The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion, and I stood frozen, watching it happen.

Helene jumped in front of Heath and took the blow, a bloom of red spreading quickly across her chest where it had been torn open.

Torin shot a spell toward the healer, now turned killer.

Daniel deflected it easily. “The little boys still think they beat the grownups?”

Carlo laughed as Daniel sent Torin flying into the trees, even as Heath gathered his mother’s body. Riley used the moment to shoot a bolt from his wand that caught Daniel in head and sent him crashing to the ground. Before Carlo could react, Riley escaped toward the woods where Torin had fallen.

Anna broke loose from my power while I was distracted, and before I could reach her, Carlo raised his wand towards Enzo, a deadly spell forming at its tip. Panic surged through me, drowning out all rational thoughts.

“Enzo, move!” I screamed, but it was too late. The spell hurtled towards him, and everything seemed to slow down even more, the air thick with tension and magic.

As natural as breathing, I tapped into my Reaper powers to increase my speed and strength. My heart raced as I sprinted towards Carlo, determined to protect Enzo at all costs, but the cleaver in my hand had gone silent once more.

“Carlo!” I yelled, drawing his attention for a moment. But that brief distraction was enough. With a swift movement of my arm, I sent June flying through the air towards Carlo’s hand. The cleaver sliced cleanly through his wrist, severing his hand. As the hand holding the wand fell, the path of the spell broke.

Enzo quickly took advantage of the situation, sending a stunning spell towards Carlo before he could react.

Carlo fell to the ground, writhing in pain as blood pooled around his severed wrist. Enzo acted fast, binding Carlo with magical ropes that glowed an eerie blue. For a moment, it seemed like we’d won, but fate had other plans.

The ground beneath us began to shake violently, making my legs wobble as I struggled to keep my balance. Panic surged through me as I realized we were standing on the edge of a lake filled with alligators – and we were about to fall in.

“Everyone, move!” I screamed, grabbing Enzo’s arm and pulling him away from the churning water. Heath stumbled after us, still holding his mother’s body, his eyes wide with fear.

“Sierra, what’s happening?” Riley asked, running out from between the trees. He was breathing heavily as he carried an unconscious Torin over his shoulder.

“Those damn gators,” I whispered, trying to catch my breath. “They must’ve smelled the blood.”

“Then let’s get out of here,” Riley said. “We can’t afford any more setbacks.”

“Agreed,” Enzo chimed in, casting a wary glance at the thrashing waters.

As we moved away from the lake, my heart pounded in my chest. We had narrowly avoided death once again, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that our fight was far from over. Ravenswood and its people still needed us, and we would do whatever it took to protect them – even if it meant facing more terrifying encounters along the way.

The world seemed to slow around me as I clung to Enzo’s arm, desperately dragging him away from the unstable ground. My heart hammered in my chest, a mixture of fear and adrenaline coursing through my veins. But as we reached what appeared to be solid ground, a monstrous alligator erupted from the water and clamped its massive jaws around Carlo’s body.

“Damn,” I breathed, watching as the creature crushed him to death with terrifying ease. A small, vindictive part of me felt satisfaction at his demise, but the rational part of my mind knew this was far from over. More of the scaly beasts emerged from the lake, their eyes focused on us, drawn by the scent of blood.

“Guys, we need to move! Now!” I shouted, fear tinging my voice. The others didn’t need any more prompting; they quickly sprang into action.

“I’ll try to keep them off us!” Riley yelled. Despite the burden of Torin over his shoulder, he launched a spell that sent one of the alligators flying back into the water with a splash.

Enzo and Heath followed suit, casting powerful spells that blasted more of the reptiles away. Despite all the powers I’d been given, I felt useless at that moment. My Reaper powers weren’t suited for that kind of battle.

Enzo must have noticed my hesitation. “Sierra, focus. We’ve got this,” he said, his voice steady despite the chaos around us. Then, he quickly cast a barrier spell that enveloped us in an invisible shield, protecting us from the snapping jaws of the alligators.

“Nice work,” I whispered, glancing at Enzo with appreciation. “But how long will it hold?”

“Long enough for us to figure out our next move,” he replied, his gaze scanning the treacherous lake before us. “We can’t stay here forever.”

“I know,” I admitted, my mind racing to find a solution. “But we can’t risk the barrier breaking and being caught off guard.”

“Maybe we can create a distraction,” Torin suggested groggily, sitting up from where Riley had laid him. “Something to draw them away while we make our escape.”

He glanced at the silent, bloody body of Heath’s mother, and I knew what he was thinking. I frowned and shook my head at him behind Heath’s back, and he looked away.

“Good idea,” Riley said. “Conjuring isn’t my greatest strength. Heath, can you do it?” he asked gently.

Heath nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating on his spell. A moment later, a large chunk of meat appeared in the air, hovering over the lake. The alligators’ attention shifted immediately to it.

“Let’s go!” Enzo yelled, and we sprinted away from the lake fast as our legs would carry us.

When we seemed to be making headway, Anna appeared in our path. She charged towards me with a manic expression.

I instinctively raised my hands in defense as she tackled me to the ground. But Anna was faster than my spell could form, and with surprising strength, she began to strangle me, her eyes filled with a demonic rage.

“Anna … please,” I choked out, desperately gasping for air. Panic coursed through me, as I struggled against her grip, unable to summon the power I needed to break free.

My vision began to blur, and for a moment, I thought this would be the end of me. As I was about to black out, I felt someone pull Anna off of me. It was Enzo, his face contorted with the effort.

“Get her off! Get her off!” Riley shouted, rushing over to help Enzo. Heath and Torin joined them, and together they were able to subdue Anna again and tie her up before she could cause any more harm.

I lay on the ground, panting and trying to catch my breath. The fear that had gripped me moments before slowly subsided, replaced by an overwhelming concern for my friend. Was she truly lost to us?

“Sierra, are you okay?” Riley asked, kneeling beside me.

“Y-yeah,” I stammered, still recovering from the ordeal. “But we have to help Anna. We can’t leave her like this.”

“Fuck.” Riley stood, running his hands through his hair. “I thought I killed that bastard. She should have been free of his influence.”

My shoulders sank. “You mean Daniel must still be alive?”

He nodded, and Enzo cursed.

“Let’s get her out of here first,” Torin said. “We can figure out what to do once we’re safe.”

Enzo offered me a hand to help me stand. As I took it, I promised myself that I wouldn’t rest until I could rescue Anna. We had already lost so much; I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, too.

I steadied my breath and struggled to my feet, leaning on Enzo for support. My eyes locked onto Anna’s limp form, each ragged breath she took only serving as a reminder of the demonic presence inside her. We needed to keep going now that we knew there was a good chance Daniel was still alive, but I had one shot at this, one chance to save my friend.

“Stand back,” I warned my mates. They nodded and moved away, giving me space to work my Reaper powers.

Closing my eyes, I allowed the full force of my abilities to awaken within me, feeling both the darkness and the strength that came with it. I conjured June once more and reached out towards Anna with every ounce of strength I had left, fighting to banish the demon that clung to her soul.

“Anna,” I whispered, “I’m not letting you go.”

The air around us grew was charged by the violent energy emanating from the battle between light and dark. Moments stretched into an eternity as I fought to sever the demon’s connection to Anna. Sweat beaded on my forehead and my muscles screamed in agony, but I refused to relent.