Page 99 of Group Studies

I had to help my friends.

“I need our last potion now,” Ram yelled, still holding my face.

I grinned. “You really don’t.”

With an almost torrential force, power surged from me into Ram. Crystal waves, streaked with rainbows, poured into him like a waterfall. Unlike any other transfer, I pushed not only my magic but my will into the asshole trying to control me. Ram jerked his hand away. His eyes rolled up in his head. With a thump, he fell from his seat and hit the ground. Foam bubbled out of his mouth as he seized.

My body sang, the heat of my magic burning away whatever potions Ram injected me with. Need kissed my joints as lust heated my skin. My mind and body strained, but I’d rather die than let Ram give me an ounce of relief. And for once, my magic agreed with me.

This asshole had manipulated me, tormented me, stuffed me into a suitcase, strangled me, and now was trying to turn me into his plaything.

Never again.

Pumpkin appeared from around a wall and screamed. Whatever she’d brewed fell from her hands and shattered on the ground. She ran to Ram, attempting to still the last few seizures gripping his limp form.

“Untie me.” I pulled on my bonds, trying to draw Pumpkin’s attention.

The inconsolable woman didn’t even acknowledge me.

I flicked my wrist up from the arm rests, envisioning the bead of crystal magic I’d made yesterday. Focusing my command, I concentrated my power. Joy tingled in my core. A dark purple crystal, swirling with rainbows formed between my fingers. I flicked it at Pumpkin. My crystal of magic soared through the air, almost missing her completely before it connected with her shoulder. Her skin absorbed it without a trace.

She stood and untied me before going back to Ram’s still body. I rubbed my wrists and arms where the ropes had painfully kept me pinned in place. No barriers held my magic back, and it sang through me.

With a swirl of tinkling melodies and color, the fuzzy sensation scrambled my thoughts. I rubbed my neck where Pumpkin had injected me with who knows what. The lights got brighter and soft tuneless music floated around me in shades of pink. I seemed to float instead of stand. Spreading my arms wide, I let myself live in the sensation.

The sound of Pumpkin’s soft weeping brought me back to reality.

Ram lay still, his very essence replaced with my magic. I wrinkled my nose. “Wake up, Ram.”

Ram’s pupilless, rimless eyes opened. He stiffly stood.

I giggled, the pitch wavering as it sped up and slowed with no rhyme or reason. “Wipe off your face and tell Pumpkin to go back to her room. We need to save Beryl.”

Ram nodded. He turned his blank face to Pumpkin and repeated my words.

I bounced on my feet. Every rainbow in the room bounced with me. I blinked and looked down at my arms. The crystal-clear rimming which usually surrounded my eyes dotted my arms like scales. But not in the shape of my scales, they looked like scabs. Textured patches merging with my skin.

“Woah.” I poked one of the patches.

Pumpkin gaped at me. “You won’t hurt him?”

I turned to her, my brain moving just behind my body. “Ah, no?” I giggled and covered my mouth before laughing again.

I felt incredible. No fun. More like fantastic. No, that wasn’t right. Maybe euphoric? It felt like everything all at once. I turned a circle and clapped, centering myself.

The MA had Beryl and Saffron, the mage I needed to save and the mage my magic sang for. I studied Ram’s blank face. My magic moved through him, virtually animating his body, but I felt no pull toward him. Now that I thought about it, Ram felt like an extension of myself. My need to tell him what to do a moment ago suddenly felt silly.

With a thought, Ram patted Pumpkin’s behind on my behalf to get her running before moving toward the door. He opened it for me with a bow.

I smiled. “After you, we can’t keep the MA waiting.”

If my giggle lacked sanity, I certainly didn’t notice.

* * *

I walked the halls with Ram clearing my path, though there was no one to clear out. The dimmed lights blazed to life above us before sparking and exploding at our backside. I paused when we reached the foyer.

Mercedes’ gaze blazed with hatred from her spot inside Saffron’s Golem. On either side of the hulking giant stood two MA agents, their jaws dropped as I waltzed toward them.