Page 45 of Courting Envy
As my people.
The rage was rising inside me, the demonic power that was so linked to this realm. I'd thought that I could feel it before, thought that it was threatening to overwhelm me, to tear me apart, but now I could see that the only thing it had threatened was my ability to hold back from this place. The magic was like a tidal wave swelling in me and there was no holding it back now.
I flicked my wrists and the restraints fell away, clinking to the ground. That sharp noise jerked Ragnar's attention toward me, and I smiled at him, knowing exactly what was to come. The look of confusion on his face was so delightful. He had no idea.
"What-"
I lifted one foot and stomped it down onto the stone floor. The shockwave smashed into him, disintegrating his body followed by all those who'd been stupid enough to take his lead.
Silence filled the room as the dust settled. Now that the immediate threat had been dealt with, I turned my energy towards the rest of Envy. It was sick, weakened, and so ready for someone to look after it.
Someone like me.
No. Just me.
I was the queen here in every way now and I could feel that all the way to my bones. Could feel the bonds I felt towards the three demons in this room, feel their love pouring towards me, tethering us together. I used that love, used my own, and spread my arms wide, letting the magic flow from me and wash through the whole of Envy.
It rippled out from this chamber, transforming it from a cold, cursed place to an underground grotto. Life spread across the floor, up the walls. A well formed in the middle, swallowing the hateful chair and the ashes of those who had tried to defile me. Warm light filtered down from above, brighter than before.
I closed my eyes and felt the rest of the circle respond to me, felt the way that when I breathed life and abundance into different areas it fed that power right back to me. I was a conduit, an ever-increasing power. Unstoppable.
The magic flowed outward, transforming the castle, returning it to its former glory. It flooded through streets of the city, made gardens flourish and trees bloom, heavy fruits developing within moments.
Everything that this circle had hungered for was happening, and the energy passed through me and back to me, looping and cycling, the splendor of this realm finally overcoming any resistance I’d had.
I was home.
Chapter thirty
Lucien
Ravawas...Resplendent.Greenmagic shimmered across her skin and glistening light flowed from her, flooding into Envy.
I had never had this power, and I could see now that it was never meant for me. Hell – Envy – needed this woman's touch, needed her unique way of seeing things. The ground didn't shake and shudder with her changes this time, but I could feel the shift in the air, the ground, the very energy of this place. No longer was it the site of my breaking.
It was the site of her birth. Where she stepped fully into her power and became one with Envy.
I sank to my knees before her. There was lush moss on the stones beneath me, cushioning my bones. Kyveli and Reon dropped to their knees as well.
It was impossible not to.
Rava was everything in this moment, a veritable goddess of our realm. I would grovel on my hands and knees to be part of her life if that's what it took; if only it hadn't taken me so fucking long to see that nothing mattered but having her in my life.
She floated toward us, gossamer strands of emerald spinning in the air. She hovered in front of me, and I finally looked up into her face. She was fucking radiant. My heart clenched thinking that I could have lost her just because I was such a stubborn, jealous idiot.
"Rava," I said, my voice hoarse with emotion.
"Lucien." She reached a hand out to cup my face. "Thank you for freeing me. You did it. You broke the curse."
My heart swelled at those words. I had?
I had.
In letting go of my envy I'd given up my claim to the throne, given up the power this sin had over me – a chain around my neck that I’d never seen before – and set her free to be the incredible queen I saw before me.
"Can you forgive me for being an idiot?" I asked. My voice trembled as I waited for her to speak, to give me some kind of sign about whether she still wanted me in her life.
Rava got down on her knees so that she was right before me. It felt wrong. Felt like she should always be above me, like I wanted to worship at her feet for eternity.
