I stumbled out of the way, my skin still warm and humming from whatever it was I had done. I couldn’t tell if I had become fireproof, or if some sort of invisible barrier had formed between myself and the flame. I had definitely felt it against my hands and face, but my clothes remained unsinged.
Dain’s eyes were glued onto my face until the last minute, when the battle once again begged for his attention. Instead of feeling drunk off of adrenaline, I felt tired and just a tad cold.
I was swallowed by the crowd so quickly that I hadn’t noticed the man with white splashed across his eyes staring at me. Like someone had swiped a paintbrush across his face, it coated his eyes and eyelids, until two black holes ringed with blue, stared at me.
It happened so quickly that what scream I could produce was swallowed by the crowd. Calloused hands grabbed my arms as something hard and invisible slammed into my mouth, smashing my lips together until even t
“She stabbed you. No, she wouldn’t do that…” Adley shook her head, using her trembling fingers to comb through the knots in her hair. The blonde strands were coated with so much dirt they looked ash brown. Her brightest feature were her eyes, which flitted around the great hall of Dain’s castle with unrepressed curiosity. She no longer sounded sure of herself, “…not without telling me, at least.”I knew without asking, both Dain and I were convinced his block to the moon’s energy had everything to do with Ally’s kidnapping and the men with white slashed across their eyes. Just minutes after I found them, Dain was able to transport all of us to the castle. Not a spec of exhaustion crossed his face, even as he sent Adley, Cain, Helios, and me liquifying into shadow and night.“You know it’s not always that simple.” The last person I would’ve expected to have any sort of soft si
It was too late to take back what I said, but now there were more pressing things to worry about than snooping through one of Dain’s old journals. With how long he’s been alive, there had to be hundreds. I knew what made this one special, even though it failed to answer the question I desperately wanted to know.I’d made a huge mistake, I realized as Dain’s shoulders tensed and he turned my way.“You saw those memories during Iridian because of your progression in the game and how close you were to unraveling the curse…but I made sure no one would ever uncover that particular memory. How do you know of it?”The stars in his eyes blinked out, taking with them his sanity. I could hear his voice in my head. The voice of the man who had scribbled relentlessly in that leather-bound journal until the tip of the pen broke through the page. Ranting about the slippery voice in his head, like the sharp edge of a razor. S
I wandered the halls for a solid fifteen minutes before giving in and calling for Leslie. The onyx gems dangling from my bracelet reminded me my bedroom was one door away, but I needed the time to pull myself together.There was something about arguing with Dain that made my heart race and hands tremble. Not only did I hate the taste it left in my mouth, but how my feet kept leading me back to his study. Everything about him affected me in some way, even the bad parts. I wished I could turn it off the way he could, shove my emotions so far down that their nagging voices could never again be heard.“You’re sure I can stay here until we get Ally back?” Adley asked just seconds after I came into the room. She was curled up on my bed with one of the fuzzy blankets wrapped around her shoulders. I replied over my shoulder as I ventured into the walk-in closet, hearing her muffled sigh of relief. “Thank the goddess. I don’t know what I’d do
I was still amped up from last night when I went to train with Helios the next day. Being knocked onto my ass was a taste of payback I could have lived without, and it hurt a lot more than I thought.Helios mistook my ferocity for enthusiasm and continued to spar with me, stopping every couple of seconds to show me a new offensive move. Even though I doubted I’d develop hardcore warrior skills, it was becoming easier to keep up with him.He swung his beefy arm out much faster than he had the last four times. My curls blurred into ringlets of flame as I ducked and jabbed a fist into his ribcage. I didn’t use all the strength coursing through me, both from Rayna and my magic. Helios hadn’t hurt me yet, though he’d come close a time or two swinging his fists like a madman.Twenty minutes into sparring, when my lungs began to ache and my muscles burned, I felt a pair of eyes latch onto me. They turned the sweat coating my body ice cold until
I bottled every single pesky emotion and shoved a cork through the neck. They wouldn’t stay down for long, but all I needed was a good ten minutes without getting distracted by the way his hair fell or the beads of sweat on his chest and abs.Dain and I launched back into sparring, only this time I was ready for him. I made no mistake, there was no way I’d win. Cockiness would only make me lose faster.Even Rayna cleared her mind and pushed our mate-bond with Dain aside, giving into instincts she had never indulged before. We were hyper analyzing every movement we made, watching Dain’s tells before he punched and kicked with a ferocity that made my adrenaline spike.“Wonderful. See how much easier it is to hold your own once your head is in the fight?” I heard Dain say but gave no reaction.“Woohoo! Go Rachel!” Adley shouted.I couldn’t pay attention to Adley, Helios, and whatever it is they were murm
“Well, I’m stuck here. No need to keep me waiting in suspense.” I said, making no moves to touch the food in front of me.I wasn’t all that hungry, haven eaten a couple of hours ago since physical and magical training always left starving. The roasted chicken and savory sides paled in comparison to the tiered cake and pastries, which I reminded me of my moms cooking even though the fruits and flavors were entirely different.“I did some hunting. Went through my network of spies and found someone who knew someone who knows one of the Russo sibling’s guards. It was very tedious, and very time consuming.” He explained, “I popped in to give them a message, that I can’t help but accept their convincing invitation. That’s why I couldn’t speak with you, spying requires my full attention.”“And that’s why you threw me on my ass?” I narrowed my eyes.His eyes twinkled, &ldquo
My mind came up blank, so I acted on instinct. Unfortunately, my instinct was to deny it.“That’s not mine.” I shook my head, shuddering as the cold draft rushed through me and into the steamy bathroom.His eyebrow twitched, “it isn’t?”My gaze flickered from the tiny orb of light to his face.“Nope, never seen it before.” I replied just a little too quickly, feeling my stomach drop when his eyes lit up with interest.He had caught me. He knew it and I knew it. Since I was in no position to face him, that only left me with one other option. It was cowardly, but it would buy me some time.“Really—” He started walking towards me.“Maybe you should ask Apollo, he likes sparkly things—” I cut him off and stumbled backwards into the bathroom, slamming the door right in his face.I flicked the lock shut and turned around, letting out a deep breath. St
Everything happened in the span of seconds. He lifted both his hands, and every projectile I’d sent rushing through the air was violently flung backwards with much more strength than I could ever manage. Shampoo bottles exploded against the wall, one of the wicker benches shattered on impact, and the vase went soaring out the window, taking the flowers with it.I could feel fatigue begin to weigh my arms and legs down, so with the last bit of magic I had, I sent it right towards Dain’s chest. The best I could manage was a rough shove, but that was all I needed to make him stumble over the edge of the pool.Turns out I wasn’t the only one with tricks up my sleeve. I got a taste of my own medicine when something shoved me forward, and Dain’s outstretched hand latched onto the towel wrapped around my torso. There was no time to brace myself as I was ripped forwards, slamming into his chest the same moment I felt the cooled bathwater hit my skin.