Of Bone and Ash (Silverwood University Book 1)

Prologue

Serafina

(Thirteen Years Ago)

“Fina! Dinner time,” Maddie hollers from downstairs, making my lips purse in frustration as I set down the doll my brother gave me on my soft pink bed before sliding off and padding out of my new room. I hesitantly peer down the dark hallway and take a deep breath before making a mad dash to the stairs, not wanting to be in the dark any longer than I have to.

The dark is where the monsters come out to play.

The dark is where I get hurt.

My hand grips the railing of the stairs as I dash down them, seeking the warm glow of the kitchen light, my heart pounding in my chest when I hear a noise behind me.

No, no, no… He’s not here anymore. Gabe said I was safe now!

I toss a quick look over my shoulder when I finally reach the bottom of the stairs to make sure Dad’s not stalking down the steps behind me, then gasp as I run into something soft, making me fall back on my butt with a hard thump.

“Ow,” I mutter, a burst of pain shooting up my back, aggravating the old injuries there. It”s been over a month since Dad locked me in that dark room, strapped to the cold metal table with tubes and wires connected to my arms, legs, and chest. But the echo of pain I feel in every inch of my body is a constant reminder of the nightmares I went through that night.

“Fina! Are you all right?” Maddie gasps, her dark eyes widening in alarm behind the black frames of her glasses as she stumbles back from my impact. She quickly recovers and reaches down to grab my much smaller hand, then yanks me back to my feet before turning me each way, looking me over to make sure I’m okay. My pigtails smack me in the face and make me blink several times as I try to get my bearings.

“Yeah,” I grumble, my cheeks heating as I kick the toe of my shoe against the floor. I look at her hands on my arms, her fingers covered in small silver rings gleaming with magic. I stiffen under her touch, waiting for her anger. “Sorry for running into you,” I add, not wanting to make my new friend mad. Maddie is nice. She makes me food and even reads me books! Plus, she hasn”t hit me once since I came here a few weeks ago. I don’t want to ruin everything.

I’m good at that… ruining things. Father always said I only excelled in one thing, and it was being a disappointment.

“It’s no problem,” Maddie whispers, a soft smile playing on her heart-shaped lips as her eyes move to my face. Her brows furrow as she slowly releases my arms and steps back, glancing up the stairs as if she is looking for my dad as well. “I got something for you,” she says, smile still in place as she turns and heads into the brightly lit kitchen. I follow, stepping into the room and breathing a sigh of relief as the light washes over me.

The room is full of yummy smells, making my stomach grumble. I walk over to where Maddie is rummaging through some grocery bags before she grins. Something small is in her hand as she turns and crouches down next to me so we are the same height. She holds her hand out, and I can feel myself frowning as I reach for the small white piece of plastic she holds in front of me.

“What is it?” I ask, turning it around and finding a small light bulb.

“A night light. I thought we could plug a few of them into the outlets in the hall so it”s not so dark at night,” she suggests. My eyes widen in surprise and elation as I look up at her.

“Really?” I ask, unable to stop the excitement from bleeding into my voice. I know I need to stay in control of my emotions. Dad hated it when I was too excited, but Maddie always smiles and seems to like it when I do the same.

“Mm-hmm.” Maddie stands and grabs the bag, opens it up, and shows me four other night lights. “I got one for the bathroom, too. That way, it won”t be dark when you need to find the light switch at night,” she says offhandedly, like it’s no big deal.

“Thank you,” I whisper, then throw my arms around her waist and squeeze as hard as I can, trying to replicate the feelings I get when my brothers hug me. They always make me feel safe, and now I can add Maddie to that list.

“You’re welcome,” she whispers, her small arms wrapping around my shoulders and squeezing me back. It’s a different hug from the ones I’ve started getting used to from Gabe and Attie, but it”s all nice. “Now,” she says, letting her arms fall away from me as she points to my chair and nods. “Time to eat. I made your favorite,” she mutters, turning toward the stove and grabbing an enormous pot of spaghetti.

My eyes widen at how much food she places on the table, and I happily skip to my chair, yank it out, and sit down, placing my newly acquired night light next to my plate. Maddie goes back to the stove and returns with a pan of garlic bread. I can feel my mouth water at the sight. Dad would often withhold meals as punishment, so I would hoard any meal I was given, yet I haven”t missed a single one since coming here. I’ve almost forgotten what the painful cramps of hunger felt like.

“Dish up!” Maddie announces, clapping her hands with a grin as she sits beside me. I heap food on my plate, and we eat in comfortable silence. I can feel Maddie watching me, like always. Her dark eyes are constantly on me when we are in the same room. I know my brother told her to keep an eye on me, and the therapist told her to report back on my behavior. I overheard her talking to Maddie at the door on her last visit. She said I seemed to be adjusting well, whatever that means, but wanted to be careful.

“This is good,” I whisper, shoveling another bite into my mouth.

“I’m glad you like it,” Maddie says when she sets her fork down. “Your birthday is coming up next month. You’ll be seven.” Her eyebrows furrow as she thinks. “What do you want to do?”

I shrug my shoulders, eating another bite of food. My last birthday was spent locked in my room because I went outside without Dad’s permission. I had gone to bed without dinner, and there was no celebration. “Can I see Gabe and Attie?” I ask, the idea blossoming in my mind, making hope bloom in my chest.

“Of course. You brothers wouldn”t miss that.” Maddie laughs, brushing a lock of black hair away from my temple. “What about cake? Do you want a birthday cake?” I nod, loving that idea.

“Can it have sprinkles?”

“It’s not a proper birthday cake without sprinkles.” Maddie smiles, I nod as I grab my fork, then freeze. The hair at the back of my neck stands on end, and a flicker of unease worms its way into my chest. Something in the air moves, making my insides shift with it.

I can feel my skin prickle as the surrounding air thickens, making my chest constrict.

“Something’s wrong,” I whisper, panic oozing from me as I slowly set my fork down on the table. Maddie freezes with her fork mid-bite, her eyes flicking to me in surprise.

“Wrong with your food?” she asks in a hopeful tone. I shake my head, and she curses and sets down her food-laden fork, rings glimmering on her fingers as she mutters words I can’t understand. This is one reason I felt so at home with Maddie. She’s a Witch and has similar magic to my brother Atlas. I feel Maddie’s magic mingle with the foreign one in the air and swallow, trying to keep the delicious food I just ate where it belongs when it tries to climb up my throat.

Anxiety tears its sharp claws into me as I slowly push back from the table and stand on trembling legs. He’s here. My Dad. I knew it was only a matter of time before he came for me, but I was hoping it would take longer than this.

“Maddie,” I whisper in caution as the magic grows around us.

“Are you sure somethings wrong? All of my barriers are intact, sweetheart,” she asks with a growl in her voice, still on edge. I nod, and Maddie reaches for her phone, taking my word over her magic.

“We need to leave,” I murmur, stepping toward the front door. My eyes ping from the door to the windows. I am already mapping out all the escape routes I can find.

“No. I’m calling your brother. He can get here faster than—” Maddie”s words are cut off as an explosion rocks through the house, sending me flying back into the wall behind me. I cry out as my back slams into the unforgiving wall, knocking the air from my lungs as heat fills the room. My hip throbs when I fall to the ground, landing hard on my side and making my eyes water in pain.

“Fina!” I hear Maddie shout, but her voice sounds funny, almost like it’s underwater. There is a ringing in my ears, and I blink, my vision blurry as I try to press myself back up to my feet. Like a wave, sound crashes into me. Reality comes back into focus as I shove onto shaky legs. The heat grows, and with it, the flames engulf the entire right side of Maddie”s house, crawling over everything they touch.

Maddie is standing several feet in front of me, her dark hair flying around her as red magic sparks at her fingertips. Smoke quickly fills the house as men dressed in solid black combat gear rush through the now gaping hole in the wall, guns aimed at Maddie.

Even as a child, I knew Fae were forbidden to use human weapons. They become even deadlier when they’re infused with magic. But my father was never one who obeyed the rules he enforced.

A scream tears from my lips when I realize I’m about to see my new friend killed. Triggers are pulled, and shots are fired just as Maddie brings her magic-filled hands down, sending a burst of deadly red magic rushing toward the men. The bullets ping off Maddie”s shields, and the men scream as they are thrown back, landing several yards out of the house. The ground shakes under my feet as Maddie twists, now shouting in another language, her eyes glimmering red as she chants spell after spell, wrapping them around the blazing house.

“Get upstairs!” she suddenly shouts as red sparks swirl in the air. I nod and run, knowing I need to do as instructed. I gasp and stumble back when the door near the stairs slams open, and a man in black clothes barges toward me with a knife clasped in his hand. Something dark twists in my chest as I fall against the bottom step, my breath hitching as the man descends on me. The darkness moves through me, seeking a place to escape. I shiver at the coldness that slowly engulfs my small body, trembling as I blink up at the man.

“I’ve got the girl,” he grinds out into a handset, his words muffled by the black gaiter he wears on the bottom half of his face. Cold blue eyes pin me in place as his hand reaches down to grab me, but just as he is about to make contact, I feel another rush of magic and a loud SNAP. The man”s head twists to the side, his eyes widening, breath hitching, his body freezing just as it collapses forward, his heavy weight crashing directly onto me.

“Stupid fucker,” Maddie hisses under her breath as she appears above me, shoving at the heavy man”s body, rolling him off me before bending down and scooping me into her arms. “I’ve got you,” she rasps into my ear, holding me close as she steps onto the stairs. I open my mouth to thank her just as another man enters the house.

“Maddie!” I scream in warning, but I’m not fast enough. The man brings his hand back and then throws a gleaming silver blade at Maddie. I’m helpless to watch as the knife sinks into Maddie”s shoulder right next to my hand. Maddie screams, back arching, but she doesn”t loosen her grip on me as she runs up the stairs. I both hear and feel her magic rush around us as warm blood oozes from the wound on her shoulder, running over my fingers.

Maddie’s shoulders shake as she coughs, her body trembling as she climbs to the top of the stairs, then runs to one of the spare rooms and shoves inside, kicking the door shut behind her.

“You”re hurt!” I whisper as she sets me down softly. Maddie doesn’t respond, only holding her hands up before her, chanting under her breath as the rings on her hands begin to glow. But before she can cast any more spells, the door bursts open, letting in three more men. Two of them have their own hands extended, colorful magic dancing at their fingertips.

“No!” I shout, shoving Maddie forward just as a burst of blue magic lights up overhead. We crash to the ground, but the men are on us in an instant. Two of them go for Maddie, one grabbing her arm and jerking until I hear a snap. Maddie cries out, twisting and kicking her legs, kneeing the man in the side before wrenching herself out of their grip. The other comes for me, a dark glint of excitement in his eyes as I shove myself back on my butt, scooching backward until my back hits the dresser behind me.

“Your father wants you home, girl. He said dead or alive, so if you know what”s good for you, you will come with me without a fight,” he snarls, hand reaching up to remove the black fabric covering his mouth. I think he’s hoping the threat will make me listen, but what he doesn”t know is that I would rather die than go back to my dad. Movement over the man”s head gains my attention, and I watch Maddie grab a knife from one of the men. She twists it from his hand and, in a lightning-fast move, rams the blade up into his chin.

Blood erupts from the man”s throat, covering Maddie”s face as she desperately tries to lunge for the man standing in front of me, only to be grabbed by the last guy and tossed against the wall.

“Don”t!” I scream, the coldness inside me swirling, spreading to my fingers and toes, itching to be let free. A sob breaks from my lips as Maddie’s body hits hard, and she falls to the ground in a crumpled ball. “No!” I try to dart around the man looming over me, but his hand wraps around my wrist so tight I know it will leave a mark. “Let me go!” I scream, yanking against his grip, to no avail. In a desperate attempt at freedom, I kick the man’s shins, making him curse and stumble back, but it doesn”t break his hold.

“Little bitch!” he snarls, his hand flying toward my face, connecting with a crack. Stars burst across my vision, my head spinning as the man drags me back to my feet. Pain sears through me like a red-hot dagger as I stumble into him. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the other man kicking Maddie with his big boots, stomping on her small body with a dark smile on his face.

“No,” I rasp. “No, no, no…” The word repeats in my mind as I watch, my mind not comprehending the horror in front of me. Darkness stirs, and for the first time since my father released me from the dark room, I let it inch forward, welcoming its odd numbness, relishing the control the darkness takes from me. I feel weird, like I’m no longer in my body. My eyes move to my arm, which the man still clutches in his hand, and I watch as wisps of dark shadows drift from my now sharp fingernails. My once pretty pink nail polish is now black, my skin leaching color as the darkness grows.

“Kill the bitch and let”s go! The Councilman will have our heads if we’re not back soon,” the guy holding me snaps at the guy hurting Maddie. The man ignores his friend, still kicking Maddie, and my eyes burn.

“S-stop,” I plead, begging him to stop hurting her. She”s the first person outside my brothers and uncles who has shown me an ounce of love.“Please stop!” I cry, the tears running down my face as smoke begins to fill the room. My breath comes in rapid succession, and my heart beats so fast that I think it might explode.

“Fredrick!” the guy holding me snaps as Maddie groans, blood seeping from her parted lips, and everything stills. My breath freezes in my chest, my heart skips… and I scream as black death erupts from me. A painful monster cracks through my body, tearing every inch of my chest in two as shadows fill the room, encasing it in a cloak of dark night.

The hand holding me falls away, and I feel my head roll back on my shoulders. There is a sudden awareness of a small flickering light standing next to me… a light the dark wants, no, needs! A hunger rises in me as I tentatively grasp the light, wrenching it to me. I hear a body fall to the ground before I see another light, this one darker, stained almost gray. With a wicked grin on my face, I close my eyes and seize it to me, feeding the hunger in my chest, the dark itch that needs the light to balance the dark.

A burst of excitement washes through me, and it”s more terrifying than the eternal night I’ve plunged us into. I can feel the magic coursing through my body, needing more light… more life.

Life. Souls.

“I-I’m killing them,” I whisper to myself in an odd realization. But the problem is, I don”t care. I don”t feel bad… I feel alive!

“No,” I whimper, curling in on myself, scared of the darkness and myself… scared of what I might do if I let the darkness consume me. What if I can’t make it stop? Another body falls as I scream, pain and anguish tearing through me as I release the shadows, letting them pillage every room in the house. I collect so much light that my chest hurts, and I stumble, crashing to the ground as the darkness sweeps over me, and I surrender to it.

“Fina?!”

A familiar voice echoes through my mind, waking me from the nightmare I’ve been stuck in. I sit up with a gasp, coughing as I try to breathe. The air is heavy and thick with smoke, making it hard to draw in air. I wipe at the dirt covering my face, then frown, realizing it’s soot, not dirt. One glance around the room tells me that my nightmare followed me into reality as I spot the bodies of three men lying lifeless on the floor. But it”s the small, broken body that has a sob bursting from me as I struggle to my hands and knees, crawling desperately toward her.

“Maddie?” I rasp, my throat raw, feeling like I’ve swallowed knives. When I finally make it to her side, I grab her cold hand and squeeze it. “Maddie? Wake up!” I plead, shaking her arm, needing her to open her eyes.

“Serafina!” someone shouts, and my eyes widen, realizing who it is.

“Maddie! Gabe’s here. He’s going to take us somewhere safe, but you have to wake up,” I whisper, shaking her arms some more, but she won”t even look at me. Reaching forward, I turn her face and then startle when lifeless brown eyes meet mine. “M-Maddie? Please… please don’t go,” I beg, tears clouding my vision as someone shoves the door to the room open.

“Gabriel!” a girl shouts as she steps into the room. I pay her no mind, my attention on my friend. She’s going to wake up. I just need to give her a minute. “Fina?” I can see the girl with the pretty purple eyes I met when my brother came over last time reach out a hand for me, but she slows, thinking better of touching me. Probably for the best. I don”t want my monster to take her light. “Sweetie, you”re safe; it”s okay. Your brother is here,” she soothes just as heavy footsteps thunder into the room.

“Fina! Thank God,” he chokes out, falling to his knees at my side. His big hands scoop me up, cradling me to his strong chest as I cling to Maddie”s hand.

“Gabe?” I whisper through my tears.

“I’ve got you,” he whispers the same words Maddie said on the stairs when she saved me from the first man. “You”re safe,” he mutters, more to himself than me, as his hands move over my arms and legs, looking for injuries.

“No! You have to help Maddie. She”s not waking up!” I tell him, swallowing back the tears. Gabe will fix it—he fixes everything. I feel my brother stiffen before he kisses my brow.

“Fina,” he whispers, pain etched in his voice. “I’m sorry, love. She’s gone.” I shake my head. No, no, that”s not right. She was just here. She was fighting and…

“We need to go before Dante gets here.” I hear my Uncle Dax say at my side. I’m not sure when he arrived, but I glance up at him, watching as he kneels next to Maddie’s motionless body and slowly reaches out, dusting his fingers over her face and closing her eyes. Gabe starts to stand, and I shake my head, tightening my grip on Maddie”s hand.

“I’m not leaving her,” I argue, refusing to let her go.

“I’m going to bring you to Attie. Then I’ll come to help Madison, all right?” Gabe says, his other hand moving to mine, prying it off Maddie.

“No!” I shout, reaching for her as my brother”s breath hitches. I can feel his body tense as he stares at me with eyes identical to mine.

“I’m sorry. I have to get you to safety,” he whispers into my hair, kissing my head as his magic circles around us, and we fall into his shadows.

“It’s been three weeks,and she’s still not talking.” I hear Gabe growl to Atlas as my brothers argue in the hallway outside my door. I roll my eyes, returning my new doll to its small bed. They always talk about me now, whispering to each other and sending me worried looks. It”s like they think I can’t hear them when they’re only a few feet away.

“Just give her some time, Gabe. We still don”t know what exactly happened in that house. You have no idea what”s going on. She’ll talk when she’s ready,” Atlas snaps, making me sigh and lean back on the fluffy pillow behind me.

I briefly consider going out and talking to my brother to tell him everything, but then the darkness that awoke that night shifts inside me and I bite my lip, concentrating on its every move. It”s like a living thing inside me… a darkness that lurks in the depths of my very being. I can feel its hunger and briefly wonder what it would do if I let it out. I’ve been able to keep it inside so far, but every time I think about telling Gabe or Attie what happened the night Maddie died, I feel it grow, like it’s excited, wanting out to show them itself.

Will they look at me like I’m a monster? Will they think differently of me when I tell them I crave more of the light I took that night? I can see it now, flickering at the center of everyone I know.

I heard Gabe tell Attie that there were twenty-two men in the house. Twenty-two men who suddenly died with no explanation. Maddie didn”t have the magic to kill them that way, and I… Well, I was a young girl who wouldn”t come into her Fae form for at least another eight years. I’ve heard them all trying to figure out what happened. Gabe has asked me several times, yet I haven”t been able to answer him. I haven”t uttered a single word, knowing that once I do, my family will know just how big of a monster I am.

The thing is… I know exactly how many people I killed that night. I could feel their light as I ripped it from their bodies, and it wasn’t twenty-two… it was twenty-three. What will my brothers think of me when they realize I’m the one who killed Maddie?

I squeeze my eyes shut as I listen to my brothers and shake my head. No. I already lost Maddie, I can’t lose them as well. I’ll stay silent for now. It’s safer that way. Standing, I move to the small white desk at the corner of my room as my brothers’ voices slowly fade as they walk away. I grab a few markers and a coloring book before opening to a blank page and try to focus on keeping the color where it’s supposed to go.

“Who are you?” a soft voice asks, startling me enough that I drop my marker and gasp. Turning, I look at the person who somehow snuck up on me and blink in surprise. I stare up into dark brown eyes.

It’s a kid—a boy.

Tilting my head to the side, I stare at his dark hair and oddly wide shoulders. Confused, I look back at his face. He’s looks a little older than me, but he’s really tall, reminding me of a few kids I saw in my old neighborhood. The boy is definitely older than me, but he doesn”t look old enough to be as big as he is. He has to be close to my brother”s height!

Leaning to the side of my chair, I look around his big body and see that my door is open. How the crap did he get in here without me hearing him? I’ve always been able to hear people enter a room I’m in, even Attie, who has magic shielding abilities. I scowl at the boy, curious and frustrated about how he did that.

“Who are you?” he asks again, head tilting, nostrils flaring as he crouches at my side, his dark eyes narrowing on the fresh scar on my left cheek. I got cut that night in Maddie’s house. It wasn’t deep, but it did get infected. The wound has finally healed, but left behind a red line. “What happened?” he asks, his curious tone turning to one of worry as he extends a big hand toward my cheek. I lean away from him, and he stops. His frown deepens as he nods. “You don’t like being touched?” he asks as he sits on the ground beside me, bringing him to eye level.

I shrug my shoulders as I study him. I don”t know him, and have never seen him before, but I’m not feeling anything threatening coming from him. Oddly enough, it feels almost safe with him here. The boy keeps staring at me, making me feel weird, so I turn and grab my marker. I still have half the coloring page left to fill in, and I want it done before lunch.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” the boy says after a long pause. I smile at him, grab a paper and write my name, then hold it out for him. “Serafina,” he says softly and smiles. “Is that your name?” I nod, and he grins, gesturing for the marker. I watch as he scribbles out a word that I have a hard time reading. After a few attempts, I mouth Ryland at him, and he nods. “Yep. You can call me Ry if you want to,” he mutters, snapping the lid back on the marker and leaning back on his hands, happy to stay there watching as I color.

“Fina?” I hear my Uncle Zane call just as he walks into my room and freezes, his eyes moving from Ry to me. “Are you two good in here? I didn’t hear you wake up, bud,” he says, walking over to Ryland and ruffling his black hair with one of his enormous hands.

A deep rumble comes from my uncle’s chest, the sound soothing as he stares down at us. My uncle is a Dragon Shifter and has always been one of my favorite people. He gives the best hugs, and if I’m really good, he’ll bake cookies. I hear a smaller sound come from Ry and my eyes widen as I watch the two, realizing why Ry is such a big kid.

He’s a Dragon Shifter.

“I woke up and was going to head downstairs but heard someone in the room next to mine and…” Ryland trails off, his shoulders tensing, as the air twists around him with something I don’t like. His once-happy eyes are suddenly cold, and I frown, watching him closely. He looks scared. I clench my hands together when the darkness shifts in my chest, then hold my breath in surprise when Ryland’s dark brown eyes dart to mine, eyebrows rising as he studies me closely. Uncle Zane nods and smiles.

“You can explore all you want, little man. I was going to introduce Fina to you, but it looks like she beat me to it.” He gestures at the paper with our names on it, sitting next to us. “But lunch is just about done. You kids can head downstairs in a few minutes, and it should be ready as long as Remington hasn”t burned the sandwiches,” he grumbles under his breath.

Just as he says the words, something loud crashes downstairs, making my heart freeze and my breath hitch as I jump up from my chair in fright. “Shit! You guys come down soon. Hopefully, the food will be ready!” Zane growls, standing and running from the room, muttering something about the Wolf Shifter ruining his kitchen.

I take a deep breath, swallowing the lump in my throat as I try to calm the darkness itching to be set free. After a moment, I look up, realizing Ryland is also on his feet, his nails no longer human-looking. Instead, they are sharp claws that gleam in the sunlight streaming through the window. I reach out, fascinated, wanting to run my fingers over the sharp tips, then stop myself when I realize Ryland”s shoulders are heaving, his breaths coming in rapid succession. He’s standing protectively in front of me, legs spread wide, hands loose at his side, his back ramrod straight.

I take a tentative step forward, drawn to the blue magic that flickers around his claws. He’s not looking at me even though I see his head tilt my way, no doubt listening to my steps. There is something about him, something sad, that makes me want to wrap my arms around him and give him a hug. Slowly, I step to his side and tentatively reach out a hand, twining my much smaller fingers with his and squeezing. Ryland grunts, and I hear his sharp exhale as his shoulders relax a little.

My hand tingles where it touches his, the blue magic wrapping around each finger, making me smile as the darkness inside me grows, excited to come out and play. Whatever this magic is, it”s similar to mine, and I suddenly don’t feel so alone anymore. After a long, stretched-out moment, Ryland suddenly looks down at our clasped hands and gasps, yanking his hand from mine, panic clear in his dark eyes.

“Shit! Let me see your hand. Zane’s going to kill me,” he mutters, nostrils flared, smoke billowing from them as he reaches for me with claw-tipped hands. He curses again, words that I would get in trouble for saying when he sees his claws and quickly shifts them back into normal looking fingers. “Did I scratch you? Did my magic…” he trails off, his big, warm hand grabbing mine and bringing it between us.

I watch on in surprise. Why is he freaking out?

“You… You”re not hurt?” he asks, more to himself than me. I shake my head and smile at him as he frowns, twisting my hand each way to make sure. “How?” he questions, the strain in his voice hurting something in my chest. So I do something I haven”t been brave enough to do since that night and slowly release the darkness inside, letting it leak from my fingers. I watch as Ryland”s mouth drops open in shock, his eyes taking in the black wisps of magic I haven”t had the guts to look at myself until now. In the light of day, I notice the dark, almost oily blue color waving in the depths of the darkness.

It”s terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

A hiss of anger jerks me out of my trance, my eyes darting back to him just as his hands move to clasp my shoulders. “You were born with this magic?” he asks, and I frown, looking up at his angry face. “Were you?” he asks, voice softening a little as his hand trembles. I slowly shake my head, and a look of devastation crosses his face as he nods. “Me neither,” he whispers, as he nods and slowly lets my shoulders go, standing to his full height.

Fear suddenly takes over as I realize I just showed him my secret! What if he tells Uncle Zane, or worse, Gabe and Attie? I step back, my heart thumping in my chest as I wring my hands together.

“What”s wrong?” Ry asks, looking at me and then at my hands, eyes flashing gold as he quickly looks around the room, searching for any threats. It makes me feel better to know I’m not the only one who does that. I look at the door and then back at my hands, trying to call every speck of darkness back inside, gritting my teeth with the effort it takes. “Are you okay?” Ry asks, stepping forward. I shake my head and look at the door again, then his hands, then mine.

Crap, I need some paper.

“Is someone here hurting you?” he asks with a growl in his voice, and my eyes widen. Does he think we are in danger here? Quickly, I shake my head and mouth NO as I finally shove the last of the black magic down. I can’t do that again. I need to make sure that it never comes out. As long as I keep it a secret, my family will never have to know how big of a monster I truly am.

Ry frowns and then looks at my hands, watching me as I slowly relax. “Lunchtime!” Atlas calls from downstairs. I startle and Ry’s eyes fill with understanding.

“They don”t know?” he asks, and I bite my lip, guilt slamming into me as I nod. “Oh,” he whispers, looking at the door and then back at me. “Okay. I won”t tell them,” he says, then offers me his hand. I take it without a second thought and smile when he grins and shrugs his shoulders. “It’ll be a secret between friends,” he promises, and my eyes widen.

A friend? I”ve always wanted one of those!

I smile and nod, my heart slowing as I calm down.

“Let”s go get some food. I’m starving,” Ryland murmurs, moving toward the door with long strides and dragging me along with him. I rush to keep up with him, but my legs are too small, and I trip and fall forward. Ryland growls, his hand tightening on mine, keeping me upright. “Don”t worry,” he says, the smallest smile lighting up his face, taking away some of the sadness I saw there earlier. “I’ll keep you safe.”