The power stemming through me reached out to the most vulnerable around me. The ones who were built of the most fallible instincts. The prince was useful, too—someone with influence. Someone who would deliver both territory and soldiers. Minds to feed on. Those who gave into something as feeble aslove.
And the touch of darkness within this mind made it so much easier.
I turned down a street packed with warriors battling Echnid’s demons, a demigod at the head of it. Those despicable creatures were not right for this realm. They’d be gone when we were done. When only the Angels remained to extend their rule and become the gods they always should have been, and they could finally uncover secrets long lost to seal revenge. A cackle split through me at the thought.
Tendrils of magic flickered across the ground like living lightning bolts. And one by one, the weakest of warriors clutched their heads.
They sank to the ground, curling over their knees. Screams wrenched from their throats. Thoughts pounded against their inner minds. All the worst fears they’d ever had brought to life.
A flash of gold light poured across the skies—a blast rivaling any I’d ever seen.
Familiar. Warm and good. My chest went wild as memories stuffed deep down flooded upward.
Another flash of gold, and I was hungry. Driven and insatiable. Iwantedit.
I shoved those instincts down until I was calm and empty once again.
Light exploded, shimmering like…like something I couldn’t recall but something that could right every wrong, heal every bruise I’d suffered. I turned toward it as the warriors writhed on the city street. A blur of white and blue shot across the night, that pure gold in its wake.
This time, I didn’t just want it. Ineededit. Something twisted in my chest, clawing up from the depths of my being.
That place all feelings were locked away shook, bolts of gold light hammering against it.
And turning toward the light, I went after it, ready to unleash this power thrumming through me on it. Until it was mine.
Chapter Seventy-Six
Santorina
“Bounty!”Lancaster gingerly wiped hair from my face.
I was in his arms. How had I gotten here? How long had it been? The sky above swam, the stars hazy, whether due to smoke from Xenovia or the blood loss from my wound, I couldn’t tell. I didn’t care.
His body was warm, his arms holding me firmly as he applied pressure to my wound. Pressure was good. Pressure stopped bleeding.
If I hadn’t lost too much already. Which was entirely possible.
“How…is…the wound?” I choked out. I was certain the battle was still raging somewhere, but I couldn’t separate the dull hums of noise.
“It’s deep,” he gritted out. Lancaster’s shadow shifted across me as he bent closer, his healing magic a numbing tingle along my side.
“Did…you…disinfect?” I studied the dirt and blood smeared across his cheeks to give me something to focus on. The slice to his face was healed, his high cheekbones and firm jawline dusted with drops of crimson, like tears.
And the look in his eyes—it was the same crazed concern as when he’d killed the gorgon for me. As if he’d already known then that I’d belonged to him, and that stare meant ownership. Possession.
Lancaster huffed, the sweaty strands of hair framing his face lifting with the exhale. “That’s what you’re asking? If I’m healing it properly?”
“Never know…with your”—I hissed as fire flared along my ribs, biting sharply through the numbness—“immortality.”
“I assure you, I can handle it.”
A feline screech and a shattering of glass echoed from somewhere nearby.
“Lancaster.” That wasn’t Mora. I turned my head as much as I could manage. Long dark hair, innocent round eyes, and pale features swam into vision. Celissia. When had she arrived? She was discussing something with Lancaster, their harsh words washing together as I tried to focus.
“I cannot move her,” Lancaster spat, his cheeks flushing with the rage in his voice.
“This entire alley is going to be in shadow soon,” Celissia pointed out. She still wore her gown from the bonding ceremony, but huge gashes ripped through the skirt. She gripped the talisman hanging around her neck, the stone giving off a rainbow aura in the hazy mystlights.
