Page 93 of In The Dark

“I would rather die at the hands of Theron than take a boy from his parents.” My eyes frantically search the hard lines of his face.

“Would you?” He chuckles, then finally releases me with a shove as he frantically begins to pace—like he’s in distress—suddenly whipping around with a scowl. “You’re not the Isa I knew from a year ago—not even a month ago. What happened? Why are you questioning it now? Did something happen?”

“I’m not, becauseyoudon’t know anything. You’re a fucking coward,” I get out.

“Me?” he snarls back, storming toward me.

Fury consumes me as betrayal grips my heart, refusing to letgo. Rage surges beneath my skin, so sharp it almost steals my breath.

Everything from the past few weeks flies across my mind—the secrets, the lies, the harsh truth that my life was never really my own. Stolen memories and the betrayal of a realm I calledhome.

This was supposed to be my home.

I’m unable to think straight—unable to contain it any longer. A golden orb suddenly bursts from my palm, slamming into him, sending him sprawling into the clearing next to our camp. His eyes go wide as he sits up on his palms.

Yet my rage crackles like a fire beneath my skin as it comes to the surface—power. Raw power.

My body hums as it ripples from my shoulders down to my fingertips. A dull, throbbing ache forms behind my eyes, head pounding with pressure. I can’t control it—the fury.

Or my sudden need for blood.

Ren braces himself on his hands, eyes widening as I stalk him like a predator. Snow drifts down.

“Isa, stop,” he blurts.

His voice doesn’t reach me though. Not as my vision blurs, glossed over as I stride forward, my gaze locking on him.

“Isa, stop!” he shouts again as I reach the edges of his boots.

My hands blaze a bright white, joining and swirling in wisps of darkness as if the moon and sun meld beneath my skin, crashing together in waves of shadow and light. Power pulses through me as I slowly lift my eyes to him, a dark, menacing smirk curling my lips.

He stands with palms raised, his words slow and calculated—carefully chosen words meant to soothe my rising fury. “Isa, I know more than you think.”

“You know nothing!”

“Yes… I do,” he says cautiously. “I know the king has been doing something secretive for many years.”

My chest heaves as his words register, pulling me from the energy I’ve summoned, and I tilt my head with panted breaths. “How do you know that?”

“I know that they did something to you, right? I think they hurt you, and I think you know that now. But you don’t remember it, do you?”

“How do you know that?” The shadowy glow of my hands falters and then flutters out completely a second later. “What do you know? Tell me!”

He steps toward me, a hand extended. “Calm down, and I will explain…”

The energy suddenly shifts, like static hanging in the air. A raw surge of power vibrates around us, stealing the breath from my lungs at the presence appearing in the depths of the shadows a few feet away.

Rydian.

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“Lay a single finger on her,and I’ll tear the hands right off your useless body.” Rydian’s voice is a low, vicious growl. Ren stiffens, steps halting as his eyes go wide.

Rydian strides out from beneath the shadows of the trees—not the trees,hisshadows. My breathing stalls.

I always knew he was king of Aurelia, but I never truly grasped the extent of his power until now. It’s absolutely terrifying.

His cloak swirls around him, billowing like a storm with his hood drawn low over his brows, hiding all but the faintest trace of his features. Every step he takes seems to make the ground tremble, as though he’s bending the realm to his will. He strides forward and then smirks, the small curve of his scarred lip tipping up ever so slightly.