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Yes, I defended them. But Malachi was the one that held my life at knifepoint.

Tessa’s voice haunted my thoughts.

Do you feel lucky to be alive?

“Jade,” Malachi’s soft voice pierced through the voice in my head. “Jade, open your eyes.”

I did what I was told, and my jaw dropped.

In front of me, between my hands and glowing bright red, was a ball of my power.

“Saints,” I muttered. “Holy Saints.”

“Good,” Esther said. “Now more.”

“More?” I breathed. “More what?”

“More power. Breathe into it. Release.”

I took a deep breath, and to my surprise, the red ball in front of me grew.

Malachi stepped forward, finally entering back into the cell. “How dangerous is it?” he asked Esther.

“Why don’t we find out,” she answered.

Before I had time to process what was happening, Esther grabbed my wrist and pushed, flinging my ball of power directly toward Malachi.

My heart dropped. A scream echoed through the stone walls.

Myscream.

“Malachi,” I breathed, finally forcing myself to look at him, at the damage I had caused.

But when I opened my eyes, Malachi was standing just as he was before.

Totally fine.

“What happened?” I asked. “How are you not hurt?”

Malachi’s mouth was slightly open, as if he was just as shocked by my power not hurting him.

“I didn’t feel a thing,” Malachi said. “I’m fine, Jade.”

Esther laughed under her breath. “Jade can block your power,” she said, “and you can block hers. What a sight.”

“What? What does that mean?” I asked. An emotion I didn’t even understand bubbled in my chest.

“I don’t know,” Esther breathed, “but whatever it is, you two should stick together. It can’t be a bad thing that you are both immune to each other’s power.”

I was breathing heavily now, unable to slow down my heart rate. I still didn’t understand my power, the damage it could cause.

It had completely disintegrated that cage of bones in Trithen, turning the entire thing, deadling with it, to ash.

Malachi’s power was pain. Plain and simple. With a single thought, Malachi could drop an army of men to their knees.

I had seen it with my own eyes.

But my power was sotangible. It had been right there, sitting in my hands.