A gilded wave pauses behind me, risen up into the curl of a punishing crest, my hands shaking with the effort to hold it.
The creature in me blinks, snapping at the interruption, but the crackling anger falters, because we recognize him. Recognize the dark aura of power that arcs around him like smoke.
“Goldfinch, can you hear me?” he asks gently.
My head cocks, though I don’t answer. Gold weighs down my bones and slouches my shoulders as I struggle to take in a full breath.
The male steps forward, an inky black form against the shine I’ve wrought. “Auren, you can let go now.”
My brow furrows. Let go?
I don’t want to let go. I want to continue to rage. I want to take my gold that was stolen from me, and punish everyone in my path. I want to be the monster that’s been held back for far too long.
The male takes another step, and my beast screeches at him, though he doesn’t seem deterred. He should be running away from us, should be terrified like everyone else, but instead, he keeps coming, closer and closer, until he stands just a foot away. “You need to let go, baby. You’re draining yourself.”
My mouth drops into a frown.
“Draining?”
Eyes so dark green they look black are locked on my face, caressing over my own gaze. “Yes,” he says quietly. “You need to drop the magic before you hurt yourself.”
My back bristles. “My gold won’t hurt me.”
“It already is.” He tips his head, and I look down, though I don’t see anything amiss.
“Your aura is fading,” he tells me. “You can’t see it, but I can. I need you to breathe and let go of your power.”
Panic surges up in me. If I let go of my power, I’ll be weak again. Helpless.
Fury sparks in my eyes, and the gold flexes behind me like fingers clenching into a fist. “No.”
“You’re alright now. You don’t need it,” he vows, and despite the anxiety running through me, his voice is deep and soothing, calling to another part of me, a part buried beneath the anger.
But my beast fights against it. She doesn’t want to let go, though every second that I hold the gold makes my strength wane, my limbs heavy and numbed.
“I want everyone to hurt like I hurt,” I say through gritted teeth.
“You punished the one who mattered.”
Something wars inside of me. A weight is dragging me down as my magic demands more. I let some of the gold behind me lope down and seep through the archway. I let more break the windows, yank on the pillars. I let it climb the walls of Ranhold, following the screams and running footsteps, searching to swallow…
More, it whispers. More.
But he comes forward in another bold step, interrupting my concentration, distracting my magic’s reach. He stands right in front of me, his aura curling around me as he takes up my sight, my hearing, my smell. I can’t help but breathe him in, the metallic storm clearing from my nostrils, the scent of wood and soil and bitter chocolate filling me instead.
He touches my cheek, lets his rough hand skate over my skin. “Come back to me, Goldfinch.”
I shudder, and his touch yanks at my awareness, splitting away from the anger driving me. My eyes widen, vision clearing from the haze. “Slade…?”
He nods. “That’s right, baby. Let the magic go.”
I swallow hard, suddenly feeling the weight of the power, how it’s crushing me.
My legs start to give out, but Slade catches me before I fall, though his hands land on my back, making me cry out in pain and yank away from him.
“Oh goddess...” I stagger, but it’s not from the raw ache of my ribbons, it’s the pressure of the power bearing down on me. “I can’t!” My voice cracks out, lands in a heap as my eyes fill with panicked tears. “I don’t know how to let go!”
A curse flies from Slade’s mouth for a moment before he grabs my arms to hold me. “Breathe, Auren,” he commands.