Free Games of Desire by Patti O'Shea Page B

asked Marax.
    Maybe if we had it ready to go or at least had something in writing to prove we could undo the spell, but without it? I don’t think he’ll believe us.
    Can you try?
    She heard Marax’s sigh over their link.
    “Instead of exchanging fireballs and lightning bolts,” he said, “why don’t we talk about a potion to undo the green tint of your skin? You let us go, including my mate’s sister, and we’ll deliver the antidote to you. It’s a win-win situation. We get to live and you return to your normal shade.”
    “She—” the galghoan gestured over his shoulder to Olivia “—can undo the spell. If I kill the two of you, I still have her. I get my potion and then I can take my time avenging this disgrace she caused. I call that a win-win scenario. As you’re at the disadvantage, I’ll give you first shot, your grace.” He held his arms out wide, as if welcoming the fight.
    “So be it,” Marax said and Chloe felt him gather power, drawing it from that deep, wide pool. He was going to make the first blow as strong as he could manage, and she tried to help, tried to give him a bigger boost with her magic than she already was.
    His fireball slammed into the field around the giant with the force of an atom bomb, but as the glow faded, the galghoan was unharmed. The enemy raised his arm and aimed his own shot at them.
    Her protection amulet heated where it rested against her skin and then the blow landed against the shield Marax had around them. For an instant, it wobbled and the cabochon gave its all to keep her safe.
    Marax steadied their field, but it was too late for her amulet. It sputtered, then died. They couldn’t take many hits like that one.
    Chloe moved, working to stay behind Marax as he’d ordered, but it wasn’t easy. He wasn’t standing still and neither was the other demon. The giant seemed to be trying to get an angle to shoot directly at her. Great, that would really kick Marax’s instincts into gear.
    Her eyes widened as she realized that was exactly what the demon was trying to do. If he could get Marax to fall into emotion, he could make short work of them.
    Another blast rocked the energy field around them. It held, but barely.
    Not that they’d last much longer, anyway.
    What’s your demon power,
Marax had asked and he’d insisted she had one. That meant she should be able to shoot fire like the two males were doing, right?
    Except she discovered that she had to hold the energy in order to use it like a weapon and she couldn’t hang on to it. Instead, she scooped it and started directing it toward the shielding around them. It wasn’t much, but it was something.
    Marax brought down a bolt of lightning. Chloe froze and held her breath, but the giant used his arm to take control of it and direct it into the ground. Her feet tingled.
    She could feel her mate’s exhaustion, but the other demon seemed unaffected by the fight. His next shot made Marax grunt. Why would— He’d kept her shield at full strength, but he’d surrounded himself with minimal protection. Conserving resources.
    Damn it, she had to do something more than stay behind him and patch the force field. She had to because if she didn’t, they were all going to die tonight and she wasn’t losing either Marax or Olivia.
    What if she drew from the demon pool and used it to help amplify his magic? She focused on doing that, on fueling her wizard talent as she streamed the strength toward Marax. It took a moment, but at last she managed to direct a raging flow to him.
    Whatever you’re doing, Chloe, stop it now.
    Her head came up.
What happened?
    You’re draining my magic.
    Immediately, she dropped the energy. The only thing she’d done differently was add the demon element to her wizard talent—it shouldn’t have done the opposite of what she’d wanted.
    Chloe smothered a gasp. “What’s your demon power?” she whispered. What if her demon power was the complement to her wizard power? What if one