by Mandi Oyster
I felt a moment of remorse, but it disappeared quickly. “Somebody’s controlling my emotions.”
“Yes, Dacia.” Aurelia waved her finger between her, Cash, and Malcolm. “We all are.”
“Why all of you?”
Malcolm put his hand on my shoulder. “They are overwhelming, too strong for one of us to dispel on our own.”
Mavros stood among the dragons, not looking out of place, not looking uncomfortable. He watched me carefully without making it obvious.
I stepped closer to him and reached my hands out. He held them tenderly. “Take the bad.” I looked down at his thumb rubbing my wrist. “I don’t want to remember the taste of his blood. I don’t want to remember the bloodlust. Just let me remember that he’s dead and that you and the dragons helped me.”
He nodded. “I would’ve done it for you.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you let me?”
I pulled my lip into my mouth and looked at his feet. “If I would’ve commanded you to do it, it still would’ve been by my hand.”
He touched my forehead with two fingers. “You are so strong, Dacia. I can’t guarantee this will last forever, but hopefully, it will last long enough to take the edge off and let you work through the pain.”
A black mist floated across my vision. I saw Argentum fly down off the ledge. I summoned Mavros. His power flowed into me. I transformed into the demon beast. Blue and black flames danced along my hide. Malcolm, Cash, Mavros, and I cornered Argentum, and the four of us struck at once. Demon venom pulsed through Argentum’s body. He weakened and crashed to the ground. His claws tore through my side. Malcolm struck, breaking Argentum’s neck. My body became my own, and I collapsed from blood loss. The dragons brought me to the cave with the silver-haired fairies. They healed me and removed the demon taint from me. Mavros, my friends, and the dragons seemed to have decided on a truce. They all stood with me, helping me heal.
Mavros stepped back. “She needs sleep.”
“Do not let her use her powers for a few days.” Rayne hovered in front of Aurelia. “The demon’s energy must be fully out of her system. Otherwise, it will taint her magic.”
I nodded. “Okay. No powers.”
“If you use them, find us immediately.” She flew off, joining the others. “Fare thee well, Dacia.”
I lifted my hand to wave and stumbled. Malcolm, Mavros, and Cody each lunged to catch me. The dragon and demon backed off, and Cody lifted me into his arms.
“Get her back to her room,” Mavros said.
“What about you?” I mumbled.
Mavros clutched my hand. “I will not do anything you would disapprove of. I will stay close and watch over you.”
“Thank you.”
Malcolm clutched Cody’s arms, and we teleported to my room. Cody laid me down on the couch and pulled a blanket over me.
Chapter 44
Trapped
The serpent slithers toward me. Its once copper eyes are as black as the depths of Tartarus. Shadows ripple between its scales. You are mine. Its voice is possessive, dangerous. Not the comforting voice of the past. You are mine.
Fear claws at my stomach, and I step back. I glance over one shoulder, then the other. Darkness surrounds me, closing in. I transform my eyes into a dragon’s, but there are only unending fields of ebony. A shiver creeps up my spine.
When I look back, the giant snake is gone. I press my hand to my chest, trying to calm my racing heart. Even though I can’t see it, I know it’s there, watching me, ready to strike.
I shuffle back and trip. I hear the serpent slide over the ground. The sound is like rustling leaves. Jerking my foot back, I search for the snake. I press my hands down behind me to push myself up, and the serpent coils around my leg.
As it moves along my body, the shadows clinging to it dissipate. It draws its head back and strikes.
Darkness burns away the light inside me. Anger and hatred fill me. My heart hardens. Shadows writhe under my skin. I look into the snake’s onyx eyes, and the laugh that shatters the silence is maniacal.
L
My eyes shot open, and I jerked into a sitting position. The room spun around me. Malcolm darted over, kneeling in front of me, ready to face some unseen threat. “What is it, Dacia?” His voice was savage.
“I don’t know.” I held my head in my hands. “I feel like I forgot something, something that’s important.”
A shadow crossed his face, but he didn’t say anything. Cody ran his hand up and down my back, trying to soothe me.
I got up and walked to the door.
“Where are you going?” Malcolm was suddenly in front of me, blocking my exit. “You need to sleep.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I need to pee.”
“I’ll go with you.” He looked over his shoulder at Cody. “Don’t leave.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my foot. “What’s going on?”
“I—” he rubbed his jaw “—I’m not sure how the Nephilim are going to react to you summoning Mavros.”
Having Malcolm in my life made me wonder what it would have been like to have a big brother. He was protective, bossy, and always thought he knew what was best for me, but I couldn’t imagine having gone through this without him, and I’d always owe him for killing Argentum. “Is Cash watching him?”
“Cash, Val, Aurelia, and probably Arion are all watching this room.” Malcolm shook his head and dropped his chin. “Probably Mavros, too.”
I grabbed his shirt sleeve and twisted him around. “Then let’s go before I pee my pants.”
As soon as we stepped into the hallway, Diana and Olivia came to attention. Diana strode toward me, and Malcolm held his hand out, effectively stopping her. She stood on her tiptoes, looking over his shoulder at me. “We need to discuss the demon.”
“Not today.” The warning in Malcolm’s voice was evident. “Not tomorrow either.”
“I don’t know how long I can keep this from the council.” Diana glanced at Olivia, and Olivia pretended to zip her mouth closed.
I pulled my lip into my mouth. “Sorry.” I darted down the hall. “I really have to pee.” I walked into the bathroom and stared into the mirror. Relief spread through me when I saw that my eyes were still green. I slumped against the sink and pulled my hand through my hair. Taking a deep breath, I walked back out into the hall.
Malcolm raised a single eyebrow at me. “Forget to flush?”
“Yeah.” My shoulders slumped.
He stopped moving and wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, massaging it. “What’s going on?”
“When I took control of my powers, I pictured them as a serpent.” I looked down the hall at Olivia and Diana, but they didn’t seem to be listening.
He followed my gaze. “They can’t hear us.”
“In my dream, my powers were corrupted. The snake … it was dark, menacing.” I closed my eyes. “It attacked me …”
“And, you became like it.” He finished for me. “So, why the act?”
I kicked at the ground. Lying was something I hated to do, but with my powers, sometimes it was necessary. I shouldn’t have lied to him, though. “I wanted to make sure I was still myself.” I pointed at my face. “My eyes are still green. The serpent’s were as black as night.”
“No magic.” He stared at me, making sure I was paying attention. “None. Not for a week or more.”
“A week?” My voice cracked. “The fairies said a few days.”
His face was stony. “A week. If there was even a possibility that was a premonition, we’re stopping it now.”
I nodded and slunk down the hall past Olivia and Diana.
“Okay?” Cody asked when I walked in.
“Sure.” I shrugge
d. “As long as nothing tries to attack me for at least a week.” I lay down beside him.
“What?”
I waved my hand at Malcolm. “He can tell you.” I kissed Cody’s cheek. “Goodnight.”
D
Sunday morning, I lay on the couch, snuggling with Cody. I’d been awake for an hour or more, but I wasn’t ready to let go of him. I’d gone to fight Argentum yesterday, expecting not to come back. I’d thought I’d held Cody for the last time.
Somebody knocked on the door, and I huffed, preparing to roll off the couch.
Malcolm chuckled. “I got it. It’s Cash.”
“If I could use my powers, I might’ve known that.” My words were mumbled, but I was sure he heard them.
As soon as the door opened, Cody sat up, taking me with him. The smell of warm cinnamon rolls wafted into the room. “You brought breakfast.”
“I thought you might be hungry.” Cash handed the box to Cody.
He grabbed it greedily. “Always.”
“Thanks.” I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to it than just being nice. The only times any of the dragons had delivered food to us was when we were hiding out in the cave.
Cash sat down in Cookie Monster and studied me. I set my roll down. I hated when people watched me eat. Staring back at him, I said, “What?”
“How are you doing?” He stared into my eyes, and I wondered if I should be concerned about the color of them. Were there black flecks in my irises, or were they still the same green they’d always been?
I shrugged. “All right. As far as I know, nobody is trying to kill me right now. It’s been a while since I could say that.”
Malcolm folded his arms along the back of the couch and leaned on them. The beads on the ends of his braids clicked together, and for the first time, I realized he must use magic to keep them silent when he wanted to go unnoticed. “I need to get out—” he grinned at me “—stretch my wings.”
“Literally or figuratively?” I asked.
“Both.” He pointed at my breakfast. “Eat, and don’t go anywhere until I get back.”
I rolled my eyes at him before ripping a gooey strip off and shoving it into my mouth. “Fly. Be free.” I waved my hand at him, and he chuckled.
To Cash’s credit, he tried not to make it too obvious that he was watching me. He leaned his head against the back of the chair, closed his eyes most of the way, and spent most of the morning surveying me through his lashes.
My power grew, filling every empty place inside of me, begging for release. I’d conditioned myself to use my magic to build my stamina, and now I fought to tamp it down. I paced behind the couch. I did jumping jacks, push-ups, and planks. I ran in place, did lunges, and tried several yoga moves. The energy surged.
“Dacia”—Cody reached up and grabbed my hand—“what’s going on?”
I crumpled onto the couch beside him. “How’m I gonna go a week when I can’t even get through one day.”
“What do you mean?” Cash jumped up. He knelt in front of me and held my face between his hands, staring into my eyes. “You didn’t use it, did you?” He didn’t even give me a chance to suck in a breath before saying, “Did you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “No.”
He rocked back, letting go of me. “What then?”
I looked down at my hands. Power amassed in them, pulsing and flashing like a living thing. I felt it thrashing under my skin, begging for release. “There’s so much. I feel like I’m going to explode.”
“Give me your hands.” He slid across the carpet, kneeling right in front of me, and I obliged.
The magic pulsed in response to his touch. He pulled on it, and it surged, charging from my fingers into his. The relief was instantaneous. Closing my eyes, I slumped back against the couch and let out a deep sigh. “Thank you.”
Cash’s pupils were enormous. A purple shimmer danced over his skin. He held his hand up in front of him and watched blue sparks flicker over his fingertips. “What a rush! Is that how it feels when you siphon some of my power?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “It feels like a caffeine high. An adrenaline rush.”
He closed his hands and snuffed out my magic. “As much energy as you transferred to me, someone’s going to have to drain it a few times a day to keep you from unintentionally releasing it.”
“Why?” Cody leaned forward. “When hiding, she went without.”
Cash nodded at him. His eyes were still dilated, but he wasn’t shimmering. “She was replenishing her magic then. She’d exhausted her supply, and as it”—he used air quotes—“refilled, she was inadvertently using it to heal herself.”
“Need to keep her safe then.” Cody squeezed my knee.
Cash stood and walked to the window. “Even if she falls down and scrapes her knee, she will use her power whether she intends to or not.”
“So … how long are you planning on keeping me locked in here?” I shook my head. The thought of being trapped in my room for a week or more was unbearable. “Now that Argentum is gone, I’d like to go home for Thanksgiving, and I need to make sure Mavros isn’t stealing people’s left shoes.”
Cash cocked his eyebrow, and Cody snorted.
Mavros appeared in the middle of my room. “I believe that was a cartoon reference, but I’m not an alien, a dog, or an experiment.”
“What are you doing here?” Cash narrowed his eyes at him.
“Proving to Dacia that I’m not stealing left shoes.” He smiled at me, and it was breathtaking. “Or right ones for that matter.”
I clasped my hands together in front of me. “What have you been doing?”
“Watching you.” He leaned up against the wall, crossing one leg over the other. “The Nephilim are converging on the school again. It seems that more than just those two were keeping an eye on you.”
My stomach plummeted. They’d probably force me to go to their sanctuary this time.
Cash rubbed his hand over his eyes, then pulled it through his hair. Purple and black strands stood on end.
“You knew?” Cody’s voice was accusing.
Cash shook his head.
“You didn’t?” Mavros asked.
“No”—I rubbed the back of my neck, hoping to loosen some of the knots in it—”but I guess it shouldn’t surprise me. After all, I did summon a demon.”
Mavros prowled toward me. “They won’t back down this time.” He knelt down and took my hands in his.
“You need to send him back in front of all of them.” Cash’s amethyst eyes softened.
“N—”
“You have to make sure they see you do it.” Mavros squeezed my fingers. “I’ll be fine.”
Tears slipped from my eyes. I didn’t try to hide them. “It’s not right.”
“It’s okay, though.” He brushed the tears off my face. “I’ll still be here with you.”
My eyebrows pinched together.
“My power lingers inside of you.”
Chapter 45
Saying Goodbye
Malcolm came back late in the afternoon. He stood by the door and whispered to Cash. I didn’t want to know what they were saying. I didn’t want to hear that somebody wanted to kill me or cage me. I didn’t want to hear that Mavros needed to be returned to the Abyss.
I rolled the dice three times and filled in twenty-five points for a full house. Then I handed them to Cody. “Your turn.”
“Don’t you wanna know?” He picked up the dice and rolled three fives.
I shook my head.
He rolled again and kept nothing. “Okay then.” The third time he rolled, he said, “Ha! Yahtzee!”
“You could let me win. You know?” I batted my eyelashes at him. “I could’ve died yesterday.�
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He covered his mouth with his hand. “Oh, wow. You’re going there.”
“It was worth a shot. Wasn’t it?”
He trailed his fingers along my jaw. “Let’s not do that again.”
“Well”—I raised my eyebrows and shrugged—“the way they’re talking, it’ll probably happen fairly soon.”
Cody looked at them. “What’s up?”
Malcolm came over and sat in Cookie Monster. He looked worn out. He scrubbed his hand down his face. “I’m sorry, Dacia.”
I waved my hand at him to continue. There was no way I’d be able to talk over the lump that was growing in my throat and the pressure building in my chest.
“Mavros came to me after he was here.” He looked down at the floor. His shoulders slumped forward. “I should’ve summoned him. I never should’ve let you. The Nephilim are planning to take you.”
I slouched back and stared at the ceiling. “Tell Diana to meet me in an hour.”
“Where?” Cash sounded defeated.
“Where—” I swallowed a sob “—where I sent him back before.”
Cody wrapped one arm behind my back and one under my legs and pulled me onto his lap. “I’m sorry, Dacia.”
“There’s no other way.” I pressed my face against Cody’s chest.
L
The dragons, Mavros, and I stood on the mountain slope. The wind whipped snow up and threw it at us. Mavros held my gloved hand, rubbing his thumb along mine. Otherwise, he stood rigid, staring into the distance, waiting for the Nephilim to arrive.
They came all at once. Forty or fifty of them stepped through a portal. They stood opposite us, and Diana stepped forward. “Dacia, you need to come with us for your safety and the planet’s.”
“Why?” My voice was carried to them on the breeze.
The dark Nephilim from the side street stepped forward. “You summoned a demon. You cannot be trusted to remain free.”