The Dragon Realm (Dark World The Dragon Twins #2) - Michelle Madow Page 0,59

anger. “You love him, too,” she said. “That’s why you’ve been acting so distant for the past few months. I thought you were just consumed with your new magic. But it was because you were lying to me. And you felt guilty.”

Her words were like an icicle through my heart.

“I’m sorry,” I said, hating myself with every word. No amount of apologies would ever be enough. “I didn’t know he felt the same. I had no way to know.”

“So the two of you were never together behind my back? Not even once?”

Memories of the kiss in Lilith’s lair flashed through my mind.

Ethan must have looked as guilty as I felt.

“I hate you,” Mira said, and then she shot blast of wind in my direction so strong that I flew backward, slammed my head against the wall, and everything went dark.

37

Mira

Gemma hit the wall, and she slumped to the floor. Somehow, the Holy Crown stayed in place, like it was superglued to her head.

Ethan rushed to her side, visibly relaxing when he realized she was still alive.

I relaxed a bit, too. Because while I truly did hate both of them for what they’d done, I didn’t want my twin dead.

But my magic was a storm inside me. And seeing the way Ethan looked down at Gemma—with a deep love I’d never seen when he’d looked at me—made me want to shoot icicles through both of their hearts.

Even that wouldn’t cause them as much pain as they’d caused me. They were the two people I loved most in the world—the two people I’d always thought I could trust no matter what.

And they’d betrayed me.

Another wave of ice-cold rage crashed over me, and the wind quickened. All of the others had backed up against the walls, like they were terrified that I’d throw them against one, too. Frost covered my skin like a shield, but even that couldn’t protect me from the agony in my heart.

The heartbreak was never going to go away.

I’d never be able to look at Gemma or Ethan the same way again. I’d never be able to trust them.

They were as good as dead to me.

Frost penetrated my skin, begging me to shoot it forward so they could feel the sting of betrayal like I did.

I need to leave. Now. Before I do something I regret.

Unable to look at Ethan holding Gemma as she came into consciousness, I spun around, hurried to the front door, and reached for the key hanging from my necklace.

Where should I go?

Ever since getting my magic, it hadn’t felt like I belonged anywhere anymore. All of the supernaturals looked at me like I was a circus curiosity. None of them had dragon elemental magic, like me and Gemma. I was different in Ember, too, since I was half-witch and couldn’t shift.

I’d never felt like an outcast before. And I hated it.

There was only one place I’d ever felt truly happy. Only one place that might be able to calm me down before I hit Gemma hard enough with my magic to do far worse than knocking her out.

Home.

I opened the door and stepped into the ivory hall of Hecate’s Eternal Library. I didn’t even bother to check if Hecate was there before spinning around, opening the door again, and walking into my bedroom.

Relief flooded my body as I inhaled the comforting scent of coffee. It was nighttime in Australia, and the shop was closed, but home always smelled like coffee. The delicious aroma of it was permanently soaked into the walls and carpets.

My room was exactly how I’d left it. The shelves on the walls displayed rows and rows of shoes—the types of shoes I hadn’t been able to wear since going on the run, since they’d be impractical in a fight. But Bella had told me she had a spell to make any shoe comfortable, so I definitely was going to pack up my favorites and get her to work her magic on them whenever I saw her next.

I walked to the window, opened it, and inhaled the welcoming, salty smell of the ocean. While it had been nice to be on the water during the journey in Antarctica, it wasn’t the same as being here, overlooking the ocean view I’d woken up to every morning for the majority of my life.

I was still looking out when the door to my room creaked open.

I spun around, immediately on guard.

But it was just Shivani—the witch from the Haven who was watching over the café