All because of him.
All because of them.
“Do you think this will do?” His voice comes from behind me, so close I feel it more than hear it. Each syllable licks down my spine, a scratch of ice-cold callousness that makes me shudder despite the heat burning through my core.
My fingers reach for my magic. It flares again, untamed and wild, lashing out as I spin to face him. Fire flashes across the world, its flames a burst of gold that light the dark, and the warlock simply laughs, raising his hand as he extinguishes the inferno I loosed.
Kade stands in the moonlight, his dark hair loose around his face. His eyes meet mine and they glint with cruel amusement, the darkness of his irises deepening as he stares at me. His height is impressive, his muscles are even more remarkable, and the tattoos inked on his body do nothing to make him less intimidating.
He looks impossibly steady, as if the chase didn’t touch him at all.
“You’re predictable, little witch,” he says, taking a step forward. His sorcery slithers toward me, the air turning dank with its vile oiliness.
I let my magic arc out again and it strikes the ground between us, sending up a spray of dirt and sparks. The earth breaks open for me, erupting as if an explosion occurred and I stare in disbelief as he moves forward, untouched and unaffected by the havoc I’m wreaking.
“Stay back,” I snarl.
“Why?” His grin sharpens.
My eyes narrow and my fingers claw at the air, summoning the power it contains. I press my weight down, reaching into the darkness beneath me, harnessing the depths of the earth as I drag its power up, coiling it inside me, readying myself to use it.
Kade moves faster than I react. His hand wraps aroundmy wrist, jerking me forward, and his magic slams into mine. It’s a collision of light and shadow, of fire and ice, and its cacophony makes the air around us hums with raw energy. My knees buckle and I see him shudder, but he doesn’t let go, his grip unyielding as his power snakes into me.
“You’re weak,” he says, his voice dripping with disdain. “I’m surprised you managed to break the sigil. You’re pathetic, Zara.”
His magic twists against mine, and I cry out as it burns, tearing through my defenses like paper. It slithers through me like smoke, corrosive and all-consuming, leaving raw agony in its wake. But beneath the pain, beneath the jagged edges of what feels like his victory, there’s something else.
It’s sharp, ancient, and terrifyingly alive, coiled deep within me like a serpent waiting to strike. It stirs against the weight of his sorcery, brushing against my magic with the kind of slow, deliberate promise that makes my breath catch. I don’t recognize this power, but I know it’s older than the stars, primal in a way that makes everything else I’ve known as irrelevant as a mayfly’s life.
But it’s mine.
It’s always been mine.
And it’s fucking furious.
It pulses inside me, molten fire coursing through my veins. It rises against Kade’s magic, not to counter it, not to turn it. The power spreading through me wants more, deserves more, and it’s going to consume Kade and his magic, to rend it all apart until nothing of him remains.
“Is this all you’ve got?” Kade’s voice cuts through the haze of pain and power, smug and grating. His grip tightens, his magic flooding into me harder, as if he senses the stirrings of rebellion. “You can’t even hold the pieces together, can you? You’re pathetic. You’re beneath me. Barely worth my effort.”
His words lash against me, but they don’t stick. Not this time. The ancient force within me roars louder, surging forward as it demands release. It claws at barriers I didn’t even know existed, tearing them down as if they were feeble, pitiful things and pain ignites in my soul. The agony evolves, no longer caused by the magic Kade’s pouring into me.
This torture is of my own making, and it’s caused by my power. It’s breaking free, shattering the chains I didn’t know I carried. Another wave of agony washes over me with every broken link and I surrender to the hurt, letting myself sink into the darkest depths of the oceans carrying me away.
“Finally,” he says, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re starting to fight like you mean it.”
A scream tears from my throat, raw and guttural, as my magic surges out in a violent wave. It slams into him, breaking his hold on me and sending us both flying. I land hard, my head spinning, the taste of blood on my tongue. For a moment, the world is silent except for the sound of my ragged breathing.
I look up, glaring at Kade, focusing on the blood dripping from a corner of his mouth. I’ve struck hard enough to do some damage and his eyes light with something other than amusement now. The smug grin is gone, replaced by a feral snarl that twists his features into a more monstrous form. He wipes the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, and I think I see his fingers tremble.
“You’ll pay for that,” he growls.
The forest trembles at his raw power.
I stand my ground and barely have time to react before he’s on me again, his magic slamming into mine with an almost unstoppable force. The air crackles and burns as our power clashes, the surrounding forest erupting into chaos. Trees splinter and fall, their trunks groaning in protest. The ground beneath us buckles and cracks, the earth itself unableto withstand the violence of our battle.
He moves faster than I can follow, his strikes precise and unrelenting. My defenses crumble under the onslaught, each hit driving me closer to the ground. My magic lashes out wildly, untamed and furious, but it’s not enough to stop him. He’s a storm, relentless, and all-consuming, and I’m drowning in the flood of his power.
“Is this it?” he sneers, his voice a venomous whip as he grabs my hair and yanks my head back. “The witch who broke the covenants and brought the warlocks to their knees? You’re nothing, Zara. Just a scared little girl playing with fire.”
