Read Online Misery Happens by Tracey Martin - Free Book Online Page A

magic, whether my power was fueled by the bond with Raj or whether it was simply adrenaline, I had no clue. But my senses felt like they were expanding. My entire being, body and soul, swelled. I yanked on the bond and sucked in every fiery drop of power I could pull from Raj. Although my head began to throb, the energy didn’t bowl me over. I absorbed it, my skin tingling from head to toes to fingers.
    The effect reminded me of stretching a muscle. The deeper you forced yourself to stretch, over time the deeper you could stretch with ease. And the last time I’d done this, Raj had blown me apart. Over the ensuing days, my magical muscle had contracted, but apparently it had been ready and waiting to be stretched again under the right conditions.
    There were no conditions more right than this. Losing my Dragon’sWing was a shame but not a tragedy. Losing Olef was a tragedy, but it couldn’t be undone. Losing Lucen? That was a giant fucking hell, no that could be prevented. In order to protect him, I would let forth a torrent of blind rage so strong it would make the rest of these so-called creatures of anger jealous.
    On that thought, I pulled harder on the bond. Nerves shrieked, and my head pounded with a warning to stop, but the smirk on Raj’s face slipped ever so slightly. It was working, and that was all the encouragement I needed.
    I strained with the effort of hoarding more power, and a red veil settled over my vision. At the same time, my eyesight sharpened. The magic powered every sense. I could hear the footsteps high above on the third floor. I could smell mildew lurking in the rubble, the dragon droppings decaying in the corners, and the hint of heated metal in the lamps that lined the room. And I was ready to taste blood.
    Raj staggered back. His smirk vanished entirely, and his eyes filled with an emotion I’d never seen before on a fury. Fear was too strong a word for it, but it was definitely concern. I had to act quickly. If he could break the bond, he might decide it was worth it after all.
    “Get. Away. From him.” Even my voice sounded deeper.
    Raj cocked his head to the side, examining me. “That’s enough, Jessica.”
    I jerked forward, feet sliding on the dust. Raj was reclaiming his power, reversing the pull of the bond. I could feel the energy draining from me. My world was becoming duller again, my vision clearing.
    His minions had paused to gape at us, but now that the universe seemed in order once more, they returned to unlocking the gate. Lucen had crept farther into the room, and at his side, his fingers had curled into a loose fist. He met my eye and winked, moving one finger minutely to show me the curse grenade he held.
    Thank dragons. I should have known he had something, and that reminded me of the ones I’d stuffed in my pockets and the knife at my hip. The furies hadn’t bothered to disarm me yet, probably because I was supposed to have been reeling from the disorientation curse. It was a mistake I intended to make them pay for. Just as Raj’s unwillingness to break our bond was too.
    I grasped at the connection, but Raj was ready. Instead of an influx of power, all I managed to ensnare were dregs. Raj held tight. I attempted it again and stumbled, and Raj crossed his arms smugly. Shit. Even if I could take the power from him, he was still far stronger than most preds.
    The iron gate swung open with a great creak, and the fury with the knife barged in. Lucen raised his hand, and in the second before the grenade exploded, I darted out of the way. The area filled with the green smoke of anti-magic. There was no way Lucen hadn’t been hit himself given the tight quarters.
    I could tell Raj hadn’t been expecting it because the bond jerked as surprise caused him to loosen his grasp. I didn’t bother to pull on it though. Not yet. In the split second I had before Raj recovered, I retrieved the large grenade Gi had given me, spun around and hurled it at the two additional furies