Lightning cracked across her irises.
Chapter Sixteen
Ara
Istaggered away from the tree.Something is wrong.
I could suddenly feel everything. Everywhere. All at once. The electricity bouncing across the clouds from miles away. The buzzing at my fingertips. The pulse of Rogue’s heart with each rapid beat.
My eyes and ears were stinging as if lit on fire. Reaching up with shaking hands, they found my ears and felt as they molded into a point.
“Ara?”
I turned to Rogue and his face dropped.
Looking down, blue, almost white, sparks flickered and sprang from my fingertips. My heart raced, pounding painfully, as the rain came down harder. Faster.
Sparks. On my fingers. From my fingers.
My breath left me in a whoosh and I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe. Thunder boomed overhead and the sky lit in a brilliant white. I jumped at the sound, scrunching my eyes against the searing pain. Panic washed over me like ice water, sucking the remaining breath from my chest.
Opening my eyes to Rogue, he didn’t seem frightened… Or even surprised. He’s not surprised.Why…
My quivering lips became slack, my chest ripping open, as it dawned on me.
“You knew.” It wasn’t a question. The look on his face told me everything.He knew.“Did you know this would happen to me when you did that? Bit me like a feral animal?”
He knew.
Hot, angry tears spilled from my eyes. I could feel the crackling electricity humming just underneath my skin, buzzing, begging to be released. I was lit with energy, almost to the point of pain, as it reached every possible inch of my body.
“No, I swear. I didn’t know it would do this, Ara, please,” he urged, stepping forward, reaching out a hand to me. I staggered back, shaking my head, and hurt flashed across his face.
“But you knew. About Vaelor. You knew. Were you ever going to tell me or would you have just handed me back when I served my purpose?” I said, barely controlling the hysteria crawling up my throat.
Angry lightning cracked across the sky and it called to me, demanding my attention. I lifted my face, feeling the energy hum across my irises, and the sky exploded again.
I am always just a thing to be possessed. Used for a purpose. Used.
My jaw clenched. Another crack of lightning.
Not anymore.
“You lied to me.” My gaze returned to Rogue, and I watched in numb horror as lightning struck the tree beside him. “And I gave myself—”
My body went cold.
I just gave myself to him, the King of Ravaryn.
The vicious monster who kidnapped me. Who lied to me.
Regret and hatred ripped through me. I leaned into a tree with one arm as devastation spread like wildfire, catching and scorching every foolish feeling I had for him.
“Ara, you have to calm down… You’re new to your power. It will drain you,” he said slowly, stepping toward me.
My grip tightened and the tree popped under my palm as power raced through it, burning it in every direction.
Raising my face to him, lightning struck the ground by his feet and he stopped where he was. It struck again, hitting another tree. And again and again. Repeating all around him, fueled by rage, by hurt, by regret. I stepped toward him as the rain poured, sizzling as it combined with lightning and fire, steam and smoke swirling around us.