Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Hope surges through me, but I temper it with cold logic. I was high on magic when I cloned myself, operating on pure instinct. Common wisdom says a wizard never reveals his special power unless it’s life or death.
This is beyond life or death. This is Sydney.
I sit on the cot where I so recently made love to her and squeeze my eyes shut. I clutch the bed frame. My arms shake. And I picture my clone separating from me, materializing outside these godforsaken bars. Every muscle in my body tenses as I pour everything I have into this one, desperate act.
Seconds stretch into eternity. Nothing happens. I curse, ready to scream in frustration.
Then I feel it—my insides being ripped apart.
The pain is excruciating, like someone is reaching into my chest and is slowly tearing me in two. I clench my jaw so hard I taste blood, fighting against the agony threatening to split me apart.
Suddenly, it stops. I slump against the wall, utterly drained, praying it wasn’t all for nothing.
“I’ll come back with help.” My own voice, yet not, echoes in the cell.
My eyes fly open, and there he is—me, but not me, standing on the other side of the bars. Relief crashes over me like a tidal wave.
“Save her,” I rasp, every word an effort.
My clone nods and vanishes. And now comes the hardest part of all—waiting, helpless, while a part of me races to save the woman who’s become my whole world.
Sydney
At Shock’s urging, I rise on wobbly legs. I knew he wasn’t a good guy, but now I’ll find out exactly how bad he is.
“Faster,” he snaps. “You’re keeping me from my fun, and Mathias from valuable information.”
His command enrages me. If I’m going to die, might as well let the bastard know how much I loathe him.
“How inconsiderate of me not to run to my death. Must be a real bitch for you.”
Mathias laughs, the sound scratching an icy path up my spine before his expression turns to pure menace. “You’ll give her extra pain for that, I hope?”
“With pleasure.”
“Wait!” Mathias barks. “A disturbance in the security. I think the Doomsday Brethren have arrived. With them out of the way, we won’t need this chit anymore. And if we kill all the warriors, Olivia Gray and Sabelle Rion will be alone and unprotected. Certainly one of them can be persuaded to help our cause.”
“Don’t touch my friends!” I scream.
“You’re in no position to issue orders,” Mathias snaps, then turns to Shock. “Why don’t you go greet our company? Take the Anarki with you. I’ll stay with our lovely guest.”
I swallow down my terror.
Worse, the Doomsday Brethren trust Shock—well, mostly Bram—for reasons I can’t fathom. I’m worried they’ll be easily duped—and quickly killed.
Magickind’s entire future rests on the whims of the big, bad wizard walking out the door.
I grab his leather-clad arm. “Please, no. Don’t do this!”
Shock glares at me as if I’m nothing but a pesky gnat. Then he shakes off my hold and strides out the door.
Caden
I shiver in the cold cell, shoving the discomfort aside to focus on the “movie” unspooling in my mind from my clone. He makes his way out of the basement, creeping up the stairs and around a corner to Mathias’s sitting room on the first floor.
A small lamp illuminates Sydney, huddled in an oversized black leather chair, pale and hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes blaze with undisguised hatred as she stares at Mathias.
Relief floods through me—she’s alive.
For now.
Sunlight begins to creep through the east-facing windows above my clone. Time is running out. Soon, his hiding place will be compromised. We’ve got to move fast to get Sydney out and reclaim the Doomsday Diary. No way in hell am I leaving a weapon like that in Mathias’s hands.
We’ve got one shot to surprise this bastard. I don’t even know if my clone can wield magic except under pressure and panic. And even if I can channel energy to him, do I have enough left to take down Mathias?
As daylight invades the room and the sounds of battle erupt outside, it’s clear that it’s now or never. Either the Doomsday Brethren fight their way in and all hell breaks loose, or the Anarki swarm us and we’re all dead. If Sydney is going to make it out alive, we have to move now.
My clone crouches, ready to spring. Sydney spots him, stifling her surprise, but Mathias is too savvy. He whirls, wand at the ready. Acting on pure instinct, my clone throws out his hand, channeling everything into a fireball he hurls at the wizard.
Mathias can’t react fast enough. He leaps aside, but the blast still catches him in the gut. He doubles over, face contorted in agony, eyes blazing with hate.
“You’ll pay for that,” he snarls.
“Not today,” my clone retorts, yanking Sydney to her feet. “Grab the book and run. Stay in the shadows, head for the northeast side. The others are there. I’ll be right behind you.”