place. He was probably still mad at her, too. Which was completely fine with her.
More than fine. Becca headed up the winding stair case. I don't need to sympathize with him to help him. What I need to do is stop worrying about Nicholas and his feelings and deal with the actual magic.
She flicked the light in her room on and stared at the bedside table in shock. The flash drive that she’d left, forgotten, in the media room was sitting on the nightstand. She picked the flash drive up and closed her fist around it.
He was reminding her she could go. She could leave and he wouldn’t threaten her or her friends again. She’d been telling him the truth when she’d said he didn’t deserve to be cursed like this; that she felt guilty.
Becca shook her head. Maybe it was the guilt, maybe it was the thought of him being here alone…
Besides, how long would it be until someone finds him? At some point someone in his family will come looking for him and I can’t have them finding the mirror.
An image of their reflection in the mirror flashed into her mind and she swallowed uncomfortably against the thought that she wasn’t being entirely honest with herself. She set the flash drive back down on the night table.
~ Chapter Eight ~
B ECCA ROLLED OVER and stared at the ceiling. Her dreams had been filled with images of a beast. Except this beast didn’t have Nicholas’s all too human eyes, but dangerous, darkly golden irises that spoke of a power she couldn’t understand. She could remember the claws—wickedly curved and gleaming—reaching out for her. And the flash of burning purple-gold fire that had poured out of her in response. Then she’d woken up.
It’s not that she was scared to go back to sleep…it’s just that every time she closed her eyes she saw that fire against her lids. Even though she’d been awake for over thirty minutes, she could still feel the magic in her chest seething like it had been when she’d first awakened. Like it had been consistently around Nicholas—around the mirror. As if the power inside her was waiting to break something into a thousand pieces. Becca took another deep, calming breath, praying it wouldn’t be herself that her power decided to break.
There was a quiet sound, like a sigh, from across the hallway. Becca glanced up toward her closed door and realized her magic wasn’t still responding to the dream.
Giving up on sleep, she rolled out of bed and quietly opened the door, walking almost silently on her bare feet down the hallway. The “mirror room,” as she’d started referring to it, was dark, but a soft orange glow filtered through the floor to ceiling windows lining one wall to illuminate Nicholas’s large, shaggy figure sitting at one end of the room, as far away from the mirror as he could be and still be looking out the large windows. His back was to her as he stared out the windows. He was almost motionless, but after a moment Becca saw his shoulders heave in another great sigh.
“That’s an amazing view,” she said softly. The windows faced southwest. Beyond the line of trees separating the estate from its neighbors the city stretched out as far as the eye could see. It was almost like looking at an inverted sky. Only a few stars were visible as the glow from the city lights blocked out all but the strongest, but lights from the city twinkled like a million brilliant stars.
Nicholas didn’t turn around, but she could see him tense. “Yes.”
“Do you ever go out at night?”
“No.”
“Why? It’s so dark up here, no one would see you. You could just stay on your grounds.”
“It’s not being seen I’m worried about.”
“Then what?” Becca asked, confused.
Nicholas let out a low growl. “I’m afraid I’ll hurt someone.”
Becca blinked in shock. She hadn’t even considered that. Maybe it was his reaction to her suggestion that he hunt for food. If he couldn’t bring himself to kill an animal, it hadn’t even occurred to
More than fine. Becca headed up the winding stair case. I don't need to sympathize with him to help him. What I need to do is stop worrying about Nicholas and his feelings and deal with the actual magic.
She flicked the light in her room on and stared at the bedside table in shock. The flash drive that she’d left, forgotten, in the media room was sitting on the nightstand. She picked the flash drive up and closed her fist around it.
He was reminding her she could go. She could leave and he wouldn’t threaten her or her friends again. She’d been telling him the truth when she’d said he didn’t deserve to be cursed like this; that she felt guilty.
Becca shook her head. Maybe it was the guilt, maybe it was the thought of him being here alone…
Besides, how long would it be until someone finds him? At some point someone in his family will come looking for him and I can’t have them finding the mirror.
An image of their reflection in the mirror flashed into her mind and she swallowed uncomfortably against the thought that she wasn’t being entirely honest with herself. She set the flash drive back down on the night table.
~ Chapter Eight ~
B ECCA ROLLED OVER and stared at the ceiling. Her dreams had been filled with images of a beast. Except this beast didn’t have Nicholas’s all too human eyes, but dangerous, darkly golden irises that spoke of a power she couldn’t understand. She could remember the claws—wickedly curved and gleaming—reaching out for her. And the flash of burning purple-gold fire that had poured out of her in response. Then she’d woken up.
It’s not that she was scared to go back to sleep…it’s just that every time she closed her eyes she saw that fire against her lids. Even though she’d been awake for over thirty minutes, she could still feel the magic in her chest seething like it had been when she’d first awakened. Like it had been consistently around Nicholas—around the mirror. As if the power inside her was waiting to break something into a thousand pieces. Becca took another deep, calming breath, praying it wouldn’t be herself that her power decided to break.
There was a quiet sound, like a sigh, from across the hallway. Becca glanced up toward her closed door and realized her magic wasn’t still responding to the dream.
Giving up on sleep, she rolled out of bed and quietly opened the door, walking almost silently on her bare feet down the hallway. The “mirror room,” as she’d started referring to it, was dark, but a soft orange glow filtered through the floor to ceiling windows lining one wall to illuminate Nicholas’s large, shaggy figure sitting at one end of the room, as far away from the mirror as he could be and still be looking out the large windows. His back was to her as he stared out the windows. He was almost motionless, but after a moment Becca saw his shoulders heave in another great sigh.
“That’s an amazing view,” she said softly. The windows faced southwest. Beyond the line of trees separating the estate from its neighbors the city stretched out as far as the eye could see. It was almost like looking at an inverted sky. Only a few stars were visible as the glow from the city lights blocked out all but the strongest, but lights from the city twinkled like a million brilliant stars.
Nicholas didn’t turn around, but she could see him tense. “Yes.”
“Do you ever go out at night?”
“No.”
“Why? It’s so dark up here, no one would see you. You could just stay on your grounds.”
“It’s not being seen I’m worried about.”
“Then what?” Becca asked, confused.
Nicholas let out a low growl. “I’m afraid I’ll hurt someone.”
Becca blinked in shock. She hadn’t even considered that. Maybe it was his reaction to her suggestion that he hunt for food. If he couldn’t bring himself to kill an animal, it hadn’t even occurred to
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