Page 66 (1/2)

A dull pain caic and I would likely need more

"This is tooher to take apart so thatwoht"

Shaffer Who let hily complex It’s a trap and she’s too inexperienced to realize it" Shaffer again

"But is it breakable?" Rynda asked

"No," Shaffer said "It’s a perfect trap Get her out of there before she overextends"

"She’s fine," Rogan said "She knows her limits"

They all needed to shut up

The hex was too co ic onto itself

But I didn’t need to alter it All I needed to do was shield Vincent’s ic It ca with silvery blue I slipped it under the bottoan to weave A direct shield wouldn’t work, no more than a blunt approach would’ve worked with Vincent’s father There was too y of the spell away once it collapsed I had toYes That would work

"If you want your daughter to live, you will stop this," Shaffer said "Look at hiets what he wants I care I want to " Morewunder the hex like a snowflake, unfurling froan in roas walking a tightrope

"Have all of you lost yourup?" Victoria snapped

The last stroke of ic into a blade and severed the top layer of the hex

The blackness broke I was back in the roo pattern in front of me I had drawn it in chalk on the floor, a circle of rivulets with nine points within it locked in the spirals The ghostly radiance of Victoria’s hex flared above it, an echo of the real hex

So into the second, like sand or water spilling from a hole in the botto the them into razor-sharp blades

The second layer collapsed into the third The daggers punctured through it and met the soft rivulets of my circle Their points touched the nine spots where the lines twisted together They flared with silver, channeling power out The silver glow spread through the blue, overpowering it The lines grew thicker, channeling the ic The spirals I had her and higher, glowing, beautiful, unfurling as they grew An ethereal carnation bloo withmoment and vanished, the hex’s power expended

A vicious sound echoed through the silence and I realized it was Grand

I turned Shaffer was on his feet His hands shook He stared at an smiled at me There was pride on Mom’s face, shock on Grandhtly freaked out, while Bern acted like nothing had happened Rynda sat very still

I turned back to Vincent He sed

My ripped hiister, suffused with power

"Where is Brian Sherwood?"

Chapter 13

I blinked The ceiling looked faan’s HQ, on one of his second-floor couches Glooht A warm blanket covered me Someone had taken my shoes off, and I curled ation went as expected Vincent answered all my questions Alexander Stur his heels there They had contacted hi to offer hie for Olivia’s files When they found out that he had no idea where Olivia’s files were hidden, they struck a bargain Brian would be their willing victim, but he didn’t wantBrian, Stur Kyle or Jessica, but Stur a child carried more risk Brian turned out to be perfect for the task He knew Rynda, he knehich buttons to push, and he was sure that the threat of his death could pry Olivia’s files out of her