Page 62 of Of Night and Blood: Special Edition

Only one was missing from the group.

I searched the area, trying to find the demon prince, but he was nowhere to be seen. I could feel him though, somewhere out there. His aura pulsed, rage and adrenaline mixing into a dangerous combination. The ground shook, small cracks forming at my feet. Salt water kissed my cheeks, droplets of it washing through the air towards a dense patch of trees beyond the small clearing turned battle ground.

There he was. My feet moved of their own accord, taking me towards the roaring prince.

The area Lian had left me at was covered in shadow, not even the moon above or the Suns in front of me lit the patch of dead grass I stood on, or the path towards Bellamy. It should have been safe, but luck and I had quite the tumultuous relationship.

A solid force hit my back as I ran, and the smell of death burned my nose. I tumbled down, the slight hill giving me momentum and throwing me into a tree trunk.

Time seemed to slow then. The afriktor that I had mutilated came upon me, frothing at the mouth and dripping foul smelling blood on my chest. My dagger was gone, lost somewhere in the fall. No amount of training would have prepared me for this, definitely not a few days of lessons.

The wounds on my shoulders burned and my back felt as though it might break. And the afriktor knew that. It leaned down and licked at my right shoulder, laughing once more as its tongue ran over its bloody teeth.

Why would this thing not simply die?

Above, those white eyes stared at me with a hunger that sent shivers down my spine. I saw the sharp claws of the afriktor coming towards me and heard the shouts of Bellamy as he searched for me. Yet only one thing came to my mind.

The female who has a family that seeks to control her, use her.

The prince at your side hides much from you.

I was alone. Not only now, but in this world. A fae princess that had never known true love. Mia and Xavier used me, for what, I was unsure. They poisoned me, of this I was certain now, as I stared death in the face.

Bellamy was doing the same, though he disguised it as freedom. Really, I was his pawn, his tool. Maybe that was what I was to everyone. A sword and shield, rather than a sentient being.

But I did not want to die this way. No, I still had fight in me.

I would tear apart the world, destroy every one of them who wronged me, and I would start with this ugly, disgusting beast.

Inches before it gutted me, I reached out and caught the arm of the afriktor. It went wide-eyed, bewildered when it found my hold stayed tight. I had always been strong, but now I was also riding the high of my fury.

Pushing with every ounce of strength I had, I shoved the afriktor, sending it flying into a tree. A loud crack rang as it made contact with the bark, the large body then slamming into the ground.

Before, it had said my gift did not work quite the same on them, but had not suggested my powers did not work at all. I channeled everything I had, dove deep into that well of power that I had only recently discovered was so vast.

The beast moved, murderous thoughts attempting to jam through my mental gates. I stood as well, mirroring its need for blood.

Too often I had been used. Too often I had been belittled. Too often I had been exploited.

I lifted my hands, closing my eyes to focus on that thick and grimy feeling of the afriktors, wrapping myself around their minds.

Never again would I be abused. Never again would I be taken advantage of. Never again would I be weak.

They wanted me to be the villain? They wanted The Manipulator?

Fine. Then that was who I would be.

I threw my arms forward, releasing a piercing scream as I took my power and threw it into their minds.

Chapter Thirty-Five

My power flowed through me and into the minds of nearly three dozen afriktors, all scattered throughout the forest. I did not manipulate or shatter them, but instead attacked them head on.

Every one of the creatures flew to the ground, wailing in agony and thrashing in the muddy grass. I screamed with them, the amount of power coursing through me a kind of pain in itself. I wanted to let go, but I knew that if I did those things would get right back up, and I would be the same helpless fae, ripe for the taking.

Tremors ran through my body, which begged me to stop, warned me that this was not safe. I simply reminded myself that safe had gotten me nowhere but alone and in danger, then I pushed harder.

The first mind to wink out was the afriktor in front of me, a personal victory of sorts. Then, one by one, every afriktor within the forest went still, death heavy in the air. Before I could give in to the exhaustion that threatened to pull me into oblivion, the bodies of the afriktors began to explode.

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