She inspected me, lifting her hand so her dagger-sharp nail could graze up and down her long neck as the gears turned in her mind. Would I be able to read her thoughts like I did others, see what plans she had in store?
“I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” she hissed.
God, she was in my head. She’d know everything I would do before even I did. Marcus knew her, but I wasn’t sure how. Was she working with him? With the darklings? I’d been so desperate to find out what had come over me in the metal shop, what had compelled me to lose control. Now that I knew, it only uncovered more questions, more pieces to the puzzle we couldn’t put together.
When her eyes met mine, I fought to hold her gaze, my body trembled but I couldn’t back down. She seemed amused by that. “Did you know each of your past lives has had a certain affinity for particular abilities?”
I remained silent.
“Moira was especially gifted when it came to shadowmancy and healing. Strange combination, if you ask me.” Eris’ hand passed through the air, summoning an image of Moira in the darkness, her moon white hair hanging in curls around her face—my face. Pale aquamarine eyes looked through me, unseeing, her chin held high. It was as if I were watching a moment frozen in time, her standing before me though she was long gone.
“Elena—” She moved her hand through the air, an image of Elena coming to life beside Moira, her blonde, braided hair hanging over her shoulder. She wore the black Elythian leather armor of The Order. “Was a talented shifter.”
“Lucia had a particular affinity for bending the mind.” Lucia appeared before me, so real, her rich black hair lying over her shoulders, pale eyes almost glowing, the eyes they all shared...
The eyes I didn’t have.
“You, however.” Eris’ eyes shifted to me. Moira, Elena, and Lucia images disappeared into inky blackness. “You have a flame dancing within you.”
“Flame?” I asked hoarsely.
“They say Hephaestus was the one to give the immortals flame magic, but the tales are lies,” she said, as if losing track of her thoughts, her voice dropping into a near whisper. “The ancient souls of Hesperian’s Reach were the true bearers of the flame, the true source. Oh how it angered them when Zeus changed the history, snuffing out any record of their contribution. They still harbor hatred to this day, stewing in their caves...”
I couldn’t make sense of what she was saying as she continued on, muttering on and on about places and things I’d never heard of, but I latched onto the one thing that stood out to me. “You’re saying I’m better suited for using flame magic?”
She cocked her head, her sharp nail gliding up along her neck. “I must say, I admire that fire of yours. I’ve wanted so badly to test the true limits of it.” Her eyes grew wide with excitement. “I wonder if we could burn this very city to ashes.”
She leaned in, her breath ice cold as she whispered into my ear. “We could burn the world to ashes if we wanted, bring both realms to their knees. Imagine what we could do together. We would beunstoppable.”
“Is that why you’ve been in my head all this time? So, you could push me to do those horrible things? So, you could use me?” I tried to hide the shake in my voice, tried to hold her gaze as she shifted away from me, but I was wavering.
“It was fun, I will admit, feeling those powers you possess, seeing just what you could do with your mortal limitations.” Her onyx eyes roamed over me, as if assessing. “It’s a shame you’re not immortal.”
That statement cut into me like a dagger, sinking into a deeper part of me.
She reached out, and my body tensed as she dragged her nail up my arm. I braced myself for her to sink those claws into me, to tear me apart. “You were too soft, too inexperienced to wield them the way they should be. Call it a gentle nudge in the right direction.”
“Right direction?” I couldn’t stop myself from scoffing. “I’ve been tormented by those decisionsyoupushed me to make!”
Her eyes flashed to me. “If I recall, you asked for my help, mortal. Begged me to save your mate when Marcus might’ve ended his life, and I did. You should be thanking me.”
My eyes left hers. “I didn’t ask you to kill Marcus the way you did.”
“Oh hush, you wanted him dead as much as I did.”
I stopped breathing. She wanted Marcus dead? Why?
“Because he would have gotten in your way,” she said, answering the questions in my head.
My heart stuttered. “What do you mean?”
Her eyes drifted down as she turned away from me. “You are going to face far greater horrors to come. You were such a weak little lamb; you wouldn’t be where you are now if I hadn’t helped you.”
I frowned. What benefit would she have if I mastered my powers? How exactly had she been helping me? “I’ve been getting along just fine mastering my magic without your help.”
She whirled to me. “Oh?”
My breath hitched in my throat as she appeared before me, her lips peeling into a crazed grin. Black mist danced around her as she pressed her nail to my chest. Shattering pain pierced me so fast and hard I gasped, body recoiling.
