Gideon gazed down at the small body on the ground, afraid to cross the black circle that ringed her. Jesse’s question rang in his ear, but it wasn’t until he saw Emma stir that he could bring himself to answer.
“It looks like she’s fine. Can I cross the circle yet?”
“Yes, go ahead. She’s awake? Ethan’s out.”
“Out?” He didn’t waste any more time getting to Emma, stepping over the extinguished candles to crouch at her side. She groaned as she rolled onto her back, but the eyes that lifted to his were clear and coherent. “Why is he out?”
“I’m guessing it was the blow to the head. He started blocking the magic. The harder he pushed, the worse it was for him. Wait a second…” He heard Jesse moving around before, “There’s no blood. A lump though.”
Gideon pressed an expert hand over Emma’s bo
