Vega raised her knife.
Then, with one quick blow, it struck Bridget’s heart.
Pain like she’d never known radiated throughout Bridget’s body. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t even blink as Vega left the knife in her chest, letting her bleed out slowly. Falling forward, her head struck the ground and rattled her teeth.
The world began to fade.
With one of her metal claws, Vega sliced her left index finger. Blood dripped onto the engraved heart centered on the chest’s top. Seconds later, it popped open. Through blurry vision, Bridget stared at the identical wound on her own hand. Spelling objects with her own blood had always been one of Vega’s favorite tricks. It guaranteed only she could use them.
Or someone that happened to share her blood.
A horrible scream pierced the air.
“WHERE IS IT?”
In a rage, Vega thrust off her mask, as if doing so would allow her to see the crown back in its box. When she still couldn’t find it, she grabbed Bridget by the neck. The knife dislodged from her chest as she was pulled upward. Hot liquid poured out of the center of her body, filling every cavity inside and out. Darkness was a breath away.
“What did you do?” Vega snarled.
There was no more strength left in her body for a reply. Weakly, Bridget smirked as she stared into the Druid’s furious, accusatory eyes.
The eyes of hersister.
Herowneyes. The only identical trait they shared.
And for the first time since they were six, Bridget swore she saw fear.
Chapter twenty-six
Bridget gasped for air as she broke away from the memory. The pain in her side from Cassia’s fingers was nothing compared to the fire still searing her chest. There was no longer a knife or a gaping hole in her chest. She was fine. She wasalive. But the onslaught of memories still racing through her brain disoriented her.
She knew exactly who she was.
And who Vega was.
Hersister.
The realization hit like a punch. Bile surged up her throat as guilt clawed at her insides. Everything had been her fault.
Above her, Cassia’s face contorted in agony as she fought to release the spell. Her golden hair clung to her damp skin, wild and tangled, teeth clenched as she tried to tear herself free. When she let out a guttural moan, Castor grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her backwards. Cassia screamed as her fingers finally tore free, and with a sharp, audible pop, the hum of magic vanished. The silence that followed was deafening. Cassia collapsed into Castor’s arms, slick with sweat and barely conscious.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Castor hissed, holding up Cassia under her arms so she wouldn’t fall. “She’s barely beginning to understand her magic. You asked her to do too much.”
As Delphine’s hands pressed against the hole in her side, Bridget searched for an apology she knew she should offer, but it wouldn’t come. Regret wouldn’t stop Vega. The past was the only weapon they had against her now, and Vega was something else entirely: a brutal combination of magic and vengeance. A forceBridgetbarely understood.
Cade leaned over her protectively. “Back off,” he growled. “Cass was in Bridget’s head for barely a minute. Besides, she wasn’t the one at risk ofbleeding to death.”
Aminute? An entire lifetime had passed.
“I needed to know,” Bridget muttered, the world around her spinning like a ride at Coney Island. Vega. Her sister. The ghost that had been haunting her dreams. Or slowly infiltrating her mind from Iegorus. The second option seemed more likely. She’d been taunting her the entire time.
Drained of color, Cassia whispered, “I could’ve killed you.”
“I’m fine.” Pressing her hand over Cade’s, Bridget struggled to sit up. At the end of the table, Finn and Stellan stood by her feet. Finn gave her a puzzled look, no doubt from the onslaught of guilt he was receiving from her.
But Stellan… There was an odd mix of anticipation and dread. What exactly did he not want her to know?
Cade pushed back her damp, sticky hair from her face, sending a rush of goosebumps over her skin. “Don’t push yourself too hard. You’re still bleeding.”
