Tears started gathering in her eyes. “She’s going to kill Jude.” She hiccupped.
“Why?”
“Because Liz was supposed to come, not you,” she screeched, and I cringed at the noise.
I was about to say something when Adrianna walked back in, dragging another woman. My breath caught because I knew instantly it was Jude. She looked identical to Liz. “Don’t hurt her.”
Adrianna looked up at me, and fresh blood coated her lips. “I’ve already hurt her, but now it’s her turn to die for my cause.”
I tried to call on my magic to get me out of the cage, but it didn’t answer. My heart pounded as she dragged the woman up on the table. Jude’s eyes met mine as Adrianna snapped cuffs around her wrists, and I felt Jude’s magic try to push out as she begged for help.
Adrianna pulled out a small knife. “Her blood is so powerful…” She dragged the knife over Jude’s arm, not enough to cut, not yet. But Jude started whimpering and shaking.
I tried to think. My magic was blocked by something. She could control me because I’d used just a little bit of blood in a spell to track her. Jude’s scream disrupted my thought.
My eyes shot back to the scene to see Adrianna chanting before licking the blood off of the knife. She closed her eyes, and her magic around the area flickered like she was losing her focus.
I felt some of my magic return and grinned. I knew there was one thing that she couldn’t block.
“You like powerful blood? Then you have the wrong witch on your table.”
Adrianna’s eyes opened, and she stared at me. “You think you’re stronger than her?”
“I’m certain I am.” I met her gaze.
Adrianna came over and crooked a finger at me. “Come here, little witch.”
I moved toward her, and she grabbed me by the shirt. “A vampire bite?” She ran her fingers over the bite, and I did my best not to flinch as she dug her nail across the scab.
She pulled away with a drop of my blood on her fingertip. She licked it, and I swore her eyes rolled back, and her magic flickered again.
At first, I thought the focus object was the knife, but now I knew it had to be something on her if she was still being affected by my blood without holding the knife.
“Something…different.” She licked her lips. “I shall bath in your blood, little witch, and you shall fuel my immortality.”
The door to the room opened, and the little girl came in. “Mama…it hurts.”
Adrianna’s head snapped to the side. “Go back to the circle, little one, let it heal.”
The little girl met my gaze before she looked back at her mom and held her hand up. “Can I have the jewel to help?”
“Not right now,” Adrianna snapped. “Get back to the circle. You don’t need to be here for this.”
The little girl cringed and walked out of the room. Adrianna turned back to me. “She’s going to be a great witch one day if she doesn’t die first. Now, where were we?” She spun away from my cage and went back to Jude on the table. “Let’s stitch you up now, dear.”
Adrianna pulled a curved needle and some thread out and started to stitch the wound up. My stomach rolled at the thought of being on that table, but hopefully, all I’d have to do was spill a little bit of blood and be okay.
Jude whimpered as Adrianna dragged her finger over the newly stitched wound. She wiped the blood on her face and let out a sigh. Again, her magic faltered, but this time, she looked at me.
“What are you doing to my magic?” she hissed.
I shook my head. “Nothing. I haven’t been able to touch mine since I got in here.” It wasn’t a lie, and it would work to my advantage. Her words brought me reassurance, though. Maybe Merick was working on something outside since he couldn’t get in.
She got Jude off the table. Jude swung her arm around and hit Adrianna in the face. On the downswing, Jude grabbed Adrianna’s shirt and pulled, ripping the fabric.
There, on a thick cord coated with blood, was a charm. I wouldn’t call it a jewel because it wasn’t shiny or particularly pretty, but that could have been because of the blood that was coating it.
Adrianna grabbed Jude’s hair and grabbed the knife.
Jude froze the moment she saw the knife. “That’s what I thought.” Adrianna laughed and then shoved Jude into a cage next to Gabby’s.
I looked at Jude, who curled up to protect her new wound. Adrianna opened my cage and grabbed my arm, pulling me out. “Little witch, little witch, what have you done?” she hissed as her magic started to shake again.
I gave a wicked smile and went to pull my other gun.
She caught my arm, and once again, I was immobile. “I control you. I own you because your blood is part of my magic.”
In theory, it should have worked the other way around too. I just had to figure out how it worked and possibly get her blood. Which was going to be really hard to do if she could paralyze me.
She dragged me to the wall and shoved me against it, clasping the chains around my wrist. Her magic faded around me for a moment, and I could breathe. Hannah’s magic was similar to this. I broke it once, and I could do it again.
Magic shot through the room, and everyone cried out as it hit them.
“What are you
