Rafe’s POV
Varrick moved faster than I thought a half-burned bastard could.
He slammed into the witch mid-lunge, their bodies colliding in a burst of violet fire and smoke. The sound was wrong - like metal shrieking under pressure - and the magic exploded outwards, throwing me back into the wall. Stone cracked behind me.
“Rafe!” Evelynn’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and wild.
“I’m good!” I grunted, rolling to my feet. Pain flared down my arm where her spell had grazed me, but I didn’t have time to care.
Calder came in from the right, silver daggers drawn, slicing at the air where the witch had been a heartbeat ago. Maddox followed, shifting halfway - claws out, fangs flashing, fury incarnate.
Jaxon’s voice hit through the mind link, a snarl behind every word.
“What the hell i
