Page 114 of Summoned
She cansmellme?
The fire in my hand dies out. I’d suspected as much,knewit deep down, but hearing it aloud still sends a jolt through my veins.
“Please,” she whispers, “take whatever you came for. Just don’t destroy Daria’s home.”
Raising my hand, I say,“I would never do anything to hurt you again.”
The air shudders as the space in front of us warps into a forming portal. Nicole seems to recognize the spell and starts to retreat. I grab her, arms locking around her body, pulling her close against me. My heartbeat pounds in sync with her frantic attempts to break free.
Behind me, her friend’s footsteps hit the floor. With a steady flick of my hand, I send a pulse of magic to immobilize her and say, “Nicole is safe with me.”
I teleport us into the cavern. Darkness closes in. The walls disappear into shadow, as if the cave itself has no end.
A perfect setting for what I felt was coming while we were teleporting.
The first blow slams into my chest. Nicole throws herself at me with the full force of her pent-up rage. Her palms curl into fists, and the strikes are wild and chaotic. Tears shimmer in her eyes, yet they burn with an unrelenting fire.
Her voice rings out against the stone. “You dragged me from Daria’s home! You threatened her.Terrifiedher!”
“Nicole…” I murmur, trying to soothe the storm in her gaze.
“Don’t call me that!” she screams, as if my speaking her name scorches her. “To you, I’m just Harvest 290. Nothing more!”
“You’re not a harvest anymore.”
Her fists land again and again, frantic and raw. I take it all without flinching. Because I know she needs an outlet for her anger. To say everything she couldn’t the day she walkedout of my castle.
“You destroyed my life! You ruined my plans!”
“You can still make them real, Nicole.”
“You shattered the version of myself I actually liked. I had an image I could live with. And now…”
“You were content. But you weren’t happy.”
She tenses for a brief moment, then launches herself at me again. This time, I don’t let her continue. I catch her wrists and restrain her.
She struggles against my hold, screaming, “You don’t know anything! Because of you, I started painting again, got distracted from what mattered!”
“You painted because you have talent.”
She jerks her arms in defiance. “Because of you, I ruined my reputation! I turned my back on my father—”
“Youstood upto him.”
“I didn’t even do it properly. I just screwed everything up…”
“Next time, you’ll do it better.”
Tears well in her eyes. Her body suddenly gives up the fight—head bowed, shoulders trembling, she stops thrashing. My grip loosens, but I don’t let go. “Nicole. Look at me.”
She only shakes her head. The cave walls seem to press in, crushing from all sides. Inside me, something else awakens—a rising force, solidifying into unwavering resolve. “In three days,” I tell her, “I won’t claim your soul. You’ll be the first to defeat the Black Joker.”
Her head snaps up. “Why do you keep lying? What more is there for you to take from me?”
Her words pierce deep into my chest. I close my eyes to catch my breath. “Unfortunately…not enough. In another life, I’d claim every second you have. Now, all I can do is secure your safety for the time I’ll be gone.”
She thrashes again, desperate to break free. “No more games, Gaetano! I can’t do this anymore!”
