Page 42 of Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones

My heart leaps in my throat, panic making blood roar in my ears. “I was only staying out the way.”

Nissa screams at me as she lunges forwards, her fingers twisting in my hair and pain slices across my scalp. She pulls me from the chair and throws me on the ground. Pain radiates through my hip and elbow.

“Stupid girl!” she yells before backhanding me across the face. My lip splits and blood pools in my mouth. “I’ll have you whipped for this.”

“No!”

“Maybe your grandmother will let me whip you myself.”

“NO!” I scream again, something alien unfurling inside me. Something dark. Something evil.

“What are you doing?” Nissa looks panicked. “Stop.”

I’m going to make her pay. I’m going to make her suffer.

I laugh, the darkness within me taking over, swallowing the light.

Then there was nothing.

Chapter Twenty

Raevyn

Icame to with a jolt and a gasp. My heart lurched uncomfortably in my chest and my knees trembled.

Korbin stepped back, a look of fear flickering across his features.

“What was that?” I asked once I’d got my panic under control.

“I don’t know,” he replied, but he wouldn’t look at me. He just stood there, rubbing the spot over his heart as if it was in pain.

“What did you see?”

His head snapped around towards me. “You didn’t see anything?”

“No.”

“Nothing at all?”

Why was he panicked? What had he seen that had caused a Revenant to look scared?

“Should I have seen something?” There had only been darkness that ended with a feeling of fear.

“Yes,” Korbin said, his hand trembling. “Normally we’d see the same thing, but I think your memories have been tampered with.”

“Korbin!” Rook shouted as he ran up to his side, his eyes wide with worry. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he replied, waving Rook’s hands away. “Just a little shaken.”

“I’m sorry.” Guilt flooded me. I’d hurt him without even meaning to. How had my memories been tampered with? And why? Would my coven know? Perhaps we could go and see them after collecting Nissa’s soul.

“You’re not to blame, Raevyn,” Korbin said softly as the rest of the guys joined us. “This isn’t your fault.”

Sure felt like it though. Even Rook was eyeing me warily.

“Come on,” Rook said. “Let’s get this over with and then we can figure out what to do next.”

I nodded, hoping that we could figure out what the hell was wrong with me. I didn’t like the idea that someone had tampered with my memories. It made me think that someone was trying to hide something.

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