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Authors: S. L. Jennings
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head. “I can’t, Gabs,” she cries. “I can’t go through that again. Please don’t make me!”
She hits herself even harder, and as gently as I can, I pry her fists from her face. “I’m here, Morgan. I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”
Just as she begins to calm under my touch—her heartbeat slowing, her breathing steadier—Dorian walks through the front door, cracking the hell of Morgan’s mind wide open and unleashing her demons.
“Oh my God, Gabs. It’s here. Oh my God, no!” Morgan snatches her hands away from me and cowers in the farthest corner of the couch, covering her mouth with trembling hands.
“What’s here, Morgan?” I look from her to Dorian, who cautiously makes his way toward us. Niko and Alexander are right behind him.
“Don’t turn around, Gabs,” she whispers frantically, her wide, terrified eyes fixed on the men that stand just a foot away. “They said this would happen. They said it would come.”
“Morgan, calm down. It’s just Dorian. You know him. And his brother, Niko—remember him? And their…”
“No, Gabs! No!” She swiftly moves to my side, gripping my arms so hard that her fingernails break the skin. “I should have listened! They told me it would come for me! They told me!”
I grasp Morgan’s shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “What would come, Morgan? What is coming for you?”
It’s like she’s looking right through me. My best friend—my sister—is right here in front of me, breaking in my hands. The girl I knew and loved is crumbling, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
Dry lips trembling, she whispers the word that’s filled my nightmares for the past year. “Darkness.”
I turn back to the three Warlocks standing behind me, each wearing varied faces of shock and rage. “What do I do?”
Alexander opens his mouth to answer, but quickly closes it, letting the painful solution die on his tongue. Niko shifts beside him, his jaw clenched with irritation. I can literally feel him radiating with anger.
“Fuck, she can see us,” he mutters furiously. Then, before I even know what he’s doing, he darts in front of us and brushes a hand across her forehead, sending her into unconsciousness.
“What the hell did you do?” I shriek, cradling her sagging frame.
“She’s fine. I just knocked her out so we have a chance to deflect. We don’t need her screaming and crying like a lunatic.” He shakes his head in frustration. “You have to know that she’s a threat to us all now. She’s seen us. She’ll have to be dealt with…permanently.”
“What?”
He tries to meet my eyes, but I refuse his gaze. “Your friend is a liability. I know that’s hard for you to understand, but if we don’t act now, she could—”
“No! You won’t hurt her!” I cry, shaking my head. “Can’t you just spell her to forget or something?”
“I told you before, Gabs—the magic flowing through her veins is unnatural. And now that her sight seems to be amplified, it can be dangerous for our kind. There’s no guarantee that a spell would last. We can’t risk that, especially not now.”
Angry tears fill my eyes, but I swipe them away, refusing to accept the harsh truth he speaks. I could save Morgan; I could force them to spare her life. But then what? How will I explain what’s happening to her when I don’t understand it myself? How will I explain me? And even if I manage to make sense of it all, would she believe me? And would she vow to keep my secret?
“I can make her understand,” I say without thinking twice. I look to Dorian, begging him to understand. If anyone is capable of mercy and empathy, it’s him. “Morgan is my friend; she loves me. She would never do anything to hurt me.”
“It’s forbidden,” Alexander interjects, shaking his head. “Humans cannot know of our existence. I’m sorry, child. Your friend could be harmful to all of us. You, especially.”
I narrow my gaze at him. “So you’re telling
She hits herself even harder, and as gently as I can, I pry her fists from her face. “I’m here, Morgan. I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”
Just as she begins to calm under my touch—her heartbeat slowing, her breathing steadier—Dorian walks through the front door, cracking the hell of Morgan’s mind wide open and unleashing her demons.
“Oh my God, Gabs. It’s here. Oh my God, no!” Morgan snatches her hands away from me and cowers in the farthest corner of the couch, covering her mouth with trembling hands.
“What’s here, Morgan?” I look from her to Dorian, who cautiously makes his way toward us. Niko and Alexander are right behind him.
“Don’t turn around, Gabs,” she whispers frantically, her wide, terrified eyes fixed on the men that stand just a foot away. “They said this would happen. They said it would come.”
“Morgan, calm down. It’s just Dorian. You know him. And his brother, Niko—remember him? And their…”
“No, Gabs! No!” She swiftly moves to my side, gripping my arms so hard that her fingernails break the skin. “I should have listened! They told me it would come for me! They told me!”
I grasp Morgan’s shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “What would come, Morgan? What is coming for you?”
It’s like she’s looking right through me. My best friend—my sister—is right here in front of me, breaking in my hands. The girl I knew and loved is crumbling, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
Dry lips trembling, she whispers the word that’s filled my nightmares for the past year. “Darkness.”
I turn back to the three Warlocks standing behind me, each wearing varied faces of shock and rage. “What do I do?”
Alexander opens his mouth to answer, but quickly closes it, letting the painful solution die on his tongue. Niko shifts beside him, his jaw clenched with irritation. I can literally feel him radiating with anger.
“Fuck, she can see us,” he mutters furiously. Then, before I even know what he’s doing, he darts in front of us and brushes a hand across her forehead, sending her into unconsciousness.
“What the hell did you do?” I shriek, cradling her sagging frame.
“She’s fine. I just knocked her out so we have a chance to deflect. We don’t need her screaming and crying like a lunatic.” He shakes his head in frustration. “You have to know that she’s a threat to us all now. She’s seen us. She’ll have to be dealt with…permanently.”
“What?”
He tries to meet my eyes, but I refuse his gaze. “Your friend is a liability. I know that’s hard for you to understand, but if we don’t act now, she could—”
“No! You won’t hurt her!” I cry, shaking my head. “Can’t you just spell her to forget or something?”
“I told you before, Gabs—the magic flowing through her veins is unnatural. And now that her sight seems to be amplified, it can be dangerous for our kind. There’s no guarantee that a spell would last. We can’t risk that, especially not now.”
Angry tears fill my eyes, but I swipe them away, refusing to accept the harsh truth he speaks. I could save Morgan; I could force them to spare her life. But then what? How will I explain what’s happening to her when I don’t understand it myself? How will I explain me? And even if I manage to make sense of it all, would she believe me? And would she vow to keep my secret?
“I can make her understand,” I say without thinking twice. I look to Dorian, begging him to understand. If anyone is capable of mercy and empathy, it’s him. “Morgan is my friend; she loves me. She would never do anything to hurt me.”
“It’s forbidden,” Alexander interjects, shaking his head. “Humans cannot know of our existence. I’m sorry, child. Your friend could be harmful to all of us. You, especially.”
I narrow my gaze at him. “So you’re telling
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