Page 82 of Beg the Night

The dark clouds around us tightened, as if they could shield us from weapons that may be pointed in our direction.

In front of me, Sinner glared at the balcony on the second floor, where Director held Margaret in front of her chest, a dagger to her throat.

“You make one more move and she’s dead!” the bitch yelled. “One more move, and I’ll slit her throat!”

Sinner held his hands out in surrender but the shadows around us did not weaken.

I was starting to think he couldn’t have made them disappear if he tried.

“Let her go,” he shouted. “She belongs with us.”

“And you two belong tome.”

My heart thundered so violently, I worried it would explode. I was awash in wave after wave of Sinner’s hatred and anger and darkness.

I wanted nothing more than to slip all those sensations around Director’s throat and squeeze. Tight.

Sinner snapped his attention to me, eyes wide in shock. For a moment, all I could do was watch him, confused by his expression.

Only when movement in my periphery caught my attention did I realize what had caused the reaction. His shadows had crept over the railing of the balcony and were slipping around Director’s throat, hauling her backward, away from Mags, and squeezing until her face turned purple.

“Oh my god,” I whispered.

“Athena,” Sinner said slowly, clutching my forearm. “Whatever you’re doing right now, don’t stop.”

My heart lurched.Mymagic was doing this? My powers were controlling his phantoms this way?

Margaret stumbled forward, away from Director and the shadows. “Sinner!” she yelled. “Help me get down!”

He took off at full speed for the front door. She couldn’t jump from where she was. It was too risky. She would have to go inside and?—

A body slammed into me from my left, my guardian dark cloud shattering as I was rocked to the forest ground with a thud.

“Stop!” Katherine’s voice was shrill and desperate. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

My concentration slipped, no doubt freeing Director. Shit. Shit. Shit.Run, Margaret. Run.I could only hope that Sinner would get there in time.

I rolled to my back, fighting for power over my sister. She had always been strong, but she’d only grown more so since becoming part of the Ministry. Her movements were sharp and fierce, but predictable.

She clawed at my bare arms and chest, but no physical pain would stop me. Not when so much was on the line here.

“Get off me!” I bucked my hips and shoved her off, then crawled on top of her and pinned her down with my body weight, pressing her hands into the grass so she couldn’t scratch me. “Why the hell did you do that?”

“You’re making a big mistake. You can never come back from this!” She thrashed under my grip but it was no use. She wasn’t going anywhere.

“Good!” I spat. “How can you stand this? I know we’ve never gotten along, but working for them? How could you do it so willingly? Have you been brainwashed? That’s the only freaking explanation for how you could possibly be complicit in what they’re doing! Do you not see how insane this is? They’re forcing people to mate so they can harness the power in war!”

An angry growl escaped her. “You have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Don’t I?” Sinner’s magic tugged deep in my chest, signaling that he was wielding more shadows.Get her out alive,I pleaded.Get her out and run.

“You’re either with the Ministry, or you’re against them. And do you understand what happens to anyone—mystic or not—who is against the Ministry?”

Fury boiled in my veins. “I don’t care! There’s nothing you could say to me to make me agree that kidnapping innocent people and forcing them to live like this is okay! NOTHING!”

Her expression shifted—only for a moment—from a look of anger to a look of sadness. But I wasn’t going to fall for her tricks. Not again. Not when she had already deceived me on more than one occasion.

“You’ve been claimed now,” she whispered, tugging at my hold. “YouneedDirector. Youneedthe Ministry!”

---