Wicked Wings (Lizzie Grace #5) - Keri Arthur Page 0,102

might be alone, but I wasn’t powerless. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and then carefully wove a spell around my fingers, one that was a demon net and tracker combined. This time, if my net did hit her in any way, a couple of threads would latch onto her feathers and give me a means of tracking her. Monty might frown at the way I mixed my spells, but as yet they hadn’t failed me.

I crossed mental fingers that this spell would not be the first.

I pressed back against the SUV and studied the trees on either side of the road. Aside from that sharp crack a few minutes ago, there was little in the way of movement or sound. But the fact that the cicadas were so quiet suggested something was indeed out there.

I flexed my fingers, the movement stretching the spell twined around them and sending a rainbow shimmer of light across the nearby shadows. Just for an instant there was an answering glimmer in the trees.

A glimmer that looked like eyes.

Eyes that were round and golden.

Owl eyes.

Empusae eyes.

Oh fuck…

Energy sparked around my other hand, enriched with the glittering threads of wild magic—the stuff that came from within rather than the stuff native to this reservation. Which had been strangely absent over the last few days, but I guess it couldn’t be everywhere. And it certainly wasn’t logical to expect it to handily turn up whenever I needed it—even if part of me wished it would do exactly that right now.

The eyes disappeared. The sick churning in my gut intensified. I remained still, every sense I had wide open in an effort to catch the slightest hint of movement or magic.

Nothing.

The night remained, at least on a surface level, free of sound and threat.

But she was out there, watching and waiting.

For what?

Are you okay? came Belle’s comment. I’m getting all sorts of weird vibes from you.

I’ve had two flat tires. Aiden’s on his way out here.

That doesn’t explain the weird vibes. What’s wrong?

I think the Empusae might be stalking me.

Well fuck, where are you? I’ll come get you—

There’s nothing you can do. And no way she’d get here in time if something did happen. It might be nothing.

Even as I said that, another crack rang out, jangling my nerves and making my heart skip unevenly for several beats. The bitch was playing with me…

We both know the latter part of that statement is an outright lie. I’ll head home and—

Belle, don’t wreck your night—

Leaving Kash to party on without me in the club is not wrecking my night. You dying on me totally would. I’ll get home and get comfortable, just in case you have to pull on my reserves.

I drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. Thanks, Belle.

Energy stirred. Not mine. Not even the Empusae’s. It belonged to Vita. She might have told us she couldn’t track this demon, but she had an uncanny knack of showing up just before the bitch attacked…

The thought had barely crossed my mind when a figure came out of the trees and arrowed toward me. I swore and flung my net spell. It spun through the air, spreading out as it did so, providing an ever-widening area in which to capture the demon. She screamed in fury, a sound so fierce it made my ears ache. In the blink of an eye she went from flesh to feather form and then soared upwards. I flicked my spell after her; one edge caught her tail and threads of magic spun from the net to her feathers and lashed around them tightly. She screeched and twisted violently one way and then the other even as her magic surged and attacked mine. I quickly unraveled the net spell and let it fall away, hoping against hope that she didn’t see—didn’t feel—the two faint threads still clinging to her. Now I just had to remain alive long enough to make use of them. I wove a second spell around my fingertips, this time a repelling one.

The demon had disappeared once more. I scanned the skies, knowing she wouldn’t have gone far, knowing she’d be back, and soon, if only because I was alone in the middle of nowhere. She’d never get a better opportunity to attack.

Vita came closer, and anger stirred through me. It very much felt like she was using me as bait—especially given her energy was similar in feel to the faint wisps that had lingered on the