Page 49 of Flame and Starlight

“Why did you do it? Why did you have to bring me here and turn me into this?” I gestured at my body. I knew I was being ridiculous; I could feel it. I always knew when my anxiety took hold and I was no longer being rational, but I was on a roll and couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out of my

mouth like a waterfall. “This is your fault,” I said in a deathly, low whisper.

My power pulsed through me in a shock wave at those words.

His fault. His fault, it whispered.

Another pulse of power hurtled through me.

His head still hung in his hands, the thick strands of hair curling around his fingers. “I know, Alyssandra.” He lifted his head and looked at me. “You don’t think I hate myself every

day for bringing you here? Tearing you out of your comfortable life? I hate myself for bringing you

here and making you stay with me.” He stood and gripped my arms, his fingertips digging into my

flesh. “I hate how selfish I am with you. I knew from the moment I saw you that I was well and truly

fucked. Why do you think I treated you so badly? Kept you at a distance?”

I ripped myself out of his grip. I was angry and heated, and I knew I would get lost in those eyes if

I stayed too long. I made circles around the small living room and then poured myself a drink and

downed it in one gulp, letting the liquor set my skin on fire.

“I had come to York to save you. I knew Theron was hunting you. I knew Aoife was close to you.

You don’t understand the horrors I grew up with. You don’t understand all the things I have seen him

do to not only me. When I heard he was looking for someone, for you, there was just something inside

me that broke at that. I couldn’t let him do it again.” He was really shouting, causing his shadows to

seep through the room and block out all the firelight. His face was red, and his eyes seemed to light

up with anger.

“You did it out of spite, Asher. You did it to stick it to Theron one last time. Do not delude

yourself into thinking this was all for me.” I swallowed another glass and ran my hands over my face.

My magic thrummed under my skin, pushing me closer and closer to the cliff. I turned away from him

and gripped the bar until I felt the metal dip under my fingers.

“Alys,” he said and placed a hand on my shoulder to turn me around. His eyes widened slightly

before he pulled me to him, my face cradled in his hands. “I did not only do it for me. I felt something

pull me to you.” I felt tears prick at my eyes. “Breathe for me, little duck. Grip that power and pull it

down.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, pushing it as far down as I possibly could, my power

writhing against me, fighting the entire way. I couldn’t tell the difference between my anger and the

thing inside me. I didn’t know if what I was feeling was real or if it was that thing trying to take me

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