“You hurt Duncan.”
“I did. Though, in my defense, I think he liked it. A little at least. You know, turned him on. Or maybe you don’t know.”
I swing my fist and energy arcs forward, striking Nicholas in the chest. It explodes in a blinding flash. When my eyes clear he is standing exactly where he was. His shirt has burned away, leaving shreds of cloth, but his exposed flesh is unharmed. The smile is gone from his face as he brushes away the burnt remnants of the shirt from his smooth chest.
“That wasn’t nice,” he says in an offhanded manner.
The sounds of Duncan and the guard wrestling pull my attention. When I glance, I see Rob in the distance, leading the other survivors towards the back wall and away. Duncan is on his feet, stumbling backwards from the guard. He looks over and sees me, then dodges a swing and races towards me.
“Quinn!” Duncan yells, and even in this mad situation, the sound of my name on his tongue sets my skin on fire.
A distracting sense of déjà vu sweeps through my thoughts as if we’ve done this same scene many times before, and for all I know, we have. It doesn’t help now though.
Pain explodes. The world is gone. I can’t see. Can’t think. Can barely breathe. I hear my name, but it echoes strangely as if I’m in a cave.
I fight through the sensory overload. A moment later I realize I’m on my back, and acting on instinct I roll to the side. The dais explodes and needle-sharp shards of wood prick my skin in dozens of places.
I keep rolling as magic builds, throbbing in my core. A thundering drum building to some unknown crescendo.
“Quinn, Quinn, Quinn,” Nicholas says as I continue trying to put space between us.
When I stop and stand up, he’s gone. As I spin to find him, his arms wrap around me, pinning my own arms to my side. One of his hands rests over my crotch and the other arm crushes my breasts. He nuzzles my neck, his hot breath prickling my skin.
“Destroyer,” he whispers in my ear, and I shudder in revulsion.
I struggle to break free, but the magical energy is draining away as if he’s sucking it out of me. His rough tongue trails from my shoulder and up my neck, then he nibbles my earlobe. Nausea clenches my stomach, forcing bile up my throat.
Irrational fear pushes out logical thought. I buck and struggle like a wild animal in a trap. The only thing that matters is breaking free. He’s going to hurt me. He’s going to do vile things to me. Some part of me accepts this is going to happen. That no matter what he does, I’ll survive. He can’t destroy me, no matter what he does to my body.
“Quinn!” Duncan’s strangled-sounding scream cuts through the fear.
Duncan shoves his shoulder into the guard, pushing him out of the way. Pain twists his face as he stumbles past him. He climbs up onto the blasted stage, but the guard recovers quick. Too quick.
“This is it,” Nicholas whispers in my ear, twisting us around so I have a better view of what is about to happen. “Watch, Destroyer. Watch as your chosen is cut down. Remember this moment for I will savor it until I’m done with you.”
I strain to break free. Muscles quiver with effort. Magic is gone, sucked away by this monster and that burned-out sensation is all I have left. The mist surges like white water waves breaking against the beach. Duncan stumbles while behind him the guard raises his claymore and swings.
“No, no, no, no,” I moan.
Digging deeper. It feels like something in me tears, like muscles ripping apart, and then a flood of power races in. Nicholas’s arms strain to contain me as the power builds. The blade swings closer. Closer. It’s less than an inch from Duncan’s neck when I scream.
Power explodes.
ChapterSeventeen
My head is poundingand there is a high-pitched ringing in my ears like I’m underwater. Rising onto my elbows I shake my head to clear it, but that makes the pain worse. I take a deep, shuddering breath and my lungs burn as the oxygen comes in.
“Duncan?”
I barely hear my own voice, but it’s loud inside my head. I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, then open them as I push myself off the ground. Distant shouts fill the air. The guards that went to fight the fire out front are returning. We have to get out of here. Now.
Duncan’s head pops up from the mist. He turns side to side, looking around and blinking. His face is dirty and the rough stubble has dirt and blood clinging to it. I climb to my feet and stumble as I move towards him. Thinking is hard, one thought at a time is all I can manage, but fear flutters through my head. Getting away is all I can think about.
Leave. Run. Now.
Duncan gets to his feet, then he sees me and falls to his knees as he tries to run. I hook my hands under his arms and lift. He rises and I shift to his good side so he can put his arm over my shoulder. Leaning on each other I lead us toward the wall. I don’t know how we’re going to get over it but that’s a future me problem and right now it seems so far away that reaching it is already impossible. Getting to it is all I can worry about.
“Quinn,” Duncan says. My breath catches in my chest as my heart swells and my throat clenches shut. “How?”