Chapter 53
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule fifty-three: If the voice inside your head is becoming increasingly homicidal, consider telling a friend.
“This goes against every cell in my body,” Sin growls.
He’s backed up a few steps, giving me more time to block whatever he throws at me.
Electricity snaps across my skin, and inside me, more is fighting to break free.
The crowd is silent, as if they can sense that something has shifted and that things are about to get interesting.
I’m sure watching me lose another limb will be very interesting.
“If you don’t block this, I’m making you run laps for the rest of the afternoon,” he warns, and then adds with a smirk, “After, of course, you’ve spilled your deepest, darkest secrets.”
His last comment has my hackles rising, just as he tosses a small ball of destructive energy my way. He’s making sure it’s a visible target, and I appreciate the gesture.
It flies toward me, but I don’t make a move to dodge. Instead, I focus on loosening my grip over my power, letting more of it build up in my hand. The energy is searing hot to the touch, but I don’t pull it back. I don’t even try to throw it.
Sin’s eyes widen when he realizes my plan. “Kitten, don’t!”
But he’s too late. The ball of destructive power is already in front of me, and like the idiot I am, I catch it.
Instinctively, I flinch. I’m expecting to lose my hand, but instead, the red energy fizzles out the moment it touches my power.
Sin is already on me, his horrified eyes taking in every part of me as he searches for injuries. “It didn’t hurt you,” he finally says, turning my palm in his hand.
I grin. “Didn’t even tickle.”
He returns my smile, looking like he’s just won the lottery before apparating back a dozen steps. “Alright, kitten. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
With that, he throws another ball of power at me. This one is faster, and my power surges forth to meet it.
His power dissipates before it ever touches me. Sweat dots my brow from the effort it’s taking to keep the storm locked inside of me, but it does nothing to dampen my excitement.
“Is this you trying? You’re a little slow,” I tease, and a crackling bolt of my power snaps toward him.
Sin’s face lights up, even as he dissipates the threat. “Not even close. Should I stop playing with my food?” He asks, tilting his head to the side.
I smirk, ignoring the different kind of heat that pulses through me. “You might have forgotten, since you’re so old, but usually, if a predator wants to eat his prey, he has to catch it first.”
His eyes flash, and I silently cheer at my comeback. It only lasts a second, though, because in the next heartbeat, he stops holding back. His blows start coming harder and faster. But the more I loosen my grip over my power, the more easily I extinguish his hits.
I’m so focused on my task that I don’t realize how fuzzy my vision is getting. I diffuse another blast of his power, and suddenly the world wavers.
Sin pauses, feeling the shift at the same time I do.
The momentary pause is all it takes for my hyperfocus to break, and suddenly, I feel the way I’ve been burning myself from the inside out.
My control slips.
“Kitten!” Sin yells, but already, the energy crackling along my skin is fracturing, and jagged bolts lash out.
My ears start to ring, and I barely register the red-tinted shield that Sin creates around us. I’m trying to pull back the power, but another surge rips out from me, and this time, it’s met by a blinding flash of red.
Our energies collide, only instead of dissipating, they tangle, spiraling into a lavender storm as each fights for dominance.
Pain continues to rip through me, searing over every fragment of my soul, sharpening the edges. Exhaustion starts to weigh my mind down, and my thoughts drift under the strain.
Distantly, I hear Sin cussing and yelling my name. My gaze shifts, but instead of seeing him, my focus narrows to something above him.
The wards.
Flashbacks of being stuck in the prison and being stuck in my room play through my mind, and rage ignites somewhere deep within me.
I’m in a cage again.
I don’t like cages.
It takes barely a thought before Sin’s energy is completely extinguished. But just as I redirect my energy to the wards, something slams into me and tackles me to the ground. Another bubble encases us, and my power crackles against it.
This shield is stronger than anything else he’s used, but it’s still a fucking cage. I push more of my energy into it, feeling the destructive energy bend.
Lips press against mine, and the scent of woodsmoke floods my nose.
I don’t respond.
My body is in agony, and instinct is driving me to lash out, to get free before I can hurt even more. But the kiss is insistent, refusing to pull away.
Warmth begins to radiate through me, only this heat feels like a balm over the damage I’ve inflicted on myself.
His tongue brushes against mine, feeling like a beacon guiding me home.
I melt into it, drawn to the familiar comfort.
He coaxes me back until the storm inside me fades, and it feels like I’m taking my first breath in hours.
Sin breaks the kiss, and his head drops so that his forehead is pressed against mine. “There you are,” he whispers, when my eyes finally flutter open.
I blink, finding myself wrapped in his arms, my back pressed against the ground.
He exhales, even as he squeezes me a little tighter. “Fates above, kitten. For a moment, I thought I lost you.”
It takes me a few shuddering breaths before I find my voice. “Another moment and I think you would have.”
His grip on me tightens, and he takes me with him as he turns to lie on his back. He keeps me tucked against his chest, and I’m content to listen to the beating of his heart. His chest is rapidly rising and falling, and I’m shocked to realize he’s panting.
Terror sweeps through me.
I barely dipped my toes into my power.
Who will stop me if I use too much?
I lift my head to look at Sin, expecting him to be as somber as I am. Instead, I find him smiling.
“Why are you so happy?” I demand. “There’s no way I can use my power in the war. I’ll accidentally kill us all.”
I am deeply concerned.
The warlord wannabe has the audacity to laugh.
He full-on belly laughs before taking my face in his hands and kissing me soundly.
“Two reasons, kitten. First, you’re stronger than me.
That means Need and Leon can’t touch a fucking hair on your perfect head.
” His thumb caresses my cheek. “Second, I won the fight,” he adds with another heart-stopping smile.
He looks so happy, and I don’t have it in me to press the issue. Instead, I give an outraged gasp and shove away from him. “You kissed me mid-fight, that’s cheating,” I argue, moving to straddle his waist.
Sin winks, his hands coming to rest on my hips. “We agreed, anything goes. And I am very much looking forward to hearing exactly what’s going on in that beautifully violent mind of yours.”
His eyes heat, and all of a sudden, my clothes feel too rough against my skin. I push back, letting my core drag against his cock. It’s already straining against his pants.
“Kitten,” he warns in a low tone, “we have an audience.”
Kill them, someone whispers in my mind.
It’s my voice, I realize with horror.
Sin laughs, likely thinking the fear was from embarrassment.
I should probably tell someone about my homicidal inner voice.
“Could you please not fuck in the courtyard?” Arianna groans.
I turn to find her sitting on a fence post, with her nose scrunched. That’s when I notice our audience has grown. Morgana and Ragna are here, surrounded by a dozen people I’ve never seen before. They’re all staring at Sin and me, looking duly impressed.
Morgana and Ragna look smug.
“And the woman you just saw take on a Destroyer without flinching is Vivian Ryans. The same person who took the Council’s castle and dethroned Need,” Morgana explains.
“Who are they?” I whisper to Sin as I climb off him.
He bites back a smile, standing with me. “Those would be the voting members of our allies. And I believe you just impressed the fuck out of them.”
“Furthermore, Vivian is more impartial than most, since she is connected to three realms. She has ties to the Otherworld, as well as the Mortal and Shadow Realms through either her birth or her mate.”
“Four,” Ragna corrects. “She’s connected to four.”
My eyes widen, and Morgana’s face mirrors mine. We all agreed to keep my Reaper powers a secret until after the war. Ragna can’t seriously be about to tell everyone.
Ragna doesn’t look concerned as she casually adds, “Her father is from the Beast Realm.”