Page 26 of Midnight Reign
Corvus growls and leaps at me, his fangs bared as he latches onto the cuts in my skin and suckles harshly. The sting makes me hiss, but I don’t want him to stop.
“It’s time to break you, princess,” Zephyr murmurs. “And when we’re done, we will stitch you back together, a little ragdoll, just for us.”
Ignatius moves in next to Corvus, his eyes burning with an intense flame. He reaches out, and as his fingers trace the lines of blood on my skin, they ignite. I gasp as the fire licks my wounds, searing them shut. The pain is intense, but there’s a strange satisfaction in it. I need it. It’s sating the need for pain, the itch to hurt and know that I’m capable of feelingsomething.
The fire dies down, and Ignatius pulls me into a fierce kiss, his tongue dancing with mine. Corvus shuffles to the side, his vampire claws digging into my hip. Blood wells up, and he drops to his knees to drink the droplets from my skin.
“What breaks you, princess?” Zephyr murmurs. “What do we have to do to you to make you crack?”
I pant, suspended in the air by Zephyr’s magick, my body aching with pleasure and pain. I try to focus on his words, but my mind is hazy. “I don’t know,” I rasp.
Zephyr takes in every inch of my body. “Perhaps we’ll find out,” he muses with a wicked smile. He snaps his fingers, and the tendrils of darkness tighten around me, sending a fresh wave of pain through my body. I cry out, my back arching as I struggle against the magickal bonds.
Ignatius has his hands on me again, glowing with fire. He reaches up, his fingers trailing over my skin, leaving a path of heat in their wake, burning me, scorching my skin until I scream.
Zephyr chuckles, his eyes alight with amusement. “Ah, I see,” he says. “You like the fire, princess?”
I nod, my breath coming in short gasps. “Yes.”
“Good. Let’s see how much you can take.”
He snaps his fingers again, and the tendrils of darkness constrict further, forcing me to arch my back even more until I’m horizontal with the floor. Ignatius trails his glowing fingers down my chest, leaving a searing path of flames that lick at my breasts. I cry out, writhing in the air as the tendrils tighten further. The more I move, the more they tighten. I’m being choked by the one around my neck, but I don’t care. I need it.
Zephyr leans in close, his lips brushing against my ear. “Do you want more, princess?”
I nod frantically, my body craving the pain and pleasure that they’re inflicting on me. “Yes, Master. More.”
Zephyr chuckles darkly, his fingers tracing a line up my inner thigh.
The magick shadows cut into my skin as Ignatius’ fingers trail down my stomach, leaving a burning path of fire. I scream, my body writhing in agony and ecstasy as the flames lick at my skin, searing me to the core.
Corvus moves in closer again, his fangs bared as he leans in to lick the blood that’s seeping from the cuts on my skin. I moan, my body trembling as I feel his tongue against my sensitive flesh.
I can feel Zaiah’s intense gaze on me. “What do you wish for, Addy?” he murmurs.
“More,” I pant before I realise my mistake.
Zaiah laughs. It’s the darkest sound I’ve ever heard come from his lips, and it chills me. He moves closer, and then steps to the side. He is at the top of my head as I writhe against the magick, and pain inflicted by these creatures. He places his hands lightly on the sides of my head.
There is a blinding white flash of light, and I scream.
11
ZAIAH
I grunt.The extreme kick I get from using Addy’s power to boost my own is mind-bending. I channel my power of prophetic visions into her thoughts, amplified by her ability. She screams. It is ricocheting through her mind, causing her immeasurable pain, but I can sense that she doesn’t want me to stop. She wants more. Whatever she can see is making her pant through the agony. I can’t see anything. This is all about her. Her wish. Her thoughts. Her pain.
Adelaide’s energy mingles with mine, amplifying my abilities to heights I’ve never experienced before. It’s exhilarating and terrifying all at once.
Gritting my teeth, I push harder, delving deeper into the stream of prophetic energy. My form begins to shimmer and blur at the edges, the strain of channelling so much power threatens to destabilise my physical manifestation in this realm.
“Zaiah,” Adelaide gasps between screams, her body arching. “Don’t stop.”
I’m sweating as I pour more power into our connection.
The air around us crackles with energy. Objects in the room begin to levitate, caught in the vortex of our combined magick.
As I push harder, I catch glimpses of what Adelaide is seeing. They’re fragmented, chaotic - flashes of battles yet to be fought, faces twisted in agony or triumph, landscapes both familiar and alien. But try as I might, I can’t piece them together into a coherent narrative. These visions are for Adelaide to comprehend, and I’m just along for the ride. I have never been able to do this before. I have never even heard of this being possible. We have our visions, but forcing a vision on someone else or being part of it is new and exciting as fuck. Groundbreaking, even. This is all her. It has absolutely nothing to do with me.
