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“But when they look through his head, they’ll see thatyoumade him do this.”
She shrugs, that unhinged smile returning. “Oh, I doubt it. He may have had one of the weakest minds I’ve ever seen. Controlling him didn’t even break a sweat. He one hundred percent believes it was his idea to kill them. They’ll find it suspicious, probably, but it won’t link back to me.”
I sputter, my face getting hot, and a spark of fear ignites in the center of my chest as the full reality of what happened sinks in. Not only can she use magic without a physical form on this side, but she’sstrong.“You can’t just go off controlling people—killingpeople! Queen Carrington—that was you too?”
“Ugh, she was a real bitch, wasn’t she? Wish I could take credit for that one, but no. Daddy Westcott pulled that one off on his own. But Icantell you it was dark magic that did it, so he must have someone else with that skillset working for him. Same person who got that Marionette to nosedive into the pavement, I’m guessing.”
“Who would have that kind of power?” I push.
She shrugs. “Anyone, really. Certain witches have a more natural inclination toward dark magic, sure, and it might come easier to them, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones who can do it. It’s only rare magic on your side of the veil now because the vamps were so vigilant about destroying all of the books and instructions they could get their hands on back when they tried to eradicate the necromancers. But just because information is hard to come by doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Hell, your dad’s been shooting up on stolen powers for so long, maybe he’s doing it himself.”
“And I’m just supposed to take your word for it? How am I ever supposed to trust you after this?”
“Ungrateful, much? I did this foryou.”
I shake my head and raise my hands to put some kind of barrier between us. Because the worst part of all of this is, she’s right. I asked for her help. I let her in. I convinced myself that I needed her help when I should’ve been putting my energy into finding a way to send her back.
I did this. I did this. I did this.
If I don’t fix this, and soon, who knows what else will happen. What bodies we’ll find next, or worse.
Why had I even trusted her in the first place? Looking back on it, I can’t believe I ever agreed to it. Sure, I was panicked, but—
Slowly, I raise my eyes to meet hers.
The next level would be to get inside their mind to make them think it’s their idea in the first place.
He one hundred percent believes it was his idea to kill them.
Did I decide to work with her, or did she make methinkit was my decision? She’s been working with dark magic her entire life. Who knows how strong she is, what she’s capable of? I’d assumed not fully being on this side would limit her abilities, but if tonight’s any indication, even if she’s not as strong this way, she’s strong enough.
I’d known since the start that she was using me, but I thought I’d be able to outsmart her, to see through her plans. She waited until I was exhausted after training with Reid, my mind and body weak and ripe for the taking.
Magnolia had tried to warn me. But I’d been so fucking cocky that I could handle it. That I would have the upper hand. Then I handed over the keys to the estate on a goddamn silver platter.
I bite my tongue hard enough that I taste blood, forcing myself to swallow everything I want to say. She’s been ten steps ahead of me this entire time, and for now, I need to let her think that she still is.
Because if she’s not going to tell me what she’s up to, I’ll have to figure it out myself. Afterall, if her life is a byproduct of every choice I’ve made, of who I’ve become, then I should know her brain inside and out, right?
* * *
The estate is not equippedto handle this many injuries, especially with the hospital already so overrun. After giving Reid some blood, painkilling potions, and the first wave of healing magic, I help him back to his room where I’ve been instructed not to leave his side—don’t even blink, I believe had been the exact directive—until the healers finish their rounds and come back to see if he needs a second wave of healing, or if his body will be able to manage from here with blood and rest.
Aside from King Vasiliev and his son—hisheir—no deaths have been reported, none that I’ve heard. Just an enormously inconvenient number of injuries.
They’ve taken Nathan to the dungeons for questioning, and if his mind is as weak as V described, it shouldn’t take long for them to find their answers. And if they decide he’s guilty, if they choose to prosecute him to placate everyone’s nerves, he could burn for this.
And the way my body reacts to that thought is…annoying. Because he isn’t a good person. He’s hurt the people I love and probably countless others. But this…this he didn’t do.
Reid’s half asleep, half high-off-his-ass from the painkillers as I help him to bed, his eyes shut but his lips turned up in a smile. He’s still in his suit from the celebration, the fabric torn and covered in blood and debris.
He flops onto the bed on his back, legs dangling off the end, and I kneel to start untying his shoes. He lets out a small hum as the first drops to the ground with a soft thud, then the second.
He shielded me from the worst of the blow, and after a few bags of blood, my body made short work of the healing. Too short of work, but that’s a detail I don’t have time to get hung up on. I rise onto the bed beside him, and he blinks up at me with wide blue eyes, brighter than usual in contrast to the blood and dirt on his face.
“You’re the prettiest girl in the world,” he whispers.
I let out something between a scoff and a laugh even as his words travel like a chill down my spine. “You’re on drugs.”
