Page 100 of Hybrid Heroics

And now he knew.

I threw his bolt back at him, sinking it into his right shoulder. The attack tore through him, pinning him to the tree at his back. He wailed in shock, but quickly quieted as I stepped in front of him.

“Does it hurt?” I inquired flatly, devoid of emotions.

“No,” he spat, bending his leg to push off the tree.

“Sounded like it hurt,” I commented, reaching out to thump the end of the bolt.

He swung with his left arm, fist balled, though he couldn’t go anywhere. Through gritted teeth, he hissed in pain. His expression contorted, color fading from his face.

“Are you sure it didn’t hurt?”

Magic welled in his palm, readying for his next attack. He wouldn’t stop until he was dead, but I knew that, betted on it. I closed his hand, snuffing it out the same way Sloane did her hellfire talks with Sam.

“Let’s experiment,” I suggested, my voice more cheerful than I felt. “That bolt in your shoulder is yours.”

Aoiden snarled at me, thrashing as he tried to pry himself away from the tree despite the agony he was in. I had been through so much in the last few weeks; I hadn’t stopped to consider how my pain tolerance had helped me. Clearly, that was a trait I’d picked up from my ma.

“You won’t get loose,” I acknowledged. “I haven’t had time to play with my strength, but I know I threw that magic hard enough to meet the center of this tree trunk. You’ll hang here until I take you down.”

“You—”

His voice cut off, though his mouth continued to move.

“As I was saying… experiment. That’s your bolt.” I pulled a lightning rod from my palm. “This one is mine. Tell me which one hurts worse. Okay? We can use a scale of one through ten.”

I nodded when he glared at me, then unmuted him before I slammed my magic into his left shoulder.

“Ungrateful fucking bas—ahh!”

I tipped my head, observing sweat forming on his brow. “Sounds worse.”

“Fuck you, Palmer. You were—”

I applied pressure to the rod, and his words dissolved into shouts behind clenched teeth.

“This is helpful,” I mentioned. “It’s the only time you’ve ever been helpful. I’d say pat yourself on the back, but…”

I shrugged, jamming the rod into his left thigh without warning. “Scream for us, Aoiden. Your pathetic offspring want to hear your agony.”

“This darkness will corrupt you,” he rasped, breathy, as he panted through the pain. “You’re too light, too soft, to keep it up without having—”

I held my third rod out for him to see. “Light mage, I may be, but darkness has shrouded my soul for many years. I’ve already had the side effects. Fortunately, your too-soft son is smart enough to find a fix for it.”

The rod hit his right thigh, fully pinning him to the tree like an insect on a canvas. It was fitting, making it easier for me to study his reactions. I had killed people with these lightning bolts before, but they usually offered a quick death.

“You only ever looked for yourself in your children. Do you see it now? The complete disregard for your feelings? The lack of sympathy? The cruel edge you held but didn’t use to protect your family?”

I stuck a rod in his right hand, pulling it around the side of the tree before slamming it into place. Blood oozed and sizzled from his shoulder wound, popping red speckles on his shirt.

“You were never as strong as your mate, never as strong as the children she gave you. Her reputation scared people away from you. She was more feared than you could ever be, and you hated that.”

I repeated the process with his left hand, though his shoulder didn’t bend as easily. I had to put more force behind it until I pinned his hand.

“I’ve had time to psychoanalyze our family issues,” I explained. “That’s how I know I recognized the deep-seated self-consciousness you struggle with. The thing is... We work just fine when you’re out of the picture. So, at least you got that right.”

The next three rods slowly pierced his stomach, missing vital organs.