Page 76 of Dark Flame

The lies found inside the box.

The deaths of my real parents.

The lies fed by my fake parents.

The grief I had over them.

The ignorance about my life.

The horror of being kidnapped by a vampire.

The distaste of becoming his mate.

Every feeling ever had won’t be contained, not any longer.

Every tear shed.

Every plea to the Goddess.

Every spell I know.

Every scream ever yelled.

Every time I said “I love you” to my parents.

Every good memory shared with them.

Every banter, good and bad, with Alec.

Every.

Thing.

Do it,the voice whispers in my ear. The tendrils coil around my arms, nudging my palms open.Feel what you must. Embrace it.

Everything emerges, bundled into a deafening scream that’s almost immediately drowned out by the roar of fire exploding from me. The tendrils remain where they are, nudging me to my feet as flames create a wall around me, but not before burning the box to ash, taking with it every document detailing two people’s treachery.

The castle shakes again as I step over the flames, welcoming the pressure in my palms. The heat that sayswelcome back, except it feels stronger. Almost like it’s welcoming me from time well before months ago when I lost them. Power like I’ve never felt courses through my body. The tendrils slowly fade, slipping beneath my skin, becoming friends with my fire.

My magick is back.

I wave my hand, testing my control. The flames sweep in an arc, singeing the carpet and blood stains. Smiling, I close my palm to extinguish the fire before practicing a few other wordless spells: sliding the curtain over the broken window, turning on the bathroom taps, lifting the bed a few feet off the floor. Little things to ensure I’m truly as I should be.

I’m free, and this time, Alec will be unable to stop me.

Staring at the ashes left from the itemsheobviously placed there, I send a silent thank-you to them. If not for the truth, then my magick would still be lost within grief.

“Harlow.” From the doorway, my name is breathed like a prayer. A whisper barely audible over the roar of fire burning beside me.

I face Alec, my mind and heart confused. Despite everything, I don’t want to hurt him, not really. I hate him, though. Maybe. Something bright lingers within me, but it’s masked beneath rage and heartbreak. Beneath feelings without labels.

Attack. He trapped you.A chill runs over my neck and down my arm, urging my palms open. Not for my fire, but for the tendrils that slip from me and dart towards Alec, catching him off guard.

His body lands with a thud across the hallway, and by the time I step from the bedroom, he’s getting to his feet, reaching for me likeI’mthe problem.

My heart thumps. I don’t want to hurt him—not really—but I can’t care about him either, and have to do what I must.

I walk away.