Page 7 of Fated In Ruin
But I’d done what he said, and…there it was.
A silver box, lid slung open, blackness pouring out like demonic smoke, fire burning colder than the emptiness between the stars. I waded through layers of shifting darkness, my breath freezing in my lungs, and wrapped my fingers around that frozen lid.
The metal gleamed like new, cold enough to send slivers of pain into my palms, but I shoved that top down, pushing with every bit of strength I had until it slammed closed.
I lifted my eyes to Malachi, and everything he’d ever done to me came flooding back. The betrayals, the lies, the manipulations. And something inside of me turned hard and unforgiving.
He opened his mouth to say something, but whatever he saw in my face made him pause.
I let go of the lid, releasing a flood of whipping darkness.
When I lifted my hand, black, shadowy fire consumed my fingers, my wrist, flickering down to my elbow, leaving a hint of cold pain licking my skin. Faster than he could react, I wrapped those ghostly flames tightly around me, then grinned.
Surprise flared in his eyes, followed by something that—if I was a betting woman—I’d call fear.
“You should probably run.”
I was on my feet before he was, matching Malachi move for move as I prowled after him, my footsteps careful on the ashy ground, avoiding slick, frosty spots, ruined piles of what had once been gloriously manicured beds.
At the very least, I’d destroyed his precious garden, which gave me a cool sense of satisfaction, but killing Malachi here, in his precious little hideaway…that would truly make me happy.
As it was, prowling after him like this felt…comforting familiar.
Hunting vampires. Well, one particular vampire, who’d lied and manipulated himself into this very situation. When Malachi ended up dead, he really had no one to blame but himself.
“Vicious, you don’t want to do this.” His eyes narrowed. “We’re on the same side. Let me explain.”
He cast up shields of magic as he retreated, only to have those shimmering barriers crumble beneath my dark flames, like morning mist burned off by the sun. I kept pace, though every step was a struggle, my knees trembling, my lungs battling the strain of simply breathing.
“Is that what you told yourself, when you turned us against each other? Is that what being an ally means to you? Someone to use until you discard them?”
“Let mehelpyou. I know the magic hurts, Evangeline, I can see your suffering on your face. Let me take away the pain.”
“Maybe I fuckinglikethe pain,” I hissed, tasting the bite of frost. “Maybe the pain will be worth the cost, when I’m standing over your fucking corpse.”
And yes, everything hurt. My hands, my body, right down to my fucking bones. I wrestled with my magic, trying to catch ahold of these flames long enough to fling them toward him, do as much damage as I could.
Power I had in spades.
Control, not so much.
This darkness was like slithering oil, slippery and uncooperative, determined to be difficult.
But I was more stubborn, and finally—fucking finally—I caught ahold of the tail end of my magic, and every cell in my body revolted. This was…fucking awful. Like touching acid, or swallowing poison. But…
This was also like channeling the energy of a star, filling me not with dazzling brilliance, but with darkness untold, a void consuming everything in its path. I sent my dark flames hissing toward Malachi, satisfaction warming my insides when a gash opened on his arm, turning to glee as he threw both arms up in front of his face to protect himself.
That’s right, fucker, beg for mercy.
My magic carved through fabric and flesh, blood splattering across leaves and flowers, shining in the moonlight. A hollow, reckless hate took over, and I reveled in his pain. I wanted him to suffer, like he’d made us suffer.
I wanted him tohurt, like he’d hurt us.
I would leave his precious castle a smoking ruin behind me.
“Evangeline, killing me will not save your king, or your mate.” Malachi’s eyes were dark pits in his pale face. “If you want them to survive, you need my help. You needme.”
“Begging is usually beneath you, Malachi. Could it be you’re outmatched?” I grinned, my face feeling like it cracked wide open. “Could it be you finally lied yourself into a corner you couldn’t crawl out of?”
