My gaze dipped to where our hands touched and I could see the faint glow of purplemagicaround my fingertips, mixing with an aquamarine energy.
Wanda’s energy...
“I can assure you, neither of us would dream of putting someone like you in danger,” she purred.
Someone like me?
What the hell did that mean?
Norman’s tentacles trailed around my thighs, ruffling my skirt, and I could feel my energy dancing beneath the cool, moist touch. I glanced to see his tentaclesglowedwith a bright green light where he touched me.
I had a thousand questions I wanted to ask, but all I could settle on was,
“What do you have against him?”
Wanda tugged at my hand, pulling me closer to her, close enough I was pressed against her trim torso, looking up at her. Norman’s tentacles slipped away as a faint wind blew Wanda’s teal hair around in the darkness, and the mirror’s surfacerippled. Our reflection on its surface like the waves of the ocean illustrated a rather unsightly image. A tall, beautiful siren andme.
Short, curvy, and my pink hair a tangled mess. I could see Norman behind us, his eyes glowing with interest.
“You feel it too, don’t you? When you’re around him? That indescribable heat? The overwhelmingdesire,” Wanda said, her voice like a whisper on the wind. Sultry, mysterious.
My eyes felt heavy, all of a sudden, but the energy inside me roiled like a storm.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, but even I knew it was a lie.
To my surprise, her gaze softened. She reached out a free hand, stroking the side of my face.
“Sirens aren’t the only creatures who lure to kill, Violet.”
“Bane isn’t a killer,” I said softly. “I know I don’t know him well, but I know in my gut he isn’t a killer,” I said. “You’re not going to kill me, are you?” I asked, my voice betraying me. I could hear the fear, and I hated it. I hated how up against this magnificent creature, I was just... me.
A little lost girl in Neverland who clearly didn’t know what she was doing with the Lost Boys.
Wanda smirked. “Your loyalty is admirable, little starfish, but entirely misplaced. You are new here, and therefore, you don’t understand the hierarchy here. You need people you can trust.” She leaned down, bringing her lips to my ear. “I do not lure to kill,” she whispered. “That is what differentiates us. I lure to worship,” she hissed, her breath warm on my skin.
Goosebumps prickled on my arms, and I felt frozen in place. My gaze dipped to her lips, noticing fangs had protruded from underneath her lip. I swallowed nervously, despite her assurance.
“Bane Lockeisa killer. Everyone here knows that.”
And with that she pulled me back into the mirror with her, and before I knew it I was no longer in a dark room full of mirrors.
I was in the middle of the forest, beneath a shade of trees, in the middle of what looked like a firepit. Suddenly, all thoughts of Bane perished as I did a double take. I had just been in the room of mirrors, and now... I could hear the rustle of the waves crashing against the rocks, the chill air kissing my face like a welcome friend.
It was jarring to say the least, but that’s not what surprised me, no.
Wanda let go of me, and I couldn’t help but feel... alive.
Alive in a way I had never felt before. My magic thrummed, vibrating within me, as if it too, longed to be free.
I could feeleverythingaround me, inside of me. The wind, the running water, the unfurling of ferns in the shade, the embers that ached to be lit in the fireplace, abandoned and left to wither.
“Well, would you look at that, Norman? She’sglowing,”Wanda said, her voice sultry and melodic.
I held my hand in front of me, and she was right. Fractals danced at my fingertips, shades of lilac and bubblegum.
“What is this place?” I asked as I tried to catch my breath, and adjust to my surroundings, at the energy building in me, around me. “It’s beautiful,” I gasped as my energy surfaced, rising within me like a tidal wave.
“You haven’t seen nothing, yet,” Norman said as he came next to us, removing his blazer to reveal a tight, form-fitted shirt underneath.
