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Chapter 92
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2021-12-10 09:52:48“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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Iridian Chapter 93
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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A young servant with sable hair and a wide smile paused as she passed me heaving against the stone wall. Not that I would ever admit this to Helios, but his training was paying off. That was the longest I had run thus far. The servant’s eyes were wide with concern, the stack of folded sheets in her hands forgotten as she reached for me.“Oh, I’m alright. Just exercising.” I gave her my weak excuse and a painful smile before heading back the way I had come. “Training—with Helios.”I waited several minutes before venturing back, and even more before approaching the set of open doors.The elevated heart rate and sweat coated skin, I could blame that on training with Helios. It was the perfect excuse for my flustered appearance. I couldn’t ignore the giddiness I felt.I had just successfully used magic, for the first time. Nothing exploded or caught on fire, and my feet remained firmly planted on the ground.
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I lunged at the desk in the living room, snatching up one of Adley’s school notebooks and a pen, just as her eyes unfocussed and went blank. The calm sky-blue of her irises glowed softly, unsettling as she stiffly swiveled her head in my direction.For seconds Adley stared at me, until finally she spoke.“Daughters of the sun and sea,two once powerful kingdoms brought down to their knees.Dying legacies, where only one will stand.The champions of Light and Dark hold the fate of the world in their hands.”Ally sighed, frowning softly at her sister, until her eyes too went blank. Her eyes began to glow, the same soft color as her twin. Ally’s pale blue eyes held fragments of grey, like gathering storm clouds.Her head swiveled in my direction, and she spoke.“A call to arms from warrior’s past,to defend their Houses at long last.Brothers forced on opposing sides,the me
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Hours later a cold breeze blew the candlelight out. Not that it mattered, the sun had risen an hour ago. The stone floor no longer felt cold against my skin, not with the warmth of daylight streaming through the glassless windows.It was a chore to pull myself up and force my stiff limbs to escort me to the bathroom, where the thick steam of the shower would envelop me but provide little in terms of relief. It was the spell on my hair, that Leslie had redone, that kept me from looking like an utter train wreck.Taking a much longer shower than usual, I stood beneath the scalding water and wracked my brain through what I had figured out. There were no rules or guidelines, only what I could piece together on my own.It was more than clear that Nadia and I were Light and Dark’s champions, the ones that held the fate of the world in our hands. My stomach swirled on that one. I didn’t want the fate of the world in my hands, what I wanted was freedom.
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“You’re not very hungry. Are you feeling alright, darling?” Dain asked, his head only slightly cocked as he watched me from across the table. He watched everything I did, and where it had first been annoying and unsettling, now it affected me in an entirely different way. I wanted to ask why, why he stared at me like he was memorizing my face and habits, the gestures I made and the way I spoke, but it was a question I doubted he’d answer. “I’m feeling just fine, thank you.” I mumbled, plying him with some automatic response as I wracked my brain for a solution to the next step of my plan. The next part would undoubtedly be the hardest, considering I manage to make it past this point. I brought the spoon of soup to my lips almost robotically, taking a small sip. It was warm and soothed my throat, but my stomach refused more than a few slow bites. He lifted an eyebrow at me, some of the playfulness slipping from his lips. He thought there was something
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It was the softest of touches. His lips like petals, brushing against my own. My mind went completely blank, and all I could do was feel.Coming here was a mistake, thinking I could get this close his alluring darkness without being swallowed by it. I had miscalculated, and yet I couldn’t pull away.Not when I finally tasted the cherries on his lips for myself, and certainly not when every bone in my body screamed for more.I’d never admit I had been the one to change this moment, to douse it in gasoline until the soft and sweet gesture went up in crackling flames. Perhaps if I had climbed off him and made a hasty retreat, he would’ve never known I had been in his room tonight, intent on using his own magical relic to get some answers.It was too late for that, I realized. Far too late.Instead of pulling away, I leaned in and deepened the kiss. I drowned in the taste of him, in the scent that made my blood sing. That whi
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Breath was knocked from my lungs as Dain snatched the knife from my hand, flinging it across the room before flipping us over on the bed.All too easily he had taken control, his chest heaving and bare muscles stealing the moonlight. Leaning over me with his hair tousled from sleep, his eyes were wide and roamed my flushed skin like a man deprived of light. I was left with no time to process as his lips came crashing against my own.I had tried to fight, vaguely aware of Rayna’s lingering presence in the back of my mind, watching in stunned silence as she tried to figure out how I had landed myself here—while also providing absolutely no help.My lips parted for his on their own, desperate, and eager despite how hard I fought. My fists slammed against his chest, but the moment his tongue darted out and brushed my own…the taste of him, sweet and tart but also masculine, it was my undoing.I wasn’t sure when my hands had drifted tow
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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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The elongated claws tipped with old blood were hers. I couldn’t forget the sight of her gnarled fingers, which had once been slender and elegant, even if I tried.With a loud smack, she flattened her palm against the stone floor. A second arm shot out of the water, followed by another wet smack.‘That puddle’s not nearly big enough for what she’s trying to do…’ Rayna pointed out, her voice just as sickly as I knew my own would be.Both of Nadia’s arms were bent at odd angles as they rose from the water, but that was the least disturbing thing I witnessed as this day began to quickly unfold. Next to appear were her eyes, the whites much too large to be considered normal, followed by the jagged slash that was her smile. In the memories I’d seen, her smile had been coy and playful, with the same softness as a flower’s petals. This one was of malice and envy, both deeply disturbing and in dire need of some chapstick.Her shoulders rose from the water at the same time but were bent awkward
Iridian Chapter 212
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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Nadia launched herself at me, and as she did so, her hair and dress billowed out at her sides. The movement was slow and lazy, almost like she was submerged in water and not hovering a solid three feet in the air. Even though her form was translucent, and she seemed to be neither here nor there, I had a sickening feeling she could still do significant damage if I let her reach me.Instinct took over, and for once in my life, it wasn’t telling me to run.I launched the orb in my hand like it were a baseball, and watched as it spiraled through the air, a small halo of light surrounding it. When it hit its mark, square in the center of Nadia’s face, I silently thanked Aidan for teaching me all those years ago. I had hated every second of his baseball phase, but he’d been so passionate about becoming a professional athlete and whisking us away that I couldn’t resist helping him practice. After a dozen scraped knees, a handful of bruises, and one broken arm, we both called it quits.The in
Iridian Chapter 210
For the longest time all I could hear was the sound of stone grinding against stone.There was a painful burn in my lungs, but I didn’t dare exhale. Instead, I held my breath and watched as the corridors around me shifted. Walls slid left and right, forming new pathways that hadn’t existed before. Many changed angles, creating sharp turns that you couldn’t see coming until it was too late.Some of the windows began to close, melting away as though they’d never been there, while others grew larger. The ones that grew in size turned into arched doorways narrow enough for but one person to slip through.While the castle itself wasn’t a sentient being, every brick and inch of tiled floor was alive with Dain’s magic. I could feel it’s alluring touch within everything I altered and couldn’t help but smile at how eager it was to please me. Even the paintings responded to my call, changing forms until each one was exactly the same.The brash strokes of oil paint shimmered as they changed colo
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“My sisters, are they safe?” Aidan asked, his voice low.Even with a side view of his face, I could see the way it twisted into a concerned grimace. With eyebrows knitted tightly together and jaw clenched, he pivoted his head from left to right, peering down each corridor as we crept through another intersection. The sword he clutched in his hand, it’s metal an impenetrable black that shimmered with blood, was raised and ready for use.“Is anyone truly safe?” I asked, eyeing one of the windows warily. It would be all too easy for Nadia or one of her monsters to slip through now that the hallways were conjoined. “They’re hidden away. The fight won’t reach them.”His shoulders slumped as much as they could with the defensive stance he held, and a sigh of relief escaped his lips.“Thank the Goddess. Even though I’d see them when I got back, I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it if they were dead.”He didn’t have to explain why, not when the answer hovered in the space between us.There w
Iridian Chapter 208
Selfishly, I tried to call on Helios, to summon him to my side like I’d been told I could. It was what he would’ve wanted, it was why we completed the bond in the first place. The issue was that no one told me how to do it.There was a sense of awareness that settled over me, followed by a wave of understanding that told me Helios was very much alive. He was feeling it too, a subtle tug that let him know I was still here. I concentrated on my golden-haired warrior harder, imagining him as a sword sheathed at my side, ready to be used at moment’s notice.I felt that tug turn into a harsh pull, but there was no smile of victory on my face, because the milky-eyed creature at the end of the hall let out a blood-curdling wail and charged.I’d never been afraid of horror movies, not with their make-shift gore and fake blood. The knowledge that the creepy monster on the television screen wasn’t actually real was enough to smother any fear I might’ve felt. As I scrambled to get away from the
