Page 70 of To Crave Truly

It had felt as natural as breathing. “Can we do more?”

Edwin’s smile grew wide. “Hell yes.”

Chapter Thirty

Lori

Iflopped backwards into the mat, completely and utterly exhausted. I ached all the way down to my bones and there was a dull throb behind my eyes.

“Well done, Lori,” Edwin said from his spot next to me. He sat cross legged on the mat, his chest heaving from the exertion.

“Thanks.” I said with a tired smile.

Edwin had seriously put me and my magic through the ringer, but it was totally worth it. I felt so much more comfortable with my magic. I knew I hadn’t mastered it completely, but I’d definitely gotten better at accessing it and controlling it.

“How are you feeling?” Edwin asked, his eyes watching me from under a dark pair of brows.

“Tired but good. Closer to feeling whole at least.”

He fixed me with a hard stare. “It’s not about forcing the magic to do what you want. You’re a conduit. You must let the magic flow through you and the ask it to do what you want. Treat your magic as a living thing and you’ll be alright.”

I nodded. “Thanks. This has helped a lot.”

“Good. It’s kind of been a crash course but I’m here to help if you need it. It’s not every day you get to train a Shadow Mage.”

“I can believe that,” I replied with a laugh. “Would you train me?”

His expression turned serious. “Yes. I would. We are so few that it’s important to learn as much as we can.”

“What about the other Shadow Mage? Where is he?”

“No idea,” he said bitterly.

“You know him?”

“Yes. You could say that. Well, as much as Tobias would let anyone know him.”

He said the words with such venom that I knew there must be more to their story, but I wasn’t going to ask. Edwin didn’t look like he wanted to talk about it.

I jumped to my feet. “Come on, let’s—”

It’s nearly time, little one…

I froze and my stomach dropped.

“Mordecai,” I gasped.

“Lori?”

I looked at Edwin, his eyes narrowed with concern.

“I can hear him. He—” A sharp pain speared my mind as an image of a cemetery burst into view. My knees crumpled beneath me, and I fell to the floor.

The mark on my chest burnt hot as I felt Lucifer trying to reach me.

The vision of the cemetery flew by, as if I were travelling through it at great speed. Oh, God. I was going to hurl.

A blast of air hit me followed by a rumble of large wings. Edwin yelled and there were some thuds, but I couldn’t see anything other than the mausoleum the vision had brought me to.

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