Page 119 of When Storms Ruin

Annelise flinched back at Donika’s words, a tear falling from her cheek into the dirt. All this talk about moving against Donika, but the truth was, she hadn’t been ready to face her. At least, not like this.

On her knees before her. Again.

“What do you want?” I asked through my teeth.

“The same thing I wanted last time, little sister. I want the grimoire, and I want you dead,” she replied with a wicked smile.

My eyes met Nik’s and the expression in his gaze threatened to unravel me. We had to make it out of this. Wehadto. If we could convince her to capture us instead of kill us, we could find a way to escape the Stormvault.

We had done it once, we could do it again.

“And daddy dearest?” Donika turned towards Zion with a laugh. “You…now you surprised me. You had me fooled. You stood by my side all these years, pretending to back my claim to the throne. But you turned on me, too. Just like everyone else.” Donika shot a glance towards Nik’s father before turning back to us. “My, my, the family drama.”

“I did not want to turn on you, Donika, but I cannot stand by as I watch you murder innocents,” he pleaded.

“None of them are innocent,” she spat, her temper rising.

While her attention was focused on Zion, I reached into the core of my magic and fueled it through my fingertips, thunder rolling overhead, and a lightning strike poised to crack right before me. As the bolt of energy shot from the air Donika raised her staff and the magic dissipated.

Her smile deepened as she met my gaze, my stomach lurching.

Had Donika just…no. She couldn’t.

Had Donika just used storm magic?

She threw her head back, her white and blue hair cascading around her as the wind whipped in a vortex between us. I did as she had, reaching my magic out and leaching the energy from her gale.

Her laughing continued as she slid her onyx blade back into the holster on her hip.

A deadly silence spread around us, and no one spoke. The only sound was my rapid breathing as I gathered magic in my core, preparing to strike.

“Little sister, if you dare lash out at me with your storm magic again…my soldiers will slit Nik’s throat before my body even hits the ground,” she warned, her eyes hardening.

My eyes darted towards Nik whose jaw was set, his head held back against the chest of one of the soldiers.

A blade at his throat.

“May the mother damn you, Donika.” The words ground out through my clenched teeth.

“The mother damned me a long, long time ago. Now give me the grimoire,” she crooned.

“It’s not like I have it on me,” I replied tightly. “And what do you need it for, anyway? You don’t need the siphoning spell anymore.”

“I might notneedit anymore, but I still want it,” she replied, snapping her fingers at her side.

A soldier moved forwards then, a slumped body in his arms. Even without seeing his face, I recognized Isaac. He was curled in on himself, a keening cry escaping his lips.

“What have you done to him?” I demanded, taking a step forwards.

Donika’s serpent staff lashed out faster than I could blink, landing against my stomach. “Not another step,” she cautioned, “or he dies.”

I swallowed hard, pressing my eyes closed tightly.

“What do you want with him?” I asked, meeting her gaze once more.

“Weren’t you curious where I got this storm magic from?” She cackled.

She held her palm out, a blazing flame licking against the skin of her hand, but never burning her. The gem set in the bezel of her staff was glowing, ablaze with flickering flames that glowed within.

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