“What your sister and boyfriend did to you is unforgivable,” the Voodoo Queen said, her voice soothing and calming. “I know dark magic can be scary, but it isn’t inherently evil. This spell will take away your pain. It will heal your heartbreak. Isn’t that what you want?”
“It is,” I said, and without further thought, I lifted the goblet to my lips and took a sip. Only a small one, like the Voodoo Queen had instructed.
It crawled down my throat and filled me to the core, the darkness caressing me from the inside out. I’d expected it to be cold, like the silver magic. Instead, it was warm. Welcoming. Like a blanket that had wrapped itself around me and was keeping me safe.
The best part?
The pain was gone. I no longer felt hollow, like I was going to break down at any second. Not even when I thought back to Ethan choosing Gemma over me.
I felt… nothing.
No—not nothing.
I felt strong. Powerful. Calm.
I didn’t need Ethan’s love to feel complete. I didn’t need my sister, either. They never truly loved me, anyway. If they had, they wouldn’t have turned on me like that.
But it was okay. Because I was in control of my feelings now. More importantly, I was in control of my magic. I felt it inside me, ready and eager to bend at my will.
“It worked.” I stared at the Voodoo Queen in awe. “It actually worked.”
“Of course it worked.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out two bright red tablets.
Antidote pills.
The color of each antidote pill corresponded to the color of the potion that had created it. And I knew that shade of red from my studies in Utopia.
It was the color of transformation potion.
The Voodoo Queen handed one of the tablets to Shivani, and Shivani eyed it hungrily.
“What’s going on?” I should have been panicked. But thanks to the dark magic inside me, I simply waited, calmly, for them to tell me why they were carrying the tablets.
“You’ve been tricked,” the Voodoo Queen said kindly. “And it was so painfully easy to do it.”
She popped the antidote pill into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
Shivani did the same.
The air around them shimmered, and I was no longer looking at the Voodoo Queen and Shivani.
Two women with pale skin and jet-black hair stood in their places, both of them wearing long white dresses that looked like undergarments from another era.
The one that had been Shivani teleported out, then returned with a long, pewter-colored wand that matched the chalice. A blood-red gemstone sat at the top of the wand, with a few smaller ones below it.
The Dark Wand. And now that she was holding it, I recognized her from the battle in Nebraska.
Lavinia.
The Dark Queen of Wands.
“You pretended to be Shivani,” I said calmly. “You brought me here to do…” I turned to the other, taller woman.
Her eyes were a deep, dark red.
The eyes of a demon.
“What did you do to me?” I asked.
“I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.” She smiled wickedly, her lips the same color as the blood in the chalice. “I’m Lilith. The Dark Queen of Cups.”
“The greater demon,” I said. “The one who’s been tracking me and Gemma.”
The one the supernaturals had been trying to locate for years.
The one they were determined to kill.
I should have been scared.
But I wasn’t.
“Correct,” she said. “And the spell I just performed wasn’t to bind your pain, although binding your pain is a lovely side effect of it. Because that isn’t any old chalice.” She glanced at the goblet on the table and rested her hand on its rim. “It’s the Dark Grail. And by drinking from it, you’re now bound to me.”
“That’s why I feel so… numb?”
“It’s why you feel so calm. So in control. So strong.” she said, and I nodded, since that was exactly how I felt. “Welcome to the dark side, Mira. You’re going to make a lovely Queen.”
Thank you for reading The Dragon Realm! I hope you loved the book as much as I loved writing it. I’ve always wanted to write a time travel adventure, and I’m beyond excited to write the next book in the series, The Dragon Scorned.
I’ve set the pre-order date for The Dragon Scorned far ahead on Amazon, to give myself time to write the book. But don’t worry—I intend on bringing that release date forward as soon as the book is finished.
To pre-order The Dragon Scorned on Amazon, CLICK HERE.
If you’re enjoying The Dragon Twins series, please make sure to leave a review on Amazon. The more positive reviews I have, the more encouraged I am to write the next book faster.
A review for the first book in the series is the most helpful. To leave a review, CLICK HERE.
Are you new to the Dark World universe?
While each series in the Dark World universe can be read and enjoyed individually, I recommend reading all of the series’ for the fullest reading experience.
To start, check out the original series in the world—The Vampire Wish. Read on to learn more about it! (You may have to turn the page to see the cover and description.)
For Annika Pearce, spring break with her family was usually a boring affair. Not this year. Everything changes in an instant when vampires attack Annika’s family and abduct her to the hidden kingdom of the Vale.
In the Vale, her normal life is turned upside down. Her role? To give blood whenever vampires demand.
As Annika desperately searches for a way to escape, she meets a mysterious stranger named Jake who just might be her only hope. At first, Jake seems like a dream come true. But as Annika peels back the layers of the mystery surrounding her abduction, she learns that things aren’t as they seem. Everyone seems to be hiding a secret. Including Jake.
With time running out, Annika races to unravel the mystery of the Vale—and decide who to trust. With her heart pulling her in one direction, and her instincts in another, she faces an impossible decision.
How far is she willing to go to escape the vampire kingdom?
Get it now at:
mybook.to/vampirewish
HAVE YOU READ MY OTHER NOVELS?
If you love young adult fantasy, then you need to read my USA Today recommended series, Elementals!
Check out the cover and description for Elementals below. Then, keep reading for a sneak peek of the first few chapters! (You may have to turn the page to see the cover.)
Experience the *now completed* bestselling series that fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are raving about.
“A must read!”
-- USA Today
* A Top 100 Amazon Bestseller in the entire Kindle Store *
Nicole Cassidy is nervous about her first day at a new school. She's worried about her outfit. And her hair. She's imagined the teacher introducing her to the class, only to hear snickers around the room.
It turns out, things at her new school are going to be a lot harder than that. At Kinsley High, there's something new on the curriculum: magic.
It's not just the other students who have magic. So does Nicole.
She's a witch.
Not only is she a witch, she's descended from Greek gods.
It's almost too much for her to process. Luckily, one of her new classmates is more than happy to take her under his wing to teach her how to use her magic. His name is Blake, and he's sort of her type: mysterious, possibly trouble.
The connection between Nicole and Blake is instant. There's just one problem: Blake has a girlfriend, Danielle. Rumor has it she harbors a penchant for using dark magic. Especially on anyone who gets near Blake.
As Nicole tries to navigate her mysterious new school--and stay out of Danielle's crosshairs--a new threat emerges: the Olympian Comet. The comet hasn't been seen for thousands of years, and it's about to change everything.
With the
Olympian Comet burning bright across the night sky, Nicole's sleepy town is turned upside down. Ancient monsters emerge, wreaking havoc on everyone and everything.
An ancient prophecy may hold the key to stopping the monsters and surviving the comet, but time is running out. As Nicole and her new classmates race to unravel the clues left by the prophecy, they soon learn that it's not just their town that's in danger. The Olympian Comet may be far more deadly than they ever imagined.
This five book series has been a perennial bestseller since its publication and has garnered over 2,000 reviews on Amazon, 10,000+ ratings on Goodreads, and millions of pages read in Kindle Unlimited.
Get it now at:
mybook.to/elementals1
Turn the page for a sneak peek of the first few chapters!
Elementals
The Prophecy of Shadows
1
The secretary fumbled through the stacks of papers on her desk, searching for my schedule. “Here it is.” She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. “I’m Mrs. Dopkin. Feel free to come to me if you have any questions.”
“Thanks.” I looked at the schedule, which had my name on the top, and listed my classes and their locations. “This can’t be right.” I held it closer, as if that would make it change. “It has me in all honors classes.”
She frowned and clicked around her computer. “Your schedule is correct,” she said. “Your homeroom teacher specifically requested that you be in the honors courses.”
“But I wasn’t in honors at my old school.”
“It doesn’t appear to be a mistake,” she said. “And the late bell’s about to ring, so if you need a schedule adjustment, come back at the end of the day so we can discuss it. You’re in Mr. Faulkner’s homeroom, in the library. Turn right out of the office and walk down the hall. You’ll see the library on the right. Go inside and head all the way to the back. Your homeroom is in the only door there. Be sure to hurry—you don’t want to be late.”
She returned to her computer, apparently done talking to me, so I thanked her for her help and left the office.
Kinsley High felt cold compared to my school in Georgia, and not just in the literal sense. Boxy tan lockers lined every wall, and the concrete floor was a strange mix of browns that reminded me of throw-up. The worst part was that there were no windows anywhere, and therefore a serious lack of sunlight.
I preferred the warm green carpets and open halls at my old school. Actually I preferred everything about my small Georgia town, especially the sprawling house and the peach tree farm I left behind. But I tried not to complain too much to my parents.
After all, I remembered the way my dad had bounced around the living room while telling us about his promotion to anchorman on the news station. It was his dream job, and he didn’t mind that the only position available was in Massachusetts. My mom had jumped on board with the plan to move, confident that her paintings would sell better in a town closer to a major city. My younger sister Becca had liked the idea of starting fresh, along with how the shopping in Boston apparently exceeded anything in our town in Georgia.
There had to be something about the move for me to like. Unfortunately, I had yet to find it.
I didn’t realize I’d arrived at the library until the double doors were in front of me. At least I’d found it without getting lost.
I walked inside the library, pleased to find it was nothing like the rest of the school. The golden carpet and wooden walls were warm and welcoming, and the upstairs even had windows. I yearned to run toward the sunlight, but the late bell had already rung, so I headed to the back of the library. Hopefully being new would give me a free pass on being late.
Just as the secretary had said, there was only one door. But with it’s ancient peeling wood, it looked like it led to a storage room, not a classroom. And there was no glass panel, so I couldn’t peek inside. I had to assume this was it.
I wrapped my fingers around the doorknob, my hand trembling. It’s your first day, I reminded myself. No one’s going to blame you for being late on your first day.
I opened the door, halfway expecting it to be a closet full of old books or brooms. But it wasn’t a closet.
It was a classroom.
Everyone stared at me, and I looked to the front of the room, where a tall, lanky man in a tweed suit stood next to a blackboard covered with the morning announcements. His gray hair shined under the light, and his wrinkled skin and warm smile reminded me more of a grandfather than a teacher.
He cleared his throat and rolled a piece of chalk in his palm. “You must be Nicole Cassidy,” he said.
“Yeah.” I nodded and looked around at the other students. There were about thirty of them, and there seemed to be an invisible line going down the middle of the room, dividing them in half. The students near the door wore jeans and sweatshirts, but the ones closer to the wall looked like they were dressed for a fashion show instead of school.
“It’s nice to meet you Nicole.” The teacher sounded sincere, like he was meeting a new friend instead of a student. “Welcome to our homeroom. I’m Mr. Faulkner, but please call me Darius.” He turned to the chalkboard, lifted his hand, and waved it from one side to the other. “You probably weren’t expecting everything to look so normal, but we have to be careful. As I’m sure you know, we can’t risk letting anyone else know what goes on in here.”
Then the board shimmered—like sunlight glimmering off the ocean—and the morning announcements changed into different letters right in front of my eyes.
2
I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. What I’d just seen couldn’t have been real.
At least the board had stopped shimmering, although instead of the morning announcements, it was full of information about the meanings of different colors. I glanced at the other students, and while a few of them smiled, they were mostly unfazed. They just watched me, waiting for me to say something. Darius also stood calmly, waiting for my reaction.
“How did you do that?” I finally asked.
“It’s easy,” Darius said. “I used magic. Well, a task like that wouldn’t have been easy for you, since you’re only in your second year of studies, but given enough practice you’ll get the hang of it.” He motioned to a seat in the second row, next to a girl with chin-length mousy brown hair. “Please sit down, and we’ll resume class.”
I stared at him, not moving. “You used … magic,” I repeated, the word getting stuck in my throat. I looked around the room again, waiting for someone to laugh. This had to be a joke. After all, an owl hadn’t dropped a letter down my fireplace to let me know I’d been accepted into a special school, and I certainly hadn’t taken an enchanted train to get to Kinsley High. “Funny. Now tell me what you really did.”
“You mean you don’t know?” Darius’s forehead crinkled.
“Is this a special studies homeroom?” I asked. “And I somehow got put into one about … magic tricks?”
“It wasn’t a trick,” said an athletic boy in the center of the room. His sandy hair fell below his ears, and he leaned back in his seat, pushing his sleeves up to his elbows. “Why use tricks when we can do the real thing?”
I stared at him blankly and backed towards the door. He couldn’t be serious. Because magic—real magic—didn’t exist. They must be playing a joke on me. Make fun of the new kid who hadn’t grown up in a town so close to Salem.
I wouldn’t fall for it. So I might as well play along.
“If that was magic, then where are your wands?” I held up a pretend wand, making a swooshing motion with my wrist.
Darius cleaned his glasses with the bottom of his sweater. “I’d assumed you’d already started your lessons at your previous school.” He frowned and placed his glasses back on. “From your reaction, I’m guessing that’s not the case. I apologize for startling you. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to say this now, so I might as well be out with it.” He took a deep breath, and said, “We�
��re witches. You are, too. And regarding your question, we don’t use wands because real witches don’t need them. That’s an urban legend created by humans who felt safer believing that they couldn’t be harmed if there was no wand in sight.”
“You can’t be serious.” I laughed nervously and pulled at the sleeves of my sweater. “Even if witches did exist—which they don’t—I’m definitely not one of them.”
The only thing “magical” that had ever happened to me was how the ligament I tore in my knee while playing tennis last month had healed right after moving here. The doctor had said it was a medical miracle.
But that didn’t make it magic.
“I am completely serious,” Darius said. “We’re all witches, as are you. And this is a special studies homeroom—it’s for the witches in the school. Although of course the administration doesn’t know that.” He chuckled. “They just think it’s for highly gifted students. Now, please take a seat in the chair next to Kate, and I’ll explain more.”
I looked around the room, waiting for someone to end this joke. But the brown-haired girl who I assumed was Kate tucked her hair behind her ears and studied her hands. The athletic boy next to her watched me expectantly, and smiled when he caught me looking at him. A girl behind him glanced through her notes, and several other students shuffled in their seats.
The Dragon Realm (Dark World: The Dragon Twins Book 2) Page 17