Muse runs away at super sonic speed! Incoming pitchforks! AHHHHH!!
SKYLA. STOP! I scream internally as I try to stop myself from tilting my hand to spill the poison. I can feel my body becoming tense as I fight against myself. I won’t kill my father! I won’t! It’s like I’m possessed. My body has a mind of its own and it’s terrifying. A part of me is trying to keep my arm straight and the other part of me is hell-bent on spilling the poison into the incisions my nails have made on Dad’s back. No. I will never hurt anyone. No! I’m not a monster! I’m stronger than this! Fuck! A sickening crunch fills the room and Dad instantly pulls me back as a scream leaves my lips. I broke my wrist. The power that is holding my body captive, clearly ready to go to any lengths to succeed, agony rips up my arm as the door flies open. “What the…” Dad says as Royce and Leo stand there in the doorway, ice encases the poison vial that I hold in my hand as I stare at my wrist. “Sky!” Royce says, and he’s by my side instantly as Dad gently snaps my wrist back i
ROYCE. I’m shaking, and it’s not from the injuries but the broken state of her wrists, legs and ankles. The darkness disappeared the moment she fell unconscious and Delsanra’s magic slams through. “Royce, you're hurt!” She murmurs as she begins healing me, but can’t they see she’s hurt more? “Heal her,” I say quietly as I pick up her slender hand. She’s broken several bones, and her wrist is mangled. This is the result of her fighting it. “We can’t expect her to fight it on her own.” My eyes sting, and the pain in my chest as I see her like this is killing me. I wish her pain was mine. Why her? There’s silence as Kiara and Scarlett rush in and both women and Alejandro kneel beside Skyla. Kiara’s hands go to both of us as I gently snap my goddess’s bones back into place. “She’s trying to fight it,” Alejandro says quietly, and I nod. “At what cost?” I ask, looking into his eyes. It hurts too much seeing her like this. “We need to do something else, we can’t let her carry on li
ROYCE. “Fucker!” Alejandro growls as he goes over to the door. “Where the fuck have you been?” “Sorry Dad,” Dante says as Alejandro embraces him. I’m not so sure if he’s angry or relieved to see him as he slaps him on his back. He greets all his family, teasing Delsanra that she looks beautiful. There’s an inside joke there as everyone but Rayhan laughs, instead he raises his eyebrows at his younger cousin. He walks over to the bed, and I look at Skyla, who is sleeping, the image of her fighting with everything she has raw on my mind. “I’m proud of you, My Audacious Lioness…” he murmurs, crouching down beside the bed and kisses her forehead before he tilts his head. Intriguing that he calls her a lioness, to think a lioness is linked to Bastet. Was it a coincidence? I don’t think anything is a coincidence with this man. He brushes her hair back before he glances at me. “Things are looking good.” He says before he turns and looks at everyone in the room. “Apophis is breaking div
A.N: The chapter may contain some triggering content – Skyla hits a very low point. SKYLA. My eyes snap open and they’re blazing purple, an arm is draped over my waist, and I turn to see Kataleya next to me, her eyes open as she looks at me with concern. “Hey, afternoon, Sky.” She whispers. I can smell Royce’s scent lingering in this room. I look down at the shirt I’m wearing. I don’t know how, but I know he put this on me. What the hell happened? My body feels as if it’s been hit by a damn rhinoceros. The events of what happened suddenly rush back to my mind and my stomach twists as the influx of memories and emotions make it hard to breathe. I tried to kill Dad… I hurt Royce. Again. I tried to kill him… That’s all I ever do, cause him pain… I hurt him, mentally and physically. He’s too fucking good for me. “Skyla?” I turn my back on her. The overwhelming guilt of what happened is suffocating me. It’s better if I’m dead. This time they were able to stop me… but what i
ROYCE. We hear a thud and Leo turns sharply. Something’s wrong. A sudden wave of dread fills me, and I stride towards the bathroom and Malevolent runs to the bathroom door, meowing. Leo turns sharply as I push past him, splintering the door with a powerful bolt of lightning that sends splinters everywhere. Blood. The powerful coppery smell of blood hits me and all I see is red, spread everywhere. “KIARA!” Leo shouts, as I stare at the scene before me. Blood covers the floor and walls, the shower is still running and there on the floor, curled up with her hands around her throat as her heartbeat fades away, is Skyla. “Sky!” I shout. I drop to my knees, placing my hand to her neck, before I look down. It’s not a stab… she… My stomach twists as I realise, she tried to rip her throat out. There are bits hanging out and her fingers are still wrapped around her veins. The sheer weight of what she tried to do hits me fucking hard, and I don’t even realise I’m shaking as I remove
SKYLA. Warmth. It’s so warm... And it smells so good… I open my eyes, and my heart skips a beat. Royce. I’m in Royce’s arms… I died. I smile softly. That’s why it’s so peaceful… ‘Death is not what you deserve, Lycan princess.’ Bastet? ‘Then what do I deserve?’ ‘Embrace every part of you that makes you… you fought him, and you broke his hold upon you. You did that, child.’ ‘Yeah, by killing myself.’ ‘Attempted to kill yourself. You did not succeed.’ My eyes snap open as I stare up at Royce’s neck. His scent, the feeling of his body against mine. This feels so real… What? ‘Your life was saved and for a good cause, your death would mean Apophis will always have a hold on this world. Always.’ ‘How are you speaking to me now? You were gone?’ I ask. ‘Hecate’s daughters helped channel my energy to you.” ‘I see… I’m a danger to them, to them all.’ ‘In the bathroom when you took a stand, refusing to hurt anyone any longer, and determined that even death is better than hur
RAIHANA.My heart is hollow.I never knew a person can feel so empty…When a thousand emotions should be coursing through me, ripping into me like a plague, clawing away into me, I’m oddly… blank.That is how I was feeling until last night when I realised that my family needs me.It left me numb. I somehow manage to turn my emotions off, almost.A part of me wonders if subconsciously I have cut my emotions off. A dangerous little trick that witches can do… because without our emotions… we are far more deadly…But… my family needs me, my children need me, and I need vengeance.For my man.The last conversation I had with him before we parted ways that day replay in my mind.(FLASHBACK)“Hey, kiss me goodbye,” Chris smirks cockily as he pulls me back into his arms.I roll my eyes, “I’ll be seeing you in half an hour. Wasn’t that kiss enough?” I ask airily, raising my eyebrow as I run my hand up his shoulders.“That was a peck, but I admit even if it was a kiss that lasted a million lifet
ROYCE.“Why would they help him, though?” Marcel says quietly.“Not to mention Skyla said he had injected her with something three times to gain control of her, according to Bastet,” I say, frowning.“Oh, yeah?” Leo says, his eyes flashing. “This shit is fucking twisted.”“But that took him three doses,” Raihana says.“Exactly. So how did he manage to control the witches?” Kiara says.I can tell she’s trying to contain her emotions, knowing her daughter’s just left.“I don’t know…” Raihana murmurs. “But there’s something Magdalene was trying to say…Skyla’s promise when she pleaded for me to allow her to do this replays in my mind, and the seed of self-doubt is beginning to grow.As they talk, worried about her, I remain silent, trying to contain my emotions.I let her do this. I let her go to him alone.What if he finds out she’s pretending? What if he tries to hurt her?Was it wise after she tried to kill herself?Will her promise to return to me be enough?I run my fingers through m