Page 151 of Black Willow Witch
‘They could have left fast,’ said Logan. ‘Why would they want to cause a scene, though?’
‘And why do it at Yvette’s diner, of all places?’ asked Crew, stood on Ripper’s other side. ‘It’s a surefire way to piss you off and ensure that you find out who is responsible.’
‘I suppose it could be revenge for how you went knocking on the doors of the witches who confronted Emberlyn,’ Kerr mused.
Ripper stiffened. ‘Emberlyn,’ he said under his breath, his scalp prickling with suspicion. He stalked straight to the counter and slapped his palms on it. ‘I need to use your phone,’ he told Yvette, his stomach hardening as a sense of urgency began to ride him.
His aunt hurried off and quickly returned with the cordless phone.
He punched in Emberlyn’s number and held the phone to his ear. It rang. And rang. And rang. And rang.Nothing. He hung up. Tried again. Still nothing.
Ripper swore. ‘She’s not answering.’ He set the phone down on the counter as he realized. ‘Bait. This scene here was bait to draw me away from her.Fuck.’
He rushed out of the diner, aware of Kerr and Logan hot on his heels, and practically jumped into his truck.
Yvette appeared at Ripper’s open window just as he switched on the engine. ‘Don’t panic, your witch is strong. I’ve heard about a lot of the things she’s been able to do. Only one other witch had that ease with magick.’
‘Millicent.’
Yvette shook her head. ‘Lilith.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
With a roar worthy of a highlander, Ward batted at the locusts surrounding him and pinned Emberlyn with a glare. He thrust out his palm and a gleaming wave of magick came sailing toward her at super speed. It slapped her face like a hot hand, making her flesh sting and throb.
Not bad, she begrudgingly allowed.
Remaining on the top step of her porch, Emberlyn slammed up a hand and sent out a forceful blow of glittering magick that knocked him clean off his feet.And that’s how it’s done.
Just then, a Rabid rushed up the path, making a beeline for her. She sent out a heavy blow of power that caused it to fly backward, plunging it into the fray. Giggling goblins and squawking crows quickly descended on it.
Just to make things more interesting, she sent a gust of magick upward, letting it circle in the sky. Thunder cracked. Lightning flashed. Crimson rain came pouring down. A whistling wind built up.
Well, if the faction wanted destruction, she’d give them destruction.
‘Bitch!’ cursed Ames, lobbing a ball of power her way too fast for her to dodge. It was like taking a punch to the thigh, the impact so hard it almost numbed her leg.
Snarling, she slashed out her palm, emitting a hot blade of magick that carved at and singed his skin, drawing blood, leaving scorch marks, dragging cries of pain from him.
Two goblins crashed into his back, knocking him down flat. Others grabbed his legs and hauled him backwards.
The faction had no doubt intended to attack Emberlyn as a group – an intention they couldn’t follow through with, since the goblins kept them preoccupied. Several had swarmed each witch, attacking hard while laughing like little maniacs.
She really liked their style.
Catching movement on the ground, she looked to see Reena army-crawling away from the scene, clearly weak and shaky, and likely devastated at the participation of her husband and sister. The High Priestess wasn’t a woman to flee like that, so she had to be feeling awful to—
A cursing Penelope hurled a clump of magick that quickly morphed into a cobra as it came sailing toward Emberlyn.
Emberlyn caught it by the throat and sharply snapped her hand to the side, breaking its neck. As it crumbled to magick ‘dust’, she glared at Penelope. ‘Like snakes, do you?’
Emberlyn sent out a wave of power that bounded along the ground in front of the faction, forming small crack after small crack. Chanting, she thrust her fists upward slightly . . . and snakes came slithering out of the fissures in the earth. Then toads, rats, scarab beetles and huge spiders.
Squealing like a little girl, Penelope backpedaled fast.
Emberlyn laughed – okay, cackled. Whatever.
Penelope’s gaze snapped back to her, narrowing with fury. She lifted her hands to retaliate, but then several goblins descended on her. All dragged her backward even as they attacked the now screaming woman.
