Page 68 of Beast of Blood and Roses
“Magic, you fool. Dark magic requires sacrifices.” His eyes gleamed with a fanatic’s fervor that made my skin crawl.
I could feel the blood drain from my face. “What do you mean sacrifices? Did you make a deal with someone?”
Volaris, shrugged. “I needed souls, and not just any souls. The demon wanted two of the most powerful magical bloodlines in New Orleans.”
“What demon?” Trystan stepped forward, his entire demeanor shifting. He narrowed his eyes and a low, threatening growl escaped from his lips.
I caught a glimpse of sharp canine teeth. Around us, the wolves stopped their assault on the shield and turned to follow their alpha’s gaze, sensing a greater threat.
Relief flooded through me as the constant pressure against my magic finally ceased. The shield still shimmered around us, but I no longer had to fight to maintain it. Beside me, Beast tensed, his eyes darting between Trystan and the pack that had just stopped trying to kill us.
The silence stretched as we all waited for Volaris’ answer, the air thick with tension.
“The Demon Balthazar.” Volaris grinned with unholy satisfaction. “Their deaths cleared what I owed him and gave me access to power beyond imagination.”
Anger turned to horror, and hot tears streamed down my face. “They’re in hell?” My voice broke completely.
His expression almost softened for a moment. “They diedprotecting you, little fool. Right up until the end, they fought to keep you safe.”
“But if he gave you your powers,” Beast said slowly, “then someone bound them afterward. Who? Tinker Bell?”
A chill ran down my spine. Not from fear, but from the sudden sense that we weren’t alone. My heart stopped completely, and I felt the shield waver dangerously around us. Standing just behind Volaris, silent as death, was Tinker Bell.
Her green eyes were fixed on the man who had destroyed so many lives, and the look on her face was terrifying in its cold fury.
“That pathetic witch?” Volaris sneered, oblivious to the danger behind him. “No. Someone far more powerful than her bound my magic.”
Trystan took a step back, and I noticed his wolves turned their attention to him. “Who?”
“Your mother bound them before she died.” Volaris tilted his head with mock sympathy. “She bound my powers before I could stop her. Other witches were coming—including your pompous uncle—Tobias Nightshade. But before they came, I stole you.” His smile turned cruel. “One good deed deserves another, doesn’t it?”
My heart shattered into a thousand pieces at his words. All those years...all those years he’d been punishing me for simply existing?
For being a reminder of his crimes? The beatings, the neglect, the constant disappointment in his eyes—it had never been about me not being good enough. It had been about him hating what I represented.
Years of frustration and hurt exploded into rage. “You weregoing to trade me to Balthazar too, weren’t you? That’s why you kept me alive. I was just...inventory.”
“Yes,” he said simply.
Raw magic poured out of me uncontrolled, the blue and white aura turning violent and chaotic. The magical energy was so intense that Beast’s leather cord suddenly snapped, sending The Witch’s Heart flying against the shield then dropping down onto the floor with a loud thud.
Beast swayed but remained standing—the residual magic from our connection still flowing through him, though I could see it wouldn’t last long.
“Rosalie!” Beast called out, but I was beyond hearing him. Twenty years of rage and grief exploded out of me in a torrent of magical energy that made the entire house shake.
The shield around us cracked and splintered as my magic responded to the tsunami of rage and grief crashing through me. The blue and white aura turned violent, chaotic, reflecting the storm of emotions tearing me apart from the inside. But the explosion of power left me drained, my magic scattered and wild.
Beast shifted protectively in front of me, his massive frame coiled with tension despite his weakened state. He released a feral growl. “You bastard, you’ve been planning this for twenty years, haven’t you? You wanted to bargain Rosalie to get your powers back.”
I wasn’t going to hide behind him. I stepped around him, desperately trying to raise my palms to form another shield. But my magic was scattered and weak after the explosion. The barrier barely flickered between my trembling hands, translucent and fragile.
Volaris raised his hands and hurled another crackling bolt ofdark energy. This time my weakened shield shattered instantly, the magical backlash sending me staggering backward.
“Balthazar!” he called out to the empty air. “Take her!”
He spun a deadly bolt between his palms, the dark magic whistling as it cut through the air straight toward my heart. But Beast threw himself in front of me.
The dark magic struck him squarely in the chest with a sickening impact. His arms flew out wide and he let out a scream that seemed to tear from the very depths of his soul, raw, agonized, inhuman. His massive body began to convulse and spin helplessly as the evil magic coursed through him like acid.
