Page 59 of Fallen Angel

“Who once was loyal and served the dark,

Has agreed to reignite his undying spark.

Let him devote himself once again to me,

And promise that he shall never flee.

Allow his Siren’s song to be under my command.

Let him revel in power, and his darkness expand.”

Mara took a deep breath and concluded her incantation with an old-language chant: “Servus ad tenebras.”

Her black smoke plumed over Callan. He gasped for air. Hannah looked away and focused on the cracks in the stone wall.

When Mara’s black haze cleared, and Callan fell silent, Hannah returned her gaze to him. His eyes were closed, and he swayed as if he had fallen asleep.

His eyes darted open. If at all possible, his eyes were an even brighter green than before. He rose to his feet and stood tall, resembling a soldier reporting for duty.

Mara stepped down from her altar and circled Callan. “How do you feel, Mr. Delmonte?”

Callan inhaled through his nose and released a satisfied sigh. He cracked his neck in a circular motion, relaxed his shoulders, and, for the first time, looked truly at ease. He took Mara’s hand and kissed the back of it before smiling larger than Hannah had ever seen before.

“I am home.”

Chapter Eighteen

As soon as Callan opened his eyes, Hannah knew he had reverted back to the Callan she experienced in the memory spell. She remembered how devoted Raven was to freeing him of the dark magic Mara seduced him with. Callan tried to entice her to join Mara’s coven, but she was stronger than that. Her strength was what helped Callan realize that the dark magic he was practicing wasn’t right. It was his cry for help that pushed Raven to sacrifice herself to save him from darkness. Now, it was all for nothing.

Hannah’s mind flooded with a sense of failure. At first, she couldn’t discern why she felt this way. Then she remembered. It was as if Mara’s spell erased parts of her mind—the parts that were connected to her white magic and the goodness that came with that. She failed because she allowed herself to be swayed by darkness. She made the deal with Mara in order to spare Callan of the fate he was imprisoned by for so long—the fate that Raven freed him from. All these puzzle pieces came together. She failed Callan. She failed Raven. She failed herself.

Hannah identified the reality of her situation, and she could feel Mara’s darkness tug at the back of her brain.Ignore it. None of it matters now that you have this power,it whispered.You can do whatever you desire—feel however you desire. Do not be weighed down by your past. This is your future.

The voice was tempting. It would be so much easier to enjoy the new magic that shadowed her perception of the world. But that was all it was: a shadow. And shadows disappear when the light breaks through.

She visualized the white magic inside her surging against the black smoke that clouded its vision. She hadn’t failed yet. Just as Hannah was able to resist Callan’s Siren ability and the lure of Mara’s grimoire, she desperately combated the darkness that coursed through her veins and plagued her mind.

As she battled against the seductive pull of Mara’s black magic—and the undying devotion she felt toward her—she grasped onto Raven’s strength and the memory of Callan’s lips upon hers. She remembered how her magic was prodigy magic—just like Mara’s.

Raven’s written words echoed in her mind.It is the responsibility of those who have been chosen by the light—bestowed with benevolence and virtue—to fight against the harmful darkness.That was what Hannah had to do now. She had to fight.

Her face scrunched with pain as she felt closer and closer to banishing the darkness from her body and mind. Her skin was on fire, and her head throbbed as though it was being stabbed over and over. It was as if a layer of flesh was being peeled from her body. Hannah couldn’t take it anymore and released a piercing scream which reverberated throughout the cave.

Her knees fell hard against the ground, and she suddenly felt lighter. It was as though her body had been dipped into cool, refreshing water after being set on fire. Tears of relief seeped out of the sides of her eyes. White orbs hovered in her palms. She clasped her hands shut before anyone could see.

Mara, Nathaniel, and Callan turned toward Hannah, alarmed. Callan stood by Mara and stared at her with confusion. She hoped that Mara hadn’t seen her white magic glow upon her skin. Hannah wondered, however, whether Mara could feel that she had broken free.

Mara took a few paces toward Hannah, suspicion painted on her face. “What was that?”

“I don’t know,” Hannah lied. Without Callan on her side, Hannah was a mouse trapped in a lion’s den. “I just felt a sharp pain. I’m not used to feeling this kind of power.”

Mara stepped closer and closer to Hannah, an eyebrow raised. Hannah could feel her white magic sparking in her blood, warning her of approaching evil.

She couldn’t believe she ever felt gratitude toward the woman who lived and breathed such darkness. The worst part was that it took Callan submitting himself to her for Hannah to break free of her delusion. She was more susceptible to darkness than she thought possible.

“Stand up, dear,” Mara commanded. Hannah obeyed. Mara circled her like a vulture. “Now that young Mr. Delmonte has rejoined our ranks, how do you feel? I understand you would have preferred his freedom. That was our deal, after all.”

Hannah gulped. “I can’t quite remember why I cared at all. It makes no difference to me.” Hannah fixated on Raven’s strength as to not let her body fall to fear.

---