Welcome to the Kali Sweet Chronicles. Sweet Malice is the fifth book in the Kali Sweet Urban Fantasy series and will be released to retailers in February 2025. I’ll release a chapter twice a month here in my Magic Bites Membership, and I look forward to reading your comments! *Please note that these are UNEDITED and some story elements may change before the official book release in February. Enjoy!
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Sweet Malice, Kali Sweet Urban Fantasy Series
©2024 Misty Evans
Chapter Three
Chapter Three
The sword led us to a room of mirrors. It was round, and we could barely turn around with Cole’s bulk.
The door swung shut, and we were in the dark. The mirrors, though, magnified the tiny bit of illumination from one panel. It wasn’t light per se; it was a magical glow. We exchanged glances, and the sword trembled when I pointed it toward the spot.
He ran his fingers along the panel’s frame, searching for a means to trip it open. “Nothing,” he said. “Want me to kick it in?”
“Can you yank off the panel?”
He tried, but it wouldn’t budge. Considering his supernatural strength, that solidified the idea that it was enhanced with some pretty hefty magic.
I pivoted in a slow circle, the reflective glass playing havoc with my vision.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
I closed my eyes, shutting off the contorted and twisted images I was getting from the rebounding glow. I placed a hand against the mirror and opened my earth magic senses again.
Layer upon layer of spells tickled and sliced at my palm. My demon chuckled, amused at the sensations but in no way worried. Probing the layers, I teased and picked my way through several. A brute force attack would have caused them to sound the alarm, but gentle flirting and stroking kept them subdued and curious. “This isn’t the way in,” I told Cole. “This is just a distraction, a lure.”
He rotated to his left, eyeing the other mirrors. “You only need a lure if you’re trying to catch something.”
I stepped back from the magic-laced panel. “Or trap it.”
“We’re in a kill box. You can’t make a better trap than that.”
I reached for the doorknob. “Time to go.” It wouldn’t turn. No longer willing to be delicate about it, I blasted the locked door with my magic. It swung free.
The stench of sulfur hit my nose before I crossed the threshold. I held up my hand with the sword, signaling Cole not to run out as well as preparing myself for what might come through. “That was too easy. Something is waiting for us.”
“Yeah, well, something’s already here.”
I glanced over my shoulder and saw movement inside the mirrors. Each one showed a beast stalking toward us. Hellhounds. “Mirrors are portals. If we stay here, we have to fight them. If we exit, we have to fight what’s waiting out there.” I pointed the tip of the sword at the shadowy exit. “Your choice.”
He gave me that evil, feral grin again. “Why not both?”
As the drooling, skeletal hounds advanced on us with bared teeth, we put our backs to each other. I kept one eye on the exit as I readied the sword to do some damage.
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Eep! Kali and Cole are about to go to work. Don’t miss what happens in the next episode!