Page 79 of Mage Massacres

“Atlas would love it.” Hyde shrugged. “Cronus is hit or miss, but he’d let her know if he didn’t like it.”

“I’m sorry. What was that?” Millie asked, her brows hitting her hairline.

“Aww, come on, Mills,” Hyde playfully complained. “She’s telepathic. The hellhounds think in images. They don’t have full-blown conversations like we do, but they do mentally communicate.”

“Bedlam is an everyday kind of deal in the life of Sloane King,” I teased, bumping my arms into the girls.

The succubus nodded, then walked away. “Are we training or chatting?”

“You two can go. I want to relax while I can.”

I gazed at the magical orbs floating in the sky. They left a cozy orange tint over the yard that would have been perfect for a nap if the guys weren’t making their way to the patio, bickering and taunting each other.

Collectively, we decided that we wanted to start tapping into Sloane’s mimicry power. But I wanted to understand it more before I began running tests.

Novak was still distraught over the idea of growing a tail, and Briggs had made it his personal mission to torment the vampire.

“Come on, Novak,” the wolf cajoled. “You could dress up as an E-girl for Halloween, and you would already have a cute, fluffy tail.”

“I don’t want to grow a tail,” Novak growled. “I like being a vampire, Briggs. I don’t want to turn into an animal. Nor do I want to run around pissing on trees to make sure people smell me.”

The wolf howled with laughter. “It wouldn’t be permanent.”

“How do you know?” he demanded. “Explain it to me. In. Detail.”

Sloane snuck up behind them, sliding her hands over the tense vampire’s shoulders as she whispered in his ear. I didn’t hear the first part, but he shook his head as he grinned.

“I have two tails,” she acknowledged. “They come and go. Stone’s tail would be fun to play with. And wolf tails are soft.”

“My tail is fun,” Stone confessed, winking at Sloane.

Or Novak.

I couldn’t tell who he was talking to.

“So, do you think your mimicry power is limited to the people you’re around?” Novak inquired, cocking his head at her as he changed the subject.

Palmer shook his head, biting his lip. “I don’t see why it would be. If she can remember what the magic felt like, then it shouldn’t be a problem for her.”

“What do you mean?” Sloane’s gaze was intense as she waited for a reply.

“Try to do something…” Briggs trailed off, tugging at his bread. “Like Kadence and her clones, or shift into another animal.”

She scoffed. “I can’t shift into another animal.”

“Why not?” I challenged.

“I—Well.” Her brows knitted together. “I don’t know.”

“Try something you’ve seen before that isn’t something you can do on your own,” Vaughn suggested.

Sloane tapped her chin as she pursed her lips. Then she nodded to herself.

A second Sloane popped up on her right side. The clone looked down, straightening her shirt as they doubled again. She stopped at a total of ten.

“I wonder if I can remember all the things my clones learn?” she murmured, a wave of head tilts rolling through the replicas.

“Ready, Murph?” the mage called.