“What?” she snapped. “I didn’t kill him. I could’ve. I didn’t.”
My hand twitched at my side, magic pulsing in a visible ripple beneath my skin. “Wait,” I interrupted. “You mixed your venom delivery with a kiss?”
Rune nodded.
Sabine swore under her breath.
I stepped forward, intense curiosity swimming in my veins. “And it worked instantly?”
“He bled in under five seconds,” she gloated.
Lake exhaled slowly, trying to summon restraint. “I’ll talk to Pops. But Rune, the public of Kalista is already aware of Darian after the first-year tournament. He can’t disappear from the academy without a reason. I don’t want the board involved.”
Rune shrugged. “He should’ve thought of that before grabbing me. Besides, he should’ve already passed out by now.”
“You’re right,” Lake groaned in agreement.
“I’m proud of you.” Sabine winked.
“Thanks, Mom.” Rune grinned, her anger vanishing.
“If you hadn’t attacked him back, we could’ve used him harassing you from the surveillance, but now it incriminates you, too,” Lake explained, a pained expression plastered on his face.
“But did you want me to just let him hurt me?” Rune shot back at her dad.
His face paled. “Absolutely not. You did the right thing.”
She nodded in victory.
My gaze flicked from her to the faint, glowing threads of wild magic now webbing across my knuckles. My brows furrowed, and I stepped back to avoid accidentally blowing a hole through the floor.
The magic in me wouldn’t sit still. I glanced at my hand. It was lit with streaks of crimson and gold. I quickly tucked it behind my back.
“He touched you?” I asked, too quietly. My powers built behind my ribs like pressure in a sealed chamber.
It was the oddest feeling.
Sabine turned toward me, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t abuse your power, Drecken. Rune can handle herself.”
“Clearly.” I tilted my head, calculating. “I wasn’t going to kill him. Just…erasehim. There’s a difference.”
Lake’s jaw ticked. “As much as I’d love to see Darian’s head mounted on a spike, we can’t afford that kind of backlash. Evenbeing erased wouldn’t bode well. After last year’s tournament, he’s too well known.”
“Next time, I’ll just make him paralyzed again.” Rune pouted. “Or maybe I’ll just make him shit himself.”
I hummed, tapping my finger against my chin as I mulled over what Rune meant. “Sabine, your lineage must be carrying exceptional toxic properties. Your venom is complex, far more complex than any other ones I’ve worked around. But Rune’s can change at will? Special power or not, that surely makes the makeup of each venom type exceptional.”
Rune’s expression brightened. “Are you studying venom?”
I nodded rapidly. “Yes. I’m developing potions whose effects are designed to be even stronger than those of highly complex venoms. Mutations that can be very deadly. It’s still theoretical but promising. I’m working on learning your mom’s venom so I can recreate it but as a potion.”
Rune gasped. “Can I help?”
“Do you know much about potions?” I questioned.
“Are they anything like poisons?”
I grinned. “They aremuchstronger than a simple poison or venom.”
