Page 4 of A Spark Of Revenge

Nothing.

“Valen, please—" my voice cracks, and I shiver at the feel of lifeless skin and bite my lip hard until the bitter, metallic taste of blood floods my mouth. My chest aches as I stare down at him in horror and agony. I hadn’t known him for long, but there was something about him; something that made me feel protected as I attempted to navigate the brutal reality of my new life. It was a feeling I hadn't felt since Grandpa died, and I hadn't realized how much I missed feeling… secure.

Valen had become my safe place, the person I unknowingly relied on, even though I’d never truly met him. He did everything he could, warned me about the Seniors, and even gave me a place to hide when I needed to run. Warm, wet tears slowly trail down my cheeks as a small sob rattles through me, causing pain to bloom in my chest. I wrench my hand away from Valen's lifeless body, unable to feel his cold skin for another moment, and press the palm of my hand to my chest as the pain there continues to grow.

“I’m sorry,” I get out, my vision blurring as I stare down at the man I tried to help, but had failed. My head and heart are a confusing mix of pain, anger, and sorrow, and I’m not sure if I want to scream, cry, or run until I leave this new world behind me. “I’m so sorry. All I wanted… I wish…” I trail off, not knowing what to say and realizing it doesn't matter. I take in Valen’s pale skin and fair features, so similar to my own, yet so different at the same time. His almost elven beauty untouched even in death.

Shivering, I let my hand fall from my chest, my shoulders shaking with the restraint of holding back the agony that has enveloped my body. My eyes move from Valen's perfect white-blond hair to his thick black lashes that lay peacefully over his too gaunt cheekbones, and I close my eyes, my hands balling into fists of anger.

How can a person do this to someone? Why would the Seniors put a fellow Umbra Hunter into a tomb like this? I'm vaguely aware of distant shouts and pleas from outside, but I ignore them, my world narrowing to the dead man lying in front of me.

Pain and fear slowly melt into a fiery ball of rage, and I welcome it like a balm to my torn soul. The pain in my chest turns to warmth, and that foreign feeling that had been there when I pushed the lid off of Valen’s tomb rushes back with a vengeance. Harnessing it, I let the odd feeling of power flow, relinquishing the hurt deep inside, replacing it with the smoldering burn of revenge.

This is all too much—everything with Lennox and Razar. With Creed and Theo… the betrayals I hadn’t seen coming, along with the confusion and fear of not understanding the world I had been forced into. Only days ago, I questioned the truth about the reflective-eyed Demons, but never the beast that Razar had become. The scars on my back ache at the reminder of the near-fatal attack I suffered years ago at the hands of those monsters. The deep howl of the Demon outside rings out around me, breaking my resolve, and I let the anger flow through me like a tidal wave. And this time, I’m not strong enough to hold it back.

So I do the only thing I can. I let it loose with a scream, releasing every pent-up emotion inside me. Every broken piece inside me, every doubt and fear. The scream rushes from me so fast that I stumble, my ears ringing. I clench my eyes shut as green light bursts around me, my body heating, and the energy I just felt fades in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly, my body feels heavy, and my scream cuts off with a gasp. Shit, what the hell am I doing? But before I can pull the powerful feeling back inside, my knees give way, and I crumple into darkness.

TWO

Valen

Green light is the first thing that filters into my mind as I swim through a never-ending blackness, which is rather odd since I thought this was all that was left for me.

Darkness… Nothing.

I had chosen my fate to save her. I knew I didn't have much magic left, and I happily used what I had to send Meyer back to reality hoping she could escape the no doubt horrid existence that would befall her if she stayed under the supervision of the Umbra Hunters. The air around me stills, and I want to frown and open my eyes.

Am I in another dream? Has Meyer somehow pulled me back to her?

No.., that can’t be right. Please, no! That would mean she was still near my physical body and linking our dreams. When I felt her magic snare my subconscious, I thought it was a miracle that another Dream Walker had survived the massacre of our people. I could tell immediately that Meyer wasn’t a strong magic user. Meyer’s magic was dim, like a flickering candle on a cold rainy day. But after my lonely existence in the black ocean I was trapped in, that small flame gave off the brilliance of a hundred suns. It gave me the first flicker of hope and, with it, a longing to live again. I knew who she was and what she meant to me the moment our magic came into contact with each other, which is probably why she pulled me into her dreams when she was scared. I like that she needed me and called to me even when she didn't know of my existence.

“Valen, Please,” my siren pleads, and I long to listen, to go to her. But before I can try, pain the likes of nothing I have felt before hits me. So much pain that all I want to do is scream.

It starts at my fingers and toes, then slowly creeps up my limbs, the feeling is like a million red-hot needles stabbing into my flesh, making my mind blank. I try to gasp, to call out for help, but my body doesn’t respond. I’m trapped in the physical and mental prison that Arthur Axford designed.

“I’m sorry,” Mi Sol whispers into my soul. “I’m so sorry.” Her voice cracks, pain evident, bringing a roaring wave of protectiveness to the surface, shadowing my pain enough for me to cling to her presence. “All I wanted… I wish…” she continues, and I hang onto her every word as the air thickens around us. I want to smile as her magic grows, doubling, then tripling with strength as her breaths come in rapid succession.

She’s close, my little queen, Mia Regina, and I’m not sure if I’m ecstatic that I finally have her near or livid that she disobeyed me. I told her to run and demanded that she leave the Umbra Hunter's castle immediately. I gave my fucking life… or rather, I thought I had, in order to keep her safe, and she flat out ignored me. Meyer should be in a completely different country, safe from Axford and the corrupt Seniorem ruling North America. Yet here she is, her magic circling me, filling my pain-riddled body with life once more.

I’m not used to people disobeying my orders, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. From what I have seen and learned from the few times she called me to her dreams, Mia Regina is stubborn and as hot-headed as they come. She was always complaining about that asshole Umbra Hunter who bossed her around. So I shouldn't be surprised that she is here, no matter how terrifying that thought is.

I let my mind latch onto the fear that thought gives me, distracting myself from the pain in my body as my chest bursts with agony, then something gives a loud thump. Another one follows only seconds later, and I want to curse and scream as blood slowly circulates in my veins. Still trapped in the prison of my nightmares, I hold on to Meyer's magic, her soft scent of citrus bright in my senses as my body responds to her proximity. All I want to do is hold her, pull her into my arms, and feel her body against mine. To know that she is real and not a beautiful dream the Seniorem created to torture me further.

The sudden and dangerous sound of a Beastia’s howl breaks through the painful little bubble Meyer has wrapped me in, and for the first time in far too long, I startle. No, no, no! I’m not strong enough to help her yet! No! Panic courses through me, and my heart stalls when I hear Meyer release a soul-crushing scream. The sound rolls through me like the world's worst nightmare, and my body seizes, my already tense muscles contracting at the sound.

Grabbing her magic like a lifeline, I pull on it, taking it far too fast, but knowing I'll be able to replenish it the moment I know she is safe. If I knew Meyer could fend off a Beastia on her own, I wouldn't worry, but I know from experience she’s as vulnerable as a newborn fawn. Well, that's not fair; she must have some grit, and it didn't help that she appeared in the traditional dressing of our court. I thought Mi Sol would freeze to death before she awoke. I wonder if she has discovered her claws yet? Meyer seems to be under the impression she is a full-blooded Hunter, which just isn't the case. Either way, she is not strong enough to fight off a Beastia.

Time and awareness rush back like a tidal wave, slamming into my subconscious, and I gasp, my lungs screaming as they inflate. It feels like a massive weight is sitting on my chest as I try to remember how to breathe again. Gritting my teeth, I send every ounce of magic and energy I can muster through my body, open my eyes, and immediately squint from the bright light of Meyer’s magic filling the air.

What the hell? How is she producing this much magic?

As the howl of the Beastia dies out, so does Meyer’s scream. I lurch forward, sitting upright, coughing and gasping for breath, my eyes widening as I watch Meyer—who’s standing only a few feet from me—crumple and fall to the ground where she stays unmoving.

“Shit!” I yell, adrenaline pumping as I use my arms and heave myself from some weird box. I throw my legs over the side and climb out, landing heavily on my feet just for my legs to wobble, then collapse uselessly underneath my weight. Cursing, I fall next to Meyer and glare at my legs before crawling to where she’s far too still on the frigid wooden floor.

“First, save the girl, then try to remember how to freaking walk,” I snarl, glaring down at my useless legs before I finally pull myself next to Meyer and sit up, attempting to get my numb legs to respond. I reach for her, my fingers shaking as I gently pick her delicate form up and cradle her to my chest. Citrus and warmth flood me as I pull her close, and I swallow the lump in my throat as I somehow manage to keep us both upright.

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