Page 97 of The Forsaken Heir

“No weapons,” I said, shaking my head, trying to hand it back without looking.

“It’s not a weapon,” she said. “It’s more than that.”

Glancing down, I opened my hand, and found a small vial filled with an ephemeral glowing substance.

“Wellspring magic?” I said, looking up at her with a frown.

She grinned at me. She was so petite and wispy, that she looked more like a child than an adult, but her eyes held a deep well of wisdom and knowledge that belied her youthful looks.

“The same thing Jolon used to induce your dream walk.” Sahalie closed my fingers around the vial again. “I think you’ll know when to use it.”

“Do you think this will work?” I asked, glancing back at my brother, who was whispering with my parents. “I’m not sure he’s the type for self-reflection.”

“Demons are demons,” she said. “It doesn’t matter whether you want to face them or not. Good luck.”

She slipped back into the crowd, and I slid the vial into my pocket.

I wasn’t sure I’d actually get the chance to use it.

Despite all the training and my righteous fury, Bastien was powerful, and he had the ability to shift.

I didn’t. He’d also spent years learning to fight.

My few days of training with Delphine, Aurelius, and Freddy weren’t much compared to that.

Still, I’d do everything I could to come out on top.

But I did have something Bastien didn’t have.

An honorable reason to fight. That had to count for something.

There was no way I could believe that fate had led me to this exact moment, only to lose to this piece of shit.

“Come on then, Brielle,” Bastien said, strolling out to the center of the circle. “Let’s get this over with. No reason to delay the inevitable.”

“Be careful ,” Aurelius said, pulling me in for a kiss.

With my lips tingling, I looked him dead in the eyes. “Do not interfere, Aurelius. Do you hear me? I know what I’m doing.”

His face twisted with some internal agony. “You can’t ask that of me. If you’re in trouble, I will help you. Trial by combat be damned.”

I touched his cheek. “Trust me, Aurelius. Trust fate.”

He only hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too.” I turned from him before I could lose my will to do so.

As I walked toward Bastien, the crowd around us spread out farther, giving us room to fight.

In the distance, above the heads of some of the fae, I spotted Sophia and Collette emerging from the forest. Both locked their eyes on me, understanding dawning on their faces.

Collette gave me a slight nod and pulled Sophia to her side.

My little sister looked terrified and clung to my aunt, her eyes darting between Bastien and me.

Be careful, she mouthed at me.

I nodded and tore my gaze away. I had to focus on Bastien. I had to put a stop to this once and for all.

“Come on then,” Bastien said with that cocky smile I so desperately wanted to slap off his face.

When we were almost upon each other, I decided to try and use surprise to my advantage. Without warning, I swung out my fist, trying to catch his chin. Bastien must have seen something that gave away my intention, because he pulled his head back at the last second.

Once I was overbalanced from the missed strike, he slammed his knee into my stomach.

Air burst out of my lungs, and I fell, tumbling aside.

In my agony, I still had enough sense to stay out of his reach.

Righting myself, I sat on my knees and retched, but I kept an eye on Bastien, who preened for the crowd.

“You see? Weak as a human from the looks of her. Worthless! I’m sorry you all won’t get much of a show. This shouldn’t take long.”

Growling in anger and frustration, I shoved my pain aside and stood.

“We aren’t through yet,” I hissed as I rushed him.

He saw me coming, and easily side-stepped my attack…which I anticipated. Instead of tackling him, I dived at the ground, kicking at his ankles and sending him sprawling on the grass.

“Fuck,” he grunted.

Before he could begin to stand, I kicked out as fast as I could, catching him in the chest. The blow sent him onto his back, and I straddled him, driving my elbow down.

Bastien’s hand moved, lightning quick, to knock my elbow shot away, and instead of landing on and breaking his cheek, it hit the grass. My brother reached up and wrapped his arms around my neck.

“I got you, sis,” he hissed in my ear. “All you need to do is relax, and I’ll put you down real quick. Okay?”

“Fuck you,” I grunted as I slammed my knee into his crotch.

A gust of air exploded from his mouth, and his arms relaxed enough for me to scramble free. Aurelius stood at the edge of the circle, staring at me with an apprehensive look of dismay.

“You fucking bitch,” Bastien said, his jaw clenched in pain while he cradled his balls. “Enough of the easy stuff. Let’s show everyone exactly how worthless you really are.”

He rose to his knees and shifted, falling to four paws and rushing me, jaws open and teeth gleaming in the sunlight. I dived aside at the last second, rolled, and jumped to my feet.

Bastien sprinted, circling the ring of onlookers, and angled for me again, his tongue lolling from his mouth.

Ten feet from me, he feinted to the left.

When I stepped aside, he turned, leaping and slamming his paws into my chest. As we fell to the ground, I could distantly hear Aurelius screaming my name.

All the air in my chest huffed out as Bastien drove me to the ground.

All that stopped him from tearing my throat out was my left arm, which I barely managed to shove up into his chest. Teeth snapped less than two inches from my nose.

People were shouting and calling out from the crowd, but all I could really hear was the sound of Bastien growling and snarling.

Strings of saliva dripped from his jaws as he pushed forward, trying to tear my face off.

With my free hand, I dug into my pocket, fingers fumbling until they found the vial. Sahalie said I’d know when it was time, and if this wasn’t it, I didn’t know when it would be. I was seconds away from my brother tearing my throat out.

With one twist of my shoulder, I pulled my arm free and raised it as Bastien lowered his teeth to my neck.

I smashed the glass against the side of his face, and it shattered, engulfing both of us in a misty cloud.

Magic surged around us, filling my nose and eyes.

A sense of power and control unlike anything I’d ever experienced before crackled through my mind as I took control of the magic.

Everything around us vanished. Bastien let out a howl of surprise as I dragged him down into the dream walk.