Page 50 of White Charms and Dark Secrets

He holds the knife at Rhydian’s throat. The helpless feeling returns. A salty tear trails over my lips and I realise that I’m crying.Pathetic. Why do I have to be so helpless?

He finally pulls the knife back away from Rhydian’s throat. “Not this one either. And here I thought you’d have been weak for the pretty green eyes on this one. I’m sure I will get a very nice price for those.”

The glare Rhydian gives Elias as he passes in front of him says more than words ever could. But Elias doesn’t care for his reaction, instead keeping his attention on me. “Nothing?” he prompts, raising his eyebrows at me in surprise. I wonder what he’s surprised about for a second before it hits me. He doesn’t understand why I’m not using my magic to lash out at him for what he’s doing.

If I could have done anything, I would have done it for all of them. If I wasn’t so helpless, so useless at being a witch, maybe I could have been able to help them. Instead it seems bad luck curse or not, it’s me that’s making everything worse.

Anger rushes through me. Anger at Elias for threatening to hurt them. Anger at myself for not being able to do anything about it. And anger at the universe for allowing all of these things to happen.

My hands shake at my sides as Elias’ silver knife rests over Darren's throat.

“Don't,” I plead, not just for Darren, but for all of them. My eyes don’t leave the blade, watching as he lightly presses it against Darren's skin, releasing just a small trickle of blood.

“What are you going to do to stop me?” Elias asks, his knife not moving away from Darren’s skin as he taunts me.

Nothing. There's nothing I can do. Even my magic, as cursed by bad luck as it is, couldn't come to our rescue now. My gaze darts up from the blade at Darren’s neck to his eyes, his gaze panicked and furious. More anger floods through me. The bastard wouldn't take on a shifter in close quarters that could actually defend themselves, no surprise there at all. My wrist burns, but I’m too frozen, caught staring at the horrific event in front of me to find out why.

“This one will just have to do,” Elias mutters.

I lurch forward just as Elias cuts Darren from his right collar bone to the bottom left side of his chest. He slices right through the fabric of Darren’s shirt, letting the blood just seep through the gap, and soak into the surrounding material. Darren’s body slumps to the floor as quickly as he was cut.

The heat from my wrist suddenly engulfs me all over, and it’s as if I’m on fire again. I scream, believing that somehow Elias has flung a curse at me without my noticing, before a flood of power charges through me, chasing the heat away with a different kind of burn. It pulses from my chest, through my arms, and as it passes through my wrist, my bracelet snaps; It falls to the floor in pieces, the sound echoing through the warehouse.

I turn to Elias, the mixture of rage, power and adrenaline giving me a rush unlike anything I’ve felt before. He smiles for a second as he looks at me, but I know that he won’t smile ever again.

My arms fling out, directing the raw energy and power right at him. It hits him squarely on the chest, sending him flying back meters away into a wall. His body hits the ground with a thump, and dust from the wall’s plaster scatters down after him, covering him in a light grey dust.

I don’t know how I know, but I know he’s dead. He was dead the second the burst of my magic hit him.With him taken care of, I turn to his accomplices as they’re cautiously approaching me. I send a second burst of energy at them. They tumble back, collapsing unconscious as one, leaving me as the only one still standing. I turn back to the guys, both terrified to look and desperate to make sure they’re all okay. Kier and Rhydian have moved, and are knelt over Darren’s body. A glow emits from Kier’s hands as he holds them over Darren’s chest, his eyes shut tightly in concentration.

I rush over, falling to my knees beside them. My head is spinning from the power rush and the millions of questions that are swimming around in it.

“Is he okay?” I demand, looking at Rhydian for answers. He shrugs, but his green eyes look glassy as he looks back down at his friend, his hand resting on his arm in a comforting gesture.

I turn to Kier instead, watching just as he opens his eyes. He gives me a small nod and a half smile, but his expression is filled with concern.

“He’s really going to be okay?” I ask again, needing the verbal confirmation, desperate for reassurance beyond belief. I sway on my feet as I stand, suddenly needing to step back and breathe now that I’ve seen Darren is still breathing too.

“He’s going to be just fine, I promise,” Kier tells me softly, and I realise the concern on his face wasn’t for Darren, but for me.

I try to respond but stumble, feeling a strange vibration lull underneath my feet. Nausea washes over me as hand rests on my back, providing a gentle support to steady my now swaying form. Another hand rests on my waist to help hold me still. The world around me blurs. “Okay,” I finally manage to whisper, just as my eyes fall shut and I collapse.

Twenty-Four

Never Trust A Demon

“Kayla?” Rhydian’s voice murmurs quietly, as a gentle hand brushes the hair from my face. I groan, curling up underneath the warm blankets that have been placed on top of me. “Kayla, are you awake?” Rhydian prompts me again gently.

“Go away, I’m tired,” I reply, although, it sounds a lot more like unintelligible grumbles.

“She’s fine,” Darren’s voice announces, and I can hear the smile in it.Darren is…Something clicks in my brain and everything that happened rushes through my head. I sit up quickly and regret it, instantly feeling dizzy. Rhydian steps back to give me space.

“Take it easy,” Kier tells me, putting a hand on my shoulder at my other side to stop me from standing anyway. He hands me a glass of water before adding, “And keep yourself hydrated.”

I take a sip of the water, feeling his eyes watching me and scrutinising until I do. After putting the glass down onto a side table by the bed, I glance around at all of them. They’re all standing around my bed, looking concerned for me, but okay.We’re really all okay…My gaze darts back to Darren again, noticing that he does look a little paler than usual. He’s wearing a clean, forest green shirt that looks like it should belong to Rhydian, and his eyes are just a little red.

He could have died. I love him and he could of died.

“How did that all just happen?” I ask, brushing off my own line of thought by directing a question to Rhydian, who is now standing at the foot of the bed.

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