Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
The couple dropped to the ground like stones, deeply unconscious. She formed a small dome of magick around them, stopping the goblins and other creatures from touching them. It was the most she was prepared to do for the couple.
A Rabid cleared them with a fluid leap as it made a beeline for Emberlyn. Once more, goblins and crows blocked its path and ushered it away. Considering the Rabid only seemed to have eyes for her, it was obvious that they’d been spelled to target her. Collectively, the goblins and birds were doing a fine job at protecting her from them.
They were doing just as fine a job as protecting her from the faction. Admittedly, it was somewhat amusing to watch these asshole witches – who’d caused drama, hurt and damage not only to the town and its inhabitants but also to the Rabid – stagger around, yelling, cursing and letting out pained cries while goblins and animals crawled all over them.
Emberlyn took a quick moment to check on Reena. The woman must have still been unable to access her magick, because she was huddled in a tremoring ball on the grass just beyond the yard.
Emberlyn’s peripheral vision screamed a warning.
She tracked the movement, but she did it too late. Magick rammed into her head so hard that her vision went dark around the edges. Motherfucker.
Getty laughed, delighted – until a black cat appeared out of nowhere and flung herself right at the witch. Lucie hissed and growled as she clawed at Getty’s face, leaving deep, bleeding grooves.
Shaking off the effects of the blow, Emberlyn yelled, ‘Lucie, move!’ As soon as the feline backed off, she lobbed a lethal wave of magick Getty’s way. It rammed into the witch’s chest, going right for her heart.
Getty jolted. Wheezed. Slapped a hand to her chest.
And promptly died.
‘No!’ Ruben shouted, grief coloring the sound. He made a mad dash for the gate, shooting magick ‘bullets’ at Emberlyn.
Hissing as one pinged off her shoulder, Emberlyn called down a lightning strike, directing it right at him. The bolt hit its target, causing Ruben to shake and seize, his eyes rolling back. Then he hit the ground. Dead.
Five down, three to go.
Speaking of the other three . . . She quickly scanned the scene. Ames was still covered in goblins. Ward was kicking at rats while tugging at the snake curled around his throat. And Bennet—
Was coming right for her.
Before he could attack, she threw out a fluid beam of magick that snapped around his whole body like a vice.
He snarled, struggling against its grip, unable to move. ‘You were right. We would have killed you once we no longer had use for you.’
‘Oh, you might have tried. This would have been the result.’ She flicked a finger and the vice tightened its grip, crushing every bone in his body.
More than ready to end this shit now, Emberlyn switched her focus to Ames. She threw out a ‘loop’ of magick and used it to snatch his ankle. Then she yanked, pulling him right off his feet and dragging him up the path. The goblins released him and backed off with ghoulish squeaks.
His ravaged face set into a snarl. ‘Why couldn’t you just die!’ he demanded of her, a ball of magick in hand.
Chanting, she yanked her fists toward her, wrenching at his arms and dislocating both shoulders.
Ames cried out, the orb of magick in his palm disintegrating. He tried knifing upright, so she slammed her hands together, shattering his kneecaps this time.
He screamed a very non-manly scream. ‘You whore! You fucking whore!’
‘I warned you that it was a mistake for you to come here tonight. You didn’t listen. So sad. For you, anyway.’ She broke his neck with a mere twist of her hand. ‘And so eight becomes one,’ she drawled, flicking her attention to Ward.
‘Get her!’ he screeched, shoving a covered-in-goblins Rabid toward Emberlyn. He then struck fast, but she tossed out a wave of glittering magick from her palm that ‘shoved’ his blow right back at him. He hit the ground hard . . . which was right when she heard a rumble of engines.
Emberlyn looked up to see several vehicles fast approaching, including Ripper’s truck. Feeling her lips curve, she shifted her gaze back to Ward, whose expression had turned from enraged to outright terrified as he noticed the newcomers. ‘Hmm, I think I’ll let Ripper have you. It’s not fair of me to have all the fun.’
Ward’s eyes sliced to her, gleaming with horror.
She let out two sweeps of magic. One shot upward, easing the storm; calling off the rain and wind. The other healed the fissures in the ground and made the rats, snakes, toads and insects disappear as if they had never been.
Tires screeched as the vehicles pulled up. Werewolves jumped out of their cars only to halt in shock at the sight of the goblins.