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MALACHI DRAVEN

I was taking a gamble on Evangeline, but I’d run out of options.

Even now she was plotting a hundred ways to kill me, all of them slow, painful and creative enough to make me rethink my entire plan. Not that I had any other choice.

Vicious was the plan.

She’d always been the plan, since before she was born, something I bitterly regretted. But her involvement was not my doing and I was out of time to win Evangeline Silverwood to my side as an eager, willing ally.

I pinched the top of my nose. Two hours in and I was already doubting I’d succeed, which had to be some kind of record. I’d overthrown all of Rome, and never felt as outmatched as I did right now.

But after dreaming about this moment for so long, she was finally here.

The dark light from the chandelier cast her face in shadow, her hair glowing bright as spider silk, eyes sparking hot with anger, her temper unraveling. And beneath that anger lay a looming power capable of decimating my carefully constructed world.

Perhaps the entire world, if I wasn’t careful.

My gut clenched, having her in my castle, under my roof, breathing my air. Close enough to touch. Close enough to tumble into bed and sink my teeth and my cock in deep, losing myself in the absolute carnal temptation that was Evangeline Silverwood.

But…fun and games later. Killing Ravok took precedence.

And for that, I required her magic.

Magic powerful enough to be coveted by Caine himself. Magic strong enough to destroy an Elder, even one as strong as Ravok. Long before they’d been hunted to extinction, a Bloodmoon witch had bound Ravok to his iron coffin.

Her spell had lasted a thousand years, until fucking Silas had somehow broken the seal and brought my entire future—and Darkmore Castle—crashing down around me.

I had no idea how. That spell should have been unbreakable.

“Come with me.” I turned on my heel and headed outside, Evangeline followed with those light, prowling footsteps, stealth trained into her from such a young age, there were times even I hadn’t heard her coming.

Impressive, for a newly turned vampire, doubly impressive as a human. She’d hunted down and killed twenty-one vampires within a three-month period—all right under Tyrell’s sniveling nose.

Made me smile every time I thought about it. How she’d evaded everyone—Tyrell, her father, even me—then strutted straight through the front doors of Darkmore and blown Tyrell’s castle to bits. You had to admire the ingenuity, but I admired her sheer ruthlessness even more.

Perfectly willing to sacrifice every single vampire inside that castle to save her sister.

Now that was fucking loyalty .

“Stay on the path, follow the sound of the water.”

These gardens were my pride and joy, cultivated and sculpted over the centuries to exactly how I’d envisioned them when I’d set the first cornerstone of what would become my home.

We were halfway there when she stopped, trailing her fingers wonderingly over a single rose, the most unusual shade of black, those remarkable blue eyes flicking to mine before she kept moving, fingers curling tight against her palm.

I wanted nothing more than to read her thoughts, to know what she was thinking right now, but tonight I needed her trust, and trust was not won by deception. No, with Evangeline, I had to shed my mask and show her a male she could depend on.

If I could even remember who that was.

I chose a spot far away from the castle and wrapped a blanket of glamour around the moss-covered stone walls.

“Evangeline, look at me.”

Her pale eyes reflected the slivered moon overhead, until a cloud sped across the sky and turned her face into a shadowed secret, hatred burning brighter than any star. Soon enough her hate would fade. Soon enough, she’d understand why she was here, and everything she’d been told was a lie.

And I had no idea what that cataclysmic result would be.

“I will remove the block slowly, then help you maintain control as your magic rises. Tonight is only to gauge the levels of your power, and once we’ve accomplished that, I will re-block your magic so you’re not in any danger. Tomorrow morning, we will repeat the process, and I will show you some remedial tricks for controlling your magic.”

“That would be helpful.” she admitted reluctantly, gnawing so hard on her bottom lip it bled, and the potent scent of her blood…I turned away, hunger slashing through my chest.

I wanted Evangeline more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life.

But I’d kidnapped her, dragged her away from her home, her lovers, her mate, and hunger was replaced by a rush of shame. She deserved so much better than this shitty hand she’d been dealt. After hearing only a hint of the pain she’d endured at her father’s hands, I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms… but Vicious was too proud for pity.

And too pissed for anything else.

“Then consider this my promise to you. I will teach you everything I know, until you have complete control over your power.” I turned to face her. “I swear it.”

In return she snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

The high, ivy-covered walls cast protective shadows over the twisting paths, a small fountain babbled softly in the center, the sound a soothing counterpoint to the tension snapping between us.

For one fraught moment, our eyes locked and my breath stilled in my lungs.

This was my chance to tell her everything . To let the secret I’d been keeping for years spill out…but she wasn’t ready. No, the truth would devastate Evangeline’s entire world, and right now, I needed her strong.

Pissed off, strong and fearless.

That was the only way she’d survive this.

So the truth would have to wait.

Evangeline waited a few steps away, her hands trembling at her sides. Repressed power coiled beneath her skin, a caged predator pacing within its prison.

Even now I couldn’t tell how strong her magic was—or what form the power would take once released—but the result would be powerful enough to destroy everything in its path.

“Brace yourself,” I murmured, raising my hands.

Her eyes, impossibly dark with a hint of challenge in their depths, snapped to mine. “Maybe it’s you who’d better brace yourself.”

I should have stopped right then, but I was too greedy to see all of her, to glimpse the depths of magic churning inside her like a leviathan. Hungry for revenge and redemption and fucking absolution of my worst sins.

Besides, we were on my territory, wrapped up in my magic, and she was what?

All of three months old?

“Just relax,” I soothed, stepping closer. “Removing the block won’t hurt, but your magic will want to escape…I’ll go slowly, so too much power doesn’t swamp your system all at once. I don’t want there to be any pain.”

Her lips parted as though to argue, but she didn’t. Still, fear bled into her expression, and a rare and fragile feeling tightened my chest. She straightened her shoulders, feet braced on the grass, chin tipped up, challenge shining in her eyes.

No, Vicious wouldn’t let pain stop her.

She wouldn’t let anything stop her.

I reached out, brushing my fingers along her wrist, where the old, nearly invisible scars of my teeth marred her skin. My own blood flared in response, recognizing that connection on some primal level, my heart beating faster as glowing lines appeared over her skin, pulsing with protective energy.

Once I removed the spell…

I double checked my glamour, my warding around the estate, searching for any weak points, any vulnerabilities. There were none. Less than a minute. Just long enough to gauge her abilities and rework the blocking spell.

“I trust you,” she said, her long lashed eyes guileless and wide, and the weight of those words wrapped around my heart and threatened to bring me to my knees.

“I won’t hurt you, Evangeline. I would never hurt you.” My lips quirked into a shadow of a smile, then faded quickly as I pressed my palm over her wrist, drinking in her sweet scent. The ancient incantation spilled from my lips, barely a whisper, unraveling the witch’s spell binding her like chains.

The moment the last word left me, the air snapped.

This was no gradual release, this was an explosion of pure, untapped power, her magic shattering through my wards like they didn’t exist. A deep boom reverberated off the back of the castle, my ears hollowing out.

Her power surged to life in a tidal wave, shadowy, black fire exploding from her skin and licking through the garden with an unnatural chill. Those dark flames burned cold—achingly so—searing the air with frost that shimmered like shattered glass. The nearest rosebush froze solid in an instant, velvet soft blooms crackling with ice, solidifying, then crumbling to dust.

Evangeline gasped, clutching at her chest, but the fire kept growing.

Until an aura of darkness danced around her, devouring everything in its path. The trellis collapsed under the weight of the ice creeping up its frame. The fountain froze solid, the sound of breaking stone creaked through the garden.

“Malachi,” Evie cried, her voice sharp with panic as that plume of dark fire reached toward me, like a slow and terrible finger of death. I raised a hand, summoning a shield of glamour. Her power struck mine and the force nearly shattered my bones. I’d only ever seen power like this once before, and Evangeline was stronger.

Much, much stronger.

Her magic was raw, deadly, and beautiful—the perfect reflection of her.

“ Focus, Evangeline ,” I shouted, stepping closer despite the maelstrom ripping around us. I wrapped my glamour tighter around the entire garden, absorbing the worst of the onslaught. “You can control this power, you were born to wield this . Breathe . Breathe in and out, and focus.”

“I’m trying, but I can’t .” Her eyes, wide with terror, locked onto mine. That fire swelled again, and this time the assault shredded my defenses, burning through my glamour, flames nipping at my face with vicious, icy teeth.

“You can, ” I ordered, keeping my voice steady. “You’re stronger than this. You’re stronger than me. ”

“ I can’t .” She lifted her hands, encased in flames of purest black, staring at them like she was trapped in a nightmare. “Please help me, I can’t go through this again, I can’t hurt anyone else, oh God, make this stop .”

I didn’t know what she was seeing right now, but she was unraveling beneath her fear.

Sweat beaded on my forehead as I held my fraying ward together, tried to contain her burgeoning power, but some of her magic leaked through, the backs of my hands blistering from the cold. “Concentrate. You have to find the source of your magic. There’s a kernel at your center, a place where the power springs from. Look for that and build a wall of steel around it.”

“Everything is too…I can’t,” she gasped, shadowy flames pouring out of her mouth, leaking from her eyes. “ Wait .” she held up a shaking hand. “I think…I found it. Like an open box…with a lid…if I just…”

Her power flared once more, a final, desperate burst of flame that left the air sparkling with frost, ice clinging to my eyelashes and cheeks. Then, slowly, the darkness receded, drawn back into her like the tide retreating from the shore.

Evangeline fell to her knees, frost glinting in her hair, body trembling as she gasped for air. The garden around us was in ruins—blackened, frozen, lifeless. But she was alive.

We were alive.

I knelt beside her, winding my fingers through hers. I rubbed her ice-cold hands to get circulation going, and she didn’t pull away.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” I murmured, gathering her trembling body against mine, her head still bowed, breath coming in quick, panicked gasps. “You did it, Vicious. You controlled your magic.” Which was remarkable. Somehow, she’d instinctively known what to do.

I ran my hand over the back of her head, and with one last, shuddering breath, she relaxed against me. My heart shuddered, a lump forming in my throat. I wanted this moment to last forever, for this to never end, but right now, secrets were spilling from my lips, too fast for me to stop them.

“You were born for this magic, Vicious. I have never met anyone as strong and brave, but you are also powerful, in ways you do not yet know. You are going to rock the stars in the sky, Evangeline, and I cannot wait for the day you bring this world to its knees.”

With great effort, Evangeline raised her face to mine, darkness glittering in their pale blue depths, that aura of black flame expanding around her like an unholy halo.

When she rose to her feet with a smile, everything inside me stilled and I snatched my frozen, blistering hand away, stumbling back as I spun another shield of glamour, tried to smother her flames, but I was too slow, too drained from bringing her here.

Evangeline was too strong, her magic too powerful, and my own magic…

I reeled backwards as the truth hit me.

Right now, my own magic was no match for hers.