Deceit and Darkness (Celestial Whispers #2)

The Darkness

She was empty. A husk.

No. No!

The place her magic should have been was a deep, yawning void. Even before her grandmother had released her magic, she’d never felt so…incomplete. Fire Alessia was gone—stolen from her. Betrayed by the person she trusted most.

Stay with me, Mouse.

And her heart had cracked open, bleeding, aching. She dove deeper into the emptiness. The black void called to her, tempted her to rest—if only for a moment. It would be so easy to crawl into that dark nothingness and cease to feel.

You promised!

What was waiting for her, anyway? Yes, she had killed Uther, but the cost of that choice was higher than any of them had realized.

She had been lied to, strung along, and she had soaked up any attention Altair threw her way without ever questioning him.

Of course, he’d had ulterior motives. Of course he’d never loved her.

She’d known it all along, deep down, and now her worst fears were real. Altair had played her for a fool.

Kaz, go stop the ship.

There was no way she could face her friends.

She was at her absolute worst, the lowest she’d ever been.

This was worse than the dungeons. Worse than Azazel’s torture chamber.

This was all due to her own na?vety. No, instead she would let the cool darkness embrace her.

It would be easier—for her and her friends.

You promised…

She welcomed the black void, wrapping it around her heart.

Then silver fire flared through her, and she was burning.

Burning.

You promised…