“I’ll look the past the
insult, warlock. But I will do whatever I must to ensure you don’t destroy what
I’ve built up.” He leaned in, allowing all the evil inside of him to register
in his eyes. “Her money is no longer yours. Your control over her has been
broken.”
Layton took a step back, perhaps at what he saw in Zeke’s
eyes, but then the warlock’s magic rushed from his palms. A brutal wave of
energy blasted Zeke in the chest, sending him flying through the air. He landed
hard on his back and groaned as pain shot up his spine.
Raising his head, he discovered Layton backing away from
him. Yes, you should be afraid . “That, warlock, was a mistake.”
Chapter Seven
Bryanna finished putting her hair up into a ponytail after
her long bath. Before she’d gone to the employment office, she had discovered a
clothing store on the way and had bought some comfortable clothing. She’d
dropped it off at home before her trip to Nevin’s, which had been hell on
earth. She hoped for her sake that the next employment office Zeke took her to
tomorrow would result in her actually finding a job. A witch needed to be
productive.
After she slipped into her black yoga pants and purple
cotton t-shirt, she exited her small bathroom with the antique clawfoot bathtub
and entered her country-style living room. Leaning against the doorframe, she
sighed, gazing over the microfiber brown couches, dark oak tables and the rich
green plants in the space.
Heaven.
With a smile, and craving a tea, she strode forward, but
then she gasped, dropping to her knees. The sensation of magic swept across
her, stealing her breath.
Not just magic; familiar magic.
She shut her eyes, fighting through the deep pain in her
chest at the reminder of who that magic belonged to. Zeke had made her forget
her misery and now it returned in full force. But why was she feeling this now?
And with such intensity?
After a moment to catch her breath, she glanced down at her
arms, noticing the hairs standing up. Layton’s here. She pushed off the
ground and hurried out the front door.
The second she stepped outside, the warm breeze caressed her
skin as loud grunts and curses filled the air around her. Grabbing her shoes
from inside, she had them on her feet in a split second.
Leaving her front door wide open, she ran toward the fight,
hoping and praying her assumptions of who was fighting were wrong. But
the moment she rounded onto Main Street, the force of energy Layton used with
his magic stole her breath.
She rushed forward and with each step she took, the thicker
the air became with Layton’s magic. And the second the gates of town appeared,
she saw why.
Zeke had just leveled Layton with a hard punch, sending her
ex-boyfriend flying off his feet before Layton sent a wave of energy back,
flipping Zeke over.
“Oh no.” She ran faster, and as she passed Arlo, he grabbed
her arm with what appeared to be two fingers, not allowing her to jump into the
fight. “Stop this,” she screamed.
Neither demon nor warlock listened to her, and yet again,
they both got in a good blow. “Stop right now or I’ll use my magic!”
Layton stood, rubbing at the side of his bleeding cheek.
“What will you do, make a table and hit us with it?”
Zeke pushed himself off the ground and growled, a low, scary
sound. When he turned to Bryanna, the crimson flickers in his eyes made her
heart skip a beat and she took a step back. His eyebrows drew together before
he shook his head, the color fading back into his dark soft eyes.
Perhaps she had forgotten Zeke was a demon, since an uneasy
feeling crept in her soul, reminding her how terrifying his kind was. He took a
step closer, but her breath hitched and he stopped, staring at her with sad
eyes.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she turned back to Layton.
“Why are you here?”
“To bring you home.” He approached her, and when he settled
in front of her, he stared down with the tender crystal-blue eyes that
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