Merlin sighed, as if Mikey were stupid. “I’m betting Jenna is embarrassed to admit she has a Vampire lover. She doesn’t appear to be the type who would willingly go outside her race.”
Nodding, Mikey ran a hand through his hair. “She would be secretive.”
“She would at least tell me!” I said, getting angry. “Why hide this from me? It doesn’t make any sense. She knows I am the most open-minded person there is. Hell, I was dating a Vampire and now have a Mage.”
I started pacing, suddenly exhausted. On top of that, I was hungry and really wanted a juicy burger from one of those fast food joints.
Refocusing, I stared at Jenna. “What are we supposed to do with her now? It’s not like we can call up her master and ask him to fix her.”
Eric cleared his throat. “We can figure out who the master is if we enter her mind.”
Dan nodded, coming forward. “I’m the best one for the job. I have the most training and fewer casualties than Eric.”
My head snapped around. “Casualties?”
“It’s risky. The brain is fragile when it comes to psychic intrusions. With the electrical connections constantly zapping through, a new, unknown one can interrupt that, causing permanent brain damage,” Dan explain, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Tell her the rest,” Ethan pushed.
“There’s more?” I shrieked.
Dan glared at Ethan. “Sometimes it can fry the brain so badly, it shuts down the body and the person dies.” He obviously wanted to keep that bit of information to himself, which made me dislike him even more.
“Don’t you think I need to know all the details?” I demanded, my anger rising. I felt my magic seeping out, surrounding me like waves at a beach.
Ethan came over to me and placed a hand on my arm. I shook him off, staring at Dan. Eric seemed okay, but there was something sneaky about Dan. My instincts told me letting him work on Jenna was a bad idea. If something happened to her, no one would be able to stop me from killing him. But it would be too late to save Jenna by then.
Glancing over at Ethan, I tried to relax, but my power had started to swirl out of control. Papers fell off the desk and bookcases rattled, causing Taco to fly around the room in a panic. My black magic started to surround Dan, who narrowed his eyes at me.
“I wouldn’t do that, little Witch,” he said in a soft voice.
“Sophie, take some deep breaths. Let the magic flow back into you,” Ethan coaxed quietly.
What happened next was unexpected. I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach, then a surge of magic shot through my body. My own magic began to move faster, twisting around Dan. It circled his neck, tightening, until he had to reach up with his hands, trying to pull it away. Gasping, he tried to use his own magic, but it wasn’t strong enough to compete with mine.
Stepping forward, I placed my hand on his shoulder and pushed him down to his knees. “If something happens to my friend, you will die. If you hurt her in any way, you will die. If she screams in pain, you will die. Do you understand?”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Eric demanded, stepping forward.
Merlin placed an arm in front of Eric. “Son, if you want to keep your head, you’d better stand back. She has the magic of those babies now. Nothing can stop her.”
Dan nodded at me, eyes wide, as he gripped the magic, unable to get a good grasp on it. When I pulled it back from him, he fell forward onto his hands, coughing.
After a few minutes, he glared up at me. “Your friend is in safe hands,” he rasped.
Chapter Twenty
Ethan stared at me for a few minutes, almost as if trying to debate on my mental status. I didn’t usually blow up at people like that. Causing harm was always the last resort. Hell, I hardly thought about harming someone even when I was angry. I blamed it on the pregnancy. My hormones were all over the place and I had no control over my feelings. Had I not disliked Dan already, I might have felt bad.
“Why did you bring us here, Merlin? Your daughter is unstable,” Eric growled, looking at my father.
Merlin shrugged. “Her mother told me how much you two disrespected her, so I figured you owed her something. No one treats my daughter as lesser than she is. She holds a high position among the Witches.” He stood tall. “She is my daughter. That alone is enough to earn her respect!”
Surprised by his outburst, every single person in the room took a step back. Taco flew to the bookcase, disappearing into a dark corner. No one was stupid enough to piss off Merlin.
“How did Mom know about the way they treated me?” I asked.
Taking a deep breath, Merlin reached inside his coat to pull out another cigar. “You know how she spies on everyone. The woman needs a hobby.”
I smirked. Wasn’t that the truth? My mother was the nosiest person I knew. But I guessed as a ghost, you tended to spy on people because you could. When I became one, I knew that would be on my daily agenda. I’d be living my dream of being an invisible agent. Maybe the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Dan now stood by Jenna, his hands poised over her head. He glanced in my direction, licking his lips nervously as he began to concentrate. Closing his eyes, strong, warm magic began to fill the room, swirling around until it zeroed in on Jenna. He started to shake, as if it took more power than he expected to get into her mind.
“Something’s protecting her.”
“Most minions have protection. You should know that,” Merlin said, coming up alongside him. “Concentrate.”
“What are you doing, Merlin? You can’t pressure him when he’s in a fragile position!” Eric
