I was slammed back into my body, the impact tearing a ragged gasp from my throat.Panic obscured my thoughts, my hands grasping at my chest, taking fistfuls of my shirt as I pulled it from my body to peer down at smooth, unblemished skin.“I’m alive…” I panted, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. “It wasn’t me. I’m still here.”The sensation of my soul slipping away, the very essence that made up my memories, hopes, dreams, and fears, was one I would never forget. Far beyond the physical pain was a peacefulness I never would’ve thought existed. It caressed the soul in feather-light touches, wrapping around that beacon of light in a protective embrace.Remembering Death’s gentle touch brought tears to my eyes and made me wonder if that was how Sean felt—if he too felt at peace.‘We have to go, Lola…’ Maya said softly, her tail curling around my thoughts.As much as I wanted to stay and linger in that peaceful haze, it quickly began to slip through my fingers. Cordelia had been right, a
It echoed louder than necessary, as if it couldn’t pass up the chance to scold me. Not daring to look down at the branch beneath my foot, I threw caution to the damn wind and made a run for it.Three heads whipped around as I barreled through the forest line like a wolf in a china shop.“Lola—” Zeke shouted; his hands clutched to his abdomen where the white t-shirt he wore was soaked through with blood.Rowena, whose hair long hair was tangled from the wind, had wide eyes brimming with unshed tears. They sparkled with relief, which only acted as gasoline to the fire raging in my chest.“Get away from them.” I snarled; eyes locked on Tessa.The witch held her hands out, palms facing the ground, but I had yet to feel any magic oozing off her skin. I itched to lash out, to stop her heart and take her life in exchange for Sean’s, but I wanted to make it count. If she was the one that killed Sean—or if it were that sister of hers, their death would be slow, agonizingly slow.Rowena stumble
Tessa and Zeke ceased to exist as my vision tunneled, completely centered on Rowena’s prideful expression.“You killed my brother.” I barely recognized my own voice.The savageness in it was foreign to my ears, a quality I’d only ever seen Asher possess. I never thought I was capable of blind hatred, the kind that devours everything good about a person until all that’s left inside of them is blackness, but I’d been wrong.I hated Rowena. I hated her with every fiber of my being, with every breath I took and with every beat that shuddered my broken heart.The edge was so close that my skin began to tingle with the familiar sensation of falling, but I didn’t lose my balance until Rowena opened her mouth and spoke.“Well, technically your mate did that, darling. We did need another sacrifice, after all.” She rolled her eyes, inspecting her nails, completely oblivious that these were the final moments of her pathetic life. “It’s rather inconvenient your grandmother survived, though. I’ve
Even chalk-white and swaying on two feet, Zeke managed a look of utter surprise. Tessa’s slender eyebrows fell into a grimace, and a subtle blush stained her face. From the way she avoided his gaze at all costs, I knew things were far from perfect between the two, but it was a start.Tessa was no longer against us, so long as I held up my end and kept my word that witches would have a place in the world, one where they didn’t have to hide in the shadows.“Can you heal him?” I asked her, nodding in Zeke’s direction.“I think so, but I might need some help. I’ve only ever mended small wounds…nothing like this. Plus, his weakness to silver is going to stunt things.” Tessa replied, peeling up the bottom half of Zeke’s shirt. When she made it to his back, where the gem-incrusted hilt jutted out a few inches from his spine, she winced. “I’m going to have to pull it out. It’s…it’s going to hurt.”“Do it.” Zeke grunted, sinking to his knees to brace his hands in the dirt.“On three…” Tessa mu
I sliced through the mind-link, cleaving it in two and watching as it fluttered and frayed like the torn pieces of a ribbon.“Now, where were we?” I exhaled, rolling my shoulders back as I weakened my hold over my magic.It swarmed at the first hint of freedom, filling my cells until they swelled with power. As hard as it was, I had to control each and every thought that passed through my head, taking care not to feed any energy into them. Like stones floating down a stream, I’d pluck one out of the water to inspect it, only to toss it back in, releasing it altogether.Rowena snickered, much too confident and cocky given her current position. “You were threatening me with death should I not reveal all my little secrets.”“Ah, right. I’d like to change my earlier threat if you don’t mind.” I smirked, tilting my head the way a predator would as it sized up its prey. Right now, that’s exactly what Rowena was. She didn’t even have the honor of being called fresh meat, not with that patch
“She made you kill my brother, Asher. How can you not want this?” I whispered; my hands flush against his broad chest.My voice was back to normal, but the sickly veins of darkness crawling up my fingers remained. They’d gotten further this time around, creeping past my knuckles and onto the tops of my hands. The Shadows were silent, bloated on Rowena’s blood.There were no whispers of fixing this because this time, the damage was irreversible.Sprawled out in the dirt, covered in her own blood, Rowena muttered, “I didn’t make him do anything.”Asher’s neck cracked as he craned his head to look down at her, a ripple of pure malice wracking his body and vibrating down the mate-bond. It wasn’t just me whose sanity was hanging by a frayed thread, but Asher too.“Believe me, I want her dead and I want her to suffer first, but not at the cost of my mate. Look at your hands, Lola. Look at yourself.” Asher said in a low voice, one laced with caution.I kept my eyes locked on his face, even a
A snarl tore through my chest and if it weren’t for Asher’s hand on my lower back, his warmth pouring into my icy skin, I would’ve dug my fingers into her eye sockets.Instead of having the wits to be afraid, Rowena laughed.“No, you’re right. She’s too close to all of this. It would be much too obvious. Mm, perhaps it’s someone in the background, someone you never would’ve noticed lurking about. What about that half-breed sister of yours, Holly? She and I did spend quite a lot of time together.” She teased, flashing blood-stained teeth when Tristan let out a snarl of his own.There wasn’t a chance in hell I’d actually believe her, not with how enthusiastically she’s pointing fingers. She could cry witch all she wanted, but I trusted the people closest to me, my half-sister included.Rowena began to laugh harder, and the sound of it gradually shifted from confident and poised, to a cackle that bordered on unhinged.“Oh, there’s so many possibilities, but let’s not limit the suspects t
‘Let’s take a minute. I need a breather before I tear her heart out.’ I hissed over mind-link.The darkness in my veins was crooning, ‘kill her, kill her, kill her.’ The possibility that she’d open her mouth again and say something that eroded the last shred of my willpower was terrifying enough to make me want to run.Still holding Asher’s hand, I pulled him away from Rowena. The traitor was reclined in her seat, lazy smile on her face. She could act like being here was her choice, like this was some five-star resort, but I had a feeling she’d quickly change her mind once Asher began drawing blood.The mere thought of hearing her screams had my hands shaking, twitching with the urge to let my magic take control.There was clear reluctance on Asher’s end, but he relented and let me lead him into the observation room. As Rowena’s cell door swung shut, I closed in on my mate. The others in the room faded into the background, the prickling sensation that was their eyes smothered by fear.