Chapter Six

Niko

My heart breaks for Cassandra. Learning the truth, that your own mother is using you, that you have been manipulated most of your life—it's a lot to take in. I can't imagine what it must feel like to know you are nothing more than a pawn in someone else's game.

Guilt churns in my gut, knowing that I intend to do the same thing. If it means saving my realm and this one, all those innocent people … I will do whatever needs to be done. Even if it isn't fair.

There are no words to lessen the blow that she has been dealt so I don't even try. Instead, I hold her in my arms and allow her to work through her heartache at her own pace. Arabella watches us for a moment before smiling sadly and taking off with a nod.

For long moments, the café is silent except for the soft sniffles coming from Cassandra. She pulls away and looks up at me with watery eyes that tug at some emotion deep within my chest.

"What the hell do I do now?" she asks sadly.

"That is completely up to you," I say as I wipe a tear from her cheek.

Cassandra shakes her head before walking away. Behind the counter, she grabs a bottle of vodka from the fridge and pours herself a drink, which she finishes quickly. At my raised eyebrow she explains.

"Tayla uses it for cake decorating. The bottle has been here for ages," she frowns. "If I ever wanted to start drinking, now seems like a good time."

There isn't much I can say to keep her from what she is feeling right now so I don't try. What would the point be? Words can't fix what her mother has done or the pain she is feeling at what must seem like the ultimate betrayal. So, I wait. I wait as she fills and empties her glass another time.

"Feel better?" I ask when she sighs loudly.

"No!" she yells loudly before flinging the glass at the wall. "My life is over!"

"Cassandra."

"Don't you Cassandra me." She glares. "You are just like her. You only want to use me to get what you want."

I see her magik gather. The purple sparks flare to life at her fingertips.

"That isn't the whole truth," I cut in. "I had the decency to tell you what I wanted instead of trying to manipulate you."

I have always had what some refer to as a short temper. I'm well known for blowing my top. But I reign it in for her. When I came here, I had a plan. Seek out the witch from the prophecy, woo her, and help my realm. But now that I have found Cassandra, I want to spend time with her, get to know her better, and unravel all the feelings she stirs up inside me.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Pretty little witch," I say taking her hand in mine even though her magik hasn't settled yet. "You shouldn't trust me. Not until I earn that trust. If your current situation is any indication, you probably won't trust anyone again for a long time."

She watches me with weary eyes as I send a pulse of magik into her. Cassandra's eyes close as her body goes lax, and I catch her in my arms. I never intended to use my magik against her, but I needed to calm her down. Her entire body is glowing with the pure magik coursing through her. She is magnificently cloaked in her magik but in her current state of mind, she might just fry me.

****

Cassandra

I wake up with a throbbing at the base of my skull. That would be the vodka coming back to haunt me. I rarely drink and whenever I do, I always have a hangover, even from a single drink. My memories are jumbled and there is a huge gap missing. How did I get from the café to my house? The alcohol must have hit me harder than I thought.

"You're awake."

A shriek rips from me. Gripping the covers, I pull them up to my neck as I try to see in the darkness of my room.

"Lux," the voice says again, and the room is illuminated by candlelight.

My gaze collides with that of Niko and a little of my panic fades away. He may not be one of my favorite people at the moment, but at least he isn't a crazy axe murderer.

"What are you doing in my house?"

"I brought you here," he says softly. "I had to calm you down before you hurt yourself, or me."

"Why would I hurt anyone?"

"You really don't know what you are capable of?" Niko tilts his head to the side as his gaze assesses me.

"I don't understand!" I throw my hands up.

"Look at your hands," he motions.

A gasp leaves me as I look at my hands. They are glowing purple. Now that I'm focused on my hands, I can hear the electricity crackling in the air.

"That's new," I murmur more to myself than anyone else. "What the hell is happening to me?"

"Cassandra," Niko says gently, drawing my attention.

"It's never been like this," I say as I face him. "I've never glowed. My magik has always been more internal. I heal people, I can calm someone, but I've never actually had physical magik."

"I don't know why your magik would manifest now but it could be stress or the fact that you know the truth your mother has been hiding from you," Niko muses.

"So, what Arabella said was true?" I ask.

"I don't know how much of what she said was true. But I do know that your magik was being suppressed and now it isn't," he replies. "It does give a lot of weight to what she told us."

"Great." I roll my eyes. "How do I face my coven after knowing they've been lying to me my entire life?"

"I don't have all the answers you need right now," Niko says. "But I can offer you a break from the life you are caught in."

"Meaning?"

"Come with me. Let me show you Runic. Join me for a week, give us a chance to get to know one another." There is a pleading quality to his voice.

"What would that accomplish?"

"For one, it will give you a break. Time to think, away from the pressure of your coven," he says. "And it will give me a chance to convince you that you are indeed the witch the prophecy speaks of."

This isn't something I would usually do. I never go anywhere or do anything. I don't have a single spontaneous bone in my entire body. Thinking back, I realize that has more to do with my mother than with me. She has been keeping me close, making sure I don't have the chance to find out the truth.

But now that I know the truth, I have options. My destiny is my own. And Niko has a point, I need time away to think. Rising from my bed I head toward my closet, pull out a suitcase, and start packing. It may not be the best idea and maybe I should think this through before jumping in with both feet, but I'm tired of always being scared and never living.

"How do we get to Runic?" I ask when I'm done.