Page 38 of Chains of Nightshade

"All those nights in my dreams, all those sweet words..." My fingers curl into fists, magic sparking between them. "Just a means to an end, wasn't I? Your little key to freedom."

The memory of his touch, his kiss by the river, burns like acid now. I'd given him everything - my trust, my body, my heart. And he'd thrown it away like garbage.

The battle rages on beneath me, but I stay suspended in the air, letting my hatred grow. He'd made me strong enough to free him, then left me to the wolves when I was no longer useful.

My lips curl into a bitter smile. "Well, my dear teacher, let's see how well your lessons stuck."

I descend from the sky, magic crackling around me like lightning. The dark elves turn, their weapons raised, but their sneers falter as they sense the power radiating from my body.

"What is this?" One of them steps back, eyes wide. "The defect..."

"Defect?" The word tastes different on my tongue now. Power surges through my veins as I raise my hand. "I was never defective. You just couldn't see what I really was."

"Kill her!" Their leader shouts, but fear trembles in his voice. "Kill the witch!"

A dark elf launches a spell at me. I don't even bother dodging. The magic dissipates before it reaches me, like smoke in the wind.

"My turn." I flex my fingers, feeling the raw energy building. "For every lash of the whip. For every cruel word. For every moment you made me feel worthless."

The magic explodes from my palm in a wave of pure destruction. It tears through the air with a sound like thunder, ripping into the dark elves' ranks. Their screams cut through the night as their bodies disintegrate, turning to ash in the magical storm.

"You took everything from me." Another wave of power surges forth, obliterating more of my former tormentors. "My childhood. My dignity. My humanity."

The remaining dark elves try to flee, but my magic catches them, lifting them into the air. They struggle uselessly against invisible bonds.

"Please," one begs, "mercy?—"

"Mercy?" I laugh, and the sound carries on the wind. "Like the mercy you showed me?"

I clench my fist, and the magic responds. Their bodies crumble to dust, scattered by the wind. Years of pain and humiliation fuel each blast, each death a payment for past cruelties.

My power crackles through the air as I turn to face him, my former teacher, my betrayer. Aurel's eyes widen as they meet mine, his serpentine body going still. The battlefield falls quiet around us, the remaining dark elves forgotten.

"Vera," he breathes, and something in his voice makes my magic surge hotter. "You're alive?—"

"No thanks to you." The words taste like ash in my mouth. The ground beneath my feet scorches with each step I take toward him. "Was this your plan all along? Train me, use me, then leave me to die?"

His massive form shifts, coils tightening. "I came back?—"

"After you left me!" Magic explodes from my hands, slamming into the ground between us. The earth cracks, a chasm opening where my power strikes. "After you decided I wasn't worth the trouble."

"That's not?—"

"Don't." My voice trembles, but my power holds steady. "Don't you dare lie to me. Not anymore." The memory of his touch by the river makes my skin crawl now. "I trusted you. I gave you everything."

He moves forward, one hand extended. "Vera, please?—"

"Please?" I laugh, and the sound carries none of the weakness he once knew. "Like when I begged you not to leave? Like when I pleaded with you to talk to me?" My magic swirls around me, responding to my rage. "You left me to die, Aurel. Left me to the dark elves like I was nothing."

His face contorts with what looks like pain, but I know better now. I've learned my lesson about trusting his expressions, his words, his touch.

The pain in his eyes might have moved me once. Back when I was weak, when every kind word felt like a treasure. But I'm not that girl anymore. His regret means nothing against the weight of his betrayal.

"Vera, I made a mistake." His voice cracks, serpentine body coiling tighter. "I was afraid?—"

"Afraid?" Magic crackles between my fingers. "You were afraid? I lived in fear every day of my life. Beaten. Used. Made to feel worthless." Each word sends sparks of power through the air. "And then you came along, pretending to care, making me believe I could be more."

"It wasn't pretend." He moves closer, but my magic pushes him back. "What we shared?—"

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