Page 85 of The Shadow Wand

My mind is cast into full-blown war with itself.

Tell him what you are. You need to tell him. Damion suspects, and he won’t be unconscious forever.

But I can’t get the words out. Instead, I’m caught up in agonizing indecision as Ni Vin’s warning blares in my mind—

Don’t let the Gardnerians know what you are.

“Elloren,” Lukas insists, stepping closer to me, his tone now rough and brooking no argument. “Tell me what’s happened to you. What’s quickened your affinity power to that level? If you could access it, that’s Black Witch–level power.”

I look to him, violently shaken by the force of my own magic as Lukas’s hand comes tight around my arm, his own gaze catching fire. “I know you’re back here for some reason that you’re hiding from me,” he says in a razor-sharp whisper, dire concern breaking through.“Tell me what’s going on.”

I doggedly hold back.

No, Lukas. Not until I know you’ve broken with all of Gardneria, not just Vogel.

Lukas abruptly releases my arm and steps away from me, visibly upset.

My head is starting to throb, and Lukas’s obvious frustration sets off a spiraling void deep inside.

Rafe, Trystan, where are you? Yvan is dead and I need you. I don’t know who to trust.

“Where are my brothers, Lukas?” I demand, my voice cracking as anguish overtakes me. “Do you know anything about where they are? Are they even alive?”

Lukas glares as if furious with himself for being drawn in by me. “Yes,” he finally says, and his anger seems to dampen. “To my knowledge, they are.”

Jagged relief explodes through me as fresh tears sting my eyes.

Lukas looks up at the darkened trees and studies them for a moment. He looks back to me, one brow raised in strident question.

“Lukas...” I say, my head a pulsating ache, the thoughts coming in a rush.I’m the Black Witch. And everyone is going to want to kill me or wield me. I want to tell you the truth. I want to trust you.I close my eyes and press my forehead against my palms. I can feel Lukas steadily watching me. “I don’t know what to do,” I relent, knowing I’m in over my head.

Leagues and leagues over my head.

Lukas remains quiet.

“You’re right.” I finally level with him as I open my eyes and glower in the Council Hall’s direction. “I do need to get out of here.” I meet his gaze once more. “With you.”

Lukas nods as I hold his impassioned gaze, feeling scoured by sorrow and the lingering scald of so much power racing through my lines. “I’ll need shoes,” I admit.Along with the ability to control world-destroying power.

Lukas cocks a questioning eyebrow then considers the stockinged foot I kick out from under my skirts. He gives me an incredulous look, then nods, lifts his arm, and holds it out for me to take.

A flare of fire power passes between us as I thread my arm through his, my eyes wandering toward Lukas’s identically fastmarked hands. But then a harder surge of my power drags my gaze to hiswand.

I clench my wand hand tight and fight the urge to reach for his wand as my power continues to ratchet up.

Inhaling and exhaling breath after breath, I struggle to keep the power at bay as we set off together and I keep pace with Lukas’s long stride.

We walk away from the ocean, through the eerie, still-darkened grove. As we stride out of the grove and toward a thin line of pine trees stretched out before us, I’m filled with a prickling sense of being watched.

I glance back over my shoulder and fear trills through me.

The dense Ironwood grove has regained its glow as if resuscitated, its luminescent sapphire shimmer even stronger than before.

Black Witch.

The words scrape through me like dry leaves, and I turn quickly away, my body breaking into gooseflesh. I can feel the trees’ smug defiance, as if the grove is making a show of power.

A sudden, harsh tug on my lines has my abdomen clenching.

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