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He stared up at her bewildered and full of so much lust she felt the succubus in her rear its head. It had reached its limit.

Against her wishes, the being took the reins.

She leaned down and met his lips. It might have been a sensual kiss had it not been that when she pulled back, she pulled the threads of his life energy. She slowly inhaled the foreign feeling, and finally, after days of being unsuccessful at filling her hunger, she grew stronger. She could feel her wounds healing, even those caused by the magic she thought would put her out of commission for a day at least. Yes. She wanted this life force, wanted the pain to ebb.

She sucked and sucked, watching as he grew pale and she got stronger. But she couldn’t kill him. The still sane part screamed when the end of his life force was visible in red thread. Despite her anger and vow to kill him, she knew deep inside he needed to live to face the consequences of his actions.

It also did something to the man because he jerked so hard he pushed her off.

The back of her head bounced off the tree she landed against and her vision blurred as he towered over her and he reached a hand down so quickly she couldn’t stop him. She saw too late that he was carrying a blade. As it sunk into her eye, she screamed. This wasn’t her first stabbing. But she had never experienced the hot white pain that assaulted her.

Something dark was festering from the wound, a twisted form of magic that wanted to consume her.

Panic rose in her throat before the vision of Dew’s body in Kin’s hands slammed into her mind. She needed to be calm to avenge her friend.

Gritting her teeth and taking a deep breath as Antoni pulled his arm back to stab her again, she raised her own. The blinding light of the sword was enough to make him pause. She swung, aiming for his neck, blind with pain and rage. But he phased a few feet away.

He looked too sane to be Cursed, but perhaps that's how they all appeared before the object took them over. She'd only ever seen a Cursed when they were ready to move one, at the end of their lives.

No killing. She had to remind herself. She needed him alive. Past experience had taught her that if she didn't get a killing blow in the Cleansing wouldn't take hold. Her good eye locked on her target, and using his idea, she phased.

“What Cursed object do you carry, Barros? Is it behind the shifter attacks? Or is that your personal goal?”

“I am in control!” He hissed from behind her. “This ismyvengeance.”

She swung, but he was gone.

Dashing through the space of the forest behind the wrecked house, they phased around each other, slashing empty air with their weapons, until Rowan noticed his favoritism towards his right side. Had it not been for the many hours on the mat with Axel repeatedly criticizing her own favoritism for her right, she might have missed it, but again her sister’s voice demanded she pay attention.

Plan in mind, she stopped phasing and caught another stinging blow from the blade with her left hand, the one she’d spent hours channeling magic through. With her right, she swung her sword from below his left armpit, taking him by surprise with the unconventional move.

“This ismine.”She hissed.

She expected to feel resistance when she reached bone, but the sword sliced through with little more sound than metal biting air. Had her hatred for the man sharpened her sword?

His blood was warm on her arms and face even as he phased once more. She was faster though, and when she appeared before him. She took aim for his leg, only to pull back when she noticed that almost all the color had drained from his face.

She stayed her hand as he swayed forward and backwards until he fell face first in front of her, then disintegrated into dirt.

Fury tore through her at the realization. That last phase had been so slow because he’d sent a replacement in his stead.

She searched for any sign that he was still there, but his existence was long gone.

In her mind, she could once again hear Dew’s last breath and nausea roiled through her.

She had failed to avenge her friend.

Frustrated, she bellowed and the magic she had gathered to fight the coward exploded from her like a sonic boom. Around her, the trees shook with the force. The earth quaked. The pain that her adrenaline had staved off from taking all those hits, the wound of her eye, and the overuse of magic all slammed into her, bringing her to her knees.

Fighting to catch her breath, she allowed herself to feel for the fairy who liked to bring her too many doughnuts and coffee topped by creative foam art.

She didn’t have enough magic to phase. She barely had enough strength to turn her head when something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

His arm had remained a few yards away and hope blossomed in her. He had done his little trick after she’d taken it. If she could survive long enough to recuperate some magic, she had a way to track the bastard.

Then she felt it. A familiar signature that made relief pump through her.

She looked up to the swirling rainbow eyes of the Dragon King and a collection of multi-colored dragons flying behind him, all staring down at her. She focused on him as she lifted her arms.