to keep meeting like this,” Raj said. “You’re coming with me this time. You see? I made sure you didn’t even get hurt when you fell, so there’d be no excuse. Of course, I can’t say the same for your boyfriend.”
“Jess?” Lucen’s voice was weak.
I tried looking around Raj’s large legs, but the fury completely blocked my view. “I’m okay,” I told Lucen, though that was probably a lie.
Raj lifted my chin so I was forced to see his scarily tattooed face. “Oh, yes. She’s fine. We’ll take good care of her.”
His goons laughed, but Raj was on to something. Our bond was stronger than ever when he touched me. I could visualize it once more—a thick, darkly powerful rope. Only not a rope. A circuit.
I’d never figured out what exactly Raj had done to me in France when he’d used me to channel power and open the Pit. But whatever it was, he’d used the bond to feed me power too. That must mean I could use it to take from him.
Bracing myself mentally, I grasped our connection and yanked on Raj’s magic. It came at once, eagerly, flooding my senses with a hot, dazzling burst of sheer energy. The effects of the disorientation curse flew away, blasted right out of me. Alas, next came the disturbing rush I’d been waiting for. My every nerve lit up, and my head became too light. I shuddered from the impact and tried to force the energy hit down, grounding myself. As I did, the long-simmering rage in my blood began to heat up.
To my surprise, Raj laughed. “Yes, there does appear to be some residual connection between us. I’m no more certain of what it is than you are. I could detect your unease and confusion when you were attempting to locate me.”
Peachy. As I’d suspected. Sometimes being right wasn’t worth it.
Shakily, I climbed to my feet. I was sick of staring at Raj’s boots, and my muscles buzzed with power. One more pull on the bond and I’d be ready to take on the world, or feel like it anyway.
My head wasn’t entirely sure that was a good idea though. Raj had fed me so much power last time that it had hurt. My brain had felt like it was being split in two, and my body—far from being strengthened by the hit—had been hard to control. Right up until the moment I’d passed out. In some ways, it wasn’t as bad as what had happened when Claudius had addicted me, but it wasn’t a situation I wished to repeat. Under the circumstances, however, I didn’t see what other options I had.
“Can you break the connection?” I spoke casually, but it would be good to know if Raj could cut me off if I got too greedy with his power.
Although Raj was over a head taller than me, now that I was standing, I could see more of the space. We were on the ground floor, and the ruined area was part of the bank. Smashed and charred desks had been pushed aside, and the teller counter was covered in chunks of the ceiling. A moldy-smelling carpet runner had been rolled into a corner.
Then there was Lucen, locked behind a fancy iron-gated door. He’d pulled himself to his knees, and his hands were wrapped around the bars. With a determined expression, he shook his head at me. Was he telling me to stop drawing power from Raj, or warning me not to goad Raj into breaking the connection? Or was it something else entirely?
Raj noticed my furrowed brow and glanced in Lucen’s direction. “Anything that can be made can be unmade. Don’t fret. But until I have you safely tucked away, our connection is too useful to remove. What if you ran again? How could I draw you to me?”
He gestured behind me, and two ugly furies approached Lucen. One of them held a salamander fire-forged knife with a wicked, curved blade. Lucen saw it too. He inched away from the gate, but the second fury was unlocking it. He was trapped.
Fear froze my mind, but not for long. The ice in my veins warmed to anger, and that awoke my courage. Fed by the rage Raj induced, my resolve strengthened with every breath. As for my own
“Jess?” Lucen’s voice was weak.
I tried looking around Raj’s large legs, but the fury completely blocked my view. “I’m okay,” I told Lucen, though that was probably a lie.
Raj lifted my chin so I was forced to see his scarily tattooed face. “Oh, yes. She’s fine. We’ll take good care of her.”
His goons laughed, but Raj was on to something. Our bond was stronger than ever when he touched me. I could visualize it once more—a thick, darkly powerful rope. Only not a rope. A circuit.
I’d never figured out what exactly Raj had done to me in France when he’d used me to channel power and open the Pit. But whatever it was, he’d used the bond to feed me power too. That must mean I could use it to take from him.
Bracing myself mentally, I grasped our connection and yanked on Raj’s magic. It came at once, eagerly, flooding my senses with a hot, dazzling burst of sheer energy. The effects of the disorientation curse flew away, blasted right out of me. Alas, next came the disturbing rush I’d been waiting for. My every nerve lit up, and my head became too light. I shuddered from the impact and tried to force the energy hit down, grounding myself. As I did, the long-simmering rage in my blood began to heat up.
To my surprise, Raj laughed. “Yes, there does appear to be some residual connection between us. I’m no more certain of what it is than you are. I could detect your unease and confusion when you were attempting to locate me.”
Peachy. As I’d suspected. Sometimes being right wasn’t worth it.
Shakily, I climbed to my feet. I was sick of staring at Raj’s boots, and my muscles buzzed with power. One more pull on the bond and I’d be ready to take on the world, or feel like it anyway.
My head wasn’t entirely sure that was a good idea though. Raj had fed me so much power last time that it had hurt. My brain had felt like it was being split in two, and my body—far from being strengthened by the hit—had been hard to control. Right up until the moment I’d passed out. In some ways, it wasn’t as bad as what had happened when Claudius had addicted me, but it wasn’t a situation I wished to repeat. Under the circumstances, however, I didn’t see what other options I had.
“Can you break the connection?” I spoke casually, but it would be good to know if Raj could cut me off if I got too greedy with his power.
Although Raj was over a head taller than me, now that I was standing, I could see more of the space. We were on the ground floor, and the ruined area was part of the bank. Smashed and charred desks had been pushed aside, and the teller counter was covered in chunks of the ceiling. A moldy-smelling carpet runner had been rolled into a corner.
Then there was Lucen, locked behind a fancy iron-gated door. He’d pulled himself to his knees, and his hands were wrapped around the bars. With a determined expression, he shook his head at me. Was he telling me to stop drawing power from Raj, or warning me not to goad Raj into breaking the connection? Or was it something else entirely?
Raj noticed my furrowed brow and glanced in Lucen’s direction. “Anything that can be made can be unmade. Don’t fret. But until I have you safely tucked away, our connection is too useful to remove. What if you ran again? How could I draw you to me?”
He gestured behind me, and two ugly furies approached Lucen. One of them held a salamander fire-forged knife with a wicked, curved blade. Lucen saw it too. He inched away from the gate, but the second fury was unlocking it. He was trapped.
Fear froze my mind, but not for long. The ice in my veins warmed to anger, and that awoke my courage. Fed by the rage Raj induced, my resolve strengthened with every breath. As for my own
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