Pushing out of the chair, she went back into the basement, and the warm, steady glow of spells surrounded her again. Okay, she was still rattled, but she had to admit the magic felt good.

A deep shakiness had set in, and the hollow ache in her stomach reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since early Saturday. Impatiently, she attended to her body’s needs and nuked water in the microwave to make a mug of double-strength instant coffee while she ate soup straight from the can.

The cold soup felt slimy in her mouth, but it stopped her stomach from complaining. She glowered at the locked door as she drank the coffee. The medication had done its job, and her pain had eased to a bearable ache. While she didn’t exactly get a burst of energy from the caffeine, at least she no longer felt like she was going to fall over.

Most importantly, she could feel a small trickle of returning Power. Would it be enough?

Setting aside the half-empty mug of coffee, she went to the door to lay a hand on the electronic lock. Even if she had enough juice, should she do this?

Whether or not she was successful, this was going to make Josiah angry. And while he had manipulated and offended her, he had also helped her tremendously. She thought back to Monday’s kiss and discovered the memory had changed.

This time she remembered how he had held very still as she had gently, tentatively moved her lips under his, and then he had shifted to deepen the kiss. She had been the one to push him away.

He had tightened his arms, not to overpower her but in protest before he let her go. And of all the ways he could have chosen to get her riled…

Her mouth widened in a wry smile. As tactless and manipulative as it had been, he had meant that kiss.

But he had still taken her phone, and whether it made him angry or not, she wanted it back. And she wasn’t going to break through that door easily. Digging deep, she wrenched out as much Power as she could and used it to blast the door open.

Chapter Ten

That had been imprudent.

Ripping out the small trickle of returning Power hurt. Inside, the raw darkness had returned, and she felt shaky again. Gasping, she leaned against the doorframe until the black spots dancing in front of her eyes disappeared.

She couldn’t afford to do that again until she healed properly. For one thing, she might pass out, and for another, she might do permanent damage to an ability she was quickly coming to treasure.

But the door had creaked open. When she inspected it, she discovered she hadn’t dented the electronic lock. The doorframe, where the bolt inserted, was what had splintered.

After registering that in a quick glance, the interior of the room caught her attention.