“Yeah , I will,” I said slowly. “How did you know?—”
He gave me a telling look.
“Right. Seidr. Vision-seer,” I mumbled, circling two fingers over my throbbing temple.
“See you in Eostre Land, Carwynn,” he rumbled, adding a wink.
That accent killed me. I bit back the twitch in my lip.
His feet thudded away, louder with the added weight. But then he paused, looking back. “And Carwynn . . .”
I bit harder. Then stiffened at the look on his face. His voice dipped, hard as granite. He gestured toward the Ball. “Need I remind you—you are your own master.Make them pay.” The grin he gave me was a shot of fiendish adrenaline. An electric shock giving my soul life again.
Then, he disappeared into the night.
Cryptic bastard.
I grinned, as something oddly different curled inside me. A dark warmth glided across my skin. I felt the power awaken within. Stirring, stretching, readying.
Nice of you to finally showup,I scolded it.
It came easier than it ever had before. My skin lit with radiant wisps of light and shadow, dancing together like life and death itself. I could feel souls nearby. Their soft whispers passed through me, clear as day.
My power blasted, uncaged and cooperative. I raised my arms. The entire garden lit up like I was a beacon at its center.
Be who you were born to be . . .it whispered, that voice that wasn’t mine.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but they’ll meet the wraith within me,I answered back.
I turned toward the castle.
Dress disheveled, blood splattered, wounds freshly exposed, I glided forward.
My chin lifted, refusing to let my childhood scar—the darkest parts of me—be hidden away any longer.
I was a ghost dragged from the grave. Battered, broken, and terrifying enough to curdle blood. But I didn’t care. Not anymore. The darkness inside elated.
I reentered the ballroom. The boisterous world around came to an abrupt stop.
Gasps rippled like a wave throughout the crowd. The music screeched to a halt. One by one, people stepped back, clearing a path as if a demon was unleashed.
My hair lifted, hovering from the charge of my energy, glowing in wisps. I fixed my gaze on the one person I was looking for.
Lochlainn.
He and a few other Luckmen were crouched down, surrounding a large figure who looked as though he’d passed out or taken a tumble.Finley. A hand clutched his chest as he sat up, heaving, catching his breath.
What happened to him?The stabbing flicker ofsomething profound twisted my ribs—but I quickly removed that blade and tried again.
Better question—did I actually care?
How odd. My worry, my concern, had been muted. I gave zero fucks seeing him so indisposed.
Lochlainn took note, rising. He strode my way, then stopped. There was a slight hitch in his breath as he took me in.
Good.Be afraid.
I held out my hand.
