A Familiar Magic by E.M. Rinaldi

Author:E.M. Rinaldi [Rinaldi, E.M.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing
Published: 2022-03-29T00:00:00+00:00

Bast’s skin, which usually resembled warm honey, now reminded me more of typing paper—pale and leeched of color. I gently brushed his hair away from the cut on his temple and he moaned, then went still once more. His eyes didn’t open.

“Will he be okay?” I asked Auden, too afraid to look away.

What if he hit his head harder than I thought? I quickly checked his ears. No blood. He could still be bleeding inside though, where I couldn’t see.

“I was selfish,” I whispered. “If I’d gone downstairs like we were told this never would’ve happened.”

“The enchanted cells might have protected you from the Imps, but they were never made to hold a demon as powerful as a Shade.” Auden moved closer and placed a couple fingers on Bast’s neck. “This wasn’t your fault, Kaya.”

For once I didn’t argue. It wasn’t because I agreed with him, more that it hurt too much to voice the reasons of exactly why this was my fault. Gently, I lifted my hand to the bite on my neck. The demon seemed to be searching for something the second he stepped in the cabin. He’d sniffed us out and recognized me specifically. He paid Bast no mind until he attacked. Now that I thought about it, the demon hadn’t blinked when Bast shifted into a massive wolf. No. He only had eyes for me. And when he bit me… “What are you?”

“Hey.” Auden moved closer until he crouched beside me, concern making his eyes appear darker. “He’s going to be okay. As soon as we hear the all clear, we’ll get him to the infirmary.”

I hoped Auden was right, because right now it looked like the demon was here for me and that meant I’d nearly gotten my new friend killed. Just like I’d gotten Asher killed. I focused on the steady rise and fall of Bast’s chest and worked on blocking out the negative thoughts that tried to tear me down from the inside. The battered wood floor groaned, barely concealing the scuff of someone stepping closer and Auden spun, placing himself between me and the new threat. He was eye to eye with a cougar for barely a full second before she shifted.

“What happened?” Bast’s mom grabbed a shirt out of the mess on the floor and pulled it over her head before kneeling beside her son.

Auden returned to his place beside me while the other adults fanned around the room in defensive positions. The male tiger approached the impaled Shade with a cautious sniff, and a low hiss escaped. What was left of the Shade’s body slowly faded—melting into the sky like smoke over a bonfire.

“What the hell was a Shade doing here?” Captain Cesar questioned, toeing the demon’s severed head with his boot. “And how did you manage to kill it?”

I’d let Auden answer that one. I was too tired to remember it all just now. My neck throbbed at the reminder of the demon’s teeth and I pressed my lips together at the pain.

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