This Coven Won't Break - Isabel Sterling Page 0,81
to her eyes now, an edge of poorly concealed hatred creeping in. “She’s not going anywhere.”
Benton’s father flicks open the lighter and toys with the striking mechanism. He rests his hip against the desk. “You destroyed years of careful research. We sunk millions into the development of the cure, and you ruined it!”
His temper boils over and he turns, knocking the vials of Archer’s magic-less potions to the floor. The glass shatters, but that’s not enough for the man’s rage. He pockets the lighter and lunges for Archer, hitting him hard across the face. Once. Twice. Three times, and I’m screaming for him to stop and there’s blood dripping from Archer’s nose and I want my reality to be anything but this.
“There’s also the matter of our missing children,” Mrs. Hall cuts in, and her voice finally stops the assault. “We lost contact with three of our young agents two weeks ago. We have reason to believe you are responsible for their disappearance.”
I struggle against the bindings, anger mixing with terror. I reach for my magic, but it’s even harder to find with panic and fear clouding my senses.
“Well?” Benton’s mom prompts. “Where are they?”
“Where they belong,” I snap, the anger winning over.
Mr. Hall glares at me, and I flinch when he moves, but he heads for the desk and rummages through the top drawer. When he turns back to face me, there’s a syringe in his hand. My entire body goes cold. “Let’s try this again.” He stalks slowly toward me. “Where are our missing agents?”
“Hannah doesn’t know anything.” Archer struggles against his restraints. “You don’t need her.”
But the Hunter doesn’t care. He grabs hold of my chin and tilts my head to one side, exposing my neck. “Where are they?” His voice scrapes against my skin like broken glass. When I don’t answer, even as Archer begs him to let me go, I feel the bite of the needle and—
“James, wait.” Mrs. Hall crosses the room and eases the needle from my neck. “We don’t have much left.” She steps back, and I expect to see compassion in her features despite everything I know she’s done. Instead, she looks at me like I’m an experiment. “Besides, she’s already been dosed with a previous version. Her biology could be useful.”
“She still has her magic,” Mr. Hall argues. “She’s dangerous until she’s either drugged or put down.”
“No, she’s not,” Archer says, his voice steady again. “Hannah can’t access her magic. She hasn’t been able to since she was drugged.”
Mrs. Hall sets the syringe gently on the table. “The agents in the stairwell—”
“Were attacked by another Elemental. Not Hannah,” Archer says, and I can’t tell if he’s lying or truly thinks it was Ellen who dropped those men. “You don’t need her biology, either. I was drugged today, too. You can use me.”
“Archer . . .” I won’t abandon him here. I won’t let him sacrifice himself.
Mr. Hall hits him again, and Archer stifles a groan, his face contorted with pain. “You are not in a position to bargain with us. Neither of you are leaving this building alive.” Benton’s dad pulls out the lighter again and flicks it open. “Let’s see how powerless your fire demon is.”
For the first time since the Hunters shot at us in the basement, I see real fear flicker across Archer’s face. Mr. Hall sparks the lighter, and a tiny flame bursts forth. Archer sits impossibly still, but his hands curl into fists as the Hunter approaches. Mr. Hall runs the flame along Archer’s knuckles, and I reach desperately for my power.
A scream tears from Archer’s throat, and I push as hard as I can past the barrier around my magic. Pain explodes up my spine, and I try to push. I try to keep going, try to grab hold of the fire’s will and bend it to my own. But the harder I reach for the flame, the more it hurts, and I can’t focus through the pain and Archer’s screams and I can’t, I can’t, I can’t . . .
“Dad, that’s enough.” Benton crosses the room toward us. “You heard him. He was cured. He’s human now and—”
Mr. Hall catches Benton across the side of the face with a vicious right hook. The impact sends Benton to his knees, and a bone-deep terror settles over me as blood drips from Benton’s nose. If the Hunters will do this to their own children, what will they do to us?