Page 17 of Spells of Shadow and Blood

“What are you doing?” he asked, his hands out in front of him as if he could stop me. As if he had the power. As if he couldeverstand against me.

I cocked my head to the side, a smile crossing my lips as I spoke the incantation again.

Darkness consumes you.

When the final words had left my lips and I stepped back, I smiled at him. A laugh bubbled to my lips as I watched him. The spell wouldn’t curse him immediately. No, it would work its way into his blood over time, and he would regret the day he ever thought he could take advantage of me.Hurt me. He would pay for using me. For tricking me.

“Your…your eyes.” The words left his lips in a strained exhale, as if they were pulled from the base of his throat.

I cocked my head to the side, narrowing those eyes at him. “What about them?”

But I already knew.

They had changed from glacial to cerulean to the color of the ocean once before. But now…

“They’re black…” His words trailed off, the night swallowing them.

“Is that so?” I replied, amused.

Of course they were.

Darkness hadn’t only consumed Malec this night. And as if it were a cure to the emotions that had threatened to tear me apart mere moments ago, I now feltnothing. I had been studying the dark spells foryearsnow, and they had become a part of me inthe process. They had me tight in their grip, and they were never going to let me go.

And I relished in it. The more I practiced my spells, the stronger I became. One day, I would be so strong and numb that nobody could ever hurt me or stand against me ever again.

His hand flew to his chest, his fingers splayed against the material there. As if something physical was changing within his heart.

Good.

Maybe he would think twice before laying hands on another girl when she said no. Maybe he would think twice about striking one. Stormshades were so…egotistical. So fucking selfish. Were they all the same? I hadn’t been deterred at first, but now I saw him for what he truly was.

He was just like my mother.

Just like the Stormshade that had murdered Emil in cold blood,simply because they could. They possessed the magic of the sky, and it made themarrogant.

I had grown stronger in these past years, but not strong enough, apparently. Not strong enough that a Stormshade would still dare to stand against me. He was lucky Osiris even let him be a part of the army with his tainted blood.

We hadn’t known it at the time, but the presence of Stormshades in the army and at the academy was short-lived. Osiris began hunting Stormshades that same month, before the next full moon waxed and waned.

And I loved a chase.

I was hungry for it. It filled the holes of the injustices done to me. Filled the holes of a mother who was absent my entire life. Filled the hole of a boyfriend who thought I was merely a pawn, my mere existence serving the only purpose of pleasing him. Filled the hole of losing Cirilla, the only person who ever tried to better me.

I trained harder, and harder, and harder.

I was going to become the strongest Nightshade in the entire realm. Stronger than Osiris, even.

I could sit on the throne someday. Iwouldsit on the throne someday.

I would be the most powerful Shade Istmere had ever seen.

A pang shot through me at the thought that my mother's little Stormshade whelp was technically the bloodline heir to the throne. She was Osiris’ daughter. Hisonlyheir.

That simply wouldn’t do at all.

I would need to do something about that.

And soon.

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