Dark Promise (Darkhaven Saga #3) - Danielle Rose Page 0,28

powerful a coven can be.

I blink, and everything changes.

I’m assaulted by a force so powerful, I’m thrown backward. No longer staring into Will’s eyes, silently begging him to stay a little longer, I’m watching the world fly by in a blur. I slam against a tree, my head smacking the thick, frozen trunk. Stars dance in my head, and my neck burns at the impact. The thick, slow ooze of blood seeps down the back of my skull, and I fall to a heap at the base of the tree.

The smell of blood—my blood—clouds my judgment. It coats the air in its tantalizing fragrance and makes my stomach grumble. I lick my lips and blink away the pain. My vision is blurred, so I wipe at my eyes.

As several figures approach, I ignore the trickling of blood that tickles the back of my neck. It’s harder to ignore my splitting headache. My body is shrieking at me, screaming in agony.

I grunt, struggling to stand, and I am forced back down again by the invisible magic. These are air witches. Air might be one of the weaker elements—compared to fire—but it is useful at keeping targets distracted.

The force pinning me down is strong, and I worry it’s far stronger than me. I fight against it, pushing to stand. My legs burn, and their magic pushes me down harder.

I sink into the frozen earth. An ache works its way through my muscles, settling deep into my bones. Finally, exhausted and gasping for breath, I relent. No longer fighting, I sit back, resting my head against the tree. The bark is jagged and cold. I wince when it scrapes against my wound.

Four witches stand before me, forming a half circle around me and using their magic to pin me to the tree and the ground. I don’t know their faces, but that doesn’t matter. My war against my former coven is now theirs to bear. The irony of this pointless feud is the loss of so many innocent lives—which the witches claim to protect.

I glance past them and stare into the distance. More witches emerge from the shadows, and all fight Will. My heart races as he dodges a fireball. Blasts of air like daggers in the wind shred through his torso, and he cries out in agony.

I call to him, and the witches cocooning me lash out. When I’m silent and obedient, they halt their attack, as if they aren’t truly interested in me at all. It is clear that their target is Will, and unfortunately for them, he’s my only key to the puzzle that is my entire existence.

If they want him dead, they’ll have to go through me first.

A one-on-one fight against a witch isn’t troubling, but a four-to-one fight is. It will take my full strength and tapping into my questionable magic to evade my captors and aid my newfound ally.

The moment I make the decision to end their lives, I feel…different. It’s freeing to abolish that connection to my former life, but more so, it’s empowering. With the link severed, I can jump into the abyss.

Unfortunately for them, embracing my dark side is going to cost them their lives.

My magic swirls in me. It’s a fire pit of energy, a blazing inferno of power and strength that the witches couldn’t even hope to harness.

I ball my hands into fists at my sides, squeezing so hard I’m sure I’ll crack bone. My knuckles ache, and I scrape them against the frozen earth. The ice shards covering the land aren’t strong enough to break skin, but it dulls the pain. It’s a welcome distraction from what’s boiling inside.

My magic is sparking to life, igniting within the deepest parts of me. It’s desperate to be released. It feels as if it has a mind of its own, and I don’t fear its ulterior motives. Instead, I yield to it, knowing this darkness will be the only thing to save us.

I dig my fingernails into my palms. I clench my muscles, my arms twitching, until my elbow aches. My magic is bubbling within, and it’s only a matter of time before I burst.

I feel it rising in my chest. It burns in my heart and fills my lungs. It works its way up my throat and into my mouth, forcing its way out.

I scream, and when I do, the buildup of magic escapes through my lips. It blasts outward from my mouth, shooting erratically.

No longer in control, I sit as a bystander