Page 88 of Revenge is a Witch

Something surges inside me—dark, powerful, and undeniable. It’s like a force is pulling me forward, something magnetic and unstoppable. All my senses sharpen, and the darkness around me doesn’t feel like a threat anymore. It feels like an ally, whispering promises of vengeance in my ear.

I’m done holding back.

I step back into view, my voice low, deadly. “You really don’t get it, do you, Kyla? You think you can take what’s mine, hurt who I love, and walk away unscathed? You’re a spoiled princess playing with magic she barely understands.”

Her eyes widen as I raise my wand, the air around us crackling with energy. “You want to see what real power looks like?”

The crowd is still. The tension is suffocating. But I don’t care. The only thing I care about is making sure Kyla pays for everything she’s done. For stealing my grimoire. For betraying me. For using Sebastian and trying to manipulate Derek. For thinking she could crush me.

“You’re about to learn what it means to face a real witch, and not the grimoire stealing thief that you are, the perfect princesswho only knows a handful of spells, cheats her way through classes and manipulates people into her own twisted sense of perfection.” Her magic lashes out again, but this time, I don’t even flinch. I deflect it with a flick of my wrist, the spell fizzling into nothing. My wand alone has more power than Kyla has in her whole body.

Kyla looks at me, truly afraid now. She knows she’s losing.

I step forward, my voice steady, dripping with venom. “If you want a villain, Kyla, I’ll give you one. There's a devil on my shoulder where an angel used to be and it's telling me to do very bad things.” She stumbles back, her wand shaking in her hand, but I don’t stop. I can feel the darkness settling around me like a cloak, promising vengeance, and I’m more than willing to pay the price. I raise my wand, ready to show Kyla once and for all who she’s dealing with. “This is my turn. My reign. And I’ll be damned if I let someone like you take it from me.”

Sweat beads on my brow, but my grip on my wand is firm. Kyla’s panting, trying to mask her fear, but I can see the cracks in her facade. I know her better than she thinks, and right now, she's teetering on the edge of losing control.

"Is that all you’ve got?" I ask, my voice laced with sarcasm. "Because if it is, I’m really disappointed. I expected more from the witch who stolemygrimoire."

Kyla glares at me, her fingers tightening around her wand. “Shut up, Zaria.”

I let out a low chuckle, taking a few steps forward. "Or what? You’re going to try and kill me again? Go ahead, Kyla. Give it your best shot. You’ve already crossed the line. What’s one more forbidden spell to add to your list of crimes?"

Her eyes flicker with uncertainty, and I know I’ve hit a nerve. She’s angry, but she’s not thinking straight anymore. She’s insane, dangerous—but I’m ready for whatever she throws at me next.

But I’m tired of this. Tired of the lies. Tired of the games. It’s time to end this.

Raising my wand, I cast the spell I’ve been saving for the right moment. The air shimmers as the words leave my lips, “Veritas Incan.” The truth incantation is subtle, like a whispered command woven into the air, but its power is undeniable. Kyla doesn’t realize what I’ve done yet, but she will soon.

“Let’s try something new, shall we?” I say, twirling my wand between my fingers. “Since you’re so proud of your grimoire, why don’t you recite five spells from it?” Kyla flinches. Just a tiny movement, but I don’t miss it. The crowd is eerily silent, every pair of eyes fixed on us. No one moves. No one dares to interfere. “Come on, Kyla. Just five spells.” I give her an almost sweet smile, mocking her. “You spent so much time on it, didn’t you? Surely you can name five spells thatyouwrote.”

Her lips part, but no words come out. She knows. The truth incantation is wrapped around her like a vice, and she can’t lie her way out of this one. I can see the panic in her eyes as she struggles to come up with something—anything. But she didn’t study my grimoire. She didn’t care about the work I poured into it. She just slapped her name on it and thought that would be enough.

I step closer, lowering my voice so only she can hear. “You’re nothing but a fraud, Kyla. And now, everyone’s going to see it.” She tries to cast another spell—this time one of those reckless, dangerous ones. I flick my wand, and in a flash, I’m invisible, her spell missing me entirely. Seriously, how many times are we going to repeat this? “Pathetic,” I mutter as I reappear behind her. With a swift movement, I pluck her wand right out of her hand. She gasps, stumbling forward as I kick her square in the chest. Kyla falls to the ground with a grunt, her body hitting the dirt hard.

I stand over her, wand in hand, and the anger that’s been simmering inside me for so long finally boils over. “What kind of self-centered person goes around acting like the world owes them everything, huh?” My voice is cold, but the fury behind it is undeniable. “What kind of person binds a vampire—turns him into a puppet—and abuses him just because she can?” Kyla looks up at me, her face twisted with anger and fear. I can see the crowd leaning forward, hanging on every word, but right now, it’s just me and her. “You steal something as important as a grimoire—mygrimoire—and you showcase it to the world like it’s nothing, like you earned it. You didn’t. You never did.” I can feel my magic pulsing through me, stronger than ever, as if it’s feeding off the truth I’m speaking. “You’re not special, Kyla. You’re just a spoiled brat who got a taste of power and thought she could take whatever she wanted. Well, guess what? You’re wrong. You’re not invincible. And today, you’ve lost.”

Kyla’s trying to get up, but I’m not done yet. I crouch down next to her, my wand pointed directly at her chest, my voice dropping to a near whisper, though I know the crowd is still straining to hear every word.

“What kind of person does that, Kyla? What kind of person is so desperate to protect their fake life, their perfect little world, that they’d kill to keep it?” She opens her mouth to say something, but I cut her off. “You want to know how I broke your binding hex on Sebastian, don’t you?” I smirk, leaning in closer. I let the silence hang in the air for a moment, watching her squirm, before I speak again. “Do you know why I’ve gotten smarter, harder, Kyla?” I tilt my head slightly, mockingly. “Because you made me. You turned me into this. You forced me into a corner, made me the bad guy in your head, and now? Now I’m ready to embrace it.” The crowd is completely silent. Everyone is hanging on my every word, waiting, watching. EvenKyla’s little minions are frozen, unsure whether they should be afraid or loyal.

“This power I have,” I continue, stepping back and twirling Kyla’s wand between my fingers, “it’s not something you can take from me. It’s mine. It’salwaysbeen mine." Kyla’s lips tremble. She’s trapped, and she knows it. The truth incantation is still wrapped around her like chains, keeping her from lying. She can’t even speak without risking exposing herself. “And here’s the thing,” I add, my voice dropping lower. “I’m not a villain. But you? You made me one. So now I’m going to show you what it really means to face a witch who’s done playing nice.” Her breathing is ragged, and I can see the desperation in her eyes. She thought she could win this, thought she could walk all over me like she’s done to everyone else. But now she’s realizing that she’s the one about to be crushed. “I’m not some trick you can play, Kyla. I’m not wired like you. I’m not a fake. And this game you’ve been playing?” I shake my head, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “It’sover.”

I flick my wand again, casting another spell to push her back as she struggles to her feet. The crowd gasps as she stumbles, barely able to stay standing. “You know, if I really wanted to,” I say, stepping closer, “I could finish you right here. I could destroy you, Kyla. But that’s not what this is about.” She looks up at me, her eyes wide with confusion and fear. “I don’t want to kill you,” I say, my voice cold. “I want you to live with the knowledge that you lost. That everything you thought you had—the power, the control, the lies—it’s all gone.”

I toss her wand to the ground at her feet, watching as she scrambles to pick it up, but before she can, I slam my foot down on it, shattering it into pieces.

The crowd gasps, and Kyla’s face drains of color. “No...” she whispers, her voice barely audible.

“Oh yes,” I reply, my tone dripping with satisfaction. “Your wand, Kyla. That’s what I wanted. Because a witch without a wand? She’s powerless.”

Kyla looks up at me, her eyes filled with hatred, but there’s nothing she can do. Not anymore.

I turn to the crowd, raising my voice so everyone can hear. “This is what happens when you think you’re above everyone else. When you steal, when you lie, when you hurt others to protect your own fake little world. Kyla thought she could take what was mine, thought she could break me, but all she did was make me stronger.” I look back down at Kyla, my eyes blazing with victory. “So, go ahead, Kyla. Walk away. But know this—you’ll never be the same. And neither will I.”

With that, I turn on my heel and walk away, the crowd basically in shock. Behind me, I can hear Kyla’s ragged breathing, her broken wand lying in pieces at her feet.

Take a Breath

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