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“For God’s sake, give him the bloody book!” she snapped at Braolden brow at her Duke’s expression was no less assured Were they utterly mad?

Now that she could breathe, Sydney stomped her foot on Zain’s instep at the sarateful for the self-defense class she’d taken last year Zain grunted in pain In the ensuing moment of surprise, she darted away and ran toward Bram, hand outstretched for the book

The wizard held it away frolare “Control your woman or I will”

“You’ll pay, bitch!” Zain shouted as he worked to stand upright and charged Bram

As Caden restrained her, Sydney railed at hi inside her savored his touch His ar her close, breath in her ear, made her feel alive Safe

Quickly, he shoved her behind hiht it in an efficient grab Before she could blink, Braic wand appeared

A wand, seriously? How Harry Potter

Sydney had barely coht when Bra Zain with a burst of energy that hit hi the other man jerk and sizzle Some of his minions rushed toward Bram and Duke, wands suddenly in some upraised hands The othersOh, God! Now that they stepped into the light, she saw they were little ray bones, staring out from under their hoods Their eyes pro his ith an efficient flourish that ures crumple into unconscious heaps next to those Caden had subdued earlier

Soed Sydney close with an ar to her She screaed to Duke Bra in wide-eyed, uncharacteristic silence

Before Braainst his side, one of the rabbed the little woht brown hair strea She shrieked, the terrified soundthe hair on the back of Sydney’s neck stand up

“No one is leaving!” Zain insisted as Aquarius landed against hirunt, then trapped her in his arreen eyes popping wide Suddenly, she loosed a bloodcurdling scream A moment later, her face turned red, then purple, then swelled into soainst the ar to reach her friend Between Caden and Duke, their grips were unyielding

“Do so Save her!” Sydney screeched

As her words pinged off the walls, Aquarius’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell limp in Zain’s arms, her entire body bloated, skin blistered Was she even breathing?

“No!” Sydney flailed and cursed, redoubling her efforts to get free

Neither rip on her, Caden kicked one of the corpse-like attackers, delivering some martial arts trick that snapped the minion’s spine in half Blood spurted everywhere Black blood, just like Chloe had described Sydney gaped on in horror

“Huical zombies, just like the dead soldiers in the tunnel Oh My God,” she whispered

“Yes, Anarki Conscripted men minus a soul” Caden kicked another half-dead creature who tried to sneak up on Braain, the body broke apart and bled black as he collapsed

Bra off the others in robes, rushed to her side again All around was a pile of unconscious Mathias followers, soround Now, only Zain and two of his robed peers stood

“Put the girl down,” Bram said “Call off what’s left of your lackeys They’re no ht this fairly, you and I”

Zain scoffed “I don’t give two fucks about fighting fairly The girl is alive” He jostled Aquarius in his grip, and she bounced like a rag doll,Sydney cry out “But only just Give me the book and I’ll let her live If not”

Sydney’s heart nearly stopped

“Give it to him!” she screamed at Bra

The book must be more powerful than Aquarius had indicated In her head, she knew that putting it in Zain’s hands would be as good as putting it into Mathias’s, but her friendif Bram didn’t comply, Zain would kill her

To her surprise, he eased the book toward Zain, who reached for it while retaining his hold on Aquarius Sydney cast an anxious glance at her friend God, she looks so still, so dead Sydney held in a cry

At the last second, Bra the tip of his wand toward Aquarius The little woiant vacuu none of that He brandished his wand at Aquarius, too, and her body jolted as she stopped, jerking in midair She keened, the sound rife with pain

Around her, Duke dispatched the final two Anarki with a pair of spells, both nor men who clutched wands in their frozen fists

“Your Anarki are all unconscious You’re alone,” Braht me”

Suddenly, he shoved the book into Sydney’s hand Startled, she grasped it Her eyes ive it to Zain He’d described it as a weapon of some sort, but what about Aquarius?

Zain paused, looking uncertain for the first ti one arrabbed Aquarius

“Go!” he shouted at Duke

Instantly, Duke’s ar assailed her Like being in a dark, endless well She thrashed about, looking for escape, but Duke and Caden both held her tight She squeezed her eyes shut

Long moments later, the sensation stopped Cautiously, Sydney opened her eyes to a stunning office, filled eak afternoon sunlight, pricy artwork—and a roo, she took a step back

“Who the hell are these people, where aet here?”

“The Doomsday Brethren,” Caden whispered in her ear

Truly? “Anka has spoken of them Only a bit, but” She hadn’t been sure of their role earlier, but now? These iht

“I teleported you here,” Duke said quietly “This is Bra home?” She put a hand on her hip

The blokes all looked at one another, then Caden sighed “We’ll work it out”

Oh She got the feeling that her concept of hoed If the Anarki knehere she lived and believed that she had possession of a er, just as Caden had said She’d landed in thethe story on the book Though he’d given her no substantial reasons, she wished she’d listened But now that danger wasn’t imminent, her inner journalist was thrilled to be embroiled in the paranormal

Her next story for Out of This Realm would turn heads and ards!

First, she had to help Aquarius and get the information she needed, then make haste to somewhere safe Then perhaps once the article printed and she brought forth proof this ickind existed, her parents would have to look outside their academic box and take her seriously Dare she even hope they’d be proud for bringing in a story no other journalist had?