Read Online Gods of Chaos (Red Magic) by Jen McConnel - Free Book Online

attention by saying her name again. I shivered and nodded.
    “When I first became a Red, she thought I’d cause a lot of destruction. But then I stopped a car accident, and I realized that if I could control my magic, I could maybe cause less destruction instead of more.”
    “An interesting idea.”
    I nodded, encouraged. “But then she decided I was too much of a liability. She tried to kill me.”
    “The gods can’t kill mortals.”
    “I know that.” Frustrated, I worked to keep my voice calm. “But she used another Witch.” My voice broke, and I took a deep breath.
    He eyed me warily. “And you defended yourself.”
    I nodded, not trusting my voice. I hadn’t talked about what happened to Rochelle with anyone yet, and my chest felt tight. A cloud of guilt descended on me, and for a minute, I thought I would lose it in front of the irritating stranger. It took some effort, but I pulled myself together and tried to prepare for his next question.
    Marcus took another swallow of beer. “So why Scotland?”
    That wasn’t what I’d been expecting, and I exhaled gratefully. “I had a dream. I wanted to find the other Red Witches. I’m not sure why, but I have this feeling that we’re kept apart not because of our danger to humanity but because of the danger we pose to her.”
    He nodded thoughtfully. “And then you blew up the vault.”
    I stood up. “That was not my fault!” The sight of the girls’ bodies flashed through my mind, and I shut my eyes quickly. I would not cry in front of him.
    “Are you saying you didn’t unleash Red magic today?”
    I crossed my arms and compressed my lips.
    Marcus smiled. He looked like a defense attorney going in for the kill. “So you did use Red magic. Here in my domain. Did you ever think that might cause problems?”
    Mutely, I shook my head.
    He pressed himself off the counter and took a step toward me. “I have a feeling you will cause a lot of problems for me.”
    “But will you help me?”
    “Help you do what?”
    “I need to find a way to stand against Hecate.”
    He made a quick banishing gesture at the sound of her name. “And what am I supposed to do?”
    “Work with me! Help me try to balance chaos. You control a third of the world. Do you like being responsible for death and destruction?”
    Marcus stood like a statue for a moment, not even breathing. I could see a faint red flush creeping up his neck.
    “Of course not.” His words were quiet and clipped. “I hate it. I’ve hated it for longer than you, I’d bet.”
    “So let’s do something about it!”
    He shook his head, his face fully flushed. “It’s too dangerous.”
    “Not if we work together. Alone, yes, you’re right, we make easy targets. But two Red Witches together—”
    “No.” His voice was sharp, but I ignored the warning in it.
    “Do you like being her slave?”
    He stiffened and turned his back to me. “I’m nobody’s slave.”
    “If you let Hecate use you, you might as well be.”
    “I think you should leave.”
    I was stunned. “But I’ve come so far to find you!”
    Marcus kept his back to me. “Clearly it was a waste of time.”
    “I don’t believe that.”
    “Still, I want you to go.”
    “You can’t tell me what to do.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized how stupid I sounded.
    He whirled around, his eyes flashing. “Actually, I can. You are in my domain. You’ve used Red magic here without my consent. I can do anything I want to you, and no one will stop me.” A red glow surrounded him, and I scrambled to grab up my own magic as I took a step backward.
    He didn’t make a move toward me, but the air crackled dangerously between us. “But we could help each other!”
    “I don’t need your help. I’ve been a Red for longer than you can imagine, and you’ve been one for what, ten minutes? You can’t help me.” He spat the last words fiercely, and I took another step closer to the door.
    “Why did you choose Red magic?”