Page 45 of An Oath at Midnight

His nostrils flared and his bicep bulged.

“Bram,” I said more forcefully.

His black eyes shot to me and locked on.

“Let go. I’m okay. No harm done,” I said, keeping my voice as calm as I could.

Finally, he released a slow breath, dropped his hands and stepped back. The demon instantly took off.

Bram and I stared at each other for long seconds, that weird tension growing between us again, and I suddenly found it hard to breathe normally.

Then I felt it—so strong, I jolted.

“What is it?” Bram said, closing the space between us.

“I’m being called somewhere.” A terrible feeling filled me, gripping me behind the ribs. “Something awful’s happened.”

CHAPTER 11

Bram

Mags sat in the passenger seat, staring blindly ahead. “Turn left,” she said as a great shudder moved through her small frame.

I’d seen a lot of things since we found each other. I’d been with her while she spelled, performed rituals, and used potions. I’d seen her cut herself more times than I could count. I’d also been around during her sisters’ own tasks and trials. I thought I’d seen it all, was prepared for what was coming—I sure as hell never expected this feeling growing inside me right now, now that it was finally Mags’s turn. I felt fucking helpless, powerless, and I didn’t know how to deal with the feeling.

I wanted to take this from her, all of it, but I couldn’t. When she’d walked out of that fucking cottage, after what felt like forever, I was so close to saying something—to doing something I could never take back.

I’d never wanted to kiss her more than in that moment, and I’d barely resisted the urge.

Then that female demon had almost told Mags what I was. That wasn’t fucking done. You talk about us, about what we are, you die. She’d need to be dealt with. Then the fucker on the street had put his filthy hands on Mags. I’d almost snapped his neck. I still wanted to go back, find him, and end him.

Throughout the day, the ever-present darkness inside me had gone from a low hum to a silent roar. I thought I could keep my shit tight, but that was easier said than done. And the closer I got to that darkness, the deeper it pulled me in, the more the crow, the predator, the male who craved his mate, roared along with it.

“Take the next right,” she said, her voice lost, distant.

I dragged in a steadying breath, forcing myself to focus. We had no idea where we were going and what we were about to walk into. Fuck, the thought of her doing this without me turned my insides to stone. As much as I craved the hunt, needed it, being by her side, making sure she was safe, surpassed it all.

I’d called Rook, and he was going to try to cover for me, but that wouldn’t work forever. Ignoring an assignment wouldn’t be tolerated, and sooner rather than later, I’d need to go for my own sanity.

“We’re close,” she said, gripping the door so tight it had to hurt. “There.”

She pointed to an old garage. The faded sign above it hung on an angle. Sid’s Garage. The building was covered in graffiti, and weeds had burst through the cracked concrete in front of a rusted roller door.

Magnolia continued to stare out the window, her big amber eyes wide. She bit her lower lip.

“Mags?”

“I don’t want to go in there,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Neither did I. What I wanted to do was drive away and never come back. To take Mags away from the danger that she was about to face, away from the mother and her fucking sadistic test of strength, away from everyone—to a place where no one or nothing could come between us. Where she’d be mine alone. Just her and me.

But I couldn’t, because nothing was that easy, and the shit swirling around us was way more complicated than that—and I couldn’t see a way through it.

“Let’s go,” she said and shoved her door open.

I grabbed a flashlight from the glove box and rounded the car as she strapped that massive fucking knife to her thigh. A knife she more than knew how to use, thanks to Asher.

Taking her hand, we did a quick scan of our surroundings, then moved through the shadows, walking down the narrow alley between the garage’s concrete wall and the decrepit building beside it.