“I think not.”
He swipes at me again with those huge claws, only for them to hit an invisible barrier.
“Curse you, Alienor.”
“Go fuck yourself,” I snap.
The Boogie Man bares his teeth and hisses. They’re sharp, perfectly white, with elongated incisors that give him the appearance of a vampire, if such things existed.
I need to drive this fiend away before Aggie bleeds to death, but I can’t move her in case it aggravates her wounds. My phone still lies on the dresser, where I left it, so I can’t even call for help.
It’s not like I have a wand of my own, and even if I could use my cousin’s, it’s already rolled far out of reach. All I have at my disposal is enough magic to light candles.
He’s got to have a weakness, but from what I can see, the Boogie Man is all-powerful. Membranous, black wings that end in wickedly sharp points, broad shoulders, huge pecs, and a tight six-pack. Maybe there’s something in the swirls and symbols that adorn his chest, but I can’t begin to decipher them.
My gaze drops further down. What first looked like leather pants is actually a black pelt that covers his lower half, and even his feet end in talon-like claws. The effect is almost the same as his blackened fingertips.
Aggie groans, seeming to have regained consciousness. My stomach plummets to the wooden floorboards. I need to fetch help.
“Why do you protect this woman?” he asks with a sneer. “The wife I knew would have left her to my mercy and saved herself.”
“I’m not your fucking wife,” I snap. “Now, get out before I set you on fire.”
He snorts. “You’ll have to touch me first.”
I reach out, trying to swipe at his knee. Instead, I grab his calf. My jaw drops. I can touch the Boogie Man?
Pushing my meager magic into my palms, I make tiny sparks appear on the surface of my skin, which turn into flames. The flesh beneath my fingertips heats, filling the air with the scent of burning.
The Boogie Man reaches down to grab my hand, only for him to meet the same invisible barrier. With a curse, he stumbles back, picks up my mirror, and raises it above his head.
“Let’s see if your magic will protect the woman against falling shards of glass.”
Before he can toss the mirror over our fallen bodies, the door at the end of the hallway swings open with a loud bang. Grandma flies in on her broomstick, followed by Aunt Klara.
Relief floods through my chest, and I can finally exhale the air in my lungs. Aunt Klara is almost as powerful as Grandma. The two of them together could pull anyone from the brink of death.
Before I can even celebrate, the mirror crashes on the floor, sending glass flying everywhere. Tiny shards bounce off a wide arc of invisible magic, hitting the Boogie Man in the chest.
A breath catches in the back of my throat. The power isn’t coming from my locket but from the other witches.
“Alienor,” Grandma shrieks. “What happened?”
“It’s him.” I point at the Boogie Man.
Black blood pours down his chest, looking like his markings are bleeding. Instead of pooling on the floor, the liquid soaks back into his skin.
“What is the meaning of this?” he roars.
Aunt Klara falls to her knees beside me and encases Aggie in a bubble of magic.
“Mum,” Aggie says, her voice strained.
“Shhh.” She strokes my cousin’s hair. “I’ll take care of your wounds.“
I inhale, waiting for the irrational surge of jealousy I always get at the sight of motherly love, but it doesn’t arrive. My mum died when I was born, so I spent the first eighteen years of my life with Grandma.
Right now, my stomach is heavy with dread. They’re going to think the attack came from me, then they’ll bind my magic. Without any form of magic to connect to my locket, I’ll be completely powerless against the Boogie Man.