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She studied me, hesitating, then finally explaining. “It has a smaller outlet.” She curled a hand into a fist and tapped the top, where her thumb wrapped around her fingers. “Like this. And it’s much, much more powerful.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How powerful?”
She bit her lip, then motioned for me to hold out my hand vertically, palm facing her.
“The other vortexes are like this.” She blew softly at my hand.
It tickled, making the caveman part of my soul all hot and horny.
“At most, you feel this.” She placed her hand flat over mine, pressing gently. So gently, I dreamed of her doing the same with her other hand. Or better yet, pressing against me with her whole body.
I coughed before Erin caught the sound of my dragon humming enthusiastically.
“But the vortex at the ranch is like this.” Erin rammed my hand back so abruptly, it nearly smacked my shoulder.
I whipped it aside, then smoothed the sting away. “Okay, okay. I get the picture.”
She frowned. “I don’t think you do. It’s terrifying.”
I would have chalked that up to exaggeration, because Erin wasn’t terrified of anything — not Harlon, nor Angelina.
But the crack in her voice indicated,I mean it. Truly terrifying.
“Terrifying because…?” I finally ventured.
“Because I don’t know where it’s coming from or what it wants. Because there’s no off switch. The best you can do is keep away from it.” She rubbed the center of her hand. “Terrifying because I fear what Harlon could do if he tapped into it.”
I frowned. “Could he?”
“You tell me.”
I scratched my head. “My training didn’t cover vortexes.”
She laughed dryly. “What a pity.”
I studied her closely. “What does your father say?” When her eyes flashed, I stuck up my hands. “Just a question, not an accusation.”
Still, she kept up thatevil eyething. “He’s more in touch with air than earth.”
The words might as well have been capitalized and underlined like key terms in a warlock’s dictionary. Come to think of it, the grizzled old eagle shifter who’d taughtIntroduction to Witches and Warlocksat the academy really did capitalize and underline them.
Witches and warlocks often have an affinity for one of the four core elements,he’d said, tapping away at the chalkboard.Earth, Air, Fire, Water. However, it’s rare for a witch or warlock to really master them. Those who do are the most powerful.
Like Harlon.
“It doesn’t matter what I think Harlon is capable of,” Erin said grimly. “What matters is thathethinks he can use the vortex. And that’s what scares me.”
I nodded slowly. As a shifter, I was immune to any magic a warlock might turn on me directly — like mindspells, for example. But warlocks could use their magic to turn objects — even living beings — into weapons. In my time with the agency, I’d been bombarded by everything from cars to boulders, and I’d had to fight humans, animals, and even swarms of killer bees that had been turned against me.
But, crap. A warlock with access to a vortex would be like a doped-up athlete. Invincible — at least to anyone playing by the rules.
So, we’ll have to fight dirty,my dragon huffed.
Something told me it wasn’t that simple.
“What canyoudo with the vortex?” I asked Erin.
She snorted. “I can stay the hell away, that’s what. And keep others away.”
