Page 80 of Possess Me at Midnight
Isdernus casts me a pained glance, then turns back to the other wizards with a growl. “I Called to Sabelle because instinct told me she’s mine, not because I sought some petty revenge. I treasure her. I would lay down my life for her. Hell, I very nearly did.” He turns a narrow-eyed stare of judgment on Lucan. “Since you merely saw Sabelle as a source of energy, take your righteous anger and shove it up your arse.”
“I would far rather shove my fist down your throat.” Veins pop out from Lucan’s neck. He looks seconds from attacking.
“You’re welcome to try.” Ice raises a black brow, not backing down an inch. “See what that gets you.”
“Stop it! All of you! Now isn’t the time to worry about my romantic life. We have more pressing concerns.” I turn to Bram. “How are you feeling? How?—”
“I warned you never to touch her, not even to shake her hand.” My brother refuses to let it go. “To know that you fu–”
“Bram!” I’m both furious and unbelievably embarrassed. “Stop it. I’m a grown witch. Magickind needs your attention and guidance far more than I.”
“This isn’t over,” Bram all but threatens Ice, ignoring my shock. “Where the bloody hell am I?”
“Sterling MacTavish’s estate,” Duke supplies. “Mathias and the Anarki attacked Goldcroft Manor a few days past. I fear…it’s rubble.”
Thunder storms across my brother’s face, and I feel the irrational need to defend myself, as if the Anarki attack is somehow my fault. “The defenses were down with you unconscious. We had no opportunity to build them back up before…” I swallow. “I’m sorry.”
He closes his eyes and lets loose a sigh that sounds far closer to a growl. “It’s not your fault.”
I’m relieved by his assessment, but when he looks my way again, his glare sends a chill down my spine. Involuntarily, I step back. He’s Bram…yet something about him is off. His face is devoid of its usual warmth. He almost looks…soulless.
Did Mathias’s spell impact him in some way none of us can see? I don’t know, but the evil wizard is capable of dark deeds I can barely comprehend. How do I go about figuring out what’s happened to Bram?
“The healer,” I gasp out. “What did she do to you?”
Bram stares Ice down. In response, Isdernus raises an arrogant brow and glowers back, standing tall, his pose deceptively casual. With a final sneer, Bram dismisses Ice and settles his heavy stare on me.
The gesture seems so unlike him. It’s cold. Imperious. It reminds me of my mother’s cruel dismissals. Bram has never been one to shrug off anyone so callously, especially not a fellow warrior who just risked his life for our cause.
“You sent a witch in to heal me?” At my nod, he frowns as if trying to recollect the lost hours before dawn. “Thank you for that. I vaguely recall a female here last night. But everything felt like a dream.”
A closer look has me smothering a gasp. Bram’s magical signature looks…abnormal. Cracked. But he glows, a beacon of vitality and energy, the likes of which I have not seen since the morning after he first mated…
I don’t know what ails him magically, but…could the dark healer have been Emma? “Was the female familiar?”
He shrugs. “Did she tell you her name?”
“No. Did you remember seeing her? Speaking to her?”
Bram’s frown deepens. “Not…exactly.”
I can’t help but sigh in exasperation. “Then what happened? Tell me what you remember.”
“A hooded woman told me to break through the darkness inside me. She held my hand while I…” He grips his head, fingers pressing to his temples, as if warding off pain. “I fought, but an insidious shadow lurked inside me, all but choking me with anger. And a clawing need to…dismiss her. Push her away. Leap to my feet and take over the world.” He gives a bitter laugh. “The need nearly overwhelmed me.”
I grip my brother tighter. I don’t understand. Did Mathias’s spell bring out his worst tendencies…or infest him with something evil? Or is this part of the dark cure?
Only time will tell how deeply he’s been impacted. I’ll watch Bram.
“Anything else?”
“The woman was…naked under her robes. She gave herself to me.” Bram sweeps a tired hand across his face. “But it must have been a dream.”
Because Bram is mated, and Emma is missing. That’s the most logical explanation. Unless…the “dark witch” really was his missing mate?
“Did you see Emma in your ‘dream’?” I ask.
“She’s gone,” Bram snarls. “As if she’s disappeared into the ether.”
