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 1)

“How will they find us?” It took all my strength to speak.

“If I don’t respond, they’ll use a locater charm.”

“Respond?”

A voice sounded from the amulet around Mac’s neck. “You clever bitch, Mac! Where are you? Stop this cursed thing right now!”

I could hear Hecate shrieking in the background like a horror movie victim. It was so loud that any nearby guards might hear.

I struggled against the magic that bound me, sucking more strength from me with every second. My vision was starting to blur and my legs to tremble.

“I can’t answer them,” Mac said. “Not without touching the charm.”

Shit, shit, shit.

I tried to hobble to her, hoping I could press my forehead against the charm. Or maybe fall against her.

Instead, I toppled over onto the ground, hitting it so hard that my vision went black for a moment. Footsteps sounded from the floor above. Or maybe that was my imagination.

Were guards coming?

Was I going to be discovered here, next to the torn-open body of the victim?

Fear chilled my skin.

“My, my, what have we here?” A feminine voice sounded from my left.

Out of the corner of my eye, I barely caught sight of Coraline. She stood in a cloud of pink light, somehow projecting her form into the morgue. Her dark hair was streaked with green that matched the brilliant emerald of her eyes. She tapped her foot, staring at us. “Got yourself into quite a pickle, Mac.”

“Get us out of here, and I’ll tell you the code to shut her up.”

“Oh, you will, all right.” Coraline raised her hands and began to chant. Magic sparked around her palms, and a faint white light surrounded Mac and me.

The evil that gripped us so tightly seemed to loosen, but Coraline didn’t stop chanting. Her brow furrowed from the effort, and she grimaced. “Powerful dark magic.”

Her own power continued to work, and I struggled, finally able to move my limbs a bit. Coraline grunted and forced more of her magic toward us.

“Hurry,” Mac said. “Guards are coming. Humans.”

“You idiots.” Coraline shoved another blast of magic at us, and the darkness that bound me finally disappeared.

I gasped, scrambling to my feet.

“The code, Mac,” Coraline demanded.

“Macbeth O’Connell is the most amazing Magica ever,” Mac said.

“Seriously?” Coraline raised her brows.

“Say that, and Hecate will shut up.” Mac grinned. “Can we get a ride back to Guild City with your nice portal there?”

“No.” Coraline and her pink light disappeared.

“Damn it.” Mac turned to me. “We need to get a move on.”

“No kidding.”

I turned back to the body as a pair of guards burst into the room. Both were men of average height but grim demeanors, though their faces blanched when they saw the results of my amateur autopsy spread out around the room.