House of Mages and Raven (Shades of Ruin and Magic #4)

Chapter 30

30

Barbie

B ang! Dang!

I landed on top of a shelf and tumbled with it and all the smut books, sprawling on the hard ground in the cell of the House of Mages. I wouldn’t have fallen so ungracefully if I hadn’t been too busy flipping Killian off when I dream-walked back. At least he didn’t see me fall on my ass, as he was on the other side of the reality.

I scrambled to my feet, disoriented, disheveled, and out of breath from the biggest orgasm I’d had. I stared down at my wrinkled academy outfit—a white shirt and dark red skirt. My stockings were at the foot of the bed. I’d yanked them off before Killian came through the tear that he’d opened. And now I didn’t have panties on me, since he had torn them off.

I fumbled along my thighs, waiting for my panties to appear. When they didn’t, a shocked truth hit me.

I hadn’t been in Killian’s dream walk, as I’d thought. Somehow, he’d managed to teleport me to his dragon’s haunt. He’d fucked me for real. And it occurred to me that the mating heat might not have been sated if he’d fucked me in his dream walk.

It told that he’d grown more powerful since our first real coupling, as had I. It seemed that part of our powers had merged after our union. I’d used his power without siphoning it to tear open the fabric of reality and return to my cell in the House of Mages.

What did it mean?

It means that he has your panties, Sy said, still drunk from feasting on our mating. Let’s go back to get it and fuck him again.

My sex still pulsed from the last leg of the orgasm. As I recalled the frustrated and lustful look on Killian’s face, my rage was soothed at my small victory. I even felt a little cocky as I patted down my skirt.

A rush of air sent my golden curls bouncing before Pucker materialized.

The ghost guardian gave me a long look. “What happened? Where have you been? I was looking for you everywhere, Barbie! You should’ve been here for the duration of the detention, but you weren’t. And now you’re back and look flushed.” He sniffed, but he couldn’t smell a damn thing. “Well, I’m a little flushed too, as I ran around to look for you.”

“What’s up?” I asked as I tried to reel myself back.

“We need to hurry,” he said. “Shriekers are right outside the Veil!”

Ice pumped into my veins at once, quenching the remaining heat within. Cold rage surged to meet the dark panic that pounded in me.

“How many of them?” I asked.

“A squad,” he said. “And they keep coming.”

I swallowed. “They’re hunting me.”

Pucker pulled his ghost lips back in a snarl. “They’ll have to get to you over my dead body.”

It wasn’t polite to tell him that he was already dead, so I just stared at him for half a second longer before I stared at the prison bars.

“I’ll go steal the key to open the door for you,” he suggested.

“No need,” I said.

No magical locks or wards could stop me. I couldn’t break the bars earlier because of the mating heat, which needed to be sated first, and somehow, it knew that Killian was coming for me.

When Cade put me in here, Sy had questioned why I would allow anyone to cage us, as powerful as we were. I’d been playing their games since day one, not wanting to stand out to alert Ruin and his agents about my whereabouts, even though the evidence had indicated that they were already here. The kidnap, the druid, and the demon queen were all connected in a web.

Playing dumb to let them underestimate me might buy us more time.

The time for lying low has passed, Sy hissed. Own our birthright!

I didn’t need her fury; I had enough of mine. I stretched a hand, summoning the evil blade, and Deathsong fell into my palm. My finger curled around its icy hilt.

Pucker phased through the bar and turned to eye the blade warily.

“My, my,” my familiar said nosily. “Isn’t that the creepiest dagger I’ve ever laid my eyes on? Do you know that it whispers bloodthirsty thoughts, Barbie?”

“Yeah, Deathsong often does it gleefully,” I said. “That’s why I don’t carry it with me, but summon it when I need it.”

Deathsong chirped happily, Let’s go kill some abominations. You can test me on that ghost first.

Pucker leapt back.

“Save your strength. He’s not our target,” I said, pausing to study Pucker for a second. He seemed to have gained some weight, even as a ghost. “Let’s go kill something bigger and badder today.”

“I’m offended,” Pucker said.

Yes! Let’s go! the blade cheered. He’s too small a fish.

I brought up the evil blade and slashed at the bars, cutting through the iron like it were made of liquid. I cut the bars until I’d made a nice, large square enough for me to slide through.

“Prince Cade will complain when he comes back and sees that you ruined his five-star prison cell,” Pucker said.

“He’s rich,” I said. “But he’s frugal. I’m doing him a favor by getting him to spend and live more. I don’t think he’ll ever put me back here, though.”

“His loss.” Pucker nodded. “But no one’s perfect.”

Dismissing Deathsong for now, I rushed along the hallway, my familiar in tow. I shot up the stairs, kicked the door open, and ran through. In no time, I reached the top of the staircase and jogged into the common hall, where mages hung out.

I zoomed toward a clique group and snatched a glass of white wine from Fred’s hand before he could drink it. I poured the liquid down my throat and tossed the empty glass at Matt. He caught it. Good reflexes.

I scanned the crowd. Now everyone grabbed their glasses tightly. When it came to booze, mages favored wine. Shifters liked rum and Coke. Vampires mostly mixed their whiskey or wine with blood. Demons liked Hell’s local brew. Fae preferred sweet flower wine, and the chaos members went for beers.

“I’m still thirsty,” I said.

Fred widened his eyes. “What the hell, Barbie? How did you get out? I said we’d come tomorrow.”

Pucker in his phantom form tapped my shoulder. No time for more drinks.

I nodded. “I gotta go. I’ll have another drink later.”

I zoomed toward the main door, which flung open for me, courtesy of the house magic.

“Come back and return to your jail cell, wicked Barbie!” Matt howled in panic. “Or His Highness will have my head.”

I shot out of the door like an arrow and shoved away a coven of witches who blocked the stairs, evoking angry shouts behind me. Well, nice people didn’t get things done, and cowards often hid behind the wall of being nice, so they didn’t have to risk their own necks to fight the bad people. Hell had a special place for the hypocrites who even believed their own lies.

“Barbie, shouldn’t you be in detention?” A trio of mage sentinels who hadn’t gone with Cade to the court stalked toward me. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“To Hell. Destination is the second floor,” I shouted back mockingly. “Will you be brave to follow me?”

No one followed, and I ran like an army of ants was on my tail, my legs pumping with Sy’s strength.

I got to the peak of the hill, the academy grounds behind me, a breathtaking sight of shiny buildings and shops amid blooming gardens and dark forest. Though the ivory tower of Skyward—the once-radiant symbol of Shades Academy—had dimmed and ruptured after the battle with the Legion of the Brotherhood. It’d been tainted by the druid, who had practiced black magic by sacrificing beings in the depths of its bowels.

The students milled around, enjoying the last hour of twilight, as if they could live a blessed life forever, not knowing the coming of the biggest threat to their realm, not realizing that everything they had could be taken away with their next breath.

I’d never had that luxury. Even hiding from my father for a decade, even hiding out in this last, safest realm with the Veil between him, his abominations, and me, I’d never taken safety for granted. This heaviness, this burden, this petrifying fear, and this rage were never-melting ice in my chest. Yet there was a spark of hope at the bottom of the ashes and ember, and for the kernel of hope, I’d do just anything to preserve it. I’d give my last breath to protect this magical realm and Underhill.

I gazed over the shimmering Veil across the wide plain before I broke into a run again. With strategies playing in my head, I charged down the hill and zoomed through the blades of grass in a blur.

I halted before the Veil, magic rising from the soil and twirling around my feet anxiously. It’d felt the threat close by. I crouched, cradling it into my arms. I’m here. I won’t let evil touch you, I vowed.

The magic calmed.

I rose to my feet and stretched out a hand. At my summoning, the hilt of Deathsong fell to my palm.

I’m thirsty, mistress, the evil blade chirped. Are we going to drink some foul blood?

I answered by gripping it tighter, my knuckles white.

I blew out a breath. Sy, are you ready?

She grinned. Born ready.

With Sy, I was never alone. And I wouldn’t battle alone today.

“You have me as well,” Pucker said by my side.

“Let do this!” I leapt through the Veil.