into flames and dust flew through the air as their bodies evaporated.
My wrath never faded. Hate seeped in every part of me. Hate for the situation I was in, for my soul that craved Magnus. For just the whole-fucking thing and these witches were getting the tail end of that hatred.
Misa stayed close to me and had finished off a couple of witches by the time it was over. Not to help me by any means. She only assisted me when my shield faltered—if they posed a danger to me.
Within ten minutes, they were all dead. Either by my magic or by my sword, but all that mattered was they were dead. I sheathed my sword. The anger flowing through me made my limbs shake. My blood boiled, my entire body tense, and my jaw clenched tightly.
A growl came loud beside me. Quickly, I glanced toward it, seeing if there was threat. But when I saw Willow, I let out a deep breath that seemed to give way to some of the harsh emotions strangling me. Seeing her snapped me back to the present, and I gave my body a shake to ease my aching muscles. It surprised me that she was here. I hadn’t even noticed my big black panther had arrived. She watched me with an expression I’d never seen on her sleek beautiful face before she stood, stiff as a board. Frozen—stunned.
A little irritation whipped through me that she didn’t help me. But I resolved, she hadn’t helped because she didn’t need to. I had it handled on my own, and with Misa assisting me, there was no need to intervene.
My gaze left Willow as I looked over at Misa, her expression was not one I expected. She looked worried—torn.
“What?” My voice came out in a thick growl. I shook my head, pushed away the lingering anger that remained. “Sorry.” I smiled. “I don’t know why my voice is coming out like that. Thanks for the help.”
Misa never said a word.
Suddenly, a deep profound sadness washed through me. It’s wasn’t mine. Haven.
I spun around to see Haven in Briar’s arms, sobbing loudly. “What happened to her?” Quickly, I ran toward her.
The moment I was beside her, she threw herself into my arms and hugged me with all that she had. “Oh no…Nexi…no,” she screamed.
Confusion filled me.
My eyes fell to Zia’s. Tears were also streaking her face. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to speak, but nothing came out.
“For Christ sakes, what is it?” I snapped.
Briar placed her hand on my shoulder, her face a mirror image of Zia’s. “My dear, it’s happening.”
Uncertain of what she meant, I glanced around at the other witches among us. Their faces were horrified. Immediately, I understood. What had I just done? My stomach wrenched and a wave of perspiration washed over my body. My reasons for killing those witches came out of rage and hate¯emotions that fed Black Magic.
“Oh God, no,” I managed in a whisper.
It didn’t matter what my reasons were for killing the witches. It was that those emotions were inside me at all. White Magic was about everything good. Killing for the greater good. Not for personal reasons or because of anger.
Briar was right, it was happening.
I was losing my soul.
This was the beginning of the end.
Chapter Fourteen
I reached out, trailing my fingers through the soft leaves of my weeping willow. The second we came home, I couldn’t stand being near anyone. Haven continued to cry hysterically, and it annoyed me beyond belief. I just wanted to be alone.
Without hesitation, I came to my willow. It felt like a lifetime since I’d been here last. But the longer I sat, the more I couldn’t remember why I liked being here so much. I filtered through every memory I had, ran through every experience that happened here. The connection to my mother, my first time with Kyden, but I couldn’t feel anything. It was as if it was blocked. My life’s special moments held no importance anymore.
Footsteps made me lift my head. Kyden slowly approached. He gave me a soft smile, and I watched him intently. Why was I interested in him? What was it about him? After a few seconds of pondering, I still couldn’t find an answer to that question.
When he reached me, he sat down beside me, and took my hand. The instant our skin connected I was slammed with every answer to those questions. This was my willow, my favorite place to be and