Page 22 of Court of Evil

I fall to my knees with a silent scream at the raw power, fury, and hunger.

It consumes me, pulling me deeper, like I am falling into a waiting chasm of teeth and claws. No, I am falling deeper into the darkness. I hit the bottom hard, and a sudden sharpness digs into my skin, trying to get my blood and organs.

This is not real, I remind myself.

“Oh, but it’s very real, human, and now you are trapped here with me, another thing to feed on. I should thank you, as you are much more powerful than the others.”

I ignore that and the wicked voice, and instead of fighting, I relax, calming my mind as I imagine I’m standing in bright sunlight.

I’m trapped in darkness in his mind. I need to free myself and hopefully him.

The teeth and claws disappear, and I am upright once more in the light that is suddenly eclipsed by darkness.

“Two can play that game.” It’s the voice again.

Male.

Wicked.

This was never about freeing him; this was about defeating him. I can see the bones of others scattered around. They have been fed upon in both reality and his mind. She fed me to him. I don’t know if she expected me to survive or not, but either way, it’s no loss to her.

Either I do or I don’t.

Either way, she gets what she needs.

Tricky fae bitch.

An evil, malicious laugh echoes around my head, and I begin to wonder if I am in his head or he is in mine. Who is really in control here?

“Who are you?” I ask.

The darkness closes in around me once more, and hands slide across my skin. I gasp as something bites my neck, drawing blood, and I know it does in real life as well. That chuckle comes again, and the hands disappear.

“Oh, but you are strong. I am he, of course, the one on the stone. If you wish for my name, human, then you will have to earn it. They have power, after all.”

“I am here to free you?—”

He laughs again. “You are here to die, like all the others she sends. It’s the price she pays for her mistake.”

“What does that mean?” I ask as I spin in the darkness. I try to imagine lights to illuminate the space, but they are quickly extinguished. As powerful as I am and as good as I am at defeating people, he is better and much stronger.

If I do not win this, we will both be trapped here forever.

Closing my eyes, I gather everything in me and force the darkness back, and it slowly starts to peel away. It takes so much effort, I sweat and sway.

We are with you. Remember who you are.

The voice is from within, and I recognise it from that table with the women. They are lending me their power, and with a scream, I throw my hands out, and the darkness is burned away.

I know the control has flipped again. He’s strong, but he’s also hungry. He needs my power. He needs . . . me.

Either I die and feed him or I free him.

This was her play.

“Show yourself. I have defeated you,” I demand, and a slow clap followed by a bone-chilling laugh comes again. A beautiful man steps out of the darkness.

He looks like a dark angel.

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