I was knocked to the ground with such force my back skidded along the club floor, hauling me back a good ten feet until all momentum was lost, and I stopped. My palms stung from where my magic had collected, the density of it giving me a light burn over the surface of my skin.

The snapping of jaws and teeth had me propelling my body off the ground, just in time to see the shifters run into the club and attack Kaius. He battered them away expertly, keeping them from ...