by LJ Swallow
“What do you think, Maeve?” Nikolai’s voice is closer and for a moment I think he’s in my head, whispering, until I feel warm breath against my face.
I shake my head in an attempt to dislodge the images, unable to pull myself back to the reality in front of me. I’m drowning in the bloodied carnage and his amusement grows.
A hand curls around the back of my neck and squeezes. “I don’t like people treating me with the disdain you do. I always try to be nice, but some people just won’t comply, and that makes me sad.”
The sensation of his disgusting skin against mine tugs me away from the nightmare for a moment and I’m aware of his glittering obsidian eyes. If strong emotions trigger my mind control, then why not now? I need my magic.
“Leave me alone,” I say, hating the way my voice cracks.
Nikolai pulls me towards him by the neck and looks down, moistening his lips. “You may fool others by downplaying your abilities, but not me. I know you’re strong, but you need to be stronger, Maeve. I'll teach you how to fight back.”
His hand on my neck tightens and I claw at his fingers. What is he planning? To take my blood? Assault me?
Summoning up physical energy, I lift up my knee and smack him in the groin. Surprise replaces his grin and his grip on me loosens as he yells. Snatching my chance, I push past Nikolai towards the top of the stairs. He seizes my hair and I stumble and cry out as he yanks me backwards. My scalp stings as I’m forced to tip my head upwards as he pulls.
“That was stupid,” he hisses and pulls tighter.
I recoil as his face moves closer to mine and my heart slams harder in my chest. “Get off me.”
“Show me your magic, little witch. Stop me.” His dark aura overwhelms me, the shadows winding around and binding us.
Tears push against my eyes, but his challenge is a chance I need to focus on. The images of his victims continue to loop in my head, but I can’t find my way back inside his mind.
“Are you testing me?” I say, eyes watering.
He makes a derisive sound. “No. I’m teaching you compliance.” Nikolai’s other arm snakes around my waist in a grip I can’t move from. “I'm rather skilled in mind control.”
His words draw an icy line down my spine. “No.”
“Stop me,” Nikolai repeats and runs his tongue slowly across his teeth.
I’m paralysed by him and his magic, but my survival instinct is strong. I concentrate on the magic in the air around me and a different voice whispers in my mind; one that wants to feed on his darkness.
A stronger energy. Blackwood.
The moment Anastasia told me I contained Blackwood magic, I swore I’d fight to never connect with this part of me. I have no choice. I'm forced to draw on the dark power as I pull energy from the summoned shadows wrapped around us.
The magic streams into me, different to the warm, tingling I recognise when I’m at full power. This is cold. Heavy. Overwhelming. Energising. I mentally reach out and tear into Nikolai’s mind.
As I suspected, behind his bravado he’s weak; weaker still because he’s used up his magic fighting against mine. Nikolai shouts out and draws me closer to him, grip around my waist tightening. Gritting my teeth, I plunge into his head and attempt to takeover. His grip on my hair loosens and he drops his arm, giving up his hold but not voluntarily.
Nikolai fights back as he pushes me back out of his mind and onto the floor. Breathing heavily, Nikolai stands over me. “Stand up, witch,” he says. “Do what I tell you.”
I blow hair from my face and refuse to comply.
“I said, stand up,” he yells.
My limbs take on a mind of their own—his mind—and I struggle to my feet. No. The wall is cool beneath my palm and I concentrate on the wallpaper’s rough sensation. I’m in control, I repeat in my head, over and over.
“Come here.”
I hang onto my autonomy as I hold onto the wall, but my mind becomes a muddied puddle I can’t see beneath.
Run.
A voice echoes in the emptiness, almost inaudible and I obey. Pushing myself from the wall, I charge forward and knock into Nikolai. He barely stumbles, but I’ve enough time to stumble by and reach the stairs.
Chapter Twenty-One
MAEVE
Nikolai's shadow magic whips around my face and I struggle to see where I’m going as the surroundings narrow into a tunnel. The same sensation from when Anastasia gripped my mind comes over me, pulling at me like a magnet wanting to click back to Nikolai.
I fight against crying out at the pain in my head, and for the first time in weeks, I feel helpless in this strange supernatural world.
I place my hands on the stair rail and blindly feel my way down the stairs. My vision clears more the further I move from him. I grasp at a handle on a nearby door and shove the door open.
I find myself standing by a square courtyard covered in dirt with an arch in the wall opposite that leads away from the house. A smell of manure and fresh straw from the nearby building fills my nostrils. Stables. I stagger forward towards the archway.
This time when the pain hits my head I scream out, unable to suppress the reaction. I fall onto my hands and knees, arms trembling and too weak to push myself up. Nikolai’s booted feet appear in front of me and he crouches down.
“You’re weak, Maeve.”
His words sting after weeks of people telling me I'm strong. I've grasped onto a belief that I can fight this man, which now slips. My hair hangs into the dirt and I focus on slowing my rapid breathing—on pushing away the fear that’s paralysing my magic.
“I’m not,” I say hoarsely to the ground.
Nikolai moves his face towards my ear and whispers words that confirm he wants to drag me into my worst nightmare. Metal flashes as the moonlight bounces off a small blade he holds.
“Prove it,” he says.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask as he drags my hand towards him. “You can’t. Your sister—others—they'll be angry you interfered.”
“Anastasia thinks she’s in charge because she’s Daddy’s girl. Screw that.” His eyes harden.
I’m the victim of sibling rivalry.
The sharp blade touches my palm, at the spot healing from Anastasia’s assault, and I lose control, allowing the shadows to enter me and give me the power I need.
I’m there. In Nikolai’s head. He’s looking at me and thrilled by my fear feeding his sick fantasies. He doesn't care that he'll upset his sister and the Dominion by harming me. I can see everything in his depraved mind.
Nikolai believes this will subdue me. That I’ll become compliant. His.
He’s here too, thrashing around at my new grip on his mind. I make him drop the knife and his inner voice growls. His struggle against my invasion pauses but my relief is short-lived. His new attack begins, using more of his abhorrent thoughts in an attempt to shock and interrupt me.
I can’t blank them out and I falter.
But if I don’t keep fighting, I’m lost.
He brandishes the knife again, curling one hand over his other wrist to steady his hold. The sickening images spur me on, and I fight to control him—to throw the knife away.
One last image sends me over the edge, myself naked, broken and bloodied, and a tsunami of magic fuelled by hatred washes from me. Nikolai doesn’t deserve to live. He's a twisted killer. He wants to kill me. I’ve never experienced a loathing as strong as this before and the magic whispers at me to finish him.
With pleasure.
The horrific scenes in his head vanish and are replaced by shock as he fights against lifting the knife upwards towards his throat. The magic streaming through me meets something inside his evil soul and stokes the darkness inside me.
My lips pull into a satisfied smile as the blade touches his neck.
I’m flung to one side as if a car hit me, and I land on my back in the dirt. Nikolai is thrown the other way and my connection to his shadows snaps. No. He needs to die.
Mae
ve.
Tobias’s voice filters through the furious black clouds in my mind and he drags me to my feet, gripping my upper arms. I struggle, desperate to hurt the man now unsteadily standing, knife in hand again.
Maeve. Let go. This is what they want. You’re feeding the Blackwood energy in you. Tobias’s warmth gradually trickles into my body, consuming the darkness, but Nikolai’s words and the images won't leave.
He needs to die.
Tobias grips harder, a conduit opened between us as he tells me to look into his eyes. As the mix of Tobias's lamia and pneuma magic overwhelms me, I'm transfixed and lose sight of Nikolai altogether. Tobias tips my head upwards and strokes my cheeks, the soothing touch flowing like cold water running over a burn as he draws the dark intent from inside, weakening me.
Is this what Tobias did to me the night we confronted the hunters?
Tobias suddenly drops his grip and spins around. Nikolai approaches with the shadows winding around him again, but fewer since I took some. He’s weaker. The air pulses with the same magic that threw me and Nikolai apart. The same as when Anastasia took us. Tobias's pneuma energy focuses into more than affecting people’s minds—he can channel this into a physical assault.
Nikolai flies backwards and his head hits the edge of a stone trough, before he slides into the dirt. I hold my breath in horror as a panting Tobias drops his grip on me, before striding over to look down at Nikolai.
“Shit.” Tobias drags a hand through his hair and crouches, reaching out to Nikolai. He touches Nikolai's head and looks at his hand. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” Convinced somebody must’ve heard our fight, I look around and focus on any sounds, but all I hear are the horses' breathing and movements.
Tobias doesn’t reply and I cautiously approach, limbs like jelly. He's kneeling over Nikolai’s body and staring at his trembling hand stained with blood.
Chapter Twenty-Two
MAEVE
“Omigod,” I breathe out. “Tobias.” His focus remains on the blood on his hand. “Tobias.”
“Check his pockets. Does he have a phone?” Tobias asks hoarsely.
I do as he says, rummaging in Nikolai's jacket until my hand closes around his phone. “Yes.”
“Send a message,” he says urgently. “Find Anastasia’s number and send a message: 'headed to bed for some fun'.”
I shove away the sickening images of the fun he wanted with me and do as Tobias says. As I type the message, Tobias stands and takes Nikolai under the arms, whose head lolls forwards. Nikolai’s legs drag along the dirt as Tobias hauls his limp body away. Knocking open a stable door, he pulls the witch’s body inside.
The breeze whispers around my head and I shake, convinced I'll throw up.
“What have we done?” I ask when Tobias reappears. “What did we do? Is he dead?” I almost drop the phone I’m trembling so much, my whole body flooding with panic as great as my fear from earlier.
“Stay calm,” he says firmly. “Maeve. Listen.”
Blood now also smears Tobias’s forehead and I clamp a hand over my mouth.
“Nikolai knocked his head. He isn’t breathing. He’s bleeding. We need to get away from here and figure out what to do,” he stammers out. “The message to Anastasia should stop anybody looking for Nikolai until the morning. Nobody should come to the stables until dawn at least.”
I glance upwards. How is he this calm? Tobias seizes my arm again and I trip after him as he walks purposefully towards the door into the house.
Stunned into silence, I allow him to lead me back upstairs and along the hallway to my room. He pushes down the handle and the door opens—they lock me in but not out.
Inside, I fumble for the light switch. The chandelier’s bulbs light up but they’re dim in the darkly decorated room. “Is he dead?” I repeat my voice rising.
Tobias slowly closes the door and slumps against the wood. “I don’t know.”
“But he might be? Omigod, Tobias. We killed a Blackwood witch.”
He moves forward and places a hand against my cheek. “No. I killed a Blackwood witch.”
My heart leaps. “I fought him. Weakened him. I’m as much to blame.”
“Maeve. I’ll take responsibility. Do not tell anybody you were with me.”
“They’ll kill you.”
He gives a wry smile. “We both know I'll die soon.” I open my mouth to speak and he shakes his head. “The curse, Maeve.”
“No!” I drag my face away. “No, Tobias. We need you. I need you. We leave the estate before somebody finds Nikolai.”
“How, Maeve?” he asks softly.
“I don’t know! There must be a way!” Anton. “A witch called Anton told me he can help us,” I whisper as if someone is eavesdropping.
“How?” He cocks his head. “Why?”
“He said he knows people on the outside.”
“Tell me everything he said.”
I smile at his demanding tone. “Yes, Professor Whitlock.”
His reply is a scowl, so I hastily repeat to him the few words Anton said to me. Tobias chews on a nail, brows tugging down. “I’m unsure whether to trust him. Is that all he said?”
“Nikolai interrupted him." I clutch Tobias's jacket sleeve. "We could find Anton. Ask him to help.”
“No. I’m not going back out there unless it’s to look for a way off the estate. Maybe we could go through the woods...” He rubs his temples. “But there’ll be magical protection, I’m sure.”
“No, Anton could be our way out.” I look to the window, at the direction I’ve convinced myself is our best shot. Tears threaten because Tobias is dashing my new hope.
“I want more details on what Anton said, Maeve.”
“I told you, he didn’t have a chance because Nikolai appeared, but Anton did want to say more,” I say in desperation. Tobias's expression tells me I'm clutching at straws, but I've nothing else to hold onto. “Or do you have a better idea?”
The words aren’t supposed to be insolent, but Tobias’s sharp look tells me they annoy him.
The subtle energy that follows us around when we’re together is drowned out by the emotion screaming out between us. Normally Tobias slowly connects with me because he holds back, but the situation with Nikolai has shaken that ability, and his heightened emotions meet mine.
I clutch at his hand, wanting to keep the physical connection and allow him to calm me. But there's no calming energy inside him to help me. He’s as lost as I am. “You can’t die, Tobias. I won’t let that happen.”
Tobias moves away. “You need to calm down. I can’t cope with this.”
“Calm down? After what we just did? When Nikolai showed me...” I trail off.
“Showed you what?” asks Tobias sharply.
I shake my head but the memories of what I saw in Nikolai’s head are too raw, and Tobias's mouth twists with disgust.
“Fuck, Maeve,” he whispers. “You saw all that?” I swallow down the lump forming in my throat and nod. “A vision?”
“No. Plans. Please don’t talk about what I saw if you want me to calm down.”
“Did he touch you?” Tobias’s eyes narrow as his anger fuels the growing energy between us. “Hurt you?”
“He wanted to draw out my magic.”
“And he did.” Tobias walks to the window and pushes trembling hands into his trouser pockets as his control over the situation flickers. “What happened tonight is not only the result of Nikolai’s perverse interest in you. I'd lay bets this was a plan to trigger your Blackwood energy. If they use this to consume your benevolent magic, they could mould you into a tool for them. I’ve seen this happen—Ravenhold contains witches corrupted in the same way.”
The dark magic still whispers at the edges of my mind, but I can’t admit to Tobias that I was on the verge of killing Nikolai.
“I know you were, Maeve. I wish I’d found you quicker.”
I blink at his mind reading, but what else should I expect? “Should
we leave now? Run onto the estate?”
“No. You’re not thinking straight. At daybreak, we’ll leave and hide. The estate is more dangerous tonight because Dominion vampires are here. The pneuma may detect us.”
What have I dragged him into? I cross the room and he looks up as I approach before backing off, folding his arms tightly across his chest. “Maeve. Stay away. There’s too much emotional energy around you for me to deal with.” He fixes his eyes on mine. “And physical.”
The kiss. I can’t stop picturing the kiss and as I stare at his mouth, I can almost taste him.
“They want something to happen,” he says hoarsely. “Dressed you like this.”
“Like what?” I look down at the dress now covered in dirt, the skirt torn in places. The straps have slipped from my shoulders and I pull one back up.
“Maeve. You’re beautiful to me in whatever you wear, but...” He sighs. “I’m refusing to come back into the fold. They know the curse. They want me dead, so what better way than to torture me first?”
For a moment I swear he's about to reach out and straighten the other strap, but his face pains and he looks away.
“You can’t be sure I'm her,” I whisper and close the space between us. “I might not be that witch.”
He straightens the other dress strap and the light touch bursts across my skin like fireworks. “The one I fall in love with? Yes. You’re that witch.”
“Fall in love?” I say, barely comprehending his words.
“Do you think I would be here, now, if I didn’t love you?”
If Tobias wants the intensity between us to drop, he’s failing. “I don’t know what to think about any of this. But I’m not her."
“Do you honestly believe that?”
“Maybe you believe that and it's why you're attracted to me?”
“No, Maeve. This is me falling in love with a powerful witch because of who she is.”
I reach out and touch his face, still desperate for comfort from him. “I didn’t know. You pushed me away.”