Page 63 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha (Witch Twins #2)

Electra

I opened my eyes to darkness. The void stretched out impossibly far in front of me. Above. Below. I turned in place. Darkness in every direction.

Gesturing, I reached into my power well and spoke the words for a fire spell. The magic was there, but the spell failed.

Was this a nightmare? I remembered waking. Panicking.

It’s finally happened. I’ve lost it completely.

Failure. You are a failure. The words were a malevolent hiss, echoing in the darkness.

Nobody loves you .

Your mate doesn’t want you.

“That’s not true.” My voice, thin and shaking, was swallowed up by the void.

It’s your fault he will be sentenced to death. He is better off without you.

My mouth opened. Then shut. I wanted to deny it. Every cell in my body wanted to shout. To reject the Voice’s vicious words. But I had no reply. The voice spoke the truth as I believed it in the deepest recesses of my soul.

Bastien should never have mated me.

I couldn’t ask him to keep me.

I had to let him go. For his sake.

If I disappeared, no-one would be able to force the truth from me.

If I couldn’t be found, I couldn’t be coerced.

Even without Silvio’s illegal interrogation techniques, there were potions that could force the truth from a reluctant witness.

But if I ran, became a ghost, there would be no evidence that could be used against Bastien.

My soul hurt. It was hard to take a breath. My fingers and toes were numb.

The Voice had stopped, now that I had accepted the truth.

It was quiet here. Almost peaceful.

I could just stay here.