“You fucking left me,” Dex said. Every word dripping in venom. I deserved his ire, but he hadn’t earned my trust.
“I did.”
“Why?”
“You wouldn’t tell me what you planned to use those powers for, Dex.”
He stalked towards me, caging me against the wall. From what I could see of his features, it looked like his face was pulled into a sneer as he looked down at me with fire in his eyes and rage in his heart.
“Haven’t my actions spoken for themselves, Odessa? That I would have killed anyone that dared to harm you?”
“I don’t know that,” I said weakly.
“You do, but you just don’t want to admit it. You thought you would leave me, win Nocturne, and go back to your shitty fiancé. Isn’t that right?”
I shoved him square in the chest, but he hardly moved. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Don’t I?” His smile was full of malice.
I’d never really considered that Dex could cause me harm. On an abstract level, I had, but in reality, I didn’t think he would, until he looked at me just now. Devoid of any warmth that once lived in those blue eyes of his. Now it was pure ice like he could watch me die right here, and not even blink.
A chill ran over my skin as we stared at each other until the ground began to shake from under us.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, looking around.
Three large black bears with razor sharp teeth and enormous paws were rushing straight towards us.
“Fuck! Stay behind me!” Dex called, raising his hand and unleashing a wave of power at the beasts.
But they didn’t stop.
The middle one let out a deafening roar as it led the charge.
Some kind of meat hung from its jowls, and I wondered if it was another contestant that had the misfortune of encountering the beasts. And if so, were we next?
Light burned from Dex’s hands, but the bears were undeterred.
“Try something else!” I called.
“I am!”
“They’re getting too close!” I screamed. Another few steps and we’d be goners.
My knees shook, but I found the courage to sidestep Dex’s protection and use my own magick.
Come on, work for me,I begged.
And it did.
An onslaught of dark shadows poured from my hands like an inky black river full of power. The shadows wrapped around each bear’s throat and squeezed with such force that I could hear their individual bones snap. The shadows dropped their still forms with a thud and I stood there gaping at what I had just done.
“Holy shit, Odessa,” Dex said in awe.
“See, I don’t need you,” I spat out.
He turned on me so fast that I nearly fell over.
“You keep telling yourself that, princess. We both know the truth. You ran from me because you were scared.”
