Page 27 of Spelled By Truth and Tresses

A stretcher was rolled out, the body bag on top glaring. It was the conclusive proof I needed that Amara was dead. My boots slammed against the ground as I ran as fast as I could away from the academy; my tears drying in the wind. I killed Amara…and I think I might have enjoyed it.

I wailed as I sat in the desolate room at the top of the tower. The temperature in the room plummeted as the spiritual entities surrounded me. My skin prickled as their energy surged—inviting me to join them. My hand shook as I held a shard of broken glass over my wrist. I couldn’t live with myself. Mother was right all along; my powers are much too dangerous to be around anyone. I killed someone. She was dead because of me.

I couldn’t breathe. I took several deep breaths, craving oxygen, but my lungs were tight and the air didn’t give me what I needed. My heart felt as if it would crack my ribs and beat right out to flop onto the dusty floor.

“Zellie! No!” Jax sprinted to me from the stair landing and dropped to his knees in front of me. He grabbed the glass and squeezed it as he ripped it away from me. Blood dripped down his fingers to puddle on the floor before he threw it to the other side of the room. The shard smashed against the wall in a cloud of shimmering dust.

Jax wrapped his arms around me and rocked me gently. “Shhh. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I killed her.” I sobbed. “She’s dead.”

His face contorted as he grasped for the right words to say. “She…It’s not your fault.”

I looked at him with bloodshot eyes. “Yes, it is. I was so angry. Everything was too much. Rage bubbled up inside of me and I couldn’t stop it. I knew what I was doing. I knew I was causing the earthquake, and…” I broke down, crying.

“And what?” He questioned softly, but there was no denying the underlying anger beneath his words.

I sniffed loudly. “I wanted to kill her. This magic, it’s evil.”

“Your magic is not evil, pet. You just need practice controlling and harnessing it,” Jax said, his voice husky.

I didn’t respond. I had nothing left to give.

His warmth moved through me as he rubbed circles on my back and continued speaking. I loved listening to his deep tenor—it soothed my jagged edges, but nothing could remove the bloodstains.

He turned me around after some time and gazed into my eyes. My mind throbbed as he stared at me, his eyes taking on an unnatural sheen. Jax stretched further into my mind than ever before, then picked it apart one brain wave at a time. I drifted in and out of consciousness as he poked around in my brain matter,. It was probably for the best.

“Zellie, after this you won’t remember what happened. You will remember that it was an earthquake and Amara died. You were standing with me when it happened, and it was not your fault.”

His words attached to the memories from the day and pulled them from my mind one by one until I couldn’t recall why I was crying.

I blinked several times and looked around us. “Why did we come here?” I couldn’t remember the last few hours. Only that I was upset and… oh my God. “Amara, is she dead?”

He looked at me cautiously and hesitantly nodded.

“What happened?”

I saw relief soften his features. I furrowed my brows. “What happened?” I repeated.

“There was an earthquake at Ghost Rose. The ground shook, and some buildings fell.”

I gasped. “Is anyone else…”

He shook his head. “A couple of students went to the medical wing with mild injuries. But Amara...”

I felt his caution as I held onto him. “Is that what really happened?”

“Yes.” He replied coldly. “I should get you home. It’s late.”

Panic froze my veins. No. Anywhere but there.

“Can you take me to Lalita’s dorm?”

“Whatever you prefer,” he responded curtly.

I tried to search my memories for something… it was all so foggy. I remembered the buildings falling, and I was standing next to Jax. I think I was anyway. Yes, I must have been, because he dragged me away from getting hit with debris.

We walked to the dorms in silence. I didn’t know what to say to him, or if I should say anything at all. He seemed so distant now. Amara was his ex-girlfriend, I reminded myself. He was probably in shock. Hell, he was probably only offering to walk me home because of my siren lure.

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