“It’s awful,” Daisy continued, her words coming out a little slurred. “All this magic just pounding inside your skull every single day.”
Her words sounded strangled, like she was trying hard not to cry. I had no idea what to say. I mean, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about being a demon either, but I certainly didn’t feel likethat. If that’s what being demons was like for Nick and Daisy, no wonder they drank all the time.
I cleared my throat. “So do you guys actually use your powers?”
But before they had a chance to reply, a loud cracking sound echoed through the room.
“What was that?” Jenna asked, nearly dropping her glass of blood.
“Thunder?” I guessed, even though the sound had been more like the crack of a whip, or wood breaking.
The music cut off abruptly, just as a chorus of howls started up from somewhere on the dance floor.
“Don’t worry about it,” Nick said with a wave of his hand. “Probably just a shifter fight. Happens like every night.”
But then someone—or something—screamed, and suddenly the room was full of shrieks and guttural cries and pounding feet.
“Sounds like more than a shifter fight to me.” I stood up, trying to see the dance floor. It was hard to make out anything through the smoke. All I could see were hazy forms that seemed to be running toward the door. Then a purpled-winged faerie shot above the crowd, her wings beating furiously. There was a flash of silver as something curled around her ankle. She shrieked with pain and fell back into the throng.
Then I saw them. Moving in and out of the smoke, like they were made of it, were dozens of dark figures. One moved near enough for me to see the blue lights gleaming off the dagger he held in his hand.
My mouth went dry, and my heart plummeted to somewhere south of my toes.
“What is it?” Daisy asked, looking more curious than worried.
I could barely get the words out. “It’s The Eye.”
chapter 14
“What?” Jenna cried, leaping to her feet. Nick stood up too, but slowly, shaking his head. “That’s impossible.”
A bright flash of blue illuminated the room, like a bolt of lightning, as the witch I’d seen dancing with the werewolf earlier struggled with three of the dark figures. Nick’s eyes widened. “Oh my God.”
“The Eye can’t get in here,” Daisy said, shaking her head. “And they’ve never tried to raid Shelley’s before. Ever.”
Nick blinked like he still couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The dance floor was utter chaos now. There was so much magic flying around that my skin ached with it, but none of the spells seemed to be doing any good. The Eye just kept coming, more and more of them, spilling into the cramped club. They were outnumbered, but they had the element of surprise on their side, not to mention that most of the Prodigium in Shelley’s had been drinking. That “hazy” feeling Daisy had talked about didn’t make for stellar magic.
“How do we get out of here?” Jenna asked. She was breathing hard, and her fangs were poking out from under her top lip. “Is there a back door or something?”
Nick finally tore his gaze away from the front of the club. “No,” he said. “But we can make one.” He reached down and grabbed Daisy’s hand, pulling her to her feet.
“Wait!” I yelled. All three of them froze, staring at me. “It’s just…we could do something.” Off to my right, I saw another faerie trying to fly above the fight. He was struggling, though, thanks to a large rip in one of his iridescent wings. “We should help them.”
Nick looked at the faerie, his mouth set in a grim line. “They wouldn’t do it for us. And we need to get you out of here. Now come on.”
“Nick,” I said, but Jenna grabbed my hand.
“Sophie, he’s right. Let’s go. Please.”
I hesitated for just a second before squeezing her hand in return and following Nick as he turned toward the back of the club, tugging Daisy behind him.
The back wall was solid brick, but Nick simply raised his hand and flicked his fingers. A section of the wall crumbled, and I don’t think I’d ever seen anything as beautiful as that opening.
But we weren’t the only ones who’d run for the back, and as soon as the hole opened up, a crush of Prodigium gathered around it, trying to squeeze themselves through.
The screams got louder behind us, and I knew without looking that The Eye was headed our way. The pushing at the hole got more intense, and I watched as a werewolf snarled and bit a warlock who was trying to shove his way to the front.
“Oh my God,” Jenna whimpered. Her eyes were bloodred and her fangs were out.
“It’s going to be okay,” I told her, even though I was pretty sure we were all going to be skewered on L’Occhio silver daggers any minute now. For a split second I wondered if Archer was out there, hacking his way through Prodigium. The thought made me nauseous, so I shook it away and held Jenna tighter.
More bodies pressed in on all sides of us, so close I was afraid I’d be lifted off my feet. I shut my eyes, my body shaking.
Move, I thought, as my chest tightened with panic.
And then I felt it. Magic rose up from the ground beneath me. I didn’t even have to lift my hands.
I focused all my concentration on the Prodigium in front of me, even as I pictured a sort of shield around Daisy, Nick, and Jenna.Move, I thought again, stronger this time.
I’d only meant to knock them out of the way, like my spell was a bowling ball and they were the pins. But as usual, my power was too much. As one, the Prodigium were flung into the wall before sliding to the floor. Only Daisy, Nick, and Jenna were left standing.
“Nice one, Sophie,” Nick said, clapping me on the shoulder as he and Daisy stepped over the dazed Prodigium and out the door. Even Jenna smiled at me as she went by.
The exit led to the alley we’d been in earlier. I was shocked by how cool the night air felt compared to the humidity in the club, and shivered as the sweat began to dry on my skin. Daisy and Nick were already running down the street in the direction of the Itineris, but I turned to look back into Shelley’s. Jenna was waiting next to me.
A few Prodigium had staggered to their feet, but the rest still lay inert on the ground. One, a witch who was about my age, blinked at me in confusion. And behind her, I could see a group of Eyes rushing toward the exit, daggers drawn.
“Jenna, go with Daisy and Nick,” I said, without taking my eyes from the hole.
“Sophie—”
“Go!” I said, more sharply than I’d intended. “I’ll catch up.”
She hesitated for a second before turning and following Daisy and Nick.
I didn’t know how much magic I had left in me, but I gathered up all my strength and raised my hands toward the men in black. There was no spark or flash of light, but I could feel the attack spell—one of Alice’s—surge from my fingertips. The Eyes dropped like rocks, and my knees hit the pavement. No magic in six months, then two heavy spells within seconds of each other. How stupid could I be?
Even though my head was fuzzy with magic and exhaustion, I forced myself to my feet. I had to get to the others, had to make it to the road. I could see the three of them just ahead as they passed under a streetlamp. Jenna glanced over her shoulder and skidded to a stop when she saw how far back I was. I managed to lift my arm and wave her on. She stood still, but Nick nodded at me and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the alley. I noted that the three of them headed left, and struggled to catch up. Running was out of the question, but I walked as fast as I could, my heels slipping and sliding on the damp street.
Still, I was too slow.
I was nearly to the end of the alley when an arm snaked around my waist and yanked me backward, out of the light. I wasn’t sure if it was an Eye or a Prodigium, or just your run-of-the-mill rapist/scumbag type, but it was definitely a guy. He was several inches taller than me, and I could hear his ragged breathing in my ear as he
