Page 93 of Owned

Just smoke at first.

It smoldered in the rotting carpet—the smell—

But the spray paint and chemicals caught quickly, and by the time I kicked open the front door, the manager’s office was ablaze.

I lifted the ward on my bike and swung my leg over it.

I looked over my shoulder at the burning building—shadows skittered into the darkness like cockroaches.

Good riddance.

If Rye got out alive, he’d be getting a visit in a few days’ time.

If he didn’t—

Well, I had the name I’d been looking for.

Titus wasn’t going to believe this.

Elder Ireni Ubaris.

It was almost too good to be true.

I shoved my helmet down over my head, kicked my bike into gear, and roared off into the night.

Healing.

That’s what I was supposed to be doing.

But the whispers in my mind had grown… the grimoire was growing more powerful.

Or was I just imagining it?

I looked down at my arms and the faint scars that were all that remained of… whatever had happened.

It was all a little fuzzy.

A chuckle in my mind overrode my own thoughts and an image of Lucian, chest bare as he reached out to me, filled my senses.

“No—”

My voice was a ragged moan as I recoiled and shook my head to the vision away.

I could still feel his hands on my skin.

The caress of his magic…

A candle on the bedside table stuttered and died, and gloom stole over the room.

I muttered a curse as I leaned across the bed and tugged open the drawer. I could have turned on the lights, but lately I preferred the softness of candlelight… everything else felt too bright, too harsh.

I plucked the spent candle from the holder and pressed the fresh one into the pool of melted wax. The barest gesture was all I needed to bring forth the flame.

A small smile tugged at my lips.What would the Sages at the Academy say if they could see me now—

The grimoire’s voice was dark as it slithered between my thoughts.“If they knew where your power came from, they would throw you in a dark cell and you’d never see daylight again.”

I sucked in a sharp breath.

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