Bane’s face paled and his eyes widened. “How did you do that?”
He was born with earth magic, but I could control all four elements. It was something neither he nor my other brothers knew.
“Maybe I should’ve let Ella have her way with you,” I seethed, stalking closer.
The ground beneath me trembled and Bane opened a giant hole in my path, but it closed quickly with just a flick of my wrist. Bane stumbled back and tried using the earth against me, but it wouldn’t listen to him. My magic overpowered his tenfold.
“How are you doing this?” he shouted, falling over a decayed tree stump.
I bent down and touched the soft earth with my fingertips. There was so much energy flowing from the land to inside of me that it was euphoric. It felt good, like being high on drugs, but only better.
In my mind, I could see the tree roots swirling underneath the ground, ready for my instruction. They bolted up through the mud and attached to Bane’s ankles, dragging him to the nearest oak tree. He slammed against it and gasped as the breath was knocked out of his lungs.
Bane desperately tried to rip the roots away from his ankles to no avail. Finally, he snarled at me, his eyes blazing with fury. “Let me go! You’re not going to kill me, not your own brother.”
Focusing on the tree branches above him, I knew what I wanted them to do. They slithered down and latched onto his wrists, holding his arms out to each side of him while the roots did the same with his legs.
I walked up to him and ripped the black stone from his neck. “Oh, I will,” I promised, closing my fist around the stone. I clutched it so hard that it broke into thousands of tiny shards. “You made the wrong choice in following Ridge.”
Bane snarled. “You’rethe one who betrayed us. You chose that fae bitch over your brothers.”
He was right; I had. But he and my brothers also had the choice of moving on, letting our father’s vendetta die. They weren’t corrupted by his magic like I was. Piper was capable of leaving, of living a quiet life without all the violence. Bane and my brothers could’ve done the same. Instead, they were hell-bent on killing the only woman I’ve ever loved. For that, they were going to pay the price.
The fire within me burned more ferociously than I’d ever felt before. It came up through my fingers, and I held it in my hands. Bane stiffened and lifted his chin defiantly.
“Where is Ridge?” I commanded. Bane’s jaw tensed and he tightened his lips. “Suit yourself,” I said, sending a blast of fire up his right leg.
He started to scream, but I ripped the air from his lungs, silencing him. His jeans turned black and fell away, exposing the blistered skin underneath. All I had to do was dial up my power, and his leg would be nothing but bones.
Bane thrashed his head around, his face turning blue. I gave him back some air and put the fire out on his leg. He gasped and sucked in a ragged breath, grunting in pain.
“Are you ready to tell me where our brother is and what he has planned? If you tell me, I’ll let you live.”
Bane hung his head, and I was sure he’d give in, but when he lifted his fiery gaze to mine, I knew he wouldn’t relent. “Fuck you, Kai. Ridge is the only one truly honoring our father’s wishes. We’re going after the royals, and your fae cunt will be the first to die.”
His words fueled my fury; I’d never felt so much rage or hate to the point where I was so consumed. Nothing in that moment mattered besides bringing him pain.
My hands burned as I summoned my fire magic. I threw it at Bane’s legs, watching it slowly creep up his body. This time I didn’t mute his screams. I wanted to hear his torment.
Once the fire decimated his legs, I watched it cover his abdomen. The more he screamed, the more I enjoyed it. I knew I shouldn’t, but it felt good. Finally, when the flames traveled to Bane’s chest, it was all over. He was dead.
The tree branches still held his arms, but I yanked them to the sides, ripping Bane’s body apart. Ella wanted him in pieces, and that was precisely what Bane got.
Killing him sent a wave of bloodlust through my body. I’d done my best to hide that part of me, trapping it behind a wall in my soul. It was what I had to do to prevent myself from hurting Ella, from wanting to fulfill the revenge spell my father had placed on me.
The wall grew thinner, allowing those desires to be set free. It wasn’t going to be long before it crumbled.
No amount of good deeds or love I had for Ella was going to save me.
I was a ticking time bomb.
Chapter26
Ella
ONE WEEK LATER
Aweek had passed since Kai killed his brother and I couldn’t get the sight out of my mind. But, of course, Kai didn’t know I was there, watching through a portal as he burned Bane to death. I still haven’t told him I saw the whole thing.