“No, stay. You both stay.”
My sisters exchange a look. It’s Emory who replies. “Should you be alone?”
“Yes, I should be.”You don’t want his magic following you, too.“I’ll be fine.”
And with that I take a step back. Magic surges through my body. I think it’s enough that I won’t mess this up.
I steel myself and reach for my magic—expecting the usual chaos, the frazzled energy that never listens.
But it's calm. Focused. Like whatever just happened with Eryx's power straightened something inside me.
The next thing I know, I'm enveloped in a cloud of smoke, and when I blink, I'm back home, standing in my own room, staring at my bed.
Holy crap. I actually did it. My magic—my chaotic, unpredictable magic—just worked exactly how I wanted it to.
I’m suddenly exhausted—emotionally, drained from the magic, all of it.
My bed spreads out before me, and before I can catch myself, my knees fold and I collapse on top of the soft mattress.
I try to keep my eyes open, to process everything that happened tonight.
My hands still hum from Eryx’s touch.
But exhaustion drags me under, and my eyes snap shut.
When I wake up tomorrow, this will have been nothing more than a bad dream.
No, a nightmare.
Eryx
As soon as Chelsea charges off, a cold feeling settles into my bones.
Nightmare?
Yes?
What is that?
That is how we feel when she walks away. I think it’s like that song, “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone.”
I nearly roll my eyes.Be serious.
Iamserious.
And it feels like Nightmare might be, because in all the time we’ve been together, I’ve never experienced this—pinpricks of ice tapping into me, the sense of losing something I almost had.
God, Eryx. You sound as pitiful as Nightmare. Get ahold of yourself.
Before there’s time to investigate this unsettling feeling, I’m surrounded by guests—wizards and werewolves who want to introduce themselves and witches who’d like to dance.
I wasn’t lying earlier when I told Chelsea I hate crowds. But instead of focusing on that, I take my time greeting guests and answering questions about the Nightmare District.
“Are there monsters that will devour us?”
“Monsters, no. Citizens, maybe.”
“Is it always so dark?”
