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“Here, I’ll follow you in and get it down for you so you don’t have to climb the wardrobe for it,” Graceson said, stepping with me over the threshold.
“You don’t have—” I started to say, but realized we weren’t alone. My body jolted, making me stumble backward into Graceson’s immovable chest.
Daethian sat up on my bed, his hair ruffled and eyes dark. The scruff of his stubble had grown in more, like he hadn’t bothered to care for it the past few days. “Should I congratulate you now or later?” Daethian said.
“Never mind, I’ll just step outside for a minute,” Graceson whispered and slipped from the room.
Watching Daethian, I fiddled with a loose strand of hair, trying to come up with something to say. My hair was still pressed into the elegant curls. It was a nice change from my natural frizz.
Daethian leaned back into the shadow under the canopy of the bed. It made everything about him look nefarious as his frown deepened. He surely didn’t look okay to me.
“You let them change your hair? It was perfect the way it was.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Daethian,” I finally managed, meeting his slitted gaze.
“Hmm.” He stood, ducking to miss the drooping fabric above him. The floor creaked with each slow step he took toward me. Static made the black fabric of his shirt cling to his abdomen.
Daethian took a deep breath as he brought his boots to my toes. His spine straightened, his chin tilting down to watch me with some shade of disgust. “Why can’t you say that you choose me?”
“I thought we already had this conversation. I’m not choosing him over you. You’re my best fucking friend. That’s not how this works.”
“Then how does it work? Because from where I stand, you’re running off with him and leavingmealone.”
“You’re not alone right now.” I pushed a finger into his chest. I could feel anger flooding my body. I wanted to scream at him, likereallyscream at him. Things had never been like that between us.
“You’re so stupid,” he yelled, spit showering over my face.
I flinched away, bumping against the wall behind me.“Don’t talk to me like that,” I snarled and stood taller, refusing to back down. Daethian was wrong and his anger was unjustified and unnecessary. Rage made me spit out the words I knew would cut the most. I wanted to say them. “Maybe we shouldn’t be friends either if you’re going to act like this.”
Daethian growled. I expected his cheeks to brighten in fiery red fury, but instead, they only looked more ashen. His hand shot out, grabbing me by my neck and slamming me against the wall. Plaster cracked behind me, the shock of my head bouncing off the wall made the room spin. Both of my hands rushed to pull at Daethian’s hands that were wrapped so tightly around my throat, but he only squeezed harder. I wheezed and my legs scuffed against the wall to find some sort of purchase.
“You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do anymore, you bitch.” Murky black flooded his irises until there was no difference between his pupils and what used to be a lovely brown color. Stretches of ash-filled smoke uncurled from his back—tiny tendrils of something utterlyunnaturalreaching off of him. The strong scent of something burnt stung my nose.
“Daethian, stop,” my voice squeaked out. Inside my chest, my lungs begged for reprieve. I pulled and scratched at his fingers, but he only tightened his grip and leaned closer. This wasn’t him.
“Stop telling me what to do,” he bellowed.
The thought to reach for my magic came to mind, but even though he was trying to hurt me, I couldn’t bring myself to want to hurt him. The space between us was too small, whatever I did to him I would also be doing to myself.
In a desperate plea to save myself while also saving my friend, I slammed my fist against the wall. Magic, like extended limbs, reached into the walls. Within the castle, I could feel every support beam, every piece of stone, and every place I could hit that could make the building come crashing down. The building shook at my rage. I didn’t need the castle to fall. I just needed Graceson’s attention. I could feel his weight through the floorboards he stood on outside of the room. Pushing, I popped them up under his feet to bounce him forward. Black was beginning to form on the edges of my vision, my body feeling weaker. The limbs of my magic quickly rushed back toward me, no longer tethered to my thoughts.
Graceson pushed the door open, stepping into the room. “Is everything oka—Gods above! Daethian, let her go!”
He rushed forward, but Daethian kept his hold. I could feel my body growing more lethargic, my hands getting weaker and weaker as I tried to pull myself free. Graceson hissed under his breath and pushed himself between us, his arm slamming into the crook of Daethian’s elbow.
Pressure was finally released from my neck and a distant pain vibrated through my body as I crumbled against the old floors. I tried to blink up into the light to make out the scuffle between the men. Each breath was ragged and rough as it burned down my throat.
“What’s wrong with him?” Graceson called, pinning Daethian’s arms behind him. He shifted away from the snaking black fog that still drifted off his skin.
“I don’t know,” I coughed, my hands pushing up off the dusty floor.
Daethian laughed, the noise sounding like an off-key chord. “I’m fine, Ryker. Can’t you see, I’m fucking fine.”
Forcing myself to stay still and keep my distance from him, I looked at Graceson. I shook my head, unsure of what to do. “What should we do with him? He needs to see Suzetta.”
“He can’t see her like this,” Graceson grunted, while Daethian snarled and thrashed in his arms like a wild beast. “He’ll hurt her.”
He was right. I couldn’t have him getting to anyone else the way he had to me. Along with that, I didn’t want anyone to see him like this. How would they react to something so unknown?
