“Yes.” Tristan never hesitated, and something about that fact broke me as well, just as it must have broken her.
And Kaiden… He still hadn’t spoken.
“Wow,” Mara laughed in my ear, her voice no louder than a whisper. “You’ve really got them wrapped around your little finger, don’t you?”
“Our deal stands,” Tristan announced, and Kaiden’s eyes shot to his in utter disgust. “We can forget about this. Just let Morrigan go.”
“No,” I quickly interjected. I might have felt my heart shattering, but nothing would make me sit idly by and allow them to hurt Kaiden. He didn’t deserve it. I angled my head back at her as much as I could. “You touch Kaiden, and I willkillyou.”
Mara’s smile was anything but genuine. “Look at that, Tristan! She’s a full-fledged killer now.” She lowered her lips to my ear as she slowly began to lower the blade. “I’ve been stuck here for nearly three hundred years. I’ve played their games, and lost… as will you eventually.” Just when I thought she was going to step back, she whispered, “This is for your own good.”
Then, she lifted the blade in the air, and my flames reacted before I could. My hand shot up, wrapping my fingers around her wrist and sending every ounce of heat into her. The dagger slipped from her grasp as she screamed out in pain, instantly releasing me.
After she stumbled back, Kaiden was the first person to approach, but I raised my shaking hand to stop him.
“Don’t touch me!” My body rushed with adrenaline, and just the sight of his eyes set off a storm of fury in my veins.
Lies… It was all lies…
“Morrigan,” he mumbled quietly. “Please just let me explain?—”
“No.”
Something overtook me in that moment. Every part of my skin blazed and, though I could stillsee, my eyes began to glow with a fierceness that litup every shadow around us. Kaiden stayed in his spot, looking at me and raising his own hands in a sign of surrender.
“Morrigan…” It was no longer a plea, but almost a low warning.
He’s a liar, just like the others… As the thought formed, my eyes shone brighter, and a buzzing began in my hands—one that made my skin itch. There was so much power, and it felt like my body was going to explode. The wind picked up, circling the five of us until it snatched every piece of small debris and ash from the ground, enclosing us together.
“Morrigan!” Malakai yelled, but now his voice had faded somewhere. It sounded like he was several yards away, though I knew he stood just nearby.
Something poked at the forefront of my mind. It was… familiar. I let it slip by and instantly felt the ease of Tristan’s powers touching my own.
You’re having a power surge, Morrigan. You need to relax.
I can’t,I told him honestly.
So much fire… So much anger…
So many people had taken advantage of me in my life. Maeryn… Cain… Aamon…Kaiden…I looked down at my hands, only to realize that flames were wrapped around them in an almost blinding light. They swirled over my wrists, comforting my anger while fueling it at the same time.
“Tristan, her nose is bleeding!” Malakai yelled.
“What the fuck is happening?!” Kaiden’s muffled voice shook with what sounded like panic.
Why were they panicking? It felt so…good. The power gave me more bliss than alcohol ever did. I closed my eyes, but all I could see against my lids was pure light. It wasn’t the magic doing this, not Tristan’s light. It wasme.
Iamthe fire.
“She’s going to die anyway, Tristan! If you don’t do something, she’ll kill the rest of us, too!” Mara yelled, her voice seeming to cut through thehaze. Instantly, my fire seemed to flinch in response, like it saw her as a threat.
Then, I heard her groan as the sound of a blade whipping through the air seemed to echo in my ears before it actually happened. I turned around, my eyes snapping open, and my flames lashed out. I felt them wrap around Mara’s arms and neck.
Morrigan, please. You have to pull yourself back. You’re hurting yourself,Tristan pleaded.
But I couldn’t have stopped myself even if I had tried. My fire tightened around her, blinding everyone nearby, and the skin that had once been fair and pale slowly turned black beneath my fire. Mara screamed as her body was consumed by darkness, covering her from head to toe, turning her skin to ash. Within seconds, her remains dropped from my grasp, and they piled together on the ground beneath me.
“H-How did she…”
