There's a sound, like the buzzing of a malfunctioning mechanism. I allow myself to take a breath, holding the cloud wide around me, and then I start to walk as quietly as possible, since I don't know how this power works completely. I keep a tight leash on it as I make my way through the darkness. Prince kneels, both hands on the ground as if he's under tremendous pressure. He shakes, but he doesn't look up when I gaze at him. I make a circle around myself, seeing the other fae under the same strange spell.
The darkness is not only a fluffy cloud made of shadow. It has power, a sort of knee-bending, overwhelming power that puts the fae on their hands and knees. It's also so strong it eats up my energies, and soon I'm sweating.
This has to end. Quickly. I have to get this over with so I can find Apollo and try to save him. I stride back to Prince and reach for him. The rage inside me fills my veins with the need to get rid of him. To end this threat. And I think of what he said.
I'm as much of a monster as he is. When I killed the Chosen One it was accidental, but I didn't mind him dying. There's no guilt. I'm as dark-hearted as this power expects me to be. And I'm going to use it to my advantage.
Gripping Prince's robes, I force him to face me. The fear I see on his face is nothing short of delectable. I'm way more powerful and much more in control than he expected. All he wanted was to keep a leash on my power, so he could use it whenever it pleased him. A pity I'm not this easily manipulated.
I lead my own destiny, even if my destiny promises to be rotten.
Staring at his eyes, I watch his face change as I suck the shadows in, both the ones that surround us and his shadows. It's something I haven't quite explored, but when I sucked the shadows I noticed how I never consumed the ones created by creatures. The ones from a body against a source of light. This is the first time I reach out for them, and I can only hope this fucking ends Prince.
I pull the shadows in, filling my chest to completion, then target Prince's shadow. I know I hit jackpot when the fear on his face turns to desperation. A smile curls my lips, and I adore watching him struggle with me for the control of his shadow, his body suddenly heavy. He digs his nails into my arms, and the burning and the blood running fuel me on.
Exhaustion crawls on me, and I swallow those shadows, trying to heal myself at the same time I steal Prince's. It's too much, I know, but I don't need much time. I trust my mates will know what to do the moment I get rid of this problem.
Prince doesn't plead and I admire him for that. He draws blood from me until the last moment, and I keep pulling, like the shadow's stuck. With one last huge effort, I suck it up. Prince's face pales as he looks up at the skies.
Nothing happens. I consumed his shadow, but nothing happens. I look around, noticing the soldiers are devoid of shadows too, looking at their feet, trembling in raw fear. Then a cloud passes over and sunlight washes over us, covering every inch of our exposed skin. The moment it touches Prince, he burns.
He burns like a vampire, his skin turning angry red and blistering, then breaking into nothing. He screams, every sharp sound piercing my chest as it's joined by others. By other fae who are suddenly sensitive to light, suddenly afraid of death. They're consumed by the rays of the sun, burnt to a crisp until their bodies fall to the ground, unmoving and darkened.
Dead.
Dead. I killed Prince. I killed his soldiers, many of them, and as I look around myself, I see the ones who escaped my shadows rushing away, running from us. A smile spreads across my face, and I'm damn glad I killed someone.
Fuck. I am a monster.
Exhaustion washes over me, and I can only think of Apollo. Sexy Apollo, responsible Apollo, the man who always tries to keep me safe, no matter what. No matter what happens to him. Grief doubles my body, and I let myself fall to my knees, hugging my body close, aching with the need to feel his arms around me.
But his arms don't tug me closer, and I let exhaustion take over. Darkness invites me in, a good friend, an old friend, and I embrace it. I sink into it with a deep sigh, just as tears escape down my cheeks.
CHAPTER 21
REN
Something just happened, something dark and full of shadows, and then several fae dropped to the ground. From their open, lifeless eyes, I'm guessing they're dead. But how? How, when no one touched them?
Cassandra stands in the middle of it all, her hands gripping the fae leader's robes. The moment she lets go, he drops like his minions did. Is he dead too? Was all of this because of Cassandra's powers?
That's impressive. She reached out to fae far from her, without even needing to touch them. That's amazing. Whatever the fae leader taught her, it had to be good. A smile tilts my lips. My mate's powerful.
And I know I just had a taste of her, but my body hums to this demonstration of power. Not the right moment for an erection, but it's near impossible to contain it when she's around. When she’s this incredible. My wolf scoffs inside me, unable to believe I haven’t marked her yet.
The other fae take a look at my mate, put their tails between their legs, and run off. The smile on my face widens as I watch the cars driving off, but when I look back at Cassandra, she has collapsed.
"Cass?" I cry out before setting off to approach her. She's fine, she's fine, she has to be fine. Maybe her powers just drained her energy. Yeah, it has to be it. She's just tired. She used to get tired after using it. And something this big? She should be exhausted.
Kneeling next to her, I turn her chest up to search for wounds, and though her arms are bloody from when the fae cut her, she isn’t seriously wounded. Just passed out. Relief washes over me, making my knees weak. It's a good thing I'm already kneeling.
Gods, I can't bear thinking of losing her again. When the Collector took her, it was so painful I didn't know what to do. I'm grateful Apollo was there with me — his cool mind led the way even when I had no idea what to do next. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be chasing my tail around the same place, looking for clues.
Apollo. I wonder if he's alright. We were together, then the building blew up, and when I found my way to the surface again, I had eyes only for Cassandra. Where are the others?
I pick Cassandra's limp body up, protecting her head against my shoulder. This feels right, her body on mine, my arms protecting her. I soak on the feeling as I turn around and look for the others. Tristan gets to his feet, the dog next to him, and makes his way to me.
"Is she alright?" Tristan asks, eyes on Cassandra's face. He is a mask of worry, eyes wide dancing up and down her form, looking for signs that she's been hurt.