Page 70 of Fallen Angel

“She knows I’m powerful. She won’t blame you for my actions.” Hannah understood the desire and gratitude Mara’s influence demanded. It was intoxicating and all-encompassing. The thought of disappointing her or failing a command was not only devastating, but painful. All that mattered was her happiness. And though Callan may have been her enemy in this moment, she cared for him. She would free him. Soon.

“I should not have left your side or agreed to go to the infirmary to see that stupid boy.”

“Well, don’t worry,” Hannah said, achingly raising herself to her feet. “We won’t have to go back there. That stupid boy is dead.”

Callan’s face froze, and for the tiniest moment, Hannah thought she spotted sorrow in his eyes. That moment passed, however, when his green eyes went dark. “Good.”

Remaining sympathetic toward Callan was difficult for Hannah when he was such a heartless monster under Mara’s command. She forced herself to think back to the Callan she first met—the Callan who was devastated to find out that she had reawakened magic and was ashamed at the weakness he portrayed when previously confronted with dark magic. That was the person she was fighting for. Hannah understood now. Callan wasn’t weak; he just didn’t have prodigy magic like she did. Other than Mara, no one did.

Callan gripped Hannah’s upper arm and pulled her back toward the stairs. “Maybe Mara shall put us both out of our misery by killing you early,” he said. Though Hannah knew that was the evil speaking, it still made her heart ache. Her magic simmered beneath her skin, ready to shock his hand off of her if she so commanded. But it was fine. It would all be over soon.

“I am of night.Forsaken the light,” Callan said, his hand hovering over the hardwood floor in the back corner of the library. The enchanted hatch to Mara’s lair appeared. He opened it and shoved Hannah in. She stumbled down the underground stairs into the cave. Six witches knelt before the stone alter where Mara stood.

“I am grateful for your return, but where are the others?” Mara demanded from one of the women before her. The witch gazed up at Mara, awestricken—loyal to her—already under her command.

“Upon entering the library, we heard a compelling song telling us to leave. Telling us that we mustn’t serve you.” The woman folded her hands over and over. “But your pull was greater, Mistress Eden. I speak for us all when I say that we could not wait to be reunited with you again.” The other witches nodded in agreement, eager to please their creator. It was clear to Hannah that these were the creatures Mara created before Callan imprisoned them all in stone.

Callan pushed Hannah off the last step. Her heels punched against the slate floor.

Mara looked past her creatures and stared at them. If her red eyes could burn holes into bodies, Hannah would have been incinerated by now. The other witches followed her gaze. Their admiration turned to wrath. They rose from their knees and seethed—ready to attack. But they weren’t focused on Hannah. They fixated on Callan.

“At ease,” Mara cooed to her creatures. “Mr. Delmonte here knows that his betrayal was wrong. He has come back home and has re-committed himself to our cause. To me.” The witches calmed, their fury simmering to begrudged grimaces. “Miss Fenwick, on the other hand, has proven to be even more infuriating than her past self. At least Raven Harlowe knew when to surrender.”

Callan pulled both of Hannah’s arms behind her back and shoved her forward while holding her wrists together. Hannah winced at the discomfort of his grip, but was even more apprehensive at being pushed into a den of demons.

“She evaded me for mere moments. In that time, she did irreparable damage. For that, I am so sorry.” Callan bowed his head with reverence to his master.

Mara looked down at him. Though she feigned pity, pouting her lips and blinking her eyes, Hannah could sense her satisfaction at his groveling.

She placed one of her pointy fingers on Callan’s chin. “You returned her to me. That is all I care about.” Hannah suspected that this was a lie. Mara couldn’t risk losing another follower, especially a Siren like Callan. She must have feared that he would turn on her, just as he did before. How else would you explain her mercy? Hannah bet that if Mara had a massive new crop of witches, she would have punished Callan as an example of what happens to those who are incompetent under her command.

“You, on the other hand, disappoint me.” Mara’s red gaze settled on Hannah. “Here I thought, in exchange for activating your magic and providing you with the beauty of a Siren’s song, you would be an asset to me—that you would be grateful and obedient.”

“I guess my magic allows me to think for myself.” Despite Hannah’s quivering legs, she did well to hide her nerves. “Just because I’m no longer one of your mindless drones, doesn’t mean I’m not grateful. If it wasn’t for you, I may never have experienced my magic before I die.”

Mara’s nose twitched in vexation at Hannah’s response.

Hannah needed Mara to realize that she was a threat. “And it feels…” Hannah baited Mara. “Like I could do absolutely anything.” She had nothing to lose. The thought helped keep Hannah’s fear docile.

Mara forced a cackle. “Lucky for me, dear child, your life has an expiration date. You may thank your past self for that delightful twist.” She stepped closer to Hannah and swiped her long black hair behind her shoulder. “Unfortunately, patience has never been a strength of mine. I think today is as good a day as any for you to perish.”

Good.

Though her heart raced faster than her blood could pump, she was happy that Mara walked right into her plan. Hannah took controlled breaths through her nose and let them seep out her lips. “I suppose if I were you, I would do the same thing. Get rid of the threat before they impose any more risk.”

“You are more of a nuisance than a risk,” Mara said.

Hannah shrugged.

Mara raised an eyebrow. “You are quite calm for a girl about to die.”

“I guess because I know I’ll be reborn. I’ll get a second…third…chance at stopping you.”

Mara released a howl of laughter, mimicked by her small army of creatures. Even Callan chuckled at the suggestion. “I fear you overestimate your capabilities, young Hannah. You truly believe you shall be able to remember any of this by the time you are reincarnated?”

“Singing to the awakened witches wasn’t the only thing I did after I eluded Callan. I cast a spell. I’ll remember. Trust me,” Hannah bluffed, but Mara didn’t know that. Her smug tone scraped at Mara’s ego, and it was written all over her face.

“I have had enough of this!” Mara screamed, no longer trying to keep a cool head. “Even if you do remember, you shan’t be converged until your sixteenth birthday. Perhaps you shall kill your new parents then as well.” Mara’s words cut deep. Hannah felt a sharp pang in her chest at the memory of her parents’ fading into the water. “Kill her,” Mara commanded to her minions, snapping her cloak as she turned on her heel.

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