Page 368 of Axis of Fire

My sweetest smile slipped back into place.

“Or any reason to be afraid of you.”

God, I wanted to enjoy this.

To remind her that I'd made it into the Strongest Class.

That she hadn't.

To prove—to both of us—that I was capable of more.

To make her fear me for once.

So maybe I'd finally stop being the target of this endless bullying.

“Careful,” Alicia said, a cold smile touching her lips. “For your information, I've spent the last two years perfecting my magic.”

Her hand lifted.

My throat tightened instantly.

Invisible fingers closed around my throat.

I gasped, clawing desperately at empty air as my lungs screamed for oxygen.

I hated her magic.

And I still couldn't believe we'd inherited different gifts from our parents.

Gifts that had turned us into enemies.

Gifts that had forced us to compete for our parents' love in every possible way.

Alicia had inherited our mother's magic, bound to the world of Maliarus.

Illusions.

I had inherited our father's gift.

The magic of Vuduarus.

Panic clawed at the edges of my mind.

But something deep inside me refused to surrender to it.

Fight.

The word echoed through me.

So I swung my arm, releasing a cloud of venom straight into Alicia's face.

Her grip loosened.

Only slightly.

Not enough.

She staggered back, coughing violently as her eyes squeezed shut.