Page 27 of Hybrid Heroics

“She was standing at the sink in the kitchen, then she was in the bedroom with Stone’s hand around her neck. That’s all she’s got.”

I cut my explanation off as I felt the heat rising in the house. Stone was furious as he stomped down the hall. I flashed across the dining room to stop him from getting to Talia.

“Calm down,” I urged, but he shook me off.

“Fuck you. She tried to kill our mate.”

“That wasn’t her,” I defended, then tilted my head as I studied him. “You saw something. What was it?”

He sucked in a sharp breath, his body shaking with the rage burning through his system. “Her eyes were a milky brown color, but when I grabbed her, it was gone. I saw his eyes do the same, though it only lasted for a second.”

“I think she was cursed,” Palmer commented, placing his hand on Stone’s shoulder. “It’s the only thing that would make sense. Talia is a druid. Their eyes don’t change like other supernatural creatures.”

“A curse does make sense,” I acknowledged. “She has a gap in her memory between standing in the kitchen and being in the bedroom. But I need you to unmute her so she can talk.”

Palmer’s brows knitted low over his eyes. “I didn’t mute her.”

“Talia,” Briggs gently asked. “Can you speak?”

She shook her head.

And I wished for the eight hundredth time that we had gone the fuck home.

“Oh, for Devil’s sake,” Palmer complained, cutting his eyes to Murphy. “Can you lift the dark magic on her?”

“How do you know it’s dark?” Murphy challenged his brother, cocking a brow.

The mage covered his face with his hand, stating matter-of-factly, “It’s fucking Alric.”

“Again,” his brother enunciated slowly. “How do you know? I’m not opposed to helping, but I don’t want to fuck with magic that’s different from my own. I’d hate to like… accidentally blow her up or something.”

“Kill her,” Stone growled. “If she’s been cursed by Alric—”

“What the actual fuck?” I snapped at the demon. “Murphy is not going to kill her.”

He rolled his navy eyes, anger still riding him. “Then I’ll kill her.”

“No.” I massaged my temples, stopped and frowned, then did it again, because I finally understood why Sloane had that habit. “You will not kill her. This is the only warning you get, Demon.”

“What are you going to do to stop me?”

I stared at him for a full three seconds before I pushed a pulse of pain into his mind. When he dropped to his knees, I leaned down and whispered, “Fuck around and find out, Stone. I’m not playing today.”

Vaughn whistled low, walking around the corner of the hall in time to hear me threaten the demon. I rolled my eyes up to meet him, and he held his hands out, surrendering as he shook his head.

“I got that loud and clear. This isn’t the time or place to fight,” he warned.

“Anyone else want to test me today?” I asked, aggravated with them all. “I’ve fucking had it. So we can take this shit outside.”

“Novak,” Palmer called, a smirk playing across his lips. “I need you to chill out so you can find the darkness in her mind. We need a director.”

I shook my arms out and released my hold over Stone. The demon growled, but he didn’t say a word to me. I knew that stunt would catch up with me; he would bide his time until he hit me.

I would be waiting too, though.

Trying to settle my expression into something more pleasant was difficult while gazing at the woman who had just tried to off my mate. I didn’t want to do this, but also... I did. She hadn’t acted of her own volition, and I wouldn’t let her die because this group had a temper when we were being protective.

Sloane might kill us herself if she woke up to find we had killed York’s aunt when we had so many other options.