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Walking down the corridor to Nicolai’s room, I feel like I’m having déjà vu. My mates, Scott, and Luna follow behind me as I nod to the guards by the door. They ignore me, as usual, but they do dip their heads in acknowledgement when they see Atlas at my side. Normally, this would annoy me, but I already have enough to stress over, so this just passes over me.
As I come to a stop outside his room, my stomach flutters, which is stupid. This is Nicolai,myNicolai. If I explain everything to him, he’ll understand and come with us to meet with the queen, right? Raising my hand to knock on the door, I prepare for what might greet me. His end of the bond has been suspiciously quiet since the flare up I felt this morning, and it’s making me nervous. As I’m about to knock, there’s a loud crash from the other side of the door, followed by a huge flare of magic.
“I won’t let you do this!” Nicolai shouts in a broken voice. Pain flares in the centre of my chest, causing me to hiss through clenched teeth. At first, I think it’s my own, but I quickly realise that what I’m feeling is just an echo from Nicolai. If it’s affecting me this much, then he must be in agony.
Panic causes my heart to speed up, pounding so hard against my rib cage that it’s like it’s trying to escape my chest. Someone’s in there with him, someone with magic, and whatever they are doing is causing Nicolai pain. Magic flares through my body, pooling in my hands until it feels like I’m holding burning suns in my palms. It takes a lot to hold it back, but until I can be sure that I’m not going to accidently hurt Nicolai, I keep my grip on it. Star manifests beside me, leaping from me in a shower of stars, but I barely even notice the pain, not when one of my mates is in danger. Pounding my fist on the door, I call out to him. “Nicolai! It’s Laelia, let me in!”
There’s another loud crash, but then the scent of magic suddenly disappears. Somehow, the silence that follows seems all the louder, and I’m pressed against the door, listening for any sign of him. I can hear his ragged breathing, but nothing else, and this just makes me all the more concerned. My friends and mates behind me are all calling out or speaking to each other, but honestly, it’s all background noise, and I can’t make out individual words, my focus on the male behind the door.
I know it’s useless, but I try the handle anyway, already knowing that it’s not going to open. It’s locked. My own noise of frustration, which frankly sounds more like a growl, startles me because it’s so loud in comparison to what’s happening in Nicolai’s room. Star whines beside me, butting against my leg, and when I glance down, I watch her point her muzzle in the direction of the guards. They’ve moved farther down the corridor—whether it’s to give us space or to get away from whatever is about to happen, I don’t know, but I turn to them and gesture to the door. “Let me in, he needs help!”
“We’ve been told not to intervene,” one of the guards replies, looking uncomfortable as he keeps his gaze forward, neither of them looking at me. I get the impression that they would help, or at least open the door to investigate had their orders not restricted them.
Atlas curses and marches over to them, chewing them out, but I’ve already turned back to the door. I can feel Nicolai in there, his panic practically pounding in my chest. A throb of anguish almost brings me to my knees. “He’s in pain!”
I’m not speaking to anyone in particular, and I know that my mates are attempting to talk to me, someone’s hand resting on the small of my back. I’ve realised that no one here can or will help me get through this door.
Calling on the darkness within me, I gather every scrap of magic I can muster. The dark presence wants me to take more,but I don’t know how. My hands burn, and light escapes from my closed fists, getting brighter and brighter with each second that passes.
Following my gut, I slam my fists against the door, my magic flaring with the hit. It’s not the door itself that I’m trying to break, but the magic keeping us out. I don’t know how to separate those two things though, so I continue to follow my instincts and smash my hands against the wood. The door splinters with each hit, my magic flaring as everything else fades away, focused on getting to Nicolai. At one point, I think someone calls my name, but I ignore them and keep going.
One more hit, the darkness coos, pouring her power into me.Put everything into it.
Following those instructions, I do just that, a cry of effort ripping from my lips as my bloodied hands slam into the wood. There’s a loud cracking sound, followed by what sounds like shattering glass, and I feel the moment the magic over the door fails.
Barging into the room, I come to an abrupt halt at what waits for me. Eyes wide, I take in the destruction of the room. Everything is shattered, including the wall, which has large pieces of wood sticking out like stakes that I realise are actually bits of furniture. It looks like a bomb has gone off in the middle of the room—a scorched, but empty circle surrounded by destruction. Debris litters the floor, all looking like it’s been blown outwards in a circular pattern.
The others attempt to squeeze past me and into the room, Syn practically shoving me behind his body. That doesn’t take away the shock of what I just saw though. Nothing has been spared except for the person standing in the centre of the room, staring at me with horror.
“Laelia,” Nicolai whispers, holding his hands out in front of him like he’s afraid they might attack him. A flare of magic fills the room, and everyone ducks. That’s when I realise what’s happened.
Somehow, Nicolai got magic.
ChapterSeventeen
“Nicolai.” My whisper is broken as I move around Syn, trying to get to my mate.
A hand tightens on my arm, and I feel my other mates moving in close behind me, although I don’t know whether it’s to stop me or support me. Even so, that’s not what causes me to stumble to a halt, it’s Nicolai’s shaking raised hand.
“Don’t come any closer,” he orders, the tremor in his voice giving away his fear. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
His need for me is obvious, his face contorted with pain and regret, but it’s his hurt pouring through the bond that takes my breath away. I don’t care if he thinks he’s a danger to me, IknowI can help him, but another hand lands on my arm, pulling my attention away from Nicolai and to my mates behind me. As expected, Syn is one of the males stopping me, and to my surprise, Atlas is the other.
“He’s right, Laelia,” Atlas comments, his expression understanding but fierce as he glances at Nicolai and the devastation around him. “He’s completely out of control.”
“Then we need to teach him control.” This seems so simple to me. Why don’t the others seem to get it? I have magic and haven’t reached full control yet, but they don’t treat me this way. In fact, I hada meltdown not that long ago where I lost control. I hurt people, but here I am.
“Yes, but that takes time, Laelia, you know that.” Reaching out, he places a hand on each shoulder and looks into my eyes, begging me to understand. “We don’t have time to teach him. He’s dangerous at the moment, and his power is reacting to his fear.”
“Then what are you suggesting?” I retort, fear at his words morphing into indignation. It’s true though. We have to complete this quest for the queen, and she wantsallof my mates to attend, no exceptions, but Atlas is saying that Nicolai is too dangerous to be around, so then what’s the solution?
His expression hardens, and for a moment, I truly fear what he might suggest. My brain jumps straight to the worst conclusion. They wouldn’t try to kill my mate for having magic, would they? Is he in danger from the queen? My power throbs inside me. I need to calm down before I do something stupid.
Sensing that things might be about to implode, Joel steps forward, his huge, calming presence helping to cut the tension. He looks over at Nicolai, his expression thoughtful. “How did this happen?”
Atlas drops his arms and moves back, giving us both some space. Appreciating it, I take a deep breath and return my focus to Nicolai. I have my suspicions about how he developed powers, but I have no way to prove it.
