Page 8 of Fated In Ruin
Power scraped inside me with sharpened talons, digging furrows out of my guts, clawing through my veins with ribbons of pain. I searched for the silver box, but it was gone, buried beneath layers of flame and shadow.
I lashed out again and again, every merciless slice through his skin like another step toward retribution. Every gasp of pain an apology for the wicked, wicked things he’d done.
We crossed the threshold of his castle, where I stripped away every protection, painted his precious belongings in his own blood, where I no longer cared if I destroyed priceless artifacts, so long as I destroyed this traitor who’d ruinedeverything.
“Vicious…stop,” Malachi gasped, his face tight with pain, but I wanted more. I wanted him on his knees, begging for mercy. I wanted to see himbroken. “Please, please….” Blood trickled down his chin, and hunger flared at the richness saturating the air.
“You destroyed my life. Now I’ll destroy you.” I sent another whip of darkness flying, slicing deep across his pale chest, grinning when he hissed in pain. “Never again will you control my mind.” Another strike that found its mark, another agonized groan. “Never again will you put me on my knees, when it’s you who should be beggingmefor forgiveness.”
I was relentless, yet with every step, pain seized my muscles, every cast of magic grew more unhinged, chandeliers crashing to the floor in splinters, paintings torn apart, ancient stone walls breaking.But I would finish this.
For how badly he’d hurt Blake and Riordan…I would finish him.
Malachi threw his hand up in front of him, “Please, Evangeline, just…give me a chance to explain. I’ll admit, my methods seem…questionable, but once I explain, you will understand.”
“You’ve had enough chances. You are shit out of luck, as we humans like to say.” This time, my magic was like dragging an up anchor from the depths, but my flames carved across his skin like knives, until Itastedhis pain like a fine wine.
Malachi stumbled and went down, blood streaking down his face, soaking his side, cradling one shredded arm against his body, so damaged he could no longer use that hand. I tightened my grip on my slippery, uncooperative magic as I read the truth on his face.
One more blow and this would be over.
I gathered my power, dredging up every drop I had left.
But familiar blond hair appeared behind Malachi, pulled smoothly back into a ponytail—then, instead of my enemy—my baby sister was right in front of me, her bright blue eyes widening in horror, opening her mouth to scream.
Just like when…just like…oh God…
I panicked, grappling with my magic, felt those flames slip out of my control, and sent a wall of dark fire roaring down the hallway straight toward Angel.
Devouring shadows that would crush her.Kill her.
No, no, no, this couldn’t happen again, I had to stop this, I had to…
All around me, stone walls shook beneath the rushing power, dust and debris rained down, chunks of stone and plaster and glass shattering on the floor. Frozen in fear, Angel stood stock-still, trembling gaze fixed on the wave of death I’d released, and could not stop.
An ending written in stone, where I was the villain.
Always the fucking villain.
“No. Angel.Get down.Get on the floor,” I screamed, panic seizing me as that terrible darkness swallowed up my sister, the entire hallway, my fruitless warning echoing behind it as I crashed to my knees, my power guttering beneath the fear.
I have to stop this, I have to…
Like she’d been conjured out of my dreams, the image of my sister flickered, then vanished, that dark wall of flame roaring down the now-empty hall, leaving me blinking in confusion.Angel…that had been…an illusion…Malachi had tricked me…
I doubled over, screaming in rage and some unforgiving force wrapped around me, bound my arms against my body like a steel vise, turned me from warrior to prisoner in a half second. I fought, sweat beading on my forehead as I flailed, the bonds tightening.
All the while, darkness billowed like an out-of-control inferno inside me, until my mouth was full of ash and my raw throat burned.
Then an invisible hand slammed the silver box lid closed, my shadows faded away, smothered beneath a layer of cool, thick magic until every flame was gone.
Malachi’s magic.
“I must admit…” Malachi crouched down beside me, “I didn’t expect such savagery. In retrospect, I should have, but I’ve lost all perspective when it comes to you, Vicious. You could have killed us both, and where would that have gotten you?”
God, he sounded almost…proud.
“With you dead, which is what you deserve.”
