Page 21 of Hellfire

“I know he’s changed you, son.” At his words, I slammed my eyes shut. “I sense the pulse of darkness in your veins, taking hold of your heart.”

I never could hide a thing from my mentor. All this time, he knew of my secret relationship with Luna, but kept my secret, protecting me like a father would his son.

“I consider you the closest thing to a son after William died.” The shake in his voice spurred an icy tear to track down my cheek. “And I’ll doanythingto save you.”

He had a wife and son once, but they were killed by the serpents, and in his grief, he took me under his wing as his adopted son, sheltering me from the consequences of my actions.

He clasped my hand, crushing it. “I know I ask a lot of you. Please, son, if you won’t do this for yourself, do it for me. Before the darkness claims you and I lose you too.”

The day when I had to leave here and retrieve my power from the Dark Lord approached. I’d never get my magick back by being a coward. This was the least I could do for my mentor, even if it pushed me further into darkness. Without him, I wouldn’t have a Guild career when he protected me from the wolves with the Council. I owed this to him and myself.

“All right,” I croaked, cracking open my eyes.

Venellan dragged me into his embrace. “Don’t lose hope, son. Please, just hold on. We’ll find a way.”

I clung to him, my muscles shaking, the icy burn going for my heart. “I don’t have much to hold on to. I’ve lost my position and my magick.”

I entered the Guild with an avid interest in the supernatural, hunting ghosts and paranormal activity with the Spook Club I formed at age eight. Then I followed my grandmother through a secret panel in the Bathurst Library’s wall, entering the secret world of the Guild. On the dusty shelves of the old Guild headquarters, I found a spell that would irrevocably change my future, grant me the power of the elements, and make me the most powerful soldier this world had ever seen. Now I was right back where I started, just a boy with nothing but a curiosity for a world beyond our own. Karma came full circle, demanding payment for the lives my mistake cost. What else did it have in store for me?

Venellan’s hand clasped the back of my neck, and he kissed the side of my face. “Not for long. I’m working on getting you back to teaching.” He patted my back and let me go. “Now go. Visit the rogue and seek his help.”

I left the library, moving through the stone halls decorated with paintings, artifacts, carvings, and tapestries. A tangible unease hung thick in the air. Every pair of eyes reflected the same disquiet and anxiety. I ignored them and went to my room, closing the door and leaning on it, sucking in air, searching for the courage to leave this place and seek answers.

My bonded cameto see me after dinner, snapping me out of my staring match with the empty corrugated iron that used to serve as a fireplace.

“Hi there.” Her cheeks were pink, hair mused, and lips swollen, leaving no doubt in my mind of what she’d been up to with one of her men.

Cole, by the smell of it. I recognized his spicy cologne. I tended to wear softer, citrus scents. Talon preferred a blend of both, and Gable made his own with natural oils.

She sat on my lap, where I reclined in my lazy chair and ottoman. “No fire?” Her fingers brushed my neck, the only thing that didn’t sting at contact.

“I can’t stand the heat.” I cradled her waist and pulled her to me, needing her soft warmth to stave off the permanent cold that assumed residence in me. Anything more and the cold burn punished me.

“You used to love it.” Her fingers tickled my forehead as she played with the blond waves of my hair.

“Not anymore, sweetness.” I couldn’t stand fire, heat, or sunlight anymore. Slowly the darkness consumed me.

“Is there anything I can do?” She rested her head on my shoulder, and I inhaled her sweet apple scent, but it made my nose wrinkle. The evil within sought the acrid, rotten scents of death.

My first instinct was to push her off me and stumble off the chair to prevent hurting her. The changing part of me needed her close when she was likely the only woman in the world able to handle the dark and light within me. We barely had a moment alone after our return from the Brotherhood’s castle, and I longed for her comfort.

“Just hold me,” I murmured, pressing my nose into the soft skin of her neck, and my teeth ached with a need to sink into her and draw blood. Startled, I pulled back, breathing hard.

What the hell had Nelle done to me? Turned me into a zombie vampire or something, desperate for anything that satisfied the serpent’s obsession with death? I scraped the back of my neck.

Luna noticed, leaning back, staring at me. “Is there something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” I didn’t want her looking at me like I was broken, and traced my knuckle on her throat, testing whether I burned her.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you as much as I should have this last week.” I hated that she launched into an apology and blamed herself for our separation. “I’ve missed you and thought about you often.”

“Same, sweetness.” I kissed her throat, performing another assessment. Her eyelids fluttered, relaxing my bunched back muscles. “I’m glad you’re here now.”

Her fingers sifted through my hair, and I leaned into the pleasure of it when the branding on my arm made everything I usually enjoyed unpleasant. “Are you hungry? Have you eaten?”

The question tensed my arms, and she squirmed with discomfort. “Not yet. I can’t stomach anything since my return.”

Food turned me off. The smell made me want to vomit. I craved dead flesh, blood, or bone. Fucking Camus turned me into a goddamn monster!

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