Page 79 of The Fated and the Damned
I trembled with rage. “Lay a hand on a single strand of his hair and I’ll make Death’s torture seem like child’s play.”
Her eyes glittered in response, the only sign of her fear being a quick glance at said entity from where he watched the battlefield from the hillside.Good.Maybe he’d be more forgiving if I gave him his old toy to play with.
“You could join me, little girl. We could be a force this world has never known. With our power, we could rule the Under World. Take back the crown and reach for the land of the gods. We’d be unstoppable.”
I wrinkled my nose and yawned. “A lifetime in your company? No thanks. I’d rather stab my eye out than spend a single minute by your side.”
“Then you will die with the rest of your witch filth.”
“Why do you hate them so?” I frowned, looking her up and down. “What damaged that shrivelled soul of yours so much that you sought to destroy your own kith?”
Sylvie laughed, a cold and ugly sound that slithered down my spine like slick oil. “I was never a sheep to be herded and controlled by dictators. The old coven leaders clung to their seat of power, unwilling to step aside when their time to rule was up. Like stubborn weeds, they did not relent.” She sneered, her brown eyes burning. “When my power kept growing and my knowledge of the arts surpassed their own, they grew afraid. They tried to kill me. Sent paid assassins to my bed to murder me in the night. Miserable wretches didn’t even have the stomach to do it themselves.”
I blinked, unable to believe what I was hearing. “The High Witches tried to murder you?”
“Oh yes. They smelled the change in me. Theyfearedwhat I’d become. I killed the assassins easily, of course, and when that didn’t quench my hunger, I turned to dark magic. It’s a gift, Kitarni. Witches are so limited, but this cult … it transcends the coven. Opens doors to new realms and opportunities. Why settle for one kingdom when I could conquer the world?”
Any pity I felt for her died instantly. “Your cult is a plague. A sickness spreading to the weak-minded. The old faith was wrong in so many ways, but those witches got something right. They should’ve finished the job when they had the chance.”
“Perhaps. But it matters not. Your fate remains the same.”
For a moment we stared at each other, the sounds of swords ringing, accompanied by the howl and screech of various monsters as they fought. Sylvie’s fists shook by her sides, but when she collected herself, a small smile graced her lips. Coy and cunning, as if she knew something I did not.
“I see you already received my other gift,” she continued, nodding to the hill where the humans had been. “I only wish I could have heard your mother scream as the humans severed that pretty head from her shoulders. No matter. It was quite the show watching you wipe them out. I should thank you for removing that future problem for me. And for using so much magic.”
A sharp pain cleaved my chest, but I forced my face to remain blank as I stared at her. Her eyes flashed with anger when I didn’t take the bait and I straightened, looking her dead in the eyes. “You’re pathetic and I grow tired of your company.” I tilted my head and pasted a cocky grin on my face. “So, are we going to stand here and talk all night, or shall we get this over with?”
She pursed her lips like a spoiled brat, but shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “You’re right. One shouldn’t play with their food. Give me your best, girl.”
I scoffed, flexing my fingers, sensing the change in the static air as magic gathered from us both. “Like I needed any encouragement.”
As one, our power burst from our hands, a brilliant flare of blood-red coursing out from our fingertips and thrashing wildly in the middle. I grunted against Sylvie’s magic. She was strong. So fucking strong and, apparently, as stubborn as I was.
We battled it out, our magic ebbing and flowing, pushing and pulling in what seemed like a war of wills. Sweat dripped down my back, my palms slick with the effort, brows pulled in and teeth gritted so hard I feared they would break.
My bones felt like they would snap, my stomach twisting with nausea as my power funnelled out of me. I was weakening, wilting like a flower before frost.
Sylvie’s smile widened, sensing my losing battle and I flagged, bending further and further until it truly hit me. I was never going to win this fight. I hadn’t allowed myself to dwell on what it really meant, or what my next move would really mean.
For me? Nothing. I would die a saviour. A martyr. But who the fuck wanted that? I wanted to live, to wake up every morning by my husband’s side, to laugh with my sister, to joke with András and to be scolded by Margit. I wanted a life in Mistvellen, to explore every corner of the earth.
I wanted.
But it wouldn’t happen for me. Fate was probably laughing as she threaded this future in the Under World. Well, that bitch had something coming. I’d haunt her ass for all eternity if that’s where I was headed.
I steeled my shoulders and pushed all my remaining power into one hand as I turned, looking behind me on the battlefield for my reason for living … and for dying.
Dante battled like a knight possessed, swinging his sword, mounted on a horse like a vengeful demon prince. His eyes caught mine and a breath escaped me as that connection between us almost seemed to pulse, as if afraid of that tether breaking.
His eyes widened as understanding dawned on his face, then his gaze turned panicked. I knew it would break him, but all I could wish for was that he’d move on and find happiness. Because my sacrifice would ensure his life. The asshat just had toliveit.
My heart shattered into a thousand shards of glass as I looked at his handsome face and I mouthed four words, willing every ounce of my love into my eyes.
“I love you, Dante.”
Pain flitted over his features, his spirit breaking before my eyes. I turned before I could let myself wallow in that sorrow and I did the one thing that would save the coven and clan.
I pulled the crown from its pouch …
