Page 9 of The Magic of Revenge
‘What do you mean, six? I had five and now one of them is dead! The others are missing. I don’t know what you want with me, but I don’t believe I’m the person you think I am!’I screamed, frustrated. If the stars thought I was just going to go find two more men to add to my bed, they were sorely fucking mistaken. Not that Bram had technically been with me like that yet, but it was just a matter of time before that happened.
‘Go, child. Destiny awaits,’the voice commanded and the dreamscape in front of me began to fade from my vision, everything going black.
My eyes cracked open, the darkness replaced by sunlight streaming through the large windows in my bedroom. Ugh. I felt like I’d been hit by a freaking truck. Every muscle in my body felt completely exhausted. Just opening my eyes hurt, and my head was pounding.
Fischer.
His face flashed in my mind, his soft curls, his sweet smile, and gentle personality.Oh gods. How could you take such a perfect man from me?
Tears began pouring down my cheeks before I even processed it. My heart felt like it had been physically ripped from my chest and stomped on. As if losing my boyfriend wasn’t devastating enough, my mother had to be the one responsible for his death.
My body began shaking, loss and heartbreak taking over every fiber of my being. Tears fell as I squeezed my eyes shut and I felt a warm ball of fur slink up from under the covers, tickling my legs.
Maven’s little face poked out from under the blanket, his blue eyes furrowed in concern.
“Mave—” I choked, grabbing him and pulling his little body against me. He whimpered, licking my face. “Oh gods, Mave. Everything is fucked. The guys are gone and I have no idea how to get them back. F-Fischer... My sweet G-Guppy...” My throat felt too tight to continue talking so I just buried my face in his fur and cried.
Maven released a mournful howl. He always knew when I was hurting.
Seconds later, I shrieked when the door to my bedroom flew open and there stood Bram.
“Oh thank the silky fucking stars!” he exclaimed, charging for the bed like a madman. “Princess, you scared the fuck out of me. My asshole has been quivering for days—in fear. Not arousal. Fuck. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like not having my man-gina clenched up tighter than a bull’s asshole in the height of fly season.”
A mixture of a laugh and a sob broke free at his ridiculous words. Bram shushed me as he slid into bed beside me, pulling me tightly against his body.
“Sweet Goldie, my queen. How do you feel? Are you hungry? In any pain? I’ve been by your side for the past day. I only just left the room about ten minutes ago to get something to eat, then I heard Maven,” he explained, his fingers tucking my hair behind my ear.
“What happened, Bram? My body feels drained. I’m not sure I’d even be able to stand on my own if I tried.”
“Do you remember much?” he asked gently, his fingertips trailing up my arm in a comforting motion.
Another tear broke free and Bram brushed it away, kissing the spot with his soft lips.
“I remember enough. Fischer’s gone. The guys are gone.” My gaze snapped to his in hope; he’d said I’d been out of it for a day, maybe they came back?
As though he could read my thoughts, his eyes softened and he shook his head. “No, Goldie girl. They’re not here. We’re not sure where they are.”
“I don’t remember anything after seeing Fish—” My voice broke and the pain came back in full force.
“Princess. Listen to me. Something happened in the woods. I’m not even sure what exactly, but you kind of detonated—magically.” He reached out and cupped my cheek with his hand, his thumb gently moving over my cheekbone. My eyes fluttered at the simple touch, but it was a touch that I desperately needed. “The amount of power you have is amazing and terrifying all at once. Half of the forest was felled.” Bram looked equal parts amazed and concerned, but I just felt sick.
“Oh no,” I breathed, feeling the loss of nature as acutely as the stab of a knife. Those woods were where I grew up, mastered my affinity, honed my craft. And I’d destroyed it.
“That’s not all, Goldie.” Bram’s tone took a serious, more ominous tone that instantly put me on edge. Gods, please don’t tell me I’d harmed someone.
“Just tell me.”
“I think it’s best if I show you,” he replied, slipping off the bed and holding out his hand to me.
The room spun as I sat upright. Groaning, I pushed my hair back from my face. It felt strangely soft despite having been lying in bed. That’s when I spotted the brush on my nightstand and I knew without asking that my demon had been brushing my hair while I slept.
“If you can’t walk, I’ll carry you.” Bram took my hands and helped me to stand. My knees trembled with the effort and he wrapped an arm around my waist, tucking me snug against his tall frame.
“Okay, let’s do this,” I mumbled, confused and searching internally for the strength I wasn’t sure I was going to find. A person could only take so much, and the past several weeks had been full of more excitement than I’d ever experienced in my entire twenty-eight years.
“I got you, tiny warrior. I’ll never let you fall,” Bram assured me and I was a little surprised at how my insides still turned to goo when he went all sweet psycho on me.
He ushered me out of my room and we took a left. There were two other bedrooms on the top floor of my house. One of them I had set up as an office area, and the other was the guest room. The latter was where we were headed.What does he want to show me in there?
