A Kiss of Shadow (Court of Starlight and Darkness #2)(56)
“You already have.”
“No, I haven’t. I want you to tell King Lore that I am coming for him.” He strode toward me, moving with an eerie grace.
When he reached me, I lashed out, aiming my fist for his nose. He dodged.
Damn it, I was too slow, still reeling from the explosion earlier.
I tried to call on any of the magic inside me, but it just roiled in an ugly way, like snakes slithering in my belly.
Vusario gripped my neck.
I kicked, my knee landing against his thigh. He grunted but didn’t release me.
“Let me go.” I punched him in the neck, but the blow was too weak.
“Give it to me.” His power surged, drawing the magic from me.
I thrashed, trying to break free, but I couldn’t land a proper blow. The longer he held me, the more my head spun, and my body grew weak. The magic flowed out of me as he took it, a much more effective thief than the ones on the train.
Panic flooded me, making my heart race and my skin chill. My vision doubled as oxygen became scarce in my bloodstream. Weakness pervaded my limbs, and my stomach turned to acid as he continued to draw the magic out of me.
When he was done, he released my neck, and I tumbled to the ground, landing in a pile.
He stood over me, staring down with disdain. “Remember my message to King Lore.”
Hate filled me, more vicious than I’d ever known. This had been his trap all along, and I’d fallen right into it.
He disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke, and I lay there, panting.
He was just...gone.
Shock made my head buzz. Vusario had been behind this all along, and I’d never realized. He’d somehow manipulated the entire situation—manipulated me—and now I was locked up in prison, and he’d run off with my deadly magic.
How the hell had I misread the situation so badly?
I shivered. I was surrounded by stone cell walls, an ominous reminder that I was trapped. Powerless. And Vusario walked free.
I dragged myself upright, leaning against the wall. I might be helpless right now, but I wouldn’t be for long. I’d find a way out of this, and Vusario would regret the day he’d decided to steal my magic. Whatever he was planning, I would stop him.
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That’s it for now! A Crown of Starlight, the next (and final) story, will be here in July, so keep a lookout.
THANK YOU FOR READING!
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I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews are so helpful to authors. I really appreciate all reviews, both positive and negative. If you want to leave one, you can do so at Amazon or GoodReads.
Acknowledgments
Thank you, Ben, for everything. There would be no books without you.
Thank you to Jena O’Connor and Lexi George for your excellent editing. The book is immensely better because of you! And thank you Susie and Aisha for your eagle eyes with finding errors, I appreciate you both so much.