Page 133 of Rose and Shadows
“Yeah… harder,” I breathed in mock-pleasure.
With a roar, he was in my space and grasping my chin, forcing my head back at an uncomfortable angle as he got up really close and stared into my eyes.
“Seems I’ve caught you at the perfect time,” I rumbled. “While you’re on the edge having just suffered through so many of yourPuritascells being destroyed. The Guardian Movement and The Shadowed really bring it well when they work in tandem, hmm? No judgment to you losing your grip from all that failure. I mean, your despicable empire is crumbling around you. All you have left is this Hail Mary of Morien taking my power and using it to wipe out all those hybrids you so dementedly despise. And now you discover that you can’t breakthe one thing standing in the way of giving my dear father what he needs to become powerful enough to accomplish that.”
He released my hair, then reared back and struck me in the face—with his magic.
As my head snapped to the side, I tasted blood.
Perfect—as my lovely Dark Beauty would say.
Fucking perfect beyond belief.
He’d just unwittingly opened up a blood-magic connection I could exploit.
Game on, motherfuckers.
The magical binds tightened then untightened, the mixture of magic belonging to two different beings while my blood was in the air being registered too, confusing the mechanics of the device.
Just as I’d predicted.
“Get back!” Morien cried out.
I smirked.
His eyes widened, and then he hesitated looking at the containment cylinders and the door, a moment before he teleported out in a burst of gray power.
In the very next second I called my power in a sudden surge.
Searing pain started to tear through me—but only for a second.
Because then I burst from one of the restraints with my magic and snagged Gregor, wrapping one of the binds around him and sealing him to the chair with my own power.
I ripped myself free all the way and with what I’d done,hetook the brunt of it, shrieking and convulsing as he hung off the chair bound there by one hand as my magic usage punishedhim.
Poetic justice had never been sweeter.
“Come!” he shrieked. “Subdue him!”
I swept my hand around the room, ripping away the illusion.
The altar was still there.
The core. The magic.
The only addition to the space that had been hidden were the other walls and a door to my left.
In seconds, part of what remained ofPuritascame barreling through.
Before I could tend to that insanity and the few hundred fools rushing into the space, trying to shove through the door, unstable surges of magic caught my attention and I looked to see the chair about to detonate.
What Morien had warned about.
I went to dart toward the containment cylinders, but blasts of magic began raining down on me, making me hiss as they burned into me.
I pushed on, blasting back at them.
But there were so many and that Light Fae dust was compromising me.
