16. Adrianna

16

ADRIANNA

I ’m on my feet, lunging through the air with rage at the mere sound of her voice. Magic surges through me, spiraling in the air in a vortex of fire and water.

Complete opposites.

Yin and yang.

But both focused on the same goal.

The enemy.

My vision is as crimson as the flames that lick through the air, and my breath hitches as I watch the force of my magic collide with Clementine.

I don’t feel a sense of relief.

No joy bubbles through my veins.

No ripples of euphoria undulate over my skin.

Because no sooner do they blast her do they also run right through her very existence. She disappears, an abyss in the night sky, before reappearing before my very eyes.

“What the fuck?”

My gaze snaps to Kryll, who stands a few feet behind, gaping at the spectacle before me as confused as I am.

“What’s the matter, dragon prince? Never seen true magic before?” Clementine goads, brushing her hands down her dress, which only serves to confuse me more.

“I’ve seen magic. I’ve just never seen a witch in real life. I was certain they were folklore, yet here you are.”

She swoops across the ground, eliminating the distance between her and Kryll in a heartbeat.

“You! Know! Nothing! About! Me!”

Every word is thunderous, certain to wake the City of Harrows in the distance, but her focus is solely set on my dragon.

My. Dragon.

My magic thrums, ready to take aim once more, but with Kryll standing on the other side of her, I don’t want to risk another attack that slips right through her only to hurt him.

Fuck.

Taking slow, measured steps, I work my way around so Kryll is no longer in my direct line of sight, but seeing her so close, so threatening in whatever fucking existence this is, my need to attack dissolves, the magic fizzling to nothing as my protective instincts take over.

I sense the shift in my magic just before the glow consumes my skin. A beacon in the night, expanding across the distance to shelter me and my dragon.

If I expect her to be surprised by the sudden light, I’m wrong. Her head slowly turns, her narrowed glare spinning my way as a sickeningly wicked grin consumes her features.

“There she is.”

My heart ricochets in my chest.

“There who is?” Kryll asks, seemingly trying to distract her attention away from me, but if she hears him, she doesn’t make it known.

There’s little distance between us, but she still manages to inch closer, looming over me as my beacon shines brighter. She doesn’t blink at the glare. She doesn’t hide from the shimmer. If anything, she embraces it.

“I’ve missed the warmth it brings.” Her words seem spoken more to herself than anything and I don’t want to ask her to explain herself. I want nothing to do with this woman.

I just want her dead.

Now.

Digging deep into my soul, I try to dampen the protective magic, eliminate the bright layer between us, and blast her with everything I’ve got. That could be possible if I were the one in control. I’m simply a vessel for my magic, performing at its command and not the other way around.

“Clementine!” My father’s voice carries through the air and I spin toward the sound, watching in slow motion as he stalks outside. Even in the moonlight, I can see the anger etched into his features, the disappointment weighing heavy on his shoulders, and the despair curling his hands into fists.

My chest clenches, the need to protect him paralyzing, but as I try to extend the light, I’m met with refusal. Denial. The light claws back, and I think I’m going to suffocate on my own panic.

“August. How unfortunate that you’re here.”

“I thought we already had the conversation about dark magic,” he states, ignoring her comment as he continues toward us. A blink of a shadow behind him catches my eye, and I spot the familiar eyes of my sister.

Horror creeps up my spine, and this time, when my magic expands, it engulfs her, blanketing her in a protective light. My shoulders slump as her glare turns my way, but whatever is troubling her will have to wait.

“Dear brother, dark magic was made for me. Be ready to feel the full force of it. It’s coming just… your… way.” She spins with every pause until her eyes land on mine, confirming who her threat is aimed at before she disappears.

The hairs on my arms stand on end, my senses piqued as I search for her, but nothing comes.

Nothing.

“It’s okay, Addi. She’s gone,” my father assures me, but it takes a few more moments of silence before my magic eases.

The second the light drops, Nora storms toward me in a fit of rage. “What was that, Addi?”

“What was?—”

“Don’t ever do that again!”

I hold my hands up defensively, but my surrender does nothing to ease her fury.

“Nora—”

“Don’t speak to me right now. I was trying to help. If I could have gotten closer, I could have gotten in her head,” she roars, trembling with frustration.

“I already tried to attack her with my magic, Nora, but it went right through her. It’s like she wasn’t even here,” I try to explain, but her eyes only narrow.

“I told you not to speak to me,” she bites, her words cutting deep, bleeding me out as I gape at her helplessly.

“Respectfully, Nora, watch your tone.” Raiden’s voice booms from the tree line as he strolls toward us. I startle at his presence, but a moment later, Brody and Cassian are at his side.

“Listen, Fangs?—”

“No, Nora. You listen. I respect your will to fight, but you need to see past the end of your own nose.” I lift my hand at Raiden, silently telling him to shut the fuck up, but he pays me no mind as he approaches my sister. “First, she has no control over her protective magic. It does what it wants, when it wants. She’s helpless to it. Second, I love your sister with all of my heart, and when she tells me she loves me too, I believe her, but mark my words, there is no doubt that the person she loves most in the whole entire world is you . If you want to protect this kingdom, which I think you deserve to do, you can’t just sneak up on her like that. She would give her life for you. Always. Without question. Remember that the next time you have a few choice words for her.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to jump to my sister’s defense, but to my surprise, her head dips and she nods. Of all the people I expected her to listen to, Raiden wasn’t one of them.

Without a word, she spins on her heels and heads for the back door. I take a step to follow after her, but my father shakes his head. “Give her a moment, Addi. Raiden was right with everything he said, but that doesn’t make it any easier for her to digest.”

I sigh, wiping a hand down my face as the vampire in question eliminates the remaining space between us to envelop me in his arms. No words are needed, just his embrace. After a few seconds, someone clears their throat, making Raiden sigh before he takes a step back, reluctantly handing me off to Brody.

My mage's fingers twist in my hair, pinning me to him as he breathes me in. A ghost of his lips at my temple and I’m shifting again. This time, I’m wrapped in my wolf’s arms, the embrace brief before he leans back, gripping my chin and peering down at me.

“Maybe next time you think about slipping outside, you don’t do it in secret,” he states, and I frown.

“I was with Kryll.”

“I’m aware, but we were only alerted something was wrong when she yelled.”

My mouth moves, but no words come out. Thankfully, Kryll comes to my defense. “I don’t think any of us expected that to happen.”

“Maybe we need to start expecting the worst,” Cassian grumbles, and I can’t disagree with him. This is all insane. But more importantly?—

“What did you mean when you said dark magic?” My attention falls to my father.

He’s looking up at the moon as if it holds secrets he’s desperate to learn. A heavy sigh passes his lips before he turns to me. I brace for his words, the look in his eyes making it clear they will be a blow I’m unprepared for.

“Long before Clementine was secured in the kiss of death, imprisoned in the amethyst, she was stripped of her magic.” I gape at his words, eyes so wide they burn as I try to take them in. “That didn’t stop her, though. Nothing would stop her penchant for power. Dark magic was an old wive’s tale. Until it wasn’t. Until it was in her grasp, and the first thing she did with her new magic was kill our mother.”

Fuck.

“And that was dark magic? Her being here but not actually being here? I blasted her with my magic and it bled right through her,” I rasp, mind swirling with the reality that there’s another layer of knowledge I wasn’t aware of.

“Astral projection is one of the most complex abilities to master, and it is only possible with the tainted dark magic she continues to wield.”