Duplicity (The Duality Series Book 2) by Becca Fogg

Author:Becca Fogg [Fogg, Becca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-04-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Derek jammed on the brakes, and the car skidded down the abandoned two-lane road. We were miles from civilization, the road lined only with an overgrown berm and trees as far as I could see.

The car fishtailed as we came to an abrupt halt twenty feet from the figure. Burning tires mingled with the electricity crackling in the air. The warmth in my veins battered against taut nerves.

A fog wafted off the bald woman, like an aura constantly leaking haze. Harsh, electric-green channels engraved into her skin, save her face, pulsed a golden tint that glowed through the threadbare long-sleeve shirt. The overbearing sun highlighted each groove.

I’d had to fight someone like her once. She chased me through woods the night the Kier attacked Haven to rescue a then-deceased compatriot. That woman had been near-lethal with both dagger and sword—I had the scar to prove it. I’d survived out of dumb luck.

“Magic eater,” Derek murmured. She nodded slightly to him.

What in the wizarding world of fuckery is a magic eater?

Throwing the convertible into park, Derek grabbed the top of the windshield and pulled himself over the edge.

“We have no issue with you, witch,” he called.

She examined him, her eyes dropping down his figure before they snapped to me.

The fire burning there . . . the hate . . . shot a chill down my spine.

“Our quarrel is not with you, Valen,” she spat. Her distorted voice carried easily to us despite the distance.

“Derek, what’s going on?” I whispered. He frowned.

“She’s a witch. They’ll take bounties from time-to-time, but mostly they keep to themselves. She doesn’t look like she’s here for neutral purposes.”

“Why is she glowing?”

“She absorbs the essence in the atmosphere. If you try to use your Duality on her, she’ll consume it before it makes a difference. With enough time, she could absorb even our latent energy. Stay here, Jex.”

Derek squeezed my hand and got out of the car. He approached the woman—the witch—with his hands up.

The witch raised her chin. With a smirk, she scraped the tip of her sword in front of her like a line in the sand. The grating drag left vibrating tension in my arms so strong I physically shook.

In a panic, I searched the car for anything that might be useful. The interior was mostly empty, but I found a small toolkit under the seat.

Great, I had a steel hammer, a level, and a screwdriver. None of it seemed particularly helpful, but it was better than nothing.

Derek stopped about five feet from the witch. She sneered at him, her gaze shifting between the two of us.

“What can we do for the Council of Witches?” he asked carefully.

The woman’s eyes drilled into me as though she could bore a hole through my head. Contempt edged each of her punctuated words.

“Jessica Eve Kantor is to answer for her crimes against my coven.”

My what?

“What did she do to merit your attention?”

“She killed my coven-sister.” The ire in her tone caused her to spit with each word.

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