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Chapter 86
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2021-11-30 12:31:14Rachel
I had taken even longer in the bath, savoring the echoes of pleasure that still danced across my skin before the inevitable horror set in. As I had thought, the brisk air that pecked my skin, it had a sobering affect on my clouded mind. Wrapping myself in a robe made of shimmering silk, I tried to figure out what the hell had come over me.
‘What was that? I’ve never done anything like that in my life.’ I sputtered, tearing the blankets off the bed to burrow beneath them.
My stomach was still twisting and turning, an after affect of the lingering adrenaline in my veins. I stifled my laugh, replaying the sound of his frustrated snarl, and how he had lunged for me seconds before I cast him from my thoughts.
He hadn’t asked for permission to enter again, but I could feel him lingering, waiting for another taste.
‘You were taking control of the game. I mean, that’s what all of this is, right?’ Rayna shrug
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Days had passed and Dain still hadn’t brought up the festival of Night and Day. Part of me felt smug, because clearly, he was learning I hated being told what to do. Especially by cocky, infuriating, and down right tempting Alpha King’s. An even smaller part of me hoped he was considering going, finally showing his face after keeping it hidden for so long.From morning until afternoon, I threw myself into my training with Apollo. Per his suggestion, I started off small. It was ridiculous, the headaches I would get as I stared at the splintered oak door, trying to will it shut. The other half of my training was spent staring at the dusty books that lined the walls.Closing the door, making a book’s pages turn, even bolting the lock—it felt frustratingly impossible.“You’re trying too hard.” A sing-song voice shattered my concentration, I craned my stiff neck to glare at Apollo.“I am not.” I hissed, rei
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Days before the festival, I found myself deep within the city of Ilyria, with Adley and Ally by my side. I planned to spend the entire day with them, beginning with a small breakfast bistro situated beside a small lake and park. Couples took photographs beneath the azalea arches and in between the animal topiaries.I made it startingly clear to Dain that my previous threat extended too today as well. Any stalker behavior would have to be done in person, and not by body jumping through his citizens.“So, you told him?” Adley grinned, waggling her eyebrows. She leaned back in her seat, spearing a strawberry with her fork as she grinned at a nearby waiter.“He was trying to tell me to stay out of Ilyria during the festival, other than that, he didn’t seem to care.” I shrugged, ignoring the twinge of irritation I felt. “I invited him…sort of. It’s been almost a week and he hasn’t brought it up since.”
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My lungs were seizing, burning and spasming as I fought to breathe. It wasn’t fear that filled my every pore, overwhelming me until details became sharper and sounds richer.It was desperation, because I felt no trace of the power that had saved my life numerous times now. There was nothing, just this emptiness that accompanied the searing pain in my chest.‘Rachel, the powder isn’t affecting me—you need to breathe, calm down so we can shift!’I could barely hear her voice past the burning in my head and lungs, past the desperate thoughts of a dying girl, clamoring for oxygen.Ash, the bartender I hadn’t given a second thought about, towered over me. The streak of red in his hair seemed darker, closer to the shade of blood. He had been pushy at the club, and hit on anything with a pulse, but he hadn’t exuded cruelty the way he did now.The way he stood, the tenseness in his shoulders, it reminded me of some
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Somehow, Adley had little trouble using the bracelet Dain had made for me. The three of us stepped into my suite, both Adley and I still weak and swaying. I wondered if seeing only the positive outcomes made her falter when something bad happened—was that why Ally always seemed so morose?“We’re going to use the bracelet to get back, all right? I’ll leave it here on the table.” Ally said firmly, her eyes betraying only a flash of sympathy before cloudy indifference took hold.“Ally, we have to tell him—”“Rachel can tell him. Can’t you?” She asked, ignoring her sister. Sliding the bracelet onto her wrist, she opened my closet door. I could see their living room on the other side, the pale couch heaped in blankets and throw pillows.“Ally—”“Adley.” Ally’s tone was harsh, but there was something hidden within it that made her sister halt.Tea
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I wiped the tears from my eyes with a furious hand, staring down at my wrist. I touched the soft skin with my fingertips, tracing the cobalt veins beneath. There was no festering wound, that ached it oozed dark blood, nor a scarlet sickle etched into my skin.I pinched, poked, and prodded until my brain caught up to what I was seeing. Swallowing heavily, I noticed the absence of pain in my throat. It was then I registered Dain’s imposing presence, taking up most of the air in the room. The flutter in my stomach, the way I felt attuned to his every move, it was all back.My eyes drifted slowly, to where he sat just a few feet away. Leaning against the headboard on a bed large enough to fit a family of eight, I hadn’t even felt him sink into the mattress. The sight of him made me catch my breath. I had never seen Dain this disheveled before. Always so well dressed, never a hair or expression out of place.His raven hair was an absolute mess, the shaved
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“I don’t feel so good.” I swallowed, blinking rapidly as though the image of Ash, bloody and bruised beyond all recognition, wasn’t seared into my mind. Tears turned my vision blurry, making my eyes and throat ache.Cold hands found my face, cupping my heated cheeks. Through the rivulets that danced in my eyes, I could make out Dain’s face, much too close for comfort.His head was tilted ever so slightly, a perplexed look on his face as he studied my own. I swore I could detect just a hint of frustration. I tried to shove his hands away, but to no avail. Hadn’t he ever seen a girl cry before?“Stop swatting my hands away.” I snapped, but the threatening tone of voice was flimsy considering it cracked halfway through.“Stop crying.” He murmured, his grip on my face tightened. I could smell his breath, and knew from the whisper of cherries, that it had been some time since he last had a drink.
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Just three days before the festival of Day and Night, I found myself sitting at Dain’s dinner table, my mouth open in outrage.“See how easy that was?” Dain grinned, leaning back in his chair. His eyes darted to my lips, where the wine I had been drinking splashed against my lips and dribbled down my breasts. He had been making a point, that doing small magical acts was as easy as walking and talking. With a flick of his pointer finger, the wine glass had slipped from my hands. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table, his head tilting ever so slightly. “Would it be gross if I tasted you, Rachel?”I rolled my eyes at the word ‘gross,’ and how strange it sounded coming from him. There was a sophistication to the way he spoke, while I had barely managed to pass my high school English class.Flushing, and running the risk of babbling incoherently, I stabbed my fork into a cube of steak and placed it betwe
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I had all afternoon to think about what Dain had told me, and the slim possibility that his brother was out there…alive.No, I wouldn’t let myself hope. There was no escape from what I had done. I had seen his body with my own eyes, and my silence was only delaying the inevitable.Ever since Ash’s attack, sleep was no longer a break from reality. I relived his assault in my dreams, felt that familiar pain and embarrassment all over again. Nightmares where he had done more than just mark me—so much more than leave me battered and bruised.Leslie was truly skilled at her job because every time I was wrenched from a nightmare, coated in sweat and disgust, I could smell the vanilla scented steam spewing from the bathroom. I’d soak in the bath for over half an hour, surprised at how well I slept once the tension had finally been drained from my body.I had expected tonight to be the same, but when I rested my head on the velvet p
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I stumbled over my words, forcing them into the space between us where they hovered like a noxious gas. “What—what do you mean? I killed Nadia…I don’t—” The Moon Goddess cut my rambling short by placing the palm of her hand against my cheek. It was something my mom had done whenever I was upset as a child, and somehow the Moon Goddess’s touch held that same level of comfort. She smiled sadly, but it was an expression of pure love and understanding. “Do not punish yourself, daughter. What was left of Nadia’s essence has returned home and rejoined that of her wolf, but her death does not mean Evil is gone from the world. Us celestial beings aren’t allowed to meet our creations, but this situation…it is unique. I’m afraid I cannot tell you much, but there is one who can.” Jumping at the chance to get some answers, to preserve the peace Dain and the warriors fought so hard for, I asked, “Who? Who can?” “It is time to awaken, daughter. It’s in the world of the living where you’ll find
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All I could do was stand there and gape at him. Honesty shone in his eyes like newborn stars, but all it did was leave me confused. I replayed the last twenty-four hours in my head, searching for the moment where I’d won the game between us.When I came up empty handed, I stammered, “I did?”Dain nodded, staring down at me with hooded eyes. “You did.”“How? When?”“As for how, that’s the part where I cheated, I’m afraid. I didn’t admit out loud what I felt for you, but I felt it nonetheless.” He admitted, a sheepish tilt to his lips. “I realized I loved you the moment those doors opened, and you appeared at the top of the steps. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the way you looked in that gown, which I’ll have to thank Adley for when she returns. You could’ve been an assassin here to put a dagger in my heart and I would’ve gladly let you.”There was an explosion of butterflies in my chest, their wings beating so frantically that the sound of my heartbeat was drowned out.Leaning into Dain
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It took everything within me not to flinch at the sound of her voice and how close it truly was to my ear. Only when I felt her icy talons meet my skin did I act.‘It’s showtime.’ Rayna murmured, lending me all of her strength as I willed the floor to crumble beneath my feet.Together, my wolf and I fell.Since I was prepared for the impact, it was easy to call on my magic to lessen the blow. Warm air rushed beneath my gown and outstretched arms, acting as a safety net that slowed my fall and kept me from toppling over. It wasn’t the graceful landing I’d been trying for since Nadia was doing something to block our magic, but it kept me from breaking both my ankles on the way down.I didn’t wait for the dust to settle. The moment I felt solid stone beneath my feet, I took off running.Nadia’s snarl was one of surprise and outrage, strong enough that it made the castle tremble. I didn’t repress my grin or the laughter I spewed into the air, knowing both would entice her to follow—to con
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