Free Her Wild Magic by Karen Benjamin Page A

frozen body as if she were a mannequin. Then, when he had her face positioned such so, he backhanded her so forcefully across the face the ornate ring on his finger opened a gash on her cheek. Immobile as she was, unable to defend herself in any way, the blow was an act of unnecessary cruelty.
    “You bastard,” Max hissed. “I hope Caleb kills you.”
    “He has tried.”                                                                                        
    “So I’ve heard. And he must be closing in for the kill, or I doubt you’d be here.”
    “Your bravado is charming, little one, but I do not fear Caleb. I have the means to bring the wolf to heel.” He turned toward Kayla. “This one has great courage.” He stroked along the gash on Kayla’s bloody cheek. “But sometimes courage is not enough.” He took a handkerchief from his pocket and casually wiped the blood from his hand before looking back at Max. “You will remove the wards surrounding the cabin. Now. This instant. Or I will bring her such pain she will beg me to end her life.” He spoke softly, his words devoid of all human emotion, yet he managed to convey so much menace Max actually flinched.
    “Don’t,” Max pleaded when he turned back to Kayla. “The wards were placed by Caleb’s people. I don’t know how to remove them.”
    He stared at Max, his black eyes narrowed. Then he smiled. “ Come to me then .” The words formed in Max’s mind, pushing all other thoughts aside. “ The wards will not harm you. Step over the threshold, and the girl will be spared. You know it is what you want to do. It is what you must do.”
    Max leaned forward, drawn to the sound of his voice. It was so beautiful, so pure. So— Compulsion.
    Mama Willie had warned her there were beings able to control others with their voice, but until now, she’d never encountered one. In truth, she’d doubted their existence, but her grandmother had insisted she learn to mind shield. And despite her thoughts on the matter, she’d been a good student.
    “Good try, Michael, but not good enough.” Max smirked, shaking off his control. “And since Caleb will be here any minute, maybe you should call it a day.”
    “I will call it a day, as you say, because you have revealed to me what I came to learn.” His gaze slid to Kayla. “But before I leave, this one will pay for your insolence. You do not have the power to stop me, and Caleb will not arrive in time to prevent my stripping the magic from her soul. I will leave her as barren as a field in winter. Little more than a husk of her former self. For a child of the fey such as she, there is no worse fate.”
    Max saw the horror of his words reflected in Kayla’s eyes. He spoke the truth, and she had to find some way of stopping him, even if it meant opening a doorway she had sworn to keep forever locked.
    With no other options open, Max reached for the thing buried deep inside her. It unfurled swiftly, eager to escape the bonds of a lifetime, and Max did nothing to hold it back. She simply locked her gaze on the mage, making sure there was little doubt as to where it should direct its ire.
    Michael flexed his fingers, the movement almost imperceptible. But Max felt a rush of power as a silver web, pulsing with enough energy to withstand a nuclear blast, formed around him. It was an impressive show of power, and the smile on Michael’s face said he knew it.
    “I see you have found the courage to unleash the hellhound buried inside you, daughter of Morrigan, but it will do you little good. You are a fledgling, and I am at the height of my power. There can be only one outcome.”
    Max didn’t bother with a comeback. Whatever she had unleashed had full control of her body, and speech was no longer an option.
    From behind her eyes, it watched Michael with the predatory patience of a born killer, and only Caleb’s fierce growls