“I saw what would happen when your magic unleashed, and I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it,” he said. “I know how it feels to take a life, even if part of you thinks that person deserved it.”
“I didn’t mean to kill them,” I admitted. “The shadow magic is sentient. It reacted to my anger when the mages tried to hurt my mates. I had no control over it.” And that was what worried me the most.
What if a server in a shop pissed me off? Would my magic explode and annihilate an entire town as vengeance for being shortchanged?
If I couldn’t get a grip on my new magic, maybe I needed locking up—for everyone’s safety.
I chewed my lip. Sure, orange wasn’t my color, but I could make it work. Perhaps if I dyed my hair green, I’d start a new trend.
I half expected Kai to push me away after my unpleasant revelation, but he seemed unfazed. Maybe having a murderous mate was par for the course in the mer kingdom. I supposed with the bitch queen on the throne, Kai had probably seen way worse than the aftermath of my murderous shadow magic.
“Shadow magic comes from the demon realm, so perhaps you need to talk to your father. He can teach you how to wield it.”
“Talk to Nymon, the psychopathic king of the demon realm, who’s been sending his legions to attack us?” That sounded like a terrible idea, even to me, the reigning queen of terrible ideas.
“He’s going to continue sending demons until he gets what he wants, which is an audience with you, his long-lost daughter.”
Okay, so Kai talked sense. But what if my deadbeat dad snatched me back to the demon realm and refused to let me leave? I made that point to Kai, but he shook his head.
“You are a child born of both realms, so you should be able to move between the two without hindrance.”
I sighed. Demon attacks had increased in both frequency and ferocity, so maybe Kai was right and the only way to stop them was to talk to daddy dearest.
30
Raven
Inky shadows filled my temporary bedroom when I woke. Kai had walked me back here after our pool session where he swam and I pretended I was too tired to move a muscle. He’d offered to stay in the room with me, but I’d declined, needing some space to collect my thoughts.
I was still processing everything that had happened at the laboratory, not least my new designation as a mass murderer.
Each time I pictured all those dead bodies, a wave of nausea hit me. If only Glynda were here. I missed her matter-of-fact advice and ability to cut through my bullshit. When I’d asked Maverick where she was, he said she was safe and changed the subject.
He’d better not be lying to me.If anything happened to my bestie, my shadow magic might go on another murder spree, and nobody needed a second one of those.
The news was full of reports of mass killings these days, thanks to daddy dearest and his demonic army.
I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. Without a phone or clock, I had no clue what time it was, but snow continued to fall outside.
The door clicked open as I tried to decide whether I needed food. A tall figure glided over to the bed and sat down.
“How are you feeling, my darling?” Rasmus’s voice always reminded me of melted chocolate: decadent and smooth. Cool fingers brushed a tangle of hair away from my cheek.
“Great.”Kenji’s sarcasm was catching.
The mattress dipped as Rasmus moved to lie down next to me. I turned and buried my face in his chest. He smelled divine. Unlike me, who probably stank of sulfur and death.No joke.
“My sister Florica would like to meet you,mea amica.” That got my attention. Goddess, what a terrible, selfish mate I was. Not once had I asked him about his poor sister.
“Is she…well?” After the indignities I’d endured in the few days I’d been stuck in that vile place, I couldn’t begin to imagine what Florica had been through.
“She will recover. We live long lives,meaamica, and these few years are but a blip to her, albeit an unpleasant one.” Rasmus didn’t need to spell it out.
“I’d love to meet her.”
I snuggled closer, not ready to leave the warm comfort of my bed. Darkness had fallen outside, and from the sound of the wind howling around the mountain, another storm raged.
For a second I wondered if the appalling weather was Alaric’s doing, but then I remembered he’d abandoned me.Again.
