Page 29 of Of Flame and Fury

“Uh, uh, uh, little mama,” Shayna tells Celia. She keeps her voice bouncy and light, ignoring Celia’s guttural growl. “You and Aric, Jr., need to stay put. Dying is not part of the plan, cutie.”

It’s really not.

My magic spills into the spell. “Grant us peace,” I whisper. “Grant us safe passage. By the power of good that surrounds the Earth, make it be.”

I continue with the circle and the chanting, trying to keep the same width around since these things matter in witchcraft and wizardry. I reach the end and take a breath, just as something larger and heavier propels itself against the ceiling.

“We need to go,” Emme says. “We need to go now.”

“By the power of good, make it be.” I slam my foot down, sealing the circle, and…nothing happens. I try again. Nothing. What the hell?

“Dude,” Shayna calls to me. “That’s an oval. It has to be a circle.”

Jesus God help me. She’s right.

“Karen doesn’t know what she’s doing,” a wereraccoon mutters to a werebuffalo.

Gemini doesn’t panic. He never does. Well, except that one time when I pulled something that may or may not have caused an international incident. But it wasn’t my fault. Mostly.

While he’s not panicking, per se, he’s not happy. “Taran, we’re running out of time.”

Smoke billows from the hearth. I’m worried the manor is on fire. But then a stream of smoke with long stretching fingers latches around a vampire’s throat and yanks him up the chimney. He screams once before his shoes and one sock crash back into the hearth.

Oh, and I can’t make the damn circle fast enough.

“Grant us peace…”

Aric breaks through the partition.

“Grant us safe passage.” I shove more magic into the spell.

The crowd backs away from the hearth. Aric and Gemini take point in front of Celia.

More banging. Something rams what remains of the partition. The fight from the foyer spills over into the ballroom.

“Allow us to pass,” I scream over the noise.

“Get out of here,” Gemini growls.

“Allow us our peace.”

Several pummels to the house rattle the floor, knocking down the few plates that remain on the tables.

The circle sparks. It’s only just starting to work.

“Allow us safe passage,” I demand.

The tendrils of smoke grow longer and in number, snagging those who don’t move fast enough.

“Celia, stay in there,” Aric tells her.

“Get them out of here, T,” Bren barks. “Get them out of here, now.”

“Grant us safe passage…”

Celia’s growls thunder against my back. “Dude,” Shayna says to me. “I can’t hold her much longer.”

“By the power of good that surrounds the Earth, make it be.”