I still had a kernel of burning hate from years of abuse. I had anger and the desire for revenge. I had repressed hurt that would lash out and destroy those in my way if I gave it the chance to be released. I fought as hard as I could, but the battle was wearing on me. It might have lasted hours, or it may have been only minutes, but it seemed like an eternity.
“Give in,” a man’s voice purred in my ear. “Embrace the darkness within.”
The storm was still raging against me, but now I could feel the seductive draw of the darkness. I could give into those instincts and have everything I’d ever wanted. Magic accompanied the voice that urged me to let go, coaxing me forward, tempting me with pleasure that could only be found with indulging your deepest desires.
I was so tired of fighting. I’d been swimming against the current, trying to escape the undertow for too long. My desperate grip was slowly weakening, but so was my resolve. I was starting to forget why I was even struggling in the first place.
“Come to me,” the darkness hummed.
Tendrils of dark magic intertwined with my own, and I couldn’t differentiate which were mine and which were foreign. They went deep inside of me, searching for things that I kept hidden – even from myself. It wasn’t long before they found what they were looking for. I opened the door that should always remain closed and let out the monster that lurked within.
My eyes snapped open as my body vibrated with rage. The shadows that surrounded me swirled around and then took form next to the Morrigan.
Drake.
The fury boiling inside of me threatened to burst out, but I kept it just beneath the surface. Magic crackled at my fingertips, and I had eyes only for the former fae prince who stood by the Morrigan’s side. I should have known better than to trust him. My instincts had warned me he might betray us, and yet a part of me was still surprised to see him standing beside his mother.
Drake cocked his head to the side. “Anna, darling,” he said with a pleased smile. “You played your part perfectly.”
I glanced to either side of me to see the other gods lying prone on the ground. Each one of them had fallen to the Morrigan’s dark magic? How was I the only one left standing?
The Morrigan watched me curiously as Drake beckoned to me. I gritted my teeth and refused to take even one step forward. He’d played me for the last time.
“You let me in,” Drake said in a seductive whisper. “I’m a part of you.”
The destructive power within me was aching to be let out, and Drake was a convenient target for that.
I opened my mouth to really let him have it, but he cocooned me in comforting darkness.
“Think of your mates,” he whispered in my mind.
I glowered but walked toward him. What game was he playing?
Drake walked down the steps from the dais, where the Morrigan’s throne rested in order to meet me. Her eyes never left me as I met her son and allowed him to take my hands in his. I gritted my teeth when I saw the staff that I’d been clinging to now lying on the floor behind her like a discarded toy.
I looked into Drake’s eyes but saw nothing but amusement. My rage boiled, but this time it was the Morrigan that made me pause.
“She’s grown more powerful,” the Morrigan said as she tapped her fingers on her throne. “A good match for you – if you can keep her from betraying everything you hold dear.”
Drake chuckled. “It wouldn’t be fun if she didn’t try to kill me on occasion.”
Warning sparked in his eyes as he spoke, but then he was back to casual amusement.
The Morrigan gave an indulgent sigh. “We’ll see.”
She turned to the shadows beside her and gave the order that started my worst nightmare.
“Bring them.”
Chapter 33
Anna
My heart sunk as Austin and the others were dragged into the throne room. I raised a hand, ready to strike at the Morrigan, but Drake grabbed my wrist.
“Don’t,” he ordered.
The Morrigan smiled as my wolves were thrown to the ground at her feet, each one of them secured with heavy chains. Austin had bruises on his face, and his arm was twisted at an awkward angle. Cody was struggling to get to his knees, holding a hand