Page 40 of Chains of Nightshade

Aurel looks up at me from the blood-soaked ground, those snake-skin eyes that once held such power now dim with regret. His massive form lies broken, scales dulled with dirt and blood.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, the words barely audible over the crackling of my magic.

Sorry? The word ignites something primal inside me. Magic surges through my veins, making my skin glow with raw power. The air around us grows thick with energy, charged like the moment before a storm breaks.

"Sorry?" My laugh sounds hollow even to my own ears. "You taught me everything I know about magic, about strength." The power builds between my fingers, responding to my fury. "But you never taught me about betrayal."

His chest heaves with labored breaths. "Vera?—"

"Don't." The magic crackles louder, drowning out his voice. "You were my teacher. My guide." Each word sends sparks of energy through the air. "I trusted you."

Blood trickles from the corner of his mouth as he tries to speak again. But I'm done listening to his lies, done being manipulated by that silver tongue.

The magic explodes from my hands in one devastating wave, raw power unlike anything I've ever channeled before. It slamsinto him with the force of a thousand storms, lifting his massive body into the air before crashing him back to earth.

When the dust settles, Aurel lies motionless, his serpentine form sprawled across the broken ground. The rise and fall of his chest tells me he's alive, but unconscious.

Good. Let him live with what he's done.

18

AUREL

Istir awake, my body screaming in agony from her magical assault. Every scale feels like it's been set ablaze, and my muscles protest even the slightest movement. Blood trickles from various wounds, staining the ground beneath me.

"Get up." Her voice cuts through the haze of pain.

I don't move. I won't fight back. This punishment - I deserve every bit of it.

Her footsteps echo deliberately slow against the rocky ground, each step measured and precise. Through my blurred vision, I can make out her approaching form, and my breath catches. Gone is the frail slave girl I once knew. In her place stands a woman transformed by power, her presence commanding and fierce. Her body has filled out, muscles defined where bones once protruded. She's grown taller, her stance proud and unwavering.

Her hazel eyes, once dim with hopelessness, now burn with fury as she glares down at me. The flush of anger colors her cheeks, a stark contrast to the sickly pallor she once bore. Magic crackles around her like a storm waiting to break.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," she demands.

I force my head up, meeting her gaze. "You've changed."

"No thanks to you." Her lips curl into a sneer. "Did you think I'd stay that weak, pathetic creature you could use and discard?"

The words cut deeper than her magic ever could. "I was wrong."

"Wrong?" She laughs, but there's no warmth in it. "That doesn't begin to cover what you did."

Another surge of magic slams into my chest, and I welcome the searing pain. My scales crack under the assault, blood trickling down my torso. Still, I don't move. Won't move.

"I'm sorry, Vera. I'm so sorry." The words feel inadequate, but they're all I have. My voice cracks, raw with emotion I've kept buried for centuries.

Her magic crackles in the air between us, ready to strike again. The heat of it singes my skin, but her hand trembles. I can see the conflict in her eyes - fury warring with something deeper, more vulnerable.

"Sorry?" Her voice wavers. "You left me to die."

"I know." I meet her gaze, accepting whatever punishment she deems fit. "I was a coward."

The magic intensifies around her hand, crackling in purple thunder-bolts, but she hesitates. Tears stream down her face, though her jaw remains clenched in anger. "You used me. Made me trust you. Made me..." She chokes on the words.

"Love you?" I finish for her, and she flinches as if I've struck her. "I know. I didn't deserve it then. I don't deserve it now."

Her magic flickers, uncertainty crossing her features. "Why did you come back?"

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