Page 71 of Shattered Veil
Then a third Brigid. This time she looks at me with disgust.
“Or is this what truly terrifies you?” the doppelgänger continues.“That she’ll know the truth and turn away in loathing?”
I clench my fists, fighting the urge to lash out.“Fuck you,” I snarl.
The doppelgänger laughs.“Such anger. Such fear. You claim to want to protect her, but deep down, you know the truth. You’re the real threat.”
I grit my teeth, shadows coiling around my fists.“You don’t know me.”
The doppelgänger’s lips curve into a mocking smile.“Would you use her, just like everyone else in your life has used you?”
The doppelgänger’s form shifts again, becoming me. But this version of me is different - eyes black as pitch, shadows writhing around my body like living things. Black wings extend like shadows behind me.
“Is this is what you really are? A monster wearing human skin.” It’s not a question.
I force myself to look, to really look at this dark reflection. It’s everything I fear becoming, yet everything I’ve been groomed to be, for years.
“You’re right,” I say quietly.“This is part of me. But it’s not all of me.”
When the shadows clear, the doppelgänger is gone. The wraith stands before me again, its glowing eyes unreadable.
“You may pass,” it rasps, fading away.
I step through the exit, into too-bright daylight. It takes a minute to realize I’m out of the labyrinth and standing at in the middle of the academy training field.
As the sun beats down on the training field, more contestants stumble out of the labyrinth. Their faces are etched with exhaustion and relief. Some collapse to their knees, while others scan the crowd frantically, searching for familiar faces.
I watch Brigid disappear into the throng with Eira, fighting the urge to follow. My skin still crawls from the wraith’s challenge, and I need a moment to collect myself.
A flash of pale skin catches my eye. Laria emerges from the labyrinth. Her eyes are sharp as she surveys the field. When they land on me, her lips curl into a sneer.
Laria stalks towards me. As she approaches, I can see the barely contained fury in her eyes.
“So now you’re playing bodyguard for the shadow bitch?”
I step towards her.
“Listen carefully, because I’m only going to say this once. If you so much as look at Brigid wrong, I’ll peel the skin from your bones. Slowly. I’ll carve my name into your flesh with a rusty blade and leave you for the sun.”
Laria’s alabaster skin somehow manages to blanch further, her eyes widening slightly. I press on, stepping closer until we’re almost touching.
I smile, and it’s not a nice expression.
“And if you think your vampire healing will save you, think again. I’ll keep you alive, in agony, for days. Weeks. However long it takes for you to truly understand the depth of your mistake.”
“The Council— “
“The Council can go fuck themselves,” I snarl.
“You psycho,” she hisses.“You’re both fucking freaks who deserve each other.”
“First thing you’ve gotten right,” I say. Then I walk off the field, following Brigid’s path.
Chapter Thirty-One
Brigid
Eira talked me into eating a late dinner with her and Finn in the dining hall after the labyrinth challenge, but it’s a sweet relief when I finally get back to my room. I’m happy to be alive, but the image of my doppelgänger’s cold, dead eyes haunts me. As soon as I close the door behind me, I make a beeline for my bed.
