Page 114 of The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating
I leaned back against the cool stone. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only if you know the signs. I’ve served Lord Blackrose long enough to recognize certain patterns.” Her tone stayed matter-of-fact. “He’s not good at this, you know. The emotional part.”
A hollow laugh slipped out of me. “Really hadn’t noticed.”
One corner of her mouth twitched. “He understands rage. He practically breathes it. But tenderness, attachment… those scare him more than death—always have. He’s clumsy when it matters most.”
I blinked, uncertain how to process that level of honesty from Vex. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because despite his infinite flaws—and trust me, I could list them alphabetically—he’s different with you. And I think you’re different with him.”
I tried to shrug it off, but she just raised her eyebrow in that infuriating way. So I busied my hands, plucking a stray thread from my skirt.
“We have a mutually beneficial arrangement,” I said.
“Call it what you like.” She gave a low chuckle. “But I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.”
I let out a disbelieving snort. “Like I’m a useful tool to power his artifact?”
“Like you’re a fire he can’t decide whether to extinguish or throw himself into.”
The electric prickles in my veins grew more intense. If what she said was true, it meant Kazimir felt the same way I did.
“Just don’t give up on him too quickly,” Vex said, pushing away from the wall. “He’s learning. Slower than a concussed tortoise, but learning nonetheless.”
With that, she slipped away into the corridor, and I was left with my swirling thoughts. Each heartbeat felt too loud. When I reached the junction that would lead to our chambers, I hesitated. My magic built inside me like storm clouds pressed too tight together.
“To hell with this,” I muttered, changing direction.
I stormed into the training room, letting the heavy door slam behind me. The wards etched into the stone floor glowed faintly, reacting to the surge of power that pulsed through my body.
Everything felt wrong. Kazimir’s advisors discussing our intimacy like an ongoing experiment. The Heirloom refusing to stabilize. Kazimir being so attentive one moment and so consumed with his goals the next. And beneath it all seethed my festering rage at my father.
Focus your anger. Use it.That voice in my head sounded too much like Kazimir’s. But it made sense. There was no escaping the fury swirling inside me, so I might as well channel it somewhere.
I moved to the center of the circle, knelt, and placed my palms flat against the cold floor. Warm, roiling energy pulsed under my skin. “I don’t need anyone,” I whispered. “I’ll figure this out myself.”
First, I tried forming the energy bird like I’d done once before. But this time, I’d do it without siphoning the essence of any living creature. I wanted to prove I could create something purely from my own magic. I closed my eyes. Power ignited deep within me, hot and bright. I shaped it, coaxed it, demanded it obey. A spark quivered between my hands, almost forming wings, then shattered in a burst of wild magic.
I landed hard on my backside. My once-fine day dress hung in tatters around me, the blue fabric scorched and torn beyond salvaging. That’s what I got for storming in here to throw magical tantrums without bothering to change into my training leathers.
“Damn it!” I slammed my fist against the floor. The stone cracked in a spiderweb of fissures radiating outward. I stared at the damage in disbelief. The raw might reverberated through me.
I tried again. And again. Each time, I hovered painfully close to success before the construct destabilized. Residual force ricocheted around the chamber, saved only by the thick wards that Kazimir had installed for exactly these sorts of outbursts.
On the seventh attempt, I finally shaped the bird. It floated on shimmering wings for a miraculous few seconds—long enough to see each feather outlined in soft, purple-white light—before it dissolved into flickers.
“Why won’t you stay together?” I shouted at the empty space, fighting the sting in my eyes. I surged to my feet and wiped the sweat from my forehead. My hands trembled from the excess energy still coursing through me.
I turned on the row of wooden training dummies by the wall, each with a blank, mocking face. My magic practically roared for release. Snarling, I slammed a surge of energy into the nearest dummy. It exploded in a hail of straw and splinters. Flames caught the next one. The air filled with burnt straw, smoke, and crackling energy.
It feltgood.
I moved down the line, unleashing my rage. Dummies shattered, burned, twisted. One collapsed in an oozing puddle. Stray embers floated everywhere. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. By the time I reached the end of the row, I was breathing hard from exhilaration. My whole body hummed with power, more alive than I’d ever felt.
The training chamber looked like a war zone. Bits of straw floated in the air. Scorch marks blackened the walls. The acrid smell of smoke hung heavy.
I returned to the center circle, determined to master the energy bird. This time, instead of forcing the magic into the shape I wanted, I visualized it already complete and perfect. I held that image in my mind, crystal clear, and then simply... invited the magic to fill it.
