Damn good deathtrap.

“Even if it could, you’d be unconscious by the time you got to it,” Damarion said, turning to see Austin’s face. He held out blackened fingers, obviously having tried the barrier to get a second opinion. “The pain is excruciating for just a few digits. Putting your whole body through that will kill you. Maybe not right away, but you wouldn’t have long. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t stand in your way. You’re a distraction Jacinta doesn’t need.” He glanced back at the others. “We will search for the other entrance. We know what we are looking for—we have but to find it.”

“They might’ve hidden the entrance,” Mr. Tom said.

“They didn’t hide this one,” Damarion replied.

“Then there might be the same spell on the other, non-hidden, entrance…” Mr. Tom said.

“I won’t black out from the pain,” Austin said, “and Jess will heal me before I’m lost to it. That’s not a concern. What about that chain?”

“Doubt it,” Mr. Tom said, leaning forward and peering through the gloom. “It’s not reinforced where it connects to the cage. That is probably on purpose. Rattle that cage too much and whoopsie daisy, down it goes.”

“You’d need to jump in animal form to clear the spikes,” Niamh said.

“I know,” Austin said.

“But ye would need to change back into human as ye neared the cage, suffer the pain, and grab on to that chain, hoping Jessie remembers how to heal.”

“I know.”

“This is probably a fool’s errand,” she said.

“Probably.”

“This is ridiculous.” Damarion turned and made a circle in the air. “Have fun on those spikes, bear. I’ll save her myself. Come on.” He stalked to the cave entrance, almost all of the gargoyles falling in behind him.

Cedric watched them go, then he turned and faced front, his allegiance clearly to the few members of Ivy House.

Ulric blew out a breath. “I hope to hell you make it, Mr. Steele, because I’m about to burn a bridge by staying here with you all.”

“What are you thinking?” Niamh asked Austin quietly.

“I’m thinking that today is the day Jess learns how to fly.”

25

Tears of frustration in my eyes, I felt like kicking something. My wings would not pop out. They just wouldn’t. I’d have to wait in this godforsaken cage until that hairy creature came back and tsked at me for lying about my access to magical flowers.

I stamped my foot, then froze when the cage vibrated under me. Best not to mess with my rusty hanging lifeline.

Puffing out a breath, I glanced at the shadowy area, terrified someone would come walking through it at any moment. Terrified they’d take me away, far out of reach of Austin and Niamh and the others. Seeing nothing, I glanced longingly at the other opening, and then widened my eyes.

People stood behind the filmy barrier, and I recognized their statures immediately. The thin, almost wilting frame of Mr. Tom; the comparatively short silhouette of Niamh, hands on hips; the hunching vampire, who looked like he was hugging himself; and the broad form of Austin, standing close, staring at me. If they’d been talking, I hadn’t heard them, that barrier obviously locking me into a sound vacuum.

My heart surged with hope. They’d found me! Somehow, they’d found me, and there they were, looking in.

If the mages came and tried to move me, they could at least follow them. I didn’t see Damarion, but he was probably there somewhere, or maybe still in the sky. With those powerful wings, he could fly for a long time without needing rest. He’d made it all the way here from across the country, after all.

“If there was ever a time for wings, it is right now,” I muttered, facing them, my hands still balled. “Now more than a few minutes ago. I need to get to them.”

Austin backed away from the shimmering magical wall, and I felt the frown crease my face. Hopefully he wasn’t planning to leave and find the other entrance. If anyone could find it, he would, but that hairy creature would be back long before that. He’d only planned for that lunch break and a faux-sprained ankle. Even a real sprained ankle wouldn’t keep him very long.

“Austin can probably take that creature, though,” I mumbled to myself, willing my wings to pop out. Or grow, or whatever was supposed to happen. Of course, the creature had mentioned the mages might be alerted by the sound of the chain descending. That meant they were probably in the area. If they came back—

A burst of light filled the opening, and the hulking shape of an enormous polar bear pushed the others aside.

“What is he…”

My heart leapt when the huge beast launched through the barrier. His beautiful white fur instantly turned ashy, as though it had been on fire, and smoke trailed from his body. His skin under his fur had blackened as well, intense burns covering him, blistering the skin, some peeling away to show blood-red patches beneath.

My stomach dropped out and fear squeezed my middle—could he survive that type of damage? Would he be able to stay conscious?

His paws stayed splayed, though, and he soared toward me, aiming right for the top of the cage. Nearly there, a blast of light and heat pushed me back. His human form emerged right as he hit the metal top, jerking the cage to swinging.

He slid across the surface, all blood and burned skin, and nearly went off the other side of the bars.

I cried out and threw up my hands. He slammed into a solid wall of air, stopping his forward momentum and smashing his nose. Not missing a beat, he reached back and scrabbled for the chain, wrapping a horribly damaged hand around it and pulling himself to safety. He clung there for a moment, his whole body shaking, the pain clearly unbearable.

Still he held on, and I reached up, wanting to cure all of this. Hating that he’d done this for me.

His sigh preceded him dropping his head, and I latched on to his center with the magical connection I could once again feel, pumping magic into him. I didn’t know if it was energy, or healing, or even if it was helping, but it was all I could manage.

“Thank you,” he said in a wispy voice, laying his head down for a moment as the cage groaned and swayed and the spikes below us stared up hungrily.

“Why did you do that, you idiot?” A tear slipped down my face, and I reached up on my tiptoes for him.

He dropped a hand to catch mine, wincing as he did so.

“I couldn’t leave you here on your own, Jess. Whatever comes, we’ll face it together,” he said, and though I knew it had to be agonizing, I gripped his hand tightly.

Tingles spread across my skin and prickled my scalp. My stomach felt like champagne bubbles fizzed up through it.

His moan bespoke ecstasy and his eyes fluttered, the patches of bloody red already gone from his still burned and blackened skin.

“My God, that feels good,” he said in a breathy whisper. “You’ve taken away all the pain and replaced it with…”

I didn’t need him to mention what I’d replaced it with. The evidence was currently reaching down through the bars at me, and I wasn’t talking about his hand.

“Sorry, I don’t know—”

“No, no, it’s okay…” he said.

I nodded and bit my lip, trying to look anywhere but at his lower half. It was not easy.

“Did you get a look at your captors?” he asked, his voice already stronger.

“Just at the bar. I woke up in this cage. A big, hairy creature was down below. He wouldn’t let me out, but he did agree to leave me alone for a while. I’m not sure how much longer he’ll be gone. He’s supposed to be guarding me.”

“How’d you get him to leave?”

“Apparently flowers are his weakness.”

Austin chuckled softly, the action turning into a haggard cough. “That mage did a helluva job on that barrier. It’s a good one.”

“You shouldn’t have jumped through it! They probably don’t mean to kill me, Austin. I can’t say the same for you.”

“We won’t be here to find out.”

“I admire your confidence, but I’m locked in here. I can’t figure out how to magically unlock it.”

“I got it.” He dropped my hand and crawled forward, but stopped when his unmentionables bumped against the bar. “Oops. This is probably incredibly awkward for you.”

I huffed out an unexpected laugh as he worked his way forward again, a little more careful than normal with a part most men didn’t want to scrape up. Near the edge of the cage, which was still swinging, he grabbed one of the bars on the door and his muscles bulged. The door clicked, the deadbolt bumping against its frame, but it didn’t swing open.

“You keep healing me. I’ll worry about this,” he said.

I grimaced, because I hadn’t intentionally stopped.

I thought about his wounds and about his nervousness about his privates and the rough bars, trying to jump-start the magic I largely didn’t know how to do consciously.

“Mmm…maybe don’t work directly on…that part…” He groaned, stopping for a moment and lowering his head. “It’s distracting me. We don’t have that kind of time.”

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” I muttered, my face burning. “I’m just trying to—”

“After we get out of here, please feel free to practice that trick on me. I’ll make myself available any time.” He smirked as he readied to yank on the bar again. “Any time.”

“This is no time to joke around,” I murmured.

His muscles bulged again and he grunted. With a loud clang, the door to the cage ripped open. The top hinge popped off, and the door swung downward, the other hinge groaning with the effort of holding on. Unable to handle the strain, it tore free and the door went somersaulting down toward the spikes.

It hit and bounced a little before settling, part of it sinking into a gap between the spikes, the rest stuck on top. The sound reverberated through the room.