Shadow Magic (Darkling Mage 1)

“Embrace the shadows,” Hecate whispered. “The Dark Room is your home. Take comfort in it. No more running.”

“I don’t understand,” I breathed.

“You need to get it through your thick skull, fleshling.” Hecate smiled. “The door opens from both ends.”

She touched my forehead with the tip of a single finger. The warmth of her skin escalated until it burned like a coal, then like molten steel, a spear-tip fresh from the fire. I screamed, the pain of it stabbing between my eyes, piercing my skull, setting my brain aflame.

The stars in Hecate’s eyes swirled as she muttered, the pair of them like twin galaxies. The pain ripped through my skin, every cell in my body ablaze with agony. I screamed, and screamed, and screamed.

Then all at once, the stars went out.

Chapter 14

When I came to, it was dark, and I was on my back on something soft. Comfor

table, almost, and padded. For the glimmer of a second I convinced myself that I was in a coffin, my body pressed against the padded interior. I gasped and cried out.

Ah. Of course. It was a bed, and not a coffin at all. It took a while for me to register that I should open my eyes. The lids of them were heavier, like I’d been drugged. I forced my eyes open slowly and breathed easier when I saw that I was just in my bedroom. Not at my apartment, mind you, but the new place designated for me at Lorica HQ. Room 17B. I let my head flop back onto my pillow and sighed. I was content to be resting, and alone.

“Dude. It’s okay.”

Except that I wasn’t. I started again, not even realizing that someone else was in the room with me, and for some reason my instinct was to draw the covers up around me. Not that I was naked, as far as I could tell, but there was something extra vulnerable about being caught in bed, on my back, my soft underbelly exposed. I’d already been killed once. Laying on my back on flat surfaces could still be unsettling for me.

“I said it’s okay,” Bastion said.

A hand looped reassuring fingers around my wrist, and to my own surprise, I didn’t recoil from his touch. I opened my eyes again, thinking I was hallucinating, but I wasn’t. There he was, in a chair by my bed, standing – rather, sitting guard like a sentinel. Sebastion Brandt, once an enemy, and now – my caretaker? Nurse? I blinked the thought away.

“I’m okay,” I said, or rather, tried to say. The words tumbled out of my mouth in an unintelligible mumble, my tongue leaden, my throat parched. I tried to say something else, but all I could do was produce hoarse puffs of breath. I gasped, mentally reminding myself not to panic.

“It’s okay,” Bastion repeated, and I knew he was only trying to be helpful, but there were only so many times he could say that before I stopped believing him. Then he reached for something at my side, fumbling, and I heard the gorgeous sound of water splashing into a glass. I could taste it before I even saw it. Bastion brought the glass to my lips. Water never tasted so good.

“Careful. Slow.”

“Mmhmm,” I managed between gulps of water. “Thank you.” Ah. I could finally say things. Much better.

“You’ve been out for a while.”

I licked my lips, glancing at the glass in his hand, eager for more water. “I figured. Thirsty as hell. Would you mind?” Bastion nodded obligingly, pouring me another drink. “How long have I been out?”

“Let’s see,” he said, gently tipping water into my mouth. “I want to say it’s been about – ”

His eyes rolled up to the ceiling as he held one hand out, counting off on his fingers, mouthing numbers silently. “I guess about twenty-seven hours now.”

I almost choked on my water. “What? How is that possible?”

Bastion shrugged. “Guess you were exhausted. Prue says it was the effort of shadowstepping so much in such a short period of time. My guess is that whatever Hecate did took a lot out of you.” He replaced the glass on the side table. “Thea says it was both.”

“What did she do to me?”

“Nothing horrible, as far as we can tell. Call me crazy but I think she liked you. But whatever it was knocked you out on the spot. Had to carry you here.”

“Had to?” I blinked again, my eyes focusing on Bastion’s face. Somehow he didn’t look as annoying as he used to, maybe because he wasn’t making such an effort to be a douche, for once. “You mean you carried me yourself?”

I could see him redden. “Don’t flatter yourself. You needed help, and I wasn’t going to make Prue do it herself.” He scratched his nose, the back of his neck, the redness still in his cheeks. “Thea told us to take care of you. I don’t need her on my ass, too.” He scratched his eyebrow next, turning his gaze up to the ceiling again, then sighed, his shoulders slumping just so slightly. “And fine, maybe I thought you deserved a break. What you did with Hecate back there? That was risky. And dangerous. But it paid off.”

I did my best not to smile, but Bastion was paying me a compliment. I never thought I’d see the day.

“I – I guess it was kind of badass.” He cleared his throat. “Good job, rookie.” Then he furrowed his brow and leaned closer to the bed. “But you tell anyone I was ever nice to you and I swear I’ll snap you in half. Won’t take me much work, either.”