Page 11 of Alchemy of Souls

Surprise, surprise, it doesn’t distract the dogs. In fact, they lunge toward us, their heads stopping a foot from our stomachs, jaws snapping the air. I can feel the heat of their breath on my shirt.

“Are you kidding me?” I breathe.

“Would you rather I cast a defense spell and fully antagonize them?” she asks, stubbornly lifting her chin. “That was small magic. A test, just like you did with that step. And now we know what sets them off.”

“How about you do nothing,” I reply with a clipped tone. “Your magic is no match for my uncle’s.”

Her jaw flexes. “And how about you call your uncle and ask him to stop this?” she says like he isn’t doing it on purpose.

I don’t bother to enlighten her. “If we can get on that desk—”

She shakes her head. “You barely moved your foot and they wanted to pounce. Unless you know how to fly, we’re not getting anywhere.”

“We are if you can cast a containment spell,” I say, matching herchallenge. “But it’ll have to be synchronized or one of us will get mauled.”

Only as she opens her mouth to answer, her dog springs forward. I don’t know if she shuffled her foot or if my uncle’s at fault, but I don’t have time to consider how my next move will utterly screw me. The scent of her fear hits me like a punch and I throw myself in front of her, blasting her dog with the strongest defense spell I know.

It freezes mid-jump. Not that it matters, because the other dog lunges and sinks its razor-sharp teeth into my forearm, cutting through flesh with no resistance. Except the pain isn’t the worst part—it’s knowing my uncle will interpret my protecting Eloise as proof that I sabotaged the discernment spell.

CHAPTER 8Eloise

I fly backward, slamming into the fancy wooden desk, Grayson’s tall frame wedged between me and the dogs. My hands are pressed into his back and I feel his racing heart through my fingertips. The dog that was lunging at me is now frozen in the air, its jaws already widened for a bite.

“Moveslowly,” Grayson warns through clenched teeth.

I carefully slide out from behind him, only to realize with horror that the second dog is also frozen—but not before it got a death grip on Grayson’s forearm. Jaws locked. Blood dripping onto the carpet.

My stomach plummets. Grayson not only took a bite for me, but he did a hell of a lot more. Because my dog wasn’t aiming for my arm, it was aiming for myneck.

“What can I…,” I start, my mind racing for spells.

“You’ve done enough already,” he mutters, and my stomach drops even lower.

The door swings open, and the Chancellor strides in. Despite the gruesome scene, he looks as polished and unbothered as always—a Mage through and through.

He stares at the frozen dogs. “I see I never disabled my guarddog spell. You’ll have to forgive the oversight,” he says, and while I want to feel relief it doesn’t come. I just keep thinking of Gran and how she says to never trust a High Mage.

The Chancellor frowns. “I expected more from you, Grayson.”

Grayson smiles in return, actually smiles like he doesn’t have dog teeth piercing his arm. “Yeah, well, I thought it impolite to let Eloise get her neck ripped out on the first visit. That’s more of a second-visit goodie bag.” Even the lilt to his voice holds charm.

I blink at him, dumbfounded he’s cracking jokes. And the dogs blink with me.

The spell Grayson used on them must be wearing off. My gaze shoots to the Chancellor, but he just stares at his nephew.

“I fail to see the humor in this,” the Chancellor says, and even though I agree, I’m more focused on the dogs, whose ears just twitched.

“Oh, believe me, I don’t think it’s funny,” Grayson replies. “But I was forced to make a strategic move—one even you would agree with.”

And what the heck does that mean?

Two seconds tick by, and I want to scream at them both.

There’s a half-formed growl, the only warning we’re given before the dog that launched at my neck, continues his jump, heading right toward Grayson.

“No!” I yell, reaching for my magic, but before I get a spell formed, the Chancellor flicks his wrist and both dogs disappear.

Grayson lurches forward, grabbing his bitten arm to his chest, his expression turning to confusion as he stares at his wound.