Page 195 of The Demon Tide

Shock seizes hold at the implications. “You’re apriest.”

Vogel’s piercing gaze remains unnervingly intent. “I relinquished my priestly role before I took hold of this fasting, as is allowed by the BlessedBook.” His look shifts to one of alarming intimacy. “Elloren, the Ancient One has made it clear to me. We are each other’s destiny.”

I can barely breathe, so great is my astonished horror.

“We’re tainted, you and I,” he rues as I gape at him in confusion. “You’ll understand in time,” he obscurely adds. “But together, the Ancient One will restore us to purity. We’ll atone for our sins by fulfilling the Prophecy. And then join our magic through our Blessed Sealing, for the Glory of the Ancient One.”

My shock turns volcanic. “You’re going to have to bind me a lot tighter than this,Marcus,” I seethe. “I willneverSeal to you willingly.”

Vogel’s eyes flash that odd silver fire as Yvan’s incoming aura ramps up into a hotter blaze. His gaze sharpens. “Do you feel him coming for you, Elloren?” he croons, his branching magic biting into my lines.

Yvan! Stay away!

“Let him come,” he says bitingly. “Because you’re about to destroy him.”

He jabs his Wand’s tip into my neck and I scream, the shock of pain unbearable as dark branches impale my lines and the world blinks out of sight, my nails scrabbling against the stone ledge beneath me as Vogel’s power fully punctures mine, gray completely overtaking my vision.

Then a fiery silver.

I spiral up out of the dark, pain searing through me as my magic inverts to Shadow, my fire turning gray as steel.

“You’re mine, Black Witch,” Vogel says, voice deep and certain. “The will of the Ancient One cannot be defeated.”He touches his Wand to my forehead, like a solemn benediction, and my Shadow bindings fall away.

I move to lunge at him, seize his Wand and strike him down, but find I’m unable. Instead, I slowly push myself up from the stone, panic mounting as I’m unable to stop myself. Bucking and writhing against the prison of my own body, I still before Vogel.

Vogel reaches up to gently stroke my cheek, an intense look in his pale eyes. I inwardly howl out my protest, wanting to drive his Shadow Wand straight through his eye as he slides his palm around my neck, leans down, and slants his mouth against mine.

Everything in me roars against the contact as he grips the back of my head, his Shadowfire cataclysmic as it spirals through every inch of my body, claiming me like a Wyvern would, Yvan’s golden-fire connection snapping off.

I realize, in a rush of shock, that Vogel has not only stolen my fasting to Lukas...he’s wresting hold of Yvan’s Wyvernbond.Turning me into his fire-bonded mate.

It’s horrifyinglywrong, this corrupted Wyvern binding. Full of a desperate, controllingwantas Vogel clenches tighter hold of me and forces his fire into my mouth, his flame sizzling through me in a devouring array.

He draws back, breathing hard, his eyes gleaming with off-kilter excitement as his steel-hued fire streams through me in a revolting caress. “My fastmate,” he breathes, nostrils flaring.

An explosion of golden fire breaks out in the distant sky, bolts of flame spearing over the river to knock a wide swath of Vogel’s legions clear out of the heavens, blasting them into a bright conflagration. My world implodes as Vogel forces me to take in the winged figure advancing toward me in a blur of golden fire.

Yvan!

We’re no longer fire-bonded, but I can sense Yvan’s incoming furious blaze of power.

“Hand my fastmate a wand,” Vogel orders, not taking his penetrating gaze from mine.

A Shadow Mage strides forward and hands me a pale Snow Oak wand. My gut clenches tight as I recall that Snow Oak is a power-enhancing wood, the tree necklace Lukas gave me back at university spinning into my mind as my alarm skyrockets.

Fight back!I can almost hear Lukas snarl.Drive the bastard out of you!

I tense, straining to hurl my power’s aura out against Vogel’s hold, but this time his grip on me doesn’t budge and I’m magically forced to reach out, my fingers clasping the wand’s hard handle. My corrupted power surges toward the wand with apocalyptic force, my fingers fusing to the weapon as my wand hand takes on a silvery glow.

Another Shadow soldier advances, leading a multi-eyed dragon forward as an army of Mages on dragonback stream onto the huge ledge, followed by a swarm of wraith bats.

Vogel glances at his corrupted army and swings his intent gaze back to me as Yvan battles back line after line of Shadow Mages. “You’re going to bring on the Reaping Times, my fastmate,”he smoothly intones.“Destroy the Icaral, Black Witch. And take the East for the Magedom.”

And then my feet are in motion and I’m forced astride a Shadow dragon, the army of Mages astride dragons falling into formation around me. Vogel touches his Wand to my dragon’s flank and sends out Shadow bindings to secure me to its back, then spells a translucent gray shield around me that sends a slithering chill over my skin.

A soldier holding the white-bird flag of Gardneria secures its pole to my dragon as I internally scream my revolt.

“Rise, my Black Witch,” he triumphantly prods, beaming at me as both he and the soldier step back. “Rise for the Holy Magedom.”

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