It felt disgusting. Like my body was being invaded.
“You took me and initiated me into the White Lotus. I was too young. You abused me in the name of toughening me up for my role. You didn't do anything for me.”
Pain lashed through me as my magic tried to fight his. He held up his hands, his magic exploding around us. White dots covered my vision.
“I gave you a home,” he said, a magic whip now extending from his hand. “I accepted you into my coven, even though your parents fucked everything up. I didn't hold their sins against you.”
“The only sin they committed was believing you in the first place.”
He let out a laugh. Only then did I realize how similar he and Aurelia’s brother were, both overtaken by the madness of power.
“Why did you even align with him?” I had to quickly roll out of the way as he tried to whip me. My entire body screamed at me to stop. I tried to call for my magic, but it was backfiring. “Wasn’t this whole thing about the prophecy?”
“You still know nothing!”
He tried to hit me again, but only got my foot as I dodged. White-hot pain shot up my body. His magic was attacking mine, and I wasn't strong enough to fight it.
I tried to call forth anything, but the light that came from my hands quickly disappeared, leaving me all alone. Powerless.
If I don’t come up with something quickly, he may take over my entire body, steal my magic, and leave me to rot.
“You sent us to watch Vesper. To make sure she saw the prophecy through. Why did we get so involved when you were just going to ally yourself with him and throw away everything we worked?—”
“Because I wanted it for myself!” he screeched and sent out a blast of magic that knocked me off my feet. “Because for years and years, I helped them take other vampires’ life force. I watched as they grew powerful only to be stuck with the shitty magic all of you fed me. It wasn'tenough.”
The air was knocked out of me.
We were more intricately connected than I ever imagined. This didn't just span my lifetime—this had been going on for decades.
This was why the runes had looked familiar at the castle and the council. He was the one behind the scenes, helping them with everything, telling us we were there to enact the prophecy when he was using us to take back the power he thought he was owed.
“But the family didn't trust witches,” I said and pushed myself up, shockwaves still running up my body. “Let me guess—after you did the work, you were ousted.” I let out a laugh.“You thought you were going to have the first coven to make good with the vampires because you taught them thisdisgustingmagic. You didn't care that they were using witches or their own people.”
“Because they were going to give it all to me!” he bellowed. “That was our deal. I would do the work, they would act as my guinea pigs, and then I would take it all. But they went back on their word, and they kept that stupid woman locked up.”
It all comes back to this. The one bloodline everyone has always thirsted after.
Ice-cold realization froze me to the ground.
“You want them to die so you can take their place. Why didn't you just take Aurelia when she was here?”
He gave me a smirk.
“I had a plan. Keep her here, eventually gain her trust. To them, it would look like I was still on their side, but when it was time, I would have both her and her mother to feed me.”
The euphoric expression on his face only made me more nauseous, especially after having seen what really went down in the dungeon. Even imagining Aurelia bleeding out for him…
I will never let that happen. I will burn everything to the ground first.
“You'll never stop, will you?”
“Why would I? I deserve what is rightfully mine. And I will take it. I don't care who stands in my way. Including you.”
That was all I needed to know. My mind went back to Morgan.
She knew nothing would be enough until I got revenge. Because the witch in front of me was crazy with the need for power. There would be no changing him. And if he was left in this world, we would always be on the run. Always trying to save ourselves from anyone wanting to use Aurelia’s blood.
I held out my hand, focusing on it. Calling the orb to me.
