Whittaker swung his curled fist, waiting to connect with Kellan’s jaw.

He ducked underneath his arm and charged at Canden.

Kellan toppled him over, using his strength to his advantage. But Canden had magic and likely a gun, which was always an unknown factor.

But Kellan had the upper hand. He held his favourite dagger to the witch’s throat. ‘Why him?’

Canden laughed. ‘Because of what he is.’

‘Not good enough,’ Kellan mused, pressing the dagger into his throat. He ensured it was the blunt end of the blade, but Canden didn’t know that.

Acting anyway, Canden chanted, ‘Levitas, biex.’

Kellan knew those were basic enchantments; glass shattered behind him.

Each shard from the fallen vase rose mid-air and aimed toward him.

Bethan yelled something, but he couldn’t hear. He rolled out of the way, shards falling on the floor as they whizzed past him.

One sliced the top of his ear. He seethed through his teeth from the stinging pain. He sat up, preparing for Canden’s next move.

‘Our masters have a plan for you, once you find the grimoire, little witch,’ he said to Bethan.

Kellan lunged when—

The door swung open again, and another person entered the fray. Elnora stormed toward Canden, her eyes laced with fury.

Confusion plastered over his face.

‘I thought—’ he said.

‘Leave my friends alone,’ she growled.

Elnora conjured the shards again and directed them at Canden.

‘Biex,’ she said calmly, the sharp ends flying toward him.

He screamed.

Kellan fought the urge to laugh maniacally. He stared at the door, waiting for the crowd of people to barrel in. He listened but heard no footsteps. He heard nothing but the screams and unnecessarily loud music.

The screaming stopped suddenly, leaving Kellan wondering why no one came in.

He slid over to Canden. A glass shard was wedged in his heart, but he was still breathing—

‘Finish him off,’ Elnora deadpanned, the same cruelness in her eyes as her father.

He couldn’t kill another. Not with the Council already breathing down his neck.

‘Don’t.’ Bethan’s sobs echoed in the room, sending Kellan in a panic.

His brow knitted in disappointment at himself. He can barely keep her safe.

‘I can’t’ was all he could say.

Bethan shook her head and whispered, ‘Elnora.’

‘He will cause more trouble alive; he’ll frame it in a way that Kellan and Sam were the aggressors,’ Elnora said. ‘Kill him and give me the dagger.’

‘It was self-defence. Canden attacked Sam and me first.’ Kellan’s voice rose.

He turned back to Sam, who became conscious, his eyes were bloodshot.

‘He’s been drugged,’ Bethan said, holding his eyes open.

‘My parents will say that he took drugs for leisure and attacked him. Sam was there on the night of the shooting; they will say it was out of revenge,’ she argued.