Page 100 of Forever Touched

It was like the entire Universe paused, curious to see what would happen next. To see if I’d fulfill my destiny. As Everett spoke, valiantly trying to reason with the Venturi, I’d slowly tightened my web, robbing them of their free will.

Every time their voices rose in anger, another piece of me shriveled up and died. Their anger was my fault. They were only reacting this way because ofme. Because of the lies I’d woven into their minds. They were deaf to Everett’s words. Blinded by the enchantment I’d cast over them.

It was only a matter of time now. The second I attacked, they would too. Like mindless animals, they would follow my lead and destroy each other. Destroy the family who’d shown me nothing but kindness.

My time was up. I had no choice but to initiate the revolution Mistress had planned in the shadows ever since the last one had failed. Once it began, the Venturi would fight to the death. The ones under my control would attack their friends, family, and the royals I’d fashioned into their enemies. They had a mission the same way I did. A mission they couldn’t run away from.

It would be a bloodbath. And when the rogues arrived, very few Venturi would survive, if any. They’d been waiting six years for this moment. Six years of silently hating the royal family and Venturi forturning against them. For protecting awitchinstead of their own kind.

And so they’d used a witch to destroy their own. To tear down the government they so despised.

Me. They’d usedme. And I’d let them. I’d given them my body and soul. I’d let them abuse my magic. I’d done everything they asked of me.Everything.

I’d single-handedly ignited a revolution, seeking my revenge on the creatures who’d stolen my father and life from me in the process.

I’d become a monster.Theirmonster.

All to survive. Tosavemyself.

But in order to save myself, I’d given up my light. Bit by bit, I’d fallen into darkness. My brightness had faded. Dulled. I’d thought it was gone completely until I’d met Everett. Until he’d slowly pulled me from that sucking darkness and reminded me of who I was.

Until he’d saved me.Trulysaved me. Bringing the light back into my life.

And this was how I repaid him. By destroying his kingdom. Bybetrayinghim. By throwing away something beautiful. Something that a monster like me could never hope to deserve.

He loved me.Lovedme. And I was about to stab him in the heart.

A silent scream started to build in my mind. A scream of sorrow and despair and hopelessness. A scream of injustice and frustration andrage.

It couldn’t end like this. I’d been allowed to experience my happily ever after for a single moment in time. To be that bright shining star again. To befree.

It had only been a moment, a brief moment of pure perfection, but I would cherish it forever. Even if my forever ended tonight.

So I let the scream continue to build, encouraging it to growlouder and louder. Stronger and stronger. Giving it my fear and desperation. My helplessness. Even my will to survive. Tolive.

Because I couldn’t save myself this way. If I followed through with this premonition, I would lose myself. Adalyn would be gone forever, and I couldn’t live with that.

I couldn’t live withouthim. Couldn’t live in a dark world where Everett D’angelo didn’t exist.Hemade me bright. He encouraged me to shine, to show the world the real me. And someone like that deserved to be protected. To besaved.

So I let that scream consume me. Let it build until I could no longer contain it. Until the need to fulfill my mission began to crack. To break apart. Toshatter.

I was splintering. Fracturing. Pouring every last desperate thought into tearing myself free from six years of oppression. From every last thralled command. From every last promise.

I won’t do it anymore, I won’t do it anymore!I screamed and screamed inside my head, not caring that I was breaking. That I was sentencing myself to death.

He deserved it. Everett deserved it. I had tosavehim.

So when my premonition began to unravel—when I slipped my knife free and prepared to kill the man I loved—I fought. I fought with everything I had, consequences be damned. The knife arced through the air, aiming straight for his heart. Mistress had been right. He wouldn’t suspect me of treachery until it was too late. Until the deadly blade was buried hilt deep in his vulnerable organ.

Recalling in my dream how that beautiful light had left his eyes, I threw back my head and let the scream explode from me.

“NOOOOOO!”

It was a detonation of pain. A wave of anguish. A tsunami ofrage.

I felt myself shatter into a million pieces. Felt the invisible ropestying me into knots burn to ash. Felt my magic return in full force.

I was free.FREE.

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