Page 74 of Owned

I didn’t need anyone to hold my hand.

Especially not my stepbrothers.

All three of them could go straight to hell.

The candle flame flared briefly, then settled into a steady pulse that made the shadows dance around me like crazed specters.

I took a breath to steady my hand and pressed the blade against the side of my palm.

Blood flowed quickly.

A dark rivulet that dripped down over my wrist and fell onto the book’s ornate clasp.

Just as it always did, the lock clicked softly and fell open.

With blood-slicked fingers, I opened the book, and the pages turned with a sigh as dark whispers poured through my mind like smoke. I shuddered, but forced myself to keep going, flipping through page after page—but all the spells looked the same.

More.

I needed more.

The answer to my questions—my salvation—was buried beneath those repulsive pages.

The dagger in my right hand, already stained with my blood, seemed to shimmer with a malevolent light.

Without hesitation, as though I hadn’t made the move on my own, the edge sliced through my flesh; the kiss of the blade against my wrist was a moment of pain that sent a shockwave of exhilaration spiraling through me. Dark blood welled up and streamed down my wrist to drop over the pages.

Blood soaked the edges of the grimoire, and I wiped the blade against the pages as I stared down at the symbols etched into the rough surface.

“Come on,” I muttered.

My foot tapped on the hardwood floor. Impatient.

Why wasn’t it soaking in?

Why wasn’t it showing me anything new?

Thoughts clawed against my skull.

“More. More. More.”

The whispers had grown and changed.

How had I not noticed?

A clutter of voices had become one simple command.

“More.”

Desperation guided the dagger and my breath hissed through my teeth as I slashed at my arm.

My fingers were slick as I flexed my hand to make the blood flow.

The wounds would heal quickly—just like they always did.

My skin tingled, alive with pain and magic and fear, and the chill that spread from the book made me clench my jaw against it.

How much did it need?

---