Page 15 of Dancing with Vipers and Shadows

“O-Ophelia.”

I move away, the dark essence consuming me. I feel a nagging need to leave, as though my very life depends on it. Spinning around, I have every intention of leaving this place behind.

On giving up on my sister, who I thought had a better reason for leaving me.

“I never betrayed you.”

If only she understood that leaving was an act of betrayal.

“Farewell, Odessa.” I dare to look back, hoping my face—whatever is left of it in this form of shadows—portrays my disappointment in her.“My Shadows awaits.”

“Shadows…” she whispers in confusion before her eyes widen. “Opheli—”

She’s sucked away from the world of darkness I reign.

* * *

A gasp escapesme as I fall to my hands and knees.

My body trembles with pain, making my world spin as I feel the need to puke. Holding it back has me whimpering as I hug myself. The burning sensation rushing through my skin feels like fire pulsing across my flesh.

“Why hasn’t she given up? Her attendance is set in stone. There’s no need to take it this far.”

That voice.

“Are you speaking because you already have a soft spot for the potential Viper?” The deep, toneless response would ignite goosebumps along my skin.

If I wasn’t burning to a crisp.

“It’s enough!”

“Not until I say so.”

“It’s not your final say.”

“Why? Because you feel a certain way, Shadow?”

“D’Angelo!”

“It’s Professor D’Angelo.”

The hiss of pain that comes from the familiar male leaves me reacting long before I can control it.

An arm hooks around me, stopping me from pulverizing the tall figure that takes a few steps back at my sudden movement, but I take a sharp inhale.

“Fuck! Break the spell!” The man speaking from behind me shouts, but it’s too late. I’m hissing repulsively, the single move igniting shadows that dart in the man’s direction.

“Dammit.” The tall figure shouts as the shadows I’ve summoned work overtime to consume him.

“This is what you get for interfering,” the man behind me mutters in dissatisfaction, but a hand swiftly wraps around the front of my throat, forcing me to look behind to confirm who’s holding me back.

To acknowledge the being I’m oddly protecting.

“Little Viper,” Professor North hisses. “Enough.”

The command seals shut the stream of repulsive energy inside me, leaving me to narrow my eyes that continue to sting with lethal energy.

“To think you’d make it this far annoys me,” he admits.

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