Page 48 of Magical Mischief

Visions of spells used to blackmail, to manipulate, and punish those who refused him flooded through me.

Gideon discovered the power of raw emotions and how strong fear, anger, and heartbreak could sway the masses.

Each success deepened his pride and fueled the conviction that onlyhisspells could bring actual order.

That Stonewick would either bend to his will or crumble beneath it.

Everyone is so selfish and cruel to outsiders,a dark voice whispered in my mind.

I jolted as Gideon’s voice echoed from the well of his memories.

The onslaught ceased.

I blinked, reeling from the experiences forced into my mind as the night around me returned to focus.

Gideon stood there with a tremor of rage crossing his features.

I’d pried too deeply, and he knew it.

But why were we so bonded?

The thought brought a dull ache in the pit of my stomach.

“That’s enough,” he snarled, yanking his hands free of mine.

The mental connection snapped like a taut wire.

A wave of cold dripped along my spine.

Keegan shouted from above, faint but urgent: “Maeve, get out of there.”

I almost laughed bitterly.

Gideon’s mirages threatened to swirl around me again, but I fought them off.

“Don’t presume to know me. Or to pity me.”

“Then show me more,” I dared.

The runes at my feet pulsed, ready to anchor me.

“I showed you nothing.”

“I saw more than nothing.”

His eyes narrowed on me.

“I’ll assume you’re just a coward who blames the world for his pain,” I taunted.

A snarl twisted his handsome features, and for the briefest moment, I saw the vulnerability beneath—raw, jagged.

But he buried it as quickly as it surfaced.

Shadows spread from his fingertips and swirled around my arms like shackles.

A tug on my mind snapped my gaze to Gideon’s as he pressed deceptions into my mind to drown me in nightmares and promises.

Nova’s voice echoed from the alley as she chanted something.