of the way of the oncoming stream of fire, although the smell of burning hair tells me I got singed.
Landon helps me up, only for the beast's giant tail to catch him in the chest and send him sprawling backward. It's only as I look around that I realise with fear that I've lost sight of the guys.
Smoke and magic fill the entryway, making it impossible to see, and even yelling out their names, my voice is drowned out by the chaos.
Landon is struggling to his feet, unleashing a sonic blast to fend off the dragon's fire, and I catch a glimpse of what might be Shade duking it out with another witch, but there's no sign of Hunter and Silas. Eyes stinging, I squint and look around before settling on Theo's office. The others are nowhere to be seen, but if she's in there…
I'm frozen for a moment, torn, but the feeling of rough hands on my arms snaps me out of it. Craning my neck, I see a female siren shifter, and push back against the wall as hard as I can, weakening her grip. I pull free and charge for the office, operating on pure instinct. A long shot is better than no shot.
I struggle through the melee, narrowly avoiding a couple of latent spells, and shove open the door to Theo's office.
There, rummaging through his desk, is the girl who cost me my powers.
"Edith!" I yell, rage boiling through me.
Her eyes widen for a moment in shock before narrowing again. "Brix." With a flick of her wrist, she sends me flying back into the door, making my head spin.
By the time I get my eyes open, she's on the balcony, making for the stairs leading up to the roof.
Gritting my teeth, my head pounding, I struggle to my feet and follow her.
Chapter 17
The debris and overturned furniture impede my progress, but somehow I manage to get my feet under me and work my way across the office. I guess I’m in luck that she only cast the one spell; if she were so inclined, she probably could have paralysed me the way she did before. It seems she has greater aspirations, however.
As I stumble across the office, acrid smoke stinging my lungs, I can’t help but wonder why she’s heading for the roof instead of for Theo. Could there be reinforcements up there? But it’s too late to back out now, and if I let her out of my sight, I could lose her forever. No, I’m going after her, come hell or high water.
Clenching my jaw, I yank open the sliding glass door leading onto the balcony, a burst of cool morning air hitting me in the face as soon as I make it outside. The sun is just beginning its ascent over the horizon, and far below us, the city is waking up; it won’t be long before passersby start to notice the chaos unfolding in the apartment, if they haven’t already. We don’t have much time, and Edith knows it as well as I do.
Heart pounding, I steal a glance over my shoulder in the halfhearted hope that one of the guys might have followed me, but I can see nothing but explosions and indistinguishable figures.
You’re on your own now, Brix, a voice in my mind whispers. And no magic to back you up. A surge of adrenaline rushes through me at the idea, along with a great deal of fear: I may have tangled with Academy agents before, but this will be my first time fighting a shifter without my powers. A very powerful shifter, at that.
I suck in a desperate breath—Edith’s spell knocked the wind out of me, and the air is coming in wheezing gulps—and somehow manage to lunge out onto the balcony. By the time I actually turn in the direction of the fire escape, Edith is already disappearing over the top, and I hiss a curse as I lurch to follow her.
Taking a few deep breaths, I seize hold of the wrought iron ladder and begin to climb. My hands are trembling and my grip is unsteady. Due to fear or weakness, I can’t say. At one point, my footing slips, leaving me dangling precariously over the edge with my heart in my throat, but somehow I manage to keep my clammy hands closed around the bars and struggle onward.
The effort feels like it takes everything I have, and I have to will myself not to look down;