Magical Midlife Madness (Leveling Up #1)(76)

I remembered they couldn’t last forever, and there were still many more enemies to conquer and expel.





Twenty-Nine





The back door should’ve been locked, but the handle turned easily in my palm. I pulled it open and slipped inside, locking it behind me. The solid pulse of the house greeted me, deep and pure, vibrating through my body like a second heart.

Danger echoed down the hall to my left—no sound or voices, just a presence. To my right, the wallpaper crawled, outlining a pattern. A door. The handle was as clear as day, a little button and a thick groove.

Moments later, I stepped into a secret space and closed the door behind me, the soft click of the door comforting. I hadn’t found this particular passageway in the last couple of days, but I remembered it. I remembered scrubbing the cobwebs from my face and telling Diana, “Just a little farther. I think it’s just a little farther.”

“What is?” she’d asked.

“Just a little farther.”

Pressure built against my back, and lightly sucked at my front. I started forward, hoping my friends were okay. Knowing the dozen people loitering inside the house would probably go out and help. Knowing that at some point, the effort would be too great for my aging friends. Austin Steele couldn’t do it alone.

Faster.

I could almost hear the whisper. The urgency. But like before, it wasn’t a voice, per se, more of a feeling. The house speaking.

I slowed as I neared the end of the passageway, feeling the pressure change. Feeling that gentle suction—stronger with every step—urging me to slip into a little alcove I couldn’t see. One I remembered from the past.

In the past, I had been quite a bit smaller.

I turned sideways and ducked, hoping to hell I didn’t get stuck.

The floor sloped downward quickly. The walls jutted outward, the tunnel getting wider, wood turning to stone, stone turning to rock. The jagged edges scraped my arms. The rough floor tried to catch my feet. Still I pushed on, feeling that pressure behind me, pushing. Feeling the pulse ahead, pulling, urging me to take what it was ready to freely give.

“Okay, but here’s the thing.” I held out a finger as I ducked through the last little bit of tunnel and into a cavern made of rock and stone. The ceiling curved over me in a roughly hewn arch. A wrought iron light fixture dangled from a thick chain directly above a rock outcropping. Within it glowed a blue orb, the same sort that lit all of the house’s secret passages.

Large crystals in a plethora of colors rose from within the rock, almost crawling out like a rose bush. The blue orb above me throbbed, and refracted light from the crystals pulsed and danced across the walls in an abundance of color.

“I have some conditions.” I had no idea why I thought I could barter with an inanimate object, but I was going with my gut. This would be far from the weirdest thing I’d done lately. “I will stay me. I don’t need my age cut in half to be a badass. I am already a badass. But I’d love it if my back would stop hurting. And what’s with the crackling joints? What’s that all about? Maybe erase the stretch marks, too. I mean, that wasn’t my fault—my skin sucks and my son was enormous. Oh! Can I get a magical skin care regime? That sounds like a good one. I hate bothering with that stuff. And oh, if you could put my boobs back where they belong, that would be awesome. I have to date again eventually, and the boob issue was the kid’s fault, too, so I don’t mind asking for that. Basically…less aches and pains, and the body I would have had if the kid hadn’t stretched me out. Sure, I could diet and exercise, but let’s get real. I don’t want to. In return, I will return the house to its former glory, host your magic even though it’ll put me in danger, and…harden up to fighting. And freedom, or whatever.”

The crystals pulsed three times in quick succession. Butterflies filled my stomach. I felt like I was making a deal with the devil.

I took a deep breath, and reached out.





Thirty





The ground rumbled beneath Niamh’s feet. A low hum filled the air.

A host of enemy rounded the house, finally clued in to the battle and coming to lend their aid. Edgar, flagging, prepared for them. Mr. Tom, sagging as well, landed for a moment, catching his breath. Even Niamh felt the effects of her effort.

Only Austin Steele showed no signs of slowing. He charged the enemy, brawn and power. Bodies flew with abandon.

“He’s the best I’ve ever seen,” Edgar said, wiping a trickle of blood from his chin.

Niamh had to agree, and she’d battled a great many shifters. The best of the best. None of the others could hold a candle to the magnificence that was Austin Steele, even with age against him. He was larger than life, and used every ounce of his strength and power to his benefit.

But this new round of fighters had come prepared. Silver gleamed at the end of their spears, illuminated by the magical light showering them from above. He could withstand much, but he couldn’t withstand silver.

“Hurry!” she wanted to shout to Edgar, but her stupid horse face didn’t allow for it. She charged ahead, using everything she had. Silver wouldn’t harm her or Edgar.

A shock wave blasted through the air, stealing her breath. Another, knocking her out of the sky. One more, and suddenly her strength began to grow. Her energy doubled. Tripled. Little aches dried up and disappeared. Big aches evaporated. Her heart beat harder, pumping her blood in steady gushes. She didn’t even know that had been a problem.