Infinite Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Huntress Book 5) by Linsey Hall Page A

was overwhelmed by panic.
    I was losing control of the magic. My skin sparked, little pricks of light flying off of me as the magic seeped out of my pores.
    Is this what had happened when I’d lost control before and knocked out all my friends? The magic had exploded out of me and hurt them?
    Only it was happening more slowly now, little rays of light shining from me.  
    Which meant I could control it.
    I had to control it.
    I tried to rein the magic back in, calming my breathing and my mind. But I didn’t let go of the illusion. Quitting wasn’t practice. I had to keep the illusion going while I controlled my magic.
    But the dancers blurred in front of my eyes, turning transparent in places. The forest peaked through the illusion, trees bisecting bodies and walls.  
    My lungs felt tight and the air thick as soup. Hot, too. The light shined more brightly from me, cutting through the dancers like sunlight through a vampire.
    I clenched my fists, reaching to hold on to the magic. To keep the illusion going. But pain sliced through my mind, so sharp and bright that I stumbled to my knees.  
    Shit.
    “Cass!” Aidan’s voice cut through the forest.
    Magic exploded out from me, a concussive force that blasted through the trees. It tore off tree limbs and blew dirt into the air.
    Through bleary eyes, I saw Aidan on his knees about ten yards away.
    Damn it.  
    Groggily, I climbed to my feet and raked my sweaty hair back from my face, then staggered over to Aidan. He was getting to his feet, his face wan.
    “Are you all right?” I asked.
    “Fine.” His color was returning. “You’re gaining control.”
    “Gaining it? I totally lost it at the end there.”
    “Maybe, but not nearly as bad as last time.”
    I wasn’t sure if he meant the time I’d dropped a house on Dermot or knocked Aidan unconscious, but either way… “You have a point.”
    “I usually do. And on the plus side, I can’t really sense your magic right now.”
    Hope fluttered in my chest. “That’s a good thing, at least.”
    Aidan pressed a kiss to my forehead. “It’s definitely a good thing. You’re gaining control. But come on. We’ll have dinner. Then you can practice more if you want.”
    My stomach grumbled at the mention of dinner. “Good plan.”
    And I would practice more. Because what I was working with now wasn’t enough to keep my friends safe or to defeat Victor. Not by a long shot.

CHAPTER SIX

    At ten ‘til ten the next morning, Aidan’s car crested the hill in front of Glencarrough. Nix and Del had stayed behind, but they had Del’s comms charms in case I needed to call for backup. Del had saved up her power, so she was ready to transport to us in an instant. Aidan was wearing Nix’s charm so that I could listen in.
    Aidan pulled over on the side of the road, hiding the car mostly behind a patch of scrubby trees. I looked down at his destination, an enormous stone structure crouched between two hulking mountains. The Alpha Council headquarters was a monstrosity of towers and walls that spread across a Highland valley in central Scotland.
    “This place gives me the creeps,” I said. When I’d first seen this place, I’d thought it looked like a fairytale villain’s castle. It wasn’t as bad as Victor’s definitely haunted castle, but it was plenty scary.
    “Me too,” Aidan said. Sheep scurried in front of the car, their little white legs kicking up as they bounded away. “I didn’t like growing up at my father’s hovel, but this place was no better.”
    Though I remembered the inside of Glencarrough as being beautiful, the outside did not reflect that. And it was full of Shifters who hated FireSouls. I sure hoped Aidan didn’t need my help in there.
    Aidan pulled out some binoculars and peered through them at the walls, then handed them to me. I raised them, having to move them around a bit to find a patch through the scrubby trees.
    At least two dozen guards paced the ramparts. Quickly, I dropped the