With a tick of my head, an ember glows on the ground by my feet. I stare at him, and once his eyes lock with mine, I entice the flame forward. It threatens to catch the rest of the dry grass ablaze, but I keep it contained to a singular line, pointed directly at Callum.
Neither of our eyes waver, and he starts a stream of shadows on the ground, perfectly in line with mine.“Are you sure you want to play this game?”he whispers down the bond I thought was closed off. I don’t let it rattle me. Instead, I keep my expression blank and slowly close the connection until I’m left alone with my thoughts.
Our lines stop just inches apart. I only know by the intoxicating pull his power has toward mine, and I have to fight every urge to combine them. Odeyssa’s energy shifts, and before I can tell her not to do anything rash, Voraxis releases a ferocious roar.
He has syringes, he warns. My eyes beg to dart down, look at his hands, but he inches his shadows toward my flame, and I match him, only a breath separating them.
It’s sudden, the way the switch inside me flips. One second, I’m thinking of how we’re going to get out of this mess, and the next…the smile of death pulls at my lips, and I’m starving for chaos.
He must see it too, because the shadows try to recede, but I send the flames barreling toward them, and when they meet, it’s like a euphoric high. An explosion of destruction, separating our two sides and spanning out the length of a football field. It reaches heights I can’t see, going up into the light-blue sky withease. But I don’t waste any time. Sprinting forward, I can hear the distant plea of Odeyssa not to engage and feel the distinct beat of Voraxis’s wings as he takes flight.
But I don’t turn around, don’t respond as I barrel my way through the darkness, blinded when I’m in the center, but it does nothing to slow down my path. I know where he stands, can feel the wrath radiating off him. However, there’s something I don’t take into account, and it could be the sliver that separates life and death. Callum hides in the shadows, slinking around where nobody can see. And I just gave him the ultimate chess board.
In the center of the storm, the smoke is thick, but I push through. Getting to the other side, I shouldn’t be surprised when he’s no longer standing in the same spot. Neither is his tagalong.
I spin in a circle, listening for any sign of where he’s hiding. Odeyssa screams for me on the other side, but I tune her out, honing in on one particular sound I know all too well. His heartbeat is like a calling card, one that mine—unfortunately—answers. Turning away from the smoke, I know he’s inching close. Even without the signs, the scent of eucalyptus will give him away every time.
We have to get out of here,Voraxis demands.
No!I bellow.We fight.Callum’s hand swings up, most likely to inject me with whatever poison they’re carrying, but one ofmyshadows snaps out at the last minute, locking in around his throat.
The syringe drops to the ground, and I turn around, not hesitating before stomping on the barbaric weapon. He grimaces in my hold but easily gets out. The smoke begins to fade, from what I’m assuming is the help from Voraxis’s wings. “What was your game plan?”
“Oh, it’s playing out beautifully.” My head tilts to the side, and it dawns on me as soon as I feel the indescribable scrape of a needle against my arm. Flames consume me, lighting up with apainful heat.
The guy hisses behind me but doesn’t plunge it into my skin. He should’ve, because now he’s gonna die for his sins. Callum grips my arm hard enough to bruise, not caring about the fire that’s blistering his palms. I push the fire out toward his little friend, causing him to back up right where I want him. A vine snakes down and immediately wraps around his throat, hoisting him up high in the sky.
Voraxis shoots a fireball close to Callum, but he doesn’t move. My flames grow bigger, hotter, but he doesn’t let go. He tries to pull me toward him, but I resist. Rage takes over my vision, and the clouds above us—just seconds ago white and fluffy—turn a deep gray, overcasting the land. Lightning strikes in the sky, and I make sure to miss Voraxis with him still up there, clearly not backing down. Thunder rumbles through the realm right before rain pours down.
I push him back with a gust of wind, and he sails through the raindrops, skidding to a stop a few feet away. Odeyssa uses this opportunity, collecting the water with her mind, and it’s show-stopping. The water sphere forms in a matter of seconds, swirling as it heads over to the guy dangling in the tree at a rapid speed. I’m not even sure if he’s dead, but I don’t give a single fuck.
Callum grimaces, falling to his knees unexpectedly and bowing his head. I move the water accumulating around us toward him. It slithers over the ground like thousands of baby snakes until they form at the base of his knees. I begin hardening the liquid, making it turn to ice and hold him captive.
His head whips up, eyes pleasing when they meet mine. “Princess, it’s me.” He groans out in agony.
“Nice try.” Wind and rain slap against the side of my face, and I push him back with another gust of wind, relishing in the way some of his bones crack on impact. “Are you sure you’re going towin this game?” I throw back at him.
“Kallie, please. It’s me,” he pushes through gritted teeth.
“I’m not falling for this again!” I scream over the howling wind.
“It’s me!” he yells. “No, it’s not.” His voice changes, lower this time, any signs of pain gone in the blink of an eye. “Look out!” he warns, and I immediately roll to my right, popping back up on my feet. The other guy he came with rushes past, aiming for Callum.
We have to go!Voraxis says, but I can’t focus on him. I need to see this myself.
Not yet! I have to see this.
Callum flips over on his back, and the ice I had holding him hostage breaks, along with my concentration. He convulses on the ground as lightning strikes again.
As the other guy reaches him, I watch in slow motion as he plunges the needle in Callum’s neck, squeezing the end to inject its blue contents into his bloodstream.
But I could’ve sworn the serum was green.
It’s instant, the effect it has, as Callum’s body relaxes.
“Kallie! Now!” I’m not waiting to see this through, because Callum’s eyes open with leisure, turning his head to face me and giving me one of the most terrifying grins I’ve ever seen.
I’ve never truly been afraid of him. Not until this moment. I sprint left toward Odeyssa and don’t look back. Voraxis swoops down, ready to get us all out of here. But on his descent, a shadow lashes out, wrapping around his neck like a collar attached to a leash. The strength is nothing like I’ve ever seen before. Voraxis roars with surprise. He pulls against it, trying to break the hold, but it’s no use. My eyes follow the line, but I don’t need to. I know it is Callum before my eyes land on him, smile wide as he stares at me, knowing exactly what he’s doing.
