“Such awhat, sweetheart? A dick?”
I folded my arms over my chest, clenching my teeth so hard I thought they might shatter, and still, he kept going.
“You think that sonofabitch is gonna be nice to you? That he’s gonna get all weepy and nostalgic and ask you to the prom?” Asher stepped into my space, crowding me, overwhelming me with his spicy-hot scent. “No, Gray. He’s gonna salivate like a fuckinganimalwhen he sees you, because that’s what he is. And you know what he’s gonna do next?”
“Stop,” I whispered, my eyes fluttering closed, my body slowly shutting down, logic checking out. In its place, the now-familiar blackness bubbled up, filling my veins with venom. With rage. With gasoline.
Asher was the god damn match.
“He’s gonna carve you up,” he said, his voice low and menacing, inhuman in its abject cruelty. “He’s gonna tear you apart, limb from limb, until all that’s left of you are your shiny blond curls.”
Asher reached for my hair, tugging on a lock that had slipped out of my ponytail.
Hurt him,the voice inside whispered.Make him pay.
“Fuck you!” I screamed, welcoming the fire as it licked my belly, my chest, consuming everything in its path. Instinctively I raised my hands, magic sparking across my palms, desperate for an outlet.
A car door slammed nearby, followed by the fall of footsteps and the shouts of familiar voices, but I didn’t care who witnessed this. What they thought of me. What truths they had to face.
At the moment, I could barely remember their names.
The blackness surged.
And with everything I had, I slammed my hands into Asher’s chest.
He flew backward, landing hard on his back a dozen feet away.
The dark magic that had so quickly risen inside me was receding, leaving an electric hum in its wake, my body vibrating and hyper-alert, hyper-aware.
Everything came back to me all at once.
The fighting. Asher’s words, as sharp and deadly as knives. The blackness churning inside me, taking control. Taking my power…
No, not taking it,I realized with a start.Giving it.
It wasn’t some separate entity taking over. It was part of me. Itwasme.
“Gray! Ash!” Emilio darted across the lawn toward Asher, Ronan close on his heels, heading for me.
“Gray?” Ronan put his hands on my shoulders, concern mingling with terror in his hazel eyes. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head.
“We were sparring, and things got… heated.”
Ronan sighed. “I know. We got here just in time to catch the last of it.”
I glanced over toward Emilio, who was helping Asher sit up.
“Looks like he’s gonna live,” Ronan said.
I should’ve been relieved. Maybe some part of me—some deeply buried, still pissed-off part—was.
But mostly, I just felt numb. The magic had faded completely, leaving me wrung out and empty.
Blood trickled from his nose.
I didn’t have the energy to care.
