Page 101 of The Witch’s Daughter

The witch in his arms stumbled, staggering into the golden statue of the witch goddess.

“She’s drugged,” Calla cried.

“Get her outside.” I felt the magic warming in my hands, drawing it from the warlock I held in a headlock. A healer. Anger boiled over. “Get them all outside. I’ll take care of the warlocks.”

I couldn’t use his healing power against him, not like he was abusing it now.

It was my wolf’s strength I leaned into. The warlock lost his footing as I cut off his air supply, clawing at my arm that refused to yield.

There were still six other warlocks walking through the center pews, and a few pushing back the congregation. The commotion hid the noise of what I was doing.

I wouldn’t be able to take them all out at once, but I was taking down as many as I could.

The limp body of the warlock went flying into the back of his companion, knocking him down and disorientating the others.

I growled as I jumped into the confusion.

Calla followed right behind me, grabbing the next drugged witch, as my claws slashed into the warlock’s shoulder, tearing through his black cloak and chest.

Those still in the pews started to scream, scrambling to get away as the guards fought to keep them contained.

“You two again?” Vincent’s voice boomed through the tent as he dropped the witch he held.

A warlock grabbed me from behind, trying to subdue me with force alone, which was a dumb mistake on a normal day.

I threw my head back, smashing his nose, and twisted in his arms. His magic called to me, dark and thirsty as it tried to drain my life force. An energy vampire in the flesh. I smiled to myself, flexing my fingers as he yelled through the blood running down his face and tried to suck my magic from me.

“Didn’t we establish you two witches aren’t powerful enough to be here?” Vincent roared. The crack of thunder followed his voice.

But I focused on the warlock screaming at me instead.

My hands landed on either side of his cheeks and I inhaled, just as his fist wrapped around my throat. I couldn’t quit smiling. The look on his face was priceless as he crumbled and deteriorated under my touch, succumbing faster to his own magic than he could use it against me.

And damn that was a rush.

I’d never played with an energy vamp before.

The two warlocks up ahead abandoned their charges, running at me instead, when a gust of wind blew all of us back.

I caught myself on the leg of a pew, using the bench as cover, and Calla crawled along beside me as we struggled to free another drugged witch from under the warlock’s legs.

The wind was really howling now as Vincent cursed and yelled on stage. “Bring them here.”

A warlock managed to stand tall in the face of the tornado, his dark eyes promising murder as he zoned in on us. The wind beat at his back, almost as if…

I had an idea.

“Stay behind me,” I told Calla as we crawled between the pews, holding on for dear life and passing the congregation that had also ducked for cover.

The warlock reached down to grab me, and I grabbed his wrist instead, feeling the power of his warding strength surround us like a shield.

In his confusion, I snapped his arm, bringing him howling to his knees as I gave Calla the shield to drag another witch behind the cover of the pews.

“You desecrate a sacred ritual!” Vincent leapt offstage.

He’s still talking?

I stayed low, holding onto the screaming warlock to buy Calla more time, until Vincent ripped him from my grasp.