Page 60 of Darkest Heart

It dug its nails in deeper, drawing blood. I grabbed its fingers, feeling weightless as I pulled back the creature's fingers with ease. Bones snapped under my strength, and my power overflowed. Closing my eyes, I allowed the magic to fill me up. The suppressed part of me came back with a vengeance, and for once, it flowed with me. I sensed it leave my body, seeping through my fingertips and into the aniccipere. The creature squealed, and the energy came back to me, as if it was its own living, breathing entity. Lowering my barrier, I allowed the energy of the room to swallow me. The fear, anger, disgust, every emotion fueled my magic.

The empath and sorceress side blended as one, creating something far darker than I thought possible. I leaned close to the creature’s face, placing my hand on its shoulders, my eyes wide as I felt it slowly die. “Now you know how it feels,” I spat, gripping tighter.

Succumbed to the moment, delighting as the aniccipere who grabbed me shriveled at my feet, I didn’t notice the fire building by the door.

Searing heat bled into the room, the singe of clothes and burning flesh clotting the air. Flames licked the stairs, sliding up the walls toward us.

My scream was lost amongst the others. Either they’d set the room ablaze, or my magic was responsible. Swallowing smoke, I grabbed a mortal woman, pulling her back. Coughing echoed in my ears as I ran through the flames, biting the inside of my cheek as the smoke and heat hit me like a wall. Intense pain stole any rational thinking as I reached for the door. I pulled at the lock, but it wouldn’t open. Gasoline took over my senses, and my stars filled my vision. My knuckles bled as I pummeled the door, hitting against the steel. I needed to get out. We had to get out. They would die in here if I didn’t get this door open.

Smoke filled my lungs when I finally saw the figure in the corridor. The flames spilled orange onto him, illuminating Astor’s features.

I shot him a ‘I’ll deal with you later’ glare before turning back. The aniccipere darted toward me, their eyes focused only upon escape. I forgot fire could kill them. The instinct to kill took over, but I had to save everyone inside. Begrudgingly, I sped around the aniccipere, dodging their near fatal blows, and headed for the boy. I had to save him.

Poor baby. I found him cowering close to the back cages. He’d gotten far from the fire, but the furthest from his escape. People fled the room, most toward certain death if I knew what was waiting for them outside of the room. Several bodies laid between us and our escape. I covered his nose and mouth, rushing him out of the room.

He spluttered when I placed him on the ground. Before I could shield his eyes from any more evil, he was already staring at the bloodbath ahead of us.

They were all gone.

My lips parted, throat closing as I climbed my gaze to Astor. If he wasn’t alone, I’d have killed him. But he wasn’t responsible for this.

Hamza.

When would he just fuckingdie?

“Princess,” he said with a tilt of his head, no longer bothering with his disguise. “You’re alive. Salenia will be so very disappointed.”

I looked around for the aniccipere who’d escaped, but they were all missing. Did they run? Or were they killed too?

None of it made any sense.

I prepared to fight as he approached us. The boy whimpered behind me. I wouldn’t let another die, not today. Out of all this darkness, there had to be something good.Anything.

Astor wouldn’t even look me in the eye. The coward. I gritted my teeth until my jaw ached, my heart hammering as Hamza’s eyes lit crimson, a sardonic grin upon his face. “Now, now, princess. I see we’re both servants to the gods. Immortal. Indestructible. Not even death could keep you away. But never mind.”

“I have my magic back,” I warned. “Come closer, I’ll melt you like before. Demon or not.”

“I cannot allow you to leave here. See,” he said, pacing slowly as if we were talking over afternoon tea. The fire died, leaving behind nothing but smoke and dead bodies. “I know you were dead. I checked several times. I stayed for hours by your rotting corpse.”

I shuddered, not wanting to know anything more.

“Then,” he continued, “I come back and hear your grating voice shouting at the mortals in some grand plan of escape. So either you’re a ghost, or the gods brought you back.” He prodded my arm, but sped away before I could attack.

My desire to lunge at him wasn’t as strong as the need to stay and protect the boy. Gods knew what he would do to him if I did. Hamza peered around me, but quickly snapped his attention back onto me. “But no one has infinite lives. This time I’ll tear you apart until there’s nothing left to put back together.”

Astor winced in my peripheral vision, and thoughts of me ripped to shreds crossed my mind. I cursed my vivid imagination, and a shudder overcame my body. “Before we do this,” I said, taking a step forward. “Tell me, where is Salenia? Why does she care about me, or the vampires?”

“The gods didn’t tell you anything,” he concluded with a laugh. “You always were blindly ignorant and stupid. If this is all the great gods could send as their prophecy to stop the vampires, then I chose the right side.”

“So I am to bring death to all vampires?”

Astor cleared his throat, but Hamza shot him a look that could only be perceived as a promise of torture if he opened his mouth. Astor shuffled back, shoving his hands in his pocket.

“No.” A pair of long, sharp fangs curled over his lips, twice as big as a sangaree. “I am to bring death to you.”

TWENTY

Niall

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