Page 39 of Taken By the Blood God

He glanced around the room, finally seeming to notice the way the stone walls glowed.

“You’ll be protected by my magic,” he finally answered.

Talant held out a hand to me. I took it and immediately felt the heated kiss of his power against my palm. The sensation traveled up my arm before spreading rapidly over my entire body.

My skin tingled beneath the wave as he pulled me to my feet. He was right. His power prevented the residual heat trapped in the rocks from touching me.

“How do you feel?” I asked him.

His ever-changeable eyes were a dark bronze, shot through with a burgundy so deep that it was nearly black. I’d never seen his irises turn this color before. In the red light from the spell he cast, he looked primal and terrifying, especially with the black streaks left behind on his skin from the charred remains of the trap and the smoke that had briefly filled the cavern when he flooded it with fire.

The air was surprisingly clear now, only a faint haze of smoke remained in the large space.

“I am fine,” he answered.

I shivered at the low rumble of his voice. It was deep and seemed to vibrate inside me. Not because it was loud but because of the sheer magnitude of his magic.

He hadn’t been lying when he said that he had returned to his full strength.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Not really, but it seemed I had no other choice.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

Chapter

Eighteen

Talant

The urge to destroy still held me within its grip, but I fought for control.

Seeing that bolt of lightning fly toward Minerva had brought out the side of me I never wanted her to see. The bloodthirsty, merciless part of me that relished in vaporizing the warlocks who’d dared try to harm my witch.

The quick death had been kinder than they deserved. I would have done much worse to them if she hadn’t been nearby to see it. Or if they’d succeeded in harming her.

The fire within me burned brighter. No, not fire. Rage. I wanted to break apart this cavern and spew a stream of fire into the sky that would swallow the world. My heart pounded, and my entire body throbbed as I continued to fight the urge. This was not what I came for. I had a task. A purpose.

My brother was imprisoned in the stone that stood not five feet from us. He was the reason we were here. I had to remember that. If I didn’t, the rage would swallow my sanity and leave behind nothing but fire and destruction.

I heard Minerva swallow hard. I was still holding her hand, and her fingers tightened around mine as though she sensedhow close I was to losing control. My heart twisted at the gesture. She was so much like Cassia—able to see through me when I least wanted her to.

“Do you feel my power?” I asked.

My voice was so deep and filled with magic that the small rocks at our feet danced and vibrated.

“Yes.”

“What does it feel like?” I asked her.

“Hot. Wild. Dangerous.” Her tongue came out to wet her lips. “Like it could swallow me whole.”

She wasn’t wrong in any of her observations. But the words still stung a bit because I could see the fear in her eyes.

“Your power is opposite of mine in many ways,” I continued. “Cold where mine is hot. Controlled where mine is savage. But your power is still perilous and can consume just as well as mine. That is why you cannot access the full breadth of your abilities.”

Minerva’s eyes were locked on mine as I spoke. I could see the skepticism, so I used my grip on her hand to tug her a step closer.

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