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Launching myself at him, my dark magic swirling around my fingers, I aim to touch him, to let the deadly force of my powers consume him.
As our bodies collide, the narrow confines of the bathroom reverberate with the sound of our clash, tiles cracking and shattering under the sheer force of our powers.
To my shock, my touch, which should have been an instant death sentence, barely phased him. He recoils momentarily, his eyes widening in surprise, but then he lunges back with a growl, and I am horrified to witness his power flaring. Power that rivals my own, it shouldn't be possible. How is it possible?
I duck and weave, dodging swings, the energy pulses he throws my way along with his relentless advances.
“What are you?!” I spit out, my eyes narrowing in suspicion and confusion as he evaded every blow my shadows delivered.
His sadistic grin widens. “Surprised, Marabella? You should be!”
My dark magic intensifies, a vortex of shadows forming around us. I conjure chains made of pure darkness, attempting to bind him, immobilize him. But he slashes through them as if they were mere paper.
“You can't defeat me with mere shadows!” he taunts, his voice dripping with malice.
Every move he makes is laced with precision and deadly intent, as if he knows my next steps. At one point, I manage to land a solid punch on his chest, the power of my blow sending him crashing into a stall. But to my astonishment, he rises rapidly, healing before my very eyes. What should have killed him merely stuns him temporarily. He stands, the tendrils of my magic squirming beneath his skin, dissipating.
Desperation edges my voice. “How are you resisting my touch? What the fuck are you?!”
His laughter echoes chillingly. “More than you could ever fathom, dear Marabella!”
The confined space of the bathroom becomes a battleground of colliding forces, dark magic clashing with something else—something I can’t quite identify. Each powerful strike from him forces me back, my confidence waning with every failed attempt to bring him down while also trying to protect Rose, Temperance, and Casey, who I am yet to get near.
Finally, a powerful blow sends me crashing against the wall, my vision blurring. The taste of blood fills my mouth, and the world starts to tilt. I can hear the distant screams of children, the wailing of people, outside the bathroom, their voices filled with fear and panic. The weight of my failing strength bears down on me.
“Marabella, get up!” Kora screams at me before forcing all her energy behind me.
My dark magic lashes out, trying to end him. But he counters, healing rapidly from every wound I inflict.
I gasp, blood splattering as our bodies twist and clash.
He grins sadistically, red eyes glinting. “Octavians aren't built like they used to be.”
Every strike he lands feels calculated, aimed to incapacitate but not kill. When he tackles me, my head hits a toilet bowl, the resoundingcrackof my head echoes around me and my ears ring. I feel his teeth sink into my neck, and I scream. My hands claw at his face trying to get him off, one thumb hooking into his eye socket, yet I feel the strange poison flooding my system from his bite. Kora screams in my head, feeling it too as my body tries to burn it out.
Satish snarls angrily, the gooeyness of his eyes drenching my thumb when he jerks away, slamming my head back into the toilet bowl.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washes over me. The world starts to dim as I feel myself hoisted over Satish's shoulder, Temperance's weight on his other side. Grogginess weighs my eyelids down while Kora screams in my head, trying to force control.
As clarity returns, I find myself still slung over Satish’s shoulder, the muted sounds of a roaring fight surround us. I try to twist, to get free, but his grip is ironclad.
Outside, it's pure chaos. Reaper wolves are everywhere, the scent of blood and smoke fills the air, along with piercing screams from every direction.
Jonah is screaming in my head trying to find me when I hear his voice come through loudly. “Marabella, where is Lucas?!” My heart nearly stops at his words.
The grim sound of a van door opening reaches my ears, followed by the unsettling thud of Temperance being tossed inside. Lucas's piercing scream breaks through the noise. I attempt to move, but everything is so hazy and my limbs are heavy.
Satish grunts and I am dropped off his shoulder when I see Lucas smashing his fists against Satish. “Leave my mummy alone!” he wails and screams. Lucas's scream pierces the air, and I force my head up, only to meet the cold eyes of Satish as he grabs Lucas, tossing him into the van.
ChapterEighty-Three
Marabella
Kora awakens within me with a roar, forcing a shift. But before she can attack, a shot pierces the air, and the searing pain steals our breath. As my vision adjusts, Vince’s face comes into focus.
The ferocity of Satish's shout reverberates through the night, clawing at my already frayed senses. “WHAT THE FUCK, VINCE? I needed her!” he screams as Kora is forced to shift back. I clutch my stomach, pulling my hand back, it is drenched with blood, and my eyes go to Vince, who is holding a gun. Casey is screaming her head off from the front of the van and Lucas from the back. Vince shoves him back in when he tries to escape.
Vince's voice cuts back sharply, filled with a cold, calculated rage. “The boy is Octavian! Just take him as your test subject!”
