I push the air in my lungs through my parted lips and a faint strand of light lights the particles I’m exhaling. My fingers push the magic away, moving its light as it dances before us, its colored waves rippling across the clearing.
“Pretty,” Kade praises.
Nothing feels the way it did before. It’s strange and terrifying, a complete change in how my magic works. There’s no loss, no descent into chaos. Only calm and control, and it’s so foreign that it ought to terrify me.
But it doesn’t.
Just as the warlock standing behind me no longer scares me.
This is more than anything I’ve ever known. It’s a complete change and its carnage threatens to destroy me. It’s controlled chaos, and it’s more potent than the sharpest poison, more vicious than a leopard’s claws.
“Good girl,” he murmurs, his voice low and approving. “Turn your palm away and we’ll find out if you can handle a little destruction.”
I stiffen, my breath catching.
“Relax, Zara. Just a little. Control first, then release. Trust me.”
I don’t trust him. Not fully. But I nod anyway, determined to see this through. My hand shakes as I lift it and Kade catches my wrist, holding it for me as I cock it back.
“You don’t lose control, kitten,” he purrs. “You just release the power you hold.” A finger trails along my arm and I stareahead, focusing on anything but his touch. “Let go for me, darling. Let it all go.”
I close my eyes, drawing in a shaky breath. The storm inside me stirs again, an unruly tide ready to drown me. But this time, I don’t fear it. I call it forward, a thread of power pooling in my core. Kade’s grip on my wrist steadies me, an anchor I didn’t know I needed as the magic pulses and its intensity rises around me. I open my eyes in time to see the faint glow of fire crackling around my fingers, dancing like embers caught in a breeze.
For a moment, I worry it might overwhelm me.
But I exhale slowly, my focus narrowing, and I just let go.
I fall without dropping and the magic releases in a brilliant arc, surging forward and striking a nearby boulder with a resounding crack. The rock splits cleanly in two, and my chest heaves, exhilaration and disbelief warring with me as the power ebbs away.
I’m left with a warm, heady satisfaction that’s different from the agonizing loss I’ve known when I used my magic before.
“It’s not that hard.” A smug grin tugs at my lips as I turn to Kade.
There’s no hint of mockery in his expression. “Not bad, little witch. Not bad at all.” His hand brushes against mine as he releases my wrist, and I swear there’s a flicker of pride in his eyes. “You’re a fast learner. You’ll be up to speed in no time.”
My pride fades into intrigue as curiosity takes its place. “How did you know how to do that?” I ask, tilting my head as I study him.
His expression shifts, the easy confidence dimming just slightly. “Would you believe me if I said I just did?”
“No.”
Kade sighs, his gaze shifting to the shattered bolder as though it holds the answers. His muscles ripple and his hands curl into fists before he releases the tension in a resigned sigh that’s almost sad.
“It’s how I use my magic,” he says, his voice quieter now. He dips forward and I catch the shudder as he flinches, fighting to hold back whatever’s gnawing at him. “Or rather, it’s how I use your magic.”
My stomach twists as the truth clicks into place. “Via the sigil.”
He nods, his gaze unwavering. “The sigil binds the magic we take from you, and pours it into the warlock who holds it. Our magic isn’t this chaotic, but we learn to tame yours. The madness of your sorcery destroys the warlock unless they’re strong enough to control your chaos, as it would devastate the world around us.”
“You die?” I ask.
Kade nodes again. “Many warlocks do, Zara. Your magic makes us stronger but only the best tolerate its burden. The sigil doesn’t just bind your magic; it burns through us, constantly testing whether we can control what we’ve taken.”
I glance at the shattered boulder, the weight of his revelation pressing down on me. “And you can control it? Control mine?”
“For now,” he says quietly, his jaw tight. “But the stronger the witch, the harder it is to contain. Your magic doesn’t like being bound. It fights, but you already know this. It’s what makes you strong, and it’s why you’ve been more powerful since the sigil broke.”
My stomach twists, guilt prickling at the edges of my anger. I pour my anger into my stare as my mind whirls and I follow what he’s just said to its inevitable, logical conclusion.
