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I reach for its hands, desperate to pry them from my neck. I startle at the feel of the creature’s skin, which feels like…like…potter’s clay.

Don’t I have a magical aptitude for clay?

The being’s hold tightens, and a gurgled sound comes from my mouth.

Selene, use my power!Memnon bellows inside my head.

Power, right.

I yank on Memnon’s magic, and for the hell of it, I try drawing on the creature’s own essence. To my shock, I feel its magic migrate from its body to my own. After gathering all the accumulated power, I force it down my arms and out my palms, willing the hands beneath mine to loosen.

For a moment, they do, and I drag in a grateful gulp of air.

But then those hands tighten once more, and the creature stares down at me with those lifeless obsidian eyes, its features slack.

A shadow drops from the treetops above us, landing heavily on my attacker. I hear the dull sound of clay breaking, and I swear to the triple goddess that the monster’s backcaved inunder the impact.

Nero snarls above us. I see a flash of his fangs, and I feel a stray claw of his accidentally tear at my flesh as he mauls the creature between us. I grunt at the wave of pain that comes a moment later.

Damn the gods, Empress, USE MY POWER! IT IS YOURS!Memnon roars.

My pain and panic and those compelling words are enough to call forth another wave of power.

I don’t mean to let my magic make use of my blood; it’s simply that my attention drifts briefly to my newest wound, and the magic follows. Once there, my magicfeasts.

My power comes alive like never before. I didn’t know it could feel like this—like a live wire. It’s burgeoning more and more as my blood dissolves.

I gather it in my palms and move my hands to the monster’s chest. Its own hold is still fast around my neck, despite Nero’s attack.

For an instant, I move into Nero’s head.

Move away. Now, I command him.

I shift back into my own head as my panther hops off the creature, then prowls back to the girl.

Black spots obscure my vision, but I wait until my magic has finished devouring my blood. I know that’s forbidden magic; I know that tomorrow I’ll be sorry I used it.

But tonight, I have no remorse.

I stare into those empty eyes, and I speak a single word.“Annihilate.”

My power detonates.

The creature blasts into the air, its body shattering as it’s thrown across the forest. My spell continues, the last of it hitting a tree and cracking it apart.

Then the woods fall silent, so painfully silent.

There is my queen.Memnon’s words seem to echo in the silence, though I know I’m only hearing them in my head.

I take a deep breath of air, then cough, my throat raw. Nero comes over to me, rubbing his head and then his body against my face.

I force myself to my feet, though my body feels incapable of holding me up. I stumble over to where I saw the creature’s remains fall.

When I get to where I think it landed, I whisper “illuminate” into my hand.

A weak orb of light bursts forth, the light from it flickering. I blow it off my palm, watching it float over the ground.

I draw in a breath when I see dozens and dozens of clay shards. I lift one of the larger pieces, one that resembles a finger. The inside of it is hollow. There’s no muscle, no bone, no blood. The thing that almost killed me literally shattered like a broken pot. Still, several feet away, its head and one of its shoulders lie mostly intact.