Just another message. Another warning.
Maybe it was time I sent one of my own.
My shadows forged their way into my victims’ eyes and noses, prying open their lips and burrowing down their throats. Their veins bulged and turned black. Shadows filled their bodies, pushing against their skin until they cracked from the inside.
“Devora!” Nox shouted from behind me. “Devora, stop! Look what it’s doing to you.”
His words barely managed to break through my anger. I glanced down to find my own veins darkened with black and red, shadows flowing like rivulets down my body.
My breath quickened. Fear returned, only to be slammed back by the force of my magic.
Finish this, it hissed, more powerful than ever before.
Magic rose inside of me, all the way from my feet to my hands. My arms trembled. With a scream that made my throat raw, I slammed my hands into the ground.
All seven bodies crashed with it.
But instead of landing on the grass, they vanished into smoke.
The second my shadows seeped back into my skin, I staggeredbackward, the exhilarating surge of power suddenly morphing into terror.
Tessa, Kieran, Everett, and Milo all stared back at me. Their clothes were ripped, their faces bloodied, their weapons limp at their sides. And their eyes…
Scared. Wary. Distrusting.
Nox came into view and kneeled before me, those navy pools full of concern. I realized my entire body was shaking. I could barely draw breath. He slowly reached out and cupped my face in his hands.
“Nox,” I whispered hoarsely. “What have I done?”
59
Devora
My hands trembled as I washed them in the water basin, watching flecks of dried blood and mud fall away. I scrubbed them until they were raw. Until the pale skin was bright pink and stinging, and even then, I felt the blood from my shadows lurking just beneath the surface.
Why did they do that? Why did Iwantthem to? I—I murdered all those men. Ienjoyedit. I felt powerful. In control. As if it proved I was stronger than the fears I carried with me.
My shadows had never acted like that before. We moved in tandem; they knew what I wanted before I did, and they reacted the way I needed them to. But this time it felt liketheywere controllingme. They told me what I wanted. They pushed me to the edge and beyond with their vicious little thoughts.
I gripped the porcelain basin, looking up into the mirror on the wall. My skin was sallow, my hair limp and sagging. The beautiful gown I’d worn to the wedding was torn and covered in blood, and a hint of smoke still hovered around my eyes.
I didn’t want tobecomethat. I didn’t want that sick, twisted part of me that relished in bloodshed to ever consume me like that again.
“Devora, darling?” Nox’s hesitant voice came from the door tothe bathing chamber. I hastily straightened and wiped my hands as he stepped inside. “Are you?—”
“I’m fine,” I said, then cleared my throat. “How—how is Milo?”
Nox searched my face for a moment. “Not good. I don’t think he’s processed what happened. He’s taking the lead in the hospital wing, even when we’ve told him we have plenty of Alchemists who can help.”
“How many?” I whispered.
He knew what I meant. “Nine in the hospital wing. Everett took a nasty lash to the eye, but he’ll be okay. Two are in critical condition. And three…three didn’t make it. Including Silas.”
I closed my eyes.Three dead. I felt the loss in my core, and I knew the others were taking it even harder.
“How can I help?” I asked, setting the towel down.
“You need to rest, Devora. We don’t know what happened to you out there.”
