Page 28 of Kingdom of Chaos
A bolt of terror shoots through my heart. I only have a split second to react before I’m completely under her thrall, and I defend myself in the only way I know how.
Quick as a viper, I throw a punch, nailing Imogen right in the mouth. Her head snaps back and I feel some of her presence inside my mind retreat. I take off, skirting her and sprinting for the exit.
“Stop!” she shouts, and without permission my feet root to the ground.
She walks into my field of vision, wiping blood from her lip with the back of her hand.
“That wasn’t very nice,” she says with a sneer.
“Sorry,” I spit back. “I didn’t realize that compulsion was a sign of affection for Society members.”
She chuckles. “You’re funny. If the situation were different, I might even like you.”
“I can’t say the same,” I snarl, and she shrugs, not caring in the least.
“Let’s be done with this already,” she says. The smile slips off her face as she focuses again.
No. No! I can’t go through this again.
Pure panic sets in. I do what I can to throw up mental shields against Imogen’s invasion, but she shreds them easily. The room darkens as shadows crawl toward us. Not surprising that as a vampire, Imogen has shadow magic as well.
But she’s not paying attention as the darkness creeps closer. It’s not until they reach her booted feet and start crawling up her legs that she even seems to notice them. When she looks down to see them twisting around her feet and legs, I feel her focus slip and I’m able to move again.
“What are you doing?” comes a booming voice that instantly floods me with relief.
The shadows shatter like glass, then dissipate into the air as if they were never there to begin with.
Imogen’s head snaps up, and her gaze collides with her cousin’s.
Talon looks furious as he storms into the room. “Did you just try to compel her?” he asks, his voice deceptively calm.
A flash of fear crosses Imogen’s face. She squares her shoulders and lifts her chin in defiance. “You’re not thinking straight right now. I’m not about to let you throw everything away.”
The temperature in the room drops. I’m sure of it this time. And as certain as I am that Talon wouldn’t hurt me, I stillwouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of the icy glare directed at his cousin. But Imogen meets his stare with a fiery one of her own.
I may not like the girl, but I have to hand it to her. She’s fearless.
“We’ve already had this discussion,” Talon says, “and you don’t get to make those decisions for me.”
“Your reasoning?—”
“Is my own, and none of your business,” he cuts in, his words hitting like a hammer against nails even though he hasn’t raised his voice. “It’s too late anyway. The die has been cast.”
He turns his back to her, facing me. “Are you okay?” he asks, his features softening as his gaze sweeps over me.
Behind him, Imogen shakes her head, her black hair swinging. “No, Talon. It’s not too late.” She grabs his arm, and he glances over his shoulder. The defiance in her voice shifts to pleading as her eyes well with tears. “Send them away. Please. Aunt Jade and the others never have to know. I won’t say anything.”
“I can’t,” he says gently, pulling free of her grip.
“You can,” she insists.
“Fine. Then I won’t.” His tone isn’t harsh, but the finality in it silences even her.
I feel like I’m missing something. Sure, Talon agreed to help us, but that can’t be the end of the world. At least, it shouldn’t be. Yet Imogen is acting like it is.
Talon closes the short distance between us. His hand settles on my bicep, warm and grounding.
“Are you okay?” he asks again.
