them faced off, only inches apart, chests heaving, hands curled into fists, while a crackling energy pounded through the room. The walls seemed to pulse from the pressure, the crystal chandelier overhead chiming a discordant music.
Raphael’s guards were there in an instant, Juro even sooner. Nick gave them an unconcerned glance then turned back to Raphael with a sneer. “Calling in the troops? Afraid to stand on your own, vampire?”
Raphael shot a quick look at his vampires, holding them in place as he snarled, “You should have stayed where you belonged, sorcerer. This is my world now.”
Cyn felt like she was in the middle of an electrical storm. The hair on her arms was standing stiff and straight, and her ears ached from the unbearable pressure. She was only feet away from them, but Raphael and Nick seemed unaware of anyone but each other. Raphael’s eyes were pure silver and filled with hate, and Nick seemed taller and bigger, radiating a power that Cyn had never known he possessed.
She glanced once at Juro, who had settled into a wait-and-see stance near the entrance to the room. But she wasn’t willing to wait. She wanted to know what the hell had happened. Granted, they’d been bickering for days, but what had set them off like this? She played back the conversation in her head. They’d been talking about the manacles and why it was so important to get them back since Marshall had no history of violence. What did it matter whose vault the damn things sat in, as long as they were secure? She tilted her head curiously at the thought. Why did it matter? Why was Nick so set on having them for himself?
A loud crack of power abruptly snapped in the room, like a mini lightning strike. And like lightning, it dispersed, reaching up to the light fixture and spreading outward, crackling against the lamp to Cyn’s right and burning a trail over her bare forearm.
She cried out in shock as unexpected pain raced up her arm and squeezed her heart.
Raphael spun at the sound of her cry, concern replacing the anger in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her, sheltering her from the energy still sizzling through the room. “ Lubimaya, ” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Cyn nodded, soaking his shirt with unwilling tears that she couldn’t seem to stop, still trying to make sense of what had happened. She looked over Raphael’s shoulder and saw Nick watching them unhappily. But was that because she’d been hurt, or was it something else? What the hell was happening here?
She pulled back enough to meet Raphael’s eyes. “What’s going on?” she asked him, and was surprised when, instead of answering her question, he swung them both around to face Nick.
“Don’t.” It sounded like an order coming from Nick, but she could see the plea in his eyes.
“What?” she asked, more confused than ever.
Raphael shot Nick one of his most cruel smiles and said, “He created them.”
She frowned in confusion at first, but then switched her gaze to Nick, staring at him, waiting for him to deny it. But he wasn’t looking at her. He was too busy glaring his hatred at Raphael. But what he didn’t do was deny what Raphael had said. Nick had created the Amber Manacles? She’d thought they were friends, but now she wondered if she knew anything about him at all.
“Nick?” she said, asking him for this one truth.
His gaze shifted to her reluctantly. “It was a long time ago,” he said quietly. “The world was a different place.”
Cyn examined what she was feeling in that moment. It was stupid to be hurt by this news, on top of everything else she’d learned about him. It was even worse to feel disappointed, as if he’d let her down somehow. He didn’t owe her anything. And the reality was that Raphael had done a lot of terrible things in the past and would do so in the future, too, without a second thought. His world was a violent place, so maybe Nick’s was, too. Magic of whatever kind changed a person;
Raphael’s guards were there in an instant, Juro even sooner. Nick gave them an unconcerned glance then turned back to Raphael with a sneer. “Calling in the troops? Afraid to stand on your own, vampire?”
Raphael shot a quick look at his vampires, holding them in place as he snarled, “You should have stayed where you belonged, sorcerer. This is my world now.”
Cyn felt like she was in the middle of an electrical storm. The hair on her arms was standing stiff and straight, and her ears ached from the unbearable pressure. She was only feet away from them, but Raphael and Nick seemed unaware of anyone but each other. Raphael’s eyes were pure silver and filled with hate, and Nick seemed taller and bigger, radiating a power that Cyn had never known he possessed.
She glanced once at Juro, who had settled into a wait-and-see stance near the entrance to the room. But she wasn’t willing to wait. She wanted to know what the hell had happened. Granted, they’d been bickering for days, but what had set them off like this? She played back the conversation in her head. They’d been talking about the manacles and why it was so important to get them back since Marshall had no history of violence. What did it matter whose vault the damn things sat in, as long as they were secure? She tilted her head curiously at the thought. Why did it matter? Why was Nick so set on having them for himself?
A loud crack of power abruptly snapped in the room, like a mini lightning strike. And like lightning, it dispersed, reaching up to the light fixture and spreading outward, crackling against the lamp to Cyn’s right and burning a trail over her bare forearm.
She cried out in shock as unexpected pain raced up her arm and squeezed her heart.
Raphael spun at the sound of her cry, concern replacing the anger in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her, sheltering her from the energy still sizzling through the room. “ Lubimaya, ” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Cyn nodded, soaking his shirt with unwilling tears that she couldn’t seem to stop, still trying to make sense of what had happened. She looked over Raphael’s shoulder and saw Nick watching them unhappily. But was that because she’d been hurt, or was it something else? What the hell was happening here?
She pulled back enough to meet Raphael’s eyes. “What’s going on?” she asked him, and was surprised when, instead of answering her question, he swung them both around to face Nick.
“Don’t.” It sounded like an order coming from Nick, but she could see the plea in his eyes.
“What?” she asked, more confused than ever.
Raphael shot Nick one of his most cruel smiles and said, “He created them.”
She frowned in confusion at first, but then switched her gaze to Nick, staring at him, waiting for him to deny it. But he wasn’t looking at her. He was too busy glaring his hatred at Raphael. But what he didn’t do was deny what Raphael had said. Nick had created the Amber Manacles? She’d thought they were friends, but now she wondered if she knew anything about him at all.
“Nick?” she said, asking him for this one truth.
His gaze shifted to her reluctantly. “It was a long time ago,” he said quietly. “The world was a different place.”
Cyn examined what she was feeling in that moment. It was stupid to be hurt by this news, on top of everything else she’d learned about him. It was even worse to feel disappointed, as if he’d let her down somehow. He didn’t owe her anything. And the reality was that Raphael had done a lot of terrible things in the past and would do so in the future, too, without a second thought. His world was a violent place, so maybe Nick’s was, too. Magic of whatever kind changed a person;
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