The doors shut behind the two boys, and she could see Mack and Declan standing alone on the sidewalk. Mack was looking around, looking for her most likely, while his tall, lanky friend just stared straight ahead. Perfect. She wouldn’t even have to enter the building. Wouldn’t need to go near those wards. This was ideal. Her choice of bait had been dead on, easily seduced, pliant to her will, and not at all an unpleasant bed partner, from her perspective. Too bad she couldn’t keep him as a pet.

She moved forward, gradually turning off the demonic cloak as she walked. Mack’s swiveling head suddenly locked onto her, his eyes widening at her rather sudden appearance while the witch hardly blinked. She had left Mack enough slack when she bound him to her will that he could react and plan, trusting in the carefully contrived infatuation she had layered over him. That had been fun, using feminine guile rather than violence and brute force. A nice change. Although bloody brute force was always satisfying too.

Mack smiled widely, his body language broadcasting just how smitten he was.

“You did well, Mack. You even thought to bring him out to me, saving me the visit inside. Such initiative should be rewarded,” she said, giving her toy the kind of smile that had helped reduce his will to mush. She was close now, just four yards away.

But most of her attention was on her prize, this witch boy that everyone wanted a piece of. He hummed with power, even bound by her artifact and standing mute, staring at the ground in front of him like a zombie. No wonder Zinnia wanted him. An Earthborn witch, and male at that, who could commune with elementals and had somehow suborned part of Fairie itself. Maybe she should keep him. Use him for herself. The elves had all but broken faith by keeping the true extent of his abilities secret. Speaking of which… “Mack, where are his talismans?”

Mack reached into a pocket and pulled out a bundle of leather cord, stone, glass, and wood. Her demonic senses confirmed they were the same ones the witch had used before. She flicked her eyes at Declan and froze. He was now looking at her. Directly at her, eyes alert, aware, maybe even unbeaten , maybe even something else… satisfied?

Then he lifted his right hand and a black bolt of power shot from the bracelet on his right wrist, leather and black stone was all she had time to observe before she was blown backward twenty feet, smashing into the hard asphalt as if hit by a truck.

“Shit dude, that thing has some serious punch,” Mack said. “What did you call it?”