Page 86 of This Vicious Dream

“Move!”he roars.

I stagger to my feet, mud slick beneath me. My lungs heave, and I reach deep for my power, aiming at the soldier furthest from the swamp.

The waterlogged air makes my power sluggish. But my fire startles him, and he stumbles towards the others, who bolt from the flames.

Toward the swamp. And the serpent.

Even Kyldare is forced to run as the serpent’s body coils, striking out at the soldier closest to him.

The chaos is exactly what we needed, and yet—even with the knowledge of what those soldiers would do to me—I can’t help but shudder at the thought of their watery demise. All I can hear is the sound of splashing water and panicked screams.

I sprint for the tree, and Calysian glowers at me, reaching out to slam his hand into the trunk.

“You’re welcome,” I snap.

“Don’t push me.” His voice is mild, but fury lingers in his eyes.

I’d thought the tree would fight him as it fought Bridin. But the trunk peels back, the tree sacrificing itself as it strips layer after layer of bark, until the grimoire is exposed.

So much trouble for such a small, ordinary-looking book.

Calysian sucks in a breath, and it’s as if the grimoire is all that exists in the world as he reaches for it, his entire body tense.

“No!” Kyldare screams, but it’s too late.

The moment Calysian touches the cover, the grimoire disappears. Along with the sun.

BOOM

Power explodes from Calysian, and I drop to my knees, dizzy. The sun reappears, and when he turns, he looks larger, his eyes distant and cold once more. His lips twist into a cruel smile.

I suck in a breath as he surveys the soldiers.

Calysian is gone.

This is Calpharos.

My lungs turn to stone. I swore I wouldn’t let this happen. I promised myself I would keep him here.

“Calysian,” I say.

He ignores me, his eyes narrowing on the witch at his feet. He kicks her onto her back, and her eyes flutter open.

“You thought to take from me,” he purrs. “Now I’ll take from you.”

“Calysian!”

“Silence,” he hisses, and when he finally looks at me, I freeze, my instincts warning me to be small and quiet. To slowly slink away and hope the predator in front of me ceases to notice my existence.

But it’s too late for that. “You were the one who hid this from me.” His voice is a low croon, and I shudder beneath the weight of it. “You thought to deny me what is mine.”

“You swore you wouldn’t do this,” I snap.

A hint of surprise flashes across his face. “You dare speak to me in such a tone?”

Something wrenches in my chest. Something that feels almost like…betrayal.

And yet I’m the one in the wrong here. Thisgodis only revealing who he truly is. I’m the one who somehow thought I could control him. I’m the one who thought he would stay human.

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