Page 79 of Fated In Ruin
Love?My heart lurched at the word. “Jealousy?”
She nods, her expression softening with something almost like pity. “You envy Rhiannon and you resent her, because of Malachi. Because you’re a little bit in love with him.” There was no guile to her words, no judgement, like she was stating fact.
“I don’t—” I start, but the words died on my tongue. Ididenvy Rhiannon, my ancestor, whose blood sang in my veins. And…Iwasfalling in love with Malachi, despite every argument I should have against it. I was jealous as hell, because she’d known Malachi first.
Because he…maybe loved her.
Maybe he’d whispered those same silky, convincing promises to her, told her how brave and strong and beautiful she was. Maybe…maybe I was only a cheap replacement.
The shadows swirled faster now, curling around me like smoke, and in them, demonic faces began to form—their eyes hollow, mouths stretched wide in silent screams. I shuddered, but I couldn’t look away, my own fear feeding the rising storm.
Fiona stepped closer, her fiery presence a stark contrast to the dark tempest unraveling around us. “Malachi kept Rhiannon safe from Ravok. He helped her escape, hid her, ensured she always remained one step ahead, a near-impossible feat. Without him, she would have died and your bloodline would have ended with her. But listen to me—they were never lovers, only friends. Without him, Evangeline, you wouldn’t exist.”
The words landed like a slap, bringing me to my senses.Malachi wasn’t her lover. He’d saved Rhiannon. He was the reason our bloodline endured.
And then, he’d saved me, by sacrificing himself, when he knew the cost.
My jealousy turned brittle as glass, then shattered apart into bone-melting relief, while all around me, shadows writhed like living wraiths, distorting into grotesque shapes until they solidified into one recognizable face.
A pair of familiar eyes stared out at me, and for a moment, I could barely breathe.
“What…what are you doing?” Fiona breathed, reeling back, her eyes bouncing between me and Malachi Draven, staring out of the roiling tempest, his face swollen and bruised, one eye blackened, his blond hair dark with blood.
“Stop this, Evangeline, you need tostop.”
I reached out my hand and drew my fingers down his broken cheek, his skin cool beneath my touch. “I’m coming to get you. Hang on, don’t give up.” All around us, the garden trembled, ground shuddering as my magic pulsed in a crescendo of energy.
Staring at my red-stained fingers, I ran my tongue over them, my system instantly hit with a jolt of raw, ancient power.I had Malachi’s blood on my fingers.
“Hold on. Just a little longer.”
Fiona’s eyes narrowed, then her hand darted out and grasped my wrist, yanking me back. “Enough, Evangeline, stop this.” I barely registered her words before a force slammed into me, iron bands locking around my ribs. The shadows vanished, snuffed out like candle flames, leaving behind only an achy emptiness.
My knees buckled, and I collapsed, my magic—completely gone.
“I saw him. I touched him.” I gazed up at her, my vision blurred with tears. “What did you do?”
“You used your magic—impossibly—to cross over into another plane. I stopped you before you hurt yourself,” she said, her face pale, but her voice gentler now. “It’s easy to get lost inside such terrible power, dragged in too deep, and if you allow yourself to be seduced, it will destroy you.”
I shook my head, my hands trembling as I pressed them against the ground. “I was there—I saw him?—”
“If you saw Malachi, then Ravok could see you. The connection goes both ways.” Fiona glanced at Crimson House, her expression pinched with fear. “Magic is born from emotion, Evangeline. Yours, particularly, is tied to the darkness within you and strong emotions create a conduit. Let’s hope Ravok wasn’t aware of you before I broke the connection.”
Fiona crouched down beside me and we both stared at my bloodstained fingers. “This is something I haven’t seen before,” she said soberly. “You have to learn to control yourself, Evie. And you have to learn fast.”
I nodded.
She was right. I could have stayed inside that cloud of darkness forever. There had been something so…alluringabout that moment, I’d never wanted it to end.
“I can do that. Teach me everything I have to know.”
Malachi was bleeding. He was hurt. A sob rose in my throat, so raw and bitter I choked before I climbed to my feet. “Teach me.Now. We don’t have much time, and I have to know I can actually do something with this power, not just stand on the sidelines.”
Fiona’s expression softened. “I promised you I’d help.” She rose and offered me her hand. “And we are friends, after all. First, you have to learn control because my block isn’t keeping your magic fully contained.”
I swallowed hard. “Okay. How do I do that?”
“Find the center of your magic. Everything has a heart, and your power springs from darkness. Some a memory, or experience…”
