Magic on the Cards (The Cartomancer's Guide to Werewolves Book 1) by Marina Finlayson

Author:Marina Finlayson [Finlayson, Marina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-27T16:00:00+00:00

16

I’d heard of bruxsas, of course, but I’d never expected to meet one in the flesh. Not and live to tell the tale, anyway. They were a rare kind of vampire, more superpowered even than an elder, and almost impossible to kill because they had some handy magic tricks that protected them. They had such powerful healing magic that you couldn’t even stake them.

“That … complicates things,” I said after a pause.

“You could say that.” Raquel looked more irritated than alarmed, which gave me hope that the vampires knew something I didn’t about killing bruxsas. “As well as the rat trick, they can also turn into a cloud of bats and fly off. It’s like trying to catch water in a sieve.”

Just as well Conal had agreed to team up with the vampires. He and Liam alone wouldn’t have stood a chance against a bruxsa. As far as I was aware, the Soldiers had no magic beyond the ability to change shape. Teeth and brute strength were feeble weapons against the kind of magic a bruxsa could wield. It was like bringing a knife to a gun fight.

“Why did she run?” Ariel asked. “I thought bruxsas were like the tanks of the vampire world.”

“Probably conserving her strength,” Raquel said. “The number of kills she’s made lately suggests she’s gearing up for something big. She won’t waste magical energy on fighting unless she has to.”

Inside the house, a dog was barking. Raquel and I looked at each other, then turned as one to hurry back through the carport before someone came outside to investigate.

“I can still feel her,” I said when we’d gained the safety of Bugsy.

“Where?”

I started the engine and drove slowly along the road. “She hasn’t gone far.”

Raquel pulled out her phone. “If we can find her lair, that will help. But I’ll have to call the hive off. We can’t take her at night—that’s when she’s strongest. We’ll have to wait for daylight. Preferably midday, to give ourselves the best chance.”

I was only half listening. Spidey senses that I’d never felt before were tingling. “I think …” I slowed Bugsy to a crawl as I reached the old Rogerson place on the hill, its dilapidated splendours half-hidden among the trees. “I think she’s there.”

“Want me to go check?” Ariel asked.

“Don’t let her see you,” I said. “We’ll meet you back at home. Be—” But she was already gone. “Careful.”

Raquel was busy texting someone, probably Ethan. “We shouldn’t go back to your place.”

“I need sleep. I’m dead on my feet.”

“Then we’ll go to Ethan’s. The rest of the hive is gathering there to wait.”

“Umm, no offence, but I’m not sleeping in the middle of a hive full of vampires.”

She sighed. “Usually when people say no offence, it means they’re about to say something truly offensive. And you just proved my point. Do you really think we’d attack you?”

“Well, not you and Ethan, obviously. I trust you guys.”

Surprise flickered across her face. “You trust me?”

“Is there some reason I shouldn’t?”

“No, of course not.

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